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墨書 Inktalez
"On the mat! Are you confident you can kill me?!" I loosened my grip on the Refined Steel Rod, letting it drop onto the steel plate with a clang. I slid my hand to the top of the Refined Steel Rod, gripping it with my other hand and taking a step forward, dragging the rod behind me. This was a stance I had developed through practical experience with Ah Huang, Old Bi, and others. I was lazy, so I didn't want to expend extra energy on preparing my stance. Dragging the rod behind me served two purposes: it conserved energy, and when I launched an attack, my right hand could easily swing the rod up, using inertia to smash through any weapon my opponent wielded. It was also very practical for passive defense, allowing me to block any incoming strikes.
Seeing me adopt such an unusual posture, Bu Shang's pupils constricted. I knew he hadn't expected me to know martial arts, especially with a Refined Steel Rod. The long reach gave me an advantage over his shorter weapon, and even his Bloodless Slash couldn't cut through my Refined Steel Rod. I held a clear advantage in weaponry.
I had fought him last night; we exchanged only a few blows, but I sensed that Bu Shang's strikes were powerful and fast. In those hurried exchanges, I couldn't gauge his true strength, but he seemed to have trained for a long time. Without a weapon in hand, I was no match for him, but now things were different. With the Refined Steel Rod in my grasp, I felt ready to take him on!
Bu Shang slowly said, "I didn't expect Wang Sang to be so skilled and bold. Very well, I'll experience your techniques firsthand!" With that, he gripped his knife with both hands, positioning his legs in a bow stance as he slowly raised the blade toward me.
I was somewhat surprised; he hadn't even removed his knife from its sheath and was already ready to fight? Was he afraid of damaging the blade? That couldn't be; what kind of knife in its sheath could kill anyone?!
Just as I was momentarily distracted by this thought, Bu Shang shouted loudly and swiftly drew his right hand across the blade. Whoosh! The sheath flew straight at me!
What the hell! He had that trick too?! There was no time to think further; I swung the rod and knocked the sheath away. Just as my momentum waned, Bu Shang stepped forward, his blade flashing coldly as he aimed a downward strike at my right arm holding the rod!
"Despicable!" I cursed as I sank my right hand down. My left hand joined the rod now resting on my left side, and with a sudden burst of strength from both hands, I blocked his strike diagonally. The clash rang out with a loud clang, sparks flying.
Bu Shang smiled strangely; he angled his blade and sliced along the rod toward where my right hand gripped it!
How vicious! My right hand had no choice but to withdraw the rod, but I refused to remain passive. With a fierce push from my left hand against the rod's body, I slammed the tip down hard onto Bu Shang's right shoulder!
"Baka!" Bu Shang staggered back two steps, seemingly unable to believe that I could counterattack successfully.
I regained my grip on the rod with both hands and pointed it at Bu Shang. I wanted to see just how strong he really was. Sometimes when facing a powerful opponent, you can't help but compare strengths—who is stronger? So I decided to maintain my defensive stance.
"Ha!" Bu Shang shouted again, drawing his knife overhead in a circle before sweeping it horizontally from right to left—a flash of cold light!
I struck the Refined Steel Rod leftward again with another clang, successfully blocking Bu Shang's attack once more.
To my surprise, Bu Shang repeated his previous tactic! He twisted the blade and sliced down along the rod again—What the hell! Was this never-ending?! With my left hand gripping forward, I had no choice but to release it. As I stepped back, sliding my right hand down to grasp the tail end of the rod tightly, I pulled it back forcefully before thrusting it out again! It shot straight toward Bu Shang's right shoulder!
The Refined Steel Rod was heavy; if held one-handed for too long, it would be impossible for me to maintain that position. However, I still had short bursts of explosive power left in me. Even so, as the tip of the rod thrust forward, it began descending toward Bu Shang's right chest instead.
It was a stroke of luck. As I swung my weapon, I aimed to block, but missed entirely. With a thud, the end of my staff struck hard against Busho's right chest. He let out a cry and staggered back several steps, planting his knife into the ground with his right hand while clutching his chest with his left, glaring at me with fury.
I knew I had drawn blood; the force behind my strike was tremendous, especially with the two ends of my nunchaku designed to be sharp for this very purpose.
I smiled at Busho. "Your swordsmanship doesn't seem all that impressive!"
Busho didn't respond. Gritting his teeth, he let out a fierce shout and lunged forward, raising both hands to strike down at me with his blade.
He was relentless! I twirled my staff in a flourish and met his attack with a resounding clash that sent his sword flying aside. After some testing, I realized that as long as I kept my distance, he had no way to counter me!
With this thought in mind, I swept my staff horizontally. Busho had no choice but to brace himself against it. The sound of our weapons colliding rang out sharply, and the blade trembled violently; even I could hear a buzzing noise.
Busho gripped his sword tightly, his eyes bloodshot and filled with rage as he glared at me as if he wanted to devour me whole. Ignoring him, I swung my staff down again, forcing him to raise his sword in defense.
As our weapons met, I quickly spun around and swung my staff upward from below. This move was inspired by Old Bi's "Mad Demon Staff Technique," relying on the weight, speed, and momentum of the weapon to continuously strike the opponent and push them into a corner.
Busho had no choice but to strike down hard. The impact reverberated through my hands, numbing my grip slightly. The Japanese invaders were indeed tenacious! However, he wouldn't fare any better; taking advantage of his momentary retreat, I stepped forward and spun again for another sweeping strike!
The staff whistled through the air with a whoosh, reaching its peak speed and power. The best way for Busho to counter would be to retreat and avoid the blow, but I bet on his pride not allowing him to back down.
Sure enough, gritting his teeth, Busho tightened his grip on the hilt and pushed outward with all his might. The clash echoed loudly! His hands trembled violently from the force. Seizing the moment while he was off balance, I shouted and pulled back my staff forcefully. Once I created space, I pushed forward again—using my left hand as a pivot while thrusting the staff forward with my right like a striking serpent aimed directly at Busho's chest!
This move evolved from spear techniques; if it were a spear, the flexible shaft would provide excellent elasticity. This technique resembled a dragon rising from water—the tip quivering unpredictably. A skilled user could rotate the spear rapidly with their right hand to create multiple strikes! My refined steel rod lacked elasticity, so I omitted any flashy movements and focused on being fast, fierce, and precise!
The tip of my staff shot toward Busho's chest. At that moment, he dared not meet it head-on; he could only retreat. I could see frustration, humiliation, and helplessness etched across his face.
That’s right! He would have to endure until he couldn’t anymore; then I could easily subdue him! If he didn’t hold firm and retreated instead—well, behind him was a wall; now where could he run?
At that moment, one of Busho's feet hit the wall behind him. His expression changed as he realized the danger he was in but still held his sword defiantly toward me.
"Put down the knife, Honest, and come with me to surrender. You are no match for me!"
"Baka! Who the hell are you? How did I end up facing you?!" Bu Shang shouted in despair.
I dragged the rod behind me, preparing for my final attack, and replied calmly, "I am just an ordinary soldier of the National Army, but perhaps I am the one destined to defeat you!"
"Ah!" Bu Shang roared as he charged at me again. However, after exchanging a few blows, I felt that he was not my opponent, which eased my mind considerably. For Bu Shang, this might be a fight to the death, but for me, there was no need to fight desperately nor was it a matter of life and death.
I swung the rod behind me; the Refined Steel Rod traced a half-circle in the air as I aimed for Bu Shang's forehead. Yet, he disregarded my attack and lunged forward with his knife!
I was taken aback. While I would certainly hit him, I would also get stabbed in return. I didn't want to take that hit, so I suddenly exerted force with my right hand, positioning the rod horizontally. My left hand crossed over to grasp the rod's body, and together I raised it to block his knife.
Seeing the despair in Bu Shang's eyes, I decided to show no mercy. I aimed to knock his knife away with the Refined Steel Rod and subdue him before notifying Ah Huang to take him away. At that thought, a faint smile crept onto my lips; indeed, I had let my guard down.
Just then, I noticed a sinister smile on Bu Shang's face. No! Suddenly realizing something was off, I saw him activate some mechanism. The Bloodless Slash blade shot out with a whoosh, aiming straight for my left chest!
(To be continued; tomorrow will be even more exciting!)
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