NOVGO.NET Chapter 198: Is This Even A Match???
Chapter 198: Is This Even A Match???
Chapter 198
The entire arena was completely silent, without a single murmur, conversation, or even the faintest whisper from the countless spectators who had been shouting and cheering only moments ago.
Everyone was watching the stage with every gaze locked onto the two figures standing at the center of the battlefield, anticipation burning deeply within their eyes.
The previous excitement had vanished, replaced by absolute silence, absolute eagerness, and the same question ringing clearly within the minds of every single person present: Who would take the win?
Would it be Liyu... the heir of the Li Clan, the Honored One? Or would it be Shi Tian... the heir of the Shi Clan, the Devil of the Shi Clan?
Nobody knew, and that uncertainty was exactly what made the atmosphere so tense as they waited to see what would happen when these two monsters finally collided.
Back on the stage, Liyu stood face-to-face with Shi Tian, the young man from the Shi Clan remaining completely expressionless. There wasn’t even the slightest hint of emotion within his dark eyes, almost as if he wasn’t feeling anything at all... no excitement, no nervousness, no killing intent, nothing.
He simply stood there, calmly staring at Liyu as though the countless spectators surrounding them didn’t exist. The referee had called the beginning of the match several seconds ago, yet neither of them had made the first move.
Liyu hadn’t, and, of course, Shi Tian hadn’t either.
Liyu remained still because he was wary of the guy standing before him, very wary. He had already sensed something dangerous from Shi Tian before the battle even began, and now that they were standing directly opposite each other, that feeling had only become stronger.
But there was something else Liyu couldn’t help but wonder about: Why hadn’t Shi Tian moved yet? Could it be... was Shi Tian also wary of him? That would make some sense.
After all, Liyu had already shown enough power throughout the tournament to make even someone like Shi Tian take him seriously. Perhaps the other guy was waiting for him to make the first move, testing him, or perhaps...
Liyu’s thoughts were suddenly interrupted.
*Warning!* His senses suddenly exploded. A blinding sense of danger flashed through his mind—not merely a vague feeling, but a bright, overwhelming warning ringing inside his head over and over again: *Danger!*
Liyu reacted immediately with no hesitation, his body moving almost at the exact same instant his instincts screamed. *Linear Blink!*
Whoosh! Liyu’s figure vanished from his original position, appearing far away near the edge of the stage a fraction of a second later. His breathing was slightly heavier, and a small frown appeared on his face.
He had dodged, reacting immediately after sensing the danger. Yet... something was wrong. Shi Tian hadn’t even moved... or at least, Liyu hadn’t seen him move.
Shi Tian calmly shook his head. "You reacted pretty fast." His voice was calm, almost emotionless, before his gaze narrowed slightly. "But you’re still way too slow."
The instant those words fell, Liyu’s eyes widened. *Splurt!* Several thin red lines suddenly appeared across his body. For a brief moment, nothing happened, and then... *PSSHHH!*
Blood erupted from those wounds, several streams of crimson spraying into the air as pain suddenly exploded throughout Liyu’s body, a sharp, merciless pain stabbing into every inch of him at once.
Liyu’s body trembled, his knees almost buckling beneath him. "Urgh!" He staggered slightly before coughing out a mouthful of blood, the metallic taste immediately filling his mouth. Lowering his gaze, he stared at the blood dripping from his body with an expression of pure disbelief.
He had been attacked, and yet... he had been unable to react fast enough. How? He had reacted in a split second when his senses detected the danger, activating Linear Blink and teleporting out of the way the instant he sensed something was wrong. His reaction speed had already been pushed to an absurd level, and yet... he was still slashed.
Liyu’s pupils contracted. *Just how fast is he?* He hadn’t even seen the attack clearly... no, he hadn’t even seen the movement that produced the attack. His senses had warned him, he had reacted, he had escaped, and yet the attack had still managed to reach him.
Slowly raising his hand, Liyu touched his neck, his fingers coming away stained with crimson from a thin line of blood that had appeared across his skin. His gaze became increasingly serious. *Is he trying to kill me?*
There was no doubt about it. The attack hadn’t been able to truly make its mark only because Liyu had reacted fast enough; if he had been even slightly slower, if his reaction had been delayed by even the smallest fraction of a second, then the thin line across his neck wouldn’t have been a shallow wound.
His throat would have been cut, and his head might have been separated from his body.
Liyu’s expression became completely serious. This guy... his eyes narrowed. *He’s dangerous. Extremely dangerous.* Liyu hadn’t expected this. He hadn’t expected Shi Tian to go serious from the very first attack, thinking there would be some kind of warm-up, some testing, or that the two of them would exchange a few attacks and slowly understand each other’s strength.
But apparently, Shi Tian had no intention of doing that. Fine. If the guy didn’t want any warm-up, then Liyu would play by his rules.
After all, that first exchange had already confirmed something Liyu had suspected: the Devil of the Shi Clan was on an entirely different level from every other participant he had encountered throughout this tournament.
Guan Haoran had already pushed him to an incredible extent, but Shi Tian... Shi Tian was different. Trying to play around with someone like this wouldn’t merely be dangerous; it could cost Liyu his life. And Liyu couldn’t afford that... not now, not at the final battle, and not when victory was already within his reach.
His gaze gradually sharpened, the playful look that had previously lingered within his eyes disappearing completely. Liyu took a slow breath, and then... his body suddenly arched.
*Crack!* His muscles shifted, his bones began to change, and his aura erupted as Liyu immediately entered his Hybrid State. His dark hair began to grow longer, strands whipping wildly behind him as an ominous aura spread outward from his body.
His teeth sharpened into fangs, his fingers elongated slightly into deadly claws capable of tearing through flesh, and his human eyes changed completely as the pupils narrowed into bestial slits burning with a feral yellow light.
The atmosphere around Liyu instantly became different. The young man who had previously looked relaxed and playful was gone, and in his place stood a predator... a beast staring directly at another beast. Slowly raising his head, his yellow eyes remained locked onto Shi Tian.
"Let’s do it your way, then." His voice was calm. If Shi Tian wanted a serious battle from the very beginning, then Liyu would give him one.
*Linear Blink!* Liyu vanished from his position, appearing directly before Shi Tian in the very next instant, so close that the two were almost face to face with his claws already stretched forward.
There was no hesitation, no unnecessary movement, no wasted time; Liyu’s deadly claws tore toward Shi Tian’s throat with enough force to rip it apart in a single motion.
Yet the instant Liyu appeared before him, his expression suddenly changed. Shock. The warning ringing through his mind returned once more, and this time... it was even more domineering. It wasn’t merely a faint sense of danger anymore, but an overwhelming warning that seemed to scream directly into the deepest part of his instincts: *Danger!*
Liyu’s pupils contracted, his gaze instantly sharpening as he knew he wouldn’t be able to escape this one as easily as before. Without the slightest hesitation, Liyu activated every advantage he had prepared: the surge elixirs he had purchased from the shop were consumed immediately, their effects exploding within his body as his strength surged violently, while at the same time his Origin Eyes activated.
His vision changed, and everything around him seemed to slow down as his eyes caught even the tiniest changes in the battlefield. With his speed and mobility further boosted by the Speed Elixir, Liyu’s reaction speed reached an entirely different level.
And yet... *Slash! Slash! Slash!* Several thin red lines suddenly appeared across his body, blood immediately bursting from those wounds. L
iyu’s body trembled slightly as sharp pain spread through him once more, but the wounds were nowhere near as deep as the previous ones thanks to the Defense Elixir, which had greatly increased his overall defensive capabilities to withstand attacks that would have otherwise cut much deeper.
Gritting his teeth, Liyu didn’t stop. Instead, he pushed forward, forcibly enduring the incoming attack and continuing to advance, refusing to allow the sudden assault to force him backward. His claws finally reached Shi Tian’s face, only moments away from tearing through it.
Yet Shi Tian’s expression remained completely unchanged... no fear, no panic, no urgency, nothing, as though the claws approaching his face were nothing more than a passing breeze.
Then... *Baring!* Another warning suddenly exploded within Liyu’s mind, this time even more terrifying than before, a warning far more dire than anything he had felt previously. Liyu’s expression changed instantly, his instincts screaming at him to retreat, and he listened. At the very last possible moment, Liyu forcefully pulled his hand back.
The instant his claws disappeared from their previous position... *BOOM!* A large rushing gust of wind slammed down from above, so sharp that it seemed capable of slicing through steel and shattering rock. It struck the exact location where Liyu’s hand had been only a split second earlier.
*CRACK!* A deep gash appeared across the marble stage, several inches of the reinforced marble sliced apart as if they were nothing more than fragile glass.
Liyu’s pupils contracted. If he hadn’t withdrawn his hand at that final moment... there was no doubt his hand would have been sliced clean off. Landing several meters away, his feet sliding slightly against the damaged marble, Liyu immediately created distance between himself and Shi Tian with an expression of pure shock and disbelief. *What the hell is this guy’s problem...?*
Liyu stared at Shi Tian. The guy was clearly trying to kill him... that much was obvious... but at the same time, he didn’t even seem to be taking the battle seriously. That realization made Liyu’s expression grow darker.
For the first time since entering the tournament, for the first time since he had started fighting opponents far stronger than himself... someone had made him feel weak, powerless, and it had happened within the very first few exchanges.
The most terrifying part wasn’t even that Shi Tian had wounded him; it was the fact that Shi Tian had done all of this without taking a single step from the position where he had originally stood, with his posture, expression, gaze, and nothing about him having changed at all. And yet, he had wounded Liyu twice in a row, as Liyu’s blood was already enough evidence of that.
Slowly raising his hand to touch his neck, his fingers came away stained with blood. The wound there... had become even deeper. Liyu’s gaze darkened. Twice. Shi Tian had attacked his neck twice, and both times Liyu had barely managed to avoid having his throat completely torn open.
Yet despite that, Shi Tian hadn’t even put much force behind either attack. That was the truly terrifying part: there was absolutely no doubt that Shi Tian wanted to kill him, as Liyu could feel and sense it from the man’s attacks, but at the same time Shi Tian wasn’t even trying hard enough.
It was almost as if he were deliberately holding back, merely making a statement, telling Liyu... *I can kill you. I can end this entire tournament whenever I want.* And the worst part? Liyu had a terrifying feeling that Shi Tian actually possessed the power to accomplish exactly that.
Liyu smiled slightly as he wiped the blood from his neck, his yellow slit eyes, now surrounded by a strange white ring, slowly turning darker and more dangerous. "Arrogant bastard..."
Liyu muttered under his breath, his gaze remaining locked onto Shi Tian as a dangerous glint flashed deep within those bestial eyes. *If one of my skills isn’t enough... then let’s see you handle all of them.*
The moment that thought flashed through his mind, Liyu’s body suddenly exploded forward. *BOOM!* His figure shot ahead with terrifying speed, and almost at the exact same instant that he vanished from his original position, his presence completely disappeared... not merely his figure, but his presence itself.
Liyu activated another one of his skills: *Camouflage*. His aura was concealed, his presence masked, and even his movements became difficult to perceive, having no intention of giving Shi Tian another opportunity to casually injure him.
However, Shi Tian’s gaze remained as complacent as ever, his expression unchanged in the slightest as he stared ahead with dark eyes seemingly able to see through everything. Then, calmly, he spoke. "Meaningless struggle." His tone was indifferent, almost bored.
As he said those words, Shi Tian slightly pulled his hand backward. That tiny movement was all he made. Yet... a sharp yelp of pain suddenly came from Liyu’s right side. *Slash!*
Several red lines instantly appeared across his body, a bloody gash tearing through his flesh and forcing Liyu to create some distance between himself and Shi Tian as his body shot backward before finally landing.
Immediately raising his head, Liyu’s gaze widened. *What?!* Shi Tian was standing right before him. There was no indication of when he had moved, no sound, no warning, no visible movement... he was simply there.
Shi Tian’s expression remained completely emotionless as he raised one finger and pointed it directly toward Liyu’s chest, his gaze cold and his voice even colder. "Is this really all you’ve got?"
The disappointment within those words was genuine; there was no mockery, no attempt to provoke him, as Shi Tian was genuinely disappointed. "You are better off dead."
With those words, Shi Tian lightly tapped Liyu’s chest. *Tap.*
And what happened next shocked everyone watching: a single red line appeared across Liyu’s body, then another. One became two, two became four, four became ten, ten became a hundred, and then.. hundreds.
In the blink of an eye, countless red lines spread across Liyu’s body. For a few fleeting moments, the wounds didn’t immediately erupt, simply remaining there as Liyu stood completely covered in red lines from head to toe, looking almost as though someone had drawn countless crimson tattoos across his entire body.
Then... *Splurt!* The red lines suddenly opened. *SPLURT!* Blood erupted in every direction. The sight was horrifying as blood sprayed from Liyu’s body like countless tiny fountains, staining the damaged marble beneath his feet.
And yet... Shi Tian, who was standing directly before him, wasn’t touched by a single speck of blood. Not one. His clothes remained clean, his expression remained calm, and his body remained completely untouched, as though the blood erupting all around him had nothing whatsoever to do with him.
Liyu’s wounds covered his entire body from head to toe... his chest, stomach, shoulders, legs, and face, everywhere... but his hands had suffered the most. The skin across them had been torn apart, exposing the bones beneath, and blood poured freely from his fingers and palms.
Yet even then, Liyu’s hands were still moving. One of them was tightly clamped around his neck... that was where the previous attack had been aimed, his throat, the main target.
Liyu’s expression became ugly. *This maniac really wants to kill me... Homicidal maniac...* Gritting his teeth, the pain coursing through his entire body was intense, but what truly disturbed him wasn’t the pain; it was the realization that Shi Tian had been aiming for his life from the very beginning, with no hesitation, no testing of his opponent, no warming up, and every single attack designed to kill him.
"Oh..." For the first time, Shi Tian looked slightly taken aback, his gaze shifting toward Liyu’s hands, then toward the bloodied wound around his neck. "You seem to have reacted fast enough." His voice remained calm.
"You decided to sacrifice your hand for the sake of your life." Shi Tian paused, a faint trace of acknowledgment appearing in his eyes. "Impressive." Looking at Liyu for another moment, he added, "You were able to react even faster than before at the final moment."
Then, just like that, Shi Tian turned his back on Liyu and began walking away... not rushing, not preparing for another attack, just casually walking back toward the exact position where he had originally stood. "If there is anything you can use..." His voice drifted across the arena. "Use it now." He continued walking. "I will surely kill you with my next attack."
Shi Tian returned to his original position and stopped. His back remained facing Liyu for a moment before he finally turned around, his expression still as calm and emotionless as ever.
The entire arena had fallen silent, the crowd freezing as every single person stared at the scene below with stupefied expressions. Their mouths were slightly open, their eyes wide, and some couldn’t even process what they had just witnessed. The difference between the two fighters was simply too shocking.
Liyu had already fought through multiple battles, defeating Shi Lan, Guan Jian, Guan Feng, Shi Mo, and even Guan Haoran after the latter entered the legendary Overflow State.
Everyone had believed that Liyu was a monster, a freak, an anomaly. Yet now... standing before Shi Tian, Liyu looked as though he had been thrown into an entirely different world.
The spectators’ minds raced as one question surfaced in the hearts of almost everyone watching, a question so obvious that nobody even needed to say it aloud: *Can this even be called a match?*
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