Battle of Liguang: Sacrifice (5)

Sir Winstin and Mingyu Loon worked together against Cardinal Yongyu, Loujin, and Thousand Storms. The two were arguably the strongest combatants on Elizabeth's side, infinitesimally close to the Half-Instinct Realm standard, and their strength allowed them to dominate other Perception Realm Masters! Even when Sir Winstin fought against the Four Cardinals by himself, he managed to hold his ground for a respectable time. Now that Cardinal Hui was absent, and he had the help of Mingyu Loon, they slowly switched from defending to attacking. They could reverse the situation! Sir Winstin swept out with his glaive and attacked Cardinal Yongyu and Thousand Storms. Cardinal Yongyu raised her swords and easily blocked, allowing Thousand Storms to advance. Sir Winstin snorted and jumped back as Mingyu Loon appeared in their vision.

Using her unsurpassable speed, she skirted around Thousand Storm's defense and struck. Another deep cut formed on his torso, but Mingyu Loon was not unharmed either. Blood trickled down her forehead and drenched her face. She was fast, very fast, and there was no doubt about that; however, that speed lowered her reaction time, which made her surprisingly vulnerable during her attacks. Thousand Storms was a battle maniac, a Perception Realm Master, and he almost grasped Perfect Sword Form. He was not a pushover either since he could counter Mingyu Loon's speed already!

The woman was immediately besieged by the two cardinals on both sides. Cardinal Yongyu hounded her from behind like a ghost and prevented her from gaining speed. Cardinal Loujin used his stature to obstruct Mingyu Loon too and locked her down. She could not get away. Bang! The two sides flew away from each other and landed. One had to admit that Mingyu was truly capable. In that exchange, the two cardinals only managed to strike her once, while she retaliated more than ten times! Her battle achievements were superior to Sir Winstin's!

Sir Winstin saw his chance, brushed off Thousand Storms, and charged towards the two cardinals. He was close to Mingyu Loon at her peak! Ever since his battles with the Four Cardinals, he knew that Cardinal Loujin was the core and even with the battle here, it was Cardinal Loujin who fearlessly led the charge. His presence was not only a deterrent, but also a major morale booster. He had to be killed! Sir Winstin's eyes flashed with murderous intent that sharpened his aura further. Right when Mingyu Loon disengaged from the two cardinals, he arrived! Cardinal Yongyu was the first to react and instinctively swung her swords out, demarcating a safe zone around her, which showed how extensively she trained herself. Her body moved faster than her mind! Sir Winstin gritted his teeth and decided in an instant. He twisted his body and allowed her swords to cut through his armor and into his flesh! In exchange for that though, he broke through her defense and attacked! His glaive whistled through the air and crashed down! Boom! Cardinal Yongyu's sword exploded under the pressure, and the woman suffered an injury too.

He continued with his momentum as his glaive whipped around and attacked Cardinal Loujin too. Cardinal Yongyu was able to react a breath faster because she disengaged from Mingyu Loon earlier, and she was smaller as well. This gave her the chance to defend. However, Cardinal Loujin was different. He was a bulkier man, which meant that his speed was correspondingly slower. Of course, as one of the Four Cardinals, he was by no means slow. It was just the difference between the fastest and the second fastest. Despite that, that tiny gap in timing was fully captured by Sir Winstin. It lasted for a fraction of a second, but it was a critical one! Boom! Sir Winstin ripped through Cardinal Loujin's armor like paper, inflicting an extremely heavy wound on his back. It was terrifying to look at! One had to admit that his instincts were top-notch. He instinctively reacted to Sir Winstin's attack and shifted his body weight slightly forward, thereby dodging the otherwise fatal attack. Sir Winstin could not kill him!

The fight between them were simply one side of the story. At a glance, Perception Realms were fighting everywhere in an increasingly complex and intense battle. The Royal Guards and Grand Knights of the Realm, experts from the Li Family, and Imperial Sentinels and experts from the Shui, Jian, and Jun Families violently entangled each other. One was a supreme martial arts master and his hands and feet exploded out with unstoppable power. Even against plate armor, he could punch right through it and inflict internal injuries. It was easy to imagine how much damage he could do against the unarmored. Another person was a graceful fairy-like woman who danced between enemies with her ribbon. People would be entranced by her beauty before dying miserably. Who could believe that her 'ribbon' was a thin razor-sharp wire that could decapitate people in an instant? Everyone was a colossus in their own world, a living breathing legend. The battlefield was littered with all kinds of techniques and styles, as everyone stood out in their own way!

Elizabeth and Freon tactfully remained in the rear. They were not Perception Realms or even close to it. In fact, their physical training was virtually negligible in a conflict of this magnitude. If they tried to contribute here, it would only invite trouble or even death. Therefore, they could only watch and remain on guard, in case something unexpected happened. In a fight between experts, a second could mean everything! Benedict, Shirley, and Princess Xiuying were better off. To begin with, they were very close to Perception Realm. Shirley had Mock Perception, Benedict could imitate Mock Perception with Martial Energy, and Princess Xiuying was a Half-Perception Realm. Yet despite their senses transcending the realm of mortals, they also found it difficult to step in. Princess Xiuying was particularly gloomy as her fighting spirit withered after seeing everything. How could she do anything?

Still, regardless of how intense the fighting was, no one forget their purpose. Elizabeth, Imperian Qiang, and the Imperial Princesses were still the targets! When Reverent Monk broke the Spider Four's formation and killed one, he changed directions and charged at them! He licked his lips perversely in anticipation as he became a blur. A vast killing intent descended on Elizabeth and her friends! Benedict and Shirley reacted instantly. They were constantly using Mock Perception to assess the battlefield and as soon as Reverent Monk made his move, they saw it. Shirley was the first to react, twirling her halberd and crashing down, her aura sharpened with incredible killing intent! Her strike might be weaker than Sir Winstin, but it was no less deadly. It could directly kill Reverent Monk if he caught it! Reverent Monk sneered and easily sidestepped it. Shirley grimaced. As expected, fighting a Perception Realm Master was extremely challenging. It was far above her ability!

Reverent Monk's staff whipped toward her head, but Shirley pulled her halberd back to block. Clang! Her halberd and hands vibrated from the tremendous impact. She was shocked! She never would have imagined that his wooden weapon could be this heavy. Was it modified? Her opponent smiled and activated a hidden mechanism on his staff. His staff suddenly elongated and detached into three separate joints. It was a three-section staff! The tail end bent past her defenses and flew towards her head again! Shirley wanted to curse. Why did he aim at her head so much? Did he have a grudge against her? Her thoughts passed in an instant while she instinctively bent back, allowing the staff to harmlessly brush her hair. Since she predicted that his weapon was probably modified, she could predict his actions. Her childhood working under her blacksmith of a father was not wasted!

Naturally, Reverent Monk was stunned. This was his infamous killing move! No one should survive it, especially a Fundamental Realm girl! But he regained his composure and quickly continued his attack. His three-section staff tangled around Shirley's halberd and locked it into position. She could not move! She thought about releasing her grip, but Reverent Monk did not give her a chance. He yanked her halberd in his direction, pulling her along with it. Reverent Monk headbutted her! Stars spun in Shirley's eyes as her ears rang. Although people called her thick-skulled, this man was on another level. She felt like she crashed into a stone wall! She was instantly disoriented.