Renault saw Taelan Fordring surrounded by an unusual, milky-white Holy Light. He knew this was a Paladin's blessing! It would not only remove the slowing effect of his Hamstring, but also make Taelan temporarily immune to slows!
Freed from Hamstring, Taelan immediately raised his hand, preparing to cast several Holy Bolts to wear Renault down. Renault shouted, gripping his sword hilt with his left hand and drawing back his right arm. A faint red fury instantly filled it, and he punched Taelan hard in the face.
A Warrior interrupt skill: Pummel. Taelan gave up on firing his Holy Bolts. He had no intention of being interrupted and pushed into a casting delay. Raising his shield, he stepped forward with his left foot and drove off the ground with his right. Clang! The punch was powerful. Even with both feet planted firmly, Taelan was knocked back, leaving two furrows in the ground.
Taelan Fordring refused to back down and launched a counterattack. He bent slightly, lunged forward, and used Mortal Strike. Renault reacted quickly, leveling his greatsword and holding it across his body. The two collided. This time, the force of the impact knocked Renault back a step. Clearly, Renault was stronger than Taelan.
Both gave up on casting. Their hard-hitting attacks set the training ground ablaze. Jaina's little face flushed with excitement as she raised her fists and cheered Taelan on!
Renault used the knockback to get through the brief stun from Mortal Strike. He wasn't about to let Taelan control the pace of the fight. By then, Taelan Fordring's Blessing of Freedom had ended, and the milky-white Holy Light had faded. He raised his sword in one hand, but pressed his red-glowing left hand to the ground.
"Boom!" The ground shook, and dust billowed into the air. A Warrior's area-control skill: Thunder Clap.
Renault's Thunder Clap drew gasps from the onlookers. The children who often hung around him immediately cheered! Most of them were noble scions.
After slowing Taelan with Thunder Clap, Renault seized his chance, leaping up and gripping his sword with both hands as he unleashed Heroic Leap. Taelan Fordring coolly raised his shield and fired two Holy Bolts! The bolts traced arcs through the air toward Renault.
Renault could no longer do anything about the Holy Bolts. It was obvious that Taelan was controlling them; they had already locked onto him. He could only hope his Heroic Leap would hit Taelan and keep him from firing off more Holy Bolts in quick succession.
The two Holy Bolts struck Renault in midair and exploded, throwing off his movements. Taelan had already caught the sword strike on his shield, though the blow drove him back. Renault hurried after him and kept attacking. Seeing Renault determined to fight at close quarters, Taelan stopped dodging. He fought with his shield in one hand and sword in the other, meeting each attack head-on!
Hammer of Justice was ready again, and Taelan Fordring stunned Renault once more. He prepared to cast Holy Light on himself! Renault knew that after their exchanges, both of them were wounded. He couldn't let Taelan Fordring use Holy Light to restore his health.
He activated his racial ability, Every Man for Himself, and broke free of Hammer of Justice's stun. Without hesitation, he used Enrage first to build as much rage as possible.
Then he leaped into the air, both hands glowing red. Even his weapon was shrouded in a grayish-red light! He brought it down on Taelan with a mighty slash!
Jaina had no idea what this sinister-looking attack was. Bridget, however, cried out, "Mortal Strike!"
"So this is his trump card?"
A weapon that Arms Warriors wielded against healers! A vicious attack. It dealt tremendous weapon damage, and its added Mortal Wounds effect greatly reduced healing.
Jaina knew about Mortal Strike, but she couldn't recognize the telltale signs of it being used. Taelan, however, knew just how dangerous it was. The skill was an important PvP ability for Arms Warriors. It had undergone many revisions, changing from having no cooldown to having one, and from costing rage to adding extra damage to a weapon attack. The one thing that had never changed was the Mortal Wounds effect. It made Mortal Strike a powerful tool for Arms Warriors against healers!
Taelan Fordring didn't hesitate. He raised his shield high! A stream of milky-white Holy Light descended from above, meeting Renault's Mortal Strike at the same moment!
A translucent, milky-white shield protected Taelan. The Paladin's signature skill: Invincible!
Renault's vicious attack struck the shield but dealt no damage. It only made the translucent barrier shudder violently!
As soon as Mortal Strike ended, Renault saw a dazzling burst of Holy Light flare from Taelan's arm and weapon. A sword-shaped Aura appeared beneath his feet. A Warrior's instincts warned him of danger. He quickly held his greatsword across his body and tried to assume a defensive stance.
In an instant, a Five-Hit Combo struck his greatsword in rapid succession. The blows came so fast that their sound stretched into one long, crisp "clang!" The sword was knocked right out of Renault's hands and fell to the ground. Taelan kicked it away, and the blade flew into the barrier with a sharp clang. The onlookers outside saw it flying toward them and ducked in fright!
He had learned that kick from Hass.
Taelan hadn't opened with Charge and Zeal because he didn't know what Renault's trump card was. Besides, without the hit support from Tirion Fordring's blessing and the boost from Fanaticism, the skill's accuracy was pitiful! He'd have to learn Blessed Aim to improve his accuracy. More importantly, his body wasn't tough enough yet. The muscles in his arms couldn't withstand the strain of repeated strikes.
But Zeal's attacks were truly terrifying. Not only had it knocked Renault's weapon away, its final strike had also hit his breastplate, leaving a gash in the sturdy armor.
Renault truly was Old Mograine's son! Everyone in that family was stubborn. Seeing that Taelan's sword arm wasn't moving as well as before, Renault immediately rushed to the edge of the training ground to retrieve his sword. He'd already figured out that he was much stronger than Taelan, and probably had more stamina too. He could stall until Invincible wore off, then see if he could wear Taelan down. There was no way such a terrifying attack could be used repeatedly!
The people around them were amazed by the Aura beneath Taelan's feet! Only Paladins who had mastered an Aura could lead an army! They could guide their troops and enhance them as a group. No one had ever seen Taelan's Aura before! It simply looked beautiful. But judging by how it had knocked Renault's greatsword flying, its effects had to be impressive! Jaina waved her little hand and cheered Taelan on. He really had grown stronger! Not only had he learned Blessing of Freedom, he had also mastered a completely new ability. That terrifying attack had been dazzling!
Taelan Fordring didn't want what had just happened to happen again. He stopped hiding his skills and charged straight at Renault! After striking him, he followed up with Mortal Strike. The combo forced Renault back two steps, and he had no choice but to raise his hand again, channel his rage into the ground, and unleash Thunder Clap!
But Taelan wasn't fazed when Renault ran for his weapon again. He charged and used Mortal Strike once more. After Renault had been knocked back twice in a row, Taelan fired Holy Bolts in rapid succession. Holy Light flashed across the battlefield, and a series of explosions battered Renault, making him stagger. Taelan seized the opportunity, charged into him again, and knocked him to the ground. Then he pointed his sword at Renault's throat, leaving him afraid to move!
Just then, Instructor Havinfar walked over and announced, "The winner is Taelan Fordring."
The people outside erupted into cheers, delighted by the two outstanding young men who would shape the next generation.
Taelan lowered his sword. Renault seemed to have lost all his strength and couldn't get up, overwhelmed by frustration. Taelan raised his hand again, and a Holy Bolt shot straight toward Renault, leaving him no choice but to raise his arm to defend himself. The crowd outside stopped cheering and stared in shock. Had Taelan Fordring thrown all sense of honor aside and decided to kill this obnoxious challenger? But Renault felt no pain. Instead, he felt a gentle Holy Light enter his body. He suddenly understood: Holy Bolts could not only attack enemies, but also heal allies.
Taelan helped Renault up. "It's all right now. Go back and get some rest. Don't get hung up on this. Failure isn't scary; losing the courage to face it is."
Havinfar dismissed the barrier and said gently, "Renault, keep your chin up. Everyone fails sometimes. You've made great progress; you're already a capable Warrior. Your improvement over this past month has amazed me!"
Renault nodded without saying anything. He shook Taelan's hand, nodded once, and walked out of the training ground. He didn't even turn back to greet Whitemane.
Dad wouldn't think that way!
After he left the training ground, Jaina, Bridget, and Whitemane came over and surrounded Taelan Fordring. Jaina was just about to speak when Bridget cut in first. "Taelan! That was amazing! What was that move called?" As she spoke, she mimed his movements from just moments ago!
Children were often more direct. Before Taelan could answer Bridget, Jaina grabbed his hand and pulled him out of the crowd. Bridget glared at Jaina several times, then left in a huff.
"You promised to take me bear hunting in the forest! I want to go right now!"
When did I ever say I'd go bear hunting? Are you sure you aren't dressed like that to serve the bears lunch?
Post now, edit later! Penglai had something to take care of yesterday and didn't get back until the evening, so I only just got around to revising the chapter! Thanks for all your suggestions! Thank you, everyone!
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