Deceit and Intrigue in the Imperial Capital: The Final Showdown (II)

The moment it began, Haoyue and I acted simultaneously.

Charge!

A large amount of blood coated the blade of the Charging Blade, the dense Blood Energy vapor causing the blade to emit a thick Blood Mist. Two bullets, imbued with spiritual energy, were loaded simultaneously.

A third orange ring appeared beneath Haoyue's feet, and a beautiful yet ferocious orange rune adhered to Snow Moon's sword blade. The surging orange light instantly covered every inch of the sword.

The moment has finally arrived.

Black and White

Red and orange --

Blood and Moon--

Swords and blades

Direct confrontation!

"Blood Makeup Blade - Double Strike!"

"Orange Moon - Void Moon Blade!"

Two figures, one in black and one in white, approached each other at an astonishing speed, leaping into the air and passing each other at the last second before they collided!

There was no collision, not even a sound.

However, the moment the two landed—

Rumble rumble rumble!!!!

Orange and red light erupted like a volcanic eruption, radiating in all directions as if venting excess power. The ground directly beneath where the two intersected collapsed, and jagged cracks spread out in one breath. The marble covering the entire arena cracked inch by inch with a deafening sound!

First.

It was only their first exchange.

The entire arena was completely destroyed.

However, the two culprits didn't care at all.

Before the aftershocks of the last attack had even subsided, they turned around and clashed again!

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The two figures, one in black and one in white, clashed repeatedly, each time producing a deafening roar. Debris flew everywhere, and light burst forth in all directions. If it weren't for the thick spiritual energy barrier separating the competition area from the audience seating, there would probably have been thousands of casualties by now!

"Xiao Ye... is actually this amazing..." Si Nan Ying was completely stunned.

This match is on a completely different level compared to the previous ones!

"That's right, this is Liu Ye's true strength." Si Nan Yuan looked at the arena below with utmost seriousness. As the person in charge of Liu Ye's special training, only she truly understood just how strong this seemingly delicate and beautiful creature really was!

What's even more terrifying is that this power wasn't acquired through special training, but rather something Liu Ye already possessed. The special training merely helped her master the methods of controlling this power!

In order to avoid attracting the attention of hostile forces, she had been suppressing her true strength since the preliminary rounds, only revealing it out of anger when Rui Xin was injured.

The power she displayed that time was only a small fraction of her total strength.

"Liu Ye, who exactly are you...?"

Ding!!!

Another collision sent us both flying dozens of meters back to opposite ends of the ring (though it was now in pieces), and we ceased our brutal head-on confrontation.

Blood surged merrily through my veins, my whole body brimming with energy, and the few scrapes on my skin only invigorated me. The surrounding spectators seemed stunned by our intense exchange, but little did they know, what we had just done was less of a fight and more of a warm-up.

Now that both of us are in peak physical condition, the real battle is about to begin.

"Blood Dance Thorn."

Blood swirled around my body like vines, the flowing blood containing countless tiny, sharp blood crystals that would instantly shred at the slightest touch. This move was something I devised during special training; it was a perfect blend of offense and defense.

Alright, Haoyue, what's next?

"Wow, Xiao Ye, it's finally time to use the Silver Moon series..." She smiled sweetly at me, and the halo beneath her feet changed. Outside the three layers of orange halos, a new one appeared—a silver halo. The silver halo also contained three runes, each of which was more complex and obscure than the orange runes.

"Silver Moon - Moon Mist Silver Veil"

A silver rune floated up, not attaching to Haoyue's body or sword, but shattering and spreading in the void, transforming into a cloud of silver mist that drifted around Haoyue. Her figure immediately became hazy, as if seen through a layer of silver gauze, indistinct.

Be careful...

The moon's silhouette gradually faded and blurred under the silvery mist, until it finally disappeared completely.

I immediately tensed up, gripping the knife tightly. This so-called "Moon Mist Silver Veil" must be some kind of visual aid; who knows where she'll appear next?

Once she is discovered, there must be no mercy.

Rustling sound -- "!"

There was a noise from my right rear—was it over there!?

"Spiral Piercing Kill!"

A spiral crystal, as thick as a tree trunk, shot out and pierced straight through that silver-white figure!

"You're really ruthless, Xiao Ye... Too bad you guessed wrong~"

The "Bright Moon" body, pierced through, immediately disintegrated, turning back into a silvery-white mist. The faint mist quietly spread, enveloping me as well.

Look here~

Another sound came from the left. I stomped my foot, and a whole row of blood spikes emerged from the ground, spreading to the left at an alarming speed!

Stabbed!

However, the silvery-white body, riddled with thorns, turned into mist again, and the light mist enveloping me became even thicker.

Sure enough, it was fake again, and the strange fog had completely enveloped me. Things were going against me...

But Haoyue, if you think you can trap me with such a small trick, you're being too naive.

Unleash a powerful, all-encompassing attack to wipe out both the real and fake opponents—that's actually unnecessary.

During special training, I had already thought about how to identify the enemy's true identity.

No matter how realistic the illusion may be, Haoyue's body is still human, and if it is human, then there is a way to deal with it.

Gently close your eyes and let your consciousness expand. You don't need to see, hear, or smell. There is only one thing to do—feel the other person's Blood Energy!

Ignoring the phantom's playful distractions, I quietly tracked the faint scent of blood... Almost there, very close, just a little bit more—I found it!

Twenty meters away, at the two o'clock position!

"Blood Crystal Barrage!"

Countless blood arrows, each as thick as a finger, gathered before me, and at my command, they all coalesced into incomparably sharp crystal blades.

Three phantoms attacked me, but I ignored them; I only needed to take down the real one.

"Orange Moon - Moon Wheel Slash!"

"What!?"

At the critical moment, I tapped the ground with my Charging Blade and pulled the trigger at the same time. The recoil of the bullet propelled me backward, narrowly avoiding the three light blades that attacked at the same time!

Clang!!!

Three orange circular light blades collided, producing a deafening clang, and a fierce wind carrying violent energy raged across the arena—all of this proved that these three attacks from the phantom were real!

"Goodness... it seems I underestimated you."

This is not an illusion at all, but a clone.

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I'm going back to my hometown for Chinese New Year tomorrow, so I'll try to keep updating daily.