Xin Hua promptly obeyed Sven's request, tossing him the katana still sheathed.
Time seemed to slow as the katana spun through the air, its trajectory clear to its future wielder. This fleeting moment was enough for the Ice Tiger to seize the opportunity, unleashing a fierce attack the instant his opponent reached for the weapon.
In the blink of an eye, the onlookers could only watch as Sven and the Ice Tiger repositioned themselves for an aggressive advance.
Now, with his back to the beast, Sven gripped the scabbard in his right hand and brandished the unsheathed katana in his left. A fine dust of ice drifted from the blade, creating a delicate trail in the air.
"Hssssssssssssss!"
The tiger emitted a feral growl, realizing a deep gash had appeared on his side. While the attack hadn’t cleaved him in two, it would have been fatal to any ordinary creature.
“What... What just happened?” asked a stunned Frank, who had been observing the fight from Nova’s back.
Even Xin Hua looked astonished by the dark-skinned man’s display of skill.
“You didn’t see it?” Nova, equally astonished, asked. “It was as if, once he took up the katana, his physical state no longer mattered. He moved so swiftly it was almost impossible to follow…” He tried to explain what he had seen, though he hadn’t fully grasped everything.
“Haha, that guy told me not to use it unless it was against a B-synchro, but I think you qualify as one…” Sven said with an air of arrogance as he turned back to the tiger, sheathing the katana.
“Get ready. I’ll finish you with my next attack... and then I’ll deal with that dwarf.” His face contorted into a fierce grimace as he squared his stance, his right hand holding the scabbard at waist level while his left rested firmly on the katana.
The Ice Tiger roared in response, a sound so ferocious that most spectators, save for Sven, covered their ears. Challenged by Sven’s audacity, the tiger rose to its full height.
None of the onlookers dared to blink; even the timid Brennan and John were riveted as the two adversaries prepared to clash with all their might.
In an instant, the tiger and Sven were face to face. The tiger, with a clear reach advantage, lashed out with its front claws, aiming to rend Sven’s flesh. Yet, in the blink of an eye, Sven vanished from view, the tiger’s attack slicing through empty air.
The spectators, watching intently, witnessed the precise moment of Sven’s counterattack. As the tiger’s claws extended, obscuring its own vision, Sven executed a swift leap. Capitalizing on the momentary distraction, he created the illusion of vanishing, becoming invisible to his beastly opponent.
Sven spun in the air with lethal precision, executing a flawless 360° turn as his katana flashed from its scabbard. The blade, catching the light, traced a perfect arc through the air, slicing effortlessly through the wind before striking the tiger's neck with devastating force, cleaving it from side to side.
Both Sven and the beast's head fell to the ground simultaneously, signaling a decisive victory.
----------------------------------------
Museum - Fifth floor
In the center of a spacious room filled with seating, Saito sat atop a large spherical projector adorned with various lenses and crystals.
He appeared to be in a meditative state, but soon his eyes slowly opened.
"So, a Wusheng style... That was unexpected."
He remarked calmly, then closed his eyes again, resuming his deep meditation.
----------------------------------------
Museum - Third floor
"Mr. Sven, we never had any doubts about you!" Brennan and John, almost as fast as Sven had been in his attack, were eager to shower him with praise. "It was clear you would win, Mr. Sven. There’s no one stronger than you." Their flattery continued, despite their recent readiness to abandon him.
Sven ignored them, brushing Brennan’s face aside with a dismissive gesture as he turned and walked toward Xin Hua’s group.
Nova, Xin Hua, and Frank remained in stunned silence. Sven's display of skill had not only demonstrated his mastery of the sword but also his keen understanding of his opponent’s weaknesses.
"I’ll take the katana!" Sven declared arrogantly, his gaze fixed on the hologram displaying the number 1 above the girl's image. His displeasure at being ranked below her was evident.
"Hey! That was rude!" Frank interjected from behind Nova, clearly irked by Sven’s lack of manners.
"What did you say, dwarf?" Sven barked, turning his gaze toward Frank, who quickly ducked behind Nova.
"Uh, I mean, it was... maybe... you should..." Frank stammered, beads of sweat forming on his forehead in visible nervousness.
"Keep it," Xin Hua said, stepping in to protect Frank and Nova. Nova, equally nervous, averted his gaze to avoid the murderous expression Sven was directing at him.
"However, for assisting you in winning, you’ll need to answer one question," Xin Hua added firmly, meeting Sven’s gaze with unwavering resolve.
"Help me win? Make no mistake, I would have won anyway," Sven replied, visibly irritated as he shifted his gaze to the woman.
"Sure, just like your arms would have withstood another tiger attack," she retorted sarcastically, pointing at Sven’s frozen arms.
"Anyway, it’s just a question: what’s the name of your Wusheng style?" The question immediately piqued Frank's interest. His eyes widened in surprise, eager to hear Sven’s response.
"I don’t know what you’re talking about," Sven said, his annoyance clear as he struggled to grasp her question.
"Your sword technique. What’s the name of your style?" Xin Hua persisted, her curiosity now palpable as if the answer held significant importance for her.
"..." Sven blinked several times, his anger morphing into confusion. "It was... Su... Sushin Ryu? Shuhin ni? Chunnin lee?" He faltered, struggling to recall the name, which only served to further frustrate Xin Hua.
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A vein of anger appeared on the woman’s forehead, swelling as Sven’s indecision continued.
"How could you forget the name of your Wusheng style? This is an unforgivable sacrilege! Your master must be deeply disappointed to have such a mediocre disciple!"
Xin Hua's voice thundered with such intensity that everyone fell silent, stunned by the sheer force of his anger. His furious expression momentarily stunned Sven before he too was consumed by a blazing rage.
“Who the hell cares what it’s called?! It was some old fool who taught me! It doesn’t matter at all!” Sven shouted, his voice laden with frustration.
The tension between them quickly escalated. What began as a simple question erupted into a fierce argument. Their exchange resembled two enraged drivers after a collision, hurling accusations at each other in a storm of heated words.
"This is disrespectful! You have no idea how lucky you are to have learned that, you jerk!" Xin Hua shouted, gesturing angrily.
"Who do you think you are?! You think you're better than me just because you're fucking number one?! You fucking dwarf!" Sven retorted, who had no intention of shutting up.
"Frank, do you know what Wusheng style is?" Nova asked his partner, completely unaware of the heated discussion going on in the background.
"It's not just one, it's several," Frank replied to the white-haired young man. "Wusheng styles are martial arts perfected to fight B-Synchro."
At that moment, Nova understood why Sven had defeated the tiger so easily. If his style was designed to exploit the weaknesses of such creatures, an ice beast of that level wasn't even a challenge.
"When humanity was attacked by the B-Synchro, it didn't stand a chance. Even with weapons of mass destruction, those beasts were far more powerful," Frank explained to Nova.
"However, as humans began to awaken their Synchrony, it was the elite martial artists who first stood out by integrating this new power into their disciplines." Frank’s detailed account captured Nova’s full attention, who pictured ancient warriors mastering various martial arts.
In his previous life, Nova had been a devoted fan of martial arts movies.
"Only the strongest martial artists survived, becoming known as Wusheng, or 'holy warriors'. Their contributions to protecting human civilization were so significant that their styles are now regarded as ancestral relics." Frank's expression was one of pride; he clearly relished sharing this knowledge and having an audience.
"Damn, that sounds incredible..." Nova said with a smile. The world he found himself in was proving to be far more expansive than he had imagined.
"In that case, do agents have access to training in those styles?" Nova asked, now more eager than ever to become an agent. He saw it as a chance to learn a unique style that would enhance his ability to combat the monsters.
"Unfortunately, it doesn’t work that way," Frank said, deflating Nova’s enthusiasm. "Wusheng styles can only have one heir per generation."
"When the war against the B-Synchro reached a stalemate, humanity recognized the immense power of Synchrony. Two crucial decisions were made to prevent conflicts of interest." Frank paused, adopting a more serious tone.
"The first decision was to establish the Terra Nexus organization to regulate Synchrony globally and eliminate B-Synchros that encroached on human territory. The second decision was to restrict the teaching of Wusheng styles to one person per generation." Frank concluded, but Nova’s confusion only grew.
"Wait, why ban the teaching of Wusheng styles? It doesn’t make sense. More agents mastering those styles would make it easier to eradicate the B-Synchro," Nova said, struggling to understand the reasoning. It seemed completely illogical to him.
"Wusheng styles aren’t merely techniques for defeating the B-Synchro. They are sophisticated methods that maximize the Synchro Aura, elevating them to an advanced martial level," Frank explained.
"Honestly, I’m not sure why this happened. It predates even my grandfather's time. But my theory is that the United Nations feared the consequences of allowing many people to master both Wusheng styles and the power of Synchro."
Frank's explanation clarified Nova’s doubts. It made sense that authorities would regulate such potent disciplines to prevent them from becoming a threat to humanity.
While this raised more questions, Nova had no time to delve further. At that moment, the sound of approaching footsteps grew louder, signaling a new threat.
"Fool!" Xin Hua shouted.
"Fool!" Sven shot back.
"Fool!" Xin Hua repeated.
"Fool!" Sven echoed.
The two were still locked in a heated argument, hurling the same insult repeatedly while casting disdainful glances at each other. Neither had noticed the several enemies converging on their location.
"Hey, you two need to stop your argument right now!" Nova yelled, raising his voice more than he intended. Both Xin Hua and Sven turned to glare at him with murderous intent.
"What's your problem?!" they demanded in unison.
"Nothing," Nova replied. "I just don’t want to keep fighting in these conditions, freezing to death. So if you could calm down, that would be great." After addressing Xin Hua, he turned to Sven. “And you, as strong as you are, should protect your arms if you don’t want to risk losing them.”
Under normal circumstances, Nova would have stayed out of their argument, but with another battle looming, he decided it was best to find some furs. "Frank, where do we go?" Nova asked.
The little man immediately understood. "Head straight, then take the path to the left. We’ll reach the animal exhibit to get some furs." With clear instructions, Nova started running, followed by Xin Hua, Sven, and the cowardly duo.
"Why are you following us?" Xin Hua snapped.
"I'm not following you; we’re just going in the same direction," Sven retorted, his irritation undiminished. Nova’s words seemed to give him pause, at least as he looked for something to protect himself from the biting cold.
Unfortunately, they soon encountered a herd of ice boars waiting for them.
⌠Danger Detected
Ice Boar.
Synchro Materialization
Level 4.
Non-Life Creature.
Percent Synchro 0%⌡
And behind them was another pack of wolves, advancing quickly and leaving them no way to escape.
⌠Danger Detected:
Ice Wolf
Synchro Materialization
Level 3.
Non-living creature.
Synchro Percentage 0%⌡
----------------------------------------
Museum - Cellar
After the explosion, thick smoke filled the cellar. The fire, ignited by the blast and fueled by the wooden crates in the large enclosure, was quickly brought under control by small ice mice who were thrown into the flames one after another until the fire was extinguished.
In the corner of the warehouse where the explosion had occurred, a large pile of debris remained. The shockwave had affected the area where Katya, Lucas, Sophie, Ethan, and Othar were standing, throwing them into different parts of the room.
"Cough, cough... Guys, are you okay?" Katya, the first to react, struggled to rise amid the gray smoke. Despite her injured leg, she managed to grasp a metal rod from the rubble where she had fallen, using it to prop herself up.
⌠You went up 1 level...
Statistics Update...
Calculating...
Katya Ivanova has reached level 5...
STR: 7
AGI: 14
CON: 9
PSA: 0⌡
At that moment, a translucent screen from her TN device displayed her new level.
"Well? That idiot nearly got us all killed..." Lucas grumbled from his spot amidst the debris. A similar screen appearing before him.
⌠You went up 1 level...
Statistics Update...
Calculating...
Lucas Muller has reached level 4
STR: 8
AGI: 6
CON: 6
PSA: 0⌡
"At least we managed to kill the mantis," Ethan said, pushing himself off the ground and wincing as he pressed a hand to his sore ribs.
⌠You went up 1 level...
Statistics Update...
Calculating...
Ethan Chang reached level 3
STR: 5
AGI: 5
CON: 5
PSA: 0⌡
"Hey, are you guys okay?!" Sophie shouted through the smoke as she approached Katya. Her curly hair was tangled with wood debris, and she had a few scratches, but she appeared to be in decent shape. Othar, who had quickly moved to her side, was also checking on her.
"Oh?" Sophie reacted as a screen appeared before her, just like the others.
⌠You went up 1 level...
Statistics Update...
Calculating...
Sophie Tanaka has reached level 2
STR: 2
AGI: 5
CON: 3
PSA: 0⌡