Chapter 23: Azure Steel
Baha circled high above the hall, observing every move of Sotos, while Amu stood still, his task this time simple: just take the hits.
From the initial exchange alone, Sotos displayed terrifying speed and agility—elusive wasn't even enough to describe it.
Drip～
Blood dripped from Sotos's longsword. This blade, named Twisted Malice, was a full two meters long, well-suited to Sotos's build.
Gleaming black tentacles writhed across Sotos's body. If the Moon God's image was one of majesty, then Sotos was a god of malice.
As for the statue dedicated to it and the inscription beneath, it was clearly an attempt by humans to flatter or even worship Sotos. As for the result, just looking at the state of this world made it obvious.
Su Xiao's mind raced. Going head-on against Sotos was clearly not an option—or rather, the opponent wouldn't clash with him directly. The Blood Beast had a low chance of hitting it, let alone Dead Silence Descends. As for Apollo, it would only blow himself up.
Fortunately, Sotos's defense and vitality weren't strong—of course, that was compared to the Moon God, the Black King, or the Dibamu Fusion Entity Kuska.
If Su Xiao took a hit from Sotos, it would hurt badly. If Sotos took a slash from him, it would be in for serious trouble.
Judging this, a smile appeared on Su Xiao's face. The battle had become interesting. Whoever got injured first would fall into absolute disadvantage, until death.
If Su Xiao got the chance, one slash plus the Blood Beast would severely wound Sotos. If Sotos caught him, Su Xiao would likely be killed in three strikes.
Pfft!
Blood splattered across Amu's chest. Spatial ripples faded, and Sotos appeared a dozen meters in front of Amu, its three eyes cold, devoid of any other emotion.
Amu, holding his ice hammer, collapsed to the ground, spitting out a mouthful of blood. Without a recovery potion, one more strike would kill him.
Baha, circling above, had red light in its eyes, while Bubu Wang secretly healed Amu with a small boost.
From the start of the battle, Sotos held absolute advantage. Its speed wasn't just fast—it gave the enemy no time to react.
The tentacles on Sotos's body writhed, seemingly a habitual movement.
Ripples spread through the air, and Sotos vanished, appearing before Amu for the third time. Its longsword slashed downward—just a slash, but aimed straight at the vital point.
Clang!
A shockwave of air spread as a long blade blocked Sotos's third strike. Su Xiao now had one foot on Amu's shoulder and the other on Amu's horn.
Sotos held the sword with one hand, while the other grabbed the half-skull on its shoulder, pulled it off, and pressed it back onto the lower half. Su Xiao blocking two of its strikes reminded it of a human from long ago—a very powerful female human.
Even after Sotos turned that female human into a collection piece, she hadn't screamed once. Over those 16 natural days, she hadn't spoken a single word to it, let alone begged for mercy.
Sotos exerted force. The difference in strength sent Su Xiao flying backward, but he grabbed Amu's horn and pulled him along.
With a scraping sound, the sword's front half sank into the ground as easily as cutting through tofu.
A dozen meters away, Su Xiao landed steadily. A syringe slid from his sleeve and stabbed into Amu's shoulder.
After injecting the Ancient Secret Medicine, Amu's health recovered significantly. He stood up from the ground, blocking Su Xiao.
"Amu, too slow."
Amu spoke in a deep, rumbling voice, somewhat self-reproachful.
"Take one more hit."
Su Xiao had never actively attacked, because it was pointless. Rushing in recklessly was far worse than waiting for the right moment.
"Mm. Before Amu dies, master won't die."
This was the longest sentence Amu had ever spoken. It wasn't tragic—just natural.
"Hey, you bastard, come and take a swing at your Uncle Baha too!"
Baha shouted this but flew even faster. Taunting was one thing; taking a hit would either kill it or leave it completely incapacitated.
Sotos, its head restored, looked up slightly at Baha, then ignored it.
"Tch, pretty smart."
Taunt failed, Baha continued circling, waiting for an opportunity.
Sotos kept hacking at Amu for a reason. Besides Amu, it couldn't hit anyone else. Baha circled among the stone pillars, hard to catch. Bubu Wang was blending into the environment. Su Xiao was clearly not to be trifled with—one mistake, and who knew who would be cutting whom.
As for Kaiser, the Dominator Sotos chose to ignore this little green thing. Too weak—so weak it wasn't worth a glance.
If Kaiser knew Sotos's thoughts, he would give a thumbs up and add, "Exactly right. Keep that mindset."
At this moment, Kaiser's psychological shadow was huge. Su Xiao's side was clearly at a disadvantage. If Su Xiao died, he wouldn't last long either.
Layers of spatial ripples spread through the hall. Su Xiao couldn't use Dragon Shadow Flash now—the space here was far too unstable.
Pfft!
Another gash appeared on Amu's chest. This strike was aimed at his neck, but Amu leaned back at the critical moment.
Sotos distanced itself again, appearing out of nowhere, both feet landing on the ground.
Click～
A crisp sound came from under Sotos's feet. Su Xiao, Baha, and Bubu Wang all smiled at the same time. The counterattack could begin.
Sotos looked down. A precisely constructed circular mechanical trap lay under its foot.
Boom!
The Magnetic Storm Hunter exploded, but Sotos was already gone.
Su Xiao's pupils slightly contracted. The opportunity was only for an instant. If missed, Amu's three hits would have been for nothing—those three strikes were deliberately taken.
"Amu."
Su Xiao spoke while activating his perception to the fullest, even overloading it.
Crackle, crackle, crackle…
Fine ice crystals formed out of nowhere, taking the shape of a sword. The next moment, Sotos appeared. This happened because Sotos's sword was stained with Amu's blood.
Amu's body contained ice energy. If he hadn't deliberately suppressed it, the blood on the sword would have frozen long ago.
Su Xiao crouched low, then shot forward with a boom, leaving a blur in his wake.
Clang!
The long blade rang out—it missed. But that was also part of the plan.
Sotos appeared dozens of meters away. It looked at the ice crystals on its sword, and a black tentacle coiled around the blade, crushing the ice.
Just as Sotos prepared to teleport again and take Amu's head, pain surged from within its body.
Pfft～
A blue spike burst through its chest, stained with a bit of black blood.
"Butt Bomb!"
Baha dove from high above, charging straight at Sotos. Given Sotos's speed, this was clearly a suicidal attack.
Sotos moved forward half a meter and slashed. That half meter disrupted Baha's diving rhythm, making it look like Baha was offering itself up to be cut.
With a snap, the metal wire went taut. Su Xiao pulled his arm, yanking Baha back from midair, barely dodging what would have been a certain hit.
Click～
A crisp sound came from Sotos's lower back. A flicker of confusion passed through its eyes—it hadn't sensed any enemy behind it.
Boom!
The Magnetic Storm Hunter exploded. This was what Baha called the "Butt Bomb."
Sotos vanished again, but it had already lost. From the moment it struck Amu three times, it was defeated.
One by one, blue crystal spikes pierced out from Sotos's chest. It was Banishment. At the start of the battle, Su Xiao had split Banishment into dust-sized particles, scattered near Amu, waiting for Sotos to approach and invade its body.
The searing pain in its chest made Sotos's movements freeze. A whistling wind came from ahead—Amu.
Though confused, Sotos still teleported forward a few meters and slashed at Amu's throat.
Amu's bull eyes widened. Those three strikes were deliberately taken, waiting for Sotos to weaken after being injured.
Boom!
Another explosion came from under Sotos's feet. A flash of blade light appeared.
With a tearing sound, Dragon-Slashing Flash cut into Sotos's left shoulder, sliced across its entire back, and severed a dozen writhing tentacles.
"Roar!"
Sotos howled in pain, but an even fiercer beastly roar followed—the Blood Beast.
Blood energy exploded, creating a huge crater in the ground. The Blood Beast missed—Sotos had teleported again.
"Been waiting for you, you bastard."
Baha appeared behind Sotos's head, but Sotos vanished instantly.
Pfft!
The long blade cut through. Sotos, just reappeared, stumbled—its legs had been severed. This was Sotos's weakness. Among the Ancient Gods, its mobility was top-tier, but its defense was bottom-tier. Sotos was a combination of extreme strength and extreme weakness.
Sotos tried to teleport again to distance itself from Su Xiao, but this time it couldn't. A numbing sensation filled its body—the control effect of Azure Steel Shadow triggered.
Countless slashing marks appeared before Sotos. Its torso and neck were instantly covered in cuts. The upper half of its skull was severed again.
"Azure… Steel!"
Terror flickered in Sotos's eyes. A deep, muffled sound came from its mouth. With its legs cut off, it was falling to the ground, its eyes meeting Su Xiao's.
The long blade rang out. Dragon-Slashing Flash pierced through Sotos's skull, pinning it to the ground. Su Xiao gripped the hilt with both hands, one foot on its neck. A stone crater exploded into existence. Sotos, no longer proud, was trampled underfoot.
"Law… Destroyer… Sorry."
Sotos spoke in human language—not of this world. Its body rapidly lost vitality. This wasn't an apology but fear. Or rather, if this were the Law Destruction Era, an Ancient God as arrogant as Sotos, once discovered by a Law Destroyer, would be dealt with very harshly—death would be a luxury.
"Hm?"
Su Xiao looked at Sotos with some confusion, but his hands didn't stop. He slashed horizontally, cutting through Sotos's skull.
Outside, above Heru City.
Rumble…
Thunder boomed. The dark clouds in the sky dispersed, and sunlight shone straight down.
The commoners in the city stopped their work, looking up to bask in the sunlight, smiles on their faces. Even the desperadoes of Bone Harbor felt the same.
At the edge of a damp street, a green sprout pushed through a crack in the stone. The world itself seemed to come alive, beginning to show signs of vitality.