After Clay finished shouting, his gaze turned to Qi Yan. He knew he couldn't go on like this, or his reputation as the Nine-Star Swordsman, 'Thunder Sword' Clay, would be completely ruined.
He might even be called 'Clay the Runaway King.' If he heard a title like that, he would definitely want to die.
"You pervert who loves to chop off heads, let's have a decisive battle!"
Boom—!
A powerful surge of magic power erupted from Clay's body.
Crack! Crack!
Blue-white lightning coiled around Clay's body, and the surrounding ground was shattered by the lightning.
Clay assumed the stance for a drawing-sword slash.
"Hoo ah ah ah ah ah!"
Clay roared loudly, continuously releasing magic power from his body. He knew that competing in swordsmanship with the monster opposite him was pure suicide.
The only way for him to win was to use his strongest technique at the fastest speed to kill his opponent in one strike.
He would only have one chance to strike. If he couldn't take down the opponent in one go, then he would be taken down. He had to stake everything on this one strike.
"Oh oh oh oh oh oh!"
"It's here! Swordsman Clay's ultimate technique!"
"Swordsman Clay once used this very move to slay a Nine-Star Demonic Beast in one blow. Is it going to appear again now!"
"Thunder Roar: Instant Flash!!!"
Boom—!
The ground beneath Clay's feet exploded, and he shot towards Qi Yan like a bolt of lightning.
"Sun Breathing, Fourth Form: Fake Rainbow!"
Clay rushed in front of Qi Yan and saw that Qi Yan was still standing there, unmoving. An uncontrollable excitement rose in Clay's mind.
"I won!"
Whoosh—!
Clay's sword slashed through Qi Yan's body, but he felt no sensation of cutting through anything solid.
Clay's heart sank.
"Damn it! It's an illusion!"
He himself was skilled in illusionary combat, so he immediately guessed that he hadn't struck Qi Yan's true body.
"Where?! Where is he?!"
Clay quickly scanned the area for Qi Yan's location, but after a full look around, he couldn't see Qi Yan anywhere.
Suddenly! Directly above his head, Qi Yan's emotionless voice sounded.
"Sun Breathing, Tenth Form: Fire Wheel Dance!"
Qi Yan's body, like a blazing vortex, rapidly descended from the air. That blazing vortex was a high-speed, spinning fiery slash.
Boom—!
The ground exploded.
"Ugh ah ah ah ah ah!!!"
Clay let out a painful scream, his clothes torn to shreds. He was sent flying backward, landing motionless on the ground.
"The victor has been decided!"
"Winner: Tsugikuni Yoriichi!"
"Amazing! Absolutely incredible! He defeated Nine-Star Swordsman Clay in one blow! Truly worthy of being the God of Swordsmanship! Tsugikuni Yoriichi!"
"Sword God! Sword God! Sword God!" ... The audience all cheered excitedly. Nine-Star Swordsman had always represented the highest standard for swordsmen, and everyone believed that the swordsmanship of a Nine-Star Swordsman had reached its peak.
However, the appearance of this man, Tsugikuni Yoriichi, completely shattered their understanding of swordsmanship. It turned out that swordsmanship could reach such an elevated level.
"So strong!"
Erza looked at Qi Yan with sparkling eyes. She had never imagined that a person's swordsmanship could be so profound. Just watching from afar, she felt she had greatly benefited.
If she could fight him, how much would her own swordsmanship improve? At this moment, she intensely desired to battle him.
Arthur clenched his fists, saying nothing. His heart was also incredibly excited. He needed to adjust his mindset to prepare for his battle against this man.
He could feel that as long as he could defeat this opponent, his swordsmanship and strength would enter a new realm.
"Next, we will be entering the finals! The match will be held in one hour. During this time, please welcome our lovely Sword Babies to bring us a wonderful performance!"
A group of beautiful young women, dressed in slightly revealing outfits, took the stage and performed a hot dance.
Qi Yan returned to the lounge again to release his transformation and get some rest.
"Phew~! This money isn't easy to earn!"
Fortunately, it wasn't a continuous battle, or he would have been exposed.
When Tsugikuni Yoriichi wasn't actively fighting, his magic power consumption was very low, but once he engaged, the consumption was extremely fast. His magic power was still too low.
The sudden burst of strength from his opponent was also terrifying; his strength was even above Erza's.
Fortunately, Tsugikuni Yoriichi was strong enough; otherwise, it would have been truly difficult to take down this guy. This world truly had hidden masters, and he still needed to continue drawing cards.
An hour passed quickly, and Qi Yan's magic power had almost fully recovered.
"Everyone! The thrilling grand finale is finally upon us!"
"Now, please welcome our two finalists to the stage!"
Qi Yan stepped forward, and Arthur also emerged from the opposite direction.
"The two finalists are Arthur and Tsugikuni Yoriichi. Arthur, needless to say, is the strongest swordsman in our Sobeya Kingdom."
"Mr. Tsugikuni Yoriichi, on the other hand, easily defeated two Nine-Star Swordsmen. His peerless swordsmanship has shown us that there is always someone better, and there is always a higher heaven."
"We wonder which of these two swordsmen will claim the title of the strongest swordsman in the world, and what kind of spectacular battle these two will bring us. Let us all wait and see!"
"Oh oh oh oh oh oh oh!"
"Sword God! Sword God! Sword God!"
"Arthur! Arthur! Arthur!" ... The crowd in the stands madly cheered the names of the two men, while more high-star swordsmen focused all their attention, preparing to watch the upcoming battle. A duel between top-tier swordsmen, just watching it would benefit them greatly. If they were lucky enough to comprehend a thing or two, they might even be able to break through and become Nine-Star Swordsmen, which was a huge opportunity for them.
"The Grand Finals!!!"
"Nine-Star Swordsman, 'Sword of Light' Arthur VS 'God of Swordsmanship' Tsugikuni Yoriichi!"
"Now~~~!"
"Begin—!!!"
Dong—!
The gong struck, announcing the official start of the grand finals.
"Flash of Light!!!"
The moment the gong sounded, Arthur unleashed a massive area-of-effect attack, sending countless light swords shooting towards Qi Yan.
Arthur didn't utter any unnecessary words. Speaking at this moment would only make his momentum seem weaker. Only with an unwavering belief in victory could he unleash his full strength.
"Sun Breathing, Sixth Form: Burning Bone, Scorching Sun!"
Qi Yan swung his sword, releasing a rotating solar flame slash. The helical slashes shredded all the light swords.
"Flash: Cross Slash!"
Arthur unleashed a cross-shaped light slash.
"Sun Breathing, Twelfth Form: Flame Dance!"
Qi Yan also consecutively released two crescent-shaped combo attacks, crossing each other to meet the attack head-on.
Boom—!