Chapter 36: Troublesome Ability
The metal treasure chest landed, and in the tunnel about seven meters wide, Winisa and the others began to move toward one wall. A few seconds later, they stood in a row with their backs against the wall, showing remarkable tacit understanding.
The reason they did this was to do their utmost to make Su Xiao and the Cat Girl hostile toward each other, forcing them to fight. That way, they would have a chance to escape, and perhaps even make off with that metal treasure chest? That would be perfect. No, the ideal scenario would be for both sides to fight to the death, and for them to swoop in and pick up the scraps afterward. That would be the most perfect outcome, with the spoils being the treasure chest dropped by the Cat Girl, a very high-quality Scarlet Card, and the metal treasure chest.
Ever since Su Xiao jumped into the tunnel, the Cat Girl, Nefeltpitou's gaze had been fixed on him.
"Who are you."
The muscles in the Cat Girl's legs rapidly bulged, becoming knotted with sinew.
"..."
Su Xiao didn't speak. He simply tossed the Duke of Annihilation on his back to Amu and drew the Dragon-Slaying Flash from its sheath.
Clang.
The Dragon-Slaying Flash left its scabbard. Su Xiao held the longsword diagonally pointing at the ground and advanced toward the Cat Girl at a steady, unhurried pace.
"I'm a bit pressed for time, so I'll use two moves."
As soon as Su Xiao finished speaking, a loud crash came from ahead—the Cat Girl had pounced.
The Cat Girl's hands were stretched out flat at her sides, her fingertips exceptionally sharp, like a wild cat lunging at its prey—agile and nimble.
Su Xiao's pace quickened, and he abruptly vanished from his spot. Seeing this, three of the contractors among the group became very excited.
"Perhaps this is an opportunity..."
Clang, clang, clang...
The crisp sound of slashes came, so fast that the cuts were impossible to track with the eyes.
Two sharp pieces of nail flew up. The Cat Girl leaped backward, landing in a half-crouch. The muscles in her face twitched, as if she was enduring severe pain.
Blood dripped from the tips of Su Xiao's left hand fingers. On his left arm was a very wide wound, caused by being struck by the Cat Girl's tail. He wasn't very accustomed to fighting enemies with tails.
The tip of the Dragon-Slaying Flash was pierced with a section of tail tip about five centimeters long—this was the Cat Girl's tail.
Although the Cat Girl's strength was not as great as the Ant King's, she was by no means easy to deal with. Her instincts were far too sharp.
One exchange of blows confirmed one thing for Su Xiao: he needed to be cautious when dealing with the Cat Girl. A moment of carelessness could cost him his life.
If it were a simple comparison of strength, Su Xiao was somewhat stronger than the Cat Girl. Unfortunately, the current terrain was more suited for the Cat Girl's fighting style. The surrounding walls and ceiling would become springboards for her, making her movements very difficult to track.
The Cat Girl, crouching on the ground, shifted her gaze to the contractors who were about to take the opportunity to slip away. She planned to use these people to try and create an opening in Su Xiao's defense.
Bang!
A pit appeared beneath the Cat Girl, and she vanished from her spot in an instant. When she reappeared, she was right in the middle of the group of contractors. The beautiful dreams of three of them were shattered in an instant.
Su Xiao stepped forward, closing the distance to about three meters.
Although the Cat Girl didn't know if Su Xiao would hesitate because of the people around him, it was worth a try.
Unfortunately, Su Xiao had never met these contractors before. If they tried to escape, he wouldn't stop them. If they became hostages, he wouldn't hesitate either.
"Brute Force Source."
A melee contractor intended to attack the Cat Girl, but his strength was only around the early Third Rank, far too weak compared to the Cat Girl.
The Cat Girl completely ignored this contractor's attack. Instead, she grabbed his head with one hand and held him in front of her like a shield.
Clang.
The longsword slashed through, and the contractor who had intended to attack Su Xiao to save himself was killed on the spot.
No one in the tunnel was innocent. These contractors had come here in pursuit of profit and power, so they had to be prepared to lose their lives at any moment. If Su Xiao died here, he wouldn't complain. Wanting to gain something meant bearing the risks—that was inevitable.
Su Xiao and the Cat Girl clashed among the contractors, and the result was predictable.
Blood splattered. The Cat Girl crushed the head of a female contractor and threw her corpse toward Su Xiao, intending to use the spray of blood to block his vision. She was the last survivor of the group.
One minute and six seconds after the battle began, the small adventure group was wiped out. Most of them had died at the hands of the Cat Girl, who had been using their corpses to block Su Xiao's vision and look for an opportunity.
The female contractor's corpse flew straight toward Su Xiao, but he swung his blade to the right.
The blade whistled as it cut through the air, severing a few strands of white hair.
The Cat Girl's body was almost curled into a ball. Relying on her sharp instincts, she dodged Su Xiao's slash and lunged directly in front of him.
If she got into close quarters, the Cat Girl's advantage would be magnified several times, even tenfold, because she fought with her body, not a weapon.
A smile appeared on the Cat Girl's face—a cruel smile. The muscles in one of her arms bulged, becoming thicker than her leg, and she reached straight for Su Xiao's throat.
At this moment, Su Xiao's longsword had just been swung, and the Cat Girl had dodged it. He was in the phase where his old force had been expended and his new force had yet to be generated.
Facing the Cat Girl who had already pounced to within one meter of him, Su Xiao bent his knee, intending to push her back. Unfortunately, the Cat Girl's hand was only a few centimeters from his throat.
If the Cat Girl grabbed his throat, not to mention the damage from this strike, the subsequent chain of attacks would be enough to give Su Xiao a hard time. He wouldn't die, but he would be severely injured, and the rest of the fight would be impossible.
"I win."
The Cat Girl's hand had already touched Su Xiao's skin. Her fingers curled, and she gripped with all her might.
The sensation of crushing bone did not reach the Cat Girl's hand. Her expression first showed some surprise, then her pupils rapidly contracted.
A sense of crisis came from behind the Cat Girl. She was still in a forward-pouncing posture, so the attack was coming from above her.
Above the Cat Girl, Su Xiao's longsword flipped in his hand, assuming a reverse grip.
Pfft.
The longsword pierced straight through the Cat Girl's chest, penetrating her heart without any obstruction. As for why Su Xiao didn't cut off the Cat Girl's head, it was because doing so wouldn't immediately incapacitate her and would risk a counterattack.
The Dragon-Slaying Flash stabbed into the ground, pinning the Cat Girl down. Because her body was still in the inertia of a forward charge, the blade directly sliced open her chest, cutting all the way down to her lower abdomen.
The Cat Girl spat out a large mouthful of blood. Her pupils trembled because she couldn't understand why Su Xiao had suddenly disappeared.
"Specialist type?"
Boom!
Su Xiao stomped on the Cat Girl's face, driving the upper half of her body into the stone slab.
Su Xiao pulled out his longsword and slashed at the Cat Girl's head.
Pfft. Blood sprayed several meters high. The Cat Girl's body convulsed, her hands forming claws before going limp.
Although he had successfully cut off the Cat Girl's head and pierced her heart, Su Xiao did not stop slashing.
Just as Su Xiao raised his blade, the Cat Girl, whose upper body was buried in the ground, suddenly came back to life. She slapped her hands on the ground and leaped backward.
Was the Cat Girl still alive? To be precise, with the powerful vitality of a Chimera Ant, even if her head was severed and her heart pierced, she wouldn't die immediately. Moreover, the Cat Girl's Nen ability was very special.
The Cat Girl, whose head had been severed, stood not far away, holding her own head in her hand. Behind her was a red phantom. This phantom had many threads in its hands, connected to the Cat Girl's body, making her look like a marionette. It was because of this that she could continue fighting.
This Nen ability was called Black Widow's Dance. If given some time, the Cat Girl could even use this ability to sew her head and heart back together, effectively "resurrecting on the spot."