Necromancer, summoning 055? What the heck?

Chapter 444 The Face of the Sky and the Gun of the Vast Sea (It's the end of the month, please vote with your monthly tickets if you haven't already, thank you)

It's perfectly fine to say that Liu Shuang is young.

It's also true that girls have less muscle mass and therefore less explosive power.

But if you say that this little girl shouldn't be hit because of that, then you're joking.

In the daily combat practice in the Vast Ocean Territory, the little girl was indeed virtually invincible, but this had nothing to do with whether she was the Vast Ocean Lord's beloved or the Elf Queen's adopted daughter; it was simply because she was strong enough.

First of all, she's incredibly talented.

That's just how the world is. Sometimes you have to admit that hard work can only differentiate you from people of the same level. Once you encounter true talent, hard work seems pitiful.

Frostfall is the kind of thing that makes most hard-working people feel powerless.

Secondly, she is also a gifted but hardworking individual.

After arriving in Hanhai Territory from Tianshuang City, Liushuang basically put aside all political affairs and rarely had the opportunity to personally lead troops into battle. As a result, a lot of her time was freed up.

The little girl didn't like reading, and the person who used to force her to read was now buried in the wilderness.

Having gone through that tumultuous period of growth, she knew better than anyone that the most reliable weapon was always the sword in her own hand.

Moreover, she now has to protect not only herself, but also that frail little necromancer.

So, while Chen Mo was meditating in the quiet room, she was practicing swordsmanship; while Chen Mo was lecturing to her students, she was practicing swordsmanship; while Chen Mo was grading documents, she was practicing swordsmanship; and even when Chen Mo was summoning her bloodline, she was still practicing swordsmanship.

Aside from intermittently protecting Chen Mo and occasionally playing mahjong, Liu Shuang's life was just so dull.

Ultimately, she was still a talented individual with a solid foundation and a knack for hard work.

The girl's former teacher, Peiwen, died young, and her current teacher... in a sense, died even earlier—Li Zelin, the factory director of the reduction plant.

Li Zelin deeply hated the orcs, but he took great care of this little girl who had some orc blood. In his eyes, she was a victim of the orc invasion, just like him!
Of course, Lord Chen Mo's influence should also play a part.

Li Zelin regarded Liu Shuang as his prized student and personal disciple, and naturally taught her with all his heart and soul.

As a third-tier professional who fought his way in and out of the desperate situation on the White Deer Plain seven times back then, Old Li's skill level is beyond doubt. And there is another important point: Old Li has a group of quite skilled employees under his command.

Professional spies from all over the Starry Continent, starting from the second job advancement, are all ruthless criminals. They are imprisoned in the dark and sunless Restoration Factory. For a long time, Xiao Liushuang is one of the only two living people they can see.

Liu Shuang is a kind-hearted child. Every time she visits her mentor, Li Zelin, she brings a lot of delicious food.

Old Li happily accepted it, but the problem was that the dead didn't need to eat, so he gave it to the most proactive employee.

It's easy to imagine how popular Liushuang was in the restoration factory; she was practically the sect's top genius, fawned over by everyone.

Therefore, during her time in the vast sea, Liu Shuang diligently received training from various schools of thought across the continent.

Under these circumstances, the people of the Sky Dome could not understand what kind of monster this seemingly innocent little girl had been transformed into.

This isn't over yet.

The opponent standing opposite Liu Shuang is nicknamed "Iron Head." He is a master of physical training, known for his formidable strength. Among the three sixth-tier warriors sent by Tianqiong, he is undoubtedly the number one in terms of toughness and explosive power.

When Liu Shuang chose him, even the old officials of Tianqiong couldn't help but sigh.

"If this were in the wilderness or jungle, this little girl might be able to use her agility to fight 'Iron Head' and find an opportunity, but on this small fighting arena, there is no room for maneuver!"

"Once we get close, it'll probably be over with one punch."

Even His Highness the Crown Prince felt a pang of pity and quietly instructed someone, "Go easy on him, don't hit him too hard."

His Highness the Crown Prince had his own plans. He certainly wanted to demonstrate the martial prowess of the Sky Dome and suppress the arrogance of the Vast Ocean, but if he really beat the little girl so badly that she suffered internal injuries, broken bones, or severed tendons, he was afraid that she would turn against him and he would have a hard time explaining it to his father.

"Iron Head" nodded vigorously upon hearing the order.

This guy didn't seem to like talking much. He grinned at Liu Shuang, revealing his white teeth in a somewhat ferocious smile.

Liushuang pressed down on the hilt of the sword.

Why did the young princess single this guy out?
Because Liu Shuang knew him.

"Iron Head" has a junior apprentice who is one of the outstanding employees in the reduction plant, number forty-nine.

Because of Han Hai's long-standing hobby of collecting various information, from the scale of cities and the structure of gods in different countries and factions to the sowing season and flowering time of unique plants, he has been continuously collecting information for a fee.

In this situation, "Iron Head's" junior brother naturally turned his memories from childhood to adulthood upside down, revealing everything that could and could not be said, valuable and worthless, cleanly and clearly.

It's not fair to say they lack integrity. In these guys' minds, most information is completely unrelated to the vast ocean, so what kind of betrayal of intelligence is that?
This vast amount of intelligence was entered line by line into the central database of the Vast Ocean, becoming part of the basic information of the Starry World that may never be used.

Unfortunately, "Iron Head's" junior brother also clearly explained his good brother's martial arts characteristics and skill deficiencies.

As the "prospective daughter-in-law" already recognized by the commanders of Dongxia, Liu Shuang carried a portable external secondary system with a central database. Thus, the moment she saw the three sixth-tier warriors sent by Tianqiong, the artificial intelligence automatically completed the information matching from the database.

Just then, "Iron Head" was baring his teeth and strutting around, so Liu Shuang casually picked the guy who was glaring at her.

Before the fight started, Chen Mo had been hoping for a long time that the other side would open a betting pool and place some bets, but in the end, he didn't get to see it.

It's unclear whether the Sky Dome group was concerned about saving face in diplomatic situations or if they were secretly excluding us from the game.

If the Moon Gazing Pavilion ever gets a chance to enter the Sky Dome, then it must find an opportunity to launch a lottery. It's not easy to do it on its own territory, but it can be piloted in the Sky Dome!

In any case, the highly anticipated competition has finally begun.

With a flick of the referee's wrist, the magical iris between the two on the stage was removed. "Iron Head" stood firmly on his feet, raised his two large, fan-like hands, and slapped them twice on his muscular shoulders, making a sound like metal striking stone. Then he beckoned to Liu Shuang.

"A guest from afar is a welcome visitor!"

"Your Highness, I have been instructed to give you three moves!"

He pounded his broad chest and patted his large forehead, his expression becoming increasingly arrogant: "Come on! Shoot here!"

However, just as the feigned magnanimity of "Iron Head" was unfolding in his mouth, Liu Shuang's figure became nothing more than a blur in his vision.

This is Peiwen's signature move, Warrior Charge, [Swift Charge]!
The same skill can produce different results for each person. Although Peiwen was only a fourth-tier Golden Scale Swordsman back then, his charging technique was unparalleled.

Now, Liu Shuang seemed to vanish from "Iron Head's" sight in an instant. When she reappeared, the cold touch of the scabbard had already precisely pierced into his left side from three inches below.

"Ugh!"

"Iron Head" let out a short, painful groan.

No matter how strong one's external training is, it's impossible to suppress one's fighting spirit on the surface of the body at all times. One can only tense up the body instantly when the battle begins. Because he never expected the opponent's speed to be this fast, "Iron Head" had not yet fully gathered his fighting spirit. He was attacked by this sudden attack, and the power he had gathered in his body instantly dissipated by 30%.

He gritted his teeth and twisted his waist violently, his right fist sweeping out with a strong wind, but he only hit a piece of air.

Liu Shuang had somehow circled around to his right, her boot lightly tapping the back of his right knee. "Iron Head's" burly body involuntarily knelt on one knee, slamming onto the table with a dull thud.

"Roar--!"

Humiliation made Tie Tou's eyes bloodshot. He roared again, his skin gleaming with a metallic sheen. He turned around and lunged at her, intending to use brute force to hold the slippery little girl down.

Liu Shuang seemed to have anticipated his move. With a light sidestep, she swung her sheathed longsword like a whip from bottom to top, striking Tie Tou's chin, which was slightly raised due to the attack, with a crisp "snap".

The blow was both accurate and cunning. The burly man felt a buzzing in his head, saw stars, and was thrown backward, crashing onto the table.

This fierce battle lasted only a few breaths, and now the spectator stands were deathly silent. The civil and military officials of the Sky Empire all gaped, their prepared comments and cheers stuck in their throats.

It feels like we've been collectively banned from speaking!

The Crown Prince's composure froze completely.

Liu Shuang still didn't draw her sword. She stood three steps away from the lying Tie Tou, holding the scabbard in one hand, her head slightly tilted. Her gaze didn't seem to be looking at an opponent fighting to the death, but rather as if she were scrutinizing a poorly done exercise.

Indeed, "Iron Head's" fighting style, which relies on his powerful physique and overwhelming force, including the possible counter-attack variations, had already been practiced dozens of times with Deputy Commander Liu Shuang by his "good junior brother" at the restoration factory. With Liu Shuang's martial arts talent, he had developed a conditioned reflex to counter this attack. Now, in Liu Shuang's eyes, "Iron Head," whose strength had been partially neutralized, was practically a crippled sparring partner.

"Iron Head" was indeed resilient. After taking several blows to vital points, he roared and bounced up again. He shook his head and unleashed a series of punches like drums. Under the watchful eyes of the entire audience, Liu Shuang's leisurely stroll was highlighted.

The little girl's figure was elusive, like a dancing feather. No matter how fierce the violent punches were, the feather always floated outside the wind of the punches, swaying back and forth, and could never be hit.

As the "Iron Head" warrior roared, Liu Shuang weaved back and forth, her scabbard striking, drawing, drawing, and slapping, each strike landing between the swings of Iron Head's arms. She whipped her opponent, this big guy, into a clumsy spinning top, making him dizzy and staggering, yet unable to mount an effective counterattack.

The Crown Prince's face went from ashen to deathly pale.

This scene was no longer a contest of martial arts; it was practically a public humiliation and execution.

"waste!"

In the Sky Dome reception group, an assistant officer with a gloomy face finally couldn't hold back and squeezed out a low shout through clenched teeth. The voice was not loud, but it seemed to have a strange penetrating power and solidly entered "Iron Head's" ears.

On the stage, Tie Tou's body stiffened abruptly, a near-mad ruthlessness flashing in his eyes. He then let out several roars, his skin turning an unnatural blood red, as if all the blood in his body had rushed to the surface!
Standing still, "Iron Head" neither dodged nor evaded, taking several blows from Liu Shuang's sword sheath. During this time, his muscles visibly bulged, and his entire body seemed to expand. Then, with a series of howls, he swung his arms out at a speed far exceeding his previous speed, punching Liu Shuang's body one punch after another!

This is a desperate fighting style that damages the very foundation of the warrior.

Liu Shuang frowned slightly.

She herself was a soldier, and she knew what this kind of life-or-death fighting style meant to a soldier.

The scene of the elven ranger Loma Wind Chaser forcibly burning her life essence in order to stop the enemy's attack in Featherfall Canyon seemed to reappear before her eyes.

She strongly disliked this behavior, whether from allies or enemies.

Just as that fist, as big as a clay pot, came hurtling towards her again with a whooshing sound, she moved.

Charge, a short, arcing charge, while simultaneously lifting the left foot and precisely stepping on Iron Head's right shoulder, which is slightly tilted forward due to the full force of his punch, using the momentum to launch himself into the air!

In mid-air, Liu Shuang spun lightly, her sword sheath drawing an arc, like a dragonfly skimming the water, gently patting the back of her opponent's left ear, which had turned crimson from the violent exertion of her energy and blood.

"Uh--"

Ironhead's burly body, which had been charging forward, suddenly stiffened. The color drained from his skin like a receding tide, and his pupils, surging with ferocity and pain, rolled upward, revealing large areas of white. After staggering a few steps, his body crashed onto the table like a felled log, completely losing consciousness.

This time, as the sounds of fighting ceased, the arena was truly deathly silent.

The area behind the ear is "Iron Head's" biggest weakness, and of course it's recorded in HanHai's database.

In most cases, people who haven't practiced this technique would never imagine that the "Iron Head's" weakness is actually on its head.

Even knowing this, hitting the spot behind the ear is quite difficult. However, for Liu Shuang, her charge is almost equivalent to a short-to-medium distance teleportation. Based on this, she has at least dozens of different ways to deal with this guy.

"Arbitration? What are you spacing out for? Speak up, do you want to continue or not?"

"Say something! Did you win? Did we win? Can that big guy lying on the ground still fight?"

"Or you could call the other two up to help him fight?"

The one who could shout like that was naturally Xia Yuanfeng. With one hand on his hip and the other pointing forward, he perfectly embodied the image of "I have no manners," which naturally drew a reprimand from Chen Mo.

"Nonsense! How dare you be so insolent before the Crown Prince! Get out!"

"Yes!"

With this commotion, the arbitrator could no longer pretend to be dead. The magicians who had been sitting on fire in the four corners of the stage suddenly woke up, removed the protective barriers around the arena, and hurriedly called people up to the stage to give "Iron Head" emergency treatment.

Tie Tou was quickly revived. He struggled to push away the people supporting him, his eyes bloodshot as he glared at Liu Shuang, who was walking slowly away. He was filled with shame and indignation, and shouted incoherently, "Despicable! If it weren't for... if it weren't for His Highness's order to let me give you a few moves first, how could I... how could I have lost the initiative and been suppressed by you!"

That makes some sense. Liu Shuang's initial charge disrupted his rhythm, rendering him unable to exert his full strength. It's like being interrupted by your opponent at the beginning, and it's true that you can't recover for a while.

But the outcome is already decided, so what's the point of such forced rebuttal?
As Tie Tou spoke, he grew increasingly agitated and angry. Suddenly, he pushed aside the guard beside him, roared, his body surging with energy, bowed his head, and a crimson spiritual energy glowed on his forehead. Then, like a mad rhinoceros, he slammed into the arena in front of him.

He poured all his anger and frustration into that headbutt.

The surface is forged from a mixture of hard obsidian and magical metal, and is constantly reinforced with multiple magic arrays that disperse energy. Under normal circumstances, even if a second-tier warrior's longsword falls, it would only leave a mark on it.

Without this level of sturdiness, it wouldn't be suitable as a stage for skill demonstrations and martial arts competitions.

However, this very surface, under "Iron Head's" hateful headbutt, was smashed into the shape of a skull, with flying debris and dents with radial cracks all around the edges!
"Iron Head" shakily raised his head, revealing a bloody mess in the center of his forehead. His skin and flesh swelled up at a visible speed, forming a horrifying purple bump. Blood flowed down his nose and cheeks, making his already distorted face even more ferocious.

Liu Shuang gave a soft "humph".

Sunlight fell on her delicate profile, which remained expressionless, and her long eyelashes cast a small shadow under her eyes.

Liu Shuang's voice wasn't loud, but it traveled clearly to everyone's ears.

"So, this platform... can be disassembled?"

"You should have said so earlier!"

"Give me my gun!"

As the vice-captain of the Frostfire Guard, Angus, like a lackey, stepped forward and deftly handed over a long spear.

Liu Shuang caught it with one hand, gracefully twirled it with the spear, and then pointed the muzzle forward at the dueling platform.

This is the only heavy anti-material sniper rifle in the entire Starry Continent, specially customized by the Dongxia Military Equipment Center and exclusively for Liushuang's use—the QBU-100, codenamed "The Arbiter".

It has only been used once so far, and it blasted down the entire "Thunder Roar" tribe with a single shot.

However, having personally experienced the defensive strength of the obsidian-magical metal platform on stage, Liu Shuang felt that the standard armor-piercing bullets, costing 700,000 Xia Yuan each, seemed... not safe enough.

The little girl pulled open the underbarrel firing port of the gun, where a specially made oversized bullet was being loaded.

High-explosive bomb made of all-nitrogen anionic salt.

At the very moment Liushuang opened the magazine, with a shout from the captain of the guard, Hanhai's team began a collective retreat.

To put it simply, this weapon, which can achieve an energy density a hundred times that of traditional explosive munitions, is already the ceiling for conventional weapons.

Weapons loaded with this type of bullet have a nickname in Dongxia: the Subnuclear Pistol.

"Go, go, go far away!"

Reminded by the warning, Chen Ye, the eldest nephew, hurriedly sent a warning to the Crown Prince and his entourage on the other viewing platform. At that moment, Chen Mo, with the help of the guards, had already swiftly run three hundred meters away.

Half a minute later, facing an empty field, Liu Shuang raised her gun and pulled the trigger.

A thunderclap from a clear sky, a birthday in the void.

A flash of light, and all things fall silent.

The moment the bullet struck the arena, it burst into a blazing white sphere of light, almost blinding to the naked eye, instantly engulfing everything around it.

The air was violently compressed, producing a thunderous boom. A pure, unruly, and unreasonable force forcefully pushed sound waves into everyone's eardrums.

Bullets have limited capacity, so the explosion only covered a little more than the area around the arena. The seemingly solid mixed magic surface instantly vaporized and disintegrated, like a brittle biscuit hit by a heavy hammer. The fragments carried by the shockwave shot out in all directions like bullets, creating ripples on the defensive magic arrays erected by the two major forces.

Although they had created enough distance, the Imperial Guards, who could only defend themselves with their bare hands, were battered and bruised by the violent rain of gravel.

On the flagpole near the training ground, the flag that was originally fluttering in the wind was suddenly stretched into a straight line.

As the light faded and the dust settled, everyone froze in place as if under a spell, staring wide-eyed at the center of the arena.

There, all that remains is a charred, giant crater, over thirty meters in diameter, with edges that appear as molten glass.

(End of this chapter)