Mercenary Wars

Chapter 158 Acting Skills
The already precarious magical shield was shattered in the blink of an eye, and then a rain of granite-like heavy punches landed directly on the mage, each punch landing squarely on his skin!

"Ah—" The mage screamed in agony, trying to struggle, but he was powerless to fight back. He could only manage to cast a weak instant fire spell before being completely pinned to the ground and forced to take a beating.

"Boom boom boom!" Gao Jiano pounded repeatedly.

In Earth Skin form, Granite Fist is no different from a warhammer, and the mage was quickly smashed to pieces.

Then a few lines of information popped up.

Kill a Level 5 Human, Experience +250

[Experience: 5320/6000]

After the mage died, the curse was lifted. But Gaucano did not stop immediately; instead, he continued to beat the mage until he was smashed into a pulp and his entire body was stained with blood—this was important.

Everyone who participates in the duel hopes to win three consecutive matches, and Gaucano is no exception.

But there are no weaklings or fools in the ring of duels.

To win three consecutive matches here, one needs not only skill but also strategy. He must maintain his disguise and hold back his trump cards to win the subsequent challenges as well.

After a while.

Covered in blood, Gaucano stopped pounding, stepped forward, raised Yemen's banner, and with a triumphant cry, officially proclaimed his victory: "For Mosa!"

"For Mosa!" the Mosa followers echoed excitedly, their cheers resounding.

The disciples of Jesus discussed the matter while remaining indignant.

"It seems he's a boxer; he actually disguised himself as a mage and tricked Joan into using his language curse!"

"He seems to have spell reflection, but shouldn't spell reflection be cast through a shield?"

“I’ve watched the Iron Fist Brotherhood’s boxing matches in Southshore before. This guy looks just like Lohar’s gang. They love to make themselves look like they’re covered in blood!”

"Cunning and brutal! Brutal and cunning!"

Gaucano also cooperated with the disciples' discussion. He put on heavy-hitting gloves and walked around the dueling ring, raising his hands and shouting from time to time, looking just like a boxer who had won a fight in the arena.

After halftime.

Another disciple of Jesus has entered the circle of duels.

He was dressed entirely in black, had a strong physique, and carried two black daggers; he looked like a thief.

After sizing each other up for a moment, the two sides planted a flag and took an oath.

"In the name of my Lord Yemen, I, Silas, a fifth-level named one, am willing to duel with you, Gaucano, according to the natural principle of fair dueling!" the thief shouted.

The oath was fulfilled, and the space was sealed off.

Many thieves, like hunters, like to apply a hunter's mark to their enemies before engaging in combat.

But Silas had witnessed the battle just now and knew that Gaugano had a similar spell reflection ability, so he obviously didn't dare to use Hunter's Mark.

His figure vanished instantly, entering a state of invisibility immediately.

Gao Jiano couldn't help but feel a little regretful.

After all, if Sylas had used Hunter's Mark at the start, the battle might have ended much faster. Now, Sylas not only didn't use Hunter's Mark, but he also moved quickly, instantly becoming invisible the moment the fight began, leaving Sylas no time to use Hunter's Mark either.

Undoubtedly, after witnessing his skillful archery, Sylas had already fully anticipated that he would use the Hunter's Mark.

It is clear that those who dare to enter the Duel Ring are indeed formidable opponents; their strength and vigilance far surpass those of their peers.

With no other option, Gaugano activated Earth Skin to protect his vital points, remaining vigilant against Silas's potential attack at any moment.

After a few seconds of silence.

A message popped up.

[Item: Mithril Dagger]

Silas's seemingly black dagger is actually made of mithril!
Although the Earth Skin's defense was sturdy, it was clearly no match for the Mithril Blade. Gao Gano felt a sudden pain as two cuts appeared on his arm.

Two more lines of information flashed by immediately afterward.

[Status Acquired: Slowing Poison]

[Status Acquired: Deadly Poison]

The Earth Skin has a strong resistance to toxins, and Gaucano was minimally affected.

But after a moment's thought, he immediately showed a look of terror, hurriedly took out several bottles of antidote, and frantically tilted his head back to drink them.

"Useless! Ordinary potions can't cure Silas's poison at all!" a disciple of the Lord spoke mockingly. "Just wait to die, you heretics!"

As they had expected, Gao Jiano became increasingly sluggish and weak, his breathing grew heavier, and he would occasionally stop and bend over.

Meanwhile, Silas began to launch a series of sneak attacks, his pair of sharp mithril daggers leaving wounds on Gaugano with each thrust.

Gaucano would occasionally retaliate, but every punch he threw would only land on empty air, not even touching Silas's hair.

It wasn't all an act.

Silas's movements and reactions were indeed extremely fast, as if the entire game was a constant barrage of action.

At that speed, even if he were invisible, or even if he were visible to the naked eye, it would be difficult for Gao Jiano to catch him.

At the very least, in an unarmed state, Gaucano believed it was almost impossible for him to touch his opponent.

He had no choice but to take out the Blood-Summoning Sword.

You also need to lower the other party's guard and speed.

Only then can one have a solid chance of launching a powerful counterattack.

So Gaucano pretended to be poisoned while probing Silas's attack rhythm, silently waiting for his chance.

Silas is still very cautious.

Despite his exceptional skill in concealing himself.

But for several minutes, his attacks were never aggressive; he would stab twice and then quickly withdraw, observe for a moment, and then attack again.

Before long, Gao Jiano was covered in wounds from the stabs. His clothes, already soaked in blood, became even more stained. His movements became so sluggish that he was almost at a standstill, clearly indicating that he was deeply poisoned. He could only cower in one place and defend passively.

He looked to be in very bad shape.

"Kill him! Silas, tear this guy to pieces!" The disciples of Yemen who were watching the battle shouted excitedly, showing their great anticipation.

"Pierce his throat and avenge Joan!"

"Infidels must die!"

Perhaps because Gaucano was exhausted, or perhaps because of the shouts of the other disciples, Silas's offensive rhythm began to become more aggressive.

Gaucano realized that the best moment to counterattack was about to arrive.

After being attacked by Silas once again, he collapsed to the ground.

To the onlookers, he was about to die.

"Silas, kill him!"

"Kill this heretic!" the disciples shouted impatiently.

But the instant he fell to the ground, Gao Jiano immediately took out the Blood Summoning Sword from his storage ring and hid it under his body.

At the same time, ten swift breezes instantly formed and surrounded him.

Two seconds later.

As a swift breeze stirred, Gaucano's eyes suddenly lit up. Now!

Ten swift breezes immediately gathered at the location where Silas was, enveloping him completely.

Silas' movements suddenly became sluggish!

At the same time, Gaucano instantly activated Blood Rush, leaped up with the Blood Summoning Sword in hand, and rushed straight towards Silas with lightning speed. He arrived in an instant and swung his sword fiercely!
A devastating blow!

"Ah!" A scream rang out, blood spurted out, and then the two halves of the corpse flew out of thin air.

The two halves of the body lay on the ground; it was Silas, who died with his eyes wide open in disbelief!
His blood gushed out in a spectacular display, staining a large area of ​​the field red and completely soaking Gaucano's body.

Kill a Level 5 Human, Experience +250

[Experience: 5570/6000]

The disciples of Jehovah were cheering and waiting for Gaucano to be stabbed to death, but in the blink of an eye, Silas had been split in two and died a gruesome death!

They then looked at Gaucano.

Gao Jiano had already sheathed the Blood Summoning Sword, a smile appearing on his face, showing no signs of being poisoned!
The sudden turn of events left everyone stunned.

A few seconds later, the murmurs resumed.

"Where did that sword come from?" Several surprised voices rang out in unison.

"How did he find Silas?" People were even more puzzled as to why Gaucano suddenly found Silas's location.

"It must have been taken from the storage ring when he fell to the ground, but... wouldn't taking the sword in that position hurt him?" someone else wondered.

In fact, if it were an ordinary weapon, given the position Gaucano was in lying on the ground, it would have been easy for him to injure himself if he had tried to remain hidden.

But the Blood-Summoning Sword obviously has no such concerns.

Therefore, Gaucano was able to kill Silas with a single blow after sufficient disguise and waiting.

"Victory belongs to the Mosa!" The Mosa followers, who had been in a somber mood, erupted in cheers, chanting Gaucano's name repeatedly, "Gaucano! Gaucano!"

The disciples' faces were filled with gloom.

"Damn it, what's this guy's profession? Mage? Archer? Or a boxer or swordsman?" They were a little confused by Gaucano's repeated weapon changes.

"It has already won twice and is so badly injured, it's doomed!"

"That's right, he's finished!"

As Gao Jiano packed up his spoils and rested, he pondered the situation.

If his strength allows, he will undoubtedly choose to play two more matches, which would allow him to advance to the next level.

However, the Duel Ring is full of strong opponents, and winning four consecutive matches is really not easy. Unless he is lucky enough to encounter a weak opponent next, he feels that the risk is at least unpredictable.

Let's play another match and see.

He is still quite confident if they fight again.

After all, he still has three important trump cards to play.

One is the sword-wielding prayer. Although he hasn't used this skill yet, it's likely that both the Wind Prince and the Nemesis are mythical beings of high status, especially the latter, who ranks highly in the encyclopedia of mysticism.

If either of the two great deities answered his prayers, it would be enough to grant him considerable power.

Secondly, there's the Blood Summoning Sword. He just cleaved Sylas in two with a single strike, and the Blood Summoning Sword's most important characteristic, "blood summoning," hasn't even been revealed yet. Therefore, to others, the Blood Summoning Sword is merely a sharp sword.

There is also blood regeneration.

Gaucano covered himself in blood for this purpose, so that he could heal all his injuries instantly whenever he needed them, and it would be difficult for him to be discovered.

Of course, some disguise is still necessary.

"Gaucano, stop fighting, come back! Your injuries are already very serious!" a Mossadist advised.

Gaucano leaned on his sword and said weakly, "I can still fight... cough cough!"

His acting skills have become increasingly refined.

But the disciples of Jesus showed some doubt.

After all, he had performed this several times before, especially the poisoning performance just now. When everyone thought he was seriously poisoned, he turned around and killed Sylas.

So even though his acting skills improved, the disciples still had doubts, and not many people applied to go into battle.

After a while.

Another disciple of Jesus has entered the ring of duels.

He was dressed in heavy armor and wielded a large sword, a standard warrior's attire. The only unusual thing was that his armor seemed a little ill-fitting, somewhat loose.

“In the name of my Lord Jemen, I, Makar, the Fifth-Rank Named One, am willing to duel with you, Gaucano, in accordance with the principles of natural and fair duels!” he shouted.

The oath was fulfilled, and the space was sealed off.

"Yemen is supreme!" The warrior roared as the battle began, accompanied by subtle fluctuations.

A roar of faith.

Gaucano couldn't even be entirely sure if it was a roar of faith, because he didn't feel anything at all.

As a complete pseudo-believer, all he could feel was noise.

Of course, the performance still needs to be performed.

This was not only a tactical requirement, but also a religious one. He did not want the Mosa Church to realize that it was a pure false believer with not a shred of faith.

So when the roar of faith rang out, Gaucano immediately showed a look of panic and weakness, his body swaying slightly, staggering like an extremely devout Mosaic.

Makar immediately roared and charged forward with his sword, instantly reaching Gaucano.

"Clang clang clang—" The two swords clashed, sparks flying, and dozens of exchanges took place in the blink of an eye.

Although it was just an ordinary exchange, Gao Jiano's expression quickly turned serious.

This warrior is very skilled with a sword!

To be precise, he's just as good as him.

In other words, the opponent's swordsmanship must have reached its peak, and they must also have the ability to perform sword-wielding prayers.

The warrior Makar clearly realized this as well, and during the exchange of blows, he asked, "Have you prayed to your name caster?"

“None of my name casters are the God of the Sword,” Gao Jiano blurted out, then asked in return, “It seems you have gained the favor of the God of the Sword.”

“Of course,” Makar said, stomping his foot and then unleashing a shockwave with his sword!

"Boom——"

With two powerful shockwaves, Gaucano nearly fell, but fortunately, the Ten Swift Breeze adjusted his posture in time, allowing him to regain his footing and retreat rapidly, dodging Makar's greatsword sweep.

"You think I'd believe such nonsense as swordsmanship reaching its peak without a wielder to wield it?" Makar sneered, gripping the massive sword with both hands and raising it high, its blade pointing straight to the sky.

"Let us wage a real battle in the name of God!" His voice gradually rose, and the sound became like thunder.

Gaucano frowned, gripping the Blood Summoning Sword tightly, and looked at Makar not far away with a serious expression.

Just then, a real clap of thunder suddenly rang out.

"Boom!" A dazzling bolt of lightning surged from Makar's body, instantly expanding his already tall and strong frame to become an absolute giant, with lightning crackling in his eyes.

At the same time, his skin also shone with a metallic sheen amidst the arcs of electricity, exuding an ancient and majestic aura!

(End of this chapter)