Chapter 782 – Goddess’s Sword Technique (Advanced Gold Combat Technique)

Crucible of the Ancients, Miniature World 006:

“I finally get to see Returning Blade fight again.”

“That human girl sure is unlucky to meet Returning Blade on her first match. I wonder how far she can push Returning Blade? It would be great if she could get him to reveal some of his cards.”

“Who do you take Returning Blade for? He’s already considered one of the top 20 experts in the last Continental Championship. Now that he has replaced his staff and all of his equipment, it’s obvious he has become much stronger. At this point, I’d be grateful if that human girl could even burn some of Returning Blade’s Stamina, let alone force him to reveal his cards.”

“I guess you’re right. Let’s hope the human girl can last a little longer.”

When the participants in Miniature World 006 saw Returning Blade and Gentle Snow step onto the ring, they started a hushed discussion among themselves.

Of the 21 participants assigned to Miniature World 006, most deemed Returning Blade to be the strongest among them. So, whether they could rank first in the group depended on whether they could defeat Returning Blade.

If it was before the major system update, none of them would have even considered defeating Returning Blade. However, following the major system update, the limitation that Stamina and Concentration placed on players had increased substantially, making it very challenging for players to fight at their peak for prolonged periods. Thus, so long as Returning Blade failed to conserve his Stamina and Concentration adequately in his first few matches, it was entirely possible for the participants of Miniature World 006 to defeat him.

…

On the ring, Returning Blade and Gentle Snow stood facing each other. Returning Blade was a member of the Holy Race whose body was covered with holy patterns. He wore a silver-gray leather jacket, and his gaze was as sharp as a snake. Although he looked no older than thirty, the way he carried himself indicated that he had already reached the Unthinking Realm. If placed among human players, he would be considered a monster among monsters.

“Admit defeat. You are no match for me.” When Returning Blade saw that the human female clad in silver armor and carrying a greatsword was only at Level 187, he unceremoniously said, “You will only be wasting your Stamina and Concentration by fighting me. You’d be better off conserving them for your subsequent matches. You might even be able to secure a better placement.”

“Admit defeat to conserve my Stamina and Concentration?” Gentle Snow smiled at Returning Blade’s suggestion. Then, while grabbing the Chaos Windblade from her back, she said, “But I don’t think I will have to expend much Stamina and Concentration fighting you.”

As soon as Gentle Snow finished speaking, the spectators below the ring rolled their eyes in unison. They all thought that Gentle Snow was crazy beyond salvation.

It should be known that Returning Blade was a key member of a top 8 party in the last Continental Championship. Even when compared to the other players among the top 8, few would dare say they were superior in individual strength. One could say that he was second to only experts of the Holy Race’s Garuda and the Crystallians’ Rin’s caliber.

Not to mention, after the major system update, the threat of Returning Blade’s Soul-Breaking Beast had risen to a whole new level. Now, even the experts who ranked among the top 10 of the previous Continental Championship would find it a headache to fight him.

In contrast, Gentle Snow was a human Berserker whose name nobody present had heard before. This proved that the various powers didn’t consider her a noteworthy threat. Yet, despite being such an insignificant character, she dared to treat Returning Blade with little regard. Aside from having a few screws loose in her head, what else could lead her to do such a thing?

“Good! Very good!” Returning Blade narrowed his eyes as he looked at Gentle Snow with an icy gaze. “The last time I met a human player as audacious as you were when I lost to that girl Elise. Let’s see how your audacity stacks up to hers!”

“You’re in luck, then. You’ll get to experience the same situation again,” Gentle Snow calmly said.

Returning Blade grew enraged at Gentle Snow’s remark. Immediately, he exerted his Holy Aura and merged it with his staff, sparking a reaction that transformed him into a five-headed beast that was over twenty meters tall. The five-headed beast looked like the agglomeration of countless evil spirits, its body constantly phasing in and out of existence, making it impossible for players to see its appearance clearly.

Meanwhile, when the participants below the ring saw Returning Blade’s Soul-Breaking Beast, they all revealed gloomy looks.

“He’s using his trademark move right off the bat?”

“This Soul-Breaking Beast looks even stronger than the last one he transformed into! The last one only had three heads, while this one has two more! Moreover, this one’s aura is clearly stronger than Level 200, Tier 6 Gods!”action

When the spectating participants saw the Level 192 Soul-Breaking Beast, their souls experienced a suffocating feeling. Those who had seen Returning Blade’s performance in the last Continental Championship were especially shocked to see how much Returning Blade had improved since then.

Fusion Holy Art, Holy Beast Incarnation. It was a Fusion Holy Art that allowed players to transform into a Soul-Breaking Beast. Meanwhile, the strength of the Soul-Breaking Beast created could be determined based on the number of heads it had. This was because each additional head a Soul-Breaking Beast possessed meant that it would gain an additional attack method.

Normally, when players used a Doppelganger Skill, they had to control their doppelgangers indirectly through the game’s system. The process was akin to manipulating a stringed puppet. However, that was not true for the Soul-Breaking Beast’s multiple heads. Each additional head a Soul-Breaking Beast had meant that the user could have their consciousness split one more time. This allowed them to manipulate each head directly as if they were manipulating their own body, which, in turn, enabled them to exhibit 100% of their combat standards with every head.

“Die!”

As soon as his transformation was complete, Returning Blade had the Soul-Breaking Beast’s five heads strike out at Gentle Snow simultaneously. Each head could extend infinitely and materialize at will. Not only did this make it difficult to predict their attack trajectories, it was also challenging to predict when they would materialize. Furthermore, all five heads could carry out their attacks without any need for thought, making it nigh-impossible to evade them.

Meanwhile, as Returning Blade expected, Gentle Snow could not evade all of his attacks. Hence, she opted not to evade them. Instead, she raised the Chaos Windblade and executed a downward swing. Then, all of a sudden, the ground within a 50-yard radius of Gentle Snow sank. Two of the Soul-Breaking Beast’s heads that were in the middle of launching an attack on Gentle Snow also fell to the ground like metal attracted to a powerful magnet.

My attacks couldn’t connect?

Returning Blade couldn’t help but doubt his five senses at this moment. The Soul-Breaking Beast’s body was his body, so he could feel everything it felt. Originally, two of the Soul-Breaking Beast’s heads had materialized and were about to clamp down their jaws on Gentle Snow. Yet, an invisible force had abruptly cut their advance short and redirected their attack trajectory when they were only a finger’s width away from reaching her.

Aside from Returning Blade, the spectating participants below the ring were similarly confused as to what had just happened.

…

So, this is the Goddess’s sword technique?While watching the live broadcast of Gentle Snow’s match, Shi Feng vaguely figured out how Gentle Snow achieved what she had just done.

At a glance, it was obvious Gentle Snow had somehow created a downward wind pressure on the area around herself. Although Returning Blade’s Soul-Breaking Beast maintained an ethereal form, so long as it materialized, it would immediately be subjected to this downward pressure. It was also evident that the Soul-Breaking Beast’s heads were not immune to the pressure as they had their attack trajectories forcibly redirected.

However, what Shi Feng couldn’t figure out was what Gentle Snow had done to create this continuous wind pressure. It was an attack method he had never seen Gentle Snow use before, and he could only assume it was a combat technique she had learned through Fate’s Guidance.

…