Chapter 371: Test Subject
Translator: Oneshotwonder Editor: Hitesh_
Patroclus's comments seemed to have aggravated Zader and driven him deeper into rage The lesser reason left in him, the more savage he became. By then, Zader had turned into a level six warrior, and his power was still increasing by the second.
Despite the belligerent attacks, Zader was not able to gain a decisive edge over Patroclus. Patroclus, on the other hand, didn't rush to attack. Instead, he studied his opponent patiently.
"Are you the best your race could offer? Pathetic! " Patroclus cracked a smile, his eyes full of contempt. "Looks like you guys are falling behind humans after all."
Patroclus' words were broadcasted all over the Confederation, and it significantly boosted the confidence of all Human soldiers.
Patroclus was right. The reality was that the Zerg had started to favor human genes during their evolution; nothing spoke of their fear towards the humans louder than that.
Zader attacked Patroclus with abandon. But this time, the Ivantian prince didn't evade the attack.
"Komm!"
A GN force infused lance suddenly appeared in Patroclus's hand, and with one single thrust, it impaled the unwitting Zader.
Zader wiggled his body, trying to break free from the lance, in vain.
Suddenly, Zader's mouth opened up, and long tongue protruded out as it speared towards Patroclus. However, before the tongue was able to reach him, it bent over itself and pierced into Zader's face.
Zader finally thudded to the ground, still wiggling his body. No matter how hard he tried, he was not able to release himself from the lance that had skewered him like a piece of Zerg meat.
By then, the Tournament organizing committee had already arrived at the arena with security staff and a couple of Zerg specialists, who were eager to get their hands on fresh specimen.
The security squad had quickly transferred Zader into a clear tube, and the referee also announced Patroclus's victory.
Patroclus's performance was perfect; he had demonstrated that he was as powerful against Zergs as he would be against a human.
The audience showered the Ivantian with cheers and applause. Patroclus's victory over a Zerg had won the heart of all viewers. It was such a convenient public relation stunt that would make even Li Shiming feel jealous.
After the first match, Patroclus had secured his place in the final eight. Meanwhile, the military on the moon had started an investigation on not only the background of all fighters from the Andromeda Galaxy, but also the whereabouts of all the missing combatants.
Meanwhile, in the outer space, figures floated in the darkness while watching the events unfold on the moon.
"What a pity!"
"Although the host's power was increased after being taken control of, the intelligence was impeded by the hosting process. We need a better host!"
"The success rate was too low, I think the average host could at least pass as special units in our army."
"It has been over a hundred years… Our time is running out. We need to break through the space-seal as soon as possible!"
The dark figures slowly disappeared into the distant stars.
The Invading Zergs that the human had fought a few hundred years ago only constituted the tip of the iceberg compared to the bulk of the Zerg army, despite the fact it almost brought the human race to the verge of extinction. After the Blade Warrior created the space-seal, blocking the way of the Zerg's main army to the solar system, the invasion was halted.
After hundred years of the great war, the vanguard of the Zerg army had sustained huge casualties, and was forced to retreat, with the human military hot on its heels. After another hundred years of development, the humans had finally gained access to the GN power, and therefore, had earned a decisive advantage over the remaining Zerg force. After a few successful military campaigns, only a small amount of Zergs still hopelessly resisted the human. To seek salvation, this small group of Zergs started to evolve.
The strength of the Zergs was not in the individual, but the collective force of the horde. The remaining Zergs' new goal was not only to gain power from the human genes, but also break the space-seal and lead the horde to the solar system.
No one in the entire space was yet able to stop the horde.
Patroclus' performance had boosted the human's confidence in eventually winning the war against the Zergs. An hour after the first match, the second match was about to start. It was the fight between Li Shiming and Gladiolus from the Ninjutsu mastery.
Ninjutsu was an ancient technique from the far east. It focused on the training of the fighter's willpower. Due to its deadliness, it had become very popular in recent years. Thanks to the cruel training methods, all Ninjutsu warriors were extremely disciplined and deadly.
Li Shiming was well known for his chivalry. Everything he did and every word he said was aimed at exerting more influence. Yet, Li Shiming's opponent Gladiolus seemed calm and unafraid of the heir of House of Li.
As soon as the match started, Gladiolus unsheathed a long blade and charged at Li Shiming with a unique style of footsteps.
"Puf!"
A ball of smoke erupted in between the two fighters when Gladiolus was only a few feet away from Li Shiming. A shiny blade then pierced through the smoke and aimed squarely at LI Shiming's chest. Li Shiming blocked the attack calmly. The force of the impact reminded Li Shiming of his opponent's extraordinary power.
As the smoke dissipated, Gladiolus bombarded Li Shiming with his strikes. Such aggressive attacks had made defense irrelevant, since the opponent would be too busy evading to even think of attacking. Gladiolus's attack was already gaining frequency and vigor. Li Shiming estimated Gladiolus's power to be around the very top of level five.
Gladiolus's attack was direct, but powerful. However, Li Shiming didn't seem to want to use his sword 'Vayu'.
With the aggressive attacks, Gladiolus had controlled the flow of the battle, and the intensity of his attack was still increasing by the second. It was one of the characteristics of Ninjutsu to force oneself to the limit; every fight was a fight of life and death.
Bright blade aura spread out from every impact as Gladiolus chained his attacks, attempting to finish off Li Shiming.
Most fighters who were in Li Shiming's situation would focus on defense and wait for the aggressor to slip up. However, Li Shiming did not intend to play the waiting game.
In a blink of an eye, Li Shiming darted across the deadly blade aura and closed onto Gladiolus.
This sudden development surprised Gladiolus as he hesitated slightly. The slight hesitation was enough to interrupt the battle flow. He was forced to channel more energy to gather himself and initiate the attack again.
However, Li Shiming was not backing down. Instead, he inched even closer towards his opponent, despite the deadly blows around him. Gladiolus's power was not remotely close to that of Li Shiming. He was only good as a practice target for Li Shiming to ready himself for the fight in the finals.
During a confrontation of two equally powerful fighters, the pacing of the fight became a critical factor that would affect the outcome.
Some fighters such as Gladiolus would like to give all they had from the beginning. However, Li Shiming had taken his time, and slowly released his full power.
Without realizing that he was walking into Li Shiming's trap, Gladiolus was still convinced that he had the upper hand.