Battle Sword

Alex had not learned Chinese Kung Fu in his previous life, and in this life, he had only studied Western combat techniques. This Iron Mountain Lean was merely a move Alex had imitated from novels he had read in his previous life.

Alex did not know how powerful it would be, but he trusted in his own strength and physical abilities.

Just as Alex had expected, caught off guard, Battle Sword was knocked back several steps by the Iron Mountain Lean. Though he was not injured, the sight looked rather different to the onlookers.

"Alex, you really are impressive!" Battle Sword raised a hand and dusted off the spot on his chest where he had been struck. A smile suddenly appeared on his normally impassive face—the delighted smile of a hunter spotting prey.

As Battle Sword’s words fell, Alex was astonished to discover that Battle Sword’s aura surged explosively. It was like an ocean suddenly whipping up towering waves, raging wildly as if it would devour everything.

Faced with such a formidable Battle Sword, Alex knew that without using his other powers, he was no match for him. But since he intended to conceal his true abilities, Alex did not plan to reveal any more. That Iron Mountain Lean from earlier had already been enough to prove his strength.

Just as Alex was preparing to endure a few more moves from Battle Sword before admitting defeat, an unfamiliar voice suddenly sounded in his mind. "Go all out. It will benefit you."

"Mind Telepathy?!" Alex shuddered violently and turned to scan his surroundings, trying to find the person speaking to him. Unfortunately, there were too many people in the stands. How could Alex possibly locate them?

"Who was that? And what did that mean?" Filled with doubt, Alex turned to look at Battle Sword opposite him, hesitating. He could not be sure whether the telepathic speaker truly meant him well, or whether it was simply a Shi’ar Empire ploy to force him to reveal all his strength.

While Alex was still suspicious and uncertain, the voice rang out in his mind again, sounding somewhat urgent. "Don’t hesitate. Defeat Battle Sword!"

"Hm?!" It was still the same voice, and Alex still could not identify the telepathic speaker. Yet for some inexplicable reason, Alex began to suspect that it was Lilandra using Mind Telepathy.

But there was no longer time for Alex to think further. Battle Sword had waited long enough and finally could not resist making his move.

Only Battle Sword, unleashing his true power, was the foremost member of the Imperial Guard, the greatest warrior of the Shi’ar Empire. With nothing more than an ordinary punch, Alex seemed to sense world-destroying energy, even more terrifying than Mandarin’s Cutting Beam.

"Come on!" Alex shouted low, fully activating his abilities without dodging or evading.

A sharp glint flashed through Battle Sword’s eyes. He had already unleashed such an overwhelming aura, yet Alex still treated him with such contempt. Even someone as proud as Battle Sword began to get angry. With a cold snort, he accelerated several times over, and the power behind his fist increased as well.

Fist met flesh with only a soft puff, and then there was no sound at all.

"What happened?" Outside the arena, everyone could not help but rise to their feet, whispering to one another in discussion.

Battle Sword, the Shi’ar Empire’s greatest warrior, could split mountains and shatter stones with a single punch. Yet when that punch landed on Alex, it did not produce the slightest echo. It was truly astonishing.

At the seat of honor, the Shi’ar Empress did not stand, but her eyes beneath her helmet trembled rapidly, glimmering with strange light. Even the wings behind her could not stop fluttering.

No matter how shocked the audience outside was, Battle Sword had already moved away from Alex in the arena. That punch had reminded him of his own claw strike before, when he had struck nothing but empty air, with no point of purchase whatsoever.

"Not bad strength!" Alex copied Battle Sword’s earlier motion, reaching up to lightly dust off his chest. A faint smile rested on his face, and he looked as arrogant as could be.

Since he had accepted the mysterious person’s advice and revealed his true strength, Alex did not mind acting even more arrogantly, though he had no idea what that person’s motives were.

Not to mention Battle Sword standing opposite Alex, the spectators outside the arena flew into furious curses when they saw Alex’s expression and heard his words. They seemed even angrier than Battle Sword himself.

Though the Shi’ar looked refined and frail, warlike blood flowed through their veins. They valued honor and pride above all else. Alex’s words insulted not only Battle Sword, but the entire Shi’ar people and the Shi’ar Empire!

Alex had not expected a single remark to bring down so much abuse upon him. With a bitter smile, he seemed to understand something: in the Shi’ar Empire, only the strong could earn respect!

"You are strong!" Battle Sword narrowed his eyes slightly. A chilling killing intent showed through his poker face; he was clearly truly enraged. "But I will still defeat you!"

Alex shrugged nonchalantly, paying no heed to Battle Sword’s threat. No matter how strong Battle Sword was, as long as he had no ability that could counter Alex, Alex had nothing to fear from him.

Once again treated with contempt by Alex, Battle Sword gave a quiet snort. He moved like lightning, appearing before Alex in an instant and throwing an uppercut.

Alex could feel the power behind that punch. Though it was not enough to threaten him, he still chose to evade it. Taking hits all the time was not Alex’s style.

Alex’s body flickered, and he appeared behind Battle Sword at a speed even greater than Battle Sword’s. Then he threw an uppercut of his own.

Battle Sword’s attack missed, but Alex’s did not. His fist struck Battle Sword squarely in the back. Yet Alex was horrified to find that the punch felt as though it had hit an iron plate.

The sound of metal striking metal boomed like thunder, shaking heaven and earth.

Battle Sword’s body did not even sway. He slowly turned around and looked at the dumbfounded Alex, sneering. "It seems your strength is nothing special either!"

Alex and Battle Sword exchanged a glance, then struck at the same time. Their battle once more devolved into a brutal, fist-to-flesh brawl.

Yet unlike their earlier fight, this battle was far more violent. Even the arena, built from special materials, was now utterly battered, like the pockmarked surface of a planet struck by a meteor shower.

"If we keep fighting like this, neither of us will be able to do anything to the other!" After separating from Battle Sword once again, Alex frowned tightly. He glanced at the stunned audience around them, then turned to Battle Sword with a frustrated expression.

Since arriving in this world, Alex had never encountered anyone who could trade blows with him in close combat for so long. Battle Sword was practically like Superman from the comics—impossible to kill and impossible to injure. Moreover, as the battle continued, Alex’s strength was steadily improving, and Battle Sword’s strength was improving as well!

"Perhaps we really should change the way we fight!" Battle Sword looked around and nodded. But after thinking for a moment, he shook his head. "Not here, though. It would destroy this place!"

Alex paused, then nodded. "True!"

"In that case, let us call today a draw for now!" Battle Sword slowly descended to the ground and stared at Alex for a long while, wearing an expression of mutual admiration. "We will fight again another day!"

"Fine. We will fight again another day!"

I just saw that someone voted with a monthly pass… Thanks to Great Qin Vanguard for the monthly pass. Scorpion is deeply grateful! Hehe, keep voting in the future!