Chapter 17 The Crippled Uncle with an Arrow in the Knee

The good-for-nothing uncle with an arrow in the knee jumped away with his other leg the moment he was hit. By the time he stabilized himself, Sasaki Mei had already returned to a standing position using that strange posture.

At this moment, the two on the battlefield, one with a limp and the other with a broken neck; the former's stance was crooked but his head was straight, while the latter's stance was straight but his head was slumped sideways on his shoulder.

Although everyone knew that these two were experts, this bizarre scene and strange confrontation couldn't help but make people chuckle.

"Hmm… I was careless…" The good-for-nothing uncle glanced at the wound on his knee and muttered in a deep voice, "Looks like you're not the kind of opponent who can be easily killed…"

As he said this, Sasaki Mei raised his left hand, groped it all the way to the top of his head, then grabbed his own hair, "straightened" his head, and "pressed" it back into place.

"Hoo…" After fixing his neck, Sasaki Mei breathed a long sigh and replied, "Same here…"

The reason why Sasaki Mei didn't die was because he possessed the [Disease-Ridden Undying Divine Skill]; this was a passive defensive skill, and its effect was "immunity to instant-death effects caused by vital point strikes."

For example, the good-for-nothing uncle's act of snapping his neck just now, according to normal judgment, belonged to an "instant-death attack acting on a vital part," and this kind of attack could usually ignore damage and instantly kill the target… However, under the influence of the [Disease-Ridden Undying Divine Skill], this action only caused "survival value damage equal to the gripping force applied by the enemy," and the "instant-death" effect would not be triggered.

To put it more bluntly, for people who have this kind of technique, choking his neck is no different from pinching his thigh; crushing his heart is the same as crushing his shoulder… Anyway, hitting anywhere only calculates the basic damage attached to your attack.

"I'm curious… if I hadn't broken your neck just now, but twisted your head off completely, what would have happened?" Two seconds later, the good-for-nothing uncle asked tentatively.

"Then of course I would have died." Sasaki Mei replied to the first half of the sentence, then sneered, and continued, "Heh… too bad, you didn't twist it off, did you?"

"Yeah…" The good-for-nothing uncle shrugged, "Too bad…"

He chatted with his opponent in a casual manner, pretending to be relaxed on the surface, but he was already a little scared in his heart, and couldn't help but think, "Fortunately, Honghu anticipated the enemy's moves and put me in the first match… if it were Qi Sha or Xiao Ma who played this match, they would suffer a great loss when facing an enemy with this kind of skill…" Thinking of this, his mind changed, "But then again, is it an advantage for me to fight him? How come I feel like letting Juan Menghuan fight him would be more effective?"

He was right. The most effective way to counter the [Disease-Ridden Undying Divine Skill] was to send a character who used weapons to fight him. As long as his head or limbs were cut off, the skill would be meaningless.

So, why didn't Honghu send Juan Menghuan in the first match?

Of course, it was because he had no idea who the opponent would send in the first match, let alone what kind of [Disease-Ridden Undying Divine Skill] Sasaki Mei possessed…

In fact, Honghu only deduced before the match that "Sengoku is very likely to think that Qi Sha or Xiao Ma will play in the first match." In order to avoid being targeted, he chose another single player other than the two of them to fight the vanguard battle. It was that simple…

As for who Sengoku would send up specifically in the first round, Honghu was not sure either; after all, the overall strength of [Sengoku] was very strong. Apart from the second team's Imagawa Yoshimoto being unlikely to fight singles, all the other players were possible.

However, whether it was opponents or teammates… everyone thought of Honghu, this "wise general," as too magical; he was clearly just a player with a relatively high level of strategy, not a fortune-telling strategist like those in some episodic novels. How could he possibly guess the entire opponent's lineup?

"I'm also very curious…" A few seconds later, Sasaki Mei also said, "You say that 'killing you once' is not fatal, then I have to ask… how many times do I have to kill you before you die?"

"You don't need to know the answer to that." The good-for-nothing uncle didn't plan to answer this question, "I won't give you a second chance to kill me."

"Oh?" Sasaki Mei's already gloomy face became even gloomier at this moment, "So… you're going to use that other 50% of your strength this time?"

His words were clearly sarcastic and provocative.

But the good-for-nothing uncle didn't say anything more… compared to retorting, Uncle preferred to respond to his opponents with actions.

The next second, the good-for-nothing uncle's figure flashed, instantly rushing in front of Sasaki Mei, and without saying a word, he greeted him with a [Loser's Kick].

Sasaki Mei never expected that a person with a crippled left leg could still explode with a speed comparable to his own; moreover, the good-for-nothing uncle used his right leg to move and then used the same leg to launch the attack… This unconventional and peculiar attack action was also hard to defend against.

"Damn it… I can't dodge…" In that fleeting moment, Sasaki Mei cursed inwardly, then frowned slightly, his toes turned sharply, and he swung his sword to meet the attack.

To be honest, he didn't want to take any of his opponent's "skills" head-on, but the gap in hard strength forced him to face this situation.

Even if the good-for-nothing uncle only used one leg to move and attack, and rushed straight from Sasaki Mei's front in a straight line… what couldn't be avoided, just couldn't be avoided.

Buzz—

The shinbone wrapped in fighting spirit and the samurai sword blade wrapped in sword energy collided, producing a sound of energy devouring each other.

Immediately afterwards, the stronger force crushed the other side and continued its momentum, erupting suddenly.

In terms of moves alone, the good-for-nothing uncle's body of causal skills was naturally difficult to match, and this time was no exception… After the exchange, the [Loser's Kick] overpowered the opponent's slash, forcing Sasaki Mei's samurai sword back in the opposite direction. The back of the samurai sword shattered Sasaki Mei's collarbone and embedded itself in his shoulder and neck. The wrists of his hands were also twisted and deformed due to holding the hilt tightly.

That wasn't the end of it. The [Loser's Kick] was not only surprisingly destructive, but also had inexhaustible stamina. After the first strong pressure, another "pushing" force immediately penetrated, attacking Sasaki Mei's chest like a cloud-piercing wave.

"Pfft…" Sasaki Mei immediately spat out a mouthful of blood and was sent flying backwards by the huge force.

Just when everyone thought he was about to lose…

Suddenly! A flash of purple light, and an unexpected change occurred!

…………

"This child is naturally weak and sickly, please take care of him, Coach."

"Is that so… because you like it, you must do kendo… another idiot who says such lines… this club is going to be finished sooner or later."

"I know you work hard, but unfortunately, this is a world that values talent. Even if you swing the sword a hundred or a thousand more times than others every day… you will never be able to become a regular."

"I really didn't expect you to be able to do this. Heh… looking at you all day, you look so sickly, I didn't expect you to be so tough."

"Ah, this is reality. In your opinion, the seniors who are out of reach are probably at this level on the national stage…"

"Cry, it's okay to cry. There's nothing shameful in realizing your own powerlessness."

"Hey! Sasaki! Are you okay? Hey!"

"It's useless to tell me these things… no matter what your reasons are, from a doctor's point of view, I can't possibly agree to you engaging in any strenuous sports activities again."

"What kind of expression is that on your face? The juniors are all watching. Even if you retire, show me the appearance of a regular team member!"

"We all believe in you, Sasaki… your words will definitely be wielded on a broader stage in your own way in the future."

…………

The scene of being suppressed by a strong person evoked long-sealed memories.

Power, accompanied by all kinds of complex emotions, poured out from the bottom of his heart.

Sasaki Mei actually drew his sword in the process of being severely injured, losing all his stance, and flying backwards.

He wielded the samurai sword with his already broken wrists; the blade that had been embedded in his own body was drawn out by his waving, carrying with it flying blood mist, and slashing out an extraordinary sword style.

The target that was originally beyond his reach and was getting further and further away was now close at hand in his eyes, within easy reach.

In an instant, three swords faster than lightning were all slashed out in one breath.

[Disease Sword * Tsubame Gaeshi]—This style was not in Sasaki Mei's skill list; this was a move he had learned from the ultimate experience when he was on the verge of life and death, and it was also the last move he made in this battle.