Chapter Twenty-Two: A Combat Style Used for the First Time

Meanwhile, while Ye Yu was speaking with “Hero Weary from a Cup of Wine,” “Singing to the Moon” had already slowly risen from the rubble, brushing off the dust and shaking away the fragments of stone. His eyes, fixed on Ye Yu in the distance, gleamed with a chilling coldness.

“So, the Witch King’s confidence stems from having a few perceptive friends. But if you end up torturing all your friends to death, I hope you won’t be too angry to seek revenge,” he said with biting sarcasm.

At this moment, “Hero Weary from a Cup of Wine” listened quietly and then shook his head slightly, a restrained smile breaking through his stern expression. “In that case, I’ll leave it to you to teach them a lesson. Of course, you’ll need the skill to do so. You can’t even face me in battle, so don’t be too sure you can defeat them—they are truly formidable.”

“Just as Your Excellency the Witch King said, you might not be my match,” Ye Yu responded calmly, observing the gentle smile spreading across “Singing to the Moon’s” face. Although it appeared harmless, “Hero Weary from a Cup of Wine,” standing beside Ye Yu, fully understood the depth of his ability. When he confirmed the name was “Cool Night,” a wave of shock surged through him, for that name echoed like thunder across the “Xuantian” server.

Truth be told, Ye Yu did not hold an absolute advantage in this battle, as “Singing to the Moon” was a sword-class player. Ye Yu was intimately familiar with this class. When forming his team, he had considered including a sword-class player but had to switch for reasons unknown.

Ye Yu easily discerned “Singing to the Moon’s” combat style. Sword players take one of two paths: purely offensive or a balance of offense and defense. Clearly, “Singing to the Moon” belonged to the former. His fighting style was aggressive, relying on supportive skills to set up devastating strikes, which he only unleashed when finding a close-range opening.

Ye Yu understood this opponent was no rookie. “Singing to the Moon” was a level 40 player with formidable combat power, yet Ye Yu harbored no fear.

“Singing to the Moon’s” expression gradually turned icy as he lunged forward. Physical-class players’ swift movement skills are largely uniform, differing only in name. Such moves leave clear traces, which Ye Yu was well aware of. Among physical classes, only stealth classes have truly versatile swift movement.

Battling a magic-class player as a physical-class fighter hinges on one principle: forcing the mage to use their key skills, triggering cooldowns. If a mage is caught with vital skills on cooldown, they become vulnerable and can be battered like a punching bag.

Magic-class characters have low physical defense and usually limited health. Though Ye Yu’s string-class character had decent health, he could not withstand many hits. Once a physical-class opponent closed in, magic classes faced brutal targeting.

Skilled mages, however, can expertly use their abilities to evade physical attacks, killing foes before being forced to expend their key skills.

Though cooldowns might be short—ranging from ten to thirty seconds—careful play allows buffering with other skills, permitting some margin for error.

“Singing to the Moon” charged with a rapid assault, aiming to force Ye Yu’s key skill and then adapt his strategy accordingly.

But Ye Yu was no unprepared novice. Opting to activate his “Overtime Mode,” which had a ten-second cooldown, he drew on a custom talent skill that enhanced his reaction time, making his moves unpredictable to “Singing to the Moon.”

The risk was that the opponent also had an “Overtime Mode,” likely stronger than Ye Yu’s self-designed one.

Ye Yu wisely retreated swiftly, channeling a purple glow into his palms before unleashing a fierce palm strike toward the charging “Singing to the Moon.”

“Purple String Palm.”

Though a simple palm attack, it dealt moderate damage and notably slowed the target’s movements. At level 40 gear, resistance to such slowing effects was nearly nonexistent, so even if “Singing to the Moon” tried to stack resistance, it was futile. His movements sluggish, he was forced to activate his own “Overtime Mode,” dodging Ye Yu’s follow-up attacks—but this failed to bait out Ye Yu’s key skill. Instead, “Singing to the Moon’s” “Overtime Mode” began cooling down.

In other words, his cunning backfired miserably.

“Not an ordinary player, as expected. But unfortunately…” A cold smile curved “Singing to the Moon’s” lips. He surged forward, wielding his three-foot green blade, slashing fiercely toward Ye Yu’s forehead with deadly precision.

Ye Yu anticipated this. Knowing “Singing to the Moon” had just expended his “Overtime Mode,” he intended to force Ye Yu’s own activation to level the field. But such a plan was doomed to fail.

Ye Yu retreated once more, a glint of amusement flickering in his eyes.

“Silly to think I’d fall for the same trick twice. Don’t lump me in with ordinary players,” “Singing to the Moon” snapped irritably. His left palm whipped out, generating a gale-like palm wind that crashed toward Ye Yu with tremendous force.

Ye Yu felt the harsh pressure and momentarily showed surprise.

Seizing the moment, “Singing to the Moon” unleashed a dazzling sword technique, closing in rapidly to force Ye Yu’s hand. If Ye Yu refused to yield, he planned a combo to overwhelm him.

“Sword Qi Slash.”

His blade descended, unleashing terrifying sword energy that seemed to encircle Ye Yu. When only five centimeters from Ye Yu’s head, a triumphant smile appeared on “Singing to the Moon’s” face. This attack’s reach was wider than it seemed—advancing just two more centimeters could have slashed away nearly 40% of Ye Yu’s health, leaving no time to react even with “Overtime Mode.”

Sword players rely on combos—linking skills fluidly to deliver high damage with the first hit and debuff the enemy. Yet these combos require precise execution; a misstep breaks the chain.

Master swordsmen wield timing and skill links flawlessly, delivering staggering damage in an instant.

Yet, “Sword Qi Slash” did not connect. It passed through Ye Yu’s form as if through a phantom.

Realizing this, “Singing to the Moon” suspected a decoy skill. The string-class player had created a phantom substitute during the previous clash.

“A decoy skill. Not a loss at all,” he murmured with a smirk. This skill’s cooldown was a lengthy thirty seconds, during which Ye Yu could not deploy it again to counter such fatal strikes.

Suddenly, Ye Yu silently appeared behind “Singing to the Moon.” The latter spun around in alarm, chasing after him. This was the crucial moment. Having used the decoy, forcing out any of Ye Yu’s remaining key skills could open him to devastating combo attacks, potentially ending the fight.

“Northern Darkness Autumn Water Sword.”

Seizing this advantage, “Singing to the Moon” unleashed a powerful strike aimed at Ye Yu’s chest—a lethal blow.

This skill also drained the opponent’s mana, a critical factor for magic-reliant classes.

Yet a strange scene unfolded: the attack passed right through Ye Yu’s body, who dissolved like smoke.

Another phantom substitute!

“Impossible!” “Singing to the Moon” was momentarily stunned. But then the figure behind him stirred—it was the real Ye Yu, not an illusion.

“Sorry to disappoint you,” Ye Yu said coldly, gathering intense purple energy in his right palm, which ignited into a dazzling crimson flame as he slammed it into “Singing to the Moon’s” back.

As “Singing to the Moon” tried to dodge, Ye Yu’s left hand pressed firmly on his shoulder with overwhelming force, preventing escape.

“How could this be? You actually…” “Singing to the Moon” struggled fiercely, feeling the immense power in Ye Yu’s palm—enough to bring him to the brink of death.

“You should never have chosen me as your opponent. You shouldn’t have attacked Eternal Brotherhood. This time, the outcome will only disappoint you.”

Ye Yu’s voice rang coldly in his ear, devoid of mercy. Then his palm struck with full force, the purple glow intensifying and engulfing “Singing to the Moon’s” entire body.

In truth, Ye Yu’s decoy skill was indeed a phantom, but he had cleverly concealed himself nearby among stone rollers, employing a mirror-like illusion inherent to the string class. Mistakenly, “Singing to the Moon” thought Ye Yu used a decoy skill, forgetting the string class’s innate illusions. Ye Yu then returned to his original phantom position.

This combat style was tailored for one-on-one duels, deliberately crafted against powerful physical-class foes.

The result: the first attempt at this strategy exceeded expectations.

Perfect.