Chapter 340: The Duel
Chapter 340: The Duel
"Oh no!" The realization hit him as the ambush took place.
The explorer's survival instincts screamed a warning.
'I'm going to die!'
There was no escaping this strike; he was certain to meet his end. But the warrior, specialized in combat, was faster than Oria.
With his own strength, it was impossible to dodge—Bang!
Life and death hung in the balance.
At that moment, Li Ze felt a surge of power from behind, and in the blink of an eye, he was pulled away from the blade's path.
Li Ze turned to look.
An unbelievable sight unfolded before him.
It was Drake, the hunter from his team, who had grabbed him and pulled him away, only to appear in front of Oria with astonishing speed.
The warrior, who had leaped and slashed mid-air, froze in his airborne stance.
The next moment, he was sent flying like a cannonball, crashing into the valley's forest and getting impaled on a broken branch.
"..."
The surrounding air became eerily calm.
As people saw Lindsay standing beside Li Ze, holding a spear, they realized what had just transpired.
The warrior who had initiated the ambush.
Had been repelled by this man who claimed to be a Third-Stage Hunter!
"This..."
"Mr. Drake..."
Neither the enemy nor Lindsay's companions had expected such an outcome.
Li Ze had already revealed the identity of his opponent.
A Five-Stage Awakener, a warrior proficient in high-speed combat.
There was no doubt about his dominance in a head-on fight. But even so, he had been instantly repelled by Lindsay!
"Ugh!"
At the same time.
Oria clutched his chest and jumped out from the broken treetop.
His body trembled, unable to suppress the intense pain, and he spat out a mouthful of fresh blood.
A Five-Stage Warrior, possessing a physique akin to a humanoid ferocious beast.
Naturally, he wouldn't be taken down by a single strike.
He lifted his gaze towards Lindsay, his eyes now filled with intense hostility.
In the moment he was knocked away, Oria had fully sensed Lindsay's movement, but being airborne, he couldn't dodge in time.
Oria analyzed the situation calmly.
He believed his speed exceeded Lindsay's, but his strength was no match for his opponent's.
What kind of Awakener had such comprehensive and balanced physical prowess?
Oria had never heard of such a person among Li Ze's team.
Or among the few Five-Stage Awakeners in Nine Bays City, he had never come across anyone like Lindsay.
Definitely not a Sixth-Stage powerhouse.
Yet, his speed rivaled that of a warrior specialized in this field, and his strength was overwhelmingly superior...
"Who the hell are you?" Oria asked cautiously, his tone filled with suspicion.
But Lindsay ignored his question, turning to Li Ze instead:
"Li Ze, that strike just now was filled with murderous intent. Finish them off."
Li Ze shook his head slightly.
He didn't blame Lindsay for concealing his strength but smiled wryly, taunting him:
"You, aren't you a hunter?"
Lindsay aimed his spear at the enemy:
"After I'm done, I'll tell you the truth. No more hiding."
"You despicable coward, don't think you've won just because you hit me once!" Oria shouted, seeing that Lindsay was ignoring him.
Anger burned within Oria, but he suppressed his injuries and lunged forward again.
Despite his fury, the warrior's experience prevented him from being consumed by rage. He learned from his mistake and, this time, instead of leaping into the air, he stayed close to the ground, maneuvering with agility and flexibility among the trees.
As he approached Lindsay, his figure appeared on both sides of a tree, and almost simultaneously, he slashed his longsword towards Lindsay from two directions.
"..."
Facing the enemy's speed, which left afterimages in its wake.
Lindsay's expression remained calm as water, and instead, he stepped forward, thrusting his steel spear horizontally.
"Hmm!"
The longsword and steel spear clashed, causing Oria to grunt in response.
Even as he swiftly changed his attack, raising his sword to block, the immense force transmitted through the weapon forced him to retreat a few steps.
"Who taught you that move?" Oria asked through gritted teeth.
In their two encounters, Lindsay had been a beat slower than him, yet each time, he managed to capture Oria precisely.
It was inconceivable for a first-time opponent to react so swiftly!
What Oria didn't know was that Lindsay had often sparred with Red Trainer over the past few years.
He could handle enemies capable of creating tangible clones.
Oria's tactic of using speed to create afterimages ultimately fell short.
"..."
Swish—
The next second, the steel spear thrust out again.
In the heat of battle, Lindsay paid no heed to Oria's question.
The blade pierced through the fierce wind, lightning-fast, aiming directly at the enemy's face.
Facing this powerful and heavy spear, Oria knew he couldn't block it and could only dodge.
Taking advantage of his quicker speed, he retreated, maintaining a distance between himself and Lindsey.
A skilled warrior would not strike weakly against a stronger opponent.
Oria abandoned his initiative to attack and instead used the terrain and his speed advantage to buy time, seeking a real opportunity to strike.
"..."
The opponent's lack of aggression made it difficult for Lindsey to handle the situation as well.
His speed was slower than the other party, an undeniable fact.
Meanwhile, on the other side.
As Lindsey and Oria engaged in a one-on-one duel, even forcing the opponent to dare not attack, Lezer seized the opportunity to rush to the rear.
He aimed his spear at another Perceiver, Flavius.
Lezer roared as he charged towards him:
"Flavius, what have you been up to in this forest!"
The Perceiver retreated, a smile still on his face:
"Sorry, I can't disclose that."
"If you want to know the truth, you'll have to ask my employer."
Bang! Lezer slashed downward, piercing the tree trunk.
Flavius also retreated, with no intention of counterattacking.
Neither the Explorer nor the Perceiver was particularly skilled in combat as Awakened individuals.
The Perceiver relied on his abilities to perceive the fine details of the battle, while the Explorer was agile and quick, constantly switching tactics to attempt an offense.
The two of them went back and forth, neither gaining the upper hand.
The others at the valley entrance wanted to help, but these two pairs of entangled fighters were too dangerous, and the Expedition Team couldn't find an opportunity to intervene.
The battle was at a stalemate.
"..."
Swish—
After a few more exchanges, Oria took the chance to sidestep and move behind Lindsey, who suddenly charged forward, rushing past Lezer and the Perceiver's positions.
It seemed as though Lindsey was about to join forces with Lezer to take down the Perceiver first!
"Not a chance!"
Oria wasn't going to let something like that happen.
Lindsey's change of target was also an opportunity for Oria.
The warrior fixed his gaze on the enemy's exposed back, and with his already superior speed, he quickened his pace, thrusting his sword towards Lindsey's back.
Swish—
"Hmm?!"
This was almost a guaranteed hit.
Something beyond reason happened again.
Oria watched as Lindsey's forward-moving figure suddenly skewed, defying inertia.
His attack missed! Oria had the advantage of a rear assault and only needed to adjust his position to continue his offense.
But just as he thrust forward, a sharp pain shot through his wrist!
"Ah!"
"What is this?!"
—Poison Thornwood Armor.
Although there were no visible signs of equipment on Lindsey, this item was indeed effective in his inventory.
Oria's missed sword swipe barely grazed Lindsey.
But his palm was already affected by the Poison Thornwood Armor's effect! The warrior instantly suppressed the pain.
However, the momentary daze caused by the intense pain was already too fatal in a real battle.
When he realized he had fallen for Lindsey's trick, the latter's true intention was not to support his companion.
What followed was Lindsey's turning body and a figure that seemed to embrace him like a girl.
Bang! A muffled sound echoed as Lindsey collided with Oria.
The warrior's mind went blank, and the intense pain on his wrist spread across his chest, making it difficult to suppress the agony in a short time.
"Wow!"
Oria's mind was completely filled with the intense pain.
By the time he reacted, he was already knocked to the ground, with Lindsey's foot pressing down on his chest.
The thin clothing made him feel the shape of the stones on the ground.
"You! Wait!"
Oria was about to say something, but at that moment, he noticed a change in Lindsey's weapon.
The steel spear had suddenly transformed into an unheard-of iron tube-like object, aiming at an empty space near the edge of the forest.
Bang! A loud boom sounded above Oria's head.
A bullet, propelled by gunpowder, shot out of the chamber.
Lindsey fired at the seemingly empty space.
But in the next second, a red bloodstain suddenly appeared in that empty area.
Immediately after, a shot person wobbled into view from the air.
"I... what...?"
Slap—
The shot person looked at the wound on his chest.
He didn't understand what had happened to him at all, and he fell to the ground with a blank expression.
(End of Chapter)
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