Chapter 887

In an instant, the icy‑blue sword light poured down like a violent rainstorm!

Lu Ka did not retreat but advanced; only to see him twist his waist and turn his hips, his right iron fist wrapped in whistling gang wind blasting out, without dodging or evading, he smashed straight toward the sword ridge of the flying sword that had first thrust at his chest.

"Clang——!"

Sparks flew where the iron fist met the sword blade! The next second the sword body flew sideways as if out of control. Seeing this, Xi Mi was also excited:

"Lu Ka knocked down Lord Yin Qing's flying sword! This is a very good start!"

——

A certain scientific super electromagnetic cannon.

"Oh? Lu Ka is pretty good..."

Bai Jing Heizi's eyes widened in surprise at Lu Ka's performance in the match. She had originally thought the battle between Yin Qing and Lu Ka would be completely one‑sided, but she never expected Lu Ka not only to show no decline, but even to knock down Yin Qing's flying sword.

In her view, as long as she could control Yin Qing's flying sword, it would be equivalent to sealing off a small part of his combat power; if she could drag him into close combat, Lu Ka would still have a slim chance of victory.

Could there… be a chance?

"No, Yin Qing probably hasn't started going all out yet; at least… he hasn't begun using those few moves he uses against Hu Lei." Yu Ban Mei Qin shook her head, "He's also testing Lu Ka's limits; if he had used his 'Heaven River Pour' right at the start, Lu Ka would likely not only lose but suffer serious injury."

"Elder sister, you're so ruthless, already imagining using moves against fiends to deal with Lu Ka."

"Cough cough… isn't that normal? Yin Qing, little brother, said he'd give it his all, and if it's all out, we should understand he'll use all his moves." Yu Ban Mei Qin cleared her throat, her voice unintentionally rising a few notches, "Besides, Lu Ka is still lacking information; he should learn more from Xing Duo about Yin Qing's methods so he can cope on the stage."

"Knowing won't help." Zuo Tian Lei Zi crossed her hands behind her head and leaned back on the sofa, "Yin Qing is like a super‑powered athlete who can control flying swords and has outstanding combat fundamentals, while Lu Ka is just an ordinary person relying on outdated technology from the lower districts; facing such an absolute power gap, no trick can make up for it."

——

Before Xi Mi's words had even finished, a new variable had already appeared on the stage.

Yin Qing took advantage of the moment when Lu Ka knocked down a flying sword, when his old force was spent and new force not yet born, he lunged at Lu Ka with his sword! He actually gave up the convenience of wielding the sword as if it were an arm, choosing instead to engage Lu Ka in close combat. In an instant, thrusts, diagonal sweeps, and horizontal slashes followed one another with precision, leaving Lu Ka overwhelmed.

"Lu Ka seems unable to mount an effective counterattack! What should we do, Lu Ka?"

Facing Yin Qing's offensive, Lu Ka only felt his scalp go numb; he had to focus on deciphering Yin Qing's close‑range, ever‑changing sword techniques while also diverting mental energy to constantly watch the remaining flying swords circling like poisonous snakes, ready to strike, and was soon driven into a corner of the stage.

He kept swinging his fists, but as he did, he noticed that all the noise around him had faded away.

The hum of overloaded current in his iron arm, the distant cheers from the stands, the muscle soreness, even the throbbing of his heart like a drum… all of it seemed separated by an invisible pane of glass, becoming muffled and distant.

No fear, no calculation, no obsession with victory or defeat. His thoughts cleared like a cloud‑less snowplain stretching ten thousand li, empty yet seemingly containing everything.

Before him remained only that boy, likewise continuously swinging his sword at him, his eyes clear and empty.

All thoughts, emotions, and trains of thought, like magma surging deep in the earth's crust for millions of years, finally found their sole outlet——

Swing the fist.

Keep swinging the fist.

Until——

The iron arm emitted an overloaded hum, a wisp of blue smoke rose from it, and Lu Ka realized he could no longer drive that heavy iron arm.

Lu Ka panted, "Your sword is truly hard; my iron arm has completely failed…"

Yin Qing smiled knowingly, he planted his sword in the stage, raised both hands, and assumed a boxing‑style guard: "Since that's the case, I too will forsake the sword. Let us decide the final victor with our fists."

——

The Valkyrie of the Apocalypse.

"These two kids have probably just… entered 'that' state, right?" Raiden Uemon watched Lu Ka take off that heavy giant steel gauntlet, never expecting the kid to also wear another 'iron arm' gauntlet outside his iron arm; fortunately only the gauntlet was damaged.

"What state?" Brynhild asked curiously.

"No-self." Raiden Uemon said in a deep voice, "These two people's focus is astonishing; if it weren't for Lu Ka's iron‑fist gauntlet being damaged, they could probably keep fighting for another hundred or so rounds."

"But Yin Qing, this kid, is really underestimating his opponent, voluntarily discarding his sword and choosing to trade close‑range blows with Lu Ka— isn't that just asking for death?" Lv Bu Fengxian snorted, feeling that Yin Qing was still too young; to actively abandon his weapon advantage on the stage and step into Lu Ka's domain shows how much he looks down on Lu Ka.

Not necessarily underestimating him— Yin Qing is the Yun Qi Xiao Wei; as a martial artist, do you really think discarding his weapon means he can't fight?

Chongtian Zongsi's gaze swept over; as a former swordsman of the Shinsengumi, he had studied swordsmanship under his foster father Kondo Yu, while also researching body techniques and footwork. Excellent martial artists often absorb different schools' arts to nourish themselves, taking the best from all; he absolutely did not believe that Yin Qing would be powerless without his sword.

Moreover, he is still a teenager with such talent.

——

Lu Ka launched the first offensive, but Yin Qing's footwork agility far exceeded his expectations. The boy shed his long sword, faced him empty‑handed, and slipped like a fish in a stream that cannot be grasped. Lu Ka's powerful, heavy straight punches and swings were easily dodged; each time it seemed certain to hit, the boy would sidestep by a hair's breadth at the last moment, even landing counterstrikes on several of Lu Ka's vital points.

Even in his own boxing domain he was completely controlled; Lu Ka grew more frantic, and Yin Qing finally seized an opening, delivering a sharp upward palm strike that precisely hit his chin.

"Uh…"

A loud 'buzz' rang in Lu Ka's head, and instantly he only saw stars and felt the world spin. Yin Qing quickly seized the winning opportunity, but just as he threw a close‑range punch, Lu Ka gritted his teeth and struck back with all his remaining strength.

A scorching burst of fire energy surged out; fortunately Yin Qing dodged in time, barely avoiding this risky move.

Too close!