Chapter 139: Conceding

"The Commander has used Limit Break!" Asuna said. "Can Lingyun block it?"

"If that's the extent of his strength, there's no need for Master to use Limit Break!" Luo Yexi waved her hand.

"Indeed, there is no need; even if I went up there, I could knock him down!" Busujima Saeko nodded.

Although Heathcliff was very strong in the eyes of other players, to Busujima Saeko and the others who had seen blood and fire, and even fought against zombies in the Apocalypse world, this strength was somewhat limited.

"You all..." Lisbeth looked at Luo Yexi and the others with a face full of surprise.

"Don't worry, they are just a group of people with ridiculously high strength; you'll get used to it slowly in the future!" Kirito, who was on the side, comforted her.

"Oh!" Lisbeth nodded, looking as if she half-understood.

As the red and white light dissipated, Heathcliff, who was in front of Lingyun, also underwent a slight change. The shield in his hand expanded a bit, and a faint layer of light appeared on it.

"Is this... reinforced defense?" Lingyun slashed his Long sword onto the shield. However, this time, the shield remained unmoved.

After defending against Lingyun's attack, the Long sword in Heathcliff's hand slashed fiercely toward Lingyun's direction. Lingyun stepped on the ground with his right foot and flew backward for several meters, dodging Heathcliff's attack.

"Not just defense, even the offensive aspect has improved? Interesting, it seems I should get serious!" A smile curled at the corner of Lingyun's mouth, and a silver light flickered on his Long sword.

"Lingyun, my Limit Break has significantly increased the shield's defense; with your current attack, you cannot break through my defense!" Heathcliff reminded him.

"Is that so? Then, taste this!" Lingyun raised the Long sword in his hand and slammed it heavily onto his shield.

With a "Crack!", sparks burst from Heathcliff's shield, and he himself even took a step back.

"This, how is this possible?" Someone in the Blood Oath Knights exclaimed.

Ever since Heathcliff revealed his Limit Break, as long as this state was activated, even a floor boss could not make him take a single step back, but Lingyun's attack had made him retreat. Could it be that Lingyun's power was even stronger than a floor boss?

"Not being able to break your defense? I don't think so; it's just that you haven't encountered it before!" Lingyun chuckled. However, he was also secretly shocked in his heart; this Limit Break of Heathcliff's was truly quite powerful. His previous strike would have made even a boss retreat several steps, but Heathcliff had only retreated one step!

"This shield is a big problem; I must resolve it first!" A sharp glint flashed in Lingyun's eyes.

"Take this!" Lingyun gave a light shout, a faint light shimmered on the Long sword in his hand, and his whole body suddenly vanished from where he stood. Heathcliff's pupils constricted, and then the hand holding his greatsword suddenly appeared on the other side, performing a parrying move. With a loud "Clang!", Lingyun appeared beside him, the Long sword in his hand clashing with his greatsword, and Lingyun's Long sword was only a few centimeters away from Heathcliff's body.

"Something's not right!" Luo Yexi, who was in the crowd, narrowed her eyes. That sword strike just now was absolutely not something Heathcliff could have managed. Lingyun's strike just now was almost impossible to dodge, yet Heathcliff had blocked it with a greatsword that was not very fast; this completely defied logic.

Busujima Saeko and the others also exchanged glances; they all saw the strangeness of that strike. However, remembering Heathcliff's identity, they understood—wasn't this just a Cheat Ability?

"Finally used it, huh? But it seems there are some limitations!" Lingyun circled around Heathcliff, but the several attacks he launched were all blocked by Heathcliff's greatsword. "Can it only be used for self-defense and not for attacking?"

Having figured out Heathcliff's bottom line, Lingyun no longer held back. The Long sword in his hand suddenly swung out a brilliant light, and countless sword shadows turned into layers of large nets, enveloping Heathcliff.

Facing this kind of attack from Lingyun, Heathcliff's expression darkened. Although he could cheat, he was restricted in many ways; facing Lingyun's attack, he could only grit his teeth and defend.

Heathcliff gripped the shield in his hand and defended with all his might, while quietly activating his Cheat Ability, causing every one of Lingyun's attacks to be blocked. Because he was using a wide shield, the onlookers did not notice anything unusual.

After a round of fierce attacks, Lingyun's figure suddenly flickered, and the Long sword in his hand changed from a slash to a strike, slamming heavily onto Heathcliff's shield. Facing this heavy strike from Lingyun, Heathcliff's body couldn't help but sway. Lingyun flicked the Long sword in his hand, and taking advantage of the moment Heathcliff lost his balance, he bypassed the shield's defense and thrust toward Heathcliff.

A flash of astonishment crossed Heathcliff's eyes, and his off-balance body stabilized; the greatsword in his hand followed a trajectory that an ordinary person could never achieve, blocking the path of Lingyun's Long sword.

"I was just waiting for this move!" The moment Lingyun's Long sword collided with Heathcliff's sword, it shifted sharply to the side, brushing past the greatsword, and stabbed heavily into Heathcliff's body with a silver glow.

Heathcliff let out a muffled groan, and the health bar above his head almost dropped to yellow. A trace of disbelief flashed in his eyes; he had even used his Cheat Ability, yet he still couldn't compare to Lingyun.

"Your health is quite high, after all!" Lingyun praised, while his body leaped backward, dodging Heathcliff's attack.

Heathcliff's expression was somewhat ugly; Lingyun was the most troublesome opponent he had ever encountered. He never expected that a player could be strong to this extent.

Just as he was thinking about how to defeat Lingyun with his incomplete Cheat Ability, an even worse situation occurred: countless cracks appeared on his shield. This was a sign that its durability had reached its limit. Only then did he remember that his shield had already withstood who knows how many of Lingyun's attacks; under such circumstances, durability would drop very quickly!

"Do you want to continue, Commander Heathcliff? I see your shield has reached its limit. If I add a few more strikes, this shield of yours will be completely gone. When that happens, without a shield, can you still block my attacks?" Lingyun asked with a chuckle.

Heathcliff looked at his weapon and sighed softly: "This time, I have lost!"

As Heathcliff conceded, this battle came to an end. Lingyun once again made the many players in this world realize the strength of the God Squad.

"This... it's already won?" Asuna looked at Lingyun, who was walking toward her, still finding it hard to believe.

"That's right, Lingyun won!" Kirito said with a smile, "Now you can leave the Blood Oath Knights without any resistance!"

"Th-thank you!" Asuna suddenly reached out and hugged Lingyun.

Lingyun's body stiffened slightly; it was obvious he had not expected Asuna to perform such an act.

"Waaah!" After a while, Asuna realized what a shameful act she had committed in public, and couldn't help but let out a cry of distress, pushed Lingyun away, and disappeared using a Teleport Crystal.

"What is all this!" Feeling the killing intent from behind and the curious gazes of the people around him, Lingyun revealed a helpless, bitter smile.