Chapter 29: Duel Under the Moonlight

"I will not hold back, Mora." Carmen raised his greatsword and launched a surprise attack on Mo Xuanyu.

Despite his massive frame, the burst of speed he exhibited in that instant made even Mo Xuanyu’s heart skip a beat. Relying on his combat instincts, he sidestepped.

*Boom!!*

The massive greatsword slammed down right beside Mo Xuanyu, his jet-black hair whipped up by the gale. The force behind Carmen’s strike was terrifying, shattering the ground as if it had been struck by an earthquake.

Mo Xuanyu did not stay put, nor did he retreat. He stepped forward, his Nightmare Moon longsword slicing toward Carmen’s neck. The latter quickly raised his greatsword to parry, and the collision of the two weapons sent blinding sparks flying.

*Clang! Clang! Clang!!*

Within just a few breaths, Mo Xuanyu and Carmen exchanged blows several times. Mo Xuanyu’s attacks appeared to have the upper hand, but that was only because he was forced to take the initiative.

Setting aside the gap in their stat panels, Carmen’s skills were enough to crush him; the bonuses granted by his Combat Mastery were truly formidable. For Mo Xuanyu, once Carmen seized the rhythm of the attack, combined with his Greatsword Mastery, there would be no chance of victory. That was why he fought so fiercely from the very beginning.

However, Carmen had spent decades on the battlefield, having followed his kin into war since childhood. His wealth of combat experience was far beyond Mo Xuanyu’s reach. Consequently, as soon as Carmen regained control of the tempo, he launched a counter-offensive.

The heavy, powerful greatsword swept horizontally, forcing Mo Xuanyu to pull back his blade to parry, followed immediately by a crushing downward strike.

*Boom!*

Mo Xuanyu chose to endure the heavy blow head-on, knowing that if he retreated to dodge, he would likely be forced into a state of infinite passivity for the remainder of the fight.

Mo Xuanyu’s 19 points of Strength against Carmen’s 20 might seem like a small difference, but one had to remember that the man was wielding a greatsword. With that strike, a sharp pain shot through Mo Xuanyu’s arms. Fortunately, his constitution was high enough that his bones did not shatter.

Carmen was clearly surprised that Mo Xuanyu had the courage to tank his blow; anyone else would have dodged if they could. After catching the greatsword, Mo Xuanyu used the inertia to push it aside, then stomped his foot and swung his longsword with lightning speed across Carmen’s chest, carving out a scarlet wound.

In truth, Carmen had judged that the strike would miss, but in the middle of the attack, Nightmare Moon activated its weapon trait, "Feast," extending the blade by thirty centimeters. Simultaneously, with the 50% leg burst bonus from his Demonic Regalia, Mo Xuanyu’s speed briefly surpassed Carmen’s reaction time, leaving him unable to dodge.

Mo Xuanyu’s blade retreated as soon as it struck. He did not linger, instead circling back from another angle, his Nightmare Moon radiating a bloodthirsty killing intent.

"As expected of someone who could make Fals bow in submission. Mora, you are truly strong."

Carmen parried the longsword with his greatsword. As he spoke, the force in his hands surged, and his speed shifted to a higher gear. His Combat Mastery was taking effect. In the blink of an eye, Mo Xuanyu fell into a disadvantage.

The "Extended Blade" move of Nightmare Moon was a one-time trick; now that Carmen was specifically guarding against it, it was no longer effective.

*Hum! Hum!!*

The greatsword grazed past Mo Xuanyu’s face, shearing off a few strands of hair, and without giving him a moment to catch his breath, it came crashing down again, accompanied by a howling wind. Mo Xuanyu parried with his blade once more, but the sheer force sent him flying into a tree trunk, where he coughed up a few drops of blood.

*Whoosh!*

Another strike came. Mo Xuanyu was forced to duck, while Carmen, who followed closely, wore a grave expression.

As a master of the blade, Carmen swung his sword thousands of times a day. He could clearly perceive something wrong with his greatsword; the subtle cracks could not escape his senses.

Nightmare Moon's weapon trait: "Erosion."

In the dozens of blade clashes, the green-quality greatsword in Carmen’s hand had been gradually corroded by Nightmare Moon. In about ten more strikes, the sword would undoubtedly shatter!

This was the opportunity Mo Xuanyu had been waiting for, though he wasn’t sure if he could hold on until then. Throughout the ensuing battle, every one of Carmen’s strikes felt impossible to fend off; the dual mastery bonus of the greatsword and combat was terrifying.

*Boom!!*

During one of Carmen’s heavy slashes, Mo Xuanyu’s Nightmare Moon was knocked from his hand and embedded into a distant tree trunk. His own wrist bone was twisted nearly ninety degrees—a testament to the horrific force behind the blow.

*Crack, crack!*

Before being knocked away, Nightmare Moon had performed its final duty, successfully corroding Carmen’s greatsword until the blade shattered like glass shards onto the ground.

"You really are a difficult one to deal with."

Mo Xuanyu grabbed his right wrist and snapped it back into place. His healing ability took effect, rapidly repairing the fractured bone.

Carmen slowly assumed a combat stance. The mud beneath his feet exploded, and he lunged at Mo Xuanyu like a cannonball. Seeing this, Mo Xuanyu did not hesitate to pull the "Twilight Mourner" from his waist and pull the trigger.

The flint ignited the gunpowder, and a high-explosive projectile flew out, only for Carmen to dodge it in an instant.

Missing his mark, Mo Xuanyu tossed the Twilight Mourner into his storage space and drew a dagger from the leather strap on his thigh. This was a trophy left behind by the assassin from the Iron Curtain Guild; it was also of blue quality, though its durability was only at 50%. He chose not to retrieve Nightmare Moon, because against an expert like Carmen, exposing his back—even for a split second—was synonymous with suicide.

The two engaged in close-quarters combat. Although Mo Xuanyu had the weapon advantage, Carmen’s technique was still far superior. After a few more rounds, Mo Xuanyu wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and silently twisted his fractured left hand back into place with a crisp sound.

This sight caused even Carmen, a hardened veteran of the battlefield, to feel a phantom pain. Even if he had suffered such a severe injury, he would need to rest for days, let alone snapping the bone back into place without changing his expression.

"You are a worthy opponent."

Carmen spoke as he drew a short blade from behind his back. Clearly, he believed it would be difficult to kill Mo Xuanyu without a weapon. Mo Xuanyu’s healing ability kept his endurance at its peak; as long as the wounds weren't fatal, he could recover in a short time. If things went poorly, Carmen might even be dragged to his death here. This short blade was his sign of respect for Mo Xuanyu.

"Should I thank you for the compliment?" Mo Xuanyu asked helplessly.

Undoubtedly, he had no way to win the coming fight. Unless...

[Divine Geometry Notification: Would you like to use the "Skill Mastery Scroll"?]

Skill Mastery Scroll (Selectable)
Introduction: Can select any basic skill and elevate it to Mastery level.
[Note: It is recommended to use this scroll in conjunction with an auxiliary pod in Divine Geometry. Direct use will place a heavy burden on the body, with a mortality rate of approximately 99%.]

Mo Xuanyu made his decision: "Use it. Select Comprehensive Combat Mastery."

As soon as he made the choice in his mind, Carmen was already upon him.

This time, Mo Xuanyu did not hesitate. He met the charge head-on with his dagger, the deep purple blade carving an arc through the air.

[Your Combat Mastery has been upgraded to Lv.30.]

*Clang!*

Mo Xuanyu’s dagger precisely parried Carmen’s short blade.

[Your Combat Mastery has been upgraded to Lv.40.]

*Clang!*

Mo Xuanyu reversed his grip on the dagger, changing his move in mid-air and narrowly missing Carmen’s chin.

[Your Combat Mastery has been upgraded to Lv.50.]

Carmen’s short blade swiped past Mo Xuanyu’s eyes. He rolled, stepped hard against a tree trunk, and shot out like an arrow.

[Your Combat Mastery has been upgraded to "Comprehensive Combat Mastery Lv.1"]

Comprehensive Combat Mastery: Lv.1 (Passive Skill). Turns every part of the body into a lethal weapon and allows for the masterful use of any available tool.
Special Effects: Reflex speed +50%, limb coordination +50%, body flexibility +50%, physical explosive power +50%.

*Squelch!*

A bone-deep wound was carved into Carmen’s cheek. Mo Xuanyu’s attack came again!

Carmen quickly changed his fighting style, using his short blade for prediction and interception, cutting off Mo Xuanyu’s explosive, tree-assisted lunges. But Mo Xuanyu was as agile as a cat. He pressed his black-gloved palm against Carmen’s head, used the momentum to flip, and landed nimbly behind him.

He, too, changed his plan, switching to close-quarters grappling. The dagger in his hand, like a reaper’s scythe, stabbed toward Carmen’s neck. Carmen turned instantly, switching his short blade from his right hand to his left to parry the incoming dagger and launch a counter-attack.

The two traded blows, leaving numerous wounds on each other within just a few seconds, every exchange a hair’s breadth from death. One of Mo Xuanyu’s eyes was slashed, and a wound appeared on Carmen’s neck, blood seeping out incessantly.

"Keep going?"

Even at this stage of the battle, a smile appeared on Mo Xuanyu’s face. He kept one eye closed, raised his sleeve to wipe the blood from his face, and the flush at the corners of his eyes betrayed that his blood was boiling like fire. His interest in this duel was at its peak!

"Of course!" Carmen replied in a deep voice, wiping his neck casually, utterly unconcerned that he had been a hair's breadth away from death just moments ago.

Both of their figures vanished from the spot.

They had both reached a state of blood-fueled fervor, almost entirely abandoning parries and defense, relying solely on evasion to avoid attacks while seeking the chance for a one-hit kill.

The turning point of the battle lay in their final, suicidal strike.

Mo Xuanyu drove his dagger toward Carmen’s neck; Carmen thrust his short blade toward Mo Xuanyu’s heart. Because of his height and reach advantage, Carmen’s blade pierced into Mo Xuanyu’s flesh first, making him feel as though he had already won the duel.

But little did he know just how insane the strategic decision Mo Xuanyu had made to hook this experienced "big fish" truly was. Just as Carmen’s short blade drove deep into his chest, tearing through flesh and snapping ribs, only a millimeter away from piercing his heart—