The Outcome of the Ultimate Battle

"This should be the ultimate battle in our City of Iniquity, right?" "Yes." The person who asked was hidden in the crowd, ordinary and recognized by few; he had spoken tentatively. Yet the man who answered was someone everyone present recognized. Eric the Viking was ranked second on the City of Iniquity's assassin rankings, so no one here was better qualified to answer the question. His answer meant he was personally acknowledging that Major Qing's combat strength surpassed his own. Hearing this, the crowd turned to look. Amidst a sea of silent gazes, Eric carried a long blade on his back and led his men forward... People watched him until he stopped. Eric ultimately halted within the crowd's line of sight. *So even Eric has decided to keep his distance from the battlefield? In that case, what he just said must be true.* The onlookers thought to themselves. Soon, Nguyen Thi Minh Nguyet arrived as well, likewise stopping within the crowd's sightline before looking left and right... seeming to search for something. Then, members of the Azure Dragon Gang arrived on the scene and similarly halted far out on the perimeter. "Look!" "What?" "Boss Dao, that Huaxia Super, and Lieutenant Wu Xu—they're all standing over there." The implication was clear: it really was a one-on-one. Major Qing was going to duel Shu You alone. The crowd stirred with murmurs of discussion... "Grandpa." "Mm?" "In a one-on-one, will Major Qing win?" "Grandpa doesn't know." Yuan Youque's eyes were filled with deep anxiety, for his own judgment was that he wouldn't win. He had previously assumed Major Qing would certainly resort to tricks—he was that kind of person. "They clearly could have laid an ambush and ganged up on him..." The old man looked up toward the distant sand dunes. Everyone was gazing in that direction. A gust of wind swept past, whipping up sand and dust into a hazy blur. *** "Aren't you going to take out the stakes first?" Standing between two sand dunes in the distance, Han Qingyu squinted at Shu You and asked. Shu You's white hair drifted sideways in the wind and sand. He smiled and said, "Oh, all right. I was just wondering where your column swords were." "Buried underground ahead of time, naturally. Who told you to tell me the location in advance?" Han Qingyu said. "Watch out for sneak attacks in a bit." "Mm." Shu You nodded, seeming somewhat appreciative. Right then, Han Qingyu took the initiative and tossed a bag over. Its opening unfastened, the pouch landed on the ground between them, spilling out over a dozen Bones of Eternal Life. Among them were two horn bones. With scarcely any hesitation, Shu You swung a cloth bag off his back as well. The bag opened, spilling out six Bones of Eternal Life. "Looking at it this way, I'm getting the short end of the stick," Han Qingyu said. Shu You glanced down. "You have this many?" "Yeah." Han Qingyu paused, then said, "How about we just play rock-paper-scissors? Honestly, it really is most appropriate for me to go kill Alphonse. If you go, the best outcome is mutual destruction, whereas I still have a chance of surviving." He had been repeating these words for the better part of a year. "We'll only know after we fight. Otherwise, it's all empty talk," Shu You answered as usual. At the same time, he naturally understood that once the battle reached a certain intensity, neither of them would be able to hold back... Looking up at Han Qingyu, Shu You said earnestly, "If you happen to die, I promise you, I will definitely kill Alphonse." "Mm, I promise you that too," Han Qingyu said. Shu You was taken aback. "You think you have a chance of winning?" "What if I do?" Han Qingyu said. "Fair enough. It really could be me who dies. In that case, let me tell you a secret in advance: beneath the glacier east of Antarctica, there seems to be something. It feels like I obtained something there." Having said that, Shu You stood in the blowing sand and slowly drew the silver blade from behind his shoulder. "You probably obtained a Yanxiu inheritance there." Han Qingyu did not draw his blade. Shu You's hand drawing his blade halted halfway. "What?!" "A Yanxiu—an alien entity. I don't know much about them either," Han Qingyu said. "Lastly, how about I tell you a secret as well? Don't get angry once you find out. After all, our goals are aligned." *What Yanxiu? Alien entity? Inheritance? Well, I suppose that can be puzzled out.* *But why would finding out his secret make me angry? It's not like I have a wife or a sister...* Shu You's gaze turned slightly bewildered. "Tell me." "No need to tell. Just watch." Before Han Qingyu's voice had even faded, his entire body suddenly shot forward. It was a speed beyond what the ordinary human eye could follow. Clearly, it could only come from a column sword. The column sword was buried underground—right where the Bones of Eternal Life had been tossed. *What is he trying to do? Knowing he can't win, he's just going to snatch them?!* Shu You turned to look. Han Qingyu's figure streaked low across the ground. Reaching down, he scooped up his own two horn bones with one hand, and then that same hand swept over Shu You's six Bones of Eternal Life on the ground... ...The bones vanished. *What... what is this?!* *Is this the secret he wanted to tell me?!* Shu You: "You bastard!" For over half a year, he had believed Han Qingyu truly intended to fight fair and square, even admiring him for it, and had worried that accidentally cutting him down would be a terrible shame... Right now, with no time or mind to dwell on it, an enraged Shu You erupted with life source energy, anticipating his position and slashing out with his blade. *Boom!* A tremendous crash rolled forward like a sudden burst of thunder and storm. In the sight of the distant crowd, an arc-shaped wall of sand suddenly rose from the earth, tens of meters high, sweeping outward across heaven and earth. Even when the dying momentum of the grit finally brushed against the onlookers, it still stung their cheeks with sharp pain. "Is this Mr. Shu You's slash? So powerful!" "Yeah." "I think I heard Shu You sounding furious." "Mm! I've never heard him curse before." In the eyes of the City of Iniquity's inhabitants, though Shu You was the strongest killer, his words and deeds had always been graceful... Yet now he had cursed aloud, in what was supposed to be a dignified battle of the strongest. Just what on earth had Major Qing done? Could he withstand an enraged Shu You? Han Qingyu was no longer where he had been. As Shu You's blade slashed across, he launched himself again and appeared far away. So... he hadn't buried just one column sword underground, but two: one here, one there. "Shameless!" Shu You was so furious his liver felt ready to burst. "It really is a massive secret, brother! These bones were originally mine to begin with... As for yours, I'll help you find replacements later!" Han Qingyu tried to explain as he alternately hurled his column swords and fled in disarray. It was entirely useless. Shu You pursued closely from behind, his slashes coming faster and faster. *Boom, boom, boom, boom...* Continuous detonations echoed endlessly. "From the looks of it, one's chasing and the other's running! The fight seems completely one-sided!" the crowd murmured from afar as they listened to the noise and watched the sand. "Yes, Major Qing is in danger." "Mm, but I saw his speed on the beach before. He's fast—incredibly fast." "..." The murmurs were swallowed by the rolling thunder of slashes. Once again, as Han Qingyu's body flew through the air, he suddenly felt an obstruction. The drag came from a section of the air suddenly solidifying, like water freezing into ice—though naturally not ordinary ice, and completely invisible. *Here it comes! Is this Shu You's trait?* *No wonder Alphonse took the initiative to stand at the stern back then and take his strike. If he hadn't, the entire ship might have been impeded.* *What a powerful trait!* Imagine two men facing each other, swinging their blades simultaneously, only for one of them to have his movements suddenly bogged down... Han Qingyu turned sideways and drew his blade. *Clang!* Behind his neck, the combat blade—scarcely fully drawn from its sheath—barely managed to block the blow. Shu You had not held back, partly out of rage, but even more so because if Han Qingyu couldn't even parry an attack like this, he had no business facing Alphonse. Having barely blocked the strike, Han Qingyu lost control of his momentum and went flying forward. Worse yet, another invisible wall abruptly rose in the air, barring his way. Shu You had no intention of giving Han Qingyu any breathing room. Activating his trait once more, he pursued and slashed forward like an arrow. Yet—*hum!* "Hm?" Shu You was startled, for he found himself suddenly impeded by the air for a brief instant. The drag was faint, and his blade still cleaved through. However—*clang!* Because of that split-second delay, Han Qingyu had bought just enough time to mount another parry. The ringing of clashing metal sounded repeatedly. "They're finally trading blows." "Yeah, so he didn't manage to escape after all." "..." While the distant crowd speculated and debated, filled with excitement or anxious worry, Shu You, having struck, actually paused for the first time. He stood where he was, watching Han Qingyu scramble away... waiting for him to stop. "What was that?" After pondering for a few seconds, Shu You looked up and asked, "Your trait is the same as mine?" "No. It's just that after being attacked with someone else's trait, I can borrow it for a short time. Of course, it's a bit weaker." Han Qingyu wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth onto his clothes and answered frankly. Regardless, Shu You being willing to stop and talk was already a great outcome. He had no desire for either of them to actually fight to the death—especially when there was a ninety percent chance that person would be him. "So those bones..." Shu You asked. "Mine," Han Qingyu said. *So that's how it is...* Shu You fell silent, seemingly contemplating for a moment. "In that case, stop running. I'll hold back, and let's have a proper fight." Han Qingyu: "No." Shu You froze, not expecting him to reject such a well-intentioned proposal so decisively: "..." "What if you're lying?" Han Qingyu said. "...I never lie." Shu You grew exasperated. Remembering the metal block incident from before, and then thinking of what had just happened, he shouted, "You think I'm like you?!" "What if you took a leaf from my book? As the saying goes, bad habits are easy to learn, but good ones are hard." "..." *A guy this shameless must have countless ways to finish off Alphonse, right? So he really might be more suited than me.* Shu You thought, letting out a bitter smile. After all, entrusting a blood feud to someone else was undeniably a humiliation for a powerhouse like him. And he couldn't even go along with him. "Let me see your true combat strength. When we're done, I'll give you feedback," Shu You said, slowly leveling his blade horizontally. Han Qingyu didn't make a sound, his eyes guarded. "You still don't believe me?" "Nope!"