Wang Zhong's objective in this CHF wasn't just the pursuit of victory. He also wanted every single member of his squadron to obtain benefits from this CHF. In other words, if their self-confidence was lacking, something like Barran's breakthrough would not have occurred. Trusting squadron members was the priority, even if it resulted in defeat. That was the true meaning of "one for all, all for one"!
Without talking about other people, even Ma Dong felt that it was a pity for Wang Zhong to make such a decision. At the very least, they should secure the group battle phase before attempting something like that! That way, they wouldn't lose any face, and no one would comment on it.
The fiery-red flaming daggers immediately came attacking over the instant the duel started. In a flash, sparks flew as the daggers collided.
Emily's opponent wasn't crafty in his attacks, but his extraordinary speed resulted in a greater impact behind his daggers. In an instant, Emily was blown backwards, and Caliban Crowe followed like a shadow.
Both parties travelled at extremely high speeds; one appeared like a series of fleeting spectre-like shadows, while the other appeared like a clump of fiery red light.
At this moment, Emily, who had high hopes placed on her, was moving so fast that she was creating afterimages across the stage. She had always been working hard to improve herself. Indeed, she was extremely talented. However, the problem was that there were others who possessed comparable talent. Furthermore, they had comprehended their capabilities at an even earlier age. Not everyone could be as stubborn, and have a one-track mind like Barran; his way of progression didn't suit her either. She had given a lot of thought towards this issue, as she also wanted to contribute for her squadron. However, both her solo duels and group battle performances were average.
However, never did they expect Wang Zhong to actually give up the chance to bring this match into the group battle phase for her!
Emily wanted to live up the confidence and trust he had for her. She wanted to squash those voices of dissent and the mouths of those naysayers. She could do it! She was Emily Assassin!
Emily could be said to be progressing at a godly rate; only that her brilliance had been masked by Wang Zhong, Grai and Barran. In reality, her performance in every fight she had experienced in this CHF was different. The minute changes in her realm of understanding towards combat showed that she was, in fact, putting her heart and soul in each and every fight. Furthermore, she was exceedingly focused on reflecting the experiences she gained through the fights and what she had seen first hand during the matches. Intelligence and comprehension abilities could be considered as forms of one's capabilities.
In another setting, her rate of improvement would result in her being praised as a genius. However, in this time and place, everything was dependent on the outcome of her fight.
"She's too hasty in her performance." said Divian as wrinkles appeared on her forehead." Wang Zhong's move was slightly fishy. Everyone knows that Assassin is standing behind Tianjing. Could this be pressure from them?"
The existence of Ma Dong and Emily in Tianjing had indeed caused people to believe this. If not, there was really no reason to send Emily up. All of them were confused, as Tianjing had just squandered away their chance to bring this match into the group battle phase.
The naive thought of facilitating the improvement of every squadron member was something entirely absent from the minds of everyone present in this VIP room.
"Wang Zhong's lacking manpower. I believe that he wants her to recreate the same miracle Barran had."
Clearly, this fight was of an exceedingly low standard, though not so on the combat skills. Both parties were pretty good assassins. However, that was clearly not what the people in this VIP room felt. Furthermore, Emily appeared extremely hasty and flustered. Such childish behaviour caused her to be disregarded even further by experts.
The warping and weaving killing intent that was originally present in Emily's senses suddenly disappeared, being replaced by a void, before the arena turned mute.
A dazzling flash of white light suddenly shone out from the void, before Emily's body furiously came to a halt.
This wasn't just a simple restraint and release! Instead, it was a blade that caused countless top-class experts to gasp in shock!
There was not the slightest bit of flashiness, nor there was any trace of killing intent. It was the purest, the most focused and most simplistic of moves. Yet, it was also the most effective advancing strike.
Caliban was a conventional assassin, and was classified as a disappearing type. This was a move that was extremely practical. He allowed Emily to show off, and grasped hold of a single chance to unleash a lethal strike.
Emily felt her entire body turn slack, as a dagger was already resting on her neck. In fact, she could even see the sliver of helplessness and disregard present in her opponent's eyes.
Caliban Crowe did not say anything. There was no need for him to flaunt in front of a kid's face. However, in reality, having fought all the way till here, Emily wasn't suited for such a duel.
3rd duel, Torres, victory. The selection advantage had returned to Torres once again.
At this moment, the voices of discussion could no longer be contained by the audience. Having come this far, all of them hoped for Tianjing to be able to give a performance that lived up to their status. Such an obvious mistake in tactics left many disgusted. This was just like a scrumptious banquet being laid out before them, and someone placed a nice and foul smelling shit on the table right before everyone could start their feast.
However, the person who had placed the shit was the one who had set up the banquet in the first place, causing everyone to feel especially helpless.
Emily walked off the stage without uttering a word. Compared to Barran's blood laden battle, she basically appeared just like a little student putting up a performance. Although her opponent was also in the Casted Soul Stage, the disparity between their performances was exceedingly wide.
The voices from the surroundings gushed into Emily's ears. There were many horrible comments, as many within the audience did not give any consideration to her feelings.
Welcoming Emily back, Ma Dong said, "Don't worry. It's alright that you're not hurt."
Emily's body instantly shuttered upon hearing that, while tears appeared to be at the brink of falling from her eyes. Nevertheless, she forcibly restrained them back. She would rather die on the stage than to experience the turmoil of emotions that were flooding her heart. However, she did not even possess the chance to do so! Her opponent's dagger had utterly grasped hold of the seams between her movements, and she didn't even have the chance to put up a stubborn defence.
This was a complete defeat.
Wang Zhong wasn't a nanny. There were some mental blocks that required Emily to face them by herself. Defeat was similarly an immensely valuable experience.
"Scarlet, the next duel's up to you!" said Wang Zhong as he looked towards Scarlet. Looking back at him, a radiant smile appeared on Scarlet's face.
"Okay!"
Wang Zhong hesitated for a bit before saying, "Don't get injured. I'm standing behind you."
Scarlet gawked slightly, before looking at Wang Zhong with an incredulous expression on her face. "I know! There's no need to be worried!"
The Kalam runic pistols in her hands sparkled with a peculiar brilliance.
"Look and see! They're just that idiotic! How good would it be if they had taken the earlier duel! Now, the advantage has flipped back again! What are they hoping for Scarlet to do! She isn't talented, nor will she be able to have much of a change! She's just a ranged soldier! There's no need to force themselves into despair."
"What the hell do you guys know! This is brother King's situational play! Scarlet might be their hidden weapon! Haha!"
"I respect and worship brother King. However, truth be told, he's slightly arrogant. His opponent is Torres, you know! He's not showing them the respect they deserve! There's basically no hope for the other people from Tianjing! Barran staked his life to earn that victory! Do you think the others have the same determination as him!"
"Those brothers have hit the nail on the head. Those were either kids or pretty porcelain vases that don't possess much strength. Although Tianjing had achieved victory to this point by relying on the twin cores, they need to be clear about their position, right! Do they truly believe that they can contend against Torres in overall strength?!"
Without a doubt, if Wang Zhong and Grai ranked as 1st-class, Barran would be 2nd class, while the other people from Tianjing were 3rd class.
Happiness started to blossom in Alasi's heart. Truthfully speaking, he did not care about the reasons behind Wang Zhong's decisions. However, it was very clear that the outcome for this duel was no longer important, as Bobo had already made his request known. The only thing Alasi could do was to accept that request. Being able to evade the group battle phase in one move would be beneficial for Torres. However, deep down in his heart, Alasi truly wanted the match to enter the group battle phase. He did not wish to take any shortcuts, as Wang Zhong's duelling prowess was indeed heaven-defying. Naturally, Bobo's duelling prowess meant that they weren't afraid. However, it wasn't good to reveal too many trump cards in the round-of-16, as Torres wasn't planning on stopping here.
Torres sent out Clark, Caliban Crowe's elder cousin and Torres's 2nd mainstay assassin.