Chapter 432 - The strategical art of group battles (2 in 1)
“Wind attribute special ability! The Du brothers have started their suppression! Frankly speaking, against this degree of suppressive fire from Tianjing, they were able to easily evade it without even needing to activate their wind attribute special abilities! With such cautious actions, I estimate that their target is Wang Zhong! From the looks of it, they want to finish their opponents off in a single breath! Now, they already quite close to the Tianjing backline! Although the suppressive gun and cannon fire is still present, the speed of the two assassins is getting faster and faster! 100 metres, 80 metres, 60 metres! They’re about to reach the distance for a dash!”
Zeng!
As cries rang out across the audience, two revolving golden lights suddenly appeared, travelling in opposite arcs towards the two assassins dashing forwards from the left and right flanks.
The cross wheels have appeared!
Evidently, the two charging assassins were rather vigilant about the cross wheels. Despite them showing contempt for the Tianjing squadron, they could not underestimate Wang Zhong.
Ding Ding!
Two metallic sounds rang out simultaneously!
Although the firepower of Scarlet and Milami were unable to obstruct the two assassins’ dashes, they were still able to hinder their movements to a certain extent.
Wang Zhong obviously took advantage of the situation to make his move at this very moment. Regardless of timing or direction, the instant the Du Family brothers noticed the golden lights, they already knew that they were unable to dodge and evade the incoming cross wheels.
Nonetheless, there was no dread or fear present in their hearts. Regardless of whether Wang Zhong was the real identity of the ID that had turned into the legend through his usage of the cross wheels, All Mouthy King, the unique traits of the cross wheels were still present. The strong point of the cross wheels was their nearly unlimited accumulation of momentum and power. On the other hand, their weakness was the low power and momentum at the start of their usage. Even if they were facing All Mouthy King in the flesh, the Du brothers had confidence in blocking his attacks!
Two daggers simultaneously smashed against the incoming cross wheels. However, in that brief instant of contact, slight changes could be seen appearing on the faces of the two assassins.
The force transmitted from the contact with the cross wheels was incomparably immense, reaching a level close to the peak of the Casted Soul Stage, which was 200 Grassos. Additionally, there was that damnable revolving force it contained, which caused their hands to turn numb as a result.
Nevertheless, being the main assassins of Bella Dean, a mere 200 Grasso-strong attack wouldn’t be able to knock them down. After the clash, the cross wheels were instantly sent flying back, only managing to cause a brief halt in the brothers’ movements.
Wang Zhong could not be allowed to accumulate any more momentum into his cross wheels!
The same thoughts sprouted out in the brothers’ hearts as their speed exploded and they dashed forward! Like gusts of wind, their figures shot forwards, transforming into two black afterimages on the stage!
40 metres, 20 metres!
At the same instant, the peal of gun and cannon fire rang out.
Maybe it was due to the support from the cross wheels, or a sudden display of extraordinary might, but the two assassins somehow felt that this wave of suppressive fire was much denser than before. Although it was still insufficient to completely halt their forward charge, it was at this very moment that the cross wheels came in for their second wave of attacks!
So quick!
The two assassins were astounded.
Before coming for this match, the Bella Dean squadron had paid attention to the performance of the black horse, Dicaprio, and had also seen the cross wheels he wielded. They had even compared it side-by-side with the video footage of All Mouthy King battling Divian in the OP.
Frankly speaking, other than its near unlimited power and momentum, its weaknesses were apparent and obvious.
Their first flaw was that the cross wheels did not have sufficient range. Their second flaw was the time they required to accumulate momentum and power before they were able to unleash attacks with the effect of “unlimited slashes”. Lastly, they would always need to return to their wielder’s hands. Compare to other ranged weapons that were able to be pointed and shot continuously, this initial spooling-up time could be said as incomparably slow. That’s an extremely fatal flaw!
Nonetheless, what Divian said in the OP was right. When people on the realm of All Mouthy King were to use the cross wheels and exhibit their might, there was only a handful of people within the Casted Soul Stage who could resist their assault. If they were used in a duel, coupled with the movements and techniques used by the wielder, it was effortless for the cross wheels to go past their spooling phase. When that happened, they would be nigh invincible. However, if they were used in a group battle… unless one had exceedingly outstanding group mates, one would simply have no chance of displaying the true might of the cross wheels, when faced with the encirclement from a powerful squadron!
Taking into account the range and spooling up time required by the cross wheels, the Du brothers judged that they would only encounter a single pass from the cross wheels. However, they were only halfway through their dash, yet those cross wheels had already made their revolution for a second pass?
With the golden radiance present right before their eyes, there was not much time left for them to think over their response. Due to the cross wheels’ unique shape, the curvature of their trajectory was unlike those of ordinary arcing shots. People who didn’t have a deep understanding of the cross wheels would find it incredibly hard to estimate their intended targets. Wanting to evade them in the midst of a high-speed dash would inevitably be much more difficult to pull off.
There was no other choice left for the two of them.
Ding Ding Ding Ding!
An intense vibrational force was transmitted through their daggers as they clashed against the cross wheels. Having accumulated momentum from the previous pass, the attack frequency unleashed by the cross wheels had doubled. Naturally, it was just an estimate. Nonetheless, the same 200 grasso attacks were already capable of unleashing a suppression that made the two feel like vomiting blood.
Very strong! So damn strong! However, they still were able to resist!
They were indeed worthy to be the main assassins for an S ranked squadron! Even though they did not excel in raw strength, they were unexpectedly able to endure a second pass from the cross wheels! A faint layer of Soul Power surfaced around their bodies, causing them to appear as though they were surrounded by gentle winds.
The astonishing cross wheels had been blocked once again!
Sighs of pity rang out from those who were supporting Wang Zhong and Tianjing. On the other hand, the Bella Dean supporters continued to clench their fists tightly as they prayed for their idols not to get frightened by the videos shown on the OP. After all, reality was not as exaggerated.
Nonetheless, the tremendous power of the cross wheels had forced them to halt their high-speed dash, causing them to turn visible, as opposed to the blurry shadows they were before.
There was still 20 more metres!
Having blocked the previous attack, the two assassins breathed a sigh of relief. Despite being a ranged weapon, the might of the cross wheels was indeed slightly stronger than they expected. Fortunately, cross wheels were still in their weak phase, the initial spooling phase!
A dash was sufficient to cover the remaining 20 metres! Now, Wang Zhong already had no chance to unleash the third round of attacks!
Faced against the strongest thrust from Bella Dean’s twin assassins, there was only an injury-laden Wang Zhong in their way!
The souls of the brothers had already been lit aflame, with adrenaline surging rapidly through their bodies. The opportunity to stand tall and famous amongst the rest was just right before their eyes! That’s right, even the people of Bella Dean had a deep, deep longing to defeat All Mouthy King in combat!
However, just at this very instant, the peals of gun and cannon fire came ringing over!
Compared to before, the bullets that came flying over were 2 to 3 times denser than the previous barrages! What’s more, it was no longer bullets from the left and cannon balls from the right, but all of them were focused on Dooley!
No! This wasn’t suppressive fire! This was a killing array!
Dooley’s face instantly contorted.
Due to them celebrating their successful blocking of the cross wheels, they had almost forgotten that 20 metres was also the region where gun and cannon firepower was at their densest!
If they were still in their high-speed dash, they might have been able to forcefully go around this final hurdle. However, their movement had just been momentarily halted by the cross wheels attacks!
Even a car with the highest horsepower in the world couldn’t break past 100km/h in a second! Assassins were able to deal with the speed of fire from range soldiers at long ranges by predicting the target of the bullets via their flight paths, which had to travel the same long distance to reach them. As for close distances, they would rely on their already activated high-speed movements!
However, at this instant, they had neither distance nor high-speed movements! On the contrary, Tianjing’s firepower had changed from the 1 vs 1 suppressive fire to a combined fire! In such circumstances, even a Mo’s List assassin would have difficulty advancing!
“I have to say that Tianjing’s strategy is really sleazy!” Wind God managed to make the correct judgment and time to cast “The 1 vs 1 suppressive fire unleashed by Tianjing earlier was just a feint. Also, Wang Zhong’s cross wheel attacks are clearly not as overbearing as All Mouthy King’s. Nonetheless, he has managed to accurately grasp the range of the weapon and turn it into an advantage. Now, with gun and cannon fire aimed at one person, the combined firepower has been unleashed! Now, Dooley’s in a whole lot of trouble!”
In the first instant, Dooley made the most appropriate response. Like a coiled up spring, he jumped into the air in an attempt to avoid the incoming fire, while placing his daggers to defend his vitals! His opponents had combined their firepower and targeted him. Dufan, who had rushed in at the time as his brother, had transformed into a knife, cleaving into the Tianjing formation. At the same time, Bella Dean’s heavy soldier Paulista was in the midst of smashing his way through Tianjing’s paper-thin defences like a hot knife through butter!
Once Gaden entered his optimum shooting range, it would spell the death of Tianjing!
They only needed 1 more second! Once their squadron was able to complete their encirclement, Tianjing will die!
However, at this instant when he launched himself into the air, Dooley subconsciously took a look at his surroundings, and what he saw immediately chilled his heart.
The combined fire from the guns and cannon were just a feint! As though they have already predicted that he would jump, they had only launched a single barrage! What’s more, they had launched it preemptively!
Hanging in the air, Dooley was able to clearly see that the guns and cannon of Tianjing’s twin flowers were already trained on his brother Dufan! Ever since the beginning, their actual target wasn’t himself!
Even more frightening was the entire layout of the battlefield, which he managed to get a glimpse of while in the air. All of a sudden, Dooley realised that he, Dufan, their heavy soldier Paulista coming from behind, as well as their ranged soldier Gaden, were now separated from one another!
The sloppy suppressive fire earlier was too realistic, because it was basically the real deal! That was the full strength of the twin flowers of Tianjing, and not an act at all!
That caused the Du brothers to feel overly confident! Coupled with the attacks from Wang Zhong’s cross wheels as well as their judgment of distance, it had caused them to subconsciously think about entering a high-speed dash, as that was the most basic response an assassin could have!
Frankly speaking, in that instant, their disdain towards Tianjing’s twin ranged backline, as well as the dread they had for Wang Zhong’s cross wheels, had caused them to completely forget about maintaining their formation! They also have forgotten that their heavy soldier Paulista was utterly unable to match up in speed to an assassin’s dash!
All of this was a trap!
A trap that had been laid the second they walked out from the passageway! What a frightening arrangement, what a frightening strategy! One that had taken into account the formations, strength, distance and even the minute thoughts of every member of both squadrons!
The majority of the audience had already turned quiet as they focused their attention on the spectacle unfolding in the arena. Nonetheless, the minute changes that happened to the overall situation at this instant was unnoticeable by the ordinary layman.
However, Ma Dong, Lily and the other Tianjing squadron members could not hold back their surging emotions as they clenched their fists tightly! All while a hard to conceal excitement was displayed on their face!
They’ve fallen into our trap once again! Every single detail mentioned by Wang Zhong was right on point! Including Dooley’s jump!
As a person that understood the combat methods of an assassin, Wang Zhong was extremely clear about the “habitual reactions” assassins would make when placed in certain situations.
This was the first time they had seen such a strategical arrangement. From the slight delay in time they took in their preparation room, to their slow and unhurried appearances the presented to the world as they walked towards the stage, Wang Zhong had already given everyone a summary of the entire process of the group battle as if they were watching a highlight reel of a movie!
This motherfucker really is…
Despite this being just the beginning, and Dooley being the first target of this strategical arrangement, Ma Dong, Lily, Colby and the rest, including the three girls locked in combat on stage, were now brimming with confidence and thirst! Confidence towards victory! And thirst towards a miracle!
In contrast, Dooley instantly felt a shiver run down his spine! What was awaiting their Bella Dean squadron!
Unrelentless firepower!
Scarlet’s twin pistols instantly lit up, unleashing a terrifying barrage of concentrated ice bullets!
Yes! Scarlet only had her accuracy, as well as her ice attribute special ability that was ignored by everyone. However, this was just what she needed to do!
By her side, Milami’s cannon had already warmed up!
Before participating in this CHF, Milami was exceedingly clear about her position within the squadron. Never in her wildest dreams did she expect to actually have the opportunity to participate in combat under such circumstances, where all of the main lineup members were fit for combat! Furthermore, the opponent they were facing was an S rank squadron like Bella Dean!
Frankly speaking, even though she had near-blind levels of confidence towards Wang Zhong and All Mouthy King, and even though she was quite confident in Wang Zhong’s strategical arrangements, her hands still shook as she got onto the stage. Faced against Bella Dean, nervousness, fright and anxiety were natural reactions people would have in such a scenario.
However, when the competition bell rang, when Grai successfully lured Adam Galen away, when the twin assassins suddenly left their formation to execute high-speed dashes, when that assassin Dooley who had easily subdued Colby leapt high into the air…
Everything had played out exactly to Wang Zhong’s expectations, with not even a sliver of deviation, just as though he had experienced everything before!
What a miraculous feeling! Now, Milami’s hand was no longer shaking! On the contrary, her eyes sparkled with a light brimming with resolution and desire!
Due to her not possessing a talent on par with Sharmie, Milami was always not highly regarded in her family. At the very least, she had a pretty good childhood and had met a boyfriend, Ma Dong, who she was quite satisfied with. In her heart, she had always considered herself to be a future housewife. Despite that, deeper down within her heart, Milami yearned for one day, a day where she would stand under the spotlight, just like her younger cousin Sharmie!
Tianjing had given her the stage, and Wang Zhong had given her that opportunity!
Now, that opportunity was already right before her eyes!
Instantaneous detonation!
The members of the Apollo Family had a unique connection with heavy firepower type weapons, a memory that originated from their bloodline. They were always able to naturally extract more might from heavy firepower type weapons as compared to other people. This was their talent!
Her younger cousin, Sharmie had inherited a much stronger talent in this trait. Not only did she possess a berserk type Soul Power and special ability, but she had also inherited the talent in the various aspects of shooting, like distance judgement and bullet flight paths. As for herself, Milami did not inherit that much of her family’s talent. Nonetheless, she was a genuine member of the Apollo Family, with Apollo’s blood flowing within her veins!
Despite being unable to perfectly control her bullet flight paths, distance, and other aspects that other range soldiers could do, faced with a target less than 20 metres away from her, pure power was already more than enough!
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
In the midst of Scarlet’s frantic sealing bullets, a high-frequency barrage of lethal cannon fire had appeared!
Pitiful Dufan! He had the strength sufficient for an S ranked squadron, yet lacked the luck of one.
Unable to finish a high-speed evasion in time, he was instantly engulfed by the dense combined fire. Despite having executed blocking manoeuvres to shield his vitals and evading some fatal shots, his entire body was smashed by the dense barrage of fire! With black smoke emanating by his entire body, he was sent flying back like a kite when its string got cut!
After all, despite the toughness of his fleshly body, an assassin of a powerful squadron wasn’t a god! Asking them to use their body to resist the bombardment of two ranged soldiers? In your dreams!
Without even talking about the unique firepower talent of the Apollo Family, as long there was sufficient quantity, even the most ordinary of knives would be able to pierce a person to death!
“NOO!” as he continued to head into the air, Dooley’s eyes turned red as he shouted on with all his might. Blood is thicker than water; the feeling of personally witnessing his brother being pounded to the brink of death was utterly unbearable.