"Don't be nervous, judge the actions, and get ready to move," Yang Ming reminded himself over and over in his mind.
Memories of dozens of team wipes began to assail his brain.
He shifted his weight downwards, his gaze level with the blade of his Light Sword, just as he often did in his starting stance in the game.
Valkyrie made a fierce dive.
Yang Ming turned all his stress into a loud shout.
He lunged forward, swinging the Light Sword in his hand. Time seemed to slow down. The sharp movements of Valkyrie became predictable, and Yang Ming's muscles were about to erupt with great strength.
The two Light Swords collided head-on with afterimages!
Almost within a second, Yang Ming leaned back, bending his legs quickly to complete the unloading movement and retreating smoothly, his hands sliding the Light Sword downwards directly toward Valkyrie's wrist, forcing her unable to pursue.
Both collided figures backed off simultaneously, one leaping away, the other hanging in flight, distancing themselves again.
Silence. The entire rear cabin seemed as if the pause button had been hit.
Valkyrie was clearly stunned.
She displayed an expression similar to an Intelligent Machine crash, with faint wrinkles forming on her smooth forehead, staring at Yang Ming's sword-holding posture.
Not just Valkyrie, all those who could still keep their eyes open—the soldiers, the captain lying in a pool of blood, crew members hiding in corners, and researchers—watched this scene in disbelief.
The moment Yang Ming charged forward, everyone thought Captain Hanton had gone mad.
But Valkyrie was blocked.
By that inconspicuous third officer on the ship, who had just parried her with a Light Sword!
Valkyrie's slightly psychotic smile finally faded; she took a gentle breath and dived again.
Behind the goggles, Yang Ming's eyes were filled with determination, his hands on the sword swinging forward again, ready to sweep side to side.
The sound of the Light Sword rubbing against the cabin air was so sexy.
Another head-on clash, another skillful retreat.
Yang Ming's movements became smoother, his muscles providing even more power.
Valkyrie was still unstable.
Yang Ming chose to advance proactively; the afterimage of the Light Sword seemed like a swimming python.
Valkyrie chopped vertically with her sword.
Yang Ming feinted to the left, misleading Valkyrie's attack, then exploded with power from his stance, flipping to the left.
He passed by Valkyrie, his Light Sword whipping her on the back like a lash!
Valkyrie staggered forward two steps, her kimono torn, a blood trace appearing on her skin.
Yang Ming himself was somewhat disbelieving, looking down at the Light Sword in his hand.
He was now...very strong.
Stronger and faster than he had ever been in the game.
"Captain Hanton, this..."
"Well done, third officer! Show her what you're made of!"
Suddenly, from the side, several soldiers shouted loudly.
Yang Ming paid them no attention, his gaze fixed on Valkyrie, watching her slowly land, her toes just inches from the ground.
Valkyrie had realized the severity of the situation.
—She now had very few combat skills.
Yang Ming had also noticed that the current Valkyrie was not the complete entity from "Lost Voice"; she had just broken out of control.
The two figures charged at each other again on the same straight line.
Yang Ming felt as though he had returned to that dilapidated and oppressive instance space, facing the formidable Valkyrie, falling into despair time and again.
But what's left if the garment of despair is stripped away?
Yang Ming dodged left and right; Valkyrie's Light Sword always missed him by a split second, always inches away from touching him.
Each of Valkyrie's lifting movements had slight differences that could be used to predict what kind of moves she was about to use.
Besides dodging, Yang Ming's Light Sword always appeared at some unbelievable angles, waiting for Valkyrie to run into it, leaving slight scars on her high-tensile smooth skin.
Valkyrie's expression had transformed from sickly to shocked, to stifled, to angry.
She was actually humiliated by her subordinate lifeform!
Yang Ming's onslaught became even more fierce, and the wounds on Valkyrie multiplied rapidly.
Valkyrie let out a fierce screech; a red light wave emanated from her forehead again.
But when she turned around, Yang Ming was already a few meters away, a light red Light Shield surrounding him, shattering the red light wave like a rock in front of a wave.
Yang Ming's lips curved slightly.
Is this the second phase already?
He put on a black fingerless glove on his left hand; the disc on the back of his hand rotated gently, and a round shield, eighty centimeters in diameter, appeared on Yang Ming's hand.
Sword and shield attack!
Yang Ming dashed forward, and Valkyrie showed obvious hesitation.
"Aren't you going to devour me? Po Suo, is this how you devoured me?"
The warrior launched his elegant taunt.
Valkyrie was clearly provoked, carrying the Light Sword to dive again.
Of course, Yang Ming didn't forget the gap in absolute power between them.
His attack seemed fierce, but it was still just a feint. At the moment Valkyrie's sword swished through thin air, the Light Shield wedged between them, thrusting against Valkyrie's developed yet soft chest muscles.
Valkyrie's form immediately skewed, Yang Ming's Light Sword followed through, a twist of his waist and a step reposition belatedly.
Before Valkyrie could stabilize her form, Yang Ming's Light Sword had already struck her wrist, the following shield hit breaking her balance again.
Yang Ming suppressed Valkyrie!
A faint laser shot whizzed past, a laser gun opened fire on Valkyrie, yet failed to inflict a visible injury.
However, better than nothing.
Behind the goggles, Yang Ming's eyes grew colder, his movements more precise, with no iota of his strength wasted.