Translator: Radiant Translations Editor: Radiant Translations
In the next instant, Barran had already stood up, appearing as though he had taken no damage at all. In fact, many people could see the excitement and desire present on his face.
This noisy din in the arena immediately toned down by quite a bit.
Indeed, Barran was extremely excited, so much that he wasn’t able to react to the punch. What’s more, when his opponent had sent a punch out, he was unexpectedly able to see the complete trajectory of his opponent’s fist!
This was a sensation he had never felt before. Against an expert that everyone highly regarded, he was unexpectedly able to see their attack?!
This caused him to immediately start verifying his comprehension over the past few days. Truthfully speaking, it appeared that the effect was extremely good!
Perhaps that was his talent!
Was Cabel inferior to Zhao Zixin? Clearly, that wasn’t the case! Instead, he had really become stronger!
Due to the eruption of power in the previous match, his Soul Power had reached the peak of the Casted Soul Stage! This was the basis of Barran’s self-confidence!
During the past few days, Barran had felt that his vision was clearer, while his movements had become much quicker! Even some of the high-level heavy soldier moves that his senior had taught him before, which he had been initially unable to accomplish, had now become moves that he could easily execute! His Soul Power reaching the peak of the Casted Soul Stage had not only brought about a massive improvement in the strength and power of his moves, it had also brought about an all-rounded improvement throughout his body! He was still slightly unable to believe what he had felt, causing him to suspect that he was developing a misconception about himself. After all, he was a freshman newbie that had made contact with the world of heavy soldiers for less than a year.
This was the feeling of becoming stronger!
In the next second, Cabel had sent another attack! The earlier punch was merely a greeting, and the real fight had just begun!
He advanced forward just like the wind, though the power behind this fist was different from before! The fist hurtling forward was so quick that seemed to burst into flame, while the dense layers of Soul Power coating it rubbed against the air, causing it to appear just like a meteor burning up in the atmosphere as it fell from the skies! The might behind this punch was clearly many times greater than the earlier attack!
However, confronting this power-amplified punch, Barran’s eyes shone with incomparable confidence and fighting intent.
It was stronger and faster than the first one. Yet, he could still see it clearly!
At this instant, the Soul Power which he had spent adapting to during the past few days burst forth, before a heavy fist rumbled out!
Bang!
The two fists smashed fiercely against each other, before the massive impact sent both Cabel and Barran retreating 7 to 8 metres backwards.
At this moment, there were already very few people in the arena and Skylink who were still talking, as the greater majority had been shocked and astonished. No one had expected Barran, who bore the nickname of “newbie”, to actually have such a performance!
A slightly surprised shade flashed across Cabel’s eyes, before an unconcealable radiance of excitement shone through.
This fellow had actually dared to pit his fist against mine? What’s more, he managed to accurately deduce where my fist was targeted, and even managed to use the same level of strength to counter my attack?
Not only did Torres dissect Tianjing’s strengths and plan out their counters, it could be said that their analysis was rather thorough. Barran’s strengths and other finer details had already been revealed and completely analysed; he had only 2 moves in his arsenal!
The first was a move to output power in a slightly peculiar way, 2nd drive, while the second was the earthshaking move he had used against Divine Dragon. However, they did not uncover any information about this fellow’s “fists” and his “vision”.
Not only that, his speed, eyesight, self-confidence, reaction speed and others were already completely different from the performance he had shown during his match against Divine Dragon.
Interesting!
Cabel was absolutely addicted to fighting. Coupled with his initial appraisal of Barran, he had immediately disregarded Barran’s earlier “insult”. Now, he wanted to conquer the fellow before him, who possessed a similar flair and splendour he himself possessed a few years ago!
BANG!
Those thoughts took only an instant to form in his mind. Immediately upon stabilising himself, Cabel bent his knees, before dashing forwards once again!
Barran’s actions were clearly slower by a bit. Nevertheless, the difference was inconsequential; when Cabel’s heavy fist came rumbling over, he had already made ample preparations.
Pa!
Being in optimum condition, limitless power gushed out from Barran as he slapped the incoming fist away. However, without the slightest bit of shock or hesitation, Cabel twisted his body around, before slamming his right leg diagonally downwards in a whip-like fashion!
BANG!
Reacting exceedingly quickly, Barran managed to block the incoming kick. Nevertheless, due to the astonishing power behind his opponent’s leg, which was far more powerful than his fist, Barran felt his arm turn numb. Despite the numbness, Barran managed to spread his fingers out and grab hold of Cabel’s leg!
Immediately, he channelled a great deal of strength in an attempt to swing Cabel around. However, it was at this moment when an even fiercer attack came hurtling over towards his chest.
That was Cabel’s left leg! Whipping his other leg like a chain, this move was a definite hit!
However, once again, Barran miraculously blocked it!
BANG BANG BANG BANG!
Fist against fist, fist against leg!
Although Barran did not have any kicking techniques, his two burly arms appeared to be blessed by the gods. Despite facing Cabel’s berserk and chaotic attacks, he only used his arms to block them. Even though he was forced into a retreat, he did so in a slow but steady manner!
Successive bangs rang out across the arena, as the power present behind their punches and kicks was extremely high. In the blink of an eye, they had exchanged over a dozen offensive and defensive attacks!
Everyone was dumbfounded by what they were seeing.
This, this was Barran?
Although everyone could see the qualitative transformation he had undergone during his duel against Zhao Zixin, and knew that he would definitely put up a different show in this duel, his current performance simply exceeded everyone’s expectations!
This was basically inconceivable!
Frankly speaking, there was a possibility for a qualitative transformation of one’s Soul Power to be triggered by spontaneous factors. This was the so-called second Soul Sea resurgence, second awakening etc. This was especially likely to happen under intense emotions, or due to psychological factors. This was one of the special scenarios that could not be explained by the current Soul Power system used by the Federation.
However, this was just like the Heroic Soul Stage soldiers “created” by the various aristocratic families through the use of science, or wealthy people spending loads of money to buy Heroic Soul Stage breakthrough drugs to raise their strength. All of them would possess the Soul Sea and power that Heroic Soul Stage soldiers would possess, and would also the various numerical stats like Soul Power and strength values corresponding to their Soul Stage. Nevertheless, they would be absolutely unable to defeat those Heroic Soul Stage soldiers who had only casted their Heroic Souls after bitter training and tempering.
This was due to skill! The skill of combat!
Although Soul Power and strength could be forcefully raised, there was no shortcut to improving combat skill! This wasn’t a skill that could be obtained just by cramming over a single night!
Cabel was obviously an expert in close combat, displaying swift, vicious and precise movements, prioritising genuine combat over everything else. The multitude of linked-up moves and lethal attacks caused even those self-proclaimed heavy soldier experts to feel their scalps turning numb. Cabel definitely possessed an S ranked strength. If Barran was relying on his bodily improvements, it was still understandable if he was merely relying on his tolerance to beatings, to survive this far. However, he was actually able to contend against Cabel, unleashing 3 strikes for every 10 strikes received! What exactly was going on here?
A smile appeared on Wang Zhong’s face. This was the first time he had been so happy in this CHF, as never in his wildest dreams did he expect Barran to truly comprehend the meaning behind combat, what more in such a critical moment! Objectively speaking, Barran’s fundamentals were extremely poor. However, he was extremely attentive. When Wang Zhong had taught him the single ramming move, despite it appearing like a simplified version of a shoulder ram, there were many concepts present within it. On the surface, it appeared to be an offensive move. Yet, in the process for comprehending the concepts behind Second Drive, he was also able to learn many important details. If the improvement in his vision was simply the product of continuous improvement and an increase in his Soul Power, then in the process of fighting against Cabel, the feeling of power and strength and the resulting comprehension solely belonged to Barran.
Any type of attack would send out energy oscillations, and it was the crests and troughs of these oscillations that produced a marvellous feeling. This was especially prevalent in close quarters combat. At this very moment, Barran was fully immersing himself in this feeling, to the best of his ability. In both the power of his attacks, and his offensive moves, Cabel was leagues above Barran. However, one of Barran’s talents was exactly to endure beatings!
From the start of his resolute perseverance to his current sensation of power, Barran had chosen to repel Cabel’s attacks at the exact moments when Cabel’s strength oscillations were at its troughs. This was a detail that no one could pick up on. Frankly speaking, even Wang Zhong was completely unable to maintain this state for extended periods of time. Barran was now in a state where he could see everything happening before his eyes. This could only be attributed to Barran being naturally gifted at taking a beating.
From the outside, the current state of the fight appeared to be Cabel completely suppressing Barran. However, unlike his previous fights, Barran did not passively receive the attacks, but was utilising his own offence as a form of defence, causing the two of them to enter an evenly matched situation.
A different kind of Barran, a different kind of war god! The counterattack of a loser, turning from a newbie into a veteran!
BANG BANG BANG!
The berserk sounds of attacks landing exploded across the arena, causing the entire arena to turn lively!
The originally silent Skylink and arena started to gradually fill up with cries of astonishment, before turning into cheers and shouts!
Those were the cheers and shouts from the Tianjing supporters.
Frankly speaking, Tianjing’s road in the CHF from the start to the top 16 had been extremely rocky, and they had managed to reach this far only by relying on Wang Zhong and Grai. The other mainstay members only managed to showcase an occasional dazzling performance during group battles due to All Mouthy King’s arrangements, and that was all there was to them. Even though Barran had his berserk eruption against Zhao Zixin, it was all due to some accidental god-damn luck. This was actually the first time that a mainstay member had managed to pull his weight, and was unexpectedly able to hold his own against an S ranked mainstay heavy soldier! Regardless of the outcome, Barran’s current performance had already won over everyone’s hearts!
“Almighty Barran! An utter loser counterattack!”
“Get rid of Cabel, marry Ms Perfect, and walk towards the apex of life!”
“I feel like I’m seeing a fake Barran!”
“I feel that like I’m seeing a fake Cabel…”
“The audience in the arena and Skylink are both considerably surprised.” Only at this moment did Ruo Zhi and Chen Yu’er finally regain their senses, as Barran’s performance was too surprising. In the short span of a few days, a soldier that had just broken through, had unexpectedly been able to internalise and adapt to the higher level that he had reached! Furthermore, he was able to display such an inconceivable performance. “A different Tianjing, a different Barran!”
“This is basically a miracle! I’ve casted and analysed loads of fights, and among which, there were those who had comprehended their special abilities or had their Soul Power promoted during their fight. However, I’ve never, ever seen someone who can improve their combat style while in battle!” Ruo Zhi was utterly dumbfounded. “This… I’m unable to explain such a phenomenon! This Barran may possibly be a fake!”
As he continued his offence, Cabel seemed to start feeling a little strain, something he found exceedingly strange and peculiar. His opponent’s combat style was basically trash, and could even be said to be utterly lacking in skill. However, how in god’s name did he gain the guts to bet his life on his attacks? On the other hand, why did it also feel as if Barran was actually defending? The problem was that every single time they made contact, Cabel was unable to exert his full strength! This was too weird! This was something that Cabel had never experienced, and he was unable to wrap his head around it. Furthermore, he was also unable to feel even the slightest sliver of special ability fluctuations from his opponent.
His opponent was gradually adapting to the suppressive situation, something that Cabel was extremely unaccustomed to, and he was feeling particularly awkward. And somehow, in that instant where he was feeling a slight discomfort from this weird situation, Barran had actually managed to find the opportunity to grab hold of Cabel’s fists and push his arms away! Shoving himself forward into the opening, he lowered his shoulder slightly before charging like an uncaged beast!
Being ruthless, Cabel also lowered his body and sunk his waist down. As his centre of gravity rapidly dropped, he channeled his strength into his shoulder, causing Soul Power to burst forth as he welcomed Barran’s attack.
BANG!
Equal strength!