Chapter 30: Conqueror's Haki
'Still pretending!'
A flash of malice crossed Chen Chen's face, but he said aloud, "Here I come!"
He couldn't wait to defeat Chen Yu and enjoy everyone's adoration. He also wanted to perform well in front of Ling Yue, to let her know he wasn't weaker than him.
Chen Chen launched the attack first.
He exerted force under his feet, his body rushing toward Chen Yu like an arrow leaving the string, his speed so fast it left only an afterimage.
He held the Seven Star Sword high, the sword energy drawing a green arc in the air.
Accompanied by the sound of breaking wind, it thrust straight at Chen Yu's chest.
This strike was fast and vicious, the angle tricky.
He clearly wanted to defeat the enemy in one move, giving Chen Yu no chance to react.
However, Chen Yu's feet remained nailed to the spot, as if he hadn't had time to dodge.
The crowd gasped. Chen Yu was in danger!
In the next moment, Chen Yu's gaze sharpened. 'Just right to test the hardness of my Armament Haki.'
Clang!
The sound of metal colliding rang out. Sword met sword, sending sparks flying.
Chen Chen froze slightly. 'This broken rusty sword blocked my Seven Star Sword?'
'Blocked it?'
The crowd was stunned. The rusty sword in Chen Yu's hand was actually harder than imagined.
Only Ling Wenhe's expression remained normal. He knew this sword wasn't as fragile as it appeared on the surface.
However, it didn't provide Chen Yu with any combat buffs either. Compared to the Seven Star Sword in Chen Chen's hand, it was far inferior.
The situation of the duel was still not optimistic for Chen Yu.
Chen Chen's face turned ruthless as he swung the Seven Star Sword to strike again.
Chen Yu didn't dodge; he even actively met the attack.
The two became a blur of combat, the sound of metal clashing ringing out continuously. For a moment, they were evenly matched.
"Chen Chen defeated Vice Master Zhao in three moves, so he's at least in the Steel-Cutting Realm. But... why can Instructor Chen fight him back and forth?"
"Could it be that Instructor Chen has also stepped into the Steel-Cutting Realm?!"
"Holy crap?! A Steel-Cutting Swordsman at the mid-tier of the Beginner( initial )Stage?!"
Note: I will be referring Initial Stage as Beginner.
"I thought Chen Chen was already naturally gifted, but I didn't expect Chen Yu to be even more of a monster."
The direction of the discussion began to revolve around Chen Yu, sounding incredibly harsh to Chen Chen's ears.
"So what if you're a Steel-Cutting Swordsman!" Chen Chen instantly transformed his body into a swamp, lunging at Chen Yu.
"You're just trash without a Fruit ability! I am a Swamp Human of the Natural-type Swamp-Swamp Fruit!!"
Under the coverage of Observation Haki, Chen Yu didn't panic at all. "Shave."
With a flash, he appeared behind Chen Chen. "I'm behind you."
"I wouldn't eat the Swamp Fruit even if you gave it to me. Too dirty." Chen Yu curled his lips.
Chen Chen turned around violently, the swamp beneath his feet churning instantly. Gray-brown mud spread in all directions.
"Swamp Trap!"
The ground sank with a boom. A radius of several meters centered on Chen Chen turned into a sticky swamp.
The mud entangled like a living creature, trying to drag down Chen Yu's ankles.
At the same time, using the recoil of the swamp, Chen Chen leaped high, the Seven Star Sword wrapped in whistling green flames chopping down.
"Die!"
BOOM!!
Green flames swept across the entire arena, swallowing everyone's line of sight. The power of this strike caused the crowd to gasp in unison.
"Terrifying!"
"Natural-types are just strong. Forget fighting in that swamp terrain; moving is a struggle."
"This strike would be enough for a Tier-2 Awakener to struggle with."
"Is Chen Yu done for?"
Zhou Mingxuan's face went pale. 'Chen Yu... lost just like that?'
"Up there." Ling Yue's voice came. Everyone followed her gaze.
They saw Chen Yu stepping on air using Moonwalk, standing in the sky, his face as calm as water. "Is that it?"
Hearing this, Chen Chen clenched the Seven Star Sword tightly.
'Why did Ling Yue notice you first! Did she not see my powerful strike?!'
"You'd better stay calm in a moment!!" Chen Chen raised his sword and swung.
Several fireballs made of green flames shot out explosively.
At the same time, he controlled the mud to rise from the ground, attempting to swallow and bury Chen Yu.
But in the next second, Chen Yu just raised his eyebrows slightly, exerting force with his feet.
"Shave!"
His figure moved like a ghost, leaving several afterimages in the air, easily dodging the pincer attack of fireballs and mud.
Chen Chen only felt a blur. Chen Yu was already in front of him.
The rusty sword in his hand flicked casually, the back of the blade accurately slapping Chen Chen's wrist holding the sword.
The force wasn't great, but it numbed the web of Chen Chen's thumb, nearly causing the Seven Star Sword to fly out of his hand.
"Can't even hold your sword steady, and you're acting tough here?" Chen Yu's voice carried a hint of teasing, sounding particularly jarring to Chen Chen.
Chen Chen's pupils shrank.
He gritted his teeth and activated his Fruit ability. Several mud tentacles shot out from the swamp, winding toward Chen Yu like poisonous snakes.
"Swamp Devour!"
"Paper Art."
Chen Yu's body became like a sheet of paper blown by the wind, weaving flexibly between the tentacles.
He even found time to sever several mud tentacles with the rusty sword.
"Ace," wrapped in Armament Haki, slashed down. The mud tentacles were instantly cut in two, falling to the ground and turning into ordinary muddy water.
"Sea Prism Stone!" Chen Chen's eyes flashed with a 'wise' look. "Your sword is made of Sea Prism Stone! Otherwise, it would be absolutely impossible to cut my swamp!"
Hearing this, the crowd revealed expressions of realization.
"No wonder! I thought Instructor Chen had mastered an ability to counter Natural-types."
"A rusty sword on the surface, but actually made of Sea Prism Stone? Looks like he wanted to catch him off guard!"
"Pity, Chen Chen saw through it."
Thinking he had seen through Chen Yu's trump card, Chen Chen said proudly, "If that's all the tricks you have, this battle ends now! Seven Star Sword: Demon Fire Continuous Slash!"
The green demon fire on the Seven Star Sword blazed brightly.
Though it was fire, it was bone-chillingly cold. Chen Chen gripped the sword with both hands, slashing out several waves of demon fire toward Chen Yu violently.
Everywhere they passed became scorched black.
This demon fire was even stronger than Zhou Mingxuan's fox fire; it couldn't be taken head-on.
Under the coverage of Observation Haki, Chen Yu easily predicted the trajectory of the sword energy.
With a sway of his body, he dodged it.
The crowd couldn't help but let out low cries of surprise.
This calm demeanor completely ignited Chen Chen's anger. The power of the Swamp Fruit in his body surged madly.
"You forced me!"
"Swamp-Swamp Fruit Secret Technique: Corrosive Sea Hell!"
In an instant, the swamp on the entire battlefield expanded frantically.
Countless twisted arms emerged from the mud, closing in on Chen Yu like a prison from hell.
Chen Yu's body kept sinking; it looked like he couldn't break free.
Simultaneously, the Seven Star Sword in Chen Chen's hand erupted with blinding green light.
The blade seemed to come alive. Green demon fire swirled, transforming into a ferocious long serpent, whistling as it raided toward Chen Yu.
The green flame serpent bared its fangs, wrapped in the stench of rotting mud, arriving before Chen Yu in a blink.
The twisted arms in the swamp held Chen Yu's limbs firmly. With every inch he sank, the pulling force of the mud tripled.
The hearts of the crowd on the sidelines tightened.
"It's over... He can't break free from this Corrosive Sea Hell!"
"Instructor Chen... is going to lose..."
The timid ones even closed their eyes, daring not to look.
Zhou Mingxuan's face was as pale as paper. He shouted, "Chen Yu, move!"
Ling Yue's brows furrowed tightly. Cold air swirled around her fingertips, her body moving slightly as if to rush into the field.
But just then, a hand pressed gently on her shoulder. The force wasn't heavy, but it carried an unquestionable steadiness. She turned back, meeting Ling Wenhe's calm eyes.
"Don't rush. He..."
Before the words were finished.
Chen Yu, deep in the swamp, raised his eyes slightly. His pitch-black pupils seemed to contain endless imposing aura.
"Alright, I'm done playing with you."
In the next second.
An invisible wave of air suddenly erupted from his body!
The wave wasn't physical, but it carried a pressure that looked down on the world, exploding in everyone's ears like a thunderclap.
People with low cultivation boundaries on the sidelines fainted directly.
Those slightly better off instantly turned pale, their legs going soft as they slumped to the ground, lacking even the strength to lift their heads.
Even Zhou Mingxuan felt as if a boulder was pressing on his chest, making breathing difficult.
'What... is this?!'
Chen Chen was about to urge the demon fire serpent to deliver the final blow, but suddenly his whole body went stiff.
The power of the Swamp Fruit in his body seemed to have been paused.
The wildly surging mud stopped abruptly.
The arms entangling Chen Yu lost their strength, collapsing limply into the swamp.
He widened his eyes, his face full of disbelief and shock.
His throat couldn't make a sound. He only felt a fear originating from the depths of his soul, making even his hand holding the sword tremble.
"This... what is this... how is it... possible..."
Chen Chen's voice trembled. He had never imagined that Chen Yu was hiding such terrifying power.
(To be Continued)