shadow of britain

Chapter 295 The Sword of Strangeness (4K)

On the stage, everyone is watching.

Arthur and Bertrand got into a stance. The two drew out their swords and touched them lightly. As the sword tips collided, only a clanging sound was heard. Electric lights exploded on both sides of the stage. The roaring lightning almost illuminated the night theater into day. .

Under the power of the electric light, the emotions of all the audience present were unmistakable, including joy, excitement, and even a little fear. The rapid surge of adrenaline made everyone's face filled with an intoxicating blush.

Almost at the same moment, Arthur and Bertrand sheathed their swords and jumped back, and the greetings before the duel were completed.

For a moment, everyone present held their breath. The battle was about to break out. Everyone was secretly guessing the outcome of this duel.

In the box on the second floor, there are also countless pairs of eyes watching here.

Miss Fiona Ivan, who was holding a red wine glass, was lying on the marble handrail of the balcony. She raised her little finger and gently printed a little shining gold powder on the dressing box in front of her, and applied it to her lips inch by inch.

Fiona pursed her lips slightly and made a pop sound, thereby applying the lipstick mixed with gold powder more evenly.

She rested one arm on the armrest, reached out and grabbed a handful of bills in the suitcase beside her, and let them slip from her fingers.

"Mr. Hastings, whether it's for business or love, you must win, otherwise I will lose a lot of money..."

In the box next door, Alexandre Dumas and other Arthur's friends were jumping up and down and screaming.

"Arthur, fuck me! Although I missed today, I believe you can still do it without using a black gun!"

"To the world, you are one person. But to someone, you are his entire world! Arthur, let him feel the weight of the world!"

"Men long for fame and women long for love. Now that fame is right in front of you, just go for it!"

"Fuck, you guys have finished talking, what do you want me to say?"

"Mr. Disraeli, if you don't know what to say, why not pray for him, just like me. We are in heaven, our heavenly Father who loves us! Please protect Mr. Hastings, Let him return victoriously and in good health."

"Are you serious? Mr. Heine, do you believe this?"

"Well...at least I still have to do what I look like on the surface."

Just as everything was going on in the box, things were gradually changing on the stage.

After a brief sword-touching salute, Bertrand quickly resumed his signature foil stance. The Parisian swordsman's knees were slightly bent, and the knees of both legs were kept flush with the tops of his feet. His upper body was straight and he held the sword. His right arm was contracted and half bent, and the tip of the sword was almost level with his eyebrows.

This is Bertrand's unique stance. Fighting with this stance makes his movements smooth and fast. The stabbing-based style also ensures that his center of gravity is stable in this stance.He is like a venomous snake curled up in a ball. The weak and slender foil sword seems to be harmless, but with just a simple flaw, he can pierce the opponent's throat and eyes in an instant.

In the royal box, William IV softly asked Sir George Elliot beside him: "I remember you said before that this boy from Scotland Yard is very good at fighting. What tricks does he use?"

Sir Elliot smiled and responded: "Your Majesty, according to Colonel Fitzroy, Mr. Hastings is a master of swift swords."

"Swift sword?"

Brother Angelo, the British swordsman who was waiting beside the king, heard this and made a judgment in his heart.

Angelo said: "If Mr. Hastings is a master of swift swords, I judge that he will probably use the iron gate to face the enemy in the early stage. Although the iron gate lacks aggressiveness, it is better than being able to solidify the defense. I Although this is the first time to witness Bertrand's competition in person, according to members of the London Fencing Association, the French swordsman's attack is very sharp. He can defend against thrusts and disruptions before he has figured out the opponent's sword path. The iron gate force of the opponent's sword path is definitely the best choice during the trial period."

Sir Elliot heard this and replied with a smile: "If Mr. Hastings was an ordinary Swift Sword user, I would probably think that he would use the Iron Gate Style, but he chose the Fiore style. . As you also know, Fiore’s followers have always played aggressively. In order to win the final victory, they even did not hesitate to perform terrifying swordsmanship in which they took the blade with bare hands and exchanged a life with one palm."

When little Angelo heard this, he couldn't help but shook his head: "If it is a Fiore-style swordsman, and he is a young and energetic young man, then I guess he will probably start with a bull stance and directly attack the enemy. The face or throat, Italian guys like this kind of attack. Unfortunately, if Fiore's swift sword is not practiced well, it is easy for the opponent to seize the flaw in his steps and chop him down in the first round. I hope this Asian Sir Hastings should try not to play too aggressively. Bertrand was able to win 49 games in a row in London, which also shows that he does have some ability."

When Lionel heard this, he just smiled and stepped forward to explain: "As far as I know, although the Swift Sword is his special skill, in today's duel, he does not intend to use it right away. Show off your ability to keep the bottom of the box."

"In front of a master swordsman?"

Big Angelo frowned when he heard this: "This young man takes life too lightly. When facing a real master, you can only survive if you go all out at the beginning. Swords have no eyes, they will not Give you another chance."

William IV was a little curious: "You mean, Mr. Hastings also knows other schools of swordsmanship?"

"It's not surprising." Talleyrand took a sip of champagne and said, "This guy knows more than ten ways to play poker. It's not surprising that he knows how to play swordsmanship."

The Duke of Wellington also joked: "At least he should be able to master the basic training swordsmanship of Scotland Yard Police."

Upon hearing this, Lionel also echoed: "As you said, Arthur told me before that his swordsmanship was based on the police officer's swordsmanship and he was interested in studying it slowly."

When little Angelo heard this, his attitude that was a little dissatisfied with Arthur just now suddenly changed.There is no other reason. Little Angelo’s sword moves are an important source of moves in the Scotland Yard Police Officer’s Basic Sword Training Manual.

He praised: "Is that so? This young man is quite hardworking."

William IV also laughed and said: "As you said, I am really looking forward to it more and more. What tricks will he have?"

And just when everyone was guessing, suddenly, thick white smoke began to spread above the stage.

The fog instantly covered Arthur's entire calf. Amidst the exclamations, he dragged the 48-inch English dagger behind him. The blade pointed forward, and the tip of the sword was submerged in the fog. In the mist, the ratio between man and sword showed a perfect 45 degrees.

"Long tail trend? Is this guy kidding?"

"Ha, I have to say, he really has the style of a Fiore-style swordsman. This young man doesn't regard Bertrand as a human being!"

"It seems that he is extremely confident in his pace! He directly uses the long tail to open up the middle and lure Bertrand to attack. It must be said that this move is really easy to get people to take advantage of, especially for swordsman masters. Bertrand If Lan doesn’t attack in this situation, he will be letting this young man step on his face.”

Before everyone's discussion completely disappeared, suddenly, everyone heard the hoarse and magnetic low chant coming from under Arthur's mask, like a church choir reciting hymns. Voice.

"Young knight, listen to my teachings. Honor the lady and fear your god.

In this way, your reputation will grow.

Practice chivalry and hone your skills.

The art of dueling that ennobles you,
Brings you honor in war.

Become the best gladiator in the duel.

Spears, lances, swords and hammers,

No matter what kind of weapon it is, it should be handled bravely and calmly.
Then beat them to ashes in duels.

Rush forward, step slowly, every move is effective,
Charge, hit.Or, contempt for his sparse martial arts.

This is why, those wise swordsmen,

Being so respected makes everyone jealous.

As I said, you should master:
All art has length and measure,
This is the general outline, and it can be used with long swords..."

As Arthur read this, relying on the liquid carbon dioxide obtained from Mr. Faraday, the already thick white mist rose and rolled from behind him, and the huge smoke screen swept directly to the height of three floors.

Under the illumination of the lights, Arthur's figure was almost completely enveloped in white mist. Everyone could only see a blurry figure lurking in the mist, but could no longer distinguish his movements.

When Angelo and Angelo in the royal box saw this scene, even the two masters had to marvel at this scene.

"I didn't expect it! I really didn't expect it!"

William IV couldn't help but ask: "What on earth was that poem just now? Why does it sound like it doesn't sound like English or French to me, but like German."

Little Angelo bowed slightly when he heard this and complimented: "Your Majesty, you are really discerning. As you said, what Mr. Hastings just recited was exactly German, not only German, but also Medieval Old German. That is Martial Arts Poetry - "Zettel"!"

"'Zettel'?" William IV couldn't help but be surprised: "So that poem is the famous "Zettel"? So, what is the sword move this Scotland Yard boy used today?"

Little Angelo smiled and nodded: "Yes, you must have guessed it."

Bertrand glanced at the extremely low visibility stage in front, his eyes searching everywhere, but he never dared to act rashly.

However, with the shouts and boos from the audience, Bertrand finally had to move.

He moved forward, then suddenly stepped forward, lunging forward and stabbing forward with a clean sword.

Almost at the same time, the thick fog in front of him opened a large black hole, and the 48-inch-long English dagger slashed upwards like a moon fishermen from the sea, deflecting Bertrand's sword blade directly with it. Tran lost his balance slightly as a result, but before he could stabilize his steps, Arthur's deputy came to him in an instant.

Suddenly, the blower laid under the stage started to rotate violently, and strong wind blew out from the specially reserved brick gaps, suddenly blowing away the thick smoke screen on the stage, and almost all the audience locked their eyes in an instant. This is a classic picture that can almost be regarded as a stop-motion oil painting.

A foil sword and an English dagger were locked in a stalemate in mid-air, and the fist blade of Arthur's deputy was pressed half an inch from Bertrand's throat. Cold sweat broke out on the forehead of the Paris sword master, who was about to die. For a moment, he locked Arthur's arm with his left arm.

Bertrand kicked Arthur's chest violently, and the mutual force forced both of them to retreat to the position before the attack.

Bertrand used his foil sword to hit the cracks between the bricks. He was half kneeling on the ground, breathing heavily.

Judging from the beads of sweat the size of soybeans on his forehead, even though he was acting, it still took a lot of effort for the Paris Sword Master to catch this move just right.

This stage with a complex environment is no longer comparable to a simple duel stage.

Bertrand looked at Arthur and tugged at the corner of his mouth and muttered in a low voice: "If I had known better, I wouldn't have taken this job. The risk is indeed a bit high."

No one could see the expression under Arthur's mask, but Bertrand knew that he must be smiling: "Mr. Bertrand, it's too late for you to regret it now. After accepting this money, you will be obedient." Please accompany me to carry out this scene. No matter what, I will give you more bonuses."

After Bertrand heard this, after resting for a while, the Paris Sword Master stood up again. He loosened his arms and neck: "It seems that I can't do it today if I don't show some real skills."

Arthur also raised the tip of his sword, turning his long tail momentum into a bullish momentum: "Happy cooperation, Mr. Bertrand."

The auditorium was still filled with a thin mist. In the blurry night, someone in the audience who was still in silence because of the shocking scene just now shouted: "That foggy swordsman from Germany, German long sword ancient weapon, Lichtner style?!"

When Arthur heard this shout, he just smiled and nodded at the shouting audience: "Sir, it's not just agility, but also German martial arts moves. As we all know, swordsmanship is about variety."

As soon as Arthur finished speaking, the audience immediately burst into cheers.

In the box, Angelo and Angelo also laughed and applauded: "Pragmatic young people know that using a swift sword to deal with foil is not feasible. Switching to a long sword is also a smart move, Your Majesty, as you can see , this is indeed the Lichtner current.”

Bertrand, who was opposite Arthur, also opened his duel jacket, revealing the off-hand weapons hanging on his belt, which were three authentic French daggers.

Bertrand said loudly: "You're right, swordsmanship needs to change."

"Three swords?" Arthur asked with a smile: "Do you want to use the four-sword style?"

"What do you think...look at the sword!"

Between the lightning and flint, three daggers were thrown out, and they were immediately in front of Arthur!

(End of this chapter)