Chapter 62: The Cheating Crownless Lord
The golden light in Moye Nora's hand grew increasingly dazzling. Seeing this golden radiance, Su Xiao immediately thought of his old enemy, the Crownless Lord. That guy was extremely powerful; at the very least, Su Xiao was no match for him.
During their last encounter, Su Xiao had only managed a draw with the Crownless Lord by activating Demon Hunting Hour, and that was under the condition that Morisha's body couldn't fully bear the Crownless Lord's power.
Now, it seemed the Crownless Lord had found a successor. His appearance wasn't coincidental. Although Moye Nora hadn't actively performed the ritual, the earlier explosion of Apollo had generated Solar Flame, and Moye Nora's slain subordinates provided elemental power and life force.
Solar Flame + massive elemental power + massive life force = the Crownless Lord's power transformation ritual. Of course, the Moye family's bloodline was also needed as a vessel.
Now that all four elements had appeared, the Crownless Lord's manifestation was within reason. Su Xiao wasn't fully aware of the Crownless Lord's power inheritance ritual; he wasn't omniscient, and such unexpected events were inevitable.
"You... what are you?"
Moye Nora's expression wasn't pleasant. Ask yourself, if another consciousness suddenly appeared inside your body, who would accept it calmly? You'd definitely try to purge this foreign awareness. With a formidable enemy before her, Moye Nora's psychological shadow could only be imagined.
"I am... your power."
The Crownless Lord's voice echoed in Moye Nora's ears. She instinctively wanted to retort with "bullshit," but considering the situation, she held back.
Su Xiao took in Moye Nora's reaction. He wasn't about to wait for Moye Nora and the Crownless Lord to finish their negotiation and for her to gain his power.
The moment the golden light appeared, Su Xiao stomped the ground and charged straight at Moye Nora.
Clang, clang.
Two silver slashing marks appeared before Su Xiao. Though he hadn't arrived yet, his blade aura had already struck toward Moye Nora.
The blade aura let out a piercing howl as it cut through the air, reaching Moye Nora in an instant. Before the aura even touched her, she felt her facial skin sting and her hairs stand on end.
Just as the blade aura was about to make contact with Moye Nora's skin, she nearly fainted from rage. She couldn't move! After the golden light surged in her hand, she was completely immobilized.
"I..."
Moye Nora was utterly frustrated. The damn thing inside her claimed it would give her power, but it was clearly trying to get her killed.
The blade aura slashed across Moye Nora's fair skin. The sensation of her skin being cut was exceptionally clear, followed by the icy sting of flesh being severed. Moye Nora even heard a crisp crack—that was her skull being split open.
Su Xiao, mid-charge, was slightly surprised. He had only sent out the blade aura to clear a path, never expecting it to cut through Moye Nora's skull and neck.
With a tearing sound, the blade aura flew out from the back of Moye Nora's head and neck, trailing a streak of blood.
Blood lines appeared on Moye Nora's face and neck. There was no fear in her eyes, only unwillingness. Her sister, Eyun, had already fallen silent, meaning she was truly about to die now.
Whoosh! A gust of wind, and Su Xiao suddenly appeared two meters in front of Moye Nora. Lightning surged along the Dragon-Slaying Flash in his right hand as he delivered an upward slash aimed at Moye Nora's chest.
The blade cut through the air, first striking Moye Nora's left arm, severing it instantly. The bloodstained blade didn't stop; it sliced into Moye Nora's chest cavity, cutting through skin, muscle, ribs, and organs before exiting from her right shoulder.
Pfft!
Blood splattered. Su Xiao had cut Moye Nora clean through with one slash.
"Ahh!!"
Moye Nora screamed, not from the searing pain of the Cyan Steel Shadow Energy, but from her unwillingness.
She admitted Su Xiao was strong. If the two fought to the death, the outcome was uncertain. She could accept defeat or even death in battle, but she couldn't accept this—losing without having done anything.
After cutting Moye Nora through with one slash, Su Xiao didn't stop. He delivered five more slashes, chopping her into over a dozen pieces before halting.
Feeling the excruciating pain from every part of her body, Moye Nora tasted the bitterness of defeat.
"Two souls cannot coexist in one body; one must always dissipate. This time it's me, next time it will be you. Remember this feeling—it's the taste of failure."
The Crownless Lord's voice echoed in Moye Nora's ears. Meanwhile, Su Xiao had already started tossing Alchemy Bombs at her. He had no habit of watching his enemies die slowly; killing them as quickly as possible was the best choice. Besides, Moye Nora's condition was strange—after being slashed so many times, even if she wasn't dead, her body should have shattered.
Yet despite being covered in wounds, Moye Nora's body remained intact.
Boom!
The explosion's flames engulfed Moye Nora. Within the blaze, her pupils turned golden. She saw many things: warriors charging across battlefields, a crownless king, betrayal, family bonds, love... and how to wield a sword.
"Poor soul."
Moye Nora spoke from within the flames. Her consciousness was merging with the Crownless Lord's remnant soul, and she didn't resist the process because it was her consciousness taking the lead.
Moye Nora didn't understand why the Crownless Lord was doing this. She couldn't believe someone would sacrifice themselves for another's gain. In truth, the Crownless Lord, whose consciousness barely lingered in the world, was terribly bored. He couldn't feel his own existence or the passage of time. Once he forgot his own being, he would dissipate.
The Crownless Lord had persisted this long only because he didn't want his power to vanish into nothing. This power once represented his existence. Entrusting it to someone was a tradition passed down through his race. Consciousness lasts but a moment; only power is eternal.
Before the explosion's flames had faded, a golden light emerged from within.
"Damn it!"
Even with Su Xiao's composure, he couldn't help but curse under his breath. He had practically shoved the Duke of Annihilation into Moye Nora's mouth to detonate, yet she still hadn't died.
The situation was grim, but Su Xiao wasn't one to wait for death. He made several slashing motions with the Dragon-Slaying Flash, sending crisscrossing blade auras into the flames.
A few slashes dispersed the flames, revealing a three-meter-tall golden cocoon. Dark patterns flowed across its surface, giving it an incredibly surreal appearance.
Su Xiao didn't care how it looked. He stepped forward and struck with his blade.
Crack!
The recoil traveled up the Dragon-Slaying Flash to Su Xiao's arm, numbing his right arm.
Gritting his teeth, Su Xiao switched from a one-handed grip to a two-handed one. The muscles in his arms bulged slightly as he put all his strength into a single slash at the cocoon.
Crunch!
The Dragon-Slaying Flash sank a few centimeters into the cocoon. Inside, the naked Moye Nora's eyelid twitched. According to the Crownless Lord's memories, this cocoon was extremely tough, unbreakable by ordinary people. But judging by the small tip of the blade that had pierced through, her enemy was no ordinary person.
Moye Nora closed her eyes. She needed some time to adapt to her new body.