Chapter 768: Attacks and dueling, chance and resourcefulness
Slap slap slap slap
Bam bam bam
Boom
Clang
The figure in red and black launched vicious attacks at each other without stoping to rest. Sword skills flew everywhere as the figures clashed. Sparks danced and dust engulfed everything. Like two phantoms born from war and battle, they fought their way through the throne room.
Boom
Another shockwave shook the field as stones flew everywhere. The pillars collapsed one after the other. However, the pillars were repaired in due time. Except, they got destroyed just as quickly when the two battle maniacs came back for a second round.
Wu Yan used his Dual Blades to pressure Heathcliff continuously. Meanwhile, Heathcliff wasn’t sure if he can counter-attack without taking serious hits to himself. Instead, Heathcliff chose to block each attack with his shield.
Wu Yan is an unstoppable beast when it comes to close quarters combat. Like the most lethal weapon in humanoid form, he unleashed deadly vortex of sword slashes with Heavengazer and Elucidator. This also showed how much power he unfurled with each swing of his blades. This dance of cuts created sonic booms with each swing, gouging the ground whenever his sword got deflected into the ground. When he drew it back up, chunks of rock would be pulled into the air.
Heathcliff is putting up a good defense too. With his immense defense and expert knowledge of the skills in this game, he blocked each attack without leaving a gap for Wu Yan to sneak an attack into. He also bit back with his sword whenever he saw a chance to strike. Heathcliff also showcased his mastery over his own sword skills, leaving a brilliant array of sword light in his wake.
The two only brought the intensity up to another level as the fight went on. The two were fighting at their highest level. The spectators felt their blood rushing when they saw the intense brawl between the two duelists. The song of sword and sparks echoed throughout the throne room, and, even the whole Red Jade Palace itself.
All kinds of sword skills came out, the hot air and the sharp flashes of sword beams continued flashing around the two duelists. They were also moving all over the place, the only way the crowd followed them is with the sound of sword clashes and the light of sword skills. They were also fighting with such frenzy that the spectators were shocked and awed.
The players didn’t know what to make of the two duelists’ vigorous fight. In what seemed like an instant, the two unleashed at least 5 sword skills, including heavy-hitting ones!
Using any skills in SAO will freeze the player up in Post-motion, the stronger the sword skill, the longer the freeze duration. In a fight, a player had to choose his skills wisely, if he chose poorly, he might be frozen in place, a very precarious situation in a labyrinth where anything can happen...
This common knowledge didn’t apply to the superhumans fighting in the throne room. They unleashed skills after skills, connecting them in a symphony of sword slashes and maneuvers.
The Post-Motion was still a thing. For Heathcliff, he relied on his Final Boss stats to minimize the freeze duration infinitesimally to 0 seconds. Meanwhile, Wu Yan was stuck with Post-motion which he got around by relying on inertia and torque to supplement his prediction of Heathcliff’s movement, evading or parrying Heathcliff’s attack using Post-motion.
This is also the reason why Heathcliff couldn’t pull one over Wu Yan despite being the one who is most familiar with sword skills in this game.
The players finally understood that the two duelists were an entire league above them.
Especially Wu Yan, this player solo-ed the final boss in the form of the creator god of this world. He held his own all the while whittling down Heathcliff’s HP. The title of the strongest wasn’t wasted on this guy.
The players watched with bated breaths. Their eyes followed the two duelists fervently as their hearts raced. They clasped their hands together as they witnessed this godly fight.
Looking at the two, they weren’t sure if they can beat Heathcliff even if they ganged up on him.
If Wu Yan lost, they would lose all hope. Running away would be the safest bet, other than that, they would most likely get wiped out.
Thus, they placed their hopes upon the figure in black.
As time went on, the two HP bars continued fluctuating. For one, the HP bar went down, now, it’s near a tipping point of low. Meanwhile, the other one experienced ups and downs but never did it go into the red zone. This is the reason why the two could keep this fight up.
Wu Yan gnashed his teeth, he felt his hands numbing up but he kept swing his swords while Heathcliff did his best to block his attacks.
They were waiting for a chance.
The chance to wipe the other opponent clean of their HP!
For now, they whittled each other’s HP away, with one decreasing steadily while the other fluctuated with dangerous rates.
After a prolonged period of back and forth, the two entered another phase of the fight, the battle of mental endurance.
For the two who were close in power, will and endurance will be the key to victory.
This can’t go on forever...
Wu Yan started getting a bit anxious when he saw Heathcliff blocking yet another attack while hiding behind his shield.
With the healing fairy, he isn’t afraid of hitting 0 HP. However, Heathcliff will win in a contest of mental endurance.
The reason is simple, it wasted more mental energy for Wu Yan to attack than for Heathcliff to defend. At the end of this fight of attrition, the aggressor will be the first one to slip up.
Heathcliff had more capacity to spare than Wu Yan.
I must find an opportunity...
Wu Yan’s eyes started spinning as he tried to come up with a way to break through this or risk losing the duel.
The healing fairy fell into his line of sight and his eyes started shining as a brilliant idea struck him.
"Hiya!"
Wu Yan’s Starburst Stream finished with the last hit hitting Heathcliff’s shield. Then, Wu Yan entered Post-motion while Heathcliff seized this chance to attack.
Heathcliff wasn’t gunning on landing a hit on Wu Yan. He’s sure he would come up with a way to evade him by reading his movements.
Wu Yan froze in place without moving or showing signs of connecting another sword skill.
Did he reach his limit?
With glee, he grinned as he stabbed at Wu Yan’s heart. Since he’s using a sword skill, he accelerated even faster towards Wu Yan.
Victory is mine!
"No!"
Asuna dashed towards them.
"Heathcliff!"
Kirito, Souta, Klein, and Agil rushed into the battlefield!
"Get him!"
The 5 players came running with the intention of stopping Heathcliff.
Touched by their loyalty, Wu Yan made up his mind!