whonovel Chapter 1198 - 13: Tactics
Chapter 1198 - 13: Tactics
Joseph Cole’s strength is quite formidable, with his Intelligence Attribute reaching 90 points, yet his various abilities suggest he isn’t very skilled at dueling.
If Joseph Cole is thrown onto the battlefield, not to mention that the combat strength of the soldiers around him will skyrocket fearlessly, just the direction of his Power of the Saint development can ensure he wreaks havoc all over the battlefield.
According to Su Xiao’s perception, Joseph Cole generates at least hundreds of thousands of fine needles using the Power of the Saint. These needles are so tiny they’re invisible and are coated with deadly poison.
If Joseph Cole uses this ability on the battlefield, it would be absolute massacre; even minor injuries could be fatal.
Years of slaughter on the battlefield mean Joseph Cole’s combat experience is extremely rich.
Facing such an enemy, the best way to engage is to break through at a single point.
Loud booms echoed within the castle as Su Xiao leaped between the walls, dodging the fine needles invisible to the naked eye.
Joseph Cole’s gaze was fixated on Su Xiao. His goal wasn’t to kill Su Xiao but to delay time; of course, if given the chance, he wouldn’t hold back.
A large number of fine needles tracked Su Xiao, who appeared to be dodging in a fluster, but in reality, he wasn’t in danger. Moreover, he discovered that Blue Steel Shadow energy significantly suppressed the Power of the Saint; as long as he coated his knife with Blue Steel Shadow energy, all the needles he cut would evaporate into thin air.
Compared to Su Xiao, Joseph standing at a distance was much more uncomfortable. Every time Su Xiao used Blue Steel Shadow energy to devour the Power of the Saint, his forehead felt like it was being pricked by needles.
Su Xiao jumped from a wall, stabbed his hand into the ceiling, and hung mid-air. The Counter Shield beside him expanded outward, bouncing off a large number of fine needles.
Opportunity.
Su Xiao detached from the Counter Shield link and stepped on the Counter Shield with both feet.
With a bang, Su Xiao in mid-air charged straight towards Joseph Cole, his long knife slicing repeatedly, slicing through the large number of Power of the Saint fine needles.
Watching Su Xiao dive towards him, Joseph Cole defended with his arms in front of him, clenching his fists as a surge of Power of the Saint formed an enormous invisible arm above Su Xiao.
This gigantic arm also formed a fist and smashed downward.
The position of the punch was extremely tricky, as it didn’t directly target Su Xiao but anticipated Su Xiao’s charging path. If Su Xiao continued his dive, he would definitely be hammered into the ground.
In mid-air without leverage, Su Xiao quickly formed a 20-point strength Energy Shield in front of him, disconnected the energy link, and slapped the Energy Shield with one hand.
Boom!
The Energy Shield exploded, pushing Su Xiao’s forward-charging body back.
Rumble!
The invisible fist slammed down, leaving a distinct fist mark on the marble floor.
Su Xiao landed in a crouch, his leg muscles slightly bulging, the ground beneath his feet rapidly cracking, and in the next moment, Su Xiao, breaking through an airwave, vanished from his spot, leaving a cross-crossed web of fissures on the ground around him.
"Hmm?"
Joseph Cole was somewhat surprised, having already predicted Su Xiao’s advancement direction, charging in head-on.
It’s worth noting that in front of Joseph Cole were hundreds of thousands of hair-thin needles, hovering invisibly in the air, forming a trap.
Intense popping sounds spread out as Su Xiao, shrouded in the Counter Shield, rushed into the midst of the needles. He immediately felt resistance, but fortunately, he could still advance forward.
The distance rapidly closed, ten meters, eight meters, seven meters.
"So this is the plan, too naive."
Joseph Cole reached forward with a trickling grab; the hundreds of thousands of hair-thin needles in front of him stabbed towards the Counter Shield, enveloping it.
Joseph Cole clenched his fists, two enormous arms formed by Power of the Saint appearing above Su Xiao. Although the Counter Shield blocked them, taking a hit would not be pleasant.
The two joined giant fists hammered down on Su Xiao, the dome-shaped Counter Shield being smashed into the ground, and cracks appearing on it while thousands of hair-thin needles drilled through these cracks into the Counter Shield.
"Not good!"
Standing still, Joseph Cole immediately wanted to pounce forward, but a cold and sharp sensation came from behind him.
Slurp.
Blood splattered as Joseph Cole’s back was slashed open, revealing alabaster spine. His body was extremely tough, given his Stamina Attribute is as high as 88 points. If not for Dragon Slash upgrading to Golden Quality, greatly increasing its sharpness, it might not have broken through Joseph Cole’s muscular defense.
Moreover, Joseph Cole’s high Intelligence of 90 points only derived 120 Mana Value; where did the remaining Mana Value go? The answer is it was converted into Life Energy.
The sting coursed through Joseph Cole’s body after the Blue Steel Shadow energy invaded it, not causing high true damage because Joseph Cole had little internal energy, preferring to externalize it during combat.
Su Xiao, holding the long knife, wasn’t within the Counter Shield. When it was smashed into the ground, he had already used the Dragon Shadow Flash ability to penetrate space, arriving at Joseph Cole’s rear flank.
Having been slashed by Su Xiao, Joseph Cole was grievously injured. More severely, numbness spread over his entire body, leaving him unable to move even a finger.
The Boundary Line on Su Xiao’s left arm snapped out, precisely coiling around Joseph Cole’s neck. He had just slashed with all his might; now turning to deliver a second slash would be a waste of time.
Bzzz~
The "Kinetic Combat Boots" on Su Xiao’s right foot were covered with fiery red patterns, activating Active Kinetic Activation.
Active Kinetic Activation: Rapidly activate kinetic combat boots. With the micro titanium dramatic energy device activated inside, kicking skill attack speed +15%, kicking skill attack strength +27%, and including shatter effect.
...
Simultaneously, the Spirit of Wood clung to the kinetic combat boots, switching to attack form.
Su Xiao hunched his body, centering his weight on his right leg. Power born from the ground transmitted through his right leg, finally accumulating at his waist.
Su Xiao’s right leg launched a side kick, the power accumulated in his waist transmitted to his right leg, ultimately infusing entirely into his right foot.
Bzzzzz....
The overworked core engine of the kinetic combat boots had Su Xiao’s right foot feeling the high temperature generated by the ’titanium dramatic energy engine.’
In that moment, it seemed as if Su Xiao’s actions slowed. His side kick landed squarely on Joseph Cole’s chest side, the distinct sound of ribs fracturing rang out, and shattered muscle tissue slowly splattered out.
Time flow resumed.
Bang!
An explosive shockwave spread out; without even a groan, Joseph Cole was sent flying.
While kicking Joseph Cole away, Su Xiao flipped Dragon Slash in his hand from a forehand grip to a backhand grip. He crouched low to the ground, stabbing Dragon Slash into it.
When Dragon Slash stabbed into the ground, Su Xiao’s left hand, wrapped in a metal armguard, grasped the Boundary Line. Just before kicking Joseph Cole away, he had tightened the Boundary Line around the man’s neck.
With a bang, rubble flew, and Su Xiao was yanked off by a strong pull force, but it soon dissipated as a human head was severed clean by the Boundary Line.
Boom, boom, boom...
A headless corpse broke through several walls of the castle consecutively, finally crashing out of it, instantly colliding through the courtyard walls, and after unknown interventions, the crashing noises vanished.
The battle was not a comparison of attributes but of situational adaptability + combat IQ + combat skills + terrain utilization + weapon usage + enemy analysis, etc.
If Joseph Cole was the king in group battles, Su Xiao was the king in duels, and they were now in a duel.