Sword Among Us

Panda Novel

There was a flag pole stuck at the center of the stage that had a diameter of sixty-four feet. The flag fluttered when wind blew against it, and written on it was one word—South!

The system gave a notification.

The final battle!

To show the composite qualities of the recommended fighter of the region, the rules for the final match were not the same as for other martial arts tournaments. The competitors had to snatch the flag to win. As long as one of them could remain more than a minute within seven feet of the flag, they would be considered to be the victor.

During that period of time, if the opponent entered the area of the flag, the time at which the first person stayed in the area would be reduced to zero. The time would only start ticking again once one player was forced out of the area of the flag.

Throughout the battle, if one of them admitted defeat, died, or was forced off the stage, that person would also be considered to have lost. The person on the stage would automatically be declared to have won the final match and receive the title of first place in the University of South China along with the right to be recommended for the national tournament.

When the system finished speaking, the matches for the other two stages also came to an end!

All gazes focused on the two figures who slowly appeared on the third stage.

Happy was dressed in blue, and his face, which was covered under a piece of cloth, was calm. His expression did not change because the system had announced new rules. He simply stared at his opponent, who was Orochimaru, with a calm gaze. His enemy was dressed in tight-fitting black clothes and held a wakizashi and katana. His gaze was cold and dark!

Orochimaru looked away when he regained mobility and twirled his swords in an incredibly flashy manner. He then tightened his grip on them and looked up slightly before he swept Happy a glance in disdain.

“If you admit to defeat on your own, you won’t have to suffer in vain.”

As he spoke, his qi exploded!

Boom!

His aura increased swiftly, and he reached Gate Realm, but the momentum of his qi did not stop. The aura spreading out from his body continued rising and swelling. He sank down slightly, and a footprint was left behind on the stage!

A mighty presence that was so strong it could suffocate others went charging at Happy from all areas.

Boom!

The powerful presence was like a soundless clap of thunder. It struck all the people in the area, and eyes of those in the audience on the other two stages went wide! All of them wore shocked expressions.

“Blessed Realm!”

“This is bad!”

“That guy actually hid his true power! His qi is one realm higher than ours!”

Tea Words, Puffy, and the others had disbelief and horror written all over their faces. They sucked in a sharp breath together.

There were only about one thousand players who had reached Blessed Realm in World of Martial Arts, and all of them already had legends and anecdotes about them. No one had thought that someone so powerful would exist in the University of South China. The more terrifying matter was that this person was an abnormality who would only harm them.

The people’s confidence in Happy taking the title of champion started to fall.

Under the pressure from Orochimaru’s aura, Happy looked like a candle flame which was about to be extinguished by a violent gust of wind when he stood on the stage without activated qi realm. He swayed on unstable feet and looked like he was about to keel over at any moment.

Happy did not answer Orochimaru. He brought out a medicinal tablet from his Universe Bag and stuffed it in his mouth. He chewed it quietly and looked very calm while doing it. It almost seemed like he was just eating noodles in a restaurant, and he didn’t even forgot to blow on so they would not be so hot. He completely ignored his predicament and the might Orochimaru showed.

Orochimaru did not speak. He had a complicated look in his eyes.

In truth, when he looked at Happy, he gave him a very weak feeling. He felt that he just needed to use one move to kill Happy; it would be as easy as snapping a twig.

However, for some reason, when he saw Happy’s bearing and reaction, as if nothing had happened, he felt that there was something odd. He began to doubt what he saw a little, especially when the youth had not even activated his qi.

Even if the others could not tell Happy’s abilities, would Orochimaru be unable to?

Happy’s fist technique was at Grandmaster Realm. He had, in fact, showed a will of the fist that surpassed what all the other players could currently display. He had a powerful style he could execute freely, and he showed that he had transcended all others in terms of fist techniques. What made Orochimaru the most apprehensive was the presence Happy had accidentally showed under the stage. It was like a knife placed at his neck, and it made him feel a cold chill of having lingered at Death’s door for a moment.

“Come.”

Happy naturally understood that with the experience and cunning of Orochimaru, there was no way he would truly look down on him. His act of showing his full power was just him trying to make Happy show his full power so that he would give himself away and reveal more about himself and his power.

This was a good move.

If a normal player suddenly noticed that Orochimaru was a whole qi realm higher than them during the final match, they would definitely panic, and their confidence would plummet down the drain.

Unfortunately, the moment Happy recognized Reverse Dual Swordplay, he had already obtained this piece of information. Hence, when Orochimaru suddenly rose by two qi realms, he did not show much shock.

His relaxed reaction had instead made Orochimaru uneasy!

However, once he activated his realm, his qi covered his whole body while being slowly drained away. Even though Orochimaru was full of disbelief because of his own skepticism and somewhat anxious and doubtful, he had to attack Happy. If he dragged the fight on, he would be the one who suffered.

‘This guy does indeed have courage, but I wonder if he has any real skill in his hands… Perfect time, I’ll use this chance to measure your skills!’

Once he made up his mind, Orochimaru laughed fiercely. He drew his swords in an arc and attacked! The two swords went charging at Happy like two venomous snakes.

They were less than sixty-four meters away from each other, and Orochimaru instantly drew close!

Happy remained still…

He simply allowed Orochimaru’s violent aura and attack—which resembled a venomous snake—get closer. His expression was indifferent, as if he was unaware of the attack.

Orochimaru was surprised. He scowled even further. His attack changed midway. When his swords almost touched Happy’s body, he instantly turned them in the air and held them in a reverse grip. The two venomous snakes turned into black dragons who showed their might. They opened their mouths and went to devour Happy with a monstrous momentum. The situation for Happy instantly became much more dangerous, and if anyone else were in his place, they would not be able to fend against the attack.

However, Happy seemed to have expected Orochimaru to do this from the start. At the moment he changed his tactic, Happy jumped high into the air like a bird, and with a twist, he landed behind Orochimaru with a strong thud.

Orochimaru’s attack froze. With disbelief on his face, he turned around and stared at Happy.

“A lightness skill at Grandmaster Realm?”

It was not that Orochimaru had never witnessed a lightness skill at Grandmaster Realm before. Because he had, he knew very clearly that if Happy had used a lightness skill with a normal realm just then, he would not have been able to break free of the attack radius of Reverse Dual Swordplay. Only those whose speed had reached perfection could jump out when the attack was about to touch them, and even use the force from the jump to return to the stage.

The people on the two stages were stunned speechless by the sight.

Orochimaru’s attack had surprised all of them. His aura in Blessed Realm and the sudden change of his Dual Swordplay attack were all incredibly dangerous. If anyone else was in Happy’s place, they would have been unable to dodge it.

However, Happy had avoided it with one light step.

He flicked off a speck of dust from his sleeve and raised his head, which was still covered by the cloth. He opened his eyes, and his gaze was as calm and composed as ever.

Orochimaru’s expression had already been replaced by a grave and attentive look.

“Take this!”

His voice was low, cold, and fierce. It was the first time he treated his opponent seriously since he had joined the tournament. He decided to fight with his all!

It happened again. No one knew whether Happy did it to mock Orochimaru, or was it for something else, but he used his lightness skill to avoid Orochimaru’s strange and unpredictable Dual Twists. Then, with a vertical flip, he swiftly landed on the flag pole. When he turned around, he flung his sleeves to reveal his robes in their full glory.

The ingenious skill showed by his landing point, and the elegance when he moved made him look incredibly relaxed and composed. All the boys and girls on the other stages could not help but cheer for him in their hearts.

Even Orochimaru, who had only ever believed in himself and strength was stunned by Happy’s excellent lightness. He sucked in a light breath.

If he took the initiative to attack someone with such great lightness skills, it was certain that he would not have any chance of winning.

Hence, he could only…

The moment Orochimaru swept his gaze over the flagpole at the center of the stage, he heard Happy say something flippantly. His words left him shocked.

“Thank goodness your Reverse Dual Swordplay has only reached the seventh realm. If it were a realm higher, I wouldn’t have had such an easy time. Very well, now it’s my turn to attack.”

Before Orochimaru had a chance to speak, Happy’s hands swiftly went to his waist. The moment he touched his lancet knives, his gaze focused, and the cold glare in his eyes became both aggressive and alarming!

Boom!

An aura that was visible to the naked eye shot out from Happy’s body.

He activated Gate Realm!