Elf: Re-employment of retired champion of Padiya

Chapter 761 Azure Flame Blade Demon, the Pinnacle of Swordsmanship!
Normal-type variation move "Immobilization Technique".

If we just call it by this name, many people may not know what the effect of this move is, and may not have any impression of it at all.

But what if we use a different name?

—Petrochemical work.

This is Psyduck's signature move from Misty's Pokémon, Psyduck, a mermaid from Cerulean City in the original Pokémon anime. Psyduck is a future Cerulean Gym Leader and aims to become a Water-type Pokémon Master.

When Psyduck's head pain reaches a critical point, its potential is unleashed, and the spectacular petrification technique is born.

But that was just a translation issue in the early days of animation, and the difference in presentation between animation and games.

In reality, the "Immobilization Spell" only has one effect in the game.

[This skill hinders the opponent's movement, immobilizing them. During the duration of the skill's effect, the target cannot use the last skill used before being immobilized.]

In layman's terms, it's a single-target attack that blocks movement for a certain period of time.

Unlike "Sealing," which is a superpower-type move, this is a move that requires extremely precise timing for release and is highly targeted.

When Azure Blade Demon unleashed this move during the gap in "Air Blade," Togekis, who was hit, was naturally temporarily blocked from using this move.

— "Air Blade" has been disabled.

This also means that the "cowardice" effect that made Azure Flame Blade Demon quite uncomfortable was forcibly suppressed by this stroke of genius.

Two seconds after the "Air Blade" stopped, the Azure Flame Blade Demon moved its body, and the armor covering it emitted a series of trembling sounds as iron clashed against iron, and dark purple flames spewed out from the gaps in its joints.

It slowly raised its head, the will-o'-the-wisps in its eyes flickering violently, as if it wanted to burn everything in front of it.

"The time for a counterattack has come." Luo Mu's voice was like a sword drawn from its sheath, "Flash Charge!"

In an instant, the Azure Flame Blade Demon's entire body erupted with a strange, dark purple azure flame, transforming into a blazing meteor that shot straight into the sky!
The flames left a long trail behind it, and the air itself was distorted and deformed by the intense heat.

Cynthia's pupils contracted slightly: "Togekiss, get out of the way!"

Togekiss hurriedly dodged to the side, but because it was caught in the situation where it couldn't use "Air Blade" just now, its reaction was a beat too slow.

In addition, the Azure Flame Blade Demon's speed is simply too fast—

boom!
A deafening roar of exploding flames echoed as the Azure Flame Blade Demon crossed its twin swords and unleashed a massive fiery sword aura. The dark purple flames grazed Togekiss's wings, instantly scorching its white feathers black.

Even more terrifying, the flames seemed to cling to Togekiss's body like a malignant tumor!
"If it's a burn, that would be a real problem."

Zhu Lan made a decisive statement.

"Tokiss, pray to the heavens for a mysterious blessing, a mysterious guardian!"

As Zhu Lan's voice fell, Togekiss endured the pain of being burned by the Azure Flame, gathered its energy, and a seven-colored light shield appeared around its body, wrestling with the Azure Flame burning on its feathers. The shield was thus stirred up by the ripples.

"Mysterious guardians can be used like this!?"

Nemo's eyes widened in surprise at Zhu Lan's unconventional approach to using techniques.

Gradually, without an external energy supply, the Azure Flame was no match for Togekiss's fully activated "Mystic Guardian" and could only be extinguished unwillingly.

But Zhu Lan showed no sign of stopping, and continued to add to the challenge: "Then use Morning Light!"

"Dawn" is a Togekiss's spawn move that restores HP.

As the name suggests, as long as you stay in a brightly lit area, such as a sunny day or in strong sunlight, "Morning Light" in the game can restore two-thirds of the user's health.

Conversely, in normal, unchanging weather, half of the damage is recovered, while in other weather conditions such as rain, hail, or sandstorms, only a quarter is recovered.

The weather is neither good nor bad now, which should allow Togekiss to recover at least half of his strength, almost indistinguishable from "self-regeneration".

Despite the lingering pain, Tokiss radiated a warm and gentle light.

But just as it was healing its injuries, the Azure Flame Blade Demon used the momentum to leap to an even higher position, and the azure flames on its twin swords suddenly surged.

It and Luo Mu naturally couldn't let Togekis use "Mystic Guard" to remove the burns and "Morning Light" to restore its strength.

Zhu Lan was well aware of this, so she chose to forcefully change her tactics.

"Yan Hui!"

At the cost of only one-third of its expected stamina recovery efficiency, Tokiss forcibly stopped releasing "Dawn," then abruptly folded its wings, drawing a sharp zigzag line in the air.

The white light of the swallow's return flowed along the edges of its wings as it swooped down at an astonishing speed!

Instead of escaping from the Azure Flame Blade Demon's lock, they faced the danger head-on.

Despite its cute appearance and pinkish attributes, Togekiss, as Cyndaquil's Pokémon, will never show weakness in battle.

Why can't it be considered a bird of prey?

The leaping Azure Flame Blade Demon raised its arms and wielded its flaming greatswords, crossing them in front of it to block.

"clang--!"

A deafening metallic clang echoed through the air, sparks flying everywhere.

The impact of Tokiss's rapid dive, combined with gravity, forced the Azure Flame Blade Demon, which had nowhere to gain leverage in the air, back to the ground, carving two deep furrows in the soil.

"The Sword of Regret!" Luo Mu seized the moment of stalemate between the two sides, and his voice fell like lightning.

Azure Flame Blade Demon suddenly withdrew its strength and turned to the side, allowing Togekis to pass by.

At the same time, the flaming greatsword on his right arm dragged the Azure Flame Tail upwards, leaving a charred mark on Togekis's abdomen.

As the attack hit, the light spots containing abundant life force detached from Togekiss and merged into Azure Flame Blade Demon's body.

Even some of the scratches on its well-maintained, gleaming dark armor have disappeared.

at the same time.

"Screech!" Struck by the sudden attack from the Azure Flame Blade Demon, Togekis couldn't help but cry out in pain.

But it was well-trained and immediately adjusted its attitude to take off again.

At the same time, the feathers on Togekiss's wings began to glow pink—

"Magic Flash!" Zhu Lan's timing for the command was perfect.

A blinding fairy light burst forth from the sky, like a flashbang that instantly released intense light, forcing Azure Flame Blade Demon to cross its two swords to protect its face.

However, its defensive actions were a step slower, partly due to the seamless teamwork between Cynthia and Togekiss.

The intense light temporarily blinded the Azure Flame Blade Demon, but it still instinctively jumped back to create distance between itself and Togekiss.

"Don't give it a chance to breathe!" Zhu Lan pressed her advantage, "Primal Power!"

Togekis flapped its wings repeatedly, and several basketball-sized rocks formed as energy converged. They then roared out with the airflow, attacking the temporarily blind Azure Flame Blade Demon from all angles.

In such a critical moment, under Luo Mu's command,
Suddenly, Azure Flame Blade Demon plunged his twin swords into the ground.

The dark purple flames flowed down the sword and into the earth, then surged out from its body, forming a rotating wall of fire!

"Flame Vortex!"
boom! boom! boom!
The primal force struck the wall of fire one after another, unleashing a deafening roar.

Even though the vortex of flames was teetering on the brink of collapse, it still managed to successfully block the onslaught of primal power.

But bad news came at that moment.

Togekiss was bathed in a bright red light, and its aura surged at a visible speed.

Without a doubt, that was the additional effect of the move "Original Power" brought about by Togekiss triggering its "Divine Grace" ability.

All abilities have increased by one level!
Luo Mu almost laughed out of anger.

Okay, okay, so you're going to play Tianen like this?

Do you think that if I just wave my finger, I can summon a "Cliff Sword", "Time Roar", "Sub-Void Rift Slash" or something like that?
It's outrageous!
It's hard not to believe that Cynthia wouldn't laugh out loud while playing with the Celestial Enchanted Pokémon.

"Shadow ball!"

Zhu Lan's command sounded again.

The black energy ball, with its greater power and release speed than before, was unleashed, and the probability of triggering additional effects was increased by "Heavenly Grace".

Not only is the attack extremely effective, but if its special defense is lowered, Azure Flame Blade Demon will be in even more trouble.

If it is hit, the disadvantage that Azure Flame Blade Demon has managed to regain will return to its original state.

however.

Just as the pitch-black energy ball was about to hit...

Suddenly, Azure Flame Blade Demon turned and swung his sword, the flaming greatsword precisely cleaving through the shadow orb, then retreated to avoid the out-of-control explosion of the shadow orb.

"Is it a coincidence?"

Zhu Lan frowned slightly, but didn't dwell on the matter too much.

Because—after several rounds of combat, Togekiss has successfully broken free from the "Immobilization" state!

The Tokkiss, hovering in the sky, excitedly spread its wings, and countless sharp wind blades gathered around its wings, emitting a piercing shriek.

"Air Blade, full power!" Zhu Lan shouted, waving her hand.

Countless wind blades rained down like a storm, filling the entire sky with translucent energy blades.

The Pokémon watching the battle unconsciously took a few steps back, and Nemo and her two companions held their breath in tension.

In this way, everything returns to square one.

The oppressive "blade of air" is about to strike.

No, the situation is actually worse than it was initially.

Azure Blade Demon is blinded, while Togekiss's abilities are boosted by one level after the additional effect of "Primal Power" is triggered.

By all accounts, the situation is worse than before.

"Big Brother Luo Mu"

Alice clenched her fists with some worry.

But then, a pair of hands suddenly covered her palms.

Alice subconsciously looked up and saw Nemo with a smile on her face.

That's all she said—

"Trust Teacher Luo Mu."

"He's the strongest."

Even now, Nemo still unconditionally trusts Luo Mu and firmly believes in his strength.

Even though they were in a predicament on both sides, Nemo believed that Luo Mu and Azure Flame Blade Demon must have the power to break through it.

The air was vibrating.

Countless translucent wind blades tore through the sky, emitting piercing shrieks.

Pokekis hovered high in the air with its wings fully extended.

This is an even more powerful attack than before, a saturation coverage attack of "Air Blade" with no blind spots.

Once hit, triggering the "Coward" state, Azure Flame Blade Demon will absolutely not have another chance to find an opening to release the "Immobilization Spell".

Faced with such a desperate situation, Luo Mu showed no sign of panic. Instead, he smiled and said:
"Azure Flame Blade Demon, if you don't act now, when will you?"

"—Let's dance!"

Under the solemn gaze of Zhu Lan.

The Azure Flame Blade Demon stood silently in the center of the storm. Even though its eyes were still burned by the intense light, it slowly raised its two-handed greatsword, which was burning with azure flames, and the tip of the sword fell lightly to the ground.

The first wind blade strikes—

"Qiang!"

The flaming greatsword seemed to have eyes, precisely slashing upwards, shattering the wind blade in response.

Then came the second, third, and tenth rounds!
The Azure Flame Blade Demon's figure began to blur, its twin swords transforming into flowing, dark purple flames, trailing smooth arcs of light.

There are no fancy, sweeping movements; every action is precise to the millimeter.

With a slight twist of his wrist, he deflected the wind blade that was slashing at him from the side.

The sword's spine slightly deflected the sharp blade aimed directly at the throat.

He crossed his two swords to block three attacks that came at the same time.

Despite being blind, its movements became increasingly fluid.

The trajectory of the Azure Flame Greatsword left a dark purple afterimage in the air, gradually forming a perfect spherical sword circle.

Even more astonishing is that every incoming wind blade was precisely blocked or deflected.

The Azure Flame Blade Demon seemed to merge with the sword, dancing a death dance in the eye of the storm.

"That's... sword dance!?" the guava exclaimed in surprise.

Wait, why is your Swords Dance different from my Garchomp's Swords Dance?!
clang!clang!clang!
The sounds of metal clashing, like the clanging of iron, filled the air, and sparks flew everywhere like raindrops.

Such exquisite rhythm made the eyes of the master blacksmiths watching shine.

If only it could master such awesome sword and hammer techniques someday!
When the time comes, we'll name this hammer technique "Chaotic Cloak"!
By harnessing the power of the opponent's attacks, you become stronger with each fight!

Under the dance of the Azure Flame Blade Demon, the wind blades that slipped through the net simply did not exist.

Despite being blind, its precision in movement and its ability to use the wind blades for offense and defense were on a completely different level from when the battle began!
"Is this really something that can be done?" Alice's murmur revealed the shock everyone was experiencing.

Those bizarre arcs that should have been impossible to predict all became ineffective in the face of the Azure Flame Blade Demon's sword array!
Zhu Lan's pupils contracted slightly.

Compared to the inexperienced Alice, Guava, and even Nemo, she saw the truth clearly.

Sure enough, the fact that Azure Flame Blade Demon successfully cleaved through the Shadow Sphere was no coincidence at all.

The state of being deprived of sight does not seem to affect the Azure Flame Blade Demon's actions; on the contrary, it allows it to focus more intently on a certain state.

It's not just about predicting attacks by sensing changes in airflow through the sword and one's senses.

Furthermore, after each parry, the sword's angle is subtly adjusted, transforming the shattered wind pressure into an assist for the next strike.

This combat technique, which combines intuition, skill, and experience, can truly be called the pinnacle of swordsmanship!

Any external force pales in comparison to the pinnacle of swordsmanship.

"clang--!"

When Togekiss temporarily stopped releasing "Air Blade" due to fatigue, the last descending wind blade was shattered by Azure Flame Blade Demon.

Azure Flame Blade Demon's stunning sword dance was complete, and a dazzling red light suddenly erupted from his body.

—Its attack power has been increased to the limit!

Upon seeing this, Tokiss instinctively increased its flight altitude, but it was too late.

Azure Flame Blade Demon suddenly spun around, unleashing all the power it had accumulated until now.

The two swords, burning fiercely with azure flames, drew a perfect cross-shaped slash!

A dark purple sword aura, wreathed in azure flames, soared into the sky, splitting the remaining turbulent air in two.

Despite Togekiss's desperate attempts to dodge, it was still struck by the sword energy that came with a shrill cry as if the air was about to burst. Its body trembled in the air for a few seconds before it fell helplessly to the ground.

"Shh-"

The Azure Flame Blade Demon's right arm blade drooped, deeply embedded in the soil. Using this support, it knelt on the ground, panting heavily.

Clearly, that dazzling sword dance had taken a considerable toll on it.

However, compared to Togekiss, who remained motionless after falling, Azure Blade Demon, who was still conscious at this moment, was the ultimate victor.

The surroundings were deathly silent.

Snap, snap, snap——

A burst of applause broke the silence.

Zhu Lan clapped her hands gently, her bright golden hair fluttering in the breeze, and a smile of undisguised admiration appeared on her lips.

"Absolutely brilliant."

Her voice didn't carry the disappointment of defeat; instead, it was filled with a rare joy.

"To have honed your swordsmanship to such a level is truly an eye-opener for me."

Tokiss lay quietly on the shattered ground, its white feathers covered in dust.

The Azure Flame Blade Demon's blade remained embedded in the scorched soil, its dark purple flames burning even more subdued after the victory.

Nemo jogged to the center of the field, her face beaming with excitement: "Amazing! So strong! Teacher! Azure Flame Blade Demon!"

"That attack just now was like cleaving the sky in two!"

"After all, it's the result of training day and night."

Luo Mu walked to the center of the arena, smiled slightly, and then looked at the Azure Flame Blade Demon beside him, his tone becoming gentler.

"Thank you for your hard work in this battle."

(End of this chapter)