Chapter 41: Victory!

The captain’s kick landed with such force that even the surrounding air was compressed, bursting with a series of explosive sounds—a sign of power reaching an extraordinary level.

Faced with this fearsome strike, Sikong Xu dared not meet it head-on. He immediately retreated, but the captain’s leg was simply too fast; even though Sikong Xu had reacted in time, the kick still outpaced his backward step.

Just as the captain’s short leg was about to strike his chest, Sikong Xu, in a sudden flash of inspiration, let his body fall backward. When his body was parallel to the ground, his palms braced against the earth, preventing him from toppling over.

“What!” Levi was astonished to have his strike miss—what he thought was a sure hit had been so deftly countered by Sikong Xu’s technique.

But what surprised Levi even more was that as Sikong Xu’s hands touched the ground, he suddenly twisted his waist and, with a burst of strength, swung both legs up and off the ground, aiming a vicious kick at Levi’s chin.

Caught off guard by Sikong Xu’s unexpected attack, Levi could only throw his arms up and block the kick head-on.

Bang—

Though Sikong Xu had come up with this move in a moment of desperation, the force behind it was anything but weak. Levi being sent flying was proof enough. However, Sikong Xu paid a price as well—his old back suffered for it.

Crack!

A sharp, brittle sound came from his waist, followed by intense pain. Sikong Xu realized that the bridge-like move had wrenched his back.

Even with the “Infinite Martial Training” skill, Sikong Xu could easily perform such maneuvers, but they required extreme flexibility. His frail frame, never accustomed to such acrobatics, simply couldn’t handle it, and so his back gave out.

“Damn…”

Sikong Xu lay face-down on the grass, beads of cold sweat rolling down his forehead. The pain from his twisted back was far from trivial.

“This body really is…” Propped up on one hand, clutching his waist, Sikong Xu cursed under his breath. “Infinite Martial Training” granted him exceptional technique, but his thin, undertrained body simply couldn’t keep up with those high-level moves.

He hadn’t noticed this flaw when fighting Titans—after all, he only needed to use his maneuver gear and blades to slay them, at most running out of stamina. But fighting the captain in hand-to-hand combat was different; it demanded more than just technique. This time, Sikong Xu had paid the price…

Everyone standing around was at a loss for words. Should they be astonished that he’d managed to send the famed “Strongest Human” flying with a kick, or should they laugh at him for wrenching his back mid-fight?

“This guy is really something else…” Hange Zoe muttered, covering her face as if embarrassed for Sikong Xu’s sake.

“Tch…” On the other side, Levi, who had been kicked away, stood up, one hand covering his face, his gaze cold as he looked Sikong Xu’s way.

Luckily, Levi had reacted just in time, realizing he couldn’t dodge and raising his hands to block. Still, the power behind Sikong Xu’s kick transferred through Levi’s arms and landed squarely on his face.

Levi slowly got to his feet, his eyes shifting from Sikong Xu to Erwin, signaling that Sikong Xu was incapacitated and the fight should be called.

Erwin nodded slowly, seeing the situation. Sikong Xu’s back injury seemed severe; he could barely muster the strength to stand. It looked like Levi had won…

Erwin opened his mouth, ready to declare the match over.

“Wait!” Suddenly, Sikong Xu stopped Erwin just as he was about to call it. “I can still fight…” he said, trembling.

“Xu, don’t push yourself anymore, you can’t keep going like this!” Eren, his friend, couldn’t bear to watch and quickly tried to dissuade him.

“Huh? No way, I’m perfectly fine.”

“Don’t force yourself. If you don’t get your back treated immediately, you’re going to have problems. Besides, everyone’s seen your strength already. It’s enough.”

Everyone nodded instinctively at Eren’s words. Although Levi had technically won, it was clear Sikong Xu had the upper hand—Levi had taken a serious hit, after all.

“Who said my back’s hurt! I’m fine!” Sikong Xu, who had been rubbing his waist, straightened up as if nothing had happened, his back suddenly ramrod straight, as if the earlier pain had been pure theatrics.

“What! Xu, don’t push yourself!” Eren cried out in alarm.

“Relax, relax! You’re even naggier than Mikasa!” Sikong Xu wiped the cold sweat from his brow and flashed a sunny smile.

Thank goodness I just gained the “Titanic Recovery (Pseudo)” ability, he thought, or else I really would’ve lost. Sensing a tingling numbness in his waist, Sikong Xu realized his new power was already healing his sprained back.

Truth be told, Sikong Xu was very pleased with this ability. Not only could it restore stamina, but it also healed injuries—quickly, too. When he’d first twisted his back, the pain had left him unable to move, but now, within less than two minutes, he was already moving freely.

He was in high spirits. Without “Titanic Recovery (Pseudo),” it would have taken a week for his back to heal fully; now, just a few minutes sufficed.

Afraid no one would believe him, Sikong Xu twisted his waist to show he was perfectly fine.

Before this, even the always composed Erwin was at a loss. Sikong Xu’s pain had looked anything but feigned—how could he be up and lively again in no time?

Left with no choice, Erwin turned to Levi, silently asking if he wanted to continue.

Seeing Erwin’s questioning gaze, Levi’s eyes flickered, then returned to their usual deadpan. “I concede,” he said coolly, and turned on his heel to leave.

“Huh? We’re done?” Sikong Xu was surprised. He hadn’t had his fill, and now it was over? To think the captain would just surrender out of the blue—what a difficult man…

Seeing what had just unfolded, Erwin hesitated for a moment, then announced, “Since Levi has conceded, Sikong Xu is the winner of this duel!”

In an instant, cheers erupted across the lawn.

It might have been a bit unfair to Levi, but the squad couldn’t contain their excitement. From the bottom of their hearts, they marveled that this young man, fresh from the cadet corps, had defeated the man known as humanity’s strongest! Even if Levi had held back, it didn’t change the fact that Sikong Xu had won, so the members cheered all the louder.

…

Not far away, the captain pressed a cold, damp handkerchief to his swollen arm, his dark-rimmed eyes fixed on Sikong Xu. He knew he had truly lost. In terms of technique, this youth… was truly terrifying!