Chapter 293: Blade Storm

Lei En took off the blood‑red cloak on his back and stored it inside his ring.

Also vanished were the Bi Kong Zhi Ge at his waist and the silver light armor on his upper body; he even removed the inner shirt, exposing skin with a muted metallic sheen.

His muscles were far less exaggerated than Ma Li Wu Si's and much smaller in circumference, yet by human standards they were extremely robust, and the muscle lines possessed a strange beauty, like a perfect statue whose proportions were as precise as the golden ratio.

Most Makurage people kept their distance, unable to see clearly, and shouted teasing that Lei En was too skinny.

Instead, Ma Li Wu Si's gaze shifted, seeing through the situation.

Based on a legendary warrior's experience, he judged that more developed muscles do not always mean greater strength; a normally built person like Lei En can sometimes be even more terrifying.

Moreover, Lei En's skin color was odd, actually resembling metal.

Ma Li Wu Si had heard of Lei En's battle record from Xi Ka Liu Si, never daring to underestimate him; now that he saw Lei En's appearance, his gaze grew even more solemn.

Lei En stripped down to only light armor pants and explained, "This light armor of mine is ordinary white iron; it's light and thin, but offers little defense and has no enchantments."

"Fine." Ma Li Wu Si nodded in agreement.

Lei En then removed the mithril necklace around his neck, which bore a jeweled brooch, and also took off the ring on his finger, binding it to the necklace.

All his belongings were now inside that ring and jeweled brooch.

He retrieved the meteor iron great shield from the brooch; Lei En casually tossed the mithril necklace aside, and it landed in Xi Ka Liu Si's hand outside the duel arena.

Xi Ka Liu Si's heart pounded wildly.

Having followed his master for so long, he knew exactly how many treasures the weightless necklace held: three epic‑grade weapons alone, plus countless materials, cash gems, books and knowledge; its value certainly exceeding one million Gold Shields!

Ma Li Wu Si saw Lei En pull out the shield and assumed he would employ a defensive tactic.

Then he watched Lei En grasp the shield with both hands, give it a gentle snap, and the incredibly hard shield split in two. The two halves rapidly reshaped in his hands, and within seconds became a rustic dwarf war hammer and a two‑handed greatsword.

The greatsword's appearance was identical to the one Ma Li Wu Si held.

Lei En tossed the greatsword over.

Ma Li Wu Si caught it, instantly realizing the sword weighed over a thousand pounds; he swung it a couple of times, its balance perfect, its construction flawless, even more handy than his own greatsword.

"Fine sword!"

Ma Li Wu Si couldn't help but exclaim in admiration, almost unable to put it down.

His two‑handed greatsword was merely forged from refined iron, of average quality; at just over three hundred pounds it was already too light, but the tribe lacked funds and means to obtain better weapons, so they made do.

"This is a gift I present to the chieftain."

Lei En laughed, holding the war hammer in his hand that resembled a Thunder Hammer, and said, "I'm accustomed to war hammers; its weight matches the chieftain's greatsword, I think that's fair enough."

Ma Li Wu Si was surprised by Lei En's generosity.

He knew little of forging or alchemy, his experience limited, yet he could discern the greatsword's high value; its extraordinary weight alone hinted at an expensive, rare metal.

Lei En's ability to craft weapons bare‑handed made him even more wary.

Ma Li Wu Si pondered a few breaths, then nodded, "Then thank you, my lord."

Lei En said nothing further and stepped into the duel arena first.

Ma Li Wu Si followed suit.

The two stood about a hundred paces apart in the arena, facing each other.

Bang!

With a drumbeat, an elderly gray‑bearded barbarian warrior raised a thick wooden pole and walked out of A Si Ta Te Cheng, the pole's top bearing an aged quadrilateral banner.

The banner embroidered two crossed greatswords; the thick fabric had once been soaked in blood, and after drying left a deep dark red that emitted a pungent odor.

Anyone with some knowledge of the Seien Plateau could recognize it.

It is the duel flag used by many barbarian tribes on the plateau, regarded as the highest honor and never to be defiled, employed only in the most solemn ceremony, Ma Ke Ge La.

The old barbarian raised the duel flag outside the arena and, in a resonant voice, read the Ma Ke Ge La rules again, confirming both sides' consent.

"I declare the Ma Ke Ge La established!"

Then the old barbarian forcefully planted the duel flag into the ground, producing a muffled thud.

Boom!

Both combatants in the arena launched a charge simultaneously; behind Lei En and Ma Li Wu Si trailed several after‑images, their speed extreme.

The watching Makurage spectators also performed charges, but had never seen one so swift.

To their amazement, the straightforward charge traced arcs on the ground; Lei En and Ma Li Wu Si, as if rehearsed countless times, veered to the same side and collided head‑on.

The war hammer and greatsword slammed into each other fiercely.

Clang— a booming crash.

The old barbarian standing nearest the duel flag was jolted by the metallic clang, his eardrums stinging, his face turning pale as he quickly covered his ears.

Lei En's figure lurched back dozens of steps before halting, leaving a trail of footprints, his hands numb and sore.

In contrast, Ma Li Wu Si barely moved from his spot.

In this clash, Lei En was clearly at a disadvantage.

Both possessed eighth‑level Strength, roughly equal; Lei En was even closer to ninth‑level Strength, yet he lacked Strength‑amplifying techniques, missing even the basic Heavy Strike Element, previously compensating with the Thunder Hammer's Thunder Heavy Strike.

Now unable to use the Thunder Hammer, he was instantly in trouble.

Ma Li Wu Si not only mastered "Heavy Strike", trained to level six, but also had "Power Burst" at level four, capable of unleashing over three times the force at the moment of contact!

Not to mention the higher‑level Angry Strike.

These are not rare Elements, yet Lei En lacked them; his seven fused magic souls were more advanced, missing these common combat Elements.

But now is not the time for contemplation.

Lei En immediately set his battle strategy: Ma Li Wu Si's Agility was only level five—already fast—but noticeably slower than Lei En's level‑seven Agility; moreover, his Iron Body's defense and the recovery granted by Activated Metal were far beyond Ma Li Wu Si's.

These two factors were the keys to his victory.

In a flash of thought, Lei En activated a rapid sprint, his speed surging, swinging his war hammer toward the charging Ma Li Wu Si.

Sss!

A terrifying shriek rang, and Ma Liwu Si, who was seven or eight steps away, suddenly crouched, hands on his sword hilt, and as if teleporting, lunged forward, stabbing at the front.

Swift Shadow Thrust!

Power Burst!

The great sword's tip heated from friction with the air, glowing red hot, and the resulting air blade scraped Lei En's skin with a screeching sound.

This sudden attack was both fast and precise, yet there was no hint of panic in Lei En's eyes, as if he had anticipated it and charged to the left.

In his expectation, the great sword would skim past his back by a hair's breadth.

However, Ma Liwu Si managed to adjust at that speed; the great sword veered slightly left, and the sharp blade brushed Lei En's back.

Gok—…

A strange sound echoed, like a knife cutting metal, sparks flying, the blade carving a shallow wound that shed no drop of blood.

The hard sensation from the sword also did not feel like it had cut flesh.

This shocked Ma Liwu Si, and his subsequent move lagged a beat; Lei En seized the chance, abruptly halted his charge, turned half‑way and hammered down a heavy strike.

Ma Liwu Si withdrew his sword and, in the flow, used the massive blade to block the strike.

Clang!

The war hammer struck the blade; this time Ma Liwu Si could not activate his power amplification, and was knocked back repeatedly, his steps stumbling.

The thousand‑pound war hammer forged from falling‑star iron seemed weightless in Lei En's hand, tracing afterimages as it rained down on Ma Liwu Si like a storm.

Clang clang clang clang—

Over ten consecutive blows, the dense, piercing clamor merged into one; Ma Liwu Si remained calm, swirling the great sword into an impenetrable shield that blocked every hammer strike.

His combat skill surpassed Lei En's, and his experience was richer; just as he was about to be forced out of the duel circle, he suddenly applied the Element "Force Release", shedding a heavy hammer, let out a roar and counter‑attacked, gripping the sword hilt, the blade flashing, his body spinning at fan‑like speed.

Transparent air blades shot out in all directions.

The space within a twenty‑step radius was sliced wildly, leaving no room to stand.

It was a Whirlwind Slash!

Multiple Level‑5 or higher Whirlwind Slashes triggered consecutively, continuously, can achieve the Blade Storm effect, comparable to the power of a super Element.

Lei En intended to endure, but found the Level‑5 Whirlwind Slash too sharp; in less than two seconds his body was cut dozens of times, leaving a series of wounds.

Even with a metallic immortal body that recovers instantly, it would still consume a massive amount of energy.

Temporarily evading the edge is the best strategy.

Lei En performed a reverse charge, promptly retreating out of the Whirlwind Slash's range; Ma Liwu Si spun and chased, but realized he couldn't catch up, so he stopped swinging the great sword.

The Whirlwind Slash drains stamina enormously; even if Ma Liwu Si has Level‑5 lasting endurance, his stamina, though long, cannot be sustained for long.

The Blade Storm just ceased, and Lei En turned back.

Ma Liwu Si reacted extremely quickly, timed it, stomped the ground hard, unleashing a shockwave!

Boom—.

The ground trembled like a minor quake; the fan‑shaped area before Ma Liwu Si churned, a fierce shockwave flipped the soil, striking Lei En.

Lei En's figure froze, yet the shockwave did not daze him; instead he leapt up, raised the war hammer and smashed down.

He delivered this hammer with all his strength, his body like a taut giant bow, bending backward then rebounding.

The air around the hammer head exploded, forming a white gust.

Ma Liwu Si's expression changed slightly; he had already witnessed Lei En's power, which was even stronger than his own, but he lacked the combat Element, preventing him from maximizing the force.

Yet with this hammer, Lei En, through superb muscle control, produced an effect akin to a heavy blow!

Ma Liwu Si did not possess Lei En's formidable defense, so he dared not meet the strike head‑on.

He unhesitatingly used a charge to dodge.

Boom—!

Half a second later, Lei En's war hammer hit the ground, carving a deep pit; the immense force dragged soil and stone into a shockwave that splashed onto Ma Liwu Si's back, leaving large bruised, dark‑blue bleeding patches.

Ma Liwu Si's mouth twitched, activating "Ignore Pain".

Not wanting to face the enemy with his back turned, he spun instantly and saw Lei En again swinging the war hammer, charging toward him.

(End of Chapter)