#111 - Chapter 111 The Battle Begins
In the endless night, the inky sea seemed poised to devour the last sliver of the setting sun's fading light.
A cold wind howled, and the waves crashed against the sturdy warship's hull, sending out a deep and powerful echo.
On the warship's deck, the few meager lights struggled weakly, as if stubbornly resisting the surrounding darkness.
A naval soldier leaned against the railing, gripping the cold metal, his gaze fixed on the distant island, where faint lights twinkled, illuminating two figures.
He overheard their conversation, carried clearly from the roaring waves into his consciousness.
"Do you really believe you can rule the world?" Jin An's words were laced with disdain.
"How would I know if I didn't try?" Barrett's voice was calm, clearly filled with confidence in his own strength and abilities.
"......"
The naval soldier gently shook his head, a bitter smile forming on his lips.
The two men's conversation so nakedly exposed the desires of humanity and the rules of this world.
This sea was filled with too much absurdity, and now, he had personally heard the intertwining of hope and despair.
In the darkness, their words pierced the cold sea breeze, touching the deepest chords in the naval soldier's heart.
This world might indeed be absurd, but as long as there were people willing to pursue the light, then, no matter the outcome, at least, the path they walked had meaning.
Barrett stood on the shore, the waves lapping at his trousers, his eyes as deep as the sea under the moonlight.
He turned to face Jin An, his gaze calm to the point of indifference.
"Further arguments are pointless," Barrett's voice seemed to come from the abyss, carrying a resolute and merciless chill.
As the words fell, Barrett suddenly stomped his foot on the ground, his body flashing with a silvery-white glow in the moonlight.
He did not rush forward, nor did he utter any more sharp words.
At that moment, the whole world seemed to stand still, leaving only a fist aimed at the leaping stars, his body language unmistakably declaring: on this sea where the strong are respected, only strength is the only path to the end.
Jin An stood opposite him, expressionless, but without taking a single step back.
Two people, a sword and a figure, became the most authentic dialogue in this sea area.
The tension between them was more intense than any verbal exchange, yet so pure.
No words, no quarrels, only the unexchanged fighting spirit, and an indomitable spirit.
At this moment, Barrett understood that truth was only in the hands of the fist, and to get everything, you had to take action.
And in this sea, countless souls like them also yearned to realize their dreams.
Jin An's movements were swift and decisive, the longsword drawn from its sheath like lightning, bringing a cold flash that cut through the night.
Barrett remained unmoved, his feet deeply rooted in the sand, as steady as a rock, rushing towards the coming storm.
As Jin An charged forward, the longsword drew a ghostly blue arc in the air, the sharp wind of the blade seeming to tear the silence of the night.
Barrett, however, stretched out his hands, facing the blade, his solid arms like those cast from ancient iron, each capture and block revealing consummate skill.
The two men changed in an instant on the open beach, the world spinning around them.
Jin An's longsword pointed straight at vital points, each strike extremely fierce; Barrett approached with incredible agility, each punch and palm containing the power to crush his opponent.
Their movements were so fast that they were almost impossible to see, only the whistling of the wind and palm wind could be felt, and the rustling sound of rapid movement on the sand.
"Ah--" the protagonist roared angrily, boosting morale.
Barrett, however, did not say a word, his whole body's movements silently conveying his determination not to back down.
They intertwined in the night into a moving picture of battle, both a contest of flesh and blood, and a collision of will and spirit.
The night was like a dense fog, the figures of Jin An and Barrett flickering in the dim light.
Dust was stirred up, floating in the chaotic air, the atmosphere of the battle thick and tense.
Jin An shot out like an arrow from a bow, rushing towards Barrett, his longsword drawing sharp trajectories in the air, each swing bursting with angry wind.
Barrett cleverly weaved through the gaps in the blade, each step treading out the pits on the ground, his fists and elbows like hammers and anvils crushing the void, attacking Jin An's dodging rhythm.
"You're just putting up a desperate struggle!" Barrett roared.
"Desperate?" Jin An sneered, his voice like that of a ghost from the abyss, "See who has the last laugh."
The two bodies collided in battle, fists and blades, fearless and unafraid.
Grunts and the sounds of clashing metal were heard from time to time during the fight, like playing an unprecedented roar in the silence of the night.
Their struggle was both a competition of skill and a contest of inner beliefs, silence was better than sound, and the movements contained thousands of words.
As the battle entered a fever pitch, the distance between the protagonist and Barrett shortened, their breaths mingled, as if they could hear the echo of each other's heartbeats.
Barrett punched fiercely towards the protagonist's face, but at the moment of contact, Jin An flashed his body, cleverly avoiding it.
Jin An counterattacked without missing the opportunity, sweeping a leg towards Barrett's waist, the force fierce, bringing a roar.
Barrett staggered back a few steps, and fell to the ground.
Jin An did not give him a chance to breathe, and then rushed forward, the blade in his hand gleaming coldly, pointing straight at Barrett.
However, Barrett did not panic.
At the critical moment when he was about to be hit, he rolled to dodge, picked up a scattered short sword from the ground, and quickly counterattacked.
The distance between the two was shortened again, swords crossed, sparks flew, as if everything around them had become a witness to their passionate fighting spirit.
An invisible barrier formed between the two, each attack accompanied by the surge of air.
Barrett's eyes flashed with cunning light, his movements becoming more and more agile, each dodge was just right, and each counterattack was extremely ruthless.
Jin An realized that a simple contest of strength was not enough to win, so he began to adjust his tactics, trying to break Barrett's offensive with skill.
Their battle shifted from the ground to a nearby dilapidated wall, which gradually collapsed in their fierce struggle, with stones and dust flying.
At that moment, time seemed to freeze.
Two figures passed each other in the air, Jin An's longsword and Barrett's short sword weaving a lightning bolt in the air.
Then there was a silence, the two separated, standing quietly, as if waiting for the outcome of the battle to be judged.
Finally, Barrett missed a sword, and Jin An's blade lightly brushed his face.
Barrett lowered his head slightly, wiped the blood left on his face with his fingers, and then put it into his mouth to lick it clean.
However, in his eyes, there was no frustration, only a more determined fighting spirit.
"Not bad, but still far from enough," Barrett's breathing was slightly rapid, but the strength in his hands did not diminish much.
Jin An gripped his longsword tightly, looking at Barrett with torch-like eyes: "You don't get to decide that, I only know that the wounds on your body will become more and more."
On this desolate stage, the fighting became more and more intense.
The air was filled with the heat left by the fighting, the ground was churned up, and the shadows of the two people were intertwined, spinning, separating, and intertwining again. This battle would not allow even a trace of retreat.
Wind, sea, sand, moon, all became witnesses to their battle.
Recording a rare spectacle.
