Chapter 40: Moonlight
With a crackling sound, the silver-white threads around Su Xiao shattered. He hadn't been unwilling to reinforce Amu and Baha earlier; rather, he had been bound by this kind of moonlight thread.
The moment Su Xiao broke free, the Moon Wolf shifted its target, no longer paying attention to Bubu Wang, who was trembling and hiding by the island's edge.
The entire lake island was about a kilometer in diameter, covered in reeds, making it spacious enough for battle.
Su Xiao stared at the Moon Wolf. When he received the talent mission, he hadn't expected the Moon Wolf to recognize him as a Law Destroyer and show mercy. His advantage was the Cyan Steel Shadow Energy within him, which wasn't affected by the Moon Wolf's ability to burn mana similarly.
Conversely, Su Xiao couldn't inflict True Damage on the Moon Wolf through Cyan Steel Shadow Energy either. The friendship between Law Destroyers and Moon Wolves was as solid as a rock; sharing abilities was commonplace. If not for the fact that Law Destroyers lacked the constitution to wield moonlight, there would absolutely be a moonlight faction among their abilities.
Dozens of meters apart, Su Xiao could almost feel the Moon Wolf's coarse breathing. It was the Abyss Force that made the Moon Wolf believe it wasn't dead yet, maintaining its living habits.
The long blade in Su Xiao's hand slanted toward the ground. Suddenly, he vanished from his spot, leaving behind a trail of blood-red afterimages.
Clang!
The long blade was blocked by the Moon Wolf's claws. These metallic-looking claws weren't severed by Dragon-Slaying Flash.
The Moon Wolf pressed its claws down, and an irresistible force traveled through the long blade to Su Xiao's arm. He leaped backward with the momentum.
"Roar."
The Moon Wolf let out a low growl and charged straight at Su Xiao.
Clang, clang, clang!
Mid-air, Su Xiao slashed three times in quick succession. The blade auras intersected, slowing the Moon Wolf's charge and leaving three deep, bone-reaching cuts on its body.
Su Xiao's eyes showed confusion. Why was the Moon Wolf so weak? Yes, that was his current feeling. Aside from its terrifyingly strong attack power, the Moon Wolf wasn't particularly outstanding in other aspects. It didn't even have the habit of dodging attacks, like a... frenzied beast.
After landing, Su Xiao took a few steps forward and swung his blade. The Moon Wolf immediately raised its claws to counter. Sensing this, Su Xiao's attack abruptly changed into a straight kick.
Boom!!
Su Xiao kicked the Moon Wolf in the chest. The Moon Wolf staggered backward, occasionally tumbling and rolling, crushing large patches of reeds.
Su Xiao pressed the attack with agile movements. The Moon Wolf forced itself to stop retreating and swung its claws, now imbued with fire elements.
Su Xiao lowered his stance. The wind pressure and scorching sensation passed over his head. Dodging this attack, he delivered several rapid slashes.
Clang, clang, clang!
Several cuts appeared on the Moon Wolf's body. Having endured too many slashes in a short time, its body momentarily stiffened.
'Blade Path Sword: Extreme!'
Su Xiao slashed across the Moon Wolf's neck. A large amount of blood splattered as nearly a third of its throat was cut open.
Su Xiao followed up with a pursuit slash, growing even more puzzled. The Moon Wolf absolutely shouldn't be this weak.
Cut after cut appeared on the Moon Wolf's body. Against any other enemy, they would have died long ago. Just the True Damage alone would be fatal. But the Moon Wolf was immune to that. Not only that, its aura was growing stronger, as if the half-asleep presence was gradually awakening.
Pfft!
A slash crossed the Moon Wolf's face diagonally. It tumbled backward through the reeds, finally lowering its head.
Su Xiao didn't stop for a moment. Under the moonlight, the Moon Wolf's recovery ability was incredibly powerful. Its health regeneration was like it had cheats activated. Having an ally too strong, under certain circumstances, really wasn't a good thing.
Just as the Moon Wolf's health dropped below 60%, a sudden change occurred.
Boom!
A cylindrical beam of blue-white moonlight crashed down. The shockwave came head-on, sending Su Xiao flying backward dozens of meters before he landed. The impact continued ahead, with grass clippings flying everywhere. Su Xiao raised one hand to shield his face and tried to slash out a blade aura, but it didn't travel far before being blocked by the moonlight and dissipating.
Within the moonlight, the Moon Wolf's form underwent a rapid transformation. It became a half-human, half-wolf shape, now standing upright. Its height exceeded four meters, and its fur had grown slightly longer, flowing with the impact.
"Ah~ Moonlight, Law Destruction... you are always on our side. My comrade, come and fight alongside me."
A greatsword nearly two meters long descended from the sky, landing before the Moon Wolf. Reed flowers drifted in the air. The greatsword seemed made of crystal, with blue moonlight contained within.
The Moon Wolf's clawed hand grasped the hilt of the Moonlight Sword. Every Moon Wolf possessed a Moonlight Sword, just as Law Destroyers had their Blades of Law Annihilation.
With a rumble, the surrounding moonlight scattered. The Moon Wolf stood in place, holding the blue sword. Its aura caused the surrounding air to distort. This was the true form of the Moon Wolf clan in battle.
At this moment, the Moon Wolf's aura was no longer tainted. It had become the proud and powerful moonlight warrior once more.
Su Xiao finally understood why the Moon Wolf hadn't been strong earlier—because the battle had only just begun.
The Moon Wolf gripped the greatsword's hilt with both hands and delivered a powerful overhead slash.
Boom!
A slash formed of moonlight swept past Su Xiao. It roared with a crisp cutting sound. The moonlight slash crossed half the lake island before cutting into the water, sending a wave a hundred meters high.
The Moon Wolf leaped from over a dozen meters away and delivered another crushing blow. Su Xiao sidestepped to dodge. The sword's force was too intimidating to withstand head-on.
The Moon Wolf's sword struck the ground. Its other claw climbed up the blade.
Thump~
Moonlight rose from the ground within several hundred meters. Su Xiao entered a state of Space Penetration.
The moment he entered Space Penetration, the Moon Wolf appeared before him, its Moonlight Sword slashing fiercely.
Boom!
The shockwave spread, accompanied by moonlight radiance that could cause True Damage. Simply dodging the Moon Wolf's slash wasn't enough.
The Moon Wolf's combat style now embodied a blend of power and grace. The Moon Wolf was never a symbol of gentleness. Pride, solitude, strength, and agility—these were their true representatives.
"Roar!!"
The Moon Wolf let out a roar, preparing to harm Su Xiao with sound waves mixed with moonlight power the moment he exited Space Penetration.
As the sound waves continued, Su Xiao was about to leave Space Penetration. Suddenly, black smoke surged from the Moon Wolf's chest—Abyss Force.
The Moon Wolf's expression twisted. Its claws stabbed into its own chest. Moonlight power exploded within its torso, successfully suppressing the erupting Abyss Force. The cost was a sudden drop of 20.9% in its health.
Su Xiao exited Space Penetration and dodged an incoming moonlight slash.
'Blade Path Sword: Flow.'
A graceful wind scar was slashed out, leaving a bone-deep cut on the Moon Wolf's chest and abdomen. This was Flow—a combination of speed and cutting power.
'Blade Path Sword: Azure Demon.'
Crack!
The Azure Demon slash was caught by the Moon Wolf's teeth and crushed to pieces.
Simultaneously, the Moon Wolf's left claw clenched, forming a black sphere in its hand—a Devouring Core!
A pulling force appeared all over Su Xiao's body. But more importantly, the wood-element energy being rapidly absorbed from the surroundings was far more dangerous.
The Devouring Core in the Moon Wolf's hand turned emerald green. It swallowed it whole. Its health began to skyrocket. At this rate, within three seconds at most, its health would be fully restored.
Su Xiao knew he couldn't fight a war of attrition with the Moon Wolf. If Law Destroyers ever used elemental power in battle, their combat strength would become terrifyingly abnormal. The same went for the Moon Wolf.
Clang!
The long blade clashed with the Moonlight Sword. The ground beneath Su Xiao's feet cracked. He tried to execute a perfect counter but felt like his waist was about to snap. He couldn't counter it.
Sizzle~
The long blade scraped along the sword's edge, slashing toward the Moon Wolf. The Moon Wolf swung its greatsword horizontally, using the guard to lock the blade. But it didn't stop there. The Moon Wolf pushed the Moonlight Sword with all its might.
Boom! Su Xiao flew backward. This was his third time being sent flying. The Moon Wolf definitely had an ability to increase the knockback rank of its attacks.
Mid-flight, Su Xiao slashed out an Azure Demon. The charging Moon Wolf partially moonlighted its body, dodging the Azure Demon before reverting to solid form. Not done yet, it swung its sword at Su Xiao's neck.
Just as Su Xiao raised his blade to block, he sensed something wrong and immediately entered Space Penetration.
Two Moonlight Clones appeared behind Su Xiao. Three Moonlight Swords slashed through his body, all passing through harmlessly.
Su Xiao performed Space Penetration, appearing behind the Moon Wolf. His long blade hummed as it aimed for the Moon Wolf's nape.
The Moon Wolf reversed its grip on the greatsword and stabbed it into the ground.
Thump~
Everything around was frozen by moonlight. Cracking sounds came from Su Xiao's surroundings. Despite trying his hardest to break free, he couldn't move an inch.
"Moo!"
Amu descended from above, his Dragonheart Axe swinging down. Baha appeared at the Moon Wolf's nape, his eyes pitch black as he stabbed his claw into the spot.
Baha immediately lost strength, but that single strike caused the Moon Wolf's health to plummet by 9%. Against other enemies, the subsequent venom shadow damage would be even more terrifying. This was a newly developed ability of Baha's.
With a crack, the solidified moonlight around Su Xiao shattered. His Blade Domain fully activated.
Clang, clang, clang...
Numerous slashes appeared on the Moon Wolf's body. Su Xiao charged forward and delivered a powerful straight kick.
Boom!
Su Xiao nearly stumbled. That kick almost broke his leg. It was some ability of the Moon Wolf's that fully reflected the attack's force.
The Moon Wolf wasn't doing well either. It fell to one knee with a thud. Beside it, a bloodied Amu swung his axe at the Moon Wolf's neck.
Boom!
Moonlight scattered. Amu was blasted away. The Moon Wolf straightened up, swinging its sword to send a blue moonlight slash at Amu while changing its reverse grip on the Moonlight Sword to a forward grip—graceful yet powerful.
Pfft.
The long blade pierced through the Moon Wolf's chest. Battle wasn't about trading blows one after another. It was about rapid adaptation and strategy. A momentary lapse could bring death.
'Blade Path Sword: Slay.'
After pulling his blade from the Moon Wolf's chest, Su Xiao followed up with 'Slay.' A blood-red chain engulfed the Moon Wolf, with faint moonlight visible within. This was Su Xiao's development of 'Blade Path Sword: Slay'—using the enemy's blood to execute the slash, making the resulting blood-red chain carry the enemy's energy characteristics.
The Moon Wolf was forced back by the attack. But it had already formed a Devouring Core, absorbing the surrounding wood-element energy into it, preparing to swallow it to restore health. One Devouring Core would restore health to 100% within three seconds, no matter how much it was attacked during that time. The recovery rate was too astonishing.
No more delays. If the Moon Wolf ate another Devouring Core, what was the point of fighting? Su Xiao had no idea this thing could be used like this.
Dark blue smoke rose from the long blade in Su Xiao's hand. The Demon Blade ability activated. Blue light flickered in his eyes. A shadow streaked past his ear toward the Moon Wolf—it was Banishment in its internal combustion state.
Swish!
Banishment, with a line of fire inside, pierced through the Moon Wolf's brow. Su Xiao charged forward while ducking to avoid the Moon Wolf's horizontal slash. The sword wind howled past his head.
The long blade slashed out from the Moon Wolf's neck. Just a moment before this slash landed, all the wounds on the Moon Wolf's body glowed with faint moonlight. Its health recovered by a chunk.
Pfft!
As the long blade cut through the Moon Wolf's neck, the Moon Wolf's greatsword pierced Su Xiao's chest. Blood splattered everywhere.
Slaying the Moon Wolf... failed.