Douluo Continent, Huo Yuhao who returned from Sekiro

Chapter 445 Deadly Battle - Between Swords (Part 2)

Huo Yuhao, sparing with words, charged fiercely at Ji Juechen.

Ji Juechen wields a heavy sword forged from meteorite iron from outer space. His moves are wide and sweeping. If Huo Yuhao wants to suppress such an opponent, he must bring the battle into close combat.

At this moment, the two sides' auras are locked in an invisible battle.

The same sharpness, the same unwavering determination.

One side is like a knife, the other like a sword, locked in a fierce and intertwined bond.

This competition has even transformed from intangible to tangible, with countless fine cracks appearing on the ground of the trial area.

The six spirit rings on Ji Juechen's body shimmered and sparkled like ripples on water. He changed from holding the sword with one hand to holding it with both hands, and his sword intent burst forth, changing from its previous unparalleled sharpness to a predatory nature.

Ji Juechen knew that he had already lost the battle the moment he turned the fight from a clash of swords to a confrontation between sword intent and saber intent. However, the blood still flowing from his chest told him that he didn't have much time left to fight in a conscious state.

Once he loses enough blood, he will be forced to stop this deadly fight.

Without any warning, Ji Juechen suddenly raised his head.

His eyes seemed to flash like two bolts of lightning, shooting straight at Huo Yuhao, who was not far ahead.

In the next instant, his entire body shot out like a bolt of lightning, heading straight for Huo Yuhao.

Ji Juechen's heavy sword slashed straight at Huo Yuhao's face. This strike, which was forged with Ji Juechen's sword intent, was incredibly terrifying and could even directly cut through the defense of a Soul Saint. However, the killing intent that was originally surging out of Huo Yuhao's body suddenly contracted and condensed into the katana in Huo Yuhao's hand.

A piercing, sharp scraping sound rang out. Ji Juechen's sword was so fast that it was several times faster than the speed of sound, so fast that the air itself seemed to whistle as he leaped up just as he was about to strike Huo Yuhao, delivering a powerful downward slash.

Huo Yuhao then used the Flowing Water Stepping Moon technique again, leaping a few steps into the air. Before Ji Juechen's sword could reach its peak power, he preemptively collided the blade with the sword.

"Clang—"

The extremely ear-piercing sound of metal clashing together rang out, and the aftershocks from the blades and swords splashed everywhere, leaving behind a series of hideous sword marks and knife imprints on the entire red-level training ground.

Even though Huo Yuhao caught the force a step ahead, it still slammed him back to the ground from mid-air, causing him to slide back several steps, cracking the hard ground beneath his feet.

The next moment, Ji Juechen, who was pressing his advantage, also took a step forward and slid quickly across the ground. Then, with a standard bow stance, he thrust his sword straight at Huo Yuhao's throat, but Huo Yuhao, who was also sliding backward, blocked the attack with a horse stance.

"It's my turn."

Taking advantage of the momentum, Huo Yuhao, who was standing in a horse stance, took a step forward. In an instant, he changed his grip on the katana from one hand to two hands. The blade then seemed to whip up a whirlwind and slashed towards Ji Juechen. Ji Juechen, who was in a bow stance and thrusting his sword, lost his offensive position and could only passively switch to defense.

Ji Juechen now wielded his heavy sword with both hands again. Since it had no blade, Ji Juechen didn't need to adhere to the usual way of holding a sword.

With his left hand on the sword, he forcefully turned a meteorite iron heavy sword into a fighting blade, cleverly blocking Huo Yuhao's first two strikes with the support of his left hand, and then did a somersault to retreat.

Huo Yuhao also understood the principle of not letting the advantage go unchallenged. He swung his sword, but Ji Juechen's somersault was dodged. Huo Yuhao immediately took a step forward, gripped his katana with both hands, and used it as a spring bar to slam it into the ground. He spun around and attacked Ji Juechen, taking advantage of Ji Juechen's unstable landing to unleash a swift eagle slash.

"Bang!"

Huo Yuhao's strike, resembling the swing of a steel whip, shattered the already broken floor, revealing the black-level training room on the next level. Ji Juechen, on the other hand, had a solemn expression, and his once clean trousers were now stained crimson on the right leg.

Yes, how could Huo Yuhao's Eagle Slash be easy to dodge?

Huo Yuhao's Eagle Slash, as sharp as a steel whip, directly severed half of Ji Juechen's right leg.

Even so, Ji Juechen didn't utter a sound. Instead, he used his left hand to make a sword-finger gesture to maintain his balance, his right arm was in a crescent shape, his left foot was on one leg, and the heavy sword in his right hand was used to smash directly towards Huo Yuhao's spine with a "Yaksha Probing the Sea" move.

Huo Yuhao realized that Ji Juechen had not given up the fight, so he rolled over in a lazy manner to avoid having his spine smashed by Ji Juechen's sword. However, one or two of his left ribs were still broken by Ji Juechen's heavy sword, and the remaining bones that were hit would probably suffer fractures as well.

This was only because Huo Yuhao had absorbed the Ice Jade Emperor Scorpion's torso bone; otherwise, this powerful and heavy Yaksha Probing the Sea strike would have surely shattered him to pieces.

Ji Juechen's consciousness was becoming increasingly blurred, and the entire red-level training area was covered with his gushing blood. Huo Yuhao had two ribs broken by Ji Juechen's heavy sword and was unable to move for a while.

"Click!"

Ji Juechen mustered the last bit of strength in his body and suddenly strode forward, his heavy sword aimed straight at Huo Yuhao's face. However, Huo Yuhao sheathed his sword at that moment and twisted his body somewhat awkwardly, avoiding this fatal blow.

Immediately afterward, to prevent Ji Juechen from having any further tricks up his sleeve, Huo Yuhao suddenly drew his sword with a swift movement, blocking the attack that he had already dodged. Then, he raised the sword above his head with both hands, and with a sudden burst of strength, the sword came crashing down with a fierce gust of wind!

"Clang—"

A sharp explosion rang out, and Ji Juechen's meteorite iron heavy sword was suddenly cut in two by Huo Yuhao's single-word slash, the sword tip clattering to the ground.

Huo Yuhao then switched his grip on the knife to a single-handed yang grip, pressing the blade against Ji Juechen's neck, who was no longer able to fight.

"Ha, ha ha ha, what a thrilling death match! Though I die, I am honored."

Ji Juechen looked at Huo Yuhao with a dazed expression, as if he had seen some rare treasure. His eyes were filled with fervor and relief. In the end, he knelt down on the ground, powerless, and fainted.

Huo Yuhao stood still for a long time, staring at the ninja mark on Ji Juechen's neck for a long time before finally sheathing his sword. The aura in his eyes that disregarded all life and took the life of the enemy as the highest principle gradually faded away.

Ji Juechen's guess was correct. The Huo Yuhao in Shrek Academy, who was loved by everyone, was not the most authentic side of Huo Yuhao, but it was not accurate to say that it was a complete disguise.

Huo Yuhao craves deathmatch, even an eternal, life-or-death struggle, but this doesn't mean his expressions of friendship and family affection are fake; on the contrary, they are all real.

The reason why Huo Yuhao never showed his cold-blooded and ruthless side, who was capable of killing, to others was precisely to protect these precious feelings.

Having had such a thrilling battle with Ji Juechen, Huo Yuhao will no longer miss the feeling of fighting to the death with a rare powerhouse and dancing on the edge of a knife, at least for the time being.

(End of this chapter)