CHAPTER 176: A BRAND-NEW WAY TO FIGHT

The clown momentarily paused as numerous bloodforged blades erupted from the floor of the stage.

His body twisted unnaturally as he attempted to slip through the gaps of the bladed prison that Wang Yu had conjured.

Unfortunately for him, Wang Yu had created as many of the bloodforged blades as he could manage. No matter how the clown contorted his body, the gaps between the blades were simply too narrow for him to escape through.

The bullets weren't something to be trifled with, either. The clown had pushed his dexterity to its limit—it was too late for him to avoid the rest of the incoming bullets.

Of the six bullets that had been fired, four barely grazed the clown's body, tearing slashes through his garish costume. The last two struck him directly.

Instead of the sound of flesh being torn apart, however, there was the distinct ring of metal. Sparks flew from the points of impact between the clown's body and the bullets.

"Is he armored?" Wang Yu frowned. That thought flashed through his mind as he plummeted from the air, but he quickly dismissed it. It wasn't possible for the clown to exhibit such flexibility while wearing metal armor, which would severely hinder his mobility.

It didn't take long before Wang Yu figured out what sort of trick the clown had used. The bullets that had hit him had torn apart his costume, revealing his "skin" underneath.

It had a metallic sheen, as if his entire body were covered in a layer of metal plating. This was likely the result of some kind of potential or spell.

Though the bullets didn't deal enough damage to injure the clown severely, the impact did affect his movements. His mobility faltered just as Wang Yu landed.

Electric arcs crackled in his grasp as he summoned a Lightning Lance, pulsing with energy. Against an enemy with strong defenses, a piercing attack was the best option. Wang Yu had long since activated the Spellweaver's Tome and infused mental energy into it to conjure the spell as quickly as possible.

With a downward thrust, Wang Yu aimed the lightning spear directly at the clown's forehead. Since his skin seemed to be metallic, it would likely conduct electricity quite well.

Wang Yu descended quickly, but the clown was even faster. His flexible body allowed him to move on all fours as effortlessly as if he were standing upright.

He suddenly sidestepped and slammed his back against the stage, using the impact to propel himself upward. His right hand shot out and grabbed hold of Wang Yu's arm, the one wielding the Lightning Lance.

Wang Yu's eyes widened. The clown's sheer physical power was beyond his expectations. Without access to his wizardry, Wang Yu couldn't activate Bloodburn Drive, and his beginner knight-level strength was, shockingly, comparable to the clown's own.

Overwhelming force surged from the clown's grip, forcibly twisting Wang Yu's arm and diverting the spear. Wang Yu himself was thrown off balance as his body veered sideways.

Narrowing his eyes, Wang Yu extended his free hand in midair and made a pulling gesture that sent his fighting spirit outward in rippling waves, enveloping the bloodforged swords that had erupted from the floor of the stage.

Blood Tempest allowed Wang Yu to manipulate and shape his blood through his fighting spirit. The Bloodsurge Doppelgänger he had conjured during the incident at the academy was an advanced extension of this secret art.

However, that technique was unsustainable in regular combat. Losing excessive amounts of blood would have caused Wang Yu to die from blood loss if not for the Banner of Triumph, which allowed him to replenish his vitality by slaying the creations of the Font of Life.However, But now, thanks to the academy's compensation in the form of the Bloodbite Ring, which stored blood in advance for use as fuel, Wang Yu could use Blood Tempest freely.

Moreover, with the addition of his Material Shaping technique, his control over blood reached new heights. The technique directly enhanced his bloodforged weapons' durability, making them stronger and more resilient than before.

Blood Tempest allowed Wang Yu to control his own blood, but did his bloodforged swords still count as his blood? The answer would be negative—for anyone except for Wang Yu.

The moment Wang Yu made a pulling motion, his bloodforged swords responded. Propelled by Blood Tempest, they flew toward the clown from behind and stabbed into his back.

The sound of metal striking metal rang out repeatedly. The clown's metallic skin was astonishingly tough.

The relentless barrage of bloodforged blades scraping against his back produced a harsh screech. Tiny crimson shards shattered and scattered everywhere upon impact.

Despite their resilience, Wang Yu's bloodforged swords failed to pierce through the clown's defenses. Their edges chipped off with every strike.

Even so, the repeated impact disrupted the clown's footing, preventing him from properly bracing against the ground. The hand gripping Wang Yu's wrist loosened as he was forced to release his hold.

Freed from the clown's grasp, Wang Yu adjusted his stance in mid-air and hurled the Lightning Lance at his opponent without any hesitation.

As expected, the clown's agility allowed him to twist his body and narrowly avoid the spear. Crackling electric arcs struck the floor of the stage instead, sending scorching heat and searing black marks across its surface.

Wang Yu regained his balance and landed lightly, his gaze locking onto the clown, who was recovering from his dodge.

The clown grinned and casually kicked a shattered fragment of blood toward Wang Yu's feet, as if mocking his futile attacks.

Wang Yu didn't respond. He simply unleashed Blood Tempest again with his ripples. The fragments of blood scattered across the floor liquefied and flowed back toward him in streams of crimson.

Wang Yu's blood was special. After absorbing Sieg's dragon blood, it had gained some measure of vitality and exhibited certain biological traits. Even after being separated from his body for an extended period of time, it could still be controlled via Blood Tempest.

More remarkably, even after being altered by Material Shaping, his blood retained that innate vitality of dragon's blood.

It was akin to the ancient Nameless Demon Armor that had been crafted from the remains of a powerful creature. Despite being reshaped into armor and having aged over time, it reawakened when nourished. Such was the nature of mythical beings, and dragons were no exception.

Thus, Wang Yu's blood, having absorbed draconic vitality, retained its biological properties. The bloodforged swords, despite their altered state, were still his blood.

Blood pooled behind him, flowing up along his body in a scarlet cloak that billowed behind his back.

This blood had come from the Bloodbite Ring, stored in advance precisely for moments like this.

Wang Yu exchanged a glance with the jester. He charged forward without hesitation. He had already formed a rough assessment of the clown's abilities—the clown boasted exceptional defense and tremendous strength, but was seemingly lacking in other means of attack. That earlier ability, which had affected Charles' mind, either hadn't been used on him or simply didn't affect him.

With his mental energy, he activated the Spellweaver's Tome. First, he had to restrain the clown—and this he would accomplish with the third-tier spell Glacial Interweave.

A surge of ice gathered around Wang Yu's fist, forming an enormous crystalline gauntlet that enveloped his fist and forearm. Simultaneously, frost rapidly spread across the ground and extended toward the clown, an icy path that formed beneath Wang Yu's feet and stretched straight toward his foe.

As Wang Yu propelled himself forward, the ice materialized into a slick pathway beneath him that all but eliminated friction entirely. Wang Yu accelerated at terrifying speed as his frost gauntlet gleamed with chilling radiance. It bristled with razor-sharp spikes of ice, an overwhelming force aimed directly at the clown.

The clown clearly had no intention of taking the hit head-on. With a swift twisting motion, he attempted to sidestep Wang Yu's high-speed charge.

A sharp sound rang out as ice fractured underfoot. At some point, frost had crept up the clown's ankles and linked him to the frozen ground, severely hampering his movement.

With sheer brute force, the clown shattered the ice binding his ankles. He lifted his foot and prepared to move, only to realize that the stage had become treacherously slippery.

Trying to gain his footing on the ice was nearly impossible.

The clown decisively stomped down with immense force, shattering the ice in an attempt to return to the wooden stage beneath it for better traction.

It was a solid plan, except for one detail: the blood that Wang Yu had recalled and used to form his crimson cloak wasn't entirely gone. That had been a deception.

This was precisely the moment that Wang Yu had been waiting for.

As soon as the clown's foot made contact, it triggered a chain reaction. The blood had been dormant between the ice and the stage; it now erupted into action. Via Material Shaping, the blood rapidly coalesced into a massive crimson sword that pierced through the wooden planks beneath the clown's foot. The impact caused a large portion of the stage to collapse instantly, throwing the clown off balance.

Worse still, the blood sword melted into liquid and surged up the clown's legs. Empowered by Blood Tempest, it sought to drag him downward.

These combined obstructions were enough to severely hinder the clown despite his formidable physical abilities, leaving him unable to dodge.

Wang Yu's colossal frost-coated fist smashed into the clown's body with devastating force.

The combined weight of the gauntlet and of Wang Yu himself, coupled with the momentum from his high-speed glide, resulted in a shocking impact that drove the full force of the blow into the clown.

Pinned beneath Wang Yu's frost gauntlet, ice rapidly spread across the clown's body, encasing him in layers of crystalline frost.

The backdrop of the stage trembled violently from the collision, sending props and debris tumbling down. The clown, struck by Wang Yu's fist, was forcibly slammed against the stage's backdrop with immense force.

The backdrop had been reinforced with mana crystals to support the circus's illusion magic, and proved surprisingly sturdy. Even under the overwhelming impact, only a few cracks marred its surface.

Wang Yu's expression remained tense. This wasn't over yet.

Even after enduring an earth-shattering strike, the clown showed no signs of severe injury. With an incredible surge of power, he shattered the ice encasing him. His fingers dug into the frost-coated gauntlet pinning him down.

With astounding strength, the clown shattered Wang Yu's gauntlets of ice, exposing his hands beneath.

The clown's ever-present smile grew wider as he lunged straight at Wang Yu.

Palm met palm. The fighters' fingers interlocked as they began a contest of raw strength.

Under the strain of their struggle, the floor of the stage cracked. The backdrop groaned under the pressure.

Wang Yu pushed his physical strength to its absolute limit. His muscles tensed, veins bulging, as fighting spirit surged through his body and amplified his power to its peak—at least, his new peak now that he had lost access to Bloodburn Drive.

"Even if you refuse to join us, won't you even listen to the voice of the masses?" The clown's voice rang out, unfazed. "You're even worse than that handsome guy. Utopia has no need for obstacles like you."

The sheer force from the clown was terrifying. Even at full power, Wang Yu was still being overpowered.

Wang Yu remained silent, pushing back with everything he had. Though he was at a disadvantage, the deadlock persisted—neither fighter was able to break free.

The clown couldn't overpower Wang Yu completely—and Wang Yu had an opportunity to act.

Physical attacks clearly had little effect on the clown. When he had struck the clown with his gauntlets of ice earlier, Wang Yu had noticed a subtle tremor run through the clown's body. Whatever it was, that tremor dispersed the impact across his body, drastically reducing the damage he sustained.

Combined with the clown's absurd physical resilience, even overwhelming force did little to hinder him.

If physical attacks were ineffective, Wang Yu would turn to magic. Though his hands were locked with the clown's, preventing him from casting a spell like Lightning Lance via his gestures, he could use another method. The crimson cloak behind him shifted. It transformed into multiple arms of blood, each a bright crimson. These sentient blood limbs were a part of his body and more than capable of serving as conduits for spellcasting.

Bolts of lightning flickered into existence. One after another, the crimson hands clenched newly formed Lightning Lances, arcs of electricity crackling violently in their grasp.

Then, in unison, they hurled them straight at the clown—who was grappling with Wang Yu and unable to avoid the blow.

Blinding lightning erupted within the circus.