Chapter 121: A Duel of Life and Death

The swirling blizzard whipped up wave after wave of snow. Wu Hua stood motionless amidst the gale; he knew that moving now would be a death sentence.

When Azure Starry Sky looked up, her face began to shift through a spectrum of colors—blue, red, green, yellow, and violet. Wu Hua recognized that she had secretly consumed five potent elixirs: the Survival Gene, Power Gene, Evolution Gene, Magic Gene, and War God Gene.

The Magic Gene enhanced focus and reduced skill cooldowns, while the War God Gene, the most expensive of the lot, sent a warrior into a berserker state, doubling their attack speed and ferocity.

Truth be told, Wu Hua had never seen anyone swallow five vials at once, largely because it was nearly impossible to acquire all five. He realized that Azure Starry Sky was going all out.

As she rose to her feet, she pointed her sword toward the heavens and let out a roar. Her armor began to shift, and arcs of electricity crackled across her entire body.

"Super Saiyan?" Wu Hua stared in disbelief.

Azure Starry Sky held her sword upright and said coldly, "If you kneel and beg for mercy now, it might not be too late."

Wu Hua couldn't help but laugh out loud. "Are you sleepwalking, or am I?"

"Hah!" With a sharp cry, Azure Starry Sky drove the tip of her sword into the ground, vaulted over it, and darted toward him like an arrow.

*Bang!* The barrel of the Star of Finland glowed red-hot as the power of the demon roared to life.

*Clang!* Sparks flew. The damage value plummeted to 2,199, but with the buffs, Azure Starry Sky’s HP exceeded ten thousand. She merely faltered for a second, refusing to be knocked back.

Wu Hua was stunned for a split second, but she was already upon him.

She unleashed the Heaven and Earth Cross Slash. *Thwip, thwip, thwip, thwip...* Blades struck every part of Wu Hua’s body. His blue Navy SEAL combat suit was no mere decoration; it mitigated a significant portion of the damage.

"335, 378, 356..." Each strike from Azure Starry Sky dealt significantly less damage than before. She was shocked to find that Wu Hua’s strength had increased several-fold. Previously, she could have easily sent him flying with this move, but now, despite her buffs, she barely landed a solid hit. Wu Hua hardly moved, his feet seemingly frozen to the spot.

"Hah!" Azure Starry Sky transitioned into a rapid-fire combo: the Seven-Slash Gale. It wasn't a high-damage move, but it excelled in speed. As she unleashed seven consecutive thrusts, the electricity from her armor meant her opponent was suffering both physical trauma and electrical shocks simultaneously.

*Thwip, thwip, thwip, thwip...*

Wu Hua endured all seven strikes. Seven holes appeared in his green SEAL suit, but the total damage didn't even exceed 1,000 points. After this entire combo, she hadn't even dealt 2,000 damage; anyone else would have died three or four times over.

Sensing that this duel was taking a turn for the worse, Azure Starry Sky followed up with the Sky Wolf Explosive Slash, bringing her blade down with fury.

The unthinkable happened. While most would have had no choice but to dodge such a devastating warrior skill, Wu Hua raised the Star of Finland with both hands, using the rifle like a steel club.

*Clang!* The edge of her blade struck the Black Hawk sniper scope, sending sparks flying. The rifle was forged from S-grade alloy and advanced energy technology; it couldn't be severed unless the energy blade possessed a sharpness rating higher than S-grade.

Because of the sheer force behind her blow, the Star of Finland was pressed against Wu Hua’s chest, forcing him into a half-kneel as the ground exploded in a swirl of snow.

This sight left 1860 stunned. It was the first time he had ever seen a gunman dare to block a warrior's ultimate move head-on—let alone one from Azure Starry Sky. He couldn't fathom why Wu Hua would be so reckless, but the point was, he had actually pulled it off.

Still, Wu Hua was rattled by the impact, a damage value of 587 floating above his head as blood sprayed from his mouth. A warrior’s strength was overwhelming; even without external wounds, the internal trauma was devastating.

However, Wu Hua’s combat techniques were no longer as amateurish as they once were. The guidance from Yu Qing, the "torture" from the Female Martial Arts Master, and his high, well-balanced stats had taught him the value of bodily flexibility. He realized that the key to technique was using the opponent's own momentum against them.

As Azure Starry Sky landed from the air, Wu Hua deftly spun the Star of Finland, used the butt of the rifle to strike her lower body, and grabbed her shoulders, tossing her over his shoulder in a classic throw.

He had seized the brief window of inertia following her three-hit combo. Even with the drugs, she still suffered that momentary pause.

Having executed the throw, Wu Hua caught his spinning rifle in mid-air, rushed forward, and fired a shot directly at the face of Azure Starry Sky, who was lying flat on her back.

*Clang!* Her reflexes were lightning-fast. She held up her sword to shield her face, and while the bullet struck the blade, the impact knocked the energy sword from her hand.

Azure Starry Sky instantly flipped into a handstand, kicked back, and caught Wu Hua—who was busy cycling the bolt—square in the chest. He went sprawling, and the Star of Finland skittered away.

Before he could stand, she delivered another flying kick. Wu Hua opted to grab her ankle, but as he secured her left foot, her right leg whipped around, sweeping him off his feet.

Azure Starry Sky didn't bother retrieving her weapon, choosing instead to press the attack. She landed several kicks to Wu Hua’s chest, but he lunged forward, hitting the ground and snatching his M500 from his holster. He jumped up, activated his Focused Shot, and opened fire while diving horizontally through the air.

*Bang!* The bullet caught Azure Starry Sky squarely on the bridge of her nose. A green damage value of 1,088 appeared!

She stumbled backward, blood covering her face. The electricity on her armor began to wane, a testament to the sheer force of the shot.

Wu Hua retrieved his main rifle and unleashed another barrage. Azure Starry Sky took two more hits and was knocked to the ground again. She rolled across the snow and finally recovered her energy sword.

The wind grew fiercer, the cold more biting.

In the distance, 1860 filmed the heart-stopping spectacle. The two were evenly matched; Azure Starry Sky’s combos were lethal, but Wu Hua’s rifle was vicious. Her close-quarters combat was sharp, but his technique was clever, always deflecting great force with minimal effort.

The scene on the snowy mountain left an indelible impression on 1860. Amidst the gale, he heard the thunderous roar of gunfire, saw flashes of blue sword light, and watched as they grappled in hand-to-hand combat, their figures occasionally swallowed by the snow until only the sounds of the struggle remained.

Witnessing it, 1860 still couldn't believe they were fighting to a draw. He realized that if these two ever teamed up, they would mow down anyone in their path like grass.

Suddenly, he felt a sharp pain in his head. Looking down, he realized his HP and stamina bars were frozen by the bitter cold, refusing to recover. Breathing became difficult, and his vision blurred. He set his camera on a nearby snowdrift, wanting to lie down for a moment. He was so very tired.

The snow was pitted and scarred with the marks of the battle. At the edge of the cliff, Wu Hua and Azure Starry Sky were still trading blows, their weapons long discarded.

The protective electricity on Azure Starry Sky’s armor had vanished. Her face continued to cycle through colors, but her movements had slowed significantly. She glanced down to see her 5,800 stamina points had dropped below 200. Using skills was out of the question, and even swinging her sword was becoming a struggle.

Wu Hua was in no better shape. He was covered in blood, his combat suit shredded, gasping for air as he lay on the ground. His stamina was likely bottoming out, and his fatigue had reached its peak.

Azure Starry Sky let out a feral roar and lunged, throwing a punch at Wu Hua’s head. Wu Hua countered with a punch to her chin. All pretense of being "masters" had vanished. After ten minutes of combat—one with high HP and defense, the other with high defense and superior grappling, both bolstered by strength stats and blood-replenishing agents—they had become unkillable freaks. Yet, like two mad dogs, they continued to grapple, locked in a desperate, singular intent to destroy the other.