MMORPG: War God, You are Invincible Again
Chapter 203 - 191 Battle of Xibo

Chapter 203: Chapter 191 Battle of Xibo

"Duel."

Lu Hong shouted in a low voice.

"Alright."

Xibo didn’t waste words. As the leader of the first squad, he had to establish his authority, especially over these reserved warriors from Roland. If he didn’t keep them firmly in line, who knew what kind of chaos they might cause on the battlefield by acting on their own accord.

"Follow me." Xibo led his squad members to a clearing outside the camp. A duel naturally required space, and it also served to show those self-perceived exceptional youngsters the strength of the Harnix Army.

The unusual activity of Xibo’s squad naturally drew the attention of others, who teased them, "Xibo, are your new recruits disobedient? Give them a good beating. If there’s trouble, we’ve got your back!"

Aside from the taunting Harnix soldiers, the reserve warriors from Roland also sneered at Lu Hong. Compared to the valiant Harnix warriors, these young men had a long way to go. Now one fool was actually challenging the squad leader—a sure path to doom.

Once outside, Xibo got straight to the point. Holy Light surged, inscribing a golden circle with a hundred-meter radius on the ground: "I won’t take advantage of you. I’ll lower my level to match yours. Whoever steps out of the circle first or loses the ability to fight will be deemed the loser, agreed?"

"Agreed." Lu Hong nodded. Xibo had hidden his intentions well. The condition of losing the ability to fight could mean many things, and he knew Xibo would surely strike with full force, keen on making an example out of him.

"Captain, go easy, yeah? It’d be awkward to explain things to the commander if trouble arises." Xibo’s teammates looked at Lu Hong with sympathy.

"No problem, Commander Lu and I have a good relationship." Xibo removed his sword and shield. His opponent was an Earth Knight.

Lu Hong also brandished the Lone Peak, as Blood Qi began to slowly emanate from within his body.

"Second Transition, level five, right?" Xibo estimated Lu Hong’s level and adjusted his own power accordingly.

"Attack!" Uncertain of Xibo’s true strength, Lu Hong decided to preemptively strike to test the Earth Knight’s formidable defensive capabilities, not wanting to afford him too much time to prepare.

Meeting Lu Hong’s charge, Xibo didn’t pay much heed. Years of campaigning had honed his battle instincts. With a raise of his steel shield, he precisely blocked Lu Hong’s powerful blow.

"Blood Qi Shockwave!" Lu Hong wouldn’t miss this opportunity, as the Blood Qi burst violently along the blade of his sword.

"Earth’s power, encompass me!" Xibo reacted swiftly, planting his foot in the ground, continually drawing forth Earth Element to fortify his body. The impact of the Blood Qi Shockwave exploded, but it only forced him back half a step.

"Is that all you’ve got?" Xibo sneered, "It’s my turn to make a move."

No sooner had he spoken than a row of stone spikes erupted from the ground. Lu Hong swung his twin swords, leveling the threats at his feet.

One wave ebbed, and another rose. Seizing the brief gap as Lu Hong countered the skill, Xibo lunged forward, thrusting his sharp sword toward Lu Hong’s chest.

Clang—

The enormous force sent Lu Hong rolling several times, landing against the golden boundary.

"If you’re smart, you’ll stay down." After a brief exchange, Xibo easily assessed Lu Hong’s strength—which was far too weak.

In fact, it wasn’t that Lu Hong was too weak; it was that the Harnix Army was too strong. As an elite force that had stood against the northern Snow Dynasty for thousands of years, each member possessed exceptional strength.

"You should have pursued me." Lu Hong got up, steadying his emotions.

"Kid, I’m giving you a chance. Surrender now, and I’ll overlook this. Otherwise, it won’t be pleasant lying in the infirmary later," Xibo said after the short clash, noticing this warrior seemed to have a hint of potential. With more training, he might prove useful in future battles.

"Thanks, but I will reclaim the honor of the warrior profession." Lu Hong’s biggest point of pride was his vocation. He wouldn’t let Xibo off today, even if it killed him.

"Brave kid," Xibo commended without further words; sword and shield ready, he launched another fierce attack on Lu Hong.

Lu Hong adjusted his stance to meet the onslaught, engaged in a fierce battle with Xibo under the surging force of his Blood Qi.

Infused with the Earth Element, Xibo stood solid as a rock against Lu Hong’s tempestuous assault. Lu Hong, too, was holding up fairly well; his Blood Qi surpassed that of an ordinary Second Transition by several times, ensuring he wouldn’t be easily defeated.

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t of power expenditure would ultimately disadvantage Lu Hong, who was expending nearly three times more energy than Xibo. Continuing like this, defeat was only a matter of time.

Xibo wasn’t in a hurry, adopting a defensive posture and not giving Lu Hong any opening.

The sound of clanging weapons showered down like rain, attracting the attention of many in the camp, drawing them closer to watch the spectacle.

Redfang was also drawn by the commotion inside the camp and leaped onto the rooftop to watch the battle unfold.

"Damn it," Redfang spit, "that damn Xibo, I’ll cut you down later."

Redfang was well-acquainted with Xibo’s background. Despite just being a squad leader, Xibo’s actual strength had reached the early stages of the Third Transition. Initially, he had been the deputy commander of the Second Brigade, but after making decisions without authorization, he was relegated to an independent camp for reflection. Redfang had placed Lu Hong in Xibo’s squad with some intent of looking after him, but instead of being cared for, a fight had broken out.

The battle between Lu Hong and Xibo had lasted for fifteen minutes. They primarily engaged in close combat, seldom utilizing skills. Their fierce battle impressed the onlookers, who felt it was worthwhile, particularly as they gained a deeper understanding of Lu Hong.

Xibo’s gaze toward Lu Hong gradually softened with appreciation. If the kid joined the Harnix Army, he would go to great lengths to recruit him. Unfortunately, he belonged to the Roland Knights.

Seizing the opportunity, Xibo’s shield charge pushed Lu Hong back several steps.

"Huff, huff—" Lu Hong, now stripped of the Lionheart’s bloodline powers, was struggling to keep up after such an extended fight. If not for the support of his Blood Qi, he might not even be able to hold onto his weapons. Frankly, since losing the power of his bloodline, Lu Hong’s training had been lacking, and he didn’t have much advantage over his peers.

"Kid, you’re not bad," Xibo laughed. "But relying on this alone, you can’t beat me. The warrior profession remains a worthless one."

"Say that one more time?!" Lu Hong’s eyebrows furrowed fiercely. "You’ll pay the price for that!"

"Then let’s see you make me feel it!" Xibo continued to pressure Lu Hong, eager to witness whatever surprises the youngster still had to offer.

Taking a deep breath, Lu Hong’s twin swords moved in unison as he charged again at Xibo, Blood Qi madly surging into his blades.

An all-in strike!

Xibo was acutely aware of the power behind Lu Hong’s impending charge. No longer holding back, the yellow Earth Element surged from within his body, swirling around the shield in his right hand: "Rock Heavy Shield!"

The next second, the two collided fiercely, and Lu Hong felt as though he had crashed into a mountain. His opponent didn’t budge, while he was sent flying backward, sustaining quite a bit of internal injury.

"You’re still lacking in strength." Xi Bo looked at Lu Hong, who had fallen to the ground, and asked, "As a close-combat profession, don’t you train regularly?"

"...." Lu Hong remained silent. Xi Bo was blessed with the Knight’s First Transition skill, making him far stronger physically. Plus, the Earth Knight was naturally defensive, a bane to close-combat professions, making this battle incredibly difficult for him to win.

Against someone who was pressing down from a higher level, Lu Hong didn’t expect that his First Transition armor-piercing skill could breach the opponent’s armor.

Just as Lu Hong was stuck in a deadlock, Chi Ya abruptly appeared in the center of the battlefield and said to Xi Bo, "For someone in the Third Transition Second Stage, picking on the young, don’t you feel ashamed?"

"Heh." Xi Bo shrugged indifferently, "The duel was his idea, not mine. Moreover, I’ve already suppressed my level to match his, that’s the greatest fairness I can offer."

"Let’s put this duel on hold for now. After this war is over, I’ll let you two fight it out properly," Chi Ya proposed a pause in the duel, not wishing for Lu Hong’s spirit to be crushed.

But before Xi Bo could reply, Lu Hong cut in, "Commander, the duel isn’t over yet. Please step outside and watch."

"You!" Chi Ya was taken aback and then angrily said, "You know he’s in the Third Transition and you still want to fight him?"

"Yes." Lu Hong’s face was stubborn. You could call him an idiot, trash, it didn’t matter.

But! Absolutely! Absolutely! You cannot insult the warrior profession!

"You heard him, move aside." Lu Hong’s lack of appreciation made Xi Bo laugh heartily, urging Chi Ya to leave. He then said to Lu Hong, "Kid, continuing is meaningless. Besides, we’re about to march. How about we decide this with one move?"

"Okay." Lu Hong nodded, accepting Xi Bo’s suggestion.

"You attack, I’ll defend. If you can break my defense or make me release my suppression, using power above Second Transition Fifth Stage, I’ll consider it your win, acknowledge the might of the warrior profession, and apologize, how about that?"

"Alright." Faced with Xi Bo’s brazen proposal, Lu Hong immediately thought of the War Holy Sword. Nothing was more suitable to combat Xi Bo at the moment.

No sooner said than done, Lu Hong retracted the Lone Peak Twin Swords, and with a flash of silver light, the War Holy Sword appeared in his hand.

As the Holy Sword appeared, Xi Bo’s eyebrows instinctively twitched, sensing that the blade posed a great threat to him.

"A fine weapon! But no matter how sharp it is, it won’t much improve your odds of winning," Xi Bo said gravely. "Come on, let me see what your warrior profession’s deadly move is!"

"You shall have your wish!" Holding the Holy Sword, Lu Hong’s form slowly sank lower, and with every inch he lowered, the sword collected a surge of the Gold’s energy.

After a mere three seconds, a mighty fluctuation subtly emerged from the Holy Sword.

Lu Hong’s charge up couldn’t be too long, firstly because the Holy Sword itself lacked sufficient power and secondly, had he fully charged, nobody here would survive.

"Extreme—," Lu Hong expelled a deep breath, the fierce fluctuation brutally impacting everyone’s heart.

"This is bad!" Chi Ya was shocked, this power definitely exceeded the limits of the Third Transition Early Stage.

Xi Bo’s instincts took over, releasing his level suppression as his body churned with Earth Element and Holy Light, two powers swirling madly in response to the threat of the War Holy Sword.

"Flash!"

Lu Hong roared, and a silvery-gray light burst forth from the Holy Sword, turning the world into a vista of auroras etched into everyone’s mind.

"Holy Light Barrier!"

"Earth Shield!"

"Triple Defense!"

For the first time in over thirty years of military service, Xi Bo felt death so close. To save his life, he cast his two strongest defense skills three times, placing six layers of defense in front of him.

But the next second, the six-layered defenses were instantly Shattered, and Xi Bo, hit by the backlash, spat out a mouthful of fresh blood.

Chi Ya also lost it, for Xi Bo, the eldest son of the Imperial Western Expedition Marquis, absolutely could not die in such a place!

"Fire Dragon! Flame Blade!" The Magic Fighter’s defensive abilities weren’t much stronger than the Earth Knight’s. With defense useless, Chi Ya opted for stronger offense against strong offense.

The hundred-yard-long Fire Dragon hadn’t even collided with the sword light before it was slain by the Extreme Flash, as if nothing could stop it.

Seeing his attack fail, Chi Ya roared at Xi Bo, "Run!"

But Xi Bo had no chance to escape. At this critical moment, the necklace on Xi Bo’s chest suddenly shattered, a pure white mirror emerged in front of him, and as the Extreme Flash struck the mirror, it bizarrely refracted, grazing past Xi Bo’s shoulder.

With the disappearance of the white light, everyone’s vision returned, to their horror they found an arm lying on the ground.

"Did Xi Bo lose?!"

At that moment, Xi Bo was as pale as death, but he managed to give Lu Hong a weak smile.

"What is this move called?"

"Extreme... Flash."

Lu Hong collapsed to the ground, unconscious.

"Good... name," Xi Bo murmured before he too collapsed with a thud.

"Damn!" Chi Ya was overwhelmed, quickly picking up Xi Bo and his severed arm to seek out the military surgeon, hoping it could still be reattached if they treated it promptly.

As for Lu Hong, he was carried back to the camp by his squadmates and hastily tended to.

What was expected to be a one-sided duel had an astonishing outcome.