Chapter 128: Amu, Charge!
The dark clouds in the sky drifted at a slow pace, causing the gaps between them, illuminated in a hazy yellow, to shift and change shape. This scene, paired with the ruined royal city below, made everything feel desolate—glory had turned to dust, and heroes had long since grown old.
A few wisps of dust were stirred by the breeze. Surrounding the area in the distance was a ring of earthen slopes, enclosing the battlefield within. The ground where Su Xiao and the old knight stood was relatively flat, covered in a layer of fine, soft dust that left footprints with every step.
The silver moon blade in Su Xiao's left hand had vanished. Along with the moon blade's enhancement, the wolf blood pendant was also worn. Against the old knight, the defense-reducing property was utterly useless; he had to elevate his own damage tier. A higher damage tier wouldn't reduce the enemy's defense, but it could penetrate it.
The old knight stood a dozen meters ahead, his oppressive presence pressing down, making Su Xiao's shoulders feel heavy and his spine cold.
Baha and Bubu Wang were nowhere to be seen. One was lurking in an alternate space, waiting for an opportunity, while the other had merged with the environment to provide an aura buff. Beini was on a dirt slope a hundred meters away, looking fierce on the outside but terrified on the inside. Facing the old knight, she felt no different from an ordinary cat—the kind that could be crushed underfoot.
This was understandable. Beini excelled at searching for items and logistics, not fighting powerful enemies.
"Moo."
Amu's Dragonheart Axe rested on the ground. As per usual, whenever they encountered a formidable foe, he charged in first. Though he always got beaten to a pulp, he consistently created opportunities for Su Xiao, allowing him to seize the initiative. For a technique-type fighter, this was crucial.
But this time, whether to let Amu charge in first raised concerns. The old knight was different from most of the powerful enemies they had faced before. He didn't seem to possess large-scale, lethal abilities, but his normal attacks were like ultimate moves. During his slashes, his body was in a state of strong super-armor, with high damage reduction, and he continuously stacked armor as he took damage.
If Amu charged in to trade blows with the old knight, Su Xiao estimated that Amu might end up being chopped into ground beef.
Amu let out a roar and charged at the old knight, carrying a biting chill, like a tank at full throttle on the Siberian tundra.
"Moo!"
Amu left several ice crystals in the air as he threw himself at the old knight without hesitation. The Dragonheart Axe in his hands glowed with an icy blue, its edge looking exceptionally sharp.
Amu gripped the Dragonheart Axe with both hands, raising the long-handled battle-axe above his head. The single-edged axe, several times larger than a bucket, came crashing down toward the old knight's head.
Clang!
A shockwave radiated from the old knight, kicking up a ring of dust around him. Amu's all-out strike was blocked by the old knight's raised hand, which even caught the axe blade. The edge of the Dragonheart Axe couldn't even cut through the armor on the old knight's palm.
The old knight's armor, though worn and battered—pitted, stained, and rough on the surface—had fused with his body, becoming his second skin.
This meant that the armor, which had been partially melted by high heat and bonded to his body, was considered part of his physical defense. As he took damage and stacked armor, the armor's defense would only grow stronger.
The tattered red cape behind the old knight, now just a stub, fluttered in the wind. The cape was severely faded, its edges frayed with loose threads. The old knight stood over three meters tall with a burly frame, already imposing from his height alone. Now, with his pitch-black eyes and his single hand gripping the rust-covered greatsword, his oppressive presence surged to another level.
His two-handed greatsword was 1.8 meters long, its spine thicker than a palm, worn and heavy. The blackened edge of the blade left no doubt about its sharpness.
An ordinary person would find this greatsword awkward to wield, but for a knight over three meters tall, it was perfectly suited. The weapon's sheer weight amplified his pressure even further.
The hunched old knight grabbed the Dragonheart Axe's blade with one hand. He tilted his head slightly, fixing his pitch-black eyes on Amu. There was a flicker of confusion at first, but the next second, a primal and terrifying killing intent erupted—the spirit of a wild beast.
The old knight let out a roar and swung his greatsword at Amu. It wasn't a slash but a cleave. That was the old knight's style. He was a veteran of the battlefield, favoring heavy weapons and the corresponding fighting methods.
Ice spread, freezing the old knight in place. But the ice didn't hold for even a second; it shattered as soon as it formed. It was the old knight's super-armor slash.
Pfft!
The greatsword cleaved into Amu's shoulder, burying deep into his chest cavity. Before Amu could even feel the pain, the greatsword was pulled out and raised again, aiming a strike at Amu's skull.
If that blow landed, Amu would likely die on the spot. Having high health and strong defense was one thing; having a vital point destroyed was another. It would trigger a continuous instant-death judgment.
A sound of air being torn came from the old knight's side. Before he could deliver the strike, Su Xiao had already closed in on his right flank. Taking advantage of the old knight's raised right arm, leaving his right side wide open, Su Xiao delivered a straight kick aimed at the old knight's ribs.
Boom!!
It was like a cannonball exploding. The shockwave, mixed with dust, scattered in all directions. Su Xiao's kick didn't send the old knight flying. In fact, he didn't budge an inch, standing like a steel stake driven into the ground. Even more absurdly, his attack wasn't interrupted. The sword he was swinging still came down toward Amu.
Everything happened too fast. Although Su Xiao's kick didn't send the old knight flying, it drove his left foot and half his shin into the cracked ground from the impact. The most obvious result was that his sword's trajectory shifted. Instead of aiming for Amu's head, it now struck toward Amu's right shoulder.
Seizing the opportunity, Amu moved his right hand up the axe handle, gripping the upper-middle section, and raised the axe to block.
Clang!
The rusted greatsword struck the Dragonheart Axe. The force of the blow forced Amu's tightly clenched right hand to be pried open by his own axe handle. The Dragonheart Axe was sent flying, spinning at high speed from the impact.
With a tearing sound, the greatsword cut through flesh and bone. Amu's powerful right arm was severed clean off.
Then, the greatsword slammed into the ground, as if explosives were buried in the soil. Dirt flew, and dust billowed.
What was unstoppable? This sword strike was.
Having taken Su Xiao's kick, the old knight wasn't unscathed. Cracks appeared in the armor on his ribs, with signs of inward denting.
After delivering his sword strike, the old knight immediately followed up with a straight kick.
Yes, technique-type fighters who used swords or blades generally liked to suppress their opponent before delivering a straight kick to break their defense. It compensated for the lack of blunt damage.
Thud.
Amu was kicked back like a leaping bullfrog, flying several meters before landing face-first in the dust with a thud.
A low growl rumbled from the old knight's throat. He leaped into the air, reversing his grip on the greatsword, and as he descended, he thrust the blade toward Amu's back.
Sizzle~
The realm-severing thread tightened, pulling Amu, but it wasn't enough to fully dodge the old knight's descending thrust. The edge of Amu's abdomen was pierced, the wound at least ten centimeters deep.
A spatial fluctuation appeared behind the old knight. Baha emerged, his eagle claws gleaming with a faint blue light as he swiped at the old knight's nape.
Screech!
A sound like a blade scraping glass rang out. Baha's claws slid across the armor on the old knight's nape, leaving a few sparks.
Baha's eyes went wide, his mind filled with curses. He hadn't broken through the defense. In the previous world, when fighting the ultimate insect, he had dealt heavy damage to that final boss. But now, against the old knight, he couldn't even break through.
Realizing this, Baha quickly merged back into the alternate space, starting to doubt whether he was really an assassination-type fighter.
It was funny. Back when Baha first started fighting alongside Su Xiao, he had felt like a weakling for a long time. It wasn't until he encountered contractors of the same rank that he gradually realized it wasn't him who was weak.
A dense barrage of slashes rained down on the old knight, but he paid them no mind. Instead, he swung his fist back.
Boom~
A shockwave spread. Baha was flung out of the alternate space, stars spinning in his eyes.
The old knight grabbed Baha and squeezed with all his might. Baha nearly died on the spot. He felt like his intestines were about to shoot out of his rear, and most of the bones in his body were broken.
Of course, Baha's intestines wouldn't actually shoot out, but if he didn't escape, he was dead. Amu, a tanky bull, had nearly been chopped into ground beef. As an assassination-type, Baha's fate if caught by the old knight was easy to imagine.
'Blade Path Sword: Extreme.'
The long blade cut through space, leaving a black trail as it slashed into the old knight's left arm. It first cut through the armor, then into the flesh, burying more than halfway into the bone before getting stuck.
With the support of multiple passive abilities, the blade technique not only broke through the defense but seemed to seriously wound the old knight. But Su Xiao didn't forget that the battle had just begun. The old knight was only starting to stack his armor. At this stage, his physical defense hadn't reached its peak.
The long blade cut through, scattering a few drops of black blood. The old knight tossed Baha aside, hurling him toward Su Xiao.
Su Xiao didn't catch Baha. Letting him fly further away was better. The old knight's true strength attribute was 245 points, 18 points higher than Su Xiao's. That was enough for a strength advantage.
If he caught Baha now, not only would Baha be severely injured by the impact, but Su Xiao himself would leave an opening.
Su Xiao sidestepped to avoid Baha, but he generated a crystalline shell with protrusions on his right arm. With their combat synergy, Baha immediately extended his claws to grab it. After a screeching friction sound, Baha's terrifying speed dropped to a barely acceptable level, and then he vanished, entering the alternate space. Without a good opportunity, he wouldn't come out easily.
That wasn't Baha's mistake. He had been shaken out of the alternate space by the old knight.
Su Xiao had just dodged Baha when he had to dodge Amu, who came flying toward him. Amu had been knocked over, with cracks in most of the bones in his body.
The dust gradually settled. On the vast battlefield, only Su Xiao and the old knight remained. Blood dripped from the tip of the greatsword.
Su Xiao stared at the old knight, thinking to himself, *Thank goodness the old knight has no reason. Otherwise, I'd be dead today.*
"Hoo~"
Su Xiao slightly lowered his stance, slowly exhaling white mist. A faint red glow appeared in the center of his pupils. If a perception-type were present, they would notice that Su Xiao's heart rate had reached 350 to 400 beats per minute or more. His blood flow was so fast that it would kill an ordinary person in a very short time. His body temperature had also risen noticeably, with wisps of blood energy wafting from him.
Su Xiao wasn't entering a berserk or overdrawing state. Only those who didn't understand combat would forcibly overdraw themselves in a fight. On the contrary, what he was doing now was stabilizing his condition, ensuring it remained steady even if he got injured.
Going head-to-head with the old knight was suicide. Amu and Baha had been severely injured, allowing Su Xiao to understand the old knight's super-armor slash.
If Su Xiao had fought alone, trying to figure out the characteristics of the super-armor slash would have resulted in him getting injured, possibly severely, leading to being suppressed throughout the battle until death.
Su Xiao estimated that the only chance of victory lay in his blade technique's derived ability, 'Heart·Soul·Blade,' which targeted weaknesses.
The old knight wasn't in a state of strong super-armor all the time, only during his attacks. 'Heart·Soul·Blade' was most effective against such abilities. If he could break the super-armor, the old knight wouldn't be so unbeatable.
Again, thank goodness the old knight had no reason. A sword technique grandmaster with reason, a super-armor sword, and continuously stacking armor defense—just thinking about it was disheartening.
The ground beneath Su Xiao's feet cracked. He turned into a blur, charging straight at the old knight. Not going head-to-head with the old knight was one thing, but he couldn't afford to lose momentum.
Su Xiao always held one belief: as a blade grandmaster, if he lost his momentum in a fight, what was the point? He might as well find a good feng shui spot and teleport his grave there before getting chopped to death.