Chapter Thirty-Six: A Deadly Exhibition Match
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Just as the audience’s uproar reached its height, an unassuming yet vigorous old man stepped onto the stage. Without saying a word, and wearing no protective gear whatsoever, he merely drew the sword at his waist—and the spectators below fell silent.
He was Yoda, the French master of fencing.
Chen Lai entered from the opposite side of the stage. He wore a complete fencing uniform, though his mask had not yet been fastened. Once onstage, he first acknowledged the audience below, drawing the ladies’ admiring gazes, then turned toward Yoda and secured his mask.
Looking at Yoda, Chen Lai narrowed his eyes slightly. There was something wrong with this old man too!
[Sealed Artifact 0-13, “Old Artist”: Takes the form of a rapier. Whoever uses this sealed artifact can defeat every wielder of the same type of weapon. Side effect: ??? Value: 200,000.]
Good grief, even a sealed artifact had appeared...
Why wasn’t the side effect displayed?
Chen Lai drew the sword at his waist and assumed a dueling stance. It was not that he could not accept defeat; this was merely an exhibition match.
Standing opposite him, Master Yoda studied Chen Lai’s face, then suddenly shook his head.
“You have brought error,” he said.
The inexplicable remark left Chen Lai stunned. Then, in a voice only the man opposite him could hear, he said, “What are you talking about? I don’t understand.”
“You have contaminated this world. A tiny action, yet one that will bring catastrophe upon everyone!” Master Yoda continued speaking to himself, completely ignoring Chen Lai’s question.
Seeing that Yoda was impossible to reason with, Chen Lai felt his temper flare. What had he even done? The old man was standing there criticizing him like some elderly woman on a bus demanding that he give up his seat!
“Let’s speak with our swords.” Chen Lai’s tone held a trace of irritation.
“Just as I wish!”
Yoda attacked first. With a forward gliding step, he thrust out the “Old Artist” in his hand.
Chen Lai summoned the dormant Toji Fushiguro and had him teach him how to fight. Against a fencing master like Yoda, relying on himself alone was far from enough.
Clack-clack-clack-clack—bang!
The two swords danced up and down through the air like two venomous serpents twisting around each other. At the most intense moments, their blades met tip to tip.
The spectators below watched in a trance. The earlier clamoring and din had vanished completely, replaced by bated breaths as they focused on the duel unfolding onstage.
The two appeared evenly matched, but Chen Lai knew perfectly well that the old man’s sword was absurdly fast. Worse still, he seemed to be stacking some kind of “Lethal Tempo”—his attack speed kept increasing!
At this rate, Chen Lai would sooner or later be unable to keep up.
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Swish!
Even with Toji Fushiguro assisting him, the tightest defense could still contain a flaw. The “Old Artist” pierced through the impenetrable web of sword shadows and struck Chen Lai precisely in the shoulder.
Warm blood gushed forth. Chen Lai felt his fencing uniform split beneath the blow, and his arm became somewhat difficult to move.
When people are injured, their first feeling is usually not fear, but anger. Chen Lai was furious.
From the force and penetrating power of that last thrust, he understood that the old man intended to kill him—and to do so in full view of everyone.
They had no grudge against each other. Chen Lai had not even taken his sealed artifact. And yet the old man still wanted him dead?
Anger flushed Chen Lai’s face, but he had not lost his reason. He had already grasped the power of the sealed artifact; continuing to duel Yoda with swords would be foolish.
So he threw aside his rapier, raised both hands, and leapt backward.
“I surrender.”
In fencing matches, conceding partway through was perfectly common. In a sport of nobles, if one side ran out of strength, the others would allow him to withdraw to preserve his dignity rather than force him to fight to the end.
But Yoda would not allow it. He had come here today for the sole purpose of killing Chen Lai—killing this troublesome and difficult man.
He tossed down the two “Duel” badges on his chest. At once, phantoms appeared on the stage, taking Chen Lai’s place in the exhibition match against Yoda—a minor trick belonging to the Sequence Seven “Artist.”
Chen Lai watched everything Yoda did. He saw another “himself” walk forward and begin a perfunctory fight with another “Yoda,” while the audience below erupted in cheers, completely unaware that it was merely an illusion.
“No room for discussion?” Chen Lai asked. He did not bother retrieving his sword, simply watching as Yoda approached him step by step.
“You must die. Otherwise, all of us will be buried with you!” Yoda remained as cryptic as ever.
If there was no room for discussion, then only a fight remained. Unfortunately, the flintlock he had purchased was in the changing room; he had not brought it with him.
Chen Lai stripped off his fencing uniform and flung it aside, loosening his joints.
The “Old Artist” could help Yoda defeat anyone who used a sword—but Chen Lai was no longer using one.
“Toji Fushiguro, come out! Let me see your strength!”
Chen Lai continued calling for Toji Fushiguro. When it came to physical ability, Toji could make far better use of this body than he could.
Seeing Chen Lai abandon his sword and clench his fists instead, Yoda showed a hint of astonishment. He quickly steadied himself, however. He was a master of fencing; an armed man fighting an unarmed opponent had the advantage.
At that moment, the Toji Fushiguro standing in for Chen Lai shook out his arm and fixed his gaze firmly on Yoda.
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This old man’s physical abilities were clearly several times greater than those of his peers. Perhaps he possessed some special powers as well, much like a sorcerer...
Against an opponent like this, Toji Fushiguro’s most common method was to overwhelm him with a high-speed assault.
With a twist of his body, he closed in on Yoda in a form impossible for ordinary people to achieve. Chen Lai’s body was nearly parallel to the ground; only afterimages could be seen in the air. His hands came together before him like a drill, driving toward Yoda’s body with the intent of piercing straight through it.
A look of astonishment flashed in Yoda’s eyes. Why had Chen Lai not displayed such physical strength and control earlier?
There was no time to think. Yoda could only change his move at the last moment. His rapier lashed out like a whip. If it struck, it would leave a razor-sharp bloody mark across Chen Lai’s body, like a hospital needle missing the vein and punching straight back through the skin.
“Tch.”
Chen Lai curled his lip in disdain. With a slight twist in midair, he arched backward and sent a sweeping kick sideways. Supporting himself with both hands on the floor, he used his leg in place of a fist with effortless mastery.
The kick struck Yoda solidly. For a man of his age, the force of the blow was simply too much.
“No! I haven’t lost! I only took one kick!”
Yoda staggered backward several steps before suddenly shouting. The sealed artifact “Old Artist” before him flipped around of its own accord, its blade pointing toward his stomach.
[Side effect of Sealed Artifact 0-13, “Old Artist”: We let you win, and you still lost? Then you must atone.]
The next instant, the rapier shot out like a javelin, piercing Yoda through the abdomen and pinning his entire body to the floor. It was clear that he would not survive.
Chen Lai walked over, pulled Sealed Artifact 0-13 free, and struck Yoda several more times for good measure.
“Error.”
With death approaching, Yoda stared into the empty space ahead, seemingly unaware of what he was saying.
“You have brought error.”
His pupils grew unfocused, and he died. The extraordinary characteristic within his body separated from him, viscous as mercury.
[Extraordinary Characteristic of Sequence Seven “Artist”: Can be used in potion-making. However, the multiple low-sequence characteristics contained within may cause complications. Value: 700,000.]
With no container at hand, Chen Lai could only use the rapier to lift the viscous mass. He then slipped behind the stage curtains.
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