Master Craftsman of the Elven World

Chapter 418 Ancient Sword Leopard: Hmm, can we reconcile?

A fierce battle of offense and defense has begun.

A fierce fighting spirit burned brightly, and Flash's charge pierced through the cold blizzard, successfully reaching the treasure of calamity!
In Guangtai's eyes, the Cheese Snow Leopard seemed to have a BOSS health bar above its head, accompanied by an exciting background music, and let out a mocking roar!
Despite his ample combat experience, Tanjiro, wielding a simple copper hammer and dressed in tattered iron, was still powerless against the gap in level and strength.

Even the best copper hammer in the village couldn't compare to the teeth of the ancient sword leopard, which served as a treasured sword.

Even though it possesses the fire attribute to counter the opponent, it is difficult to make use of it due to the vast difference in strength.

"The embers of charcoal have gathered into life, and isn't Charcoal Servant also a kind of Ash Knight?"

"Those with powerful souls turn themselves into firewood and throw themselves into the furnace so that the fire can continue."

"However, Charcoal Servant, born from embers, does not have such a strong flame."

"Then, let's begin passing the fire!"

A round of rousing music began!
Guangtai took out her ukulele and began to play.

The purpose of the battlefield bard is to enhance the atmosphere while giving teammates a morale boost or two.

"Click!"

Charcoal Servant narrowly avoided the Ancient Sword Leopard's attack, but the Cheese Snow Leopard was just playing around. It deliberately slowed down the attack speed of its Cat Punch. When Charcoal Servant used its own Flame Charge to create a blizzard, the Ancient Sword Leopard thought that the little guy in front of it was "worth playing with"!
Come and play with the Ancient Sword Leopard!

Charcoal Servant swung his copper hammer!
wildfire!

It still uses its signature ghost fire tactic. However, it doesn't work well against the Blade of Calamity.

A strong aura of snow erupted, and the ancient sword leopard merely blew up a freezing wind, which instantly froze all the ghost fire that was bombarding it!
"Guro?"

The large white cat licked its paws, deliberately feigning a confused expression, which was clearly a mockery of the little knight before it.

By the way, Cheese Snow Leopard waved to Charcoal Servant, a gesture that resembled the iconic pose of a lucky cat.

Tan Xiaoshi was immediately enraged.

But the sound of the moss startled it!
"That was a provocation, and you fell for it."

Provoke and enrage your opponent, preventing them from using their varied moves!
“Meowhahaha!”

Gu Jianbao let out a piercing laugh, twisting and rolling around in the snow with his belly exposed, completely ignoring Tan Xiaoshi, and was overjoyed that Tan Xiaoshi had fallen for his trick!
This is so much fun! This little guy is really interesting!
And in that instant of twisting!

The ancient sword leopard suddenly swung its tail!

The Ancient Sword Leopard's body is entirely composed of snow, and its main body is a sword that serves as its teeth. Therefore, the cat-like body formed by the snow can twist and turn at will, launching slashes from tricky angles like a python!
Secret attack on key points!

Caught off guard, Tan Xiaoshi was immediately knocked to the ground by this move, while Gu Jianbao lightly flipped and leaped up. The cat shook its paws, arched its back, and let out a breath!
With a whoosh, it pounced on Tanjiro!
Bite into pieces!

Tan Xiaoshi struggled to lift his head.

The tattered cloth used for warmth began to burn and turn to ashes.

The heat-resistant copper hammer gradually lit up.

The ancient amulet faintly radiated an unknown glow.

The tattered armor begins to be stained with emotions!

How do I avoid it?

The ancient sword leopard snapped down, but the powerful bite only tore through the air. The snow leopard blinked, its head curiously looking left and right, only to see that Tan Xiaoshi, whom it was supposed to attack, had actually dodged the attack by rolling on the spot!
Huh?
The snow leopard was somewhat confused, and the cat sensed the puzzlement but its interest grew even stronger!

It can roll! This little guy rolls around like a round ball!
Felines have absolutely no resistance to things that roll!

"roll!"

Guangtai watched in astonishment as Tan Xiaoshi rolled around in his desperate situation!

He really is a Soul Knight, now he's awakened his past life memories!
What kind of move is rolling?
Rolling isn't a technique; it's simply rolling around on the ground to dodge an opponent's attacks!

Lightmoss clenches her fist in encouragement:

"Yes, position yourself, move around, roll and roll, unleash your attacks!"

"Seize the opening and strike! Don't be greedy with your attacks!"

"Not to be underestimated, Ash is indeed a descendant of knights!"

However, it's fortunate that the Ancient Sword Leopard isn't a giant human boss, otherwise, if it kicked out, Tan Xiaoshi would have rolled straight down the mountain.

But this is how it appears in the eyes of the snow leopard:
Smash it once, kick it once; this little thing is quite adept at stealing damage!

The Ancient Sword Leopard roared!
Raid!

Dark-type moves can attack before the opponent, but will fail if the opponent does not use an offensive move!
Raid! Raid! Raid!

Cheese Snow Leopard suddenly swung its Meow Meow Punch, relentlessly chasing the tumbling Charcoal Servant. After dodging several Meow Meow Punches, the panting Charcoal Servant suddenly started running in circles!

Marathon, let's begin!
If a frontal assault fails, then we'll fight a flank! However, I will not retreat, nor will I turn back!
"It's an energy-storing flame attack."

"A lower-tier version of Flame Charge, but without the counter-damage and with increased speed!"

In contrast, although the Ancient Sword Leopard is very fast, it is precisely because of its innate high speed that it cannot learn skills to increase its speed.

After all, with a base speed of 135 km/h, if it were to add a special acceleration technique, it would truly dominate the competition.

However, although the Ancient Sword Leopard cannot increase its speed on its own, it can use the freezing wind to reduce the speed of its opponents. According to the theory of canyon relativity, the opponent's speed reduction is equivalent to our speed increase!
Furthermore, the Ancient Sword Leopard also has ice shards and surprise attacks for preemptive strikes!

Meanwhile, the Pokémon watching the battle have already begun to offer their heated commentary!
Genesect, Aerodactyl, Victini, Burning Bug, and Aegislash (from Dark Souls 5), along with the martial arts master Riolu, began discussing Samurai's fighting style. Riolu, in particular, with its Mind's Eye, could see through all of Elder Sword Leopard's movements. It cheered from the back and offered guidance from the sidelines!
Gu Jianbao was very unhappy.

It looked at the blue-haired puppy and suddenly sensed that something was wrong.

Although this puppy is also a "Pokémon," it seems to be quite powerful?

"Of course."

Faced with the Cheese Snow Leopard's confusion, Light Moss answered it.

"Riolus's current level should be similar to yours, or even a little higher?"

After the intense battles in Unova, Riolu's level, if converted to a specific number, should be over level 60, right?
In the game, the Ancient Sword Leopard's initial level after breaking the seal is only sixty!

A small body with great strength, plus the ability to see into one's own mind—if it really came to a fight…
Riolu's eyes gradually began to glow.

It is observing and analyzing the Ancient Sword Leopard's fighting style, transforming its attack patterns into its own martial arts.

By learning from the strengths of many schools of thought, one can hone one's abilities. Even seemingly different or dissimilar techniques share commonalities.

"Wang Wang!"

Riolu begins instructing Samurai!

Tanjiro's attacks have escalated!
By providing correct and reasonable guidance, we can improve the attack and defense capabilities of all our personnel!

Are you teaching me moves?

Riolu's guidance wasn't just simple instruction or move enhancement; it was genuinely telling Samurai that he needed to learn new moves in battle.

At this moment, it is teaching you new moves!
To defeat Dark-type Pokémon, Fighting techniques are essential! And the most powerful Fighting-type moves are those that abandon all defense and launch a desperate attack on the opponent's body!
Also known as "close combat"!
"Charcoal Servant cannot learn close combat, but it can learn Azure Flame Blade Demon after it evolves."

"Learning another evolved move ahead of time is not impossible."

"However, the apprentice knight who broke through in dire straits is still just an apprentice; it hasn't learned any fighting skills yet."

Riolu frowned slightly as he listened to the comments from the light moss, but he did not give up on giving guidance.

"Aww!"

If moves that deal double damage don't work, then you'll have to learn moves that deal quadruple damage in difficult situations!

Bearing the dream of a knight, go and learn! You must master "close combat"!
The burning insects also spewed flames, casting sunlight onto Charcoal Servant!
Keep it up! We're cheering for you!

Let us harness the power of this sunshine to defeat our formidable foe!
sunshine!

Increase the power of fire-attribute moves!

"Mera!"

Praise the sun!
"With the help of the energy-storing flame attack, the speed has been increased to the maximum!"

Six-stage acceleration!
Now, in terms of speed, it can finally compete with the Ancient Sword Leopard. However, the Snow Leopard has the ability to strike first and freeze the wind, so in actual combat, Tan Xiaoshi is still constantly running and rolling.

But compared to the beginning, I've become much more skilled!
The fastest way to improve is through battle, and that's exactly true for Pokémon!
*Snap!* A black light suddenly flashed in Gu Jianbao's eyes.

Tan Xiaoshi's body stiffened.

With a dark gaze, he stared intently at his opponent, his eyes seemingly capable of captivating the soul, preventing them from escaping the battle!

Like marathons? The Ancient Sword Leopard swung its tail sharply!
Countless ice blocks, as sharp as bullets, slammed into Tan Xiaoshi at unimaginable speed!

"Click!"

Faced with the preemptive attack of ice shards, Tanji cried out in pain, but immediately devised a countermeasure!

It suddenly burst into flames, enveloping itself in them and blocking the attacks from the ice blocks!

"Gu Pao~" Gu Jianbao blinked, his playful expression gradually disappearing.

Hmph, the snow leopard is getting a little tired of playing with it!
You little rascal, rolling around everywhere, it looked quite fun at first, but then you immediately started running and stealing knives, it's really not fun anymore!
Little knight, are you so eager for victory?
The cat-and-mouse game is over!
The Ancient Sword Leopard abandoned its playful mood, and a chilling aura emanated from its surroundings. Extreme freezing winds began to blow endlessly, constantly slowing down Charcoal Servant's speed!

Forced by the cold air, Tan Xiaoshi's speed was decreasing, and the flames on its body were gradually being suppressed, while the Ancient Sword Leopard rode the wind and snow and pounced!
boom!
A black aura of evil erupted, dyeing the sky black. Intense emotions and malice surged up, converging into a dark vortex like a whirlpool of the heart, drawing out all the negative forces within life and releasing them in the form of an energy eruption.

Little knight, you've never seen a snow leopard like this before!
Let me show you the true power of the snow leopard!

Cataclysm!
This special move, shared by the four evil gods, unleashes a devastating calamity, halving the opponent's HP while ignoring other elemental advantages and disadvantages, as well as elemental matchups.

Only treasures of calamity can use this sealed technique, a move that once led to the downfall of the Padia Empire. It incites disaster using four different emotions, and the Ancient Sword Leopard corresponds to which emotion?

"hatred!"

Tanjiro was struck by the vortex of disaster. The country knight had never seen anything like it before. His eyes widened in shock, and his initial confidence crumbled under the onslaught of calamity and hatred. Fear and dread rose within him, and the shadow of death loomed large.

The ancient sword leopard gracefully stepped onto the snow.

With a graceful yet fierce flick of its long, white, and sharp tail!
The unparalleled power of the ancient divine sword erupted at this moment!
It was a holy sword under the ultimate attack!
The tattered armor, forged with a loud bang, cracked and nearly split open. Smoke billowed from the Muramasa hammer in his hand. Tanjiro fell to the ground in a spread-eagle position, his eyes staring blankly at the sky.

"Gu Pao~"

The cheese snow leopard licked its paws and made a mocking sound.

Oh, you incompetent little knight.

You've lost, so just hate me like this!
The snow leopard will absorb your hatred, become stronger, and then go on to toy with more people, play with them, and ruin their future!
The ancient sword leopard flicked its tail.

Who's next? Are you Pokémon going to stand in the way of the Snow Leopard? I'm already tired of playing with the Little Knight. Will the next one give me some fun?

Or is that human going to take the field himself?
"It's really too much to ask a hero who has just left the countryside to challenge an ancient demon king."

"If we can't even defeat a fragile creature like the Ancient Sword Leopard, how are we supposed to win against the other three Demon Kings?"

"Defeating unprecedentedly powerful enemies and establishing countless merits, is it all just empty talk?"

The fire was about to go out, and the king's shadow was nowhere to be seen.

With a base stat total of 255, it's simply too low. Even with favorable guidance and the help of a Burning Bug, it still can't defeat its opponents.

But is this really the case?
"Let me help you. Just follow my instructions."

Guangtai looked behind Gujianbao, and at that moment, the "Charcoal Servant" who had been "defeated" exploded with a bang!
substitute!

By reducing one's own life force, a stand is created that is indistinguishable from the original. In battle, the stand will take the hits in place of the original!

The ancient sword leopard was stunned. It turned around abruptly and was hit by a heavy hammer with a bang!
Hammer + Flame Hammer Spark!

You asked what kind of move Hammer Spark is? That's not a Pokémon move, so it can't be learned. It's just a simple "hammering" move used at this moment!

"The fact that the little knight did not use the 'Shared Fate' technique when he was defeated means that he has not been defeated yet!"

His companions cheered and encouraged Tan Xiaoshi!

Gu Jianbao couldn't understand.

It saw hatred and fear in Tanjiro's eyes, but it still launched an attack.
The leopard became curious.

If you're scared, just run away with your tail between your legs. Why launch an attack?

Aren't you afraid of me? Aren't you afraid of the disaster that will befall you?

Gu Jianbao asked this question.

"Click!"

Tan Xiaoshi was panting!

I'm terrified! You're a legendary Pokémon of disaster, which means you're a demon king to me!

However, a knight cannot desert his post!

Courage is facing the abyss head-on. I don't know why, but I only feel the meaning of existence when I'm charging forward.

Gu Jianbao couldn't understand.

"Gu Pao!"

What a little madman! That's what the snow leopard thought!

Then he suddenly swung out a holy sword with tremendous power!

But this time when the holy sword was slashed out, there was a clear sense of sluggishness. The snow leopard scratched its face, and the cat was quite puzzled!

"It's resentment."

Gu Jianbao turned to look at Guangtai.

Guangtai explained with a smile, "Holding resentment towards the opponent's last move reduces the number of times that move can be used. In other words, it weakens the energy and stamina of the move that can be used!"

"Therefore, you will feel that the Holy Sword is starting to become sluggish."

"If you keep using resentment, your holy sword will become duller and duller until it can no longer be used!"

"Gu Roar!" Gu Jianbao roared defiantly, the big cat arching its back and hissing loudly!

It won't be blocked so easily!

No, no!
This is just an ordinary Pokémon, but I am the noble Plague Pokémon!
pat!

A bright light shone from the Ancient Sword Leopard's body!

Self-regeneration!

Swords dance, swords dance, a sneak attack on vitals!
The Ancient Sword Leopard became completely serious, which meant that this Snow Demon King had entered its full-power mode!

"Cleansing Smoke!"

Under the command of the light moss, Tanjiro seemed to have found a way to fight. It rolled away from the sneak attack and then white smoke rose from the Muramasa Hammer in its hand!
boom!
The Smoke of Purification will restore all of the opponent's abilities to their original state!

Is sword dance effective?

Even a humble knight from the countryside possesses secret techniques to defeat powerful enemies. I may be in a sorry state during the battle, but at the final moment, I will definitely continue to charge forward!
To complete my transformation and become a true knight, this is all I need!
Tan Xiaoshi's eyes widened suddenly!
"Stare."

"Use a sharp gaze to frighten your opponent, thereby lowering their defenses."

"That's right. Normally, no one would use Leer. It's too weak and is one of the starter moves for many Pokémon. It can only handle some low-level situations."

"But it works exceptionally well for the Ancient Sword Leopard, because the Ancient Sword Leopard, which prides itself on its extreme attack power, cannot learn moves that increase its defense."

"Once its defenses weaken, it will become extremely vulnerable. The false body formed by the snow cannot withstand a violent beating."

"Of course, the Ancient Sword Leopard is not without a way to deal with it."

According to the explanation from the Lightmoss, the Ancient Sword Leopard also realized that it couldn't turn itself into a real crispy shell, so it spewed out white smoke from its mouth!
White Mist: A white mist rises up, preventing the opponent from reducing their abilities for 5 rounds!
Now, neither clearing the smoke nor glaring is effective!
"Now! Strange Light!"

A strange beam of light struck the cheese snow leopard, and in the white smoke, the snow leopard began to dance wildly and erratically.

Charcoal Servant swung his hammer, his tattered armor cracked and cracked, and bursts of intense flames erupted from his body!

Flash Charge slammed into the head of the Ancient Sword Leopard with a loud bang!

The sun is with me; I ignite myself to illuminate the world!

Charcoal Servant kept swinging its hammer, not knowing what moves it was using, but just swinging! Swinging until it was exhausted, swinging until the Ancient Sword Leopard broke free of its chaos, swinging until the heavy snow extinguished its flames!
My equipment is tattered and worn out, and I have empty and unrealistic fantasies.

But the battle has already begun.

No matter what I do.

I will never be cowardly!

A fighting-attribute energy gradually awakened within it, seemingly stimulated by the power of the ghost, or activated by a malevolent aura.

A faint ripple appeared on Tanjiro's body, which Riolu noticed immediately.

It's a "waveguide"!
"That's right, Cinnabar Knight can learn Aura Sphere and Focus Blast. Therefore, Samurai, a Pokémon, also has the talent of Aura Sphere."

"Regardless of which path of chivalry is chosen, it can learn different fighting techniques."

Intense ripples vibrated, causing a certain energy to surge. Charcoal Servant, who was wielding a copper hammer and trying to exhaust all his strength, suddenly unleashed astonishing power at this moment!

Then--

"Close combat!"

[Tan-chan has learned: "Close Combat"!]

When attacking a weakness twice as much as possible is ineffective, then you must seek greater strength—that is, aim for a weakness four times as strong!
The Ice/Dark type Ancient Saber Leopard is 4x weak to Fighting!
The snow leopard never expected that it would be defeated by a novice adventurer!
I am, in theory, the strongest of the four great calamity treasures!

The invincible sword of calamity can weaken the opponent's defense, and when combined with its own ultimate attack, very few Pokémon can stop it!
You're right, buddy. You're wearing external armor. That's what protected you and prevented me from killing you with one blow!
"Gurgle, gurgle~!"

Stop hitting me! Stop hitting me!
This isn't fun anymore, it's not fun at all, I don't want to play with you anymore!

Sigh, can we reconcile?
In the clash between flames and snow, the Ancient Sword Leopard was left dizzy and disoriented, the Big Cat bared its teeth and collapsed with a thud, while Charcoal Servant, who had defeated the Demon King, still gripped the hammer tightly in his hand.

Then, its body swayed, and with a thud, it collapsed onto the snow, burning completely to ashes.

Having defeated the calamity-inducing Ancient Sword Leopard, the power of new life has been strengthened.

[Tanukimi's growth rate has increased!]

The snow leopard shook its head, struggled to its feet, and looked at the exhausted and unconscious Tan Xiaoshi with lingering fear.

I'm really scared of you! I'm not fighting anymore! The snow leopard is leaving!
Ghana!

"No, you can't leave."

Lightmoss had the Aegislash stop the Ancient Sword Leopard. The big cat looked at the human in confusion, and then heard something that annoyed and puzzled it:
"As a treasure of calamity, your power is too great. If we let you run away, it will cause chaos."

"If you want to play, I'll play with you; otherwise, I'll have to seal you away again."

Huh? You were the one who released me, but now you're saying you want to seal me away?
I bet you've never seen a cat-style punch before!
"Don't be so polite, subduing you was just a piece of cake."

Bang!
The Ancient Sword Leopard blinked and looked up at the sky. The world in front of it spun around in an instant, and then it was blasted away by a huge force and landed on its backside!
Difficult, could it be!
Will good and evil ultimately be revealed?
Gu Jianbao was caught by the scruff of his neck!
"In other ancient times, humans were able to fight Pokémon with their bare hands."

"The purity of the Parthians is still too low!"

"Also, isn't it common sense to show your stomach when apologizing?"

(End of this chapter)