Chapter 14: A Joyful Combination
The ground beneath Su Xiao’s feet cracked in large patches, the long blade in his hand gradually being pressed down, yet he remained composed.
“So when strength reaches a certain level, even you can’t— Oh~”
Death Omen was about to tease Su Xiao a bit when he tilted his long blade, deflecting the force from the long-handled axe while delivering a straight kick to her lower abdomen.
With one kick, Death Omen stumbled back several steps, and a blade light met her face.
With a *shiiing* sound, blood splattered from Death Omen’s shoulder as Azure Steel Shadow energy surged into her body, bringing a wave of excruciating pain.
“That hurts!!”
Death Omen let out an exaggerated shout; that was just her nature—full of trash talk during battle. Su Xiao, on the other hand, remained silent throughout, the two being complete opposites.
“I told you, quickly deplete the energy in your body.”
Spoke the axe-form of Sayenod.
“I know, just in time to use that.”
As Death Omen spoke, the long-handled axe in her hand transformed into two short rapiers. These rapiers were about 60 centimeters long, with hilts exceeding 30 centimeters. Though the blades were narrow, they were covered in barbs and very sturdy. This weapon wasn’t suited for slashing but rather for thrusting.
“Bankai, Sayenod.”
“I don’t have that ability. Be careful—your opponent’s blade skill is a full rank above yours. If you keep being reckless, you’ll die here today.”
“You can’t even Bankai? How useless you are, Sayenod.”
“Stop the nonsense! He’s coming!”
*Clang.*
The long blade rang out sharply, and a few strands of Death Omen’s black hair were severed.
“Shoot him dead, Sayenod.”
“That I can actually do.”
*Whoosh!* One of the short swords in Death Omen’s hand suddenly extended.
Drops of blood scattered in the air as the barbs on the blade grazed past Su Xiao’s cheek. Dodging the thrust, he stepped forward, raising his blade for a side slash.
“Duck!”
Without needing Sayenod’s warning, Death Omen had already crossed her dual rapiers in front of her face and lowered her head to evade.
Just as the long blade was about to descend, Su Xiao suddenly vanished, reappearing behind Death Omen.
“Holy crap, it’s Soul Sever! Don’t let him cut you again—if you’re unlucky enough to have your soul paralyzed, you’re dead, gone on the spot, and I won’t be able to save you.”
“Soul Sever?”
Death Omen’s dual rapiers flew up and down, metal clashing and sparks flying, as she desperately tried to block Su Xiao’s slashes. Despite her greatly enhanced strength and speed, she was astonished to find she was still being overwhelmed.
“The most troublesome type among the Law-Destroying Shadows. Hurry up and drain all the energy in your body. Without energy as a medium, even Soul Sever can’t do anything to you.”
Sayenod, wherever it came from in the Void, seemed very familiar with the Law-Destroying Shadows.
“Sayenod, can you give me a suggestion to just kill him outright? I can’t hold out much longer.”
Death Omen felt a strange sensation, as if she weren’t fighting a single person but a group surrounding her, slashing from all directions unpredictably.
*Pfft!*
Blood splattered as a cut appeared on Death Omen’s chin. The wound wasn’t deep—just a graze from the blade’s tip.
With only 5 mana points left, Death Omen noticed that taking this hit didn’t hurt as maddeningly as before.
“It worked. Doesn’t hurt at all.”
Death Omen touched the wound on her chin and even licked the blood from her fingertip.
“Are you stupid? Getting cut and you’re happy?”
*Ding!*
Death Omen crossed her dual rapiers as the long blade came down, forming a scissor shape intended to trap Dragon-Slaying Flash.
Su Xiao crouched and raised his right leg. Sensing his movement, Death Omen tensed her lower abdomen—taking a kick had its techniques, like tightening the abdominal muscles to protect the internal organs.
The expected straight kick never came. Instead, Death Omen faced a gun muzzle. D·Assassination appeared in Su Xiao’s hand, and he fired two shots at her head.
Sayenod in dual rapier form immediately transformed into a shield, blocking in front of Death Omen.
*Thud, thud.*
Sparks flew as the shield was dented in two spots by the bullets, with no significant damage. Su Xiao aimed a straight kick at the shield.
*Bang!*
Death Omen’s hands sank, and she stumbled back uncontrollably a few steps, nearly driving her mad. Despite being stronger than Su Xiao, she was always the one pushed back.
“I can’t take this humiliation. Think of something, Sayenod.”
“You’re not dead yet, which proves my decisions are correct.”
“But I’m getting beaten up the whole time. It’s frustrating.”
Death Omen’s tone was helpless. Indeed, after a few exchanges with Su Xiao, she was at a loss.
“How about… we retreat first?”
“Don’t even think about it. To make me run, you’d at least have to cut me half to death.”
Death Omen grinned, very cheerfully. Sayenod fell silent, not wanting to talk to an idiot.
“Hey, knife-wielder, are you mute? Fighting is such a joyful thing—don’t you have anything to say?”
Death Omen winked at Su Xiao, her charm factor nearly zero.
Su Xiao didn’t even acknowledge what Death Omen was saying, or rather, he understood her goal—using trash talk to distract him.
He was currently experiencing the marvelous sensation of being a Blade Grandmaster. If he hadn’t mastered it before, dealing with Death Omen wouldn’t have been nearly this easy.
It was precisely because of the Blade Grandmaster’s power that, at the beginning of the derivative world, he was teleported to the Soul Society and forbidden from entering the real world. Ordinary fourth-rank contractors fighting him wouldn’t even have a chance to fight to the death—they’d be killed in a few slashes within minutes.
Su Xiao made a feint slash, and he could even sense the air resistance during the cut. This feeling was very peculiar.
*Click, click…*
The clock above slowly counted down. Based on Su Xiao’s judgment, this barrier would disappear in about ten minutes.
“Sayenod, combination technique.”
“Are you crazy?”
“Stop the nonsense. Take as much blood as you need.”
Death Omen’s pupils grew redder, and her aura became more powerful.
Red mist spread outward from Su Xiao’s center point. When this red mist touched her, Death Omen felt a stinging pain on her skin.
“Life or death depends on this.”
Death Omen raised her dual rapiers, which quickly transformed, wrapping around her arms and eventually forming two arm blades.
“Slash.”
Death Omen growled, and with a *whoosh*, she vanished, charging straight at Su Xiao.
A red afterimage flashed by. Su Xiao placed Dragon-Slaying Flash at his side, gripping the hilt tightly with his right hand and bracing the back of the blade with his left.
*Boom!* An irresistible force surged from Dragon-Slaying Flash, sending Su Xiao flying backward.
Death Omen’s figure reappeared. Sayenod returned to its initial form, becoming a pair of black gloves, while Death Omen knelt on one knee, a slash running through her chest and abdomen.
“It should… have worked, right?”
“Yeah, I cut him.”
Blood dripped from the black gloves. Seeing this, a smile spread across Death Omen’s face.
Not far away, Su Xiao stood up from the rubble of a building. Blood gushed from his shoulder. He took out a bottle of Ancient Secret Medicine, popped the cap with his thumb, and poured a small amount of the potion onto the wound.
*Hiss~*
White smoke rose, and the wound on Su Xiao’s shoulder healed at a visible rate.
“Sayenod, do we have that kind of potion? Give me one, no, two—I’m pretty badly hurt.”
Death Omen winced from the sword wound on her chest, clearly lacking a potion for rapid wound healing. Such things had to be tailored to different physiques; she did have a pile of potions that restored health points.
“…”
Sayenod said nothing, as if to say: ‘Do you really need me to tell you whether you have any or not?’
“That’s about enough…”
Death Omen stood up, her expression turning serious. Seeing her demeanor, Su Xiao instinctively thought she still had some ultimate trump card.