The Iron-Blooded Arbitrator had absolutely not anticipated that he had spent this long locked in combat with the enemy before him, a fight that could be called one of life and death, thus giving him a rather deep understanding of the opponent. Therefore, he truly hadn't expected this fellow, whose weakness was clearly speed, to possess such tremendous burst mobility!

Though the Iron-Blooded Arbitrator was burning with anxiety, the initial outbreak of the A-Virus against the Iron-Blooded's immune system was the most violent and destructive. He suddenly felt a crushing pain in his chest, his vision blackened, and he lost control of his body, leaving him with no time to react whatsoever.

Fang Senyan obviously knew this as well. He ceased all concealment, flicked his wrist, and the +13 West—a weapon that could be called a deadly implement—was now in his hand, light flowing and shimmering. He launched a strike aimed squarely at the Arbitrator’s lower half! This enemy excelled in speed, so what Fang Senyan aimed to do was naturally cripple that speed!

After this chop landed, four damage numbers spurted out along with the blood, though they failed to trigger the monstrous 800 points of True Damage. However, Fang Senyan gave the Iron-Blooded Arbitrator no chance to escape. Judgment was brought up with near-ferocious intent and slammed against the enemy’s forehead as he viciously pulled the trigger! Remember, Judgment was a monstrous weapon capable of a double-tap!

These two shots yielded two astonishing damage figures! 2380 + 460!!

Especially the first shot's 2380 damage, which left Fang Senyan stunned. It turned out this strike coincidentally hit the maximum ceiling damage of 300 points, then received the passive effect bonus from Flintlock-type weapons: Accumulation II adding 100%. This amounted to 600 damage.

Judgment’s inherent attribute, Fearsome Weapon II, added 40% = 840 damage. Holy damage dealt an additional 50% against a Heretic = 1260 damage. Finally, this shot was a direct attack to the head, thus receiving a critical hit bonus. Coupled with Fang Senyan’s inherent critical chance, this resulted in a theoretical damage of 2520. Due to the Iron-Blooded Arbitrator's current low defense, the actual damage inflicted reached a staggering 2380 points. The second shot lacked the 100% bonus from Accumulation and also failed to crit, hence the much lower damage.

More importantly, as the Iron-Blooded Arbitrator was struck, numerous white light specks were seen emanating from his body, as if his very life force had been blasted apart by Fang Senyan, flowing outside his body. These white specks then flew into Fang Senyan’s own form.

Fang Senyan and the Iron-Blooded Arbitrator had been locked in combat for so long that they remained in a constant fighting state. Consequently, the available recovery items were few, and his health was likely only around two thousand points remaining. As these white specks entered his body, he felt waves of warmth surging through him, and his health began to recover continuously.

This was Judgment’s other ability: when an enemy is declared a Heretic, any damage dealt to them will convert 50% of that damage into a Holy Light effect, healing the wielder’s wounds. Once the total healing effect reaches 40% of the wielder's maximum health, the enemy’s Heretic status vanishes.

Aided by this ability, Fang Senyan could gain over 1600 points of healing from attacking the enemy—a truly rare occurrence. Aside from the Elixir of Honor, any medicine capable of restoring such astonishing health in combat was priceless!

After the Iron-Blooded Arbitrator was stunned for five seconds, Fang Senyan, without a second thought, raised the +13 West high. A flash of wild, bloodthirsty cold light suddenly appeared on the blade, which was otherwise unremarkable!

Five seconds—if one discounts enemy retaliation—was enough time for Fang Senyan to land three strikes! 228 + 82 + 129 + 35 + 800 points 197 + 79 + 131 + 28 + 800 points 201 + 85 + 138 + 41

In the combat log, this string of terrifying numbers popping up side-by-side held a horrifying intensity!

But after delivering these three strikes, Fang Senyan felt a heavy sense of unease in his heart, because he realized one of his guesses might be correct, and if that guess held true, he was probably in deep trouble today.

After being subjected to such relentless, stormy assault from Fang Senyan, the Iron-Blooded Arbitrator was nearly driven mad himself. No one would enjoy being hacked at like a chopping block, especially when Fang Senyan was wielding the +13 West, a vicious instrument practically comparable to an artifact!

Therefore, the first thing the Iron-Blooded Arbitrator did upon regaining mobility was to rapidly retreat! Fang Senyan had been waiting for this. The parts of his Planetary-Grade High-Energy Mechanical Gauntlet spun rapidly in his right hand, and he unleashed a vicious uppercut straight into the Arbitrator's jaw!

Although the Iron-Blooded Arbitrator was two full tiers above Fang Senyan, the passive skills granted by his deep-green set were not easily suppressed. The Arbitrator was immediately sent flying backward in an involuntary somersault, crashing heavily onto the ground.

But at this moment, Fang Senyan did not press the attack. Instead, he did something completely unexpected: he pulled out a completely full plastic bag from behind him and hurled it violently at the Arbitrator.

The plastic bag burst instantly, revealing a large quantity of fresh blood! Fang Senyan had previously captured a large marmot and drained all its blood, carefully storing it in the bag. Now, unleashed, it drenched the Iron-Blooded Arbitrator’s head and face.

The Arbitrator was utterly humiliated, but as soon as he regained clarity, he immediately rolled on the spot, leaping up with agility. Although there was a noticeable limp when moving, his speed was still elusive and ghost-like—at least 30% faster than Fang Senyan running at full tilt.

Fang Senyan chased a few steps, only to see the Iron-Blooded Arbitrator leap into the air, then plant his right foot on a nearby rock. His lean, wiry body curled up mid-air, clearing seven or eight meters, and during this maneuver, he hurled a battle-spear that seemed wreathed in flame straight at Fang Senyan!

This spear strike was swift as light and electricity, flashing across the air, almost impossible to follow. Fortunately, the spear’s objective was to block Fang Senyan rather than kill him, so Fang Senyan managed to dodge it clumsily.

However, this action immediately created distance between them. The Iron-Blooded Arbitrator Blood-Spear knelt on one knee on a rock a hundred meters away, pressing his hand to the ground. He cast a cold glance back at Fang Senyan, then made a very simple and direct throat-slitting gesture before rolling and vanishing into the woods.

Although the Iron-Blooded Arbitrator Blood-Spear said nothing, his message was crystal clear: "I will be back soon! We'll settle the score then!"

Yes, the Iron-Blooded Arbitrator Blood-Spear’s fighting style was the most infuriating: if an attack failed, he immediately retreated far away; you couldn't catch him. Moreover, the bastard was proficient in self-healing and tracking, recovering most of his injuries within minutes before immediately returning for more!

More importantly, Fang Senyan’s previous guess was validated: the Iron-Blooded Arbitrator Blood-Spear’s vitality might violate the general rule that ranged attackers are "squishy." It was likely astonishingly tough! This could be seen from the outcome of Fang Senyan’s frenzied close-quarters assault earlier!

Fang Senyan had exerted his absolute maximum burst power during that short period and had indeed inflicted terrifying damage numbers, yet the cruel reality was that the Iron-Blooded Arbitrator Blood-Spear had absorbed it all effortlessly.

So Fang Senyan knew that relying solely on his own strength, he couldn't do anything to the guy. But to say Fang Senyan had no recourse whatsoever would be an overstatement. The pool of blood splashed all over the Arbitrator was the contingency Fang Senyan had set aside.

Of course, this contingency might not necessarily be effective. However, for Fang Senyan, at this point, he had only used the team ability Sacred Healing; he hadn't even used the Elixir of Honor. Leaping into the rushing river, combined with the camouflage drug taking effect, meant the Iron-Blooded Arbitrator wouldn't be able to do much to him either.

Since the Iron-Blooded Arbitrator Blood-Spear had fled, Fang Senyan naturally hadn't forgotten about Rony, who had been pinned to the cliff. Upon running over, he discovered Rony’s scent of blood had already attracted numerous vicious creatures. Fortunately, they were all creatures Fang Senyan could handle. After driving away the pack of animals,

Fang Senyan rescued Rony and immediately realized he was in a state of near-death coma, much like prey injected with venom by a spider to be saved for its offspring—completely devoid of self-awareness but maintaining bodily vitality.

The reason Rony survived under the Iron-Blooded Arbitrator's hands wasn't due to the Arbitrator Blood-Spear's mercy, but rather his cruelty.

The power of Rony's clone ability, Phantom Dash, was immense, but against the Iron-Blooded Arbitrator Blood-Spear, who possessed abnormally high health, it was still inadequate. Blood-Spear had clawed his way up from the lowest ranks to the Arbitrator’s high position precisely because he possessed lightning-fast speed, assassin-like damage output, and yet the terrifying vitality of a Main Tank (MT).