Chapter 142: The True Strength of the Half-Step Viridian Tier!

"Die?" Sikong Xu smiled. "You wouldn't actually want to kill your junior, would you, Senior?"

"No, no, no. What I mean is that since I haven't fully stepped into the Viridian tier yet, it's quite hard to control my full power when I unleash it. However, I'll try my best not to take your life," Ma Qiuxing said earnestly. Even though they were opponents at the moment, they were also fellow students of Morning Dawn Academy; Ma Qiuxing could never be unhinged enough to murder a classmate.

"Is that so? Then it seems I'll have to go all out as well." Looking into Ma Qiuxing's eyes, Sikong Xu knew the other was completely serious. Since that was the case, he would...

Abruptly, a thin cyan longsword—though not quite as slender as a rapier—appeared in Sikong Xu's empty left hand. Its blade was a dazzling white, while the guard and hilt were a translucent cyan, allowing light to pass right through the blade, showing just how transparent the weapon truly was.

And this sword bore a famous name—the Dark Repulser!

That's right, this was the very same Dark Repulser that paired with the Elucidator in *Sword Art Online* (SAO), and these two swords were the ultimate proof of the Dual Blades skill!

Having previously obtained a full 5,000 credits from Mu Ning, Sikong Xu had taken the time before leaving the school to visit the exchange hall and procure items that would boost his strength, and the Dark Repulser was one of them.

...

Dark Repulser
Category: One-handed Longsword
Tier: Black Iron (Advanced)
Effect: Attack Power D+
Description: Want to experience the Black Swordsman's Dual Blades? This sword is simply indispensable!

...

The tier of the Dark Repulser was one rank lower than the Bronze-tier Elucidator. After all, in the original work, the Elucidator never broke, whereas the Dark Repulser had. Furthermore, after purchasing another item, Sikong Xu simply didn't have enough remaining credits to buy a Bronze-tier weapon.

"Two swords?" Seeing the Dark Repulser suddenly summoned into Sikong Xu's left hand, even Ma Qiuxing was momentarily stunned. He never expected this junior of his to be capable of wielding swords with both hands simultaneously.

One had to know that while some swordsmen were accustomed to the right hand and others to the left, swordsmen who utilized dual swords at the same time were exceedingly rare. The reason was simple: wielding dual swords required perfect coordination between the left and right hands—a coordination not just anyone could achieve. Moreover, using dual weapons required a set of sword techniques specifically matched to dual wielding; otherwise, the true might of the double-bladed style could never be perfectly unleashed.

As for left-and-right-hand coordination, Sikong Xu, possessing the "Mind's Eye (False)" which allowed the mind, technique, and body to fuse into one, could naturally achieve this effortlessly. In fact, in terms of familiarity with the dual-blade style, Sikong Xu was probably even more adept than Kirito, the protagonist of *Sword Art Online*.

While Kirito's dual wielding still relied on two hands operating independently, under the influence of the "Mind's Eye (False)," Sikong Xu's left and right hands were coordinated to such a perfect realm that using them felt as natural as using a single limb, completely without any obstacles. Even without employing specific dual-blade sword techniques, Sikong Xu could flawlessly unleash the full power of the dual-blade style.

And as for sword techniques... it wasn't as if Sikong Xu didn't have any!

"Touka, be careful and keep assisting me from the side," Sikong Xu said, casting a glance at Touka.

The Ma Qiuxing before him had already discarded his previous bantering expression, replacing it with an air of utmost gravity. This shift in demeanor imparted a tremendous sense of pressure upon Sikong Xu; even with his dual-blade technique, it would likely be extremely difficult for him to contend with Ma Qiuxing.

"Junior, watch out!" Suddenly, Ma Qiuxing took a fierce step forward, the force of his stomp sending tiny fragments flying from the hard concrete ground. He then swung his tightly gripped baseball bat abruptly forward, while his personal battle qi surged forth in a violent eruption.

Just like that, a ferocious whirlwind of battle qi was whipped up by Ma Qiuxing, its might rivaling even a miniature tornado!

"This fierce?" This rapidly spinning whirlwind of battle qi completely exceeded Sikong Xu's imagination. An attack of this magnitude was something he could hardly pull off even if he were several times stronger!

The surging battle qi whirlwind howled forward at high speed. In its wake, everything was left in a state of utter devastation; the utility poles by the roadside were completely mangled, continuous cracks fractured the ground, and several cars were instantly torn to pieces within the vortex.

Battle qi was inherently extremely violent in nature, and when unleashed in the chaotic form of a whirlwind, its destructive power increased exponentially!

Realizing the terrifying scale of that power, Sikong Xu immediately retreated at top speed, yet the advancing battle qi whirlwind moved several times faster than he did!

Seeing that he was about to be swallowed by the vortex, Sikong Xu's ingenuity flared. With blazing speed, he channeled his battle qi once more, condensing it in front of his chest before bursting it outward!

Normally, a battle qi burst was utilized behind the user for a brief propulsion just before an attack, but this time Sikong Xu applied it to his chest, using the recoil of the explosion as momentum to propel his retreat. Needless to say, such a brilliant maneuver was something only someone possessing the "Mind's Eye (False)" like Sikong Xu could execute in such a fleeting moment.

Boom—

With the sudden burst of battle qi before his chest, the whirlwind that was about to swallow him was instantly pushed back at a distance from Sikong Xu.

"Damn it, is a mere half-step into the Viridian tier this terrifying?!" Sikong Xu cursed inwardly as he narrowly escaped disaster. The opponent had forced him into such a wretched state with just a single strike; if he were to encounter a true Viridian-tier powerhouse, wouldn't he be finished on the spot?

"Hmph!" Seeing the battle qi whirlwind sweeping toward him once more, Sikong Xu let out a cold snort. Crossing the two swords in his hands through the air, he slashed out two intersecting blade auras.

Swish—

The intersecting blade auras streaked swiftly toward the battle qi whirlwind. Imbued with the sharpness attribute, the blade auras indeed proved effective against the battle qi. When the two energy types collided, two completely distinct forces instantly intertwined. Because the volume of battle qi within the whirlwind was far too massive, the two blade auras slashed out by Sikong Xu were not enough to slice it apart.

However, it would still take a considerable amount of time for the battle qi whirlwind to dissolve Sikong Xu's blade auras.

"Explode!" Sensing that his battle qi whirlwind and Sikong Xu's blade auras were locked in a stalemate, Ma Qiuxing didn't hesitate for a second and instantly detonated the whirlwind.

Boom!

The detonated battle qi blasted outward in all directions. Under the impact of the explosion, Sikong Xu was violently blown back a distance of several meters, only stopping when he crashed heavily into a utility pole, causing even the iron pole to warp.

"Pfft—"

The moment his body came to a halt, a mouthful of blood sprayed from Sikong Xu's lips. The impact generated by the explosion of the battle qi whirlwind was truly agonizing; he had only brushed against the fringe of it and still sustained light injuries. Had he taken the brunt of the whirlwind head-on... Sikong Xu didn't even dare to imagine the consequences.

"Junior, what's wrong? Is that all you've got?" Ma Qiuxing stared steadily at Sikong Xu, who was coughing up blood. Earlier, he would have likely worn a mocking expression, but having gone all out, Ma Qiuxing seemed like a completely different person, maintaining a remarkably composed demeanor.

"Haha, it's not over yet, Senior. Try this move of mine!"

Abruptly, Sikong Xu's expression turned ice-cold. At the same time, he raised both the Elucidator and the Dark Repulser. As for the technique he was about to execute, even he could not guarantee whether it would succeed.

Though he had only theorized this move before, this would be its very first use in actual combat... Whether it works or not depends entirely on you now!