Chapter 44: Despair of Baha
The First King grabbed Baha by the neck, exerted force in his hand, and with a crack, Baha spat out blood from the impact.
With a thud, the First King flung Baha several meters away, smashing a large stone crater before leaping up, the worn greatsword in his hand covered in fire patterns, thrusting toward Baha.
Baha couldn't move at all at this moment; a surge of energy had invaded its body, severing its connection to the surrounding space, preventing it from teleporting.
If that sword struck, it would die!
Just as Baha realized this, the greatsword came down, and a battle axe radiating cold air swung in.
Boom!
Like a collision of comets, the source forces of two opposing properties clashed. The First King took six or seven large steps back before stopping. His hunched upper body wasn't a weakness; this posture actually suited his Mad King Sword Technique better.
The First King's fighting style wasn't elegant, nor did he possess the dignity of a monarch, but this inelegant combat method wasn't worth mocking. Anyone with conviction was the same—the First King, in his determination to guard the source, didn't care how ugly his fighting stance was.
Amu didn't retreat, but don't think it was having an easy time. The arm holding the Dragonheart Axe was cracking like ceramic. If it hadn't frozen that arm, it would have shattered entirely.
As soon as the First King stopped retreating, a sound of breaking air came from behind him.
'Blade Path Sword: Extreme.'
Pfft～
Black-red blood splattered. The First King clearly didn't have much blood left in his body. A slash mark ran diagonally across his back, at least over ten centimeters deep. His health dropped sharply by a chunk—this was the power of sword techniques, far more effective than ordinary cuts that could barely break defense.
The First King suddenly dropped to one knee as the paralysis effect of Cyan Steel Shadow Energy triggered.
With such a golden opportunity, Su Xiao naturally wouldn't miss it. He slashed several times at the First King's back, and after stacking the defense reduction effect of Dragon-Slaying Flash to its limit, he delivered a straight kick.
Bang!
The First King, kneeling on one knee, stumbled forward a few steps, the dark red glow within his full-body armor dimming slightly.
'Blade Path Sword: Extreme.'
Clang!
Dragon-Slaying Flash was blocked by a very thick layer of armor. At this moment, the armor on the First King's upper body turned into fluid, surging to his neck, multiplying its defensive power.
Spatial fluctuations came from the back of the First King's neck. Baha transformed into a predatory demon hawk, and as the defense at the First King's nape weakened, its claws stabbed in, injecting energy poison.
Amu charged forward in large strides. Who knew when it had mastered battle axe techniques? It spun the axe in its hands a few times before delivering a full-power strike.
With a clang, the Dragonheart Axe was blocked by the greatsword. In that instant, a long blade stabbed through from behind the First King's back, nearly piercing his body completely. Su Xiao hadn't just stood idle after his slash was blocked.
The First King raised his greatsword, nearly sending Amu tumbling to the ground. Baha, with its claws still embedded in the First King's nape, pulled back with all its might, but... the First King ignored it.
The First King turned and swung his sword at Su Xiao. Facing this heavy, powerful strike, Su Xiao didn't retreat. He intended to execute a perfect parry. With just three perfect parries, he could temporarily reduce the First King's True Strength attribute by 15 points. Then, even if the effects of the Wild Beast Potion wore off, he could fight the First King head-on.
Su Xiao raised his blade to block. The moment he did, a warning from his Instinct flared. He knew he had made a wrong decision. It wasn't exactly a mistake, but a loss from being unable to detect one of the enemy's abilities.
Boom!
Su Xiao felt a tremendous force coming from the front. A perfect parry could negate the knockback from the parry itself, but not all knockback effects. The First King's sword technique seemed wild and frenzied, but it had a unique feel—an aura of crushing everything, smashing and shattering all into pieces.
If Su Xiao's swordsmanship was about sharpness, the First King's was a fusion of cutting and smashing techniques. The greatsword in his hand looked worn, its original color unrecognizable, but it was incredibly sharp. This sword, weighing at least 3,700 kilograms, was custom-made for the First King by a certain forging grandmaster, who had voluntarily presented it to him.
That forging grandmaster was fortunate enough to hear one of the few words the First King ever spoke in his life: "Edri·Dewen."
The First King's sword struck Dragon-Slashing Flash, and Su Xiao immediately felt a massive force transmitted through the blade, causing a slight numbness in his right arm.
Boom, boom, boom...
The frenzied hacking began. The First King's swordsmanship was chaotic, but every swing used all his strength without any reservation. The heavy, powerful strikes revealed a domineering aura of crushing the enemy head-on. In battle, momentum was most evident.
With a boom, Su Xiao's feet sank into the ground, the mountain beneath him cracking in large patches. His whole body ached faintly, but he didn't retreat. He was waiting for an opportunity.
"What the hell!"
Baha, clinging to the First King's nape, roared in fury. It was almost in despair, nearly shouting, "Boss, can you acknowledge me? You're making me look bad!"
Perhaps annoyed by Baha's tearing, the First King's hand blurred into a streak, suddenly grabbing Baha. The First King possessed overwhelming speed and strength.
Baha wasn't relieved. After a dizzying spin, it found itself tumbling away with Amu, looking somewhat dazed.
The moment the First King threw Baha, Su Xiao knew his chance had come.
'Blade Path Sword: Absolute Nether.'
The surroundings turned pitch black. Three split-like blue-purple slash marks appeared before the First King, elegant and fluid.
Three sword wounds opened on the First King's chest. He swung his sword horizontally, the two-meter-long greatsword slashing toward Su Xiao's waist.
Su Xiao leaned back with all his might. The greatsword passed just in front of his nose, the wind pressure making his cheek ache.
Just as Su Xiao was about to fall flat on his back, he slapped the ground with his armored left hand.
Bang! A wave of air spread. Using the recoil, Su Xiao leaped up, vaulting over the First King's shoulder, landing in a crouch on his back shoulder. He held Dragon-Slashing Flash horizontally, pressing it against the First King's throat.
'Blade Path Sword: Blood Reaper Scythe.'
Su Xiao pushed off the First King's back shoulder, leaping backward while dragging Dragon-Slashing Flash across the First King's throat. It was like a massive blood-red scythe pressed against the neck, pulling back with force.
The First King's throat was slashed open by a third. 'Blood Reaper Scythe' wasn't a newly developed sword technique; it was an advanced form of 'Blade Path Sword: Blood Blade,' similar to Super Ring Break and Azure Demon: Chain.
Though Su Xiao had been relentlessly hacked at by the First King and looked somewhat battered, after the Blood Reaper Scythe landed, the First King dropped to one knee with a thud. His health was down to 47%. This was Su Xiao's offensive capability—in his view, the best defense was to take down the enemy as quickly as possible.
As soon as the First King knelt on one knee, magma-like patterns appeared on his chest. An energy erupted from within him—the Source: Flame Burst was coming.
Boom～
Without any warning, a dark red shockwave ring centered on the First King spread in all directions. Sparks filled Su Xiao's vision. The surrounding half-kilometer area instantly turned into a world of flames. The dark red fire wasn't just scorching hot; it also had strong corrosive power.
Within the flames, the First King stood up, sparks flickering all over his body. The vertebrae along his spine turned incandescent red, like metal heated to glowing.
Crack, crack, crack～
A series of crisp sounds came from the First King's spine. He fully straightened his upper body, no longer hunched. Flames ignited on the greatsword in his hand.
This meant that from now on, even if one could block the First King's greatsword, they would still have to endure the flames splashing from it. These flames would inflict true flame damage—this was Source Fire.
Worse still, the First King's health recovered by a chunk. The Source Force was healing his injuries. If the Tianba Clan saw this, they might shed envious tears. Their Source Force eroded them every day and never helped restore their vitality.