The Mech Touch novel Chapter 7150

Chapter 7150: Respect the Sword

When it came to the third and fourth duels, Ves did not take them as seriously.

While it was still important to prepare as best as possible to fight against the other two leaders of the Ascended Giants, they shouldn’t be as readily willing to kill him as the Unshakeable King and the Fiery Axe.

He quite enjoyed the process of sharing his thoughts with his daughter. While he had to be careful not to mention anything too sensitive, he believed that the RC did not mind if he told her less incriminating information about the current situation.

As an avid sword initiate as well as a capable marksman, Andraste was already ten times the warrior

"The third duel will be between the Dark Apostle and the Divine Harpoon." Ves told his daughter. "As you can imagine, the Divine Harpoon carries multiple harpoons on his person, each of which is connected to chains that he can use to pull anything he has caught. One of the special features is that they possess very high penetration characteristics, though it doesn’t mean he can instantly punch through every energy shield or spatial barrier. Just like us, he is not allowed to employ any superdimensional technology."

"That does not mean he can rely on other stuff to improve the penetration power of his harpoons." His daughter responded. "I bet his phasewater organs and raiment are all chosen to improve the strength of his throw and to make his harpoon penetrate better. You shouldn’t underestimate what he is good at. He’s the leader of the biggest troop, right? I think he has chosen to specialize in harpooning enemy phase lords and phase whales. As long as he can land a good throw, he can catch a big prey and slow it down long enough for the rest of his troops to descend and finish it off. If he wants to make this happen, then his harpoons have to be able to punch through the spatial barrier of at least a lesser phase lord."

"...Your words make sense."

Ves hadn’t thought about it from that angle. He watched the stolen footage of the Divine Harpoon carefully.

Unfortunately, he was one of those human phase lords who typically did not show off his full might during his training sessions. He especially did not display his full harpooning prowess, likely to prevent his subordinates from collecting accurate data in preparation to mount their own leadership challenge.

All of this placed the true strength of the Divine Harpoon underneath a cloud of uncertainty.

Nobody knew how much power he had been hiding over the past few months, or what aspects he focused on improving.

"Even if he is absurdly good at punching his harpoons through the defenses of phase lords, I do not think I have to worry about it as much as I should." Ves tentatively said. "We align with each other on a political level. The intelligence gathered from the headquarters indicate that he is pro-human. If this is true, then he should have a compelling interest in letting me win. This is why the Dark Apostle will meet him in the third duel. We are expecting him to make it a little easier for us to win. He can’t be too blatant about it, but it is undeniable that it is in his best interest that we take over the Phase Lord Department."

His daughter looked thoughtful after hearing that. "I have watched fighting tournaments where strategic losing is a thing. There are competitors that want to avoid a strong enemy or someone who can counter them pretty well in the next bracket if they win. There are also those who want to push one of their teammates ahead, and they can do that better by losing the right matches. There are rules that go against this, so it is not that easy to lose if you are known as a strong contender."

"How do these fighters cope with the restrictions?" Ves asked.

"Their favorite game plan is to take greater risks than usual." Her daughter responded. "They choose to fight more recklessly. It will look impressive, and it may allow them to win a match if they are able to maintain their tempo, but they will also expose greater openings. It is relatively easier to punish them for their aggression. If the Divine Harpoon is thinking about doing the same, then you should adopt a counterattack strategy. Avoid his harpoon throws as best as possible and try to attack him in between."

That sounded like a viable approach. It might not be the only way to cope with the Divine Harpoon, but it was a good starting point.

Ves smiled and rubbed his daughter’s adorable head. "Since the Divine Harpoon is a probable ally of ours, it is not a big priority for the Dark Apostle to possess a lot of lethality. This is why I am thinking about equipping my human phase lord self with a sword and shield combination."

"Why not a spear and shield combo? Your skill with a sword is worse than with a spear."

"That may be the case if I only wield a single weapon, but if I have to carry a shield, I can’t wield a spear in the same way. It may be handier for me to wield a sword instead." He said. "I have a way to make up for the gap in skill if it is necessary."

His daughter frowned. "You are disrespecting the sword. Ketis and the Swordmaidens would be angry if they heard you take swordsmanship so lightly. They will not be happy if they see you fumble around with a sword in your duel. I think it is better to stick with a short spear that you can comfortably wield with a single hand."

As a budding sword initiate that Ketis trained in person, Andraste understood the perspective of sword practitioners very well. They took swordsmanship very seriously. To see their former patriarch wield a sword without putting in any art of passion into his fighting style was blasphemy.

This was a surefire way to alienate himself from this key group of Larkinsons!

Ves eventually nodded. "I didn’t think about this angle. You are right to warn me about the potential repercussions. I cannot afford to sour my relationship with the Swordmaidens and the other sword practitioners of our clan. I will stick with what I am more comfortable with and wield a spear alongside a shield in the third duel. Given the Divine Harpoon’s offensive focus, I think it is better if I emphasize defense this time. This guy is probably not as threatening once you neutralize the threat of his iconic harpoons."

VERIFYCAPTCHA_LABELVerify