The moment the five swords struck Bloodfall, a series of metallic clangs erupted throughout the arena.
It sounded like five pieces of iron slamming into a gong simultaneously. Blade pressed against blade, tips forced against the weapon’s body, as pressure from five different angles bore down on Bloodfall.
Qiu Shubai’s wrist jolted. Instead of withdrawing her sword, she forced her stance forward half an inch.
Bloodfall didn't retreat, but neither did the five first-tier longswords. Weapons empowered by Weapon’s End, Ember’s Birth simply did not follow the laws of physics; once they locked something down, it stayed locked.
Luo Yang didn't hesitate. While the remaining fifteen swords were still circling Chu Zimo, he raised his hand and recalled eight of them.
The eight swords pivoted instantly, cutting in toward Qiu Shubai from both flanks.
She couldn't defend both sides at once.
The white light from Bloodfall flared. The blade, which previously only had a few threads of red, was now mostly enveloped in a crimson hue. She pressed her left hand over her right wrist and suddenly sank her weight backward.
She retreated half a step, but the sword stayed put.
Bloodfall left her palm, hovering in place with its tip still pressed against the center of the five swords.
Though the blade had left her hand, it remained under her control. The red light on the blade exploded into a blood mist, within which countless tiny sword shadows flickered. Each thread-like shadow precisely adhered to the incoming eight swords. They didn't clash head-on but instead latched onto the flat of the blades.
In the next second, those eight Grantee Longswords were all drained of energy.
Luo Yang’s eyes narrowed. He had never seen this move before.
The blood energy and mental power he had infused into the swords were partially devoured by that blood mist. All eight swords trembled, their glows dimming slightly.
Chu Zimo moved at that exact moment. After being knocked back earlier, he hadn't retreated far, and his Shadow Bind still covered a five-meter radius.
That five-meter zone was troublesome for Luo Yang’s mental power, making his perception strained. Within that domain, light, sound, and energy fluctuations were dampened; his mental power automatically weakened the moment it entered.
Chu Zimo emerged from Luo Yang’s back-right. Instead of his usual dagger, he held a training short blade. Half of the blade was solid metal, while the other half consisted of flowing shadows.
The tip aimed straight for Luo Yang’s lower back, but Luo Yang didn't even turn around. He snapped his left hand up, fingers splayed. The final seven swords returned to his side, their lights weaving into a diagonal net two steps behind him.
Chu Zimo’s assault hit the net. As an assassin, he naturally didn't try to force his way through. His blade swerved, and his shadow slipped through the gaps in the sword net, seeking the thinnest point of the weave.
All seven swords were empowered by Weapon’s End, Ember’s Birth, making them nearly equal in strength. However, Chu Zimo chose the gap on the far left, where the transmission of power was weakest.
The blade slipped through the corner of the net, coming within inches of Luo Yang’s waist.
“Good, but still not fast enough.”
The moment the words left his mouth, the seven swords shifted half an inch to the right as a single unit, maintaining their formation. Chu Zimo’s blade missed its target, and he found himself lunging right into the encirclement of flying swords.
Normally, this would be a perfect opportunity for close-quarters combat. Luo Yang only had seven of his twenty swords left around him; Qiu Shubai was pressing him from the front, and Tang Xuan was recharging after her Light Flame blast from the front-left.
But that was when Luo Yang’s right hand finally moved.
He pulled a weapon from his space ring.
It was a short blade identical to the one in Chu Zimo’s hand.
The energy circuits on the blade lit up the moment it was unsheathed. Before Chu Zimo could strike, Luo Yang’s short blade had already spun around to block between them.
Blade met blade. Luo Yang pressed down with force, physically driving Chu Zimo’s center of gravity toward the floor.
Chu Zimo tried to pull away, but the short blade was stuck fast. It didn't feel like mere force being applied; it felt like a viscous, sticky sensation, as if he were glued to it.
That was Weapon’s End, Ember’s Birth!
Who said this ability was only for flying swords? A weapon held in hand received the same enhancement!
While Chu Zimo was pinned down, Tang Xuan’s second Light Flame arrived.
This time, it wasn't a conical directional blast but a wide, fan-shaped spread. She stopped aiming for precision and used the area of effect to corner Luo Yang. The white fire of the Light Flame spread from her palm, bathing the entire right side of the arena stage in light.
In the next second, Luo Yang let go of the Armor-piercing Dagger.
The dagger remained stuck to Chu Zimo’s blade, but without its controller, it exited the Weapon’s End state. Chu Zimo felt the force suddenly vanish. What had been an inescapable, crushing weight was replaced by a pile of weightless ash.
Seizing the opportunity, he instinctively retreated several steps, only to find that Luo Yang wasn't even looking at him. He was dealing with Qiu Shubai’s blood mist.
The blood mist was still suppressing Luo Yang’s eight swords, and four of them were already failing. The devouring effect was like a rot that was impossible to shake off. Combined with the fact that Weapon’s End naturally consumed a weapon’s lifespan, the double strain caused the four blades to turn a dull, ashen white.
Luo Yang didn't recall the swords. Instead, in the final second, he took a moment to infuse a surge of blood energy into them.
That surge of blood energy was extremely pure, having been filtered through the golden tree in his Sea of Consciousness. The ashen white on the four blades was forcibly suppressed for half a second.
Using that half-second, he pulled out the other four swords that could still hold on and drove them straight into the heart of the blood mist.
Bloodfall was suspended right there.
Countless red sword shadows instantly converged around Bloodfall, forming a blood barrier. The four swords struck the barrier but made no sound, dissolving the moment they touched it.
This was exactly the effect Luo Yang wanted.
The moment Bloodfall was surrounded by the blood mist, Qiu Shubai’s control over it weakened. She could still dictate its direction, but the tiny sword shadows within the mist became independent entities. They had to protect the main body and could no longer attack outward.
Luo Yang raised his right hand and grabbed a second short blade from his space ring, charging along the edge of the blood mist.
The energy circuits on the blade emitted a soul-stirring glow. He was using the entire short blade as a temporary energy node.
The dense blood mist instinctively surged toward the light source.
It was hungry; it wanted to consume any energy it saw.
But with the mist “leaving,” Bloodfall was left completely exposed.
Li Qiang, who had been circling the periphery, chose this moment to act.
His Flowing Cloud Stardust spread from a distance. The pale silver light-mist crept along the floor, forming a circle half a meter in diameter around Bloodfall.
It wasn't an attack, but a lockdown.
Besides healing and buffs, Li Qiang’s auxiliary ability had a function almost no one had seen: short-term spatial lock. Within the range of his silver light-mist, energy conduction became exceptionally slow.
For Qiu Shubai, this meant her control over Bloodfall suffered a delay. However, the same applied to Luo Yang; it was a potent control effect that didn't distinguish between friend and foe.
And yet—
Luo Yang raised his left hand.
Ten new longswords flew out of his space ring. Ten streaks of sword light converged on Bloodfall from thirteen directions, forming a tight cage.
Bloodfall was trapped in the center.
Qiu Shubai grit her teeth. Her wrist twisted as she prepared to forcibly recall Bloodfall, but Li Qiang’s spatial lock was still in effect. By the time the recall command reached the sword, it was half a beat too late.
Half a beat was enough for Luo Yang to complete the final step.
He pressed down with his left hand.
The thirteen swords contracted toward the center simultaneously.
Bloodfall was sandwiched in the middle, its blade pressed tightly against the flats of the thirteen swords.
Qiu Shubai felt a jolt in her palm.
She had lost her connection with Bloodfall. It wasn't destroyed, but it was pinned.
Luo Yang raised his right hand and pulled yet another weapon from his space ring. This time, it was a long spear.
The spear was two meters long, its tri-edged spearhead glinting coldly under the training ground lights.
The moment Chu Zimo saw that spear, he had a sinking feeling that it was over.
Luo Yang didn't throw the spear at anyone. Instead, he slammed it into the floor by his feet. The tri-edged spearhead sank half an inch into the alloy surface with a dull thud.
Blood energy poured from his right hand into the spear shaft, nearly overloading the weapon's built-in energy circuits. Ripples of energy radiated outward from the shaft, spreading across the alloy stage.
The entire stage resonated at that moment. Every weapon still under the control of Weapon’s End flared with light, clearly receiving another round of enhancement.
“It’s over.”
Luo Yang’s voice drifted out eerily, announcing his victory with an air of near-invincibility.
He pushed down on the spear shaft in his right hand, and countless ashes scattered. Bloodfall, freed from the pressure of the sword cage, flew back to Qiu Shubai’s hand as if in retreat.
The entire battle, from start to finish, had taken about four minutes.
The training ground fell into a dead silence.
The crowd that had swarmed over hoping to see Luo Yang forced to use his true skills was now so quiet you could hear them breathe. What they had witnessed wasn't a thrilling, head-on clash, but... a thorough demonstration by a piece of precision machinery.
He hadn't used any melee weapons other than the first-tier longswords to strike anyone, nor had he stabbed anyone with the spear. Every method he used was “just enough.”
Just enough to pin Bloodfall.
Just enough to push Chu Zimo away.
Just enough to end the fight.
It was like he was solving a math problem with only one possible answer.
“Alright.” Zhang Xian’s voice rang out. It wasn't loud, but everyone in the training ground heard it.
“That’s enough for today.”
Some students below were about to shout, “It hasn't been our turn yet!” but they were quickly pulled back by those next to them.
Zhang Xian waved his hand.
“The rest of you can disperse. Come back tomorrow,” he said. “That match was beautiful and holds great reference value. For those who didn't get a turn, I’ll schedule more time later so everyone gets a chance.”
The crowd slowly began to disperse, but no one left immediately. Most eyes were still fixed on the stage.
Luo Yang walked to the side and draped his coat over his shoulders. Then, he leisurely walked toward the other end of the arena stage, stopping beside Qiu Shubai as she packed her things.
She had already put Bloodfall away. Her movements were slower than usual, and she looked quite drained.
“Was that move just now something new you learned?” he asked. “Nice gamble.”
Qiu Shubai turned her head to look at him.
Luo Yang continued, “If Li Qiang’s spatial lock hadn't kicked in at the right moment, I’m not sure I could have trapped it.”
“It’s a move I just realized a few days ago. It’s still unstable. I wasn't sure about it either, but Chu Zimo acted as a decoy behind you and bought me that opening.”
“Yeah, he played well too,” Luo Yang nodded. “He’s just a bit too predictable. I intentionally left some openings for him, but he either couldn't seize them or chose the one that would put him in the most danger.”
Qiu Shubai gave a soft hum of agreement.
Her expression was as flat as ever, but Luo Yang could see the slight slump in her shoulders—the kind of relaxation that comes after finishing a major task.
“Also,” Luo Yang paused, sticking his hands into his coat pockets, “weren't you looking for breakthrough materials earlier?”
Qiu Shubai looked at him.
“I have some connections. The stuff should be on its way.”
Qiu Shubai was stunned for a moment.
“What materials?”
“I didn't ask for specifics. Anyway, it’s for assisting a breakthrough, and the quality should be top-notch. I’ll show you when it arrives.”
Qiu Shubai was silent for a few seconds. Her eyelashes fluttered as if she wanted to say something, but in the end, she only nodded and managed a quiet, “Thanks.”
“Don't mention it.”
Qiu Shubai didn't seem inclined to linger. She gathered all her personal belongings and said directly, “I have something to do. I’m leaving first.”
“What is it?”
“Private business.”
Her answer was as brief as it could be.
Luo Yang didn't press her, but his mind started turning.
Coming from her, those two words never meant “going shopping” or “meeting friends.”
He remembered something: the Special Division.
Since the battle of South City, Qiu Shubai’s official role as Deputy Section Chief and her secret role as a Special Division agent seemed to have vanished. She had focused entirely on preparing for the league, and not a single mission had come her way.
Today she said she had business, but he hadn't heard of the Ability Bureau being in any trouble. Could it be that the Special Division finally had a mission for her?
Luo Yang didn't voice his suspicion; he simply nodded.
“Alright then, go do your thing.”
Qiu Shubai gave him a look, then turned and walked toward the training ground exit.
“The Special Division’s way of doing things...” he muttered to himself.
Luo Yang had never actually seen the Special Division in action. The organization had always been quite mysterious in the rumors throughout Shenzhou.
Deep cover, independent operations, and rarely associated with official channels—it really did sound like an underground organization from a work of fiction.
And he happened to be quite interested in the profession of a secret agent.
Back on Earth, movies like 007 and Mission Impossible had been his favorites.
What chunibyo youth could refuse the idea of becoming a handsome, steely super-spy with incredible skills and a beautiful woman in his arms?
If he could be a certain Masked Rider who became an invincible agent in his dreams, that would be even better!
Although his identity in this life was still far from that profession, his status allowed him to know at least some of the inner workings of the Special Division.
A smile tinged with curiosity played at the corners of Luo Yang’s mouth.
“Let’s go join the fun.”
Rate on N.U.
