Sword Among Us Chapter 45: Rise to the Challenge

The death of his second-in-command filled the bandit chief with surprise and annoyance, but he did not show much sadness or anger. He simply frowned and shifted his gaze to the blue-robed boy.

As a powerful martial artist in Blessed Realm, the bandit chief could still retain his bearing, and he was confident in facing the three young teenagers who had not even reached Gate Realm!

Over the past few days, there had been a lot of amateurs who had died in his hands.

During the day, a large group of people had tried to attack Black Wind Mountain. The few in the lead were in Gate Realm and cunning, but in the end, all of them had died under his killing move—Black Dragon Murder.

The bandit chief had to admit that the blue-robed boy before his eyes was stronger in terms of presence and power compared to the three martial artists in Gate Realm, which he met during the day. However, if he thought that he could fight against him with those skills, his efforts would than those of a praying mantis trying to block a cart.

"Eastern Gate! Come back!"

The bandit chief's extreme calmness made Happy release a sigh of relief. He summoned Eastern Green Gate, who had been immersed in delight, back to his side. Then, he shifted his gaze to the other battle.

Whirlwind Young Li executed the Black Cloud Sword Technique he had received not too long ago from Happy. It dealt great damage, and its attacks were ruthless, but it did not allow its user much room to dodge. However, soon after Young Li joined World of Martial Arts, he had gotten himself a lightness skill manual. When it came to moving to avoid attacks, he was even better than Happy, and this allowed him to cover up the weakness of Black Cloud Sword Technique.

Even though it was hard, but as time passed, he gradually adapted to Third Bandit Chief's rhythm, and his footsteps slowly became steadier. He also came to understand how much thought Happy had given to make this happen. So, he decided to use Third Bandit Chief as his free sparring partner to try to reach the tenth realm with his Black Cloud Sword Technique.

As he grew more familiar with it and the technique's level increased, Whirlwind Young Li understood many of Third Bandit Chief's skills. He began to try and seize the initiative, and from only being able to barely cope with the fight, he gradually gained the upper hand.

This was the advantage of a gamer!

Usually, the lower an NPC's level was, the lower was their martial arts and the fewer of them they would have.

Even though the second and third bandit chiefs had quite high realms —both had tenth realm martial arts—once they used their one single martial art, weaknesses would begin to show.

And Whirlwind Young Li was a person who had been scouted by Murong Clan. This meant that his Comprehension was extraordinary. He searched for a chance, and with three slashes, a few wounds appeared on Third Bandit Chief's body. Then, with another slash, he ended the evil life of the third bandit chief of Black Wind Mountain.

"Ha!"

Whirlwind Young Li reacted very quickly. He did not even wait for the system to make an announcement once the battle ended. He quickly leaped out of the battlefield and landed beside Happy. Then, with a wary gaze, he stared at the bandit chief as if he was about to face a great enemy.

Two mini Bosses had died, and now it was his turn!

Happy took a step forward and looked at the bandit chief with a calm gaze.

"Leave him to me."

Then, under Whirlwind Young Li and Eastern Green Gate's shocked gazes, he put away the sharp and fatal lancet knives behind his waist. He then slowly drew a long saber that was entirely black and fuller in the middle out of his Universe Bag. it shone with a cold glare, and one glance was enough for everyone to tell that it was not one of the weapons seen everywhere in the hands of normal players.

When it fell into Happy's hands, the blade sank down. He positioned the tip to the ground, and the words "Hundred Battle" could be seen carved on the battle in a flourish!

Hundred-battle Saber!

The eyes of the two youths lit up with excitement.

They had always known that Happy's techniques with the sword and flying knives were extraordinary, but this was the first time they saw him use a saber. And no matter how they looked at it, this weapon was much better than the weapons in their own hands, which they bought for thousands of taels of silver crumbs from weapon shops. It was enough for them to gain confidence that Happy would win.

The two players who were hidden in the bushes in the forest were even more amazed!

They had heard a lot about Blue-robed Noble Sword User. They also knew that he was famous because of how sharp his sword was. Just then, the two had thought that they would be able to witness the strength of Gusu City's best swordsman, but he unexpectedly brought out a saber. Did Blue-robed Noble Sword User not intend to fight at full strength in the face of a powerful enemy in Blessed Realm?

The two sank into silence and even deeper level of confusion.

*****

Whoosh!

The night breeze blew past the stronghold in Black Wind Mountain. A faint chill and the sight of corpses strewn all over the ground made all the people in the area feel their heads clear up. At the same time, they felt a tiny bit of fear.

Whirlwind Young Li and Eastern Green Gate walked back until they were thirty-two feet away from Happy. Then, they quietly watched him, who now stood with no aid in the emptied out space along with the bandit chief whose robes and hair fluttered without wind. The two people stood in confrontation against each other, and Whirlwind Young Li and Eastern Green Gate held their breaths.

A silver sword and a black saber.

Cold glares under dashing eyebrows met in the air, and sparks flew silently when they clashed.

Happy did not take the initiative to attack.

Even though his main goal for his trip to Black Wind Mountain was the bandit chief before him, when he stood before a martial artist in Blessed Realm, he could not afford to show any signs of lowering his guard or recklessness.

All powerful martial artists who reached Blessed Realm had at least one martial art that had reached Grandmaster Realm, and only they could set up their own sect or clan. The bandit chief was not as easy to handle as Second Bandit Chief or Third Bandit Chief. Even if Happy's Lancet Knife Throwing Technique was in Grandmaster Realm, it would be very difficult for him to claim a martial artist in Blessed Realm with a single hit.

If he was the slightest bit careless, his blood would spill from his body, and all his previous efforts would be in vain!

The solemn atmosphere made the feeling that they were observing true powerful martial artists fight rise in Whirlwind Young Li and Eastern Green Gate's heart for the first time.

No one knew how many minutes passed like that.

Yet the two people facing each other still did not move, and Whirlwind Young Li as well as Eastern Green Gate finally became impatient.

"What're they doing? How long are they going to keep standing like that?"

Whirlwind Young Li's faint voice sounded incredibly loud in the quiet and solemn night, but before he could finish his second sentence, Happy and the bandit chief acted at the same time.

It was as if two ferocious tigers who had stood in confrontation with each other quietly and without moving had decided to show their sharp claws and roar at the same time. The bandit chief's silver sword shone with a mysterious black light. It sliced through the night and went for its opponent like a venomous snake.

When the bandit chief attacked, he started straight away with Black Cloud Sword Technique, which was already at Grandmaster Realm. It was as light and nimble as a bolt of lightning, and when he moved, he brought with him the force of a thunderclap!

He might only be using Black Cloud Sword Technique, but in his hands, its speed and offence instantly rose to their peak. What the bandit chief executed was absolutely way above the standards of the Black Cloud Sword Technique Whirlwind Young Li had used.

The bandit chief's gaze was dark and ruthless. He stared at Happy like a venomous snake. His sharp eyes, which were hidden by the black cloud formed by his sword, were like a thorn on Happy's body. They made him extremely uncomfortable.

The faces of Whirlwind Young Li, Eastern Green Gate, and the two people hidden in the forest instantly changed.

The trajectory of the sword techniques in Grandmaster Realm were all hidden and could not be predicted. It was no wonder then that the bandit chief was the final Boss in Black Wind Mountain. As expected, he was not easy to deal with.

However, even though he had to receive the brunt of the bandit chief's attack, Happy did not panic.

"Perfect timing."

As if he had predicted the trajectory of the silver glare behind the bandit chief's black clouds, Happy swung his Hundred-battle Saber upwards. Then, he pulled his blade toward him without any flourish!

Hundred-battle Saber could increase attack by 150. In a contest of strength, it would definitely not back down in fear. Its violent power crashed against the silver sword in the black clouds, and a clear whistle rose into the air while sparks flew.

The strike caused both parties to tremble; they were equally matched!

"Drunken Flowering Knights!"

Happy spun swiftly and moved in an arc. The Hundred-battle Saber used the momentum of his spin to draw a black arc. With a hoarse whistle born from the blade cutting the air, Happy launched a counterattack at the bandit chief's waist with an even faster speed.

He recovered so quickly and attacked so decisively that everything looked natural and smooth. The expressions of all those watching instantly changed, filling up with surprise and delight.

The most profound aspect of Flowering Knights Blade Technique lay in its shocking recovery speed and the harmony of its offence and defence. Even though it did not target any martial art, it could easily handle all low-end martial arts. Besides, Happy's understanding of this martial art surpassed that of a normal player, so when he used this skill, his attacks practically transcended other people's levels.

So what if his opponent was in Blessed Realm? As long as his opponent did not use ultimate skills such as their killing move or some high-end martial arts, with Happy's experience, he would not be in any danger when using them as his sparring partner.