Chapter 205 - Greatsword vs. Bone!

"Time to take my victory once and for all." Shen Jun proclaimed as he twirled his chakrams with the index fingers of his hands.

The two of them were in his mind, and he knew that none of the illusionists at the spirit soldier's rank at the academy were capable of fighting a mental battle. The only way Dae-Won had to break free was to break the mental connection between the two of them forcibly, but as long as he stopped him, they would continue to stay in his mind.

"Attack!" Shen Jun shouted to the three ghostly men who appeared from the sea. The three rushed at full speed towards Dae-Won with their sharp swords.

Peng! Peng! Peng!

Three metallic noises rang out, and the three ghostly figures were thrown back. Shen Jun was preparing to throw his chakrams, but he became speechless at the sight of what had happened in front of him.

"It's not ... possible ... how?" Shen Jun muttered with incredulous eyes and jaws wide open in amazement.

Three familiar-looking figures appeared out of nowhere next to Dae-Won. These three figures were none other than Hide, Xinya, and William, the other members who made up the Imperial Prince Long Tian's personal escort.

"Do you believe that although I don't have a bloodline, I can't fight a mental battle? I am the head of the guards of the Imperial Prince Long Tian. If I am not capable of such a thing, then I wouldn't have the right to remain by his side." Dae-Won said seriously.

Even after hearing this, Shen Jun still couldn't believe it. He shook his head in denial and protested, "It's not possible. I refuse to believe it. How can you know how to create a Mental Illusion? You who don't have a bloodline!"

"Even if it annoys me to admit it, I haven't reached that level, not yet at least. I cannot actively form a mental bond like you did and drag my opponent into my mind. But since you've taken the trouble to do this for me, all I have to do is create projections with my mind. Honestly, I could have forcibly broken the mental connection that unites us. However, I would have had to consume a lot of my spirit power. So I thought, as a fellow illusionist, to respond adequately to your attack."

Then, the three figures of Hide, Xinya, and William swung the reproductions of the weapons the three used. Their target was the ghostly figures summoned by Shen Jun. As for Dae-Won, he pointed his trident at Shen Jun, saying, "Let's finish the fight. What do you say?"

Meanwhile, in the stadium, the audience was waiting. Unlike the other fights, this was an unusual fight. There was no use of flashy techniques or skills with weapons. It was a battle of illusions in which only the two fighters could see the strange phenomena that were being created. But, for those with attentive eyes and experience, it was possible to understand the fight's course even without being able to see the illusions.

"A mental illusion?" Hei wondered when he saw Dae-Won and Shen Jun stop so suddenly. They were so still that it seemed their bodies were statues.

'Yes, it is undoubtedly a mental illusion. I'm amazed that anyone at the spirit soldier's rank can cast it. 'Xing replied. She was hidden in Hei's head, watching the fight.

Xing was a divine beast with a Bloodline of the Poison Law, but her second Elemental Law was the Illusion Law. Therefore Hei, taking advantage of the numerous contribution points and other resources acquired, bought manuals for his little sisters so that they could deepen their knowledge of their respective Elemental Laws. Although these manuals were written for humans, they could also work well for divine beasts, although some modifications were required.

Consequently, Xing's knowledge of the Illusion Law was in no way inferior to talented people like Dae-Won and Shen Jun. Indeed, by possessing more spirit power since she was a divine beast, she could cast more powerful illusions than these two.

Meanwhile, exactly five seconds after Dae-Won was catapulted into Shen Jun's mind, the two fighters returned to the real world. Shen Jun lost consciousness instantly as Dae-Won slid the trident from his opponent's back.

"The winner is Dae-Won." proclaimed Song Yazhu and immediately had Shen Jun recovered so that he could be medicated.

'Dae-Won should have contented himself with the damage. So Shen Jun's mind shouldn't be too much at risk.' Song Yazhu analyzed; after all, he knew his students well.

Dae-Won was linked to Long Tian and was limited by certain constraints. Excessively damaging a fellow student's mind, especially if he came from a bloodline family, was unwise. It could cause inconvenience to Long Tian, ​​even considering a future perspective. So Song Yazhu wasn't at all worried about Shen Jun's condition.

"The next two to take the field are Leon and Sawa Takuboku." Song Yazhu announced, calling for the next two fighters.

Hearing his name, Leon took a deep breath. His time had finally come.

"It's your turn to win now. Show everyone how much you are worth." He Fen encouraged, returning the favor of when it was his turn to fight.

The others also gave their encouragement one by one until it was Hei's turn.

"Lian's formations were perfectly engraved, and you have got used to how to use them. Now it's your turn to put your results into practice. Don't worry about what happens; show your strength."

With encouragement from Hei and his other comrades, Leon exited the fighters' zone and walked down the open corridor. His opponent had already taken the stage and was waiting for him.

When Leon emerged into the sunlight, all the spectators, including the VIPs, couldn't help but be marveled. This was because the young martial artist named Leon was wearing metal armor from head to toe. Even the face was completely covered except for two slits at eye level.

"An armor? Really? I can't believe it!"

"Is he going to fight with that?"

"Since when does the Royal War Academy teach to use armor?"

Soon a chattering noise began to form among the spectators in the stands. Their disbelief was comprehensible: in the world of martial artists, the use of armor was practically non-existent, especially for high-rank martial artists. Even though they were only at the spirit level here, each of the students had a high level of talent. At the very least, achieving the rank of spirit master and spirit grandmaster shouldn't have been a problem; some even qualified to become spirit kings or even spirit emperors. So, it was foolish to learn to fight using something that would no longer serve them in the future.

After all, aside from Spirit Metal, no other metal or material could withstand high-ranking martial artists' attacks without outside help, such as defensive formations. Not to mention that it would have been a hindrance to the fight itself, coming to disturb the flow of the user's spirit power. Consequently, there were no points in favor of using armor, so much so that even most of the low-rank martial artists disdained their use.

"Hey, isn't that Spirit Metal?" Hu Luoyang asked. The Hu Family, due to their bloodline, were experts in metals and other materials used in manufacturing. In an instant, he recognized the type of metal that made up Leon's armor.

"Spirit Metal? What?"

With Hu Luoyang's report, the other VIP section spectators also took a closer look at Leon's armor, and, as the head of the Hu Family said, it was Spirit Metal.

"A Spirit Metal Armor? How is it possible?!"

"It is unheard that someone dared to consume so much Spirit Metal. Moreover, to create an armor."

"Who is this Leon? What kind of background does he have?"

The VIP spectators didn't understand. Even they had to be thrifty in using Spirit Metal. Only the best of their families received the right to possess a Spirit Metal weapon. Yet, at this time, a stranger of the unknown background was wearing a full armor made only of Spirit Metal.

In the section assigned to the fighters, Long Tian turned his head to look in Hei's direction but then returned to observe the fighting stage. An amused smile was drawn on his face. Hu Jie and Feng Chen also turned to look at Hei, but as Long Tian didn't ask about it, neither did they.

"Start fighting." Song Yazhu declared.

Although he was also amazed at the sight of Leon's armor, he continued his role as judge and host of the tournament as if nothing had happened. This action brought to calm the slight commotion that occurred in the VIP section. There was plenty of time to check out the details regarding this Leon; they would focus on the fight for now. They were curious to see what was the purpose of the armor.

"It's the big brother! Go, big brother! Win! "

"Leon! Leon! "

"Yay, big brother!"

In one section of the stands, where the normal audience was, three children of different ages were jumping on their seats full of joy and excitement. The fights they had seen so far had thrilled them, but now their enthusiasm had reached the peak. They were none other than Leon's younger brothers.

"Be good, don't jump on your seats." said a young woman of about 18 years old.

"Ah, I knew we shouldn't have brought them." said another young girl of 13 years old.

These were always part of Leon's family, his elder sister, and younger sister, respectively. Besides them, there was a couple, man and woman, who looked as if they were around forty. Their faces and hands showed signs of time and hard work.

"That's okay, Lucy, Jenny. Let them have fun for today." the woman said as she looked at the battle stage with her eyes full of tears. Hers weren't tears of sadness but joy - joy and pride. Because her son Leon was advancing in his dream, and his efforts were finally paying off.

"Son, whatever happens, we will always be proud of you. I just want to tell you one thing - go all out and have no regrets. If you lose, then so be it. You will have to stand up and continue forward as you always have done it. But I have a feeling that this time things will be different. I can feel it; my eldest son finally found what he was missing. The strength that I was unable to give him." said the man who was none other than Leon's father.

Meanwhile, on the combat stage, Leon had pulled out his greatsword. The sight of that weapon of such unusual size combined with the armor created another round of amazement in the spectators. In particular, the VIP viewers couldn't help but widen their eyes at the sight of so much consumption of Spirit Metal. However, the fight had already begun, so they made no further comments - they wanted to see what this Leon was capable of. After all, if he had a background capable of giving him such huge amounts of Spirit Metal, there was no doubt that his talent must have been exceptional.

"Phantom Law, Bone Swords." Sawa Takuboku exclaimed as he revealed what Elemental Law he possessed.

Suddenly, two milky white objects popped out of Sawa Takuboku's hands, precisely from his palms. The skin at that point split with incredible ease as if it never existed in the first place. Then, slowly, those two objects advanced more and more until they were completely visible.

It consisted of two long bones ending in a sharp point. Although Sawa Takuboku had called them the 'Bone Sword Technique,' those bones looked more like two large spikes than swords. However, considering their thickness and strength, it wasn't wrong to consider it a real weapon.

"So much fuss about nothing. Do you think you are cool just because you're wearing armor? There's a reason no one else wears them; yours is nothing more than a vain attempt to draw attention to you. But it doesn't matter how you look. If your strength is insufficient, you can be the weirdest in the whole world, but no one will pay you any attention." Sawa Takuboku commented angrily.

He was an independent martial artist. Like so many others, he had struggled hard for years and years to keep up with the children of influential families. It wasn't easy, but in the end, he succeeded in his intent, thanks also to the little inheritance that his relatives had left him. Therefore, the tournament was the opportunity of a lifetime to make the leap in quality - to go from a modest family of martial artists to an influential family. Sure, he should have to start at the bottom, but he could get the support he needed to reach even greater heights if he did well.

Yet now that it was his moment of glory, all the spotlight was on Leon instead. And it wasn't because he was famous or came from an influential family. No, the only reason was that stupid armor and that giant sword.

'This is the most crucial moment of my life. I won't let anyone take my moment of glory from me. 'Sawa Takuboku thought to himself.

"If you want me to show you my strength, then let's settle the fight. Diving Sky Slash!" Leon shouted, condensing all his spirit power into his weapon. His armor at the same time began to glow in a color that was difficult to describe. It was as if it had no shade, and yet, even from a distance, you could see some flashes of light that varied from white to gray in a single instant.

"Bone Swords, Deadly Stab!" Sawa Takuboku responded with a resolute expression to Leon's attack.

Soon after, the spirit power concentrated in Leon's broadsword poured into the weapon's tip and then fired at high speed as a ranged attack. Seeing the arrival of such an attack of spirit power, Sawa Takuboku interposed his bony swords to block.

'This Leon's cultivation is higher than mine, no, higher than anyone else who has fought... absurd. No! Mine bones are indestructible. I can't lose!' Sawa Takuboku tried to strengthen his fighting spirit.

Indeed, the discovery of this cultivation gap unnerved Sawa Takuboku. He was only a beginner fifth stage while Leon had already reached the middle fifth stage. There were two phases of difference. And that was true for the other participants as well - aside from Leon, the cultivation of the other 31 participants ranged between beginner fifth stage and early fifth stage. This meant that, in terms of cultivation speed, Leon had even beaten Feng Chen, Hu Jie, Hei, and Long Tian, ​​which caused even more amazement in the VIP spectators.

Boom!

There was a boom, and Sawa Takuboku was sent flying as a look of pure amazement was drawn on his face.

Did I lose? In a head-on fight?

Sawa Takuboku couldn't believe it. Even if the gap of two phases influenced the fighting, that mainly applied to the amount of spirit power possessed by the martial artist and, to a lesser extent, to the attack power. It was the knowledge of one's Elemental Laws that was the main factor affecting the attack power.

Not surprisingly, once a martial artist formed their own Spirit Seed, they would hardly have used attacks based on pure spirit power. The reason was that it would only be a waste of energy since such attacks wouldn't be dangerous enough to worry the enemy. Usually, such attacks were used as opening moves to study the enemy with moderate consumption of spirit power.

Nonetheless, Leon's attack had swept him with absurd ease as if he were nothing. It could only happen in the event of a clear gap between the two fighters' cultivations or in the knowledge of their respective Elemental Laws. However, even this hypothesis was to be excluded; after all, they both possessed a similar age and cultivation, so the knowledge of their respective Elemental Laws shouldn't have been so enormous.

But it wasn't just Sawa Takuboku who was surprised; the entire audience present was. Until now, the various clashes have seen fierce battles. Even when the winner was superior, the loser would have given all themselves to win. Yet, in the first confrontation, Sawa Takuboku was sent flying the instant after his bones touched the attack of spirit power generated by the greatsword.

"How is it possible? What concept is this?" One of the VIP spectators exclaimed.

From the start, Leon had produced nothing but surprise after surprise. But, as long as it was about the Spirit Metal, it was understandable. After all, even though it was a considerable cost, they could donate such amounts to a single member of their family. No, the reason this spectator exclaimed this was because Leon's attack wasn't as simple as it might seem.

Yes, Leon had the highest cultivation up until now, and that astonished them. But it was the attack power that amazed them most of all. The power of Leon's attack wasn't something a middle fifth stage spirit soldier could exert. No, if you have to make a comparison, his strength was similar to the attack of a peak fifth stage. So four phases of difference from his opponent.