Patroclus' strike landed on its target, with the GN force turning the air into liquid as his hand cut through Wang Tong's defensive shield. However, his face suddenly became pale as the latter kicked him without a sign. Patroclus couldn't move his body, as if the kick had already landed on him.
After the impact, Patroclus stumbled back a dozen feet before he finally gathered himself. So intricate was the balance of the power on the battlefield that a slight change could cause the scale to slide from one side to the opposite direction.
Faint approving smiles crept onto the two Einherjar's faces. Except for the two Einherjars, no one else could make out what had just happened.
Patroclus clapped his hands as if congratulating Wang Tong, "You are like a box of chocolate, aren't you? Nice defense, by the way."
Picking up the reference, Wang Tong smiled and replied, "And you watch too many old movies."
In less than a heartbeat, the two fighters were at it again. Wang Tong showered blows onto Patroclus and managed to keep the latter in check. Busy defending himself, Patroclus finally opened up a position in front of his face, and Wang Tong's attack immediately filled it as the young Blade Warrior smashed the steel knuckle into the Ivantian Prince's delicate features. Patroclus was blown to the air and thudded heavily back to the ground.
It was Patroclus's first time being beaten by anyone.
"The energy from the layered fist of Tong had covered Wang Tong's entire body. Ha! Without using a weapon, it would be impossible for Patroclus to defeat him." Lie Jian said with an ugly and satisfied grin. This advanced version of the Layered fist of Tong worked the same way as his Fire Poison. It allowed the cultivator to be aggressive while still taking a defensive stance. The only difference was that it was much more potent than the fire poison.
"The effect is very similar to the Reverse Reverberation, a mechanical side effect. I had never thought that anyone would be able to achieve such effect at will." Michaux Odin smiled faintly. Although he was not interested in the specific technical details of the two warrior's skills, he found the match very entertaining to watch.
Wang Tong stood still, waiting for his opponent to gather himself. His haughty stature made him look like a real Einherjar.
The match had escalated very quickly as Wang Tong had unleashed abilities that were beyond audience's comprehension from the very beginning.
Patroclus gingerly picked himself off the floor and ran his slender fingers through his silken hair. The curls at the corner of his mouth suggested that he rather enjoyed the punishment. Without any sign, the Ivantian shifted his body through space, without leaving any trace of his movement.
Although Patroclus's technique looked like the Ivantian's favorite technique—the Phantom Step, it was not entirely the same. In a blink of eyes, Patroclus had already appeared in front of Wang Tong and punched without hesitation.
Acting out of instinct, Wang Tong greeted the attacker with a quick jab. However, even as his fist inched closer towards its target, his face suddenly hardened and body stiffened. Patroclus disappeared out of thin air and re-appeared at the corner of his eyes. Wang Tong gathered strength and pulled back as fast as he could. Patroclus didn't give Wang Tong a moment of respite as he flickered across the stage, chasing after Wang Tong like a nightmare. Conceding that he was not able to accurately predict Patroclus's movement, Wang Tong resorted to a more evasive strategy, trying to avoid being hit. Wang Tong was losing his edge over his opponent very quickly, but thanks to the passive-aggressiveness of the Layered Fist of Tong, he was not in any immediate danger.
"What a freak! Even Boss can't figure out his attacks!" Karl moved up and down, unable to stay still. Instinct told him that Wang Tong was in danger.
After a while, even Wang Tong's defense started to falter, as he eventually received a blow aimed squarely at his chest. As Wang Tong's body was sent flying into the air, Patroclus darted out, trying to deliver a follow-up attack.
"Kom!"
An invisible wall suddenly stopped Patroclus as he face-planted into it. Meanwhile, Wang Tong had already landed on the ground in a push-up position Propelled by a forceful push, Wang Tong's body launched out towards Patroclus like a cannonball. Sudden, the invisible wall started to take a form in front of naked eyes. It was an Ice Wall!
The Mastery cultivators were all shocked by the development; Wang Tong had already advanced his skill so much that he could summon the power of natural force on a whim. Without any secret hand signs nor cryptic invocation, everything was completed while Wang Tong was executing a 720-degree turn in the air.
There was no time for Patroclus to dodge the assault, so he charged up his defense and watched as Wang Tong smashed through the ice wall and rammed into him. Both warriors backed away after the impact without a clear winner.
"Such Skill! You ARE the Blade Warrior! "
"It's just a small trick." Wang Tong said calmly although he knew he had understated his ability, which required a perfect understanding in the intricate connection between different forces, and most important of all, the connection of natural force with his Soul Essence.
"What else is he hiding up his sleeve? I had tried to use Mastery as well, but it didn't work that well." Lie Jian complained.
"You can do it too."
"For real? How?"
"In theory, yes. But Wang Tong has one thing that neither of us does."
Patroclus beamed from side to side and said, "Bravo! So, you had already cultivated the soul essence, eh?"
The word "soul essence" immediately lit up the fire in the two Einherjars' eyes, although no one else knew what it was about.
"Ah! Yes, but it still needs work." Wang Tong replied.
Patroclus didn't answer; instead, he threw his head back and heaved out all the anxiety of not having a powerful opponent.
"Excellent! Are you almost done warming up? Let's begin!" Patroclus finally announced. So far, both fighters were merely testing each other.
"So be it!" Wang Tong replied.
No other fighter could have survived the two warrior's warm-up session.
Patroclus reached out his right arm as a silver lance appeared out of nowhere in his hand. Meanwhile, a golden lance also flickered into Wang Tong's grasp. A burst of wild gale swept across the stage, carrying the belligerent battle qi. Wang Tong's battle qi soon met its equal as Patroclus also let loose his power.
Before the real battle started, the battle for dominance had already begun between the battle qi as energies swirled and intertwined, trying to surpass one another.
With a powerful shout, Lie Jian launched out with the silvery dragon in his hand.
"Dang...Dang, Dang!"
Its golden counterpart met the silver dragon, causing sparks to dance about the two fighters as the two lances collided. However, neither of them seemed to be able to get the upper hand.
Although Patroclus was the more elegant one in terms of movement, Wang Tong's seemingly unorganized moves had its nonchalant charm as well.
As the exchange of attacks went on, both fighters picked up their speed. Each impact represented the exchange of an unimaginable magnitude of energy, some of which went rogue and shot out of the stage, penetrating up to four layers of energy shield with ease.
The match turned into a standoff, painting the stage with broad strokes of silver and gold. Whoever slipped up the first would have to deal with the consequences.
"I often wonder how Patroclus gained such combat experience. He had never serviced in the military, had he? " Hu Yangxuan asked Zhang Buyu curiously.