Chapter 20: Helpers
E'meng leaned against the tombstone. She was never a frontline combat type; otherwise, she wouldn't have needed to bring so many Third Stage·Dark Demons along on every mission. This was her way of compensating for her lack of combat power.
E'meng stood up from the ground, looking at Su Xiao emerging from the mist.
"You're angry. Is it because your subordinates died? That's... wonderful."
A smile appeared on E'meng's bloodstained face. Hearing her words, Su Xiao showed a puzzled expression, because he wasn't angry at all. His mind was so calm that he was even considering which steam train to take out of Fog City tonight. With Amu's combat power, even if they encountered Haogui, as long as they didn't fight to the death, the Ba·Amu combination could retreat safely under Baha's cover.
Since entering this world, Su Xiao had been somewhat lacking in spirit, because his only opponent was Haogui. Haogui was undoubtedly strong, but if it came to a life-or-death battle, due to ability countering, Su Xiao had a high chance of victory.
And now, another powerful enemy had appeared. Their strength was unknown, only that they had the ability to summon lightning.
This unknown enemy was different from Haogui. If Haogui was the combat power of the Dark Prison faction, then this unknown enemy was the brain of the Dark Prison faction.
Because of this unknown enemy's appearance, the handover of the [Spirit Echo Relic] had nearly gone wrong. Fortunately, Bubu Wang was Su Xiao's backup plan and stepped up at the critical moment.
The Dark Prison faction had hidden itself well. At first glance, it seemed only Haogui was the face, but with subsequent contact, Su Xiao discovered that the Dark Prison faction was harder to deal with than imagined. Previously, the most intuitive feeling Su Xiao had about the Dark Prison faction was that while it seemed massive, it was actually somewhat fragile.
Su Xiao also noticed that earlier, the Dark Prison faction had been holding the line against the Watch Guild while fighting him, deploying limited manpower. But after he detected the 'Fusion Root,' the Dark Prison faction shifted its focus, even preparing to ignore the Watch Guild and concentrate on dealing with him.
"Rage, then die miserably in regret."
A translucent chain appeared behind E'meng. This chain was about ten meters long, with arrow-shaped blade tips at both ends. The translucent chain was now writhing slightly like a snake, both blade tips aimed at Su Xiao.
With a bang, Su Xiao vanished from his spot and reappeared right in front of E'meng.
The chains clashed as the spirit chain behind E'meng thrust toward Su Xiao.
Clang! Clang!
After two impeccably timed sword strikes, the spirit chain was deflected. E'meng raised her left arm to block in front of herself.
With a tearing sound, the blade light flashed, and E'meng's translucent left arm flew off. Among the several types of slashing judgments that Dragon-Slaying Flash could inflict, only soul damage was effective. Even Cyan Steel Shadow Energy was useless, because it was better suited for devouring the enemy's physical energy rather than dealing with spirits.
Zzzz～
The Realm Severing Thread wrapped around E'meng's neck. E'meng wasn't concerned; what she feared was the enemy's blade.
Her pupils turned emerald green as a surge of soul energy erupted from within her. Then... nothing happened. The Realm Severing Thread showed no sign of loosening.
Soul threads clung to the Realm Severing Thread. For a wraith, this wasn't impossible to break free from—if their soul strength surpassed Su Xiao's. Su Xiao's soul strength was 350 points.
"You'll be buried with me!"
E'meng grabbed the Realm Severing Thread in front of her neck and yanked hard. Her mind buzzed as she nearly pulled her true body out of her host. If her true body were cut—just one slash—she would dissipate.
After grabbing the Realm Severing Thread, E'meng realized something: the enemy's soul seemed stronger than hers. The moment this thought arose, she immediately dismissed it. As a wraith, how could her soul be weaker than a human's? A powerful soul was the last dignity she had as a wraith.
Clang.
A cold gleam slashed across E'meng's neck, blood splattering. After the slash, E'meng collapsed to the ground with a thud. She was already on the verge of death; even a light graze from that blade would kill her.
The reason Dragon-Slaying Flash could cut souls was due to the derived effect of Blade Grandmaster Lv.50. Without 'Soul Edge (Passive),' Su Xiao would have had a hard time dealing with E'meng—at least killing her would be difficult.
One slash dealt 928 points of soul damage, which seemed modest, but when a wraith suffered soul damage, the actual harm was amplified by 150% to 300%.
Earlier, when Su Xiao slashed E'meng, she felt like she was about to faint. 2,672 points of soul damage per slash, combined with the wraith's inherent traits, meant wraiths couldn't have high health. Two or three slashes would be fatal. This was for a top-tier wraith; an ordinary one would be obliterated by Su Xiao in a single slash.
Giving E'meng no chance to escape, Su Xiao yanked the Realm Severing Thread. E'meng's translucent body shattered like glass with a crackling sound.
An earring fell amid sparkling particles. A whoosh of wind came as something dove and landed on Su Xiao's shoulder.
"Ha! It actually dropped equipment."
Baha spoke, smoke rising from his body. He had clearly been badly struck by lightning. Too much trash talk—today, he got zapped for it.
"Boss, what's that smell? It's making me hungry."
Baha looked around, searching for the source of a fragrant scent. Soon, he found it: he was half-burnt, and that was his own 'scent.'
"Damn, I didn't know being half-charred by lightning smelled this good."
Baha shook his feathers. Of the large group of enemies he and Amu had faced, only one had escaped; the rest were killed by the two of them.
Su Xiao picked up the silver earring from the ground. It was indeed a piece of equipment, but since it wasn't from a treasure chest, it was in a 'pending identification' state.
Putting away the silver earring, Su Xiao checked the reward notification.
[You have killed Dark Demon·Aggregate (caused its soul to die; this creature is difficult to completely kill).]
[You have gained 619 Soul Coins.]
[You have killed Wraith·E'meng.]
[Due to the special nature of wraiths, a 'Soul Spirit Equipment' will form upon death. This type of equipment is unique to this world, with a rating of 650 to 1100 points.]
Killing E'meng didn't yield Soul Coins, but it did grant the world-exclusive 'Soul Spirit Equipment,' whose rating cap exceeded 1000 points.
A rumbling sound came from nearby—the giant Dark Demon. This thing was formed from multiple Dark Demons; even if its collective will died, it could continue moving for a while.
Boom, boom, boom...
The headless giant Dark Demon charged at Su Xiao, since he had just fought it.
"I'm late! Bai Ye."
A deep shout came from within the thick fog. Armor clanked, followed by the sound of a sword being drawn and an explosion.
Boom~
After a loud crash, the giant Dark Demon flew near Su Xiao. The next moment, a figure in bulky full-body armor with a pumpkin-shaped helmet rushed in. His attire was cumbersome, but he wasn't clumsy in combat. In his hand was a spiral sword over 1.5 meters long. Due to its long handle, the bulky figure was using it like a spear.
Pfft, pfft...
Blood splattered as the spiral sword in the bulky figure's hand thrust forward. It worked like a drill, piercing through the giant Dark Demon's chest, creating a hole nearly a meter in diameter.
"As punishment for being late, don't interfere, Bai Ye. I'll handle this big guy myself."
Leaving these words, the bulky figure charged at the giant Dark Demon again. This seemingly clumsy, even comical figure proceeded to pin the giant Dark Demon down and beat it mercilessly, leaving it completely unable to fight back. But this was expected, considering a milky-white hunter's badge hung around the bulky figure's neck.