Chapter 295: The Strange Sword (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 shouting non-stop.

"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 want fame and fame, women long for love. Now that fame is before your eyes, 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 victorious 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 his knees were kept flush with 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 it was the first time to witness Bertrand's competition in person, according to members of the London Fencing Association, the French swordsman's attack was very sharp and he was able to defend against thrusts and disruptions before he figured out the opponent's sword path. The opponent’s Jianlu’s Iron Gate 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 know, Fiore's followers have always played aggressively, and in order to win the final victory, they even performed terrifying swordsmanship with bare hands and exchanged lives 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 Italian guy likes this kind of attack on the face or throat. Unfortunately, if Fiore's swift sword is not practiced well, it will be easy for his opponent to seize the flaw in his steps and chop him down in the first round. Sir Hastings should try not to play too aggressively. Bertrand can win 49 games in a row in London, which shows that he does have some strength."

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 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 styles of swordsmanship?"

"Not surprising." Talleyrand took a sip of champagne: "This kid knows more than ten ways to play poker, and it's not surprising that he knows all the swordsmanship routines."

The Duke of Wellington also joked: "At least he should know the basic swordsmanship of the Scotland Yard police."

Lionel heard this and echoed: "As you said, Arthur told me before that his swordsmanship was based on the police officer's swordsmanship and he slowly studied it with interest."

When little Angelo heard this, his attitude towards Arthur, which was a little dissatisfied with him just now, suddenly changed. The reason is that little Angelo's sword moves are an important source of the moves in the basic swordsmanship training manual of the Scotland Yard police.

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

William IV also laughed and said: "What you said makes me more and more excited. What tricks will he have?"

Just as everyone was guessing, suddenly, thick white smoke began to spread above the stage.

The fog instantly covered Arthur's lower leg. Amid exclamations, he dragged the 48-inch English dagger behind him, with the blade pointing forward and the tip of the sword submerged in the fog. The ratio of man to sword showed a perfect 45 degrees.

"Long Tail? Is this guy kidding?"

"Oh, I have to say, it's really the style of a Fiore-style swordsman. This young man doesn't take Bertrand as a human being!"

"It seems that he is extremely confident in his steps! He directly uses the long tail to open up the middle and lure Bertrand to attack. I have to say that this move is easy to get carried away, especially for swordsmen. If Bertrand doesn't attack in this situation, it's like letting this guy step on his face."

And before the discussion of everyone had completely disappeared, suddenly, everyone heard the hoarse and magnetic low chanting voice from under Arthur's mask, like a church choir chanting hymns.

"Young knight, listen to my teachings.

Respect the lady and fear your God.

In this way, your reputation will grow.

Practice the spirit of chivalry and hone your skills.

Make you noble in the art of dueling,

Bring you honor in war.

Become the best gladiator in the duel.

Lance, spear, sword and hammer,

No matter what kind of weapon, you should handle it bravely and calmly,

Then crush them to ashes in one duel after another.

Dash, step, every move has its own purpose,

Charge, hit. Or, despise his sparse martial arts.

That's why those wise swordsmen,

So respected, envied by thousands of people.

As I said, you should master:

All arts have lengths and scales,

This is the general outline, and the long sword is universal..."

When Arthur read this, thanks to the liquid carbon dioxide he got from Mr. Faraday, the already thick white fog rose and rolled from behind him, and the huge smoke screen swept directly to the height of the third floor.

Under the light, Arthur's figure was almost completely wrapped in white fog. Everyone could only see a vague figure hiding in the fog, but could no longer judge his movements.

Angelo and Angelo in the royal box saw this scene, and even the two masters could not help but marvel at it.

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

William IV couldn't help asking, "What was that poem just now? It doesn't sound like English or French to me, but rather like German."

Little Angelo bowed slightly and complimented, "Your Majesty, you really have a good eye for pearls. As you said, what Mr. Hastings just recited was German, not only German, but also medieval Old German. It was a martial poem - "Zettel"!"

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

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

Bertrand scanned the stage in front of him with extremely low visibility, his eyes looking around, but he never dared to act rashly.

However, with the audience shouting and booing, Bertrand finally had to move.

He moved forward, then suddenly stepped forward, and stabbed forward with a clean and neat bow step.

Almost at the same time, the thick fog in front of him broke open a dark hole, and the 48-inch long English short sword slashed upwards like a moon in the bottom of the sea, directly deflecting Bertrand's sword tip, causing Bertrand to slightly lose balance. However, before he could steady his feet, Arthur's deputy came to him in an instant.

Suddenly, the blower under the stage suddenly turned, and the strong wind blew out from the specially reserved brick gaps, suddenly blowing away the thick smoke on the stage. Almost all the audience instantly locked their eyes on this classic scene that could almost be used as a freeze-frame 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 stabbed the cracks between the bricks with his foil sword. He half-knelt 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 continue this scene. No matter what, I will give you more bonuses."

After Bertrand heard this, after resting for a moment, the Paris swordsman 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, 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 clapped: "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 flow.”

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!