Chapter 149: Chapter 149
[The 5th match is 'Capture the Flag'.]
[75 players from each team will participate.]
Cheers erupted from the Chinese team.
"Ooh!"
"It's a team match!"
Meanwhile, a gloomy atmosphere hung over the Korean team. They had suffered defeat in every team match except for the first match, so they expected the 5th match to be difficult as well.
"Ugh… A flag map."
"I guess it's hard to get two solo matches in a row…"
"The map… If it's 75 people, it's small, right?"
"Yes, that's correct."
"We're doomed." Coach YeongJun sighed.
Capture the Flag was exactly what it sounded like—a competition to see who could secure more flags that randomly appeared on the map at major points.
Typically, the winner was decided 30 minutes after the game started, and whoever captured the most flags won. That wasn't the only victory condition, though. You could also win by annihilating every player on the opposing team or destroying their base, and that was why Coach YeongJun looked so grim.
"China has a 100% win rate on small maps…"
"Ahh! Why did it have to be a small map?! We'd at least have a chance on a 100-person map!"
The so-called 'small map' was huge, but the problem was that China's Great Mage, Zhuge Xuan's, range was also vast. In fact, the map was small enough for him to attack the enemy's base from China's.
"Yes… Even if he draws a bad card, the yellow dragon buff is enough to make it so his meteorite can reach us."
"How long do China's games usually last?"
"About 20 to 30 minutes, but it could end in 15 if Zhuge draws a good card."
"Haa… How could this be…?!"
Contrary to how most people played Capture the Flag, China usually bombarded the enemy's base until the game ended. Even if the opposing country secured several flags, they couldn't win if they had no place to store them.
"Even if we try to interfere with their casting…"
"The yellow dragon makes it difficult to interfere. JiHan's the only one who can deal proper damage to them."
"They just counter him with the 108th Form if he tries, though." Coach YeongJun sighed.
China's already strong team was even stronger thanks to the 108th Form. It took 18 of their players out of the game as well, so it's not like it was omnipotent, but it was perfect against South Korea.
'Even if it's 74 against 57… Could we win? How daunting.' The coach couldn't think of any way to win without JiHan. That's how overwhelming China's Mages and Supports were.
The coach's gloomy atmosphere seemed to spread to the players as well. Everyone was in a sour mood. Everyone, that is, except for one person.
"Coach. I think I can break through the 108th Form this time," JiHan said.
He'd faced the 108th Form three times and had been restricted due to it, but now he was confident that he knew its weakness.
"R-really?"
"Yes. All you need to do is have the others hold out for 20 minutes."
"20 minutes…"
They could hold out for 20 minutes, right?
Coach YeongJun nodded and clung to that ray of hope.
JiHan walked to China's base alone, without any sort of supporting formation.
"Ahh. This fucking Korean… How arrogant."
"Can't we just kill him without using the 108th Form?"
"Why's he so confident?"
The Chinese players, feeling insulted, voiced their complaints.
"Just shut up and use it! We need to win the match! Get that bastard out of here already!" Zhuge Xuan, who'd suffered a one-sided defeat at JiHan's hands, pressured them to use the 108th Form.
Li Long stepped forward. "The 108th Form will test Sung JiHan."
It was already the fourth time the 108th Form had been cast. No matter how far away JiHan was, he could target him with the form so long as he could see him.
Sure enough, JiHan was pulled in.
"Demons cannot overcome the natural order of things. That's why the Shaolin have always stood readily against them."
BOOM!
Li Long planted his staff in the ground, and a system message appeared before JiHan.
[The 108th Form has created a specialized magic circle.]
[The power of demonic martial arts has been restricted.]
Li Long had been making formations specialized against demonic arts ever since JiHan used Eclipse in the first match. Following the activation of the magic circle, Eclipse's dark-focused power swiftly faded.
[Damn it. How annoying…!]
'Take a rest for now.'
[Be sure to use me if the formation weakens. I really want to hit those bald guys.]
'Alright. Stay inside.'
JiHan stood with the Phoenix Flag. Unlike the first match, none of the players stood out, and they all tried to blend in with the NPC monks.
JiHan sliced his spear horizontally.
Nameless Divine Arts Three Talents Technique: Thousand-Soldier Sweep.
Slash!
The Shaolin monks were split in half, but about half of them were able to surge Ki through their staves and block the strike. If he'd been at full power, the strike would've taken them all out in one go.
'My techniques are at about 20% power here.'
The restraining power of the 108th Form after they shaved their heads was significant enough to even lower Martial Soul to 50% efficiency. He wouldn't be able to use things like the Iron Blood Cross.
Whir! Whir—!
On top of that, the dead monks quickly respawned and attacked him.
Clang—!
JiHan blocked every attack with his spear, but there seemed to be no end to the assault.
= Ah, JiHan… The monks are pressuring him!
= It doesn't matter how many times he cuts them down; they just keep respawning. Aren't they worse than zombies?
= Wasn't this called the 108th Form…? Just how many of them are going to pop out?
The commentators were astonished at the sheer number of monks. If almost any other Warrior other than JiHan were trapped inside, they probably would have already died.
Despite that, JiHan repelled and countered every attack, even with his power heavily restrained.
His lips slowly formed a smile. 'Fighting while restrained is fun in its own way, and it also isn't bad for training.'
He still wasn't able to fully control Martial Soul. Rather than using something that was truly of the next level, he was using it like an upgraded version of Martial Power.
Since his power was being restrained, he fully understood just how vast Martial Soul's potential was.
'I can draw even more power here…'
Whir—
He used Thousand-Soldier Sweep again.
Slash—!
The slash was much stronger than before, and though each monk circulated energy through their staff, they were unable to block his strike that time.
Li Long looked sickened. "You're one persistent bastard…!"
It felt like JiHan was somehow getting stronger as time went on. Though he couldn't use the powerful techniques he'd used in the starting match, his spear-handling skills inspired jealousy and awe.
He didn't look like a player who depended on his stats to become strong. Instead, it was more like he was a perfect Warrior to begin with.
"Just die already…! Vigorous Vajra Palm!" Li Long's hands shone with a golden light.
Whoosh–!
A brilliantly shining light in the shape of a giant golden hand ignored the surrounding monks and flew toward JiHan. It wasn't an impressive display of martial technique, but its power was greatly increased by the 108th Form.
'I can't block it with basic techniques.'
He'd previously dodged the attacks and bided his time for opportunities, but the two lost matches made him realize that he didn't have the luxury of taking his time. South Korea's team was like a sandcastle that would be swept away if he weren't there to protect it.
Instead of trying to dodge, he tried to think of a technique he could use to counter it. Though his Divine Techniques were sealed, he thought of something that could work.
'Heavenly Lightning Phoenix Flames.'
He'd fused the Heavenly Lightning Technique with the Phoenix's flames to further develop his Martial Soul, but it usually had a low success rate because the energies were so strong that they didn't fuse properly.
'Since all of my abilities are being suppressed, I can properly combine them now.'
Nameless Divine Arts Heavenly Lightning Phoenix Flames Technique: Red Lightning Cannon.
The tip of his spear flickered with red electricity before a single streak of red lightning shot out. The bolt seemed smaller and weaker than the other times he'd used the Heavenly Lightning Technique, but…
"What…?!"
Slash—!
The Vigorous Vajra Palm was torn apart as if it were paper, and its Ki erupted into flames. The streak of red lightning didn't stop there, either.
BZZT-!
The bolt of lightning pierced Li Long's chest before he could even react, and a red, flaming hole appeared in its wake. The wound burned to ashes in the next instant.
'Too bad for you that this is the 108th Form!'
Li Long was immortal there. No matter how destructive the lightning was, he should've quickly regenerated.
Instead, the hole began to grow bigger.
'Wh-what's going on…?'
The flame rising from his chest overwhelmed his regenerative ability, and Li Long eventually collapsed in place.
Thud-
He fell to his knees. Not long after that, the bolt of red lightning continued onward to strike the Shaolin temple's sign.
Crack—!
Someone tried to raise a protective barrier in front of the lightning bolt, but the technique tore through the barrier and pierced the temple.
Fwoosh—!
Flames surged from all sides as the building caught fire. and the Shaolin temple's signpost drifted away into ashes.
Afterward, the Shaolin monks around JiHan halted in place and turned transparent.
[The 108th Form's foundation has collapsed.]
[The 108th Form will now dissipate.]
'So the temple is the foundation of the formation.'
He'd originally only planned to counter the Vigorous Vajra Palm and do some damage to Li Long in the process.
'The Heavenly Lightning Phoenix Flame… is much stronger than I expected it to be.'
Crumble—!
JiHan smiled as he watched the 108th Form crumble. It'd been a nuisance, but it also helped him further develop his martial arts.
[You have partially adapted a Divine Technique to better suit yourself.]
[Martial Soul has increased by 5.]
Though it hadn't increased despite all of the stat points he'd invested in it, the stat suddenly jumped up by five points in one go, and also…
[The 'Cloud Thunderbolt Spear' within the Phoenix Flag has fully recognized you as its master.]
[You've obtained the skill 'Thundercloud Summon'.]
It looked like the Cloud Thunderbolt Spear felt the power of the Red Lightning Cannon and ended up accepting him as its master.
'All that's left is to finish this match.'
He'd asked them to hold out for 20 minutes, but he didn't think more than 15 had passed yet. He still had time to destroy the enemy's base and win. At least, that's what he was thinking while he was exiting the 108th Form.
[Your main base has been destroyed.]
[You've lost the match.]
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone