Chapter 360: Chapter 344 Supreme Secret Technique: Circle of Sacrifice
Hearing this.
Aiven looked up at the opponent who appeared to be in his thirties but exuded the calm demeanor of someone in their fifties.
For Extraordinary Knights, even though their lifespan is not much longer than that of ordinary people, they can maintain their physical peak for a long time, making them appear much younger than their peers.
His military uniform was as neat as if new, his skin was fair, and even his small mustache was meticulously groomed. Particularly, his right hand that held the sword was long and powerful, making it clear he was a very disciplined swordmaster.
The fog had been broken, and the disguise of the ambushing fleet had been torn away; Aiven no longer needed to hide.
Moreover, everyone wore their original military uniforms and spoke the common language of the alliance, so they couldn’t hide it from anyone else.
Just like infiltration technology, a perfect infiltration is achieved by taking out all witnesses. This time, as long as all Hilus soldiers were taken out, it would be a perfect ambush too!
"White Sail Swordsmanship, Aiven Galliot."
With a wave, he flicked a bright flower of the sword, the Swift Sword pointing at the enemy on the other end of the sail boom.
This time.
Aiven used the Hilus language, which, given his currently almost superhuman hardware foundation and learning ability, was no harder to learn from scratch than mastering a new type of witchcraft.
"Hahaha, interesting! Flying the flag of Sak, the crew speaks the common tongue of the Tulip Alliance, and there’s even a wizard captain.
Potosi, as expected, is a fat piece of meat that everyone wants, and the so-called ’Sea Ghost’ is actually you all, isn’t it?
However, young man of the Tulip family, you shouldn’t have provoked Hilus, the master of this sea! Nor should you have provoked our ’Stendeburg’!"
Even though after crossing swords, Reynolds Ban already understood that Aiven was also a Peak Knight just like him, he evidently had great confidence in his skills.
Having been trained by the Master of the widely renowned Supreme Swordsmanship school—Spencer Norman, coupled with over thirty years of diligent practice, his swordsmanship was only a tad behind his mentor and he was confident he wasn’t inferior to any knight of the same level!
"Tch, is every Hilus person so arrogant?"
Perhaps it’s a national character cultivated by dominating the seas for almost two hundred years, as if going abroad and saying "I’m from Hilus" gives the same innate superiority as "This monk is from the Eastern Tang Dynasty."
On these seas, there is nothing that can make Hilus people feel fear.
The mysteries of the unknown oceans do not work, and the navy of a "second-rate country"... even less so!
So.
"Arrogant? No, what I’m saying is merely a fact.
Let me, Reynolds Ban, tell you why Hilus people are the overlords of this sea!"
As soon as he finished speaking, this powerful Peak Knight was already stepping forward and brandishing his sword.
[Physical Liberation – 100%!]
Like a feather, he floated over the topmast, the Swift Sword in his hand with its luxurious gold guard, also an Extraordinary weapon, condensed into a line of brilliance, aimed straight at Aiven’s forehead.
Clearly, this was someone like Gel who had already achieved 100% physical liberation and could control it at will, waiting only for a Great Knight transformation, a Tier 2 powerhouse.
Moreover, he had a solid foundation and a straightforward combat style, belonging to the old-school traditional soldier, who was in no way like those pirates and primitive religious believers with various flaws.
Name: Reynolds Ban (Fleet Commander)
Title: Peak Knight
Attributes: Constitution 3.9, Strength 4.2, Agility 4.6
Skills: Supreme Swordsmanship (Half-step Master)
After 100% physical liberation, all bodily functions are enhanced, enough to exhibit the most perfect effect of each attribute.
Moreover.
Aiven keenly sensed something in the opponent’s swordsmanship, something that could only be understood, not expressed, a latent force of qualitative change, that is... the realm of "Steel-Slaying"!
And it might be further along this path than he was.
Aiven was secretly wary; the opponent might be hiding an ultimate secret swordsmanship similar to his own Master Swordsman’s talent to use the [Secret Technique: Wind Scissors].
No choice.
Facing such a powerful opponent without apparent weaknesses, Aiven could only follow closely:
"Physical Liberation – 50%!"
This was already the limit Aiven had been diligently pursuing during this period.
However, relying on his foundation, far more substantial and perfect than the opponent’s, even 50% of physical liberation did not concede an inch.
Already non-human physical qualities combined with their unbelievably refined swordsmanship created a dream-like combat effect.
Clang! Clang! Clang!...
Their Swift Swords, similar in form, became threads of snow and cold stars, constantly shimmering between them.
Compared to the abilities of cutting, slicing, hacking, and slashing, the unique construction of the Swift Sword made "thrusting" its most powerful technique, even for a weapon of extraordinary nature.
One could even justifiably call them "Thrusting Swords."
When the two crossed swords, even in unavoidable circumstances, their sword clashes were nearly all with barely detectable tip-to-tip collisions.
Such a state is hard to achieve even if ordinary people intentionally try in slow motion, let alone during intense mid-air combat?
Briefly paralyzed.
Bang—
A gunshot suddenly rang out on the deck.
In the chaos of battle, everything aimed at killing the enemy; many soldiers would suddenly draw short firearms while clashing swords, so gunfire was perfectly normal.
But this shot was different.
It was the shot of the "Thorned Gold Rose," and the person who fired was...Milan.
At this moment, aside from the two highest commanders in their high-flying battle, the deck was slightly in a stalemate.
Among the few Extraordinaries.
The "Eternal Flame" Priest Edmond, with his energy almost depleted, hid in the cabin under the protection of two bodyguards, while Boris and Gary were attacking the Senior Knight Captain Stanley together.
Hilus enjoyed nearly double the number advantage, while Phaletis possessed a stronger cutting edge.
It’s hard to say which side had a greater chance of victory, but on a battlefield teetering in a seemingly evenly matched stalemate, it was precisely the cruel meat grinder.
In boarding battles, there’s no such thing as a reserve force; it begins with all-out combat, and in the grand melee of the two thousand on these two ships, every second someone was falling.
"Kill!"
"Die for me!"
"..."
In this situation.
Milan, who did not participate in the charge, occupied the best vantage point on the stern deck of the "Storm Horn."
Knowing his own limitations, he finally made up his mind and activated the Talent Magic: Deceitful Fate, whose side effects, though not life-threatening, were extremely troublesome.
Effect: Can enhance the luckiest day of the current quarter threefold and apply it to oneself, lasting up to three hours.
Side effect: Due to the balance of fate, one will experience the unluckiest day of the quarter every day for the next one to three months.
Milan, blessed by great fortune, was on fire!
Even without the so-called sniper talent like Aiven, using his enhanced luck for mystical shooting posed no problem at all.
The first shot took out the First Mate of the "Stendeburg," responsible for the actual command of ordinary soldiers, disrupting Hilus’s battle rhythm.
A simple shot opened a breach in the balanced situation, drawing the Hilus people’s attention to his threat.
Bam—
The second shot followed, but mystical shooting ultimately relied on mysticism, and factors of probability were still significant.
The bullet grazed the side of "Stendeburg’s" Captain Stanley’s face, who was mingling with Gary and Boris in combat, only taking half his ear and almost hitting Gary behind him.
However, even so, Reynolds Ban opposite Aiven could no longer hold back.
His longsword attack quickened, trying to force Aiven back to first deal with the huge threat posed by the "Sniper Musketeer."
But.
He had to pass Aiven to attack Milan.
[Secret Technique: Jumping Wave!]
Suddenly, Aiven split into three, the first two sword attacks disturbing Reynolds Ban’s defense.
The path of the final sword changed.
Using the Battlefield Hand Half-Sword technique, he placed his hands on the unsharpened strong sword body, crashing into the position guarded by the Swift Sword when Reynolds had no choice but to retract his sword for defense.
Boom—
A tremendous collision caused both to fall from the high sail boom, directly over the churning sea below.
Plop! Plop!
The two plunged into the water, completely leaving the battlefield of ordinary soldiers.
However, for them, the difference between the water and the ship deck was negligible.
Glug glug....
The seawater churned violently, and even underwater, they wielded terrifying destructive power and strong combat capabilities.
Their sword strikes and kicks stirred large sea waves, and the immense power shattered the sea currents, turning them into tumultuous, lingering white mist.
Massive bubbles, undercurrents, and water splashes continuously exploded, with both sides of the battle resembling two sea monsters causing storms.
From the ship, you could see huge white water splashes rising on the sea surface now on the left now on the right, obviously indicating combat and high-speed movement underwater.
Bang—
During the fight, both suddenly leaped out of the water, sprinting at high speeds across the water flow.
Tatatat... tatatat...
The seawater beneath them displaced, leaving two long, snow-white trails like two roaring water dragons behind.
The two were the dragon heads, their extraordinary longswords the dragon teeth, crossing paths with each dragon roar sparking a fiery explosion!
"Damn it!"
At this point, Reynolds Ban understood that his overly young opponent’s strength exceeded his initial expectations.
In combat, whether in physical constitution, liberation ability, or swordsmanship level, Aiven matched him almost evenly.
Clearly, he wasn’t just a "Fortunate Prodigy" who became a battleship captain through the Wizard profession.
He realized that with this tough opponent, returning to the battleship to stop the sniper was near impossible in a short time.
Consequently, his murderous intent surged even more.
The opponent seemed no more than twenty years old, and he was already a Peak Knight. How long until he advanced to a Great Knight or reached Level 4? He couldn’t let this opponent survive!
Even he didn’t realize he’d quietly changed his reference to Aiven from "young man" to "opponent," clearly feeling the pressure now.
Boom—
Another clash of sword blades occurred, something expert swordsmen typically avoided, using leverage to separate and create distance with a few leaps.
Reynolds Ban had made up his mind to use his strongest move to take down Aiven and then quickly return to assist.
"Hah!"
After activating one hundred percent Physical Liberation, his bodily functions reached their limits; whether speed, strength, reflexes, or self-healing power, all were at their peak.
He slightly exhaled a hot breath generated by the rapid blood flow, changing the method of breathing.
The power of every muscle, fascia, and organ integrated, following the Breathing Technique as the pathway.
Swish—
The Swift Sword drew a circle around him in mid-air, its sharp aura seemingly rejecting all external forces.
Even the water droplets splashing from the sea were shredded, transforming into a shrouding mist, outlining a two-meter-radius spherical space around Reynolds Ban.
Two meters had reached the defensive range of a spear, making him the absolute master within this circle, wielding supreme commanding power!
If the opponent couldn’t breach this two-meter distance, they didn’t even have the qualification to attack Reynolds Ban.
This was the most powerful secret swordsmanship only core inheritors of a few Swordsmanship Schools had the privilege to learn.
[Supreme Swordsmanship: Secret Technique: Circle of Sacrifice!]
The essence of Supreme Swordsmanship resided in the "Marychinsky Circle," with the "Circle of Sacrifice" offering a deadly tribute to any enemy daring to set foot within it, signifying an absolute kill!
This was the ultimate secret technique, usable only at the Half-step Master Realm in peak condition!