"It's true, Your Majesty. [ One Sword ] was defeated by Shevchenko. Under the watchful eyes of over 70,000 people, Shevchenko completely exhausted [ One Sword's ] fighting Dou Qi, and he eventually fainted..."
Robben described in detail what happened on the testing platform. By the end, this swift swordsman, who had witnessed the entire outcome, still had an incredulous look on his face, his expression strange.
Sun Fei took the Diwei Crystal from Robben, felt the magic patterns, and gently injected a wisp of magic. A ray of five-colored light shot out from the pentagram-shaped Diwei Crystal and projected onto the white tent cloth. Instantly, like a movie, the process of [ One Sword ] and [ Little Prince of Luck ] Shevchenko fighting appeared on the tent cloth.
This was the first time Sun Fei had seen Shevchenko in combat mode; to be precise, it was the first time Sun Fei had looked at Shevchenko directly.
He wore ordinary chainmail, an old, round, pale yellow shield with wood grain, and a massive, unsharpened black sword nearly two meters wide and half a meter long. He wore a bronze Milan helmet to protect his jaw and nose, and his legs were bare, with a pair of worn-out animal hide boots on his feet. This outfit was exactly the same as that of an ordinary soldier of the Empire when Charge —except, of course, for that overly large, unsharpened black sword.
If Sun Fei hadn't known beforehand that this was an Empire Ranking Competition match, he might have thought he was just an unknown soldier encountering [ One Sword ] on the battlefield.
As he watched the images change, Sun Fei's expression grew increasingly solemn.
" Flame Slash!"
" Returning Dragon Slash!!"
" One-Character Slashing Technique!!"
" Reverse Dragon Counter-Slash!"
Shield Bash!
" Turning Dragging Sword Slash!!"
The frenzied roar of the beast echoed in my ears. In the projection of light and shadow, a soldier-like figure wielded a giant sword, which spun and transformed into black Whirlwind. It was both still and dynamic. When still, it was like a stone statue; when in motion, it was like a dream. The giant blade left phantoms in the air, and a chilling aura emanated from it.
Shevchenko's sword was filled with a fierce and relentless spirit, a resolute determination to never return; it was the most domineering and the most righteous.
His swordsmanship lacked any spirit; it was rigid and methodical. One Sword One Sword felt like it should have been executed exactly as it was supposed to be, without any variation or foreshadowing. One Sword was One Sword, unchanging move until it was fully mastered, perfectly upright, like an honest but inflexible person.
His eyes were filled with madness, like a burning flame. He seemed to have completely forgotten everything around him, only focusing on swinging his sword and attacking with all his might. Every strike was unrestrained, using up every last bit of strength in his body.
Shevchenko's strength is roughly at the Six-Star Class Mid Stage.
However, every strike he unleashed possessed a destructive power nearly equivalent to Six-Star Class Peak Stage.
The moves he used were all familiar, the most common gymnastic sword techniques used in the military. Every one of the ten main combat legions of the Zenit Empire taught these basic sword techniques to new recruits; there was nothing particularly sophisticated about them.
However, any ordinary move, even the simplest basic killing action passed down in the army, or the sword-swinging route that even a child on the roadside knows, would produce an effect in his hands that no one else could ever achieve. No matter who made these moves, they could not match Shevchenko's standard and perfection; it was simply a textbook performance.
It's hard to imagine that anyone in the world could execute known techniques so perfectly.
Even the same move, when he used it a second time, would be exactly the same as the first time, without the slightest difference. If it weren't for the man's frantic shouts and expressive face during the battle, Sun Fei would have almost thought that Shevchenko was actually a robot wearing human skin, wielding his sword according to a pre-programmed sequence.
[ One Sword ]'s swordsmanship is incomparably sharp. Every sword light seems eternal, as if it can take the life of the opponent. He is still the powerful and unchallenged king of swordsmanship. Every wisp of sword light he emits will leave a mark on Shevchenko's body, but it cannot take the life of the opponent.
Like a soldier who has fought countless battles, Shevchenko brought the sword and shield to their fullest potential. His seemingly ordinary, pale yellow wooden shield, made of nailed wood, blocked the incomparably sharp One Sword light every time in seemingly impossible situations.
By the end of the battle, Shevchenko was covered in wounds, looking like a bloodied man. But as long as he held a sword and shield, he remained as frenzied as a raging beast, seemingly possessing inexhaustible energy, boundless strength, and boundless Dou Qi. Even with his skin torn and bleeding, his sword-wielding movements were exactly the same as the first time.
This is where Shevchenko's true brilliance lies.
An indescribable stability, a mutually destructive fighting style, a desperate frenzy, and repetitive moves... By the fourth hour of the battle, Sun Fei clearly saw the impatience and anxiety in [ One Sword ]'s eyes.
Moreover, Sun Fei could tell that, for some reason, [ One Sword ]'s performance was subpar from the very beginning, failing to unleash the most powerful sword energy. He seemed somewhat distracted, lacking energy, and unable to fully immerse himself in the duel.
Upon seeing this, Sun Fei stopped injecting magic into the Diwei Crystal, and the image on the tent canvas disappeared.
There was no point in watching any further. Sun Fei had already understood Shevchenko's strength and fighting style. To be honest, seeing the state of the two in the match, Sun Fei understood that [ One Sword ]'s defeat was not unjust. Shevchenko, who everyone thought was one of the top four with the most fake players, was actually a super master who had hidden his strength, and a master with an exceptionally distinct personal style.
It is likely that Shevchenko's unpredictable performance was the reason why Sun Fei and the Empire's First Bard Materazzi failed to notice any signs.
This is definitely the biggest dark horse since the start of the competition!
Of course, Sun Fei could also see that, in terms of true strength, [ One Sword ] was still superior to Shevchenko. However, for some unknown reason, [ One Sword ]'s performance in this match was extremely unstable, completely out of form, and he failed to unleash the full potential of his swordsmanship, which ultimately led to his defeat by Shevchenko.
The second match in the afternoon was a foregone conclusion.
[ Goddess of the Bow ] Elena did not draw her bow against Sun Fei, nor did she even appear in the competition; she directly forfeited, and King of Chambord automatically advanced to the final.
If this situation had occurred between any other contestants, it would likely have drawn tens of thousands of protests and curses from the audience, who would have accused them of foul play. Even the Imperial authorities would have investigated the matter. However, since it happened between Sun Fei and Elena, it didn't cause much of a stir.
Firstly, everyone knows that King of Chambord and the [ Goddess of the Bow ] are on the same side, with the latter being his subordinate and the object of his loyalty. Subordinates naturally cannot draw their bows before the King, which conforms to the long-standing tradition of the Azeroth Continent. Secondly, the strength that King of Chambord displayed in his previous duel with the Magic Princess is evident to all, far exceeding the average level of the four strongest contenders. Even if they were to truly duel, the [ Goddess of the Bow ]'s chances of winning are extremely slim, and the outcome is very likely to be the same in the end.
King of Chambord's power filled the others with despair.
[ One Sword ], who was originally thought to pose a threat to King of Chambord, suffered an unexpected defeat. However, with this final outcome, King of Chambord's championship is basically secured, unless... unless [ Little Prince of Luck ] Shevchenko can pull off another upset, but the chances of that are extremely low.
[ One Fist Spanning the Heavens ] King of Chambord vs. the Dark Shevchenko.
This is the final showdown of the Imperial Masters Ranking Tournament in this Zenit Empire Martial Combat Competition.
The final will be held three days later at Number One Sword-Testing Platform.
Shevchenko suffered a serious injury in his duel with " One Sword ". It is said that after " One Sword " fainted from exhaustion, Shevchenko also fainted after releasing his giant sword. Therefore, Shevchenko needs two days to recover before he can participate in the final.
However, it remains to be seen whether he will be able to fully recover from his injuries in three days.
After all, the war in the south of the empire is intense, and the Martial Saint Battle is just around the corner. It is most important to determine the number one expert and select the commander of the new legion as soon as possible. The situation in the empire is changing and turbulent. No one knows in which direction the situation will change. Therefore, we must seize the time.
In this respect, Sun Fei actually gained a considerable advantage over Shevchenko, since His King didn't exert any effort in the semi-finals and could be considered to have been well-rested.
Two days passed in the blink of an eye.
Over the past two days, Sun Fei completed all the quests on the third act's world map, [ Kurast Docks ], using Barbarian Mode, and defeated the final boss Mephisto, in the second level of the Durance of Hate. It was a difficult quest. In the computer game from his previous life, Mephisto, this ugly [ Lord of Hatred ], possessed formidable attack power and controlled a large number of demonized monks guarding the tower, making him extremely troublesome.
If everything were to proceed according to the progression of the computer game from his previous life, Sun Fei might have had some trouble. Unfortunately, Sun Fei's strength has now far surpassed the game's balance, and he and Elena swept through the area. Except for taking a little longer to kill Mephisto, everything went smoothly.
After defeating Mephisto, Sun Fei obtained one of the two level 7 green set pieces from the Diablo World, [ Natalya's Odium ] – [ Natalya's Totem Grim Helm ].
[ Natalya's Odium ] is an Assassin's Set with decent power, considered a top-tier piece of equipment in the Diablo World. It's a good find, but unfortunately, besides the helmet, the set also includes a pair of boots, a piece of scale armor, and a claw weapon, and it's unclear when I'll be able to collect the complete set.
Second update.
Tomorrow is Valentine's Day. I hope all my brothers and sisters find their soulmates. I certainly wouldn't wish that every couple in the world discovers they're actually siblings.