Who designed this underworld dungeon?.

Chapter 717 This is the mastery of all martial arts

If, Japar, means if.

If his fight were being broadcast live right now, he might turn around and ask the viewers in front of the screen:
"Am I going to die, family?"

Then the director should insert commercials at this point. Whether it's the Bedd's toy factory or Kuripa's handmade soup, they will definitely get a lot of exposure with such high viewership, and the advertising revenue will come in like crazy.

Unfortunately, it wasn't broadcast live, so no one saw the entire battle in Japar.

Although there are no more advertising fees,
"If I could, I would definitely prefer that no one sees me lose."

Maintaining an air of mystery is key to creating the persona of a reclusive sage.

"I regret not bringing more weapons in."

He stretched his shoulders and gripped the legendary sword, Moonshadow, even tighter. Burning wolf blood would enhance one's strength, but it would also excite the mind. However, he suppressed the excitement by adjusting his state, allowing himself to regain his composure.

Excitement might make him more effective in a fight, but calmness will allow him to fight for longer.

He is ready now, ready for an all-out battle.

Just as he calmed down, the teardrop-like object also made a movement.

A fingerprint stone shield, heavy as if it were an uncarved stone, appeared in his left hand, while in his right hand was a rapier emanating poisonous gas and decay. Upon closer inspection, this rapier was longer than ordinary weapons of the same kind, thus having a greater attack range.

Japal recognized it at a glance; it was a shield-stabbing tactic that used to be very popular among adventurers.

Even now, shield poke is still popular among new adventurers because having a shield can really add a lot of security. However, veteran adventurers don't like to use it anymore because, overall, when facing stronger monsters, the disadvantages of shields, especially great shields, are greater.

There are only a few ways to use shield thrusts in combat, which is why novice adventurers can master them more easily.

“I’d like to see how your imitation of the Faded One will use it.”

Even the King of Elden, when he uses his shield, wouldn't be much different from the others, right?
After all, the shield-stabbing fighting style is simply using a shield to block attacks and then using weapons like rapiers and spears to poke and stab from behind the shield.

"bring it on!"

Japar launched the first attack, and as long as they launch the first attack, everything will be alright!

His figure flickered, and before the afterimage he left behind had disappeared, his true form appeared behind the imitation teardrop. He drew his famous sword, Moon Shadow, and unleashed a swift slash at the enemy's back!

Will it hit? It absolutely has to hit!
"boom!"

The blade struck the heavy shield, and the unpleasant sensation transmitted from the blade made Japal know without even looking that he had missed.

The teardrop-like creature turned around and defended with incredible speed, as if it had anticipated Japal's attack. It aimed the fingerprint stone shield behind it and blocked the blow steadily.

Even the magical sword energy unleashed by the famous sword Moon Shadow was completely protected by the [Iron Arm Shield Defense] on the fingerprint stone shield.

"Ha, I guess I missed."

Japar gave a self-deprecating laugh, and just then, the rapier in the teardrop-like hand stabbed swiftly and accurately, its blade brimming with vicious toxins and decay.

"Then try this trick of mine again!"

The teardrop-shaped weapon pierced Japar, even penetrating his chest, with the tip emerging from his back!
No, it didn't pierce through, it just went straight through like it hit the air!

Japal's figure vanished instantly, and a storm of slashes suddenly erupted behind the teardrop-like figure.

The one that was stabbed just now was also his illusion; the one that has appeared now is his true form!

This move of mine embodies my complete understanding of sword speed, and I'm using a combat technique that amplifies speed. You definitely won't be able to react to it—

"boom!"

The dull thud rang in my ears once more. The famous sword, Moon Shadow, struck the stone shield again, and this time it was even deflected, its sharpness greatly reduced!
"Eh?"

Japar was genuinely taken aback this time.

He stared at the fingerprint-shaped stone shield that had steadily blocked his attack, his mind filled with confusion. What puzzled him was...
Why did you turn around?!

The humanoid teardrop instantly turned around to defend and block the attack, and when he turned around, it was almost impossible to see any change in his movements!

This statement is somewhat abstract. To put it simply, the avatar teardrop just now looked to Japar like a low-quality online game where the character doesn't have any turning animations and all movement is instantaneous horizontal movement.

As a sword saint, he knows everything about the human body and can guess the next move just from the movement of muscles.

But a turn as seamless as the one the imitation teardrop had just made was something he had never heard of in his life.

"boom!"

The fingerprint stone shield sent him flying several meters away with a single strike, but even the impact couldn't shake the confusion from Japal's mind.

That shouldn't be the case. How can a person suddenly turn around without making any movement?

Could it be the effect of a combat technique I'm unaware of? Which combat technique research team would bother with this weird stuff?
He took a deep breath, dodging the continuous thrusts of the rapier, and suddenly his body split into five, with the five Japars launching attacks on the imitation teardrop from different directions!
Then something even more incredible happened.

"Bang bang bang bang!"

Five muffled thuds came from the sword blade striking the stone shield. The ant-sting slender sword stabbed repeatedly, and in an instant, all the phantoms shattered, leaving only one clutching its chest and retreating to the side.

"Huh? No, that's not right. How can this be? Why?"

Japar clutched his chest, where a bloody hole had been stabbed, his face filled with existential dread.

How did the teardrop-like creature manage to block attacks from five directions in an instant with that shield?
At the very moment he made his move, the avatar teardrop in his eyes seemed to split into three heads and six arms, each arm bearing a large shield.

Something must be wrong.

Japal patted his face, forcing himself to stay alert, and opened his slashing domain again, intending to give his opponent a 360-degree slash with no blind spots!

"Now you're out of options!"

Countless slashes erupted at the same time towards the clone teardrop!

After a few seconds.

Japal stared at the android teardrop that was wielding the great shield with afterimages, his shoulders slumping with despair.

The 360-degree strike range is indeed effective and can injure the opponent.

However, the damage was far less than he had anticipated, and he then realized that the enemy had upgraded their shield defenses to an almost impenetrable level.

That wasn't a shield at all; it was practically a city wall that completely enveloped a person!

"I've had enough!"

Japar took a deep breath and assumed a thrusting stance; he was about to go all out!

He refused to believe that his strength couldn't pierce that rough shield!
He activated his combat skill [Thrust] and instantly arrived behind the Tear-like figure, thrusting the sharp blade of his legendary sword, Moon Shadow, forward!
As expected, it pierced the fingerprint stone shield, and even the blade didn't penetrate it. He tried even harder, intending to smash the replica teardrop directly against the wall.

But the resistance from behind the shield suddenly vanished, nearly causing him to stumble and fall. The fingerprint-stone shield on the blade abruptly transformed into the shape of a teardrop and melted away. The teardrop-like figure disappeared.

"No, in the sky!"

His keen sense of smell made him immediately look up at the sky.

The imitation teardrop had already leaped high into the air, the rapier was gone, and its hands now held new weapons: a pair of corpse-stripping curved swords.

The blood-stained Corpse-Slaying Sword swung down at Japar, the blade dancing like a butterfly in its master's hand, exuding killing intent!
Japar quickly raised his sword to defend himself.

"Ping Ping Pong Pong——"

The sounds of weapons clashing were incessant. After a brief exchange, the two figures quickly retreated, only to rush forward again in perfect unison and fight once more.

If the avatar of Teardrop, who was holding the fingerprint stone shield just now, emphasized "steadiness," then now, with curved swords in both hands, he exudes "swiftness."

As they approached Japar, they began to feel the pressure, and this pressure only increased with the number of rounds they fought.

Humans expend physical energy during exercise, and excessive energy expenditure can cause various physical problems, and in more serious cases, even complete immobility.

However, the bio-tear doesn't seem to need to follow such a rule; it can move however it wants, and even if its limbs are restrained, it can still differentiate into a new body.

In melee rounds, this is a bug.

Wielding a double-curved sword, his movements were far more agile than when he used a shield thrust; he was truly as swift as the wind.

Japar tried his best to resist and was able to keep up at first.

However, the opponent doesn't need to rest at all, which means the battle pace is extremely fast. Once the pace gets fast...
For humans like Japar, who expend physical energy to take action, it gradually became unsustainable.

My reactions were getting slower and slower, my arm strength was becoming sluggish, sweat was blurring my vision, and all sorts of bad things were happening to me.

On the contrary, the opponent of the imitation teardrop became more and more aggressive as the fight went on!
It's impossible to tell whether the King of Elden was naturally so energetic or if it was due to the enhancement from the Tear of the Imitation, but in any case, the combination of his swordsmanship and near-limitless stamina created a terrifying monster.

"Boom!"

Japar was sent flying backward, and upon hitting the wall, a huge amount of blood burst from his body, undoubtedly putting him in a state of bleeding.

This is not surprising, because his body was already covered with wounds of all sizes, so densely packed that it was frightening; even the most experienced landmine woman couldn't achieve this level of skill.

"Cough cough."

He fell off the wall, coughing up bloody phlegm. He quickly pulled out a recovery potion and gulped it down, which quickly stopped the bleeding, and the wounds on his body healed rapidly.

"How did I end up playing so badly?"

His eyes showed a hint of hesitation.

This was the first time he had been slowed down by the enemy while fighting in the Sien Dungeon; the Faded One in dual-sword form was simply beyond human capabilities.

Speed ​​has always been Japal's proud advantage. Even when faced with monsters that he cannot deal with for the time being, he can rely on speed to get to a safe place. But now, someone has finally appeared who can suppress him in terms of speed.

Japal was filled with mixed feelings. He took out another bottle of medicine and looked up to gulp it down. Just then, a sense of danger went off in his mind. He glanced around and saw seven or eight broom-like objects flying towards him!

The weapon in the Tear-Shaped Hand has transformed into the Lutherstone Staff, which can enhance the power of magic!

"They won't even let me take my medicine?!"

The mixed feelings turned into a surge of anger the moment he encountered Broom Star's repeated performance. Japal refused to believe it; he refused to believe he couldn't play even better!

Although Broom Star was fast, he was even faster after taking a few sips of medicine. With a few quick steps, he dodged all the magical attacks and, gripping the hilt of his sword, charged towards the unarmed, wandless Tear-like avatar!
He had witnessed the sheer number of spells the Faded One used in his battle against Rataen, and if he were to distance himself now, he would surely be killed by all sorts of unexpected magic.

Therefore, he had to attack at close range and use his sword to stop the opponent from casting more magic!
Mages are strong before close combat, but warriors are strong after close combat!

Even if it's just for the simplest revenge to wipe away his shame, he'd still rush over and chop this guy into thousands of pieces!

However, he also knew in his heart that things would not progress as smoothly as he had imagined.

The Faded Ones' ability to manipulate magic is something that adventurers have all witnessed.

"Om-"

Just as he lunged forward, the teardrop-like figure slammed its staff into the ground, and a gravity sphere suddenly appeared beside Japal, pulling him away into the distance.

"This force can't hold me back!"

Although his speed was indeed affected by the gravity ball, he pushed off with his feet and instantly broke free from the constraints of gravity—

Turning his head, a magic called [Illusory Microcosm] appeared beside him, and the powerful suction caused his body to shift involuntarily. Just as he was about to break free, the elusive magic suddenly exploded.

"boom!"

Japal was sent flying backward, half of his body charred black, but he quickly regained his senses, gritted his teeth, splashed the potion on himself, and used his strength to push off the temple pillar in mid-air to rush forward again.

He raised his hand and cleaved the roof in a few blows, large chunks of debris falling down and obscuring the vision of the replica teardrop and himself.

The powerful magic continued to penetrate the falling debris, seemingly attacking indiscriminately. Even so, the situation was extremely dangerous, and Japal saw many of them whose names he couldn't recall.

"I'm almost out of strength!"

The amplification effect of the wolf blood was rapidly fading, and the burning white hair returned to silence, though some of the power from the wolf blood still lingered in his limbs.

If this move can't decide the outcome, then he really has no chance!

Japar's footsteps continued to tread on the stones in the air, the stones falling from the ceiling becoming a bridge for him to reach the imitation teardrop!
Just rush straight up this path and use the finishing blow on the clone teardrop!
Stepping onto the last stone, he could feel that he was only a few steps away from the imitation teardrop. At this distance, casting magic would also harm the mage himself, so the opponent's attack paused noticeably.

"It's now!"

Japar seized this golden opportunity and swung his sword with all his might!
The last stone shattered with a deafening crash, its power undiminished as it slashed towards the people behind it.

But as the obstructing stones disappeared, Japal's eyes caught a glimpse of dazzling magic.

A torrent of magic gathered on the staff that resembled a teardrop, and when Japal came before him, the torrent poured forth.

Comet Yazler!
Legend has it that a torrent of magic completely engulfed Japar, even piercing through the walls of the temple.

The legendary magic, the culmination of a magic master's lifelong research, speaks volumes about its power.

When the torrent of magic gradually subsides.

Inside the temple, only the lifelike teardrop remained as a living being.

It stood there for a while, then turned and walked toward the throne bathed in moonlight.

His faded body sat on the spotless throne.

(End of this chapter)