Battle Frenzy

She… was ice-skating?

A deathly silence blanketed the entire stadium, as everyone had their eyes wide open, their jaws agape with shock. As this was happening, the chilling howl of ice-cold air blew past Scarlet’s ears. Unlike the step-by-step increase in pressure she had felt as De Gea advanced, the massive spike in speed due to her skating instantly allowed feelings of freedom to gush out from her heart.

Ever since young, she really loved ice-skating, a common hobby for many young Federation girls. Frankly speaking, she was rather proficient in it. However, after choosing to be a soldier, she had obviously buried this hobby of hers deep down in her heart. However, being able to dust off this old machine caused her to feel incomparable delight and happiness.

Being free, happy and relaxed! Naturally, there was also the massive burst of self-confidence that had exploded from her heart! Never did she expect that her pastime in the earlier part of her youth would end up being the straw that saved her life!

This field of ice had now become her stage!

After a moment of recollection, Scarlet awakened from her nostalgia, her eyes now brimming with fighting intent!

With a right leg slightly bent, her long and slender left leg drew a long arc on the ground, causing her beautiful figure to slide across the ice. At the same time, her twin pistols started unleashing bullets once again!

Bang bang bang bang bang…

Across her, De Gea had already turned around and started a dash towards her. Being a northerner soldier, the slippery surface of the ice layer did not pose any kind of impediment to him! After the initial wave of shock had set in, he did not believe that Scarlet could just become faster than himself by wearing a pair of ice-skates!

However, this thought completely vanished after a few seconds.

Everyone from the northern regions treated ice skating as something only children would do for fun. Therefore, most of the soldiers that had dreams and aspirations would not concern themselves with learning ice-skating, as all of them felt that this had absolutely no use in combat!

However, Scarlet was not relying on her legs, but her Soul Power and special ability to drive her movements!

Propelling herself using her Soul Power and special ability via the ice blades formed beneath her feet, the movements she made were simply too beautiful for words to describe! Furthermore, not only was she travelling at an extremely fast speed, the various eye-dazzling movements and changes in directions she made, as well as the attention-grabbing, turns and evasions, were completely different from the usual movements soldiers were trained to recognize! This method of moving about was so sly it had basically blown the minds of everyone watching!

Through the use of explosive bursts of power, De Gea’s speed in a straight line might be able to contend against Scarlet’s current speed. However, the various twists, turns and directional changes caused his head to start spinning!

She was clearly travelling at a high speed right towards him, yet she was able to defy logic by instantly switching from a left turn to a right, all while maintaining her stability! Her body was capable of doing various kinds of angled twists due to the changing centre of gravity, causing his Gale sword thrusts to look like a joke before her!

This came along with the bullets unleashed by her twin pistols, which were now being fired from completely inconceivable angles! Furthermore, the threat posed by them had increased dramatically, with the sounds of gunfire turning in a never-ending loop! Bullets came flying over from all around him, smashing into his arms, head, and even his face, painting an ever-increasing image of misery!

This time, De Gea was being attacked from so many directions that he was forced into a purely defensive stance! For all their strengths, soldiers from the northern regions were just too rigid and inflexible. Their training was also extremely orthodox and unchanging. Therefore, he had never encountered such an outrageous style of combat and rhythm! As she became increasingly familiarised with her movements as she skated about, she slowly sunk into a trance!

In that instant, it became a complete suppression of De Gea!

The Tianjing fans watching from the stadium were already going mad with excitement. All of them had already given up all hope and expectations for this duel! However, never in their wildest dreams did they expect such an absolute reversal to happen!

There was no way that the spectators could prevent themselves from becoming emotional upon seeing this, right? At every crucial moment, there would always be someone from Tianjing who would take up the mantle and reverse the situation! Previously, there was Grai, and then there was Barran. This time, was it the time for their long-legged vice-captain to do so?

What an incredible waltz on ice!

“This girl’s turned god-like!” Alasi exclaimed in admiration.

To any ranged soldier, the most important factor to a powerful attack wasn’t the power behind it, but using an insane speed alongside devilish movements that could exceed that of an assassin, to establish an invincible position in combat. When coupled with never-ending long-ranged fire, so what if the power behind each individual attack was weak? Even metal plates would be penetrated by slow and repetitive hammering!

Karkel was also somewhat dumbfounded by what he saw. His movements and speed could be considered as the most unique among all of the CHF ranged soldiers, as he dared to meticulously calculate the best distance to fight before engaging in close-quarters combat. Now, Scarlet was utilising the rotations and inconceivable directional changes to suppress her opponent!

He was the type that would drag out the fight, while Scarlet was the type that would circle her opponent.

The only thing that could be said was that she had gained enlightenment.

“There’s still preparation needed to use this move. That ice layer can’t be formed at the start of a fight. After displaying this move to the public, no one will give her the chance to slowly blanket the entire stage with ice anymore.”

“So what? We just want this round!”

“Tianjing’s gonna pull a reversal? Ha, this is getting interesting!”

“If Scarlet’s able to take this round, the pressure will land on the Grozny side. Vladimir might be forced to face off against Wang Zhong, and a 4:1 victory will probably not happen. If he uses anyone else to match up against Wang Zhong, that’s equivalent to telling everyone that he is afraid of Wang Zhong!

“Ah! No matter how the Ice Prince treats fame with indifference, even the northern regions would not look kindly on him if he shows this level of weakness! Furthermore, this will have a very big blow towards the morale of his squadron.”

“This is getting more and more interesting!”

As the atmosphere became electrified, with crazed fans shouting out Scarlet and Tianjing with all their might, De Gea rapidly calmed himself down. This was his opponent’s trump card. Naturally, he knew that if he lost, the situation that everyone was discussing would unfold, which would force his big boss Vladimir into a completely passive position! If that happened, everything that all those before him had done for this match would go completely down the drain!

He couldn’t lose! He absolutely couldn’t lose!

There was absolutely nothing wrong with De Gea’s actions in this fight, as a stable defence was indeed the best way to deal with situations that one did not have complete confidence in. As for the matter of ice-skating, he would not even attempt to try it out! He knew he was not suitable for movements that required that level of deftness and dexterity. Furthermore, he did not have any prior ice-skating experience. However, with a stable defence established, his opponent would not be able to break through it and eliminate him!

Scarlet had now established an extremely superior position on stage, revolving around her opponent and attacking while maintaining approximately 10 metres of distance. However, after a moment of fluster at the beginning, De Gea had utilised his ice shield and runic sword to create a stable defence against all of her attacks.

If this continued, all of Scarlet’s ingenuity would be for naught; once De Gea got accustomed to her attacking style and rhythm, she would end up being the biggest loser. Clearly, some of the experts present could already see this happening.

This was the reason why fancy moves were unable to win life-or-death battles! As long as De Gea didn’t make a second mistake, which northerner soldiers clearly wouldn’t, Grozny would have some breathing room. Indeed, Scarlet had pulled out a frightening move! However, De Gea was extremely stable!

After 5 minutes of defending, De Gea finally discovered that the key to her arcing movements lay with not the where her body and eyes were pointing at, but the tips of her feet. Ice-skating requires repetitive movements, and that would develop into habits. Regardless of how talented Scarlet was, she wasn’t able to defy the heavens and alter the laws of physics and the conservation of momentum! Compared to Vladimir, the things she was doing were just like child’s play!

As he waited for his opponent to unleash her killing move, the confidence and judgement in De Gea’s heart continued to grow stronger and stronger.

“Frozen Forest!”

Suddenly, De Gea roared out, before the icy air that perfused his surroundings instantly turned multiple times denser!

Bang bang bang bang!

Dozens of ice blades burst out from the ground, immediately surrounding the two of them. Despite reacting quickly and avoiding them, everyone could see that those ice blades were not meant to do harm. Instead, they were there to restrict the area in which Scarlet could move about!

BANG!

Scarlet’s movements were instantly obstructed as she slammed into an ice blade that had suddenly emerged from the ground, almost injuring herself in the process.

While her movements were obstructed, De Gea had already leapt high up into the air. This was the moment where he would obtain victory! Soldiers from the northern regions were never afraid of challenges! When rivals meet on a narrow path, only the brave will be victorious!

Icy Prison Leaping Strike!

Having converged all of his power, as well as having figured out all of Scarlet’s rotations to the tee, the only choice left for his opponent was to engage in a head-on clash against him! However, if that happens, he would be able to instantly finish her off!

Do you dare to clash against me!

De Gea’s eyes brimmed with madness and the confidence for victory!

Die!

Indeed, the bloodlust and combative spirit that the northerner soldiers possessed were extremely overbearing. Furthermore, the ice blade formation, as well as her opponent’s sudden all out attack, had completely derailed Scarlet’s rhythm! Tianjing has never bumped into such a person before! Subconsciously, Scarlet started to swerve… and flee backwards…

It’s over! This time, it’s over!

If one tries to flee at this moment, the fight would be over!

An astonishing exchange took place, as the sounds of gunfire and swords swishing rang out…

BANG!

The two figures crossed past each other, both appearing stagger slightly upon doing so…

Countless Tianjing fans could not help but to cover their mouths in shock, while old Greene could not help but to leap out of his seats! Although he could feel that Grozny didn’t have much evil intent towards Tianjing, severe injuries and deaths were unavoidable matters in combat of this level.

The two of them did not make any further movements. At this moment, Scarlet’s face had turned deathly pale, as though there was not a single drop of blood flowing beneath her skin, while her chest heaved up and down heavily with every breath. Compared to her, a solemn expression was present on De Gea’s face, while killing intent shot out from his eyes. Not a single sound could be heard in the stadium as everyone waited from the results in bated breaths. This fight was directly connected to the results for this semifinal match!

Drip… Drip…

Droplets of blood started to drip down from De Gea’s head, before his stiff body started to sway. “What a… good shooting technique…”

Immediately after saying those words, he fell face first onto the ground…

What the hell? What the hell? How was that possible???

De Gea, who had obtained an absolutely superior position, had actually collapsed! Even if he was struck by Scarlet’s attacks, they definitely were not lethal! Why?!

The entire stadium turned deathly silent, as everyone could not understand exactly what had happened! However, some experts finally felt that something was fishy! Although De Gea was pursuing Scarlet, and he had unleashed his attack towards her, why did she suddenly appear behind him?

The large screens proceeded to play back the last moment.

From the looks of it, De Gea’s attack had struck home. In fact, the icy-cold air gushing out from him had already froze Scarlet’s hair up. At this instant, Scarlet was still attempting to flee, with her twin pistols present before her. If she attacked, her bullets would only strike air…

However, in the next instant, Scarlet had disappeared, before appeared behind De Gea in the next instant! All of De Gea’s Soul Power and strength had been channelled to his weapons, leaving not the slightest bit of defence present on his back! Just like that, Scarlet’s attack smashed against the back of his defenceless head!

When a soldier didn’t put up any defences, they wouldn’t be any different from an ordinary person!

In that instant, everyone could see that the strange pair of shoes Scarlet wore were actually a pair of runic shoes! The runic array patterns glowing with golden light allowed Scarlet to unleash a Shukuchi, an instantaneous movement skill that was much faster than dimensional combat techniques for close ranges!

It appeared just as though a flash of light has swept past him!

At this moment, Scarlet looked at her feet. This pair of runic shoes were meticulously created by the efforts of Wang Zhong, Grai and the old Potter. These were the Federation’s first pair of runic shoes! Engraved on their surface was a runic array for a spatial instantaneous movement skill! Although it might not aid Wang Zhong and Grai in any way in combat, it was extremely useful for someone of her level. It was due to this that she was able to pull of a complete reversal!

She, she had done it!

When her opponent seen her flee, and had unleashed his fully powered attack at her, he had also completely relaxed his defences! Never, ever in his wildest dreams would he expect her to unleash such a lethal shot from behind!

3rd duel, Scarlet, victory!

Hu…Hu…Hu…standing on the stage, Scarlet could clearly hear the sounds of her own breath, as her surroundings appeared to be completely devoid of sound. Was this for real?

In fact, she knew that she was utterly incapable of engaging in a head-on fight against De Gea with her level of strength, as he was on a completely different level from her. This pair of runic shoes was the old Potter’s first practical experiment for the new runic system he had developed with Wang Zhong. Truthfully speaking, the results during testing were not that great, as it was extremely unstable, as well as moving her to places that she was not aiming for. However, being this deep into the CHF and at such a critical moment for Tianjing, she could only give it a try. This was the situation Tianjing was in! Having given it a few tries, she would always become dizzy after using it. However, this time, she was incomparably clear-headed when she used it. In fact, she felt as though time had “slowed” down when doing so!

She had done it. She had really done it!

In this semifinal match, she had once again become useful in a crucial moment! She did not disappoint the title of vice-captain! Thinking about the path she had taken in this CHF, the only thing she had really done was to help her squadron fill in some forms. Truthfully speaking, any squadron needs people like her to handle these matters. Scarlet was happy to help everyone with such menial matters. However, being a soldier, her greatest value was still to duke it out on stage!

What was true honour and glory?

To some people, hiding behind people’s butts and entering the semifinals, or obtaining the championship before showing off proudly to others that “I’m also a champion”, were things that they would love to do.

However, to other people, true honour and glory came from not the result, but the process! True honour and glory came from surpassing oneself, and to show one’s worth!

It was when countless people cheered in support of your performance! It was when all of your squadron mates would benefit from your struggles! Being able to prove her worth in a stage like this CHF semifinals was truly… amazing!

Scarlet’s breathing gradually stabilized, before she holstered her favourite pistols.

Raising her head and straightening her back, a faint smile appeared on her face as she pumped her left fist strongly into the air!

Her actions immediately ignited the entire stadium! This was Tianjing’s charm! Perhaps, they might not be the most talented people in the CHF. However, they would always use their intelligence and willpower to create miracles!

Tears started to pool in old Greene’s eyes. At this moment, there was nothing present in his mind except the pride he had for his granddaughter, which proceeded to fill his entire heart. Was there anything more touching that to see one’s beloved granddaughter giving her all on stage, before being given true honour and glory from everyone?

His mouth moved up and down, though no words came out. The only thing he did now was to give his all to clap, clapping so hard that his hands started to swell up!

Explosive applause filled the stadium! There were people that were genuinely in love with her performance, while some were due to being able to see such a spectacular showdown. Regardless, all of them were clapping due to the chance Scarlet had bought for Tianjing!

The Tianjing fans were already at the brink of madness! They had gone from despair to hope! This was the reversal sneak attack unleashed by weaklings! The miracle had appeared right before their eyes! Life was always that crazy! The miraculous Tianjing, miraculous Scarlet, as well as the miraculous waltz on ice!

Berserk roars, cheers and shouts filled the viewing galleries. The Tianjing representative group led by Qian Duoduo were even more berserk, with many people hugging one another as they jumped up and down while screaming at the top of their lungs.

That’s right! This was just Tianjing’s first victory in the duelling phase. However, a single victory was all it took to completely reverse the situation!