Chapter 64: Blood
After transforming, Rose's eyes became even darker, and at the center of those pitch-black pupils, a trace of red light emerged.
"I see, I kill..."
Rose muttered under her breath, her gaze turning bloodthirsty and ferocious, yet this frenzy was fleeting, quickly replaced by a calm look.
"Habodiya, don't struggle. You can't beat me."
The two war scythes in Rose's hands emitted a red glow. These were demon scythes, weapons that might devour their wielder, yet they were also growth-type armaments.
Su Xiao looked at Rose with some confusion. She had given him a strange feeling earlier—sometimes very calm, other times revealing murderous intent without hesitation.
After her transformation, that strange feeling intensified. Before Su Xiao stood only one enemy, Rose, yet his instincts told him there were two people.
Undoubtedly, Rose was nine out of ten a melee fighter. As long as the power gap wasn't overwhelming, Su Xiao had never feared anyone in close combat.
Currently, Su Xiao was in good shape. He stomped the ground, activating his Aura Release ability, sending a wave of blood-red energy outward.
Whoosh~
Su Xiao's aura swept over Rose, causing her to frown. The active effect of Aura Release inflicted minor damage on her.
Su Xiao immediately received a notification: the passive effect of Aura Release failed its judgment, meaning Rose had strong willpower.
This was expected. Rose's willpower far exceeded most contractors; if it weren't strong enough, she wouldn't be qualified to wield those two demon scythes.
The moment Aura Release touched Rose, the ground rumbled. It was Amu charging headlong toward her.
In a 1v1 situation, Su Xiao would naturally send Amu to lead the charge.
Boom, boom, boom...
Amu closed in on Rose in a few steps, shattering the stone floor behind him.
Amu lowered his head, his frost-covered horns aimed at Rose. A melee expert, Rose immediately crouched to maintain her center of gravity.
As the horns thrust forward, Rose spun her war scythes in her hands, hooking them like curved claws from above onto Amu's horns.
Amu staggered noticeably. Rose's slender arms tensed, and she forcibly pressed Amu's head down.
That wasn't all. Using Amu's forward momentum, Rose leaped, planting one foot on Amu's head.
Boom!
Amu crashed headfirst into the ground, his horns buried underground, ice crystals forming on the nearby surface.
Standing on Amu's head, Rose raised her scythes high, the blades descending like venomous fangs toward Amu's nape.
If those scythes hit, even if Amu survived, he'd be incapacitated for a short time.
But just as Rose was about to strike, she suddenly crouched.
Clang.
A blade aura swept over Rose's head, severing a few strands of red hair. Rose bared her small white teeth, fighting like an enraged leopardess.
The slash came from Su Xiao; he wasn't about to stand idly by.
Rose dodged Su Xiao's strike and swung her arm, hurling the scythe from her left hand.
As the demon scythe left her hand, several blades popped out from its spine. It spun at high speed, forming a blade wheel that shot straight at Su Xiao.
Su Xiao's pupils contracted. His instincts, combined with powerful dynamic vision, let him track the blade wheel's trajectory.
The blade wheel closed in at ultra-high speed. Su Xiao swung his longsword sideways.
Ding!
The blade wheel was deflected, burying itself deep into the ceiling.
Rose's act of throwing her scythe puzzled Su Xiao. He had seen her melee skills; why would such an experienced fighter casually discard her weapon?
The answer came in less than a second. Where the scythe had embedded in the ceiling, large cracks appeared.
With a crash, rubble fell from above. Su Xiao vaguely saw a blood-red phantom among the debris.
Whoosh!
Rose threw her right-hand scythe, forming another blade wheel.
The blade wheel whistled toward Su Xiao. Though fast, it posed little threat. Just as Su Xiao prepared to deflect it, he suddenly sidestepped without warning.
A demon scythe grazed Su Xiao's cheek. In his sideways stance, he kicked forward.
Bang! A blood-red phantom was kicked away by Su Xiao. This phantom resembled Rose's form, holding a demon scythe.
The other blade wheel had already flown behind Su Xiao. It emitted blood-red mist, instantly forming another blood-red phantom.
This phantom looked very similar to Rose. As it appeared, it grabbed the scythe's handle and swung at the back of Su Xiao's head.
Su Xiao flipped his longsword, gripping it in a reverse hold, and thrust backward.
Swish! Dragon-Slaying Flash pierced the phantom's head, Azure Steel Shadow energy surging.
The phantom seemed unfazed by the piercing wound, but the Azure Steel Shadow energy froze it in place, like a robot in a deadlock.
Just as Su Xiao neutralized the phantom behind him, the one in front attacked. Forced to act, he pulled Dragon-Slaying Flash from the rear phantom and held it horizontally.
Ding.
Sparks flew as the scythe clashed with Dragon-Slaying Flash, producing a grating screech.
After blocking the frontal strike, Su Xiao kicked backward without hesitation, sending the rear phantom flying.
Now Su Xiao understood why Rose threw her weapons. These two blood-red phantoms were a kind of clone ability, but far superior to ordinary clones. They wouldn't disappear upon taking damage and possessed melee skills comparable to Rose herself.
Su Xiao's gaze shifted to Rose. He had initially thought she was speed-type, but that wasn't the case; this girl was clearly strength-oriented.
Though Su Xiao was held up by the two phantoms, he wasn't worried. Rose couldn't deal with Amu quickly.
The sound of clashing continued. Despite being attacked from both sides, Su Xiao pushed the phantoms back step by step, their blood-red forms growing fainter, proving they weren't invincible.
While Su Xiao fought fiercely, Amu and Bubu Wang were tasked with stalling Rose herself.
Bubu Wang limped toward the edge of the battlefield. Seconds earlier, when Rose threw her weapons, Bubu Wang saw an opportunity and moved in to assist Amu.
But Rose's small, pale fists were far from weak. Bubu Wang had only been in the fight for five seconds before taking several punches, beaten so badly he was howling and nearly crapped himself.
Realizing the situation was dire, Bubu Wang used Amu's cover to retreat.
Bubu Wang was in rough shape. Not only was he limping, but his mouth was swollen, the sides puffed out wider than his head, like he'd been stung by hornets. His eyes were squinted from the swelling.
Bubu Wang squinted at Rose, his gaze seeming to say, "Little bitch, just you wait for this dog."