Chapter 42 – Crosswheel Slash
Hiding in the jungle, Hanged Ghost revealed a hint of excitement at the corner of his mouth. He loved the feel of hunting and appreciated the terror and helplessness of his opponent, especially those of beautiful women. That feeling made him seem like he’d become the creator of the universe, controlling the fate of all.
To him, OP was entertainment. What casting your heroic soul? It was just dogshit and he didn’t care about it at all. He just wanted to enjoy himself. But the special ability of that girl he was interested most in, the big-chested Sharmie, was simply too overbearing and was a form of inhibition for him. In the end, he hadn’t been able to succeed and it had become a thorn in his heart. After hearing of the appreciation she had for that All-Mouthy King, he felt the need to come down and play, to mess things up.
The second time, he’d showed himself and used three shots. By this time, Hanged Ghost already knew that this kind of gun wasn’t capable of killing All-Mouthy King. His goal, however, was just to attract his opponent to come inside.
Crosswheel, this kind of fucked weapon was even more useless inside a jungle. Don’t even speak about how the trees would hamper its movements, even in an open area it was garbage. Yet, it was a godsent gift to opposing snipers. If they were also a special ability user like him, then it would become hell for the opponent.
The surroundings quieted down. Only the sound of leaves could be heard, going shaaashaa. Trying to rely on hearing prowess wouldn’t make the cut. Hanged Ghost himself was excellent at the kinds of abilities or skills that could be used to track him. His opponent better not think of using them against him.
Bang.
Hanged Ghost appeared behind Wang Zhong and a shot rumbled out. When Wang Zhong dodged it furiously and turned around, Hanged Ghost had long disappeared.
The gallery was extremely quiet as All-Mouthy King completely entered Hanged Ghost’s rhythm. For the attacker, this meant he didn’t need to waste any energy and could just patiently wait. For the person defending, this meant they needed to be at high caution at all times. Although this wasn’t possible to keep up for very long, as time passed it would lead to a feeling of despair and desperation.
This was human instinct and the pressure that came from fear of the unknown.
☀
Within a period of time, Hanged Ghost had attacked thrice, all of which were dodged by Wang Zhong. Wang Zhong couldn’t help but frown. He wanted to see the strong points of the opponent, but this person seemed decided to laze and toss around. This did absolutely nothing for him, so Wang Zhong didn’t plan to waste his time here.
With a sudden shiver of his hand, the crosswheel squealed through the air and flew toward a place twenty-odd meters away. Suddenly, there was a rustle of movement at a nearby tree. A blurred shadow resembling a mouse scurried away.
☀
Cold sweat began to drip down Hanged Ghost’s forehead as he thought, How is this possible? How can he have known my position? When I’m in a motionless state, there’s no one that can discover me. This must definitely have been a coincidence.
☀
The crosswheel chopped down the large tree before returning to Wang Zhong’s hand. He thought that the toy was quite useful. Although it required a higher level of control over his soul power, it was much better than a boomerang and also had greater lethality. Since his soul power didn’t suffer much loss at long distances, this allowed his control over the crosswheel to become more precise.
☀
Hanged Ghost didn’t move an inch. He had patience and wanted to delay time until his opponent began to panic, rage, or even breakdown. He liked to see weaknesses in the character of men.
Whoosh!
The crosswheel once again squealed and rushed toward the tree he was hiding in.
Hanged Ghost got a sudden fright and tumbled off it, fleeing. People could only see a blurry green figure moving, one that closely resembled a human.
☀
The crosswheel chopped down a circle of trees, carrying with it an immense revolution speed. its revolutions didn’t seem to grow any weaker as it returned to Wang Zhong’s hand.
The more he used it, the more Wang Zhong understood it. He’d done much research on the designs of runes and this was the reason for why Tianjing Academy was famous for in the first place. Compared to the complexity of rune hot weapons, cold weapons were more simple. This crosswheel, on the other hand, broke all forms of common sense. After observing the patterns and designs on its surface, the only thing that could be said about it was that there were details everywhere.
During recent years of development, mankind had once again returned to pursuing the old route of simplicity in their ways of attack. Although it couldn’t said to be wrong, how was this the correct way to achieve the proper utilization and technique of soul power?
Wang Zhong had written a thesis paper titled “The Definition of Cold and Hot Weapons and the Context of Soul Weapon Development in Human Civilization.” Basically speaking, cold and hot weapons required a clearer definition instead of being classified simply as a rune weapon or a replacement for one.
Of course, such a thesis was immediately thrown down the drain. Even if he had more examples, they would just be considered ramblings done when bored.
The crosswheel was tossed once more, but this time was different than before. This time it flew in a steep arc, passing by a bunch of trees before reaching Hanged Ghost.
☀
Hanged Ghost felt as though he himself had seen a ghost. How did this bastard find me?
Special ability user?
Enhanced vision? Enhanced smell? What was it?
Damn it! Hanged Ghost cursed as he was most afraid of these two abilities. Simply put, they were his nemesis. Facing such an ability, the only thing he could do was increase the distance between them.
☀
Wang Zhong was at a loss for words when he watched his opponent trying to flee deeper into the jungle. Was this guy just going to continue doing this?
Or was he just completely dependant on his special ability?
The only thing Wang Zhong could do was chase after him. The crosswheel returned to his hand.
☀
When Hanged Ghost saw that his opponent was able to locate him, he was so frightened that cold sweat poured out of his whole body.
When he turned around and saw that the distance between them had shrunk to ten meters, he surprisingly threw away the rune sniper rifle and fled like a terrified rat.
☀
Silence filled the gallery as everyone thought… wait, this was the jungle killer that made countless brave soldiers so scared that they became frightened of their own shadows?
The impression that Hanged Ghost gave was that of a person who was cruel, patient, dreadful, callous, dislikeable, but also a person whose skills couldn’t be disregarded. Yet in the face of All-Mouthy King, he’d actually turned into a clown…
No, a clown could bring laughter and happiness to others. As for this…
☀
The lethality of a a rune sniper rifle was adequate, but it would affect mobility and speed when one was retreating. Hanged Ghost didn’t care about his face. All that mattered to him was running away. If the opponent was unable to reach him, then it would end in a tie. Hanged Ghost began to regain his confidence.
Suddenly, a loud squeal sounded from behind his head. He ducked instinctively and saw a crosswheel spinning past him. Just when he breathed out a sigh of relief… the crosswheel returned.
Slick.
It directly chopped at Hanged Ghost’s head, which then dropped to the ground.
☀
The crosswheel spun and returned to Wang Zhong’s hand. He prepared for a continuous attack.
Victory for All-Mouthy King!
Wang Zhong was totally stunned. What was this fellow’s defense? A single hit and he died?
Hanged Ghost was a sniper specialized in ambush. He prioritized all of his soul power in ambushing and sniping. As for defense… It would have been the same as Wang Zhong’s from before. This was the reason why he never fought others with observation class abilities. He couldn’t stand up to a single hit.
The people watching in the gallery were all dumbfounded, their eyes and mouths wide open. This was originally supposed to be a disgusting match, but it ended up with All-Mouthy King easily dispatching his opponent. Let alone All-Mouthy King, everyone was unable to describe the expressions they were giving.
“My grandmother, who was the one that just said this guy was an expert? He’s simply more trash than I am!”
“Fuck, I could block eight to ten hits from the crosswheel. Ended by a single attack, what Hanged Ghost. He’s simply a brittle skinned ghost.”
Hanged Ghost, who had always been terrorizing the heroic division, had actually been so easily disposed of. This was quite unacceptable for many people. Even Sharmie was somewhat dumbfounded, thinking, Was this really the perverted opponent that ruined half my day?