Chapter 437 - 323: Clash of Titans? More Like Cat and Mouse!

Fang Zhou continued to attack as he retreated, relying on his superior Agility Attribute to maintain a fixed distance from Jiang Yaoyue.

"Oh, the poor thing. A short-legged Knight," Liu Diewu said gleefully from outside the battlefield. "It’s one thing to bully ordinary Mages, but why go and provoke Fang Zhou? The cadets from Dragon City Military Academy have always been arrogant. They’re in for it this time."

"Go ahead and gloat," Gu Yueyuan said, shaking his head. He knew Liu Diewu still held a grudge after being defeated by a team from Dragon City Military Academy during last year’s rookie competition.

"Well, I can’t be the only unlucky one, can I?" Liu Diewu said, her face blooming into a wide smile as she watched Jiang Yaoyue taking hit after hit, unable to touch Fang Zhou now that her Judgment Light Shield had expired.

"Why isn’t this Holy Judgment Knight using her Skills?" Lu Yiyi asked curiously. "Don’t Holy Judgment Knights have long-range Skills, too?"

"They do," Liu Diewu explained patiently. "But a Holy Judgment Knight’s Skills are more mid- to short-range, generally between fifteen and thirty yards. As you can see, Fang Zhou is consistently staying more than thirty yards away from her."

"Oh, I see. So does that mean this Knight is going to be kited to death?" Lu Yiyi asked.

"Being kited to death is one thing," Liu Diewu countered. "But look at the ugly expression on Jiang Yaoyue’s face. She knows she has all this strength but can’t use any of it, which is even more agonizing than being killed instantly. Do you know why?"

"Why?" Lu Yiyi asked curiously. "Fang Zhou is so powerful and has already killed so many people. It’s no disgrace to be defeated by him."

"True, it’s no disgrace to lose to him," Liu Diewu said. "But you need to understand *why* he’s always keeping that thirty-yard distance. Do you think he can’t run farther or faster? Of course he can. Let’s not even mention a divine movement Skill like his Skeleton Wings. Just during the time Jiang Yaoyue was restrained, he could have pulled much farther away."

Seeing Lu Yiyi was still puzzled, Liu Diewu continued with a helpless sigh, "Fang Zhou is fantastic in every way—his technique is flawless—but he loves toying with his opponents. Knights are naturally slow-footed. Even though Jiang Yaoyue’s Judgment Light Shield has a long duration, he deliberately dragged the fight out until it expired. And now, look. Every time, she thinks that if she can just take one more step, she’ll be able to cast Holy Strike and stun him. But that single step is like an impassable chasm. No matter what she tries, she’s always just that one step short. It’s no wonder she’s furious."

Hearing Liu Diewu’s explanation, the surrounding cadets couldn’t help but gasp, which was immediately followed by a burst of laughter. Fang Zhou was just too wicked.

However, this tactic was certainly a great morale booster. No wonder Jiang Yaoyue was so livid.

Liu Diewu continued, "The predicament Jiang Yaoyue is in isn’t just due to Fang Zhou’s strength, but also his ability to exploit his advantages. Fang Zhou is maintaining maximum advantage at minimal cost. Meanwhile, Jiang Yaoyue is desperately trying to close the distance, but it’s completely futile."

"It seems Fang Zhou’s tactics aren’t just about physical suppression; they’re also designed to crush his opponents psychologically," a cadet commented.

Liu Diewu nodded. "Exactly. The sense of psychological failure is often harder to bear than physical injury. Right now, Fang Zhou is leading Jiang Yaoyue around by the nose."

...

"Don’t disturb us."

Noticing more cadets entering through the crack, Fang Zhou unleashed a Death Ripple, scaring them into scrambling back out.

Fang Zhou’s attacks were terrifying. A single area-of-effect Skill could severely injure cadets from any of the military academies. How was anyone supposed to compete with that?

"A warrior can be killed, but not humiliated!" Jiang Yaoyue shrieked. She considered herself a patient person, but Fang Zhou’s dismissive attitude was driving her to the brink of madness.

"Classmate Yaoyue, you’re quite bold, daring to heal yourself right in front of me."

Seeing Jiang Yaoyue stop to heal, Fang Zhou halted as well. "Don’t forget, you can’t use your shield for damage mitigation while healing. Goodbye!"

Fang Zhou paused, then spun around and hurled another Skeleton Flying Spear.

Jiang Yaoyue was helpless. Even though she constantly blocked the Skeleton Flying Spears with her shield, Fang Zhou’s damage was simply too high. After a short while, her health was already critical. If she didn’t heal, she would die. But with no cover in the area, turning to flee would only mean a faster death. She was truly trapped in a dilemma, unable to advance or retreat.

Jiang Yaoyue was on the verge of tears. She had defeated countless Magic Professionals, but she had never encountered anyone so infuriating. Aside from her defensive and Healing Skills, she couldn’t get a single Attack Skill off. The sheer frustration felt like it was causing internal injuries.

The Skeleton Flying Spear pierced through Jiang Yaoyue’s throat while she was praying for a Holy Light Healing. Already severely wounded and now struck in a vital spot without her shield to block, she was killed instantly.

Her pride wouldn’t allow her to beg for mercy. Of course, begging would have been useless anyway, so she simply resigned herself to her fate.

"What do we do now?"

By now, twenty or thirty cadets had gathered outside the entrance to the crack. They all just looked at each other, no one willing to be the first to charge in.

But stalling was not a solution. More people would arrive, which meant more competitors. Besides, with only one Portable Concentration Meditation Array at stake, the time they were wasting was too costly.

"Even Jiang Yaoyue was no match for him. I doubt anyone will dare to challenge Fang Zhou one-on-one now," Liu Diewu commented while watching the hesitant crowd on the broadcast.

Lu Renjia nodded. "The main problem is that these cadets are too disorganized, all coming from different military academies. Without a leader to rally them, they’re all hesitant to act."

"Of course, it’s also because Fang Zhou is just too strong," Liu Diewu said. "The few who tried to go in were all top-tier fighters, but they couldn’t even act as a momentary distraction. They failed to get in, and several of them were killed for trying."

Liu Diewu continued, "Dragging this out puts these cadets at a great disadvantage. Many other participants are completely ignoring Fang Zhou and are just focusing on racking up points."

Looking at the data, Lu Yiyi added, "Yeah, those ones are smart. And their combat style is incredibly fierce; they’re plowing through everything in their path."

Lu Renjia counted the names on the list and nodded. "Overall, cadets from our Sea City Military Academy hold about a fifth of the spots in the top twenty. Though nothing is final yet, it’s a good sign. We have Fang Zhou to thank for drawing all the fire."

"I just hope Fang Zhou settles things here soon so he can go meet those top-ranked killing machines. I want to see who’s really stronger," Gu Yueyuan said with eager anticipation.

"I’m looking forward to it, too," Lu Renjia agreed. "Hopefully, it’ll be a clash of titans."