105: Chapter 105 Seriously, how come you're so bad now?

Karuge landed steadily on the back of a magical beast, his eyes fixed intently on Gu Changming.

Gu Changming met his gaze for a moment before looking away toward Jiang Chen, who had already arrived at his side.

The two exchanged a look and nodded simultaneously without needing a single word.

In the next instant, both moved abruptly, lunging at Karuge from the left and right.

With a slight thought from Gu Changming, the Telekinetic Shuttle dropped from his person and threaded through the beast herd below until it reached Karuge's rear, where it suddenly launched an attack at Karuge's head from a blind spot.

Karuge didn't even turn his head, yet it was as if he had eyes in the back of his neck.

His right arm suddenly reached back, fingers splayed, and he actually managed to accurately snatch the Telekinetic Shuttle.

The metal body of the shuttle vibrated violently in his palm, yet it could not break free.

With a low growl, he hurled the shuttle fiercely back at Gu Changming.

As the Telekinetic Shuttle came 'crashing' back, Gu Changming immediately regained control of it, leaving it hovering on standby.

"With these reactions and this strength, he must be a Tribal Chief-level Orc," Gu Changming judged.

By this time, Jiang Chen had already taken the lead in the assault.

He kicked off the beast's spine, leaping high into the air as the Tang Sword in his hand turned into a cold silver arc, slashing straight down at Karuge's head with the momentum of his fall.

Karuge neither dodged nor retreated; he swung his thick right arm, bringing up the dark red giant blade from his waist—which was nearly as wide as a door—to block upward.

Clang!

A massive explosion of clashing metal erupted.

Jiang Chen felt an irresistible, surging force travel through the blade, instantly numbing the web of his thumb.

Then, the opponent's wrist jerked forward, and Jiang Chen was sent flying backward by the sheer force of the shock.

Gu Changming's gaze swept over Jiang Chen, but his feet didn't stop.

Cutting in from the side, he closed in like a ghost. At the moment they were about to cross paths, he suddenly twisted his body around, and night erosion emerged from his wrist, solidifying into shape with its tip pointed straight at the opening under Karuge's ribs.

Clang!

Another crisp sound rang out.

With an extremely flexible flick of his wrist, Karuge spun his giant blade, using the heavy weapon like a shield to accurately block Gu Changming's attack path.

The tip of the blade struck the side of the giant blade, sending out a trail of fine sparks.

The two were extremely close, and for the brief second the strike was blocked, their eyes met momentarily.

A hint of surprise flashed in Gu Changming's eyes; this opponent's reactions and strength far exceeded an ordinary B-rank.

A flicker of alarm also passed through Karuge's pupils: This guy... is much more dangerous than the one from before.

The eye contact lasted only an instant.

In the next second, Gu Changming's mind moved again, and the Telekinetic Shuttle shot out quietly from within his collar, lightning-fast, aiming straight for the center of Karuge's forehead.

However, Karuge's reactions were incredibly fast; he jerked his head back, and the tip of the shuttle grazed his forehead, taking a few strands of crimson hair with it.

Almost at the same time, the giant blade in his hand swept out horizontally, the heavy wind of the blade whistling as it slapped toward Gu Changming's waist.

Gu Changming didn't try to block it head-on; he tapped his toe against the beast below and drifted backward, lightly evading the heavy blow and putting several meters of distance between them.

After this round of rapid offense and defense, both sides temporarily halted their movements, sizing each other up.

Gu Changming turned his head, casting a quick glance in Jiang Chen's direction.

Jiang Chen had regained his footing and tightened his grip on his sword, giving Gu Changming a slight nod.

In the next moment, the two burst into action again.

This time, Karuge didn't wait either. With a low, angry roar, he took a proactive step forward, swinging his heavy giant blade with one hand as he lunged to meet the two charging at him!

The three were instantly locked in a chaotic melee.

Gu Changming's Telekinetic Shuttle followed like a shadow, stabbing at Karuge from various angles while Gu himself attacked.

Jiang Chen pressed the attack at close range, his blade light fierce and sharp.

Karuge fought against the two of them, his giant blade swinging so fast it was like an impenetrable wall.

The sounds of clashing metal rang out in rapid succession as the three moved and fought quickly across the beast's back. The battle was intense, yet no one could gain the upper hand.

Despite the stalemate, there wasn't a trace of panic on Gu Changming's face.

The opponent's level was indeed high, and his combat literacy wasn't low either, but compared to Gu's own combat experience, the Orc was still far behind.

In the midst of this dense exchange of blows, he had already roughly figured out Karuge's offensive and defensive habits.

Now, he just needed one tiny opportunity...

Just as the thought arose, Gu Changming's eyes narrowed.

An opening appeared.

The light from the night erosion blade in his hand flashed as it stabbed straight for Karuge's throat.

As he expected, the opponent immediately raised his blade to parry.

But the moment the giant blade was raised, Gu Changming's left hand suddenly snapped open, aimed at Karuge, and a full-power Mental Shock erupted!

Karuge's movements stiffened, and a momentary daze appeared in his eyes.

"Got him!" The corner of Gu Changming's mouth curled up slightly.

However, that smile froze on his face in the next second.

The expected fatal follow-up strike from Jiang Chen did not arrive.

Karuge also quickly broke free from the brief Mental Shock. A flash of relief from a near-death experience crossed his eyes, and then he swung his giant blade fiercely, forcing both of them back at the same time.

Stabilizing himself as he landed, Gu Changming immediately turned to look at Jiang Chen, his face full of bewilderment and questioning.

Seriously, man, what are you doing?

Though Jiang Chen looked dazed, he understood Gu Changming's expression and immediately blurted out, "My attack was just parried away!"

It's the end lag, bro, don't you know?

Who can attack without any gaps? My strike was just knocked aside by his weapon, and I hadn't even regained my balance yet—how was I supposed to seize that chance?

Seeing the other man's hesitant expression, Gu Changming also came back to his senses.

Oh, right, this guy is still in his 'cub' phase; his combat techniques aren't at the high level they were in the previous life.

Even if he saw the opportunity I created, he wouldn't necessarily be able to grasp it.

Gu Changming gave a silent 'tsk' and looked away from Jiang Chen, re-locking his gaze onto Karuge.

I didn't consider that enough; now that the opponent is on guard, it'll probably be even harder to succeed.

However, that 'tsk' and the expression on Gu Changming's face were fully seen by Jiang Chen.

Wait, what?

You're actually blaming me for this?

Jiang Chen's heart was very conflicted right now; on one hand, he felt looked down upon, but on the other, he felt the other man had overestimated him, and he had failed to meet those standards.

The battle broke out once more.

In the subsequent fight, Gu Changming relied on his experience and rhythm to create several more offensive opportunities.

Once was when Karuge's giant blade missed its mark, his old momentum spent before new strength could be gathered; another time was when Gu Changming used Psychokinesis to deflect the giant blade's trajectory, leaving the opponent's chest wide open.

However, Jiang Chen's reactions and follow-up were ultimately half a beat too slow.

The best result they got was the Tang Sword piercing into Karuge's waist, but the blade didn't go deep, only opening a bloody gash.

But it was quickly forced out by the opponent's powerful muscles and churning energy, failing to cause any substantial, heavy damage.

After several fruitless exchanges, the two sides pulled apart again.

Gu Changming's chest heaved slightly as he panted, and he couldn't help but look at Jiang Chen again.

His expectations had already been lowered twice, but why was this guy so weak right now?

At this moment, Jiang Chen didn't even dare to meet Gu Changming's eyes.

He even began to wonder if Gu Changming was intentionally making things difficult for him.

Creating those opportunities that seemed perfect but were actually so fleeting they were almost impossible to grasp, and then dumping all the pressure and blame on him.

Realizing he might be asking too much, Gu Changming was about to say, "It's fine..."

Before he could speak, in the next second—

A surge of frustration and unyielding stubbornness welled up in his heart. Jiang Chen pressed the tip of his Tang Sword against his left chest, just above the heart, and then slashed downward violently!

The skin split open, and blood immediately gushed out.

But what followed was not weakness; a scorching and violent Blood Energy exploded from within his body, his aura climbing step by step.

This was his trump card. Although he would enter a period of weakness after using it, he really couldn't stand that look in the other man's eyes anymore.

"Going all out?" Gu Changming retracted his gaze upon seeing this.

He knew the other man had this card up his sleeve, but he hadn't expected him to have already mastered this ultimate move so early on.

In that case, things were fine now; the upcoming battle should be no problem.

Immediately, Gu Changming stopped holding back as well.

He reached up and took off the unremarkable Dark Silver Pendant from his neck, lightly biting down on it with his teeth.

In the next moment, a surge of Mental Power, far more vast and pure than before, erupted from him, sweeping toward the nearby Karuge.