Chapter 78: Chapter 76: A Bare-Knuckle Battle
She glanced around, her gaze firmly locking onto Norris at the edge of the crowd, who was talking to Ron:
"I ask the Apprentice of the Law Enforcement Team, Norris, to act as an impartial witness for this duel."
Norris felt the sudden focus of the crowd’s attention on him, and he was startled.
But seeing Cynthia’s intense gaze from afar, he had no choice but to muster his courage and step forward a few paces:
"I am honored to witness this duel. According to the rules, both masters can provide their slaves with a one-time enhancement before the duel begins. After the duel starts, only verbal guidance is allowed, and direct intervention is forbidden. The duel ends when one side concedes or can no longer continue fighting."
He glanced at the two slaves, particularly at the faint crimson glow of frenzy emanating from the Half-Beastman, pursed his lips, but ultimately raised no objection.
Norris accepted the Witness Gold handed to him by both parties and raised a Copper Token in his hand: "Prepare, both sides. Begin now!"
As soon as the words fell, the beast-woman hunter shot forward like an arrow, her speed so fast it almost left afterimages.
She did not charge directly at her opponent, but moved rapidly around the Half-Beastman, her claws slicing through the air with a sharp whooshing sound.
The Half-Beastman roared, swinging his massive fists in an attempt to hit the agile figure, but each time he only struck air.
The beast-woman’s movements were too swift, like a golden lightning bolt, constantly changing positions, causing the Half-Beastman’s attacks to always be a beat behind.
"Don’t rush, Grush, she’s just trying to exhaust your stamina," Cynthia calmly commanded, "Start using wide-range attacks."
The Half-Beastman heeded the advice and immediately altered his strategy.
He took a deep breath and suddenly stomped the ground fiercely, causing the entire ground to tremble.
The dust raised from the ground formed a small smoke screen, temporarily hindering the beast-woman’s vision.
"Above you, Li Yue!" Trish shouted promptly, her voice laced with calm reasoning.
The beast-woman responded quickly, leaping upwards almost instinctively, narrowly avoiding the massive fist the Half-Beastman thrust through the smoke screen.
She flipped in the air, her sharp claws slicing across the Half-Beastman’s shoulder, leaving a blood trail.
The Half-Beastman roared in pain, swinging again with a horizontal swipe.
This time, the beast-woman couldn’t completely dodge out of the way, getting hit in the ribs and sent flying several meters before crashing heavily to the ground.
"Get up quickly, Li Yue!" Trish urged with urgency in her voice, "You’re much faster than him, don’t fight head-on!"ᴛʜɪs ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ɪs ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ ʙʏ NovᴇlFɪre.ɴet
The beast-woman quickly rolled over and stood up, a flash of pain in her eyes quickly replaced by battle intent.
She took several deep breaths, and it seemed her special bloodline began to exert a stronger effect; her movements became even more fluid, and her speed noticeably increased.
"Hmph, overestimating yourself," Cynthia sneered, "Your beast-woman weighs less than half of Grush. With such a difference in physique, speed alone won’t matter."
"Strength isn’t the only factor in deciding victory," Trish replied calmly, "Combat intelligence is equally important."
The beast-woman began adjusting her strategy, no longer attempting frontal attacks but constantly disrupting the Half-Beastman’s line of sight and maneuvering space.
She would suddenly dash forward, leave a shallow wound on the Half-Beastman, and then rapidly retreat, each time evading his counterattacks.
The crowd murmured with amazement, clearly impressed by the beast-woman’s exquisite combat skills.
Ron noticed that although the beast-woman’s movements appeared random, they actually had a well-designed rhythm and route, indicating systematic training.
"Damn, where did this Daughter of the Hunter get so many resources to train a combat slave?" Cynthia muttered through gritted teeth, a flash of irritation in her eyes.
The Half-Beastman’s movements became increasingly slow, his body covered in numerous wounds, none deep but collectively resulting in significant blood loss.
His breathing became heavy, and his eyes, filled with fury, now showed signs of fatigue.
"Grush, it’s time!" Cynthia suddenly raised her voice, "Activate Frenzy!"
The Half-Beastman snapped his head up, letting out a terrifying howl.
His body began to shake violently, the crimson glow on his skin becoming more intense, and his eyes turned completely black.
Muscles writhed under his skin, swelling as if alive, growing his form by almost a third.
The Half-Beastman roared, forcefully stomping his foot on the ground, leaving huge cracked footprints as fragments of rock flew toward the beast-woman like shrapnel.
Li Yue, caught off guard, was struck by the flying debris, crying out in pain as blood seeped from her body; she quickly retreated to a safe distance.
"Frenzy!" The crowd erupted in exclamations.
Ron squinted his eyes, carefully observing the changes on the battlefield.
The Half-Beastman in Frenzy experienced a remarkable boost in speed and strength, but also became even less controllable, exhibiting self-destructive tendencies in his actions.
The beast-woman seemed to sense the danger too, and her movements became more cautious, maintaining a safe distance without daring to attack lightly.
"Li Yue, remember your training, find his weakness!" Trish ordered, her voice calm and firm.
The beast-woman nodded, continuing her high-speed movements.
This time, her route appeared to follow a pattern, each time feinting an attack from the Half-Beastman’s left and then swiftly retreating.
After a few times, the Half-Beastman seemed to have caught onto this pattern, beginning to anticipate her actions.
Just as he was ready to confront the next attack from the left, the beast-woman suddenly shifted direction, darting in from the right like a flash of lightning, her sharp claws aiming directly for his throat!
"Dodge, you fool!" Cynthia screamed, but it was too late.
The Half-Beastman barely turned aside to avoid a fatal strike, but his neck and chest were still sliced open, leaving deep wounds.
Blood gushed out, and he staggered back a few steps, the frenzied glow in his eyes beginning to flicker.
"Grush, get up!" Cynthia almost roared, "Even if your bones are broken, keep fighting for me!"
The Half-Beastman gritted his teeth in agony, charging forward once more.
But this time, his movements were noticeably slower, his body beginning to wobble, showing clear signs of excessive blood loss.
The beast-woman gave him no respite, nimbly darting to the Half-Beastman’s back, leaping up fiercely, her claws like sharp daggers, plunging deep into the Half-Beastman’s back, and then ripping them apart...
"Aargh...!" The Half-Beastman let out an agonized howl, collapsing to the ground with no strength to rise again.
"Alright, stop," Trish calmly commanded, "That’s enough."
The beast-woman immediately jumped off the Half-Beastman, retreating to a safe distance, but still remaining vigilant.
The entire arena fell into silence, everyone stunned by the battle’s outcome.
Trish, who had only just arrived, surprisingly defeated Cynthia’s ferocious Half-Beastman Warrior in a slave duel!
"Heh...you have skill, I lost," Cynthia said coldly, though her tone betrayed undisguised anger and reluctance.
"According to the rules of slave duels, the victor is Trish the Apprentice."
Norris cast a somewhat nervous glance at Cynthia, and seeing no further reaction from her, he loudly announced:
"The priority use of Ancient Astrology Books belongs to the Master Corina’s side, and this duel result will be recorded in the Candidate Wizard sequence score evaluation."
Trish nodded, a slight smile appearing on her face, and then she noticed Ron amidst the crowd, her eyes lighting up.
She walked past the crowd towards Ron, who automatically made way for her.