Chapter 601: Sorry, I Wouldn't Know How to Fight Even If I Weren't Blind

"What is he doing?"

"Has he given up and accepted defeat?"

In the midst of battle, actually binding one's own eyes—such a method was entirely unheard of by anyone present.

This act was no different from tying one's own hands and feet mid-combat and presenting oneself directly to the enemy.

High above, beneath a canopy of dense, brooding clouds, the northern wind howled fiercely across the snowy domain of the West.

They watched as the martial artist they dismissed as a mere native held a short blade—just over a foot long, neither metal nor jade, radiating a vibrant, spiritual light—and covered his eyes with a black cloth, standing silently, suspended in midair.

Allowing the wild gales to buffet his robes, he appeared at this moment like a fragile scholar lacking the strength to even shoo a chicken, an old man in the twilight of life who had utterly abandoned all resistance.

Around him drifted a strange, uncanny aura; only by scrutinizing with the utmost care could one discern a somber air, nearly identical in hue to the darkened heavens, drifting across the sky.

Silent and traceless, it was like a phantom spirit lurking in the deep night.

A perilous atmosphere began to spread as four pitch-black blades struck from behind and from the left and right flanks of Zong Wu, lunging directly at his vital points!

This assault was noticeably swifter and far more ruthless than before.

The gloomy, dark energy infused within the blades grew increasingly dangerous, resembling the grim reaper arriving to claim a soul!

Yet before their thrusts could find their mark, a strange white phantom suddenly materialized behind Zong Wu.

This reaction was timed with near perfection, bearing no resemblance to an ambushed victim but rather to someone who had been prepared long in advance!

What they did not know was that from Zong Wu's perspective, the intense killing intent they radiated, alongside the undulating aura concealed in the darkness, was as conspicuous as a row of bright beacons in the night.

Within the darkened world of Zong Wu's perception, the energy fluctuations emanating from behind grew increasingly violent.

Asura—Wave Manifestation Brand!

Before the strikes could land, all those entities concealed within the shadows unaccountably felt as though they were trapped amidst raging waves and a tempestuous sea, as a monumental force, akin to a volcanic eruption, violently blasted them forward.

To their horror, they found themselves knocked clear out of the shadows by this bizarre force, completely exposed to everyone's sight!

Not only that, but they further discovered a powerful suction pulling them tightly together.

Clearly, the onslaught was not finished; this was merely the prelude.

Just as they were thrown off balance and sent flying by this peculiar shockwave, they watched in terror as the short sword in Zong Wu's hand slashed through the empty air ahead, manifesting several colossal, invisible sword-waves from which there was no escape, no refuge!

The martial artists of Lingzhou were mostly influenced by the Haotian Academy, placing great emphasis on inner Qi; in truth, long-range sword-wave attacks like the Agni Shura Slash required very little extra practice, for they already possessed similar techniques.

Naturally, mastering other long-range abilities was not particularly difficult for them either.

Every profession has its specialty, and Zong Wu was clearly a master of this craft, otherwise he would not have achieved this so early.

As Zong Wu unleashed his short sword into the heavens, a streak of scorching, crimson flame traced the intersecting trajectories of countless flying ice blades, the intertwining of ice and fire exploding in the sky into a brilliant splendor of sword-waves!

Agni Shura Slash!

Glacial Wave Sword!

Fire Wave Sword!

With a lift of his blade, the massive sword-qi instantly coalesced into a heaven-splitting great sword—his own legendary martial arts techniques followed immediately after, as countless terrifying sword-waves devoured the space where the ambushers had stood in a mere instant.

"!!" Nearly everyone spectating wore expressions of shock, staring intently at the scene before them.

They beheld the martial artist they called a native, eyes bound, surrounded by strange, flowing light talismans, his killing intent manifesting as a tangible radiance that spread from his body, making him look like an Asura standing atop the heavens.

In an instant, the Dark Judgement Knights directly lost four of their elites.

Their numbers were halved in one stroke!

The remaining four found that the next four incoming sword strikes were, inexplicably, heading straight for where each of them stood!

And every subsequent sword strike, every wave of sword-qi, was pinpoint accurate; no matter how they dodged, the attacks pursued them relentlessly!

All the lofty beings watching this war from within the grand hall of Saint Heinz witnessed the unbelievable sight of several Dark Judgement Knights, masters of shadow, being hunted down by this blindfolded native!

They were clad in light armor as black as ink, with virtually no gaps save for the slits around their eyes.

They wielded short swords or daggers, and their entire beings radiated a profoundly cold aura of death.

"With your eyes bound... how did you manage it..." The Shadowslayer stared fixedly at Zong Wu before him.

He could not even fathom what sort of method his opponent had used to block his lethal strike.

What infuriated him most was that when the man had his eyes open, they had been overwhelming him, yet now that he was blindfolded, he was hunting them instead?!

"You mean this..." Zong Wu stroked his beard, pondering for a moment. "Lately, having played too many blind characters, I don't know how to fight unless I'm blind."

"Pfft—!" The Shadowslayer violently sprayed out a mouthful of blood.

The high-ranking figures of the Judgement Hall within Saint Heinz's grand hall, including the noble entity who had just called the natives blind: "..."

Their faces turned entirely green.

This native...

"Arrogant! Simply outrageous!" a white-robed priest roared in anger.

Saint Heinz merely continued to gaze upon the battlefield coldly.

Clearly, as one of the hidden trump cards cultivated with great effort by the Thorns Family, their strength amounted to far more than just this.

Even for a family like the Thorns, their hidden cards were far more numerous than these natives could ever comprehend.

Taking a deep breath, he shifted his gaze to another battle.

He was waiting for these Dark Judgement Knights bred by the Thorns Family to produce a decent trump card; for now, out of sight was out of mind.

In truth, the classes within Dungeon and Fighter—at least certain classes—did not possess such rigid limitations as they appeared to have.

Take the Berserkers, who advanced from the Ghost Swordsmen; normally they showed no abnormalities, but once consumed by rage or intense emotion, reaching a state of mental collapse, they would become frenzied demons, gaining immense power at the cost of blood.

Yet in reality, as long as they did not enter a state of frenzy, they could learn all other skills except for wielding dual blades.

And as for the dual blades... if there were no other way to resolve it, there would be no such thing as a female Berserker, nor would there be the dual-wielding techniques of the Weapon Master's Lightsabers.

However, a Berserker created in this manner could be said to have impure blood, forming a new kind of Berserker possessing the style of this current world.

Even so, their swordsmanship and combat methods remained identical, originating from the very same source.

At this moment, on the other side of the battlefield, Gabriel charged almost single-handedly toward the stone palace. Located right beside the "Earth of Thorns" at the central entrance of the palace, only a single knight and a Divine Word Chanter in black robes remained on either side.

"Hehe! Look at this guy. He just knocked Druce away, and by the looks of it, he has already reached his limit, yet he actually comes to court death before a Heaven Rank Knight!"

This was likewise a knight riding a dragon, clad in a suit of black armor; the colossal dragon beneath him was visibly a full size larger and far more ferocious than the horned dragon ridden by Gabriel.

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