MMORPG: War God, You are Invincible Again
Chapter 356 - 111: Battle of the Top Four

Chapter 356: Chapter 111: Battle of the Top Four

Lu Hong had initially thought he would fight his way through the top 25, but to everyone’s confusion, he skipped two rounds. He bypassed the competition for the top 13 and went straight into the top four matches.

Lu Hong was curious about why, knowing his identity, the Four Great Dukes still let him advance.

The Four Great Dukes had no choice but to maintain the alliance’s dignity; besides themselves, not many people knew Lu Hong’s identity. Therefore, the dukes didn’t dare risk Lu Hong defeating their candidates during the top 13 again. As the end of the tournament approached, it became crucial for the families of the four dukes to not lose face, more important than anything else. Setting Lu Hong and the First Female Champion of the Holy Academy aside, having a representative from each of the Four Great Families in the top seven was a tremendous boon.

However, regarding the battle for the top four, Lu Hong was set to face Baili Feng, the star candidate from the Xin Lei family, while the Holy Academy’s champion was targeted by Xu An, a top expert recruited by the Lei Shan family. A passerby candidate who had made it through the earlier round was intercepted by the Nuoshan family. The Chen Hui family paid a certain price to arrange for their candidate to skip this round.

If Lu Hong were to lose, the female champion cut off, and the passerby eliminated, then the four dukes would monopolize the top four positions. This would prevent a repeat of the last champion’s impudent demands from the previous tournament and ensure control of victory.

Of course, while the plan was perfect, reality was harsh; in the first battle of the top four, the female champion from the Holy Academy had decapitated her opponent, slaughtering the expert from the Lei Shan family and causing a storm of rage.

The passerby was successfully intercepted by the Nuoshan family. Next up was Lu Hong’s match against Lin Linhui, the future mage dedicated to the Xin Lei family and the successor known as Heavenly Dragon.

As the crowd below the stage cheered, Lu Hong stepped onto the stage, facing Lin Linhui, who stood opposite him.

Lu Hong, who had always disliked mages—very, very, extremely disliked them—felt very uncomfortable facing a mage.

Lin Linhui didn’t say a word, nor did Lu Hong; the silence on the stage seemed to be brewing a massive storm.

Once the protective barrier was erected and the referee gave the signal, Lu Hong made the first move, dashing towards his opponent to suppress the mage. Close-quarters combat was essential as mages’ spells were potent. Yet, if you could suppress them, it left no chance for casting spells.

Lin Linhui had anticipated Lu Hong’s tactic. With a snap of his fingers, eight figures scattered across the stage.

This was a skill of a water mage: Mirror Simulation.

For other melee professions, it was tough to distinguish real from fake, but Lu Hong was different; his divine eyesight accurately countered Lin Linhui’s skill, identifying the original body. A heavy bronze sword slashed down fiercely.

Lin Linhui frowned slightly as his skill activated; the bronze sword split him in two from the head down, but the split Lin Linhui turned into a puddle of liquid, which then reformed behind Lu Hong.

"Did you learn the Third Transformation Skill?" Lu Hong recognized the move, which he had found most annoying in games—the Water Incarnation.

But such a move required a significant activation time. Why had Lin Linhui managed to activate it without even moving his lips?

"Did you use your skill before coming on stage?" Lu Hong asked in a low voice.

Lin Linhui coldly responded, "I’m not as shameless as you. I was naturally blessed by the Heavenly God, able to activate skills without casting."

Damn it!

Lu Hong felt like cursing. Wasn’t this supposed to be the main character? A mage that didn’t need magic casting, the fighter jet among mages, wasn’t it?

"Of course, the price for bypassing the casting is that the magic power consumption doubles," Lin Linhui didn’t plan to hide it and stated, "I don’t have much magic power, but it should be enough to defeat you."

Well, it seemed Lu Hong was being looked down upon.

With the Third Transformation Skill Water Incarnation, it was nearly impossible for Lu Hong to defeat his opponent quickly. He had to rely on a war of attrition, draining his opponent’s magic power until Lin Linhui could no longer perform the Water Form, only then could he land a hit.

"If you’re not going to attack, then it’s my turn," Lin Linhui stated as a barrage of ice arrows shot out, sealing all retreat paths like a blizzard.

Lu Hong wielded his sword in defense, releasing Pure Steel Battle Energy from his body, tearing through the snowy curtain.

Lin Linhui, utilizing the Flowing Water Body, rapidly shifted positions, summoning a rain of ice arrows from every direction.

With such intense attacks, there were spots Lu Hong couldn’t defend, and in the blink of an eye, dozens of ice arrows pierced his body, crimson blood slowly dripping down the sharp ice.

After taking Lin Linhui’s attack, Lu Hong realized why Anna had said he was the heir to Zun Long, the prime supporter of the Xinlei family, possessing Third Transformation quality Magic Power despite only being at Second Transition level ten.

The purity of the Magic Power enhanced the ice arrows’ strength several times, which Pure Steel Battle Energy couldn’t counteract. Unless Lu Hong boosted his energy, all he could do was passively endure the hits until he admitted defeat.

Of course, the high intensity of unleashing Skills also greatly drained Lin Linhui, which explained why he only used lower-level ice Spell; stronger Skills would drain his Magic Power completely had he used them excessively.

"You can’t hold on," Lin Linhui taunted as the relentless hail of ice arrows continued, Lu Hong’s lower body already frozen into an ice sculpture. Except for vital areas Lu Hong defended, the rest was unrecognizable.

Below the arena, Anna clenched her fists while Piao Miao once more brushed past the opponent, whispering into his ear, "I ordered Lin Linhui to kill your man on the arena. Later, remember to collect his body."

"Shut up!" Anna snapped. "My man won’t lose."

"I don’t believe it," Piao Miao chuckled, not bothering to argue.

On the stage, Lin Linhui’s storm persisted while Lu Hong gritted his teeth, enduring. The Holy King repeated in his mind, "Why won’t you let me help? I could solve this with a burst of Holy Light."

Lu Hong could have, but he chose not to. The principle of a duel was fairness; he wanted to defeat his opponent honorably, not rely on external power.

"Just let me hold on a bit longer," Lu Hong muttered, knowing that he could win once Lin Linhui’s Magic Power was exhausted.

Another three minutes passed, yet Lin Linhui’s Skills showed no signs of slowing. Seeing Lu Hong almost buried by ice and snow, Lin Linhui smiled nonchalantly, scoffing, "I told you my Magic Power was low, and you believed it?"

Lu Hong was somewhat speechless.

"Deception is part of war," Lin Linhui said gleefully, then raised one hand high. A gigantic ice mountain slowly formed in the sky, crashing down towards Lu Hong.

"Cold Ice, Strike!" Lin Linhui finally unleashed a powerful move—the ice mountain, tailored to the size of the arena, covered the area completely, leaving no room for Lu Hong to dodge had he not been immobilized by ice.

"Fooling me, huh?" Lu Hong was somewhat annoyed, although he also blamed himself for trusting too easily. After all, being tricked was never a pleasant experience.

"Holy King!" Lu Hong internally shouted. "Boost me!"

"Alright, I’ve been annoyed by this favored one for a while," the Holy King responded without hesitation. Radiant Holy Light burst forth on the bronze giant sword, rapidly melting the surrounding ice and snow. Lu Hong’s wounds healed significantly, followed by several high-level supportive Skills blessing him—Power Blessing, Sacred Blessing, and more, shining upon him like an envoy of the Holy Court, imposing over the arena.

"I’ve been waiting for this!" Ever since Lu Hong last used an advanced Holy Light Skill, Zun Long from the Xinlei family had been seeking countermeasures. Lin Linhui brought a small Compass this time. The Eagle’s Challenge doesn’t forbid the use of magical instruments, though they’re rarely used; however, should anyone dare, no one would contest it.

As the Compass activated, an invisible Array slowly descended—a method Zun Long had found to counteract the effects. Unfortunately, he was wrong; the bronze giant sword wasn’t a specially engraved Skill magic instrument, thus the Array meant to seal engraving Skills had no effect.

Lu Hong gripped the bronze giant sword and unleashed a Fatal Strike towards the falling ice mountain. As the aurora flashed, the massive ice mountain split in two. Lu Hong, stepping on the ice, charged relentlessly towards Lin Linhui. If defense couldn’t exhaust his Magic Power, then it was time to force him to deplete it rapidly!