Chapter 129: Deathmatch
The wind howled past his ears. Su Xiao's eyes were fixed on the old knight ahead. As he charged forward, the distance between him and the old knight closed rapidly, but he had grown accustomed to this feeling.
Clang!
The long blade clashed against the greatsword. This strike was initiated by Su Xiao, with the old knight on the defensive. For the first 0.5 seconds, Su Xiao's weakness in strength wouldn't be apparent, but when the old knight exerted force, the 18-point difference in Strength Attribute would display an almost exaggerated gap in power.
Combat wasn't just about comparing Strength Attributes, but the problem was, if the gap was too large, overwhelming force could overcome any technique.
What was a Technique Type? A Technique Type was someone who could still fight an enemy even with a large strength disadvantage.
A tremendous force came from the hilt of the blade. The old knight across from him had a wooden expression, but his aura was that of a living wild beast.
As their weapons locked, the force first transmitted to Su Xiao's arm, then caused a sharp pain in his shoulder. The mottled, rusted greatsword pressed down. Seeing this, Su Xiao angled the blade, tilting Dragon-Slaying Flash.
With a screech, the greatsword slid diagonally along the blade. A dark light enveloped the old knight's entire body—the effect of Overlord Slash.
Boom!
The greatsword struck the ground beside Su Xiao. The mud splattering against his left ear stung, and the impact caused a ringing in his ears.
'Blade Path Sword: Slaughter.'
Whoosh. A dark red blood-colored chain slashed through, not only blocking the old knight's vision but also masking his perception. The dark red chain enveloped him.
A faint trace of blood energy appeared around Su Xiao as he charged into the blood-colored chain ahead. Leveraging the homogenous nature of the blood energy, he wasn't injured within the chain; instead, his speed surged for an instant before returning to normal as he passed through.
'Blade Path Sword: Blood Blade.'
Blood-red feathers appeared around Su Xiao. He and his slash seemed to transform into a single blood-red line, piercing from behind the old knight to his front.
'Blade Path Sword: Time.'
Thump. Everything around Su Xiao slowed down. He performed a slow-motion back-lean while simultaneously backflipping, dodging the greatsword the old knight swung down.
After using Blood Blade, Su Xiao had been facing away from the old knight. Now, after backflipping, he stood side-by-side with him.
Su Xiao's combination of 'Slaughter' + 'Blood Blade' + 'Time' hadn't severely wounded the old knight, but it had chipped away some of his health. With the blessing of the 'Skill Sublimation' ability, the power of his blade techniques was formidable.
The old knight's sword struck empty air. As mud flew, he didn't lift the greatsword from the dirt but instead plowed it through the soil and the stone slabs beneath, sweeping it upward toward Su Xiao.
Su Xiao immediately entered a Spatial Penetration state. The greatsword passed through his head the next instant. From the old knight's side, Su Xiao used Spatial Penetration to reach behind him. Without deactivating it, he slashed at the old knight's nape, planning to end the Spatial Penetration the moment the blade struck.
Bang!
A gauntlet-clad elbow enlarged before Su Xiao's eyes. His mind went blank as he was forcibly ejected from the Spatial Penetration state, sent flying backward.
When the ringing in Su Xiao's ears subsided and his perception and vision returned, he found himself lying in a furrow carved into the ground. A greatsword was thrusting straight toward his head.
Su Xiao raised his left arm to block while slapping the ground with his right hand.
His crystal arm was shattered by the thrust, and the Black King Bracer was pierced through by the greatsword. Seizing this opportunity, Su Xiao used the force from slapping the ground to flip himself up. The greatsword, still skewering the Black King Bracer, grazed past his cheek, leaving a bloody gash.
Su Xiao flipped up from the ground. Mid-air, he condensed blood energy beneath his feet, forcing it nearly solid for an instant. Using this as a foothold, he bent his legs and performed a classic double jump three meters above the ground.
His high-speed assault left a trail of ethereal blood energy behind him. When he reappeared, he was half-kneeling on the old knight's hunched back, holding his blade with one hand, stabbing at the old knight's nape.
The long blade pierced the outer armor, sank into flesh, and met bone. Su Xiao felt a recoil, as if striking some extremely hard metal rather than a living creature's skeleton.
The old knight immediately executed a reverse slash, flinging the Black King Bracer still skewered on his sword.
Su Xiao leaped backward off the old knight's spine. Mid-leap, his shattered crystal arm, aided by the Banishment fragments, flowed back and reassembled onto his left arm. The Black King Bracer also flew back.
Su Xiao landed on solid ground. A sense of crisis spread through his entire body.
Clang!
Clang!
Clang!
The old knight, at a moderately slow speed, slashed out three massive black blade auras. These auras intersected as they flew toward him.
Su Xiao first sidestepped to dodge the first slash. As he was about to evade the second massive blade aura, it fragmented into thousands of smaller black slashes, all converging on him.
Clang, clang, clang...
Sparks flew. Su Xiao deflected the incoming small black slashes one by one.
'Blade Path Sword: Azure Demon.'
A blue-green blade aura shot out, heading straight for the third incoming massive black blade aura.
Just as everyone expected the two blade auras to cancel each other out, the old knight charged forward and collided with Azure Demon.
Fragments of the blue-green blade aura scattered. After shattering Azure Demon, the old knight swung his greatsword down at Su Xiao's head. As he dodged, a strange thought crossed Su Xiao's mind: if he survived this, he absolutely had to develop Azure Demon further. He had never imagined someone would use their body to shatter his blade aura, let alone its super-upgraded version, Azure Demon.
Boom.
Mud splashed beside Su Xiao. He slashed across the old knight's neck, leaving a cut.
The old knight paid no heed to Su Xiao's strike. His sword momentum suddenly accelerated, and he began wildly hacking and slashing.
Boom, boom, clang! Boom...
After blocking one strike, Su Xiao felt like his hand was about to break. As for using a perfect parry to reduce the old knight's force, Su Xiao would never do that—his waist would snap. There was simply no way to block it. The old knight's ferocious passive abilities were no joke.
Blade edge and sword aura flashed in succession. With a dull thud, Su Xiao was sent flying backward. When he landed, his feet plowed through the ground as he slid back.
From earlier on, his attacks against the old knight had barely been breaking through his defense. Worse still, the old knight's armor stacking was continuing. If not for Dragon-Slashing Flash, any other Immortal-rank weapon would have been doing scratch damage from the start.
A cut traced across the old knight's neck. He made to swing his sword. Sensing trouble, Su Xiao prepared to leap back. But before his feet left the ground, the old knight stomped.
Boom! The ground for several kilometers around trembled. Su Xiao's body went numb for an instant—some undetected ability of the old knight.
Pfft.
The greatsword slashed across Su Xiao's chest. His health plummeted a large chunk. When he struck the old knight, it was barely an inconvenience, but the reverse was not the case.
It was fortunate this was Su Xiao. If an Eighth-Rank tank-type had taken that sword strike, they'd be gone. Not instantly killed, but unable to dodge the old knight's follow-up strikes. An upper-tier Eighth-Rank tank would be near death after two strikes and leave this beautiful world after three.
Blood splattered from Su Xiao's chest. The crimson light in his eyes deepened. He pointed forward with one hand. The blood spraying from his chest transformed into blood energy, forming several sharp needles that shot toward the old knight's face.
One by one, 20-centimeter-long blood needles struck the old knight's face and exploded. But he seemed oblivious, swinging his sword down.
'Blade Domain!'
Su Xiao pointed his long blade forward, ignoring the greatsword coming down at his head.
Clang, clang, clang...
Dense, light-blue blade auras enveloped the old knight. The slashing frequency was astonishing, yet it still couldn't stop him from swinging his sword.
Boom, boom, boom.
The old knight's sword strikes landed one after another, but all hit empty air. Su Xiao had used Dragon Shadow Flash's Spatial Penetration to retreat over ten meters away. As for using Dragon Shadow Flash to close in—he had tried that minutes ago, and his skull had nearly been cracked open by the old knight's elbow. The old knight could eject enemies from alternate spaces or Spatial Penetration states.
The old knight's frenzied slashing continued. Had he lost his mind? No. After each swing, the old knight could enter a powerful Super Armor state via War Soul Force, granting high damage reduction.
Even though the old knight was now a beast, a warrior was always a warrior. Besides, mental beast transformation didn't mean losing consciousness—it was just madness.
When the Blade Domain stopped, the old knight ceased his slashing. He strode toward Su Xiao. A weight immediately settled on Su Xiao's shoulders.
This was the second inescapable aspect of the old knight: when he charged at a target, that target's movement speed sharply decreased due to some ability.
In other words, once targeted by the old knight, the only option was to fight head-on. And the inescapable truth was that Overlord Slash was nearly invincible in one-on-one combat.
Su Xiao glanced at the old knight's health. The old knight had stacked his armor too high earlier. Su Xiao truly hadn't expected his own Blade Domain to be doing scratch damage.
Clang!
A shockwave radiated outward from Su Xiao. The greatsword and long blade locked, grinding and creaking. Su Xiao's crystal left arm, bracing the blade's spine, began to crack under the immense force pressing down from the greatsword.
Just as Su Xiao tried to pull back, a shockwave hit him head-on. A pitch-black mist, like a ghostly head, shot toward him at an unavoidable speed, passing straight through his body. This was the soul power of a Trace King, released by the old knight.
Su Xiao's body felt like it had fallen into an ice cellar. This wasn't control—it was a clash of soul power causing physical numbness. If his soul strength weren't so high, he would have died on the spot.
A sharp pain came from his abdomen. Then Su Xiao felt himself being lifted.
The afterimages before Su Xiao's eyes vanished, and his vision cleared. Agony radiated from his chest. A greatsword had pierced through it. Baha was behind the old knight's head, claws gripping the gaps in the armor at the back of his neck, wings flapping with all its might, trying to drag the old knight backward.
If not for Baha, Su Xiao would have been pinned to the ground by the old knight's sword.
A sweet, fishy taste surged up. Under the impact of the thrust, blood shot straight up from Su Xiao's mouth, mixed with fragments of internal organs.
Dark energy rampaged through Su Xiao's body. Although the Cyan Steel Shadow Energy was continuously devouring this energy, the energy reaction during the devouring process kept his body numb. If he hadn't been wielding a blade for years, he wouldn't even be able to hold it now.
Ice spread. The old knight's left arm swung back in a punch. A ball of black impact slammed into Amu's face a few meters away. Amu toppled backward and rolled.
Bubu Wang bit down on the back of the old knight's calf. The old knight was unaffected, but Bubu Wang's eyes welled up with tears from the pain.
"Meow meow meow!"
Beini also charged in, looking particularly fierce. Then a tragic scene unfolded. The old knight stomped his foot, and Beini was sent flying backward.
'Blade Path Sword: Time.'
Su Xiao finally had the strength to grip the hilt. The domain of Time expanded. He pulled back, withdrawing from the enemy's greatsword piercing his chest, then slashed diagonally at the ground.
A boom echoed. Bubu Wang and Baha were sent flying by the slash. Each used their own skills—one entered an alternate space, the other merged into the environment.
Su Xiao pressed one hand to his chest. Several Spirit Shadow Threads entered his body. He only had time for a rough suture of his internal injuries before the old knight attacked.
The old knight roared. Darkness enveloped the greatsword in his hand as he swung it down at Su Xiao. Su Xiao's pupils rapidly contracted. This ultimate move looked too ordinary—almost like a normal strike.
The next second, everything went silent. A trench dozens of meters deep, over ten meters wide, and more than two kilometers long appeared.
Su Xiao crouched beside the trench. His clothes slowly tore apart. The [Wild Hunt Night] long leather coat, ultimately too damaged to remain on him, fell away. Because of the waist belt, it hung in strips, covering his pants.
Finger-wide blood grooves appeared across Su Xiao's body, covering most of his upper torso. First came numbness, then a searing pain across his entire body. Soon, the bare half of his body turned red—stained by blood.
Groundwater spurted from the trench beside Su Xiao. Soon, it filled the trench and overflowed, rising until it reached Su Xiao's and the old knight's ankles before stopping.
Drip, drip~
Blood dripped from Su Xiao's chin, diluting as it hit the water.
Boom.
Su Xiao and the old knight simultaneously burst forward through the water. Amidst a spray of water, the long blade and greatsword clashed with a clang. The impact blasted the surrounding water droplets away.
At this level of combat, Su Xiao's health was about to drop below 35%. Fighting the old knight, having health fluctuate below a certain point became extremely dangerous. One mistake could mean death.
Blade auras crisscrossed. Su Xiao's condition was poor, but the old knight was nearly the same as when the fight began. No—his physical defense was even stronger now.
The edge of Dragon-Slashing Flash slashed upward across the old knight's shoulder. What should have severed the arm only left a wound. When it cut through the armor, sparks flew.
The greatsword passed close by Su Xiao's ear. He sidestepped. The greatsword crashed into the water. The old knight was in an Overlord Slash state. At that moment, Su Xiao keenly sensed a momentary sluggishness in the energy within the old knight—the aftereffect of Cyan Steel Shadow Energy invading and devouring his energy.
'Opening.'
Su Xiao lunged forward. The old knight immediately raised his sword and brought it down in a head-on strike. Life or death in an instant.
Bang!
Su Xiao's straight kick landed on the old knight's abdomen. The old knight, who had been in the Overlord Slash state, staggered back half a step, then dropped to one knee, splashing water everywhere. The Super Armor was broken.
'Blade Path Sword: Extreme.'
Su Xiao's blade slashed open the old knight's neck. Black blood spilled out. But it wasn't over. His crystal arm shattered. Banishment formed into a hiltless rapier shape. Inside, a hair-thin, straight fire line ignited. Banishment entered an Internal Combustion state.
[New Trait: Internal Combustion.]
[When Banishment enters the Internal Combustion state, it will rapidly consume stored Cyan Steel Shadow Energy, greatly increasing flight speed, penetration, and lethality.]
[Banishment can sustain Internal Combustion for up to 5 seconds. Each use requires 5 natural days to cooldown.]
Banishment shot out with a deafening sonic boom, piercing through the old knight's neck from front to back, barely creating a walnut-sized hole.
The old knight's health plummeted a large chunk. Combined with accumulated damage, it dropped to 50%.
Su Xiao knew an opportunity might have arrived. Many enemies, when changing forms, couldn't move or retaliate. He had to seize this chance to strike hard, not stand there like an idiot.
Not only Su Xiao, but Baha also understood this. It had merged into the alternate space and was flying in silently.
"Roar!"
The old knight threw his head back and roared. His previously hunched body straightened. His spine cracked and popped as it returned to its normal physiological curve.
"What the—!?"
Baha, who had been ready to rush in and unleash hell, quickly retreated. The old knight transitioned from normal state to Dark Blood Knight state in under 0.5 seconds. Body straightened, cape fluttering, black flame igniting on the greatsword—combat continuation complete.
Now, looking at the old knight, black flames burned on his greatsword. This explained why the once-bright blade was covered in black rust. It made one wonder—had someone fought the old knight before and forced him into this Dark Blood Knight state?
A cape made of black steel fragments hung behind the old knight. The outer scales of the cape were slightly raised, their edges sharp. The tattered hem of the cape resembled a row of uneven daggers.
Whoosh!
A flash of black flame. The old knight's speed exploded. Earlier, Su Xiao could trade blows with the old knight mainly because he was faster. Now, not only was that advantage gone, but the old knight was even faster.
Su Xiao angled his long blade diagonally beside him. The next moment, an irresistible force came from the blade. Unable to withstand it, the enemy's greatsword slashed into Su Xiao's side. First came numbness, then searing pain.
Su Xiao was sent flying sideways. Mid-air, a long firearm appeared in his hand—[Dead Silence Annihilation].
Bang, bang, bang, bang, bang.
Five consecutive shots, all hitting the old knight's chest and face. But this didn't stop his advance. Fragments of armor eroded by Dead Silence Force fell off, turning to ash before hitting the water.
Su Xiao crashed into the water, plowing through it for dozens of meters before crouching to a stop.
Once the old knight entered the Dark Blood Knight state, the scales of this battle were set. Continuing like this meant certain defeat.
Su Xiao stood up, looking at the old knight approaching. He had possessed a trump card for a long time, but he couldn't be sure if he would survive using it now.
Compared to being cleaved to death by the old knight, Su Xiao would rather gamble on a sliver of hope. Besides, the survival rate for using that move was at least 80%. Compared to the current certain death, it was a good deal.
Confirming that Bubu Wang, Amu, Baha, and Beini were far away, Su Xiao raised his left hand. The root-like [Thunder Spirit] coiled toward him.
Su Xiao leaped back a few steps to a pre-selected spot and activated [Thunder Spirit].
Use [Heaven's Wrath: Thunderfall]? No. With the old knight's current physical defense, that move wouldn't be decisive either.
Su Xiao had two ways to summon lightning: 1. via Luck Attribute, 2. via Elemental Affinity.
As a Law Destroyer, his Elemental Affinity was 897 points. What kind of World Lightning would such an astonishingly high Elemental Affinity attract?
Was Su Xiao trying to die together with the old knight? Of course not. A badge called [Holy Cross Emblem] existed in the team storage space.
[Holy Protection (Passive): When the engraver's health drops below 0.35%, this item activates, granting a high-tier invincibility shield for 1.5 seconds. During this time, it restores 100% of the engraver's health and 50% mana.]
[After activation, the Holy Cross Emblem shatters. The remaining powder still possesses extremely powerful Holy properties. Applied to a weapon, it grants high Holy True Damage for a period.]
With the [Holy Cross Emblem], Su Xiao had over 70% confidence in surviving the World Lightning. The duration of the World Lightning strike wasn't long. A 1.5-second high-tier invincibility shield should be enough to save him.
More crucially, the intensity of World Lightning was capped by the world's strength. In places like the Real World or the Void, using Elemental Affinity to attract lightning was suicide. But here, in the World of Paintings, it was different.
This was a collapsing Eighth-Rank world. Attracting lightning here meant the intensity cap wouldn't be too exaggerated.
Golden arcs of electricity surged on Su Xiao's left hand. He clenched his fist, drawing the World Lightning from above.
The old knight sensed danger and made to retreat. Blue light surged in Su Xiao's eyes, causing the old knight's movement to pause.
Why? The answer was that when Banishment had pierced the old knight's neck earlier, a portion of it had turned into dust-sized particles and merged into the old knight's Dark Blood. Just now, by manipulating that portion of Banishment, Su Xiao interfered with the old knight's mobility. It was only for a short time, but it was enough.
The clouds in the sky turned pitch black. The sunlight that had been shining through moments ago vanished. Golden lightning brewed above to its limit.
Boom!
A kilometer-thick pillar of golden lightning crashed down. The lightning was so powerful that even before it struck, the surface water was pushed outward.
Boom!!!
Su Xiao and the old knight were engulfed in the immense thunder. The earth seemed to take a heavy punch from the heavens. The ground for several kilometers cracked and sank around the strike zone. Bubu Wang, who was running away, fell straight into a pit, landing face-first in the dirt.
Inside the strike zone, Su Xiao sank into the water. This was the spot he had chosen earlier—the dozens-of-meters-deep water trench carved out by the old knight's sword technique.
In the lightning, Su Xiao's entire body went numb. Already severely injured, he triggered the [Holy Cross Emblem]. A shell-like shield appeared, enveloping him. His health rapidly recovered, soon reaching full.
The high-tier invincibility shield was brief. Fortunately, the World Lightning in the water had passed its peak. When the shield disappeared, Su Xiao's body was numbed by electricity again.
When the World Lightning completely dissipated, Su Xiao swam out of the trench. He casually tossed away the empty potion bottle in his hand. As expected, the World Lightning he had attracted was powerful, but not so strong that even his life-saving item was useless.
Right. If this were the Real World or the Void, attracting lightning with Elemental Affinity would make life-saving items useless. Death would be certain—just a matter of sooner or later.
Even in a normal Eighth-Rank world, using Elemental Affinity to attract lightning and relying on life-saving items to survive had a low probability.
The scene before him was a scorched wasteland. Su Xiao looked toward where the old knight had been. A charred, tall figure lay there.
Crack~
The sound of armor breaking reached his ears. The prone old knight rose. He gripped his greatsword with one hand, using it to support himself as he stood. Wisps of smoke drifted from his body.
Su Xiao wasn't surprised that the old knight had survived the World Lightning. This World of Paintings was on the verge of collapse. In a few more years, it might not even be able to summon World Lightning anymore.
Although the old knight wasn't dead, his armor was covered in cracks. His health had dropped to 31.77%. Now, there was a fight to be had.
Groundwater gushed up, flooding the scorched ground around them.
The old knight roared and charged. Su Xiao assumed a drawing stance.
'Blade Path Sword: Flow.'
An ethereal wind scar slashed through. The armor on the old knight's chest was cut open, revealing a wound deep enough to reach bone. Seeing this, Su Xiao felt much more at ease. He could finally break through the defense.
Boom! The greatsword struck the ground beside him. Water splashed. The impact was so great that the water cut bloody lines across Su Xiao's face.
The old knight kicked Su Xiao, sending him stumbling backward. Leveraging this force, Su Xiao twisted his body. The greatsword slashed past his ear, whistling as it cut into the water.
Clang, clang, clang.
A flurry of blade work. Fragments flew from the armor on the old knight's raised arm. Several slashes exposed the bone.
The greatsword swept horizontally, heavy and forceful. Su Xiao planted his blade vertically to block, the tip piercing the water and sinking into the ground.
Clang~
The greatsword struck the long blade. Using the hilt as a pivot, Su Xiao leaped up, high enough to dodge the horizontal slash. The long blade in his hand vanished, stored away.
The greatsword swept beneath Su Xiao. He retrieved the long blade from storage. As his foot touched the water's surface, he began to gather power. When he hit the bottom, he burst forward with incredible speed, closing the half-meter distance to the old knight and delivering a straight kick.
Bang! The old knight's opening was exploited again, breaking his Super Armor. As he dropped to one knee, a layer of crystal enveloped Dragon-Slashing Flash—the Azure Shadow King ability.
The long blade thrust forward.
Thump.
Su Xiao's vision blurred, and he was sent flying backward. Combat wasn't a turn-based game of one move each; there were countless variables.
When his vision cleared, Su Xiao's entire body burned. Black flames burned on his bare skin. As he released Cyan Steel Shadow Energy, the black flames extinguished.
Su Xiao made to stand, but dizziness overwhelmed him. His injuries were too severe.
Thump.
Black flames surged from ahead. Su Xiao raised one hand to block. A black shadow pounced.
Precise, sharp. His perception contracted. Everything around Su Xiao vanished, leaving only the charging old knight. The domain of 'Time' appeared around Su Xiao. He thrust his blade forward.
The long blade pierced the old knight's chest, straight through the heart. The old knight seemed oblivious, instead delivering a headbutt. Even though Su Xiao guarded with his left hand, he was still sent flying, his vision going dark.
'Cut.'
Mid-flight, Su Xiao vaguely heard the old knight's hoarse, crazed voice. A sense of crisis hit. He gathered blood energy beneath his feet, forced it nearly solid for an instant, and pushed off.
Su Xiao performed a second backflip mid-air, dodging several black blade auras. But just before he landed, a pre-emptive blade aura struck toward his left leg.
Plop. Su Xiao's severed left leg fell into the water, staining it red. His right leg was severed a few centimeters below the knee.
Su Xiao fell into the shallow water. His crystal left arm shattered. The Banishment fragments within peeled off. A crystal lower leg extended from the stump. The Banishment fragments merged into it.
Su Xiao stood up, testing the water with his left foot. He had a leg. He wasn't dead yet. Continue.
Su Xiao walked toward the old knight at a moderate pace. The old knight approached from the opposite side. It seemed like a mid-battle pause, but both vanished simultaneously.
The long blade and greatsword clashed repeatedly. After being struck by lightning, the old knight's strength had decreased significantly, no longer overwhelming Su Xiao. However, the old knight seemed to have regained some clarity. Though he didn't recognize Su Xiao, he remembered how to fight with technique. Su Xiao's severed leg was bloody proof.
Clang, clang, clang!
Sparks flew. Su Xiao made to gather blood energy. Before he could start, a greatsword swept horizontally. Su Xiao immediately entered a Spatial Penetration state.
The old knight reversed his grip on the sword and stabbed it into the ground. A shockwave spread. Su Xiao, who had just penetrated space, was ejected. Several black blade auras slashed toward him.
Su Xiao dodged the blade auras. Across from him, black flames ignited on the old knight's body. The damage from the lightning strike was healing. In a short while, he might return to full strength. Then Su Xiao would be dead.
As the saying goes, strike while the iron is hot. Blood energy gathered behind Su Xiao.
"Roar!"
The Blood Beast roared and pounced at the old knight. A ring of black flame expanded around the old knight.
The blood energy explosion was annihilated. But this wasn't suppression—the Blood Beast had transformed into hundreds of blood-colored Banishment needles, stabbing at the old knight from all directions.
The dense sound of blood energy explosions came. Su Xiao charged forward, enduring the blasts. Suddenly, a piercing sensation in his chest made him sidestep.
A finger-thick black flame ray blasted through Su Xiao's chest. His health dropped to a dangerous level. The next second, it began to recover—the delayed effect of the [War: Recovery Potion (Eighth Rank)] he had obtained from Kaisa.
He had planned to study the potion later, but compared to surviving this battle, that was irrelevant. Dying here meant everything was for nothing.
Su Xiao charged into the blood energy. Black flames met him head-on. The old knight's health was at 22.1%—within kill range! This was the only chance.
An overwhelming pressure hit him, sending a chill down Su Xiao's spine. The old knight was about to recover to his pre-lightning strength. This must be due to some passive ability; otherwise, it wouldn't be this fast.
The blood energy was dispersed by the impact. In the midst of the assault, Su Xiao, covered in blood, slowly inhaled. Dark blue smoke clung to Dragon-Slashing Flash. Using Demon Blade now was risky, but if he didn't use it now, there would be no later chance. Once the old knight returned to full strength, Su Xiao would be the one to die.
The long blade traced a tricky arc toward the old knight's neck. Suddenly, the old knight's velocity skyrocketed. His greatsword slashed diagonally, accompanied by a shockwave that dizzied the mind.
Pfft!
Su Xiao's entire right arm was severed. Dragon-Slashing Flash, wrapped in dark blue smoke, flew away.
"Blade!"
Baha shouted, appearing beside Dragon-Slashing Flash. With a hook of its talon, it flung the long blade back.
"Moo!"
Amu charged from the side but failed to hit the old knight. Instead, the old knight struck its neck with the sword's pommel, slamming its head into the ground. Amu nearly flipped over. If not for the pressure Su Xiao was applying, the old knight would have split Amu in two from the crotch.
The long blade, its edge wrapped in dark blue smoke, tumbled through the air toward Su Xiao. But he no longer had a right arm. As for his left crystal arm, because his left lower leg had been severed, the Banishment fragments had been diverted to serve as the control center for the crystal left calf.
Crack, crack, crack~
Crystal extended from Su Xiao's right arm stump. A Banishment fragment cut across the right side of his neck. Blood sprayed to his right. The moment it left his body, it turned into blood energy, mixing into the rapidly forming crystal arm, creating blood-red veins like nerves.
A crystal right arm, filled with countless blood-red threads inside, formed in less than a second. It was unstable, but usable.
Su Xiao couldn't control the crystal produced by the 'Proud Song' ability to move, but he could control blood energy. A large amount of crystal fragments, combined with blood energy transformed from his own blood, successfully formed an arm he could control by manipulating blood energy.
Slap!
Su Xiao's right hand gripped the long blade. The dark blue smoke on the blade hadn't dissipated yet.
"What the—"
Baha exclaimed before being swatted away by the old knight's sword. As for why it was a swat—Baha had dodged the old knight's slash. Before it could celebrate, the old knight changed his move and swatted it away.
Blood energy erupted from Su Xiao as the center. He was already very close to the old knight. In a full-speed assault, he was in front of the old knight the next instant. The old knight raised his sword for a powerful downward strike. Seeing this, Su Xiao knew he had turned the tables.
'Opening.'
A blood energy explosion suddenly occurred inside the old knight's neck. Don't forget—earlier, the old knight's neck had been pierced by Banishment in its Internal Combustion state, leaving a walnut-sized hole.
The old knight's physical defense was indeed formidable, but his self-recovery was average. It was like Su Xiao's Charm Attribute—nothing was absolutely perfect.
A portion of the Blood Beast's blood energy had been held back by Su Xiao. Now, it played a decisive role.
The blood energy exploded inside the old knight's neck. His movements clearly slowed for an instant. Su Xiao slashed. The long blade in his hand seemed to trace a dark blue ink stroke diagonally.
In that second, everything around slowed down. The 'dark blue ink stroke' entered the wound on the old knight's chest. The raised greatsword slowly lowered. The pitch-black eyes regained brown-yellow pupils.
"You have defeated... the beast... and the god."
With those words, the old knight collapsed. Su Xiao's right arm, made of crystal and blood energy, shattered inch by inch. Dragon-Slashing Flash slipped from his hand, plunging into the shallow water, deep into the ground.
Su Xiao exhaled blood energy. Then he fell backward into the shallow water. He felt he wouldn't die yet, but he needed to rest for a while.
The clouds in the sky drifted. A beam of sunlight filtered through a gap in the clouds, shining on the old knight.
"Rude beast... why did you not accept... my power? I am a god... the God of Mind... and I lost to a beast? Absurd..."
An undetected existence faded away. Ink-like traces gradually drifted out of the old knight's body, gathering above him. Finally, his restored eyes lost their luster.
The old knight... was slain.
PS: (Two chapters today, but this chapter is 9000 words. Two chapters total 12000 words. Not too short, right?)