Chapter 127: Giving You A Chance
Chapter 127: Giving You A Chance
Whether it was the Princess Royal or Paris, when they both independently and inexplicably chose this remote, bitter-cold, insignificant town of Shampoo City as the location for their contest half a year ago, they absolutely looked down upon Shampoo City—weak like an ant—and its fool of a king. There simply wasn’t a need. In fact, not even their powerful subordinates, let alone the lofty figures they were, had ever given Shampoo City a second glance.
In everyone’s imagination, ever since they were chosen as the battleground, Shampoo City and this little king called Alexander were destined to become a laughable tragedy, an unimportant sidekick. Their sole outcome would be to witness the glory of the victor between Princess Tannasha and Paris, then accompany the loser into the eternal abyss of hell, turning into a pile of ruins and withered bones.
On this continent governed by the Law of the Jungle, who would care about the pleas and wails of the weak?
But now, the scenes unfolding before them overturned everyone’s understanding.
Those they had already written off as weak and dismissed with contempt had not resorted to weeping or begging. Instead, with his savage fists and ferocious slaps, the little king had shattered the jaws of each haughty face. Then, with his dirty feet, he stomped those arrogant, high-and-mighty faces right into the dog poop, forcing everyone to swallow this sudden humiliation and shock!
Who was the real fool?
Definitely not this little king now.
Who was the true master?
Definitely not those who had arrogantly believed they held everything beforehand.
The morning sun was as red as blood; the summit of the Eastern Peak had never felt so cold.
“How is this possible? How did you do all this?” The Cold-Blooded Enchantress finally couldn’t help but tremble as she asked the question driving everyone wild.
“It’s simple, playing dead! It’s not a hard job…” Sun Fei’s lips twitched as he poured the last of the cold mountain spring water onto the face of the little blonde-haired Lori, Gemma, lying on the ground. She was the last of the ‘corpses.’ She had been struck in the chest by the Cold-Blooded Enchantress Paris earlier and sustained some injury. Sun Fei helped the groggily awakening little Lori up and continued, “Heh, you so-called important people, with your noses high in the sky, how could you possibly notice whether us insignificant folk are alive or dead?”
This question choked everyone into silence.
He was right. Earlier, they had utterly despised the lowly farmers of Shampoo City. Whether its guards lived or died hadn’t weighed on their minds at all. In the heat of the fierce battle, no one had the focus to check if the extras lying on the ground were truly dead or just pretending… This was a blind spot in their thinking and vision.
But the Cold-Blooded Enchantress Paris wasn’t so easily fooled. Frowning at Sun Fei’s explanation, she pointed dismissively at Angela and Gemma behind him. “Impossible! Back then, I clearly sensed that little creature’s heartbeat had completely stopped! And this young girl definitely took a direct palm strike from me…”
Sun Fei glanced at Paris as if she was an idiot. He raised his hand and shook a delicate, small, female breastplate. A clear, slender palm print was etched frighteningly deep into the steel-forged armor. “You’re not wrong. Had it not been for this little breastplate, this flimsy little lass might well have been walking the razor’s edge between life and death today!”
The people around were a bit dumbfounded.
No one expected this little king, who seemed as crude as a barbarian, to be so meticulous. Moreover, he was unstinting – even an insignificant little maid by his side was armed to the teeth. With such thick steel plate armor protecting her, it made sense that the little blonde maid managed to retrieve her life after a casual strike from the Cold-Blooded Enchantress Paris.
Only Cold-Blooded Enchantress Paris shook her head slightly.
She knew the real reason couldn’t be as simple as what Sun Fei claimed. But since this sly rascal wasn’t willing to say, pressing him would be pointless. So, she simply closed her mouth and asked no more.
But up to now, Paris found she understood this little king less and less. What kind of guy was he really? A fool? A genius? A scoundrel? A hero? Paris was supremely confident in her intuition’s ability to pierce through a man’s essence at first glance. In fact, barely three or four hours ago, she thought she had him figured out. But now, she had to completely discard that earlier assessment. Yet, when it came to defining him anew, Paris couldn’t find a word in her mind that fit.
That was it.
Under the complex gazes of everyone, all the members of Team Shampoo present on the Eastern Peak Summit now rose from their ‘corpse’ state. Gradually, many realized these people had clearly used some kind of magical concoction to maintain a fake death state, recovering consciousness only after cold water stimulation… What they struggled to accept was: Looking at the corpses of those powerful experts lying scattered, who could have imagined that while those Star-Rank Warriors from the Princess Royal and Paris’s camps perished tragically on the spot, the only group with zero casualties was the one destined for total annihilation—Shampoo City?
“Haha, folks, how should we handle these scumbags?”
Passing up a chance to show off would be the biggest fool in the world. For Sun Fei, every opportunity to boast was precious. So, he slapped the dust off his backside and sprawled rakishly onto a giant chunk of rock about one meter tall nearby. Contentedly crossing his legs, he pointed shamelessly at the group including the Cold-Blooded Enchantress Paris and asked with a grin, “Well?”
Those seemingly simple and honest guards of Shampoo City weren’t good sorts either.
Evidence as follows:
“No need to ask then, just kill all the men and keep the women… hehehe!” The Taurus Golden Knight Drogba leered lasciviously. If it weren’t for the fierce glare from the little blonde Lori Gemma, he might have blurted something truly unsuitable for younger ears.
“Ahem… it’s entirely as Your Majesty decides.” With Drogba setting the tone, Michelle Ballack deferred entirely to Sun Fei.
“Why not hand them over to the Princess Royal and her people to handle?” The stout fellow Essien, looking a bit dull but cunning in his own way, suggested.
“…” Frank Lampard didn’t speak. He merely tightened his grip on the large black greatsword—Titan Blade—in his hands.
“Arf arf arf arf arf arf!!!” The Big Black Dog eyed Paris and company unfavorably and barked wildly a few times.
Sun Fei chewed on a grass stem plucked from who knows where, grinning as he looked at Paris without a word.
The group’s irreverent, taunting expressions were practically infuriating the others to death.
“It’s far too early for congratulations now, wouldn’t you say, King Alexander? I have to admit, you’ve shocked me once more. But… such a pity. If you think trapping us with Magic Traps equates to controlling everything, you are terribly naive. Hehehehe… look down at the scene in the city below! Listen well!” As she spoke these serendipitous words, Paris seemed to have recovered from the massive blow and shock. That bewitching smile that could ignite desire in any man instantly reappeared on her face.
As if confirming the truth of Paris’s words, five or six enormous pillars of smoke abruptly erupted from Shampoo City down the mountain, soaring skyward. From afar, they could see buildings within the city below burning with raging fires. The wind howled, faintly carrying the sound of cries and wails.
Angela, Lampard, and the others’ expressions changed drastically.
A gleam of confidence reappeared on the ethereally beautiful face of the Cold-Blooded Enchantress Paris: “Hehehehe, what a terrible shame. I suddenly remember before coming to the Eastern Peak Summit, I might have dispatched about a dozen looting squads inside the city… King Alexander, if you dismantle the Magic Array and let us leave immediately, perhaps I can still rush back to stop them from breaking into and sacking your Royal Palace and the mansions of the city’s Nobles… Otherwise, well…”
Paris stopped there, looking at Sun Fei with a teasing smile.
She didn’t continue, but her expression already conveyed the rest quite clearly. Even though Sun Fei had unexpectedly gained near-total control of the Eastern Peak Summit situation through mass playing dead, it didn’t mean he was truly the ultimate victor. At least, she still held a trump card, enough to secure the safe withdrawal of herself and her core experts.
Hearing the Cold-Blooded Sorceress Paris’s words, the princes and guards from various kingdoms behind her finally saw hope again. They grew arrogant and boastful once more. Paris was indeed one of the most fearsome women in the Imperial Capital; here at the critical moment, she still held a trick up her sleeve. Unable to contain themselves, they began hurling provocative jeers:
“Haha, little king, better dismantle those Magic Traps quickly, or your Royal Palace will become a pile of rubble!”
“If Shampoo City is destroyed, you’ll become a king without a country, haha!”
“You narrowly escaped disaster once through trickery, quit while you’re ahead!”
“Alexander! So you grabbed the spotlight? What use is that! Your own people are wailing amidst blood and fire! You call yourself the Benevolent King – don’t you even consider their lives?”
The ones shouting were princes from minor kingdoms like Shenhua Kingdom and Luneng Kingdom. Among them, Dalei Wang yelled the most fiercely, acting as if he were the one currently holding the upper hand and controlling life and death, not Sun Fei.
Sun Fei’s expression shifted slightly.
But he didn’t seem especially panicked.
He shifted his gaze towards Princess Royal Tanasha. The [Female Literary Sage] seemed to understand something. She sighed softly and lowered her eyes, saying nothing. However, the female swordsman Susan beside her blurted out, “Alexander, you cannot let them go! I order you to kill that woman immediately…”
Sun Fei gave a cold laugh and then looked at the [Zenit War God] Arshavin.
“If you help me kill this woman right now, I am willing to grant you three prosperous large cities, far superior to Shampoo City. You will remain a Noble King of the Zenit Empire!” Arshavin made his promise.
Sun Fei snorted coldly but gave no direct answer.
He switched to [Assassin Mode].
He stepped out slowly, fingers twitching rhythmically.
When he was about twenty meters from the Cold-Blooded Sorceress Paris, Sun Fei switched back to [Barbarian Mode]. Then, without restraint, he unleashed his strength. His formidable physical Might surged like endless tidal waves, escalating relentlessly. The terrifying aura allowed everyone around to feel his power clearly.
His gaze swept past Paris’s stunning face without the slightest flicker of attraction or lingering intent. Finally, it fixed firmly on the face of the Assassin Swordsman. Sun Fei smiled proudly. “You’re a true expert. So… I am willing to give you one chance: a fair fight. There are no Magic Traps within twenty meters. Win against me, and you may walk away from the Eastern Peak Summit alive.”
At this moment, the surging battle-aura radiating from Sun Fei was palpable to everyone.
The Assassin Swordsman tightened his grip on his sword hilt and turned to look at Paris.
“Alexander! Do you truly hold no concern for your Royal Palace or your subjects? If you persist in arrogance and waste more time—without my command—your Palace will become rubble, your people will turn into withered bones!” Paris’s face changed slightly as she threatened harshly.
Sun Fei laughed uproariously. “Someone will become withered bones. But it certainly won’t be my people!”
“What do you mean?” Paris paused, an ominous feeling rising within her.
“It means King Sun Fei foresaw your move…” A clear, resonant feminine voice suddenly called out from the stone steps in the distance. Soon, a fiery-haired woman of peerless beauty emerged into everyone’s sight. She walked slowly, holding a pale gold Longbow, clad in magnificent Magic Armor. The golden morning sun bathed her; the Magic Armor shimmered with faint, five-colored radiance. She looked like an unapproachable Valkyrie crossing the sea of clouds step by step.
Seeing her, the men felt something crash inside their minds. Women, however, instinctively scrutinized every part of her, comparing themselves—even astute women like Cold-Blooded Enchantress Paris and Princess Royal Tanasha were no exception.
The beauty was flawless; the morning sun like molten gold.
It was a breathtakingly picturesque scene.
Granted… it would have been even more picturesque had this beautiful, flame-haired Valkyrie not been holding a blood-dripping head.
Thump!
The bloody head traced a graceful arc through the air and landed at Paris’s feet.
“This beast led others to commit unforgivable atrocities in Viscount Louis’s mansion. So, I severed his head! As for his companions… they get to keep their corpses intact.”
Mercenary Beauty Ileena spoke with ice-cold authority. Sun Fei practically wanted to pull her tightly into his arms and kiss her deeply. Her words had sheer power, true impact.
Seeing the head at her feet, Paris felt half her heart freeze.
This man was the leader of the raiding squad she had left behind in Shampoo City. He possessed Four-Star Level, early-stage strength. At the time with almost all the other experts concentrated on the mountain peak, that rank should have been unrivaled. Who could have thought he’d end up decapitated and carried up here? It was crystal clear. If the leader was dead, her entire raiding squad was certainly annihilated.
The realization struck Paris like lightning, almost paralyzing her thoughts.
For this Cold-Blooded Sorceress, the word “tragic” seemed to fit her for the first time. Actually, her position now was beyond tragic—it was despair itself. Time and again she revealed a trump card, utterly confident she had secured victory. Yet fate was brutally cruel today. Each time, it turned her confidence laughable. Her absolute conviction looked like a mockery now. Because this little king stood like an omnipotent deity, effortlessly destroying every preparation Paris made, utterly reducing this most fearsome woman in the Zenit Imperial Capital into a pitiful joke, entertaining only herself.
Paris sank into an unprecedented state of loss.
She even felt somewhat helpless.
Amid this unnerving silence, the Big Black Dog [Black Whirlwind] once again began strutting its stuff like a runway model.
With awkward, crooked steps, carefully threading unseen traps, the big black dog led Mercenary Beauty Ileena down safely. Behind her, appearing step by step on the stone stairs, came the aging gentleman Best, military commander Gordon Brook, Capricorn Golden Knight Paul Pierce, and others. They regrouped safely with Angela, Lampard, and the rest.
All of Shampoo City’s ‘leadership’ stood assembled on the Eastern Peak Summit.
Now, standing before everyone was a force no one could ignore.
Because one supremely powerful King stood among them.
After witnessing this, everyone realized Cold-Blooded Sorceress Paris’s so-called “last trump card” had totally failed. The princes and diplomats who had been shouting loudly moments ago paled considerably. They wanted to slap themselves hard across their faces. Why had they opened their mouths before?
If their earlier playing-dead felt like a cheap trick, now none doubted that Sun Fei becoming the final victor depended on mere luck. Thinking back now, regardless how the situation unfolded earlier, this little king had always stood securely at the commanding heights of victory. From the very start— the traitorous Herald’s assassination attempt, through the fierce rivalry between the camps of Princess Royal & Paris, the fake deaths, the skillful dispatch of multiple experts, the ‘corpses’ revival, the inconceivable annihilation of Paris’s city raiding force… Each response demonstrated resourcefulness far surpassing what most kings could muster. Even when compared against Paris and the Princess Royal—both recognized Imperial Capital schemers—he didn’t appear the least bit inferior.
Strong personal capability. Unpredictable cunning. Dominant personality…
Was this the true face of Shampoo City’s king?
While most remained stunned by Sun Fei’s personal strength and performance, Paris and the Princess Royal (who had already deduced much) felt deeper shock regarding Shampoo City’s revealed capacities. Undoubtedly, this little kingdom possessed more than visible assets implied… To neutralize multiple raiding teams unseen spoke of three or four Four-Star Level Experts at minimum… perhaps even Five-Star Level power existing… How terrifying! How could a mere Sixth-Class Vassal State harbor such strength? Top-tier vassals couldn’t match it!
What, inside this realm… was happening? Or had happened?
A passing breeze scattered locks across Paris’s forehead amid this state of despair. Yet the Cold-Blooded Enchanter’s mouth curved slightly upward once more. However, the smile seemed different. Gone was its former suggestive allure; instead arose an unusual purity and innocence – seemingly stripped bare back to her original nature. Resembling a little girl refused by an secretly beloved knight, Paris merely sighed lightly. Delicately, she waved her fair hand.
Simultaneously, the Assassin Swordsman accompanying Paris moved forth. He stood directly before Sun Fei.
Humm… Humm… Humm… Humm…
The swordsman removed ever-concealing mask. A handsome visage unveiled itself. Within his hand, an acute longsword vibrated slightly; its blade hummed, emitting melodious resonance… Unmistakable sign showing swordsman releasing his unshackled strength.
“Ah! He’s one of the ‘Two Recluses’ — Dani of ‘Snow Peak Recluse’! Crown Prince of First-Class Vassal Nation Nadako! Recluse dwelling within homeland’s snowy peak! Never imagined he renounced station serving Paris as mere Assassin!!” Someone recognized swordsman’s origin.
Sun Fei too momentarily took notice.
Today already witnessed legendary One Sword’s awe-inspiring power dominating all before his silent departure. Now unexpectedly emerging was second-ranked amongst Zenit Empire’s younger generation specialists… Another legend stood directly before him.
“I seek fair contest. Lose — I die. Win — Please release Paris.” [Snow Peak Recluse] Dani spoke first time since appearing. His voice held baritone magnetism — undeniable appeal — but melancholy slightly shadowed expression spoke troubled heart.
Sun Fei never thought Dani would offer his life to bargain mercy toward Sorceress Paris.
“Fight first. Talk later.”
Sun Fei gave no direct assent. Suddenly eyes flashed coldly. Arms stretched wide. Roar erupted.
Boom!!!
Next instant witnessed impossible marvel: His frame spontaneously combusted multi-hued flames! Amid ever-changing radiance, powerful energy pulsed outward while piece after piece — shoulder plates, chest armor, gauntlets, gloves, belt, leg plates, heavy boots — suddenly materialized overlaying defined muscle physique! Instantaneously the entire figure became mantled beneath extraordinary regalia exuding majestic power blended with elaborate magnificence!
Distinctly alien style unlike Azeroth Continent Armor!
Each section shimmered mystic presence. Arcane runes engraved upon surface radiated impossible strength. Though less enclosing than Heavy Knight Armor, essential vitals lay fully shielded. Fingers cloaked within ingeniously crafted metallic gloves whose sheer potency and flawless articulation far surpassed previous white assassin’s White Profound Claws. Perfectly contouring shape permitted unrestricted finger mobility — like metal born unto flesh.
Iron hand reached out…
Glowing emerald violet flames — Twin Swords Purple and Green of bizarre form yet lethal edge — manifested amidst blaze, firm fitting Sun Fei’s grasp!
This marked first time Sun Fei externally displayed summoning Barbarian Gear.
It also marked inaugural battle-equipment visualization from World of Diablo.
Once this formidable set became fully manifest upon him — effectively strongest among current Mode inventories — surrounding spectators were stunned speechless while Sun Fei’s strength rapidly surged upward horrifyingly fast…
Four-Star Level early stage → Mid → High → …
“Her fate belongs self. Your blade saves only yourself!” When the aura reached its peak Sun Fei shook his head. Declared simply: “I deliver single blow. Survive… walk alive… off Eastern Peak Summit today.”