Chapter 13: Shaye Node
The black spear in Shimizu's hand spun as she twirled it into various spear patterns. From her stance, it was clear she was highly skilled with this weapon, not just putting on a show.
An afterimage flashed, and with a bang, the air exploded. A shockwave parted as Shimizu, spear in hand, appeared before Su Xiao.
"Tornado."
The black spear thrust straight toward Su Xiao's face. A stream of air surged at the sharp tip, enhancing its piercing power while also disrupting Su Xiao's evasive movements.
A faint stinging sensation emerged at his brow. Su Xiao twisted the long blade in his hand, shifting from a standard grip to a reverse grip.
Sizzle~
Sparks flew as the black spear scraped along the edge of Dragon-Slaying Flash, throwing the wielder, Shimizu, off balance. She nearly tripped over herself.
Su Xiao crouched and delivered a side kick while exerting force with his hand. Dragon-Slaying Flash slid from beneath the black spear to above it, producing a screeching sound of metal grinding.
The spear tip effortlessly pierced the ground, and due to the airflow at its point, a large section of the earth exploded.
Boom!
A dull pain struck Shimizu's lower abdomen as Su Xiao's kick landed. Her body curled, and she spat out a mouthful of sour liquid, flying backward.
With a thunderous crash, dust billowed as Shimizu slammed into a gradually dissipating building.
Standing up from the rubble, Shimizu looked dazed. She had no idea how Su Xiao had done it. In terms of speed, she was faster than him, and in strength, she had a slight edge. Yet, despite that, she had been kicked flying in a single exchange.
Clutching her aching abdomen, Shimizu quickly realized why this had happened—it was a gap in technique.
Su Xiao flipped Dragon-Slashing Flash in his hand, returning to a standard grip. As the blade cut through the air, a pale blue blade aura shot out.
Clang!
The blade aura streaked toward Shimizu, faint arcs of electricity crackling along its surface. This was Cyan Steel Shadow energy. After his blade technique had been elevated to Grandmaster level, the blade aura had evolved into an energy entity, meaning Cyan Steel Shadow energy could now cling to it.
Shimizu sidestepped, the blade aura narrowly passing her. In the next instant, a long blade slashed toward her neck.
Her pupils contracted rapidly. The black spear in her hand transformed instantly into a pair of black gloves, wrapping around her hands.
Ding!
The long blade struck, landing on Shimizu's palm as she blocked her neck.
The force of the slash drove into Shimizu, causing the earth and stone beneath her feet to explode outward.
Just as she blocked one strike, Su Xiao's side kick came. This time, Shimizu was prepared, raising her forearm to block her abdomen.
Her body looked frail, but within that slender frame lay monstrous strength.
"The same move won't work on a Saint Seiya..."
Before Shimizu could finish, Su Xiao vanished. Instinctively, a yellow energy barrier formed behind her.
Crack!
Dragon-Slashing Flash cut through the barrier, its tip touching Shimizu's back.
Opportunity!
Shimizu's combat experience was rich. With the enemy's blade blocked, this was the perfect chance to counterattack.
With a sound like shattering glass, the energy barrier behind her broke apart.
Boom!
Shimizu stumbled forward uncontrollably, a sharp pain shooting from the back of her neck. Her spine felt like it was about to snap. Gritting her teeth, she clutched her nape and turned to look at Su Xiao.
Su Xiao was holding the long blade in a reverse grip. The previous strike had been a blunt hit with the hilt, smashing through the barrier and slamming into her nape. Compared to a slash, a blunt blow was more effective at breaking shields.
"That hurts!"
Shimizu stomped her foot in frustration. Fighting Su Xiao left her feeling like all her strength had nowhere to go. Every time they clashed in raw power, she won, but the tragic part was that she always ended up getting hammered.
This was the power of a Blade Grandmaster. Shimizu's overall abilities were strong—in fact, her physical attributes surpassed Su Xiao's. But in terms of technique, if Su Xiao were still a Blade Master, she might have had a chance. Against a Blade Grandmaster, however, she might as well give up.
Shimizu wasn't stupid. She knew this fight couldn't continue. After three exchanges, she had taken three heavy hits, and that was only because she was cautious. If that blade actually cut her, it wouldn't just be a matter of pain.
At this point, Shimizu was like Su Xiao when he had fought the Xiersia family. This situation arose because their development paths differed.
Shimizu focused on physical attributes, investing resources into various stats. Su Xiao, on the other hand, developed four attributes while allocating half his resources to blade technique.
Their different development styles meant that Shimizu would be stronger early on, but in the mid-to-late stages, she would be no match for him.
However, Shimizu was a Violator, and Violators had traits distinct from Contractors.
Shimizu stretched her neck, confirming her spine wasn't broken. Then, a blood-red light emerged from the center of her pupils. At the same time, the black gloves on her hands changed color, turning crimson.
Within seconds, Shimizu's face grew pale, a sign of massive blood loss.
"Shaye Node, stop sleeping. If you keep dozing, your 'master' is going to die."
As Shimizu spoke, a single pupil appeared on the red gloves.
"It'd be better if you died."
The voice came from the red gloves, which Shimizu called Shaye Node.
"If I die, you die too. Don't talk nonsense."
"Haha, looks like this enemy is tough. Let's take him on together... Hey hey hey, what the hell did you pick a fight with?"
"Huh?"
Shimizu was stunned.
"This is a Shadow of Law Destruction. You need to run!"
"What?"
"Don't argue! Run first!"
"Bullshit! How could I run?"
"Damn it, you..."
Shaye Node was at a loss for words. Knowing Shimizu's personality, it gave up.
Su Xiao watched Shimizu and the black gloves with curiosity. He sensed that this barrier wouldn't last much longer. Dragging things out was to his advantage, provided Shimizu didn't unleash some ultimate move. But from the looks of it, she had already activated something, and it was likely unbreakable. So he chose to wait and see. Once this spatial barrier disappeared and they returned to the Soul Realm, it would be his turf.
The fact that the black gloves recognized him as a Shadow of Law Destruction surprised Su Xiao. Without a doubt, this item came from the Void.
"Shaye Node, first tell me what a Shadow of Law Destruction is. This guy's blade technique is too troublesome."
"It's a long story. Simply put, it was an era."
Shaye Node's tone carried a hint of nostalgia.
"Compared to you at your peak, how do they stack up?"
"Heh, it seems you have some misunderstanding about my peak strength."
"Oh? So you mean at your peak, you could beat a Shadow of Law Destruction?"
Shimizu stared at the blood-red gloves in amazement.
"One exchange..."
Shaye Node's voice grew quieter.
"Shaye Node, I might have underestimated you before."
"Don't get your hopes up. After one exchange with a Shadow of Law Destruction, they'd stop to check if I was dead. If I wasn't, they'd finish me off."
"..."
"So I say we retreat. Even though this is a growing Shadow of Law Destruction, it's still extremely dangerous."
"I refuse. We have to find a way to deal with him, or we'll both die!"
Shimizu was resolute, stubborn as a mule.
"Fine. From now on, drain your internal energy as fast as possible—your mana."
"Do you want me dead?"
"Now, immediately, do as I say..."
Before Shaye Node could finish, a gust of wind rushed toward them. Su Xiao had charged at Shimizu the moment he heard "drain your internal energy as fast as possible."
"Shaye Node, blood-sucking mode."
"Don't blame me if you get drained dry."
Boom!
The long blade clashed with a battle axe. Shaye Node had transformed into a long-handled axe. It seemed it could take the form of any weapon. Shimizu was an oddity—she could use any weapon.
As soon as they clashed, Su Xiao noticed that Shimizu's strength had surged, increasing by at least thirty percent!