Chapter 32: Speed and Power
Red arcs of electricity flickered, and most of the severed limbs on the ground turned to ash and scattered. Only one torso remained, and the red arcs originated from that piece of flesh.
"Can he recover from injuries like that?"
Olivia's eyes widened slightly, finding it hard to believe what she was seeing.
But the Snow Queen Olivia was no ordinary woman. Though surprised, she quickly accepted the scene before her.
The surrounding soldiers had already retreated on their own. This was a battle between monsters; they couldn't even interfere, and being caught in the crossfire would mean certain death.
After more than ten seconds, Sloth's body regenerated.
"Fighting is such a hassle. I just want to sleep."
Despite his murderous aura, Sloth spoke words that dampened morale.
Taunting was useless against an enemy like Sloth. Su Xiao maintained his usual style—no wasted words, only solving problems with the blade in his hand.
Bending his body forward, Su Xiao stomped the ground and charged ahead.
Unlike Sloth's overwhelming, earth-shaking charge, Su Xiao held back some strength while rushing toward his enemy, always ready for unexpected situations.
Su Xiao easily closed the distance with Sloth. Since the enemy's forward speed was too fast, he simply denied him the chance to charge.
Dragon-Slaying Flash swept through, leaving a faint blue light in the air that gradually dissipated after a short while.
Pfft.
The blade cut through everything in its path, and a thick arm flew into the air.
Sloth grunted, enduring the pain with incredible resilience. The searing agony from burning 50 mana points was almost like torture, yet Sloth showed little reaction.
After taking Su Xiao's slash, Sloth immediately counterattacked. A fist the size of a sandbag hurtled toward Su Xiao, its speed terrifying.
Whoosh~.
A dreadful sound of wind breaking came as Sloth's fist tore through layers of air. Su Xiao had only seen such a phenomenon when the Spider Empress fired bullets.
He absolutely could not be hit. He didn't have an undying body; taking that punch would leave him crippled if not dead.
But even as Su Xiao thought this, the enemy's fist showed no sign of slowing down—in fact, it accelerated.
"Shave."
In a moment of crisis, Su Xiao had a flash of inspiration and used Shave in reverse.
No one had ever decreed that Shave had to be used forward; backward was also possible, though slower.
Bang.
Sloth's fist slammed into Su Xiao's chest, and Su Xiao shot backward with a whoosh.
Boom.
A large crater was smashed into the steel wall, splattered with bloodstains.
Su Xiao slid down the wall rather than falling off.
"This is bad."
Edward didn't approve of Su Xiao's methods, but they shared a common enemy. Su Xiao being "defeated" filled him with worry.
In the original story, Olivia defeated Sloth using the cold climate of the north, but Sloth hadn't used his full strength back then.
To be precise, even in the final battle, Sloth didn't go all out—he was too lazy.
But now was different. Sloth wanted revenge, and hatred temporarily suppressed his laziness.
"Prepare to—"
Olivia was about to give an order when she noticed Su Xiao had already stood up. This stunned her, and her first thought was that Su Xiao was also a homunculus. A few seconds later, she dismissed that idea; from the information gathered from Fullmetal Alchemist, homunculi all had strong regenerative abilities.
Not far away, Su Xiao rose to his feet. Blood dripped from his chin, and his body was covered in over a dozen wounds of various sizes. His ribs were misaligned but thankfully not broken. His 35 points of stamina were no joke.
"Pfft."
Su Xiao spat out the blood in his mouth and shook his head, feeling like stars were dancing before his eyes.
His health had dropped to 27%. That punch was indeed vicious. If not for his high stamina and the health bonus from his Spirit Shadow Constitution, he would have been one-shot.
The enemy wasn't just fast in charging; the burst speed of his attacks was equally terrifying.
He took out a bottle of Intermediate Alchemy Secret Medicine and drank it. Not only that, but he also pulled out a bottle of rum.
[Rum]
Quality: Blue
Type: Consumable
Effect: After drinking rum, movement speed increases by 15%, pain resistance increases by 60%, Strength +3, Agility +3, Stamina +3.
Rating: 60
Introduction: Never provoke a drunk person.
...
He downed the rum in a few gulps. A warmth spread through his abdomen, the tightness in his chest disappeared, and the sharp pain from his wounds subsided.
"I got careless."
Su Xiao blamed himself. Since entering the Fullmetal Alchemist world, everything had gone smoothly, making him underestimate the homunculi.
'Battle Lesson (Painful Edition): Never underestimate any enemy just because things are going well.'
Though his body ached all over, Su Xiao was smiling. This lesson came at the right time—not dying was already a gain.
His vision cleared, and his health quickly recovered to over 90%. Intermediate Alchemy Secret Medicine didn't have such an exaggerated effect; it was Bubu Wang who gave him a heal.
Skill 3: Loyal Protection (Active): Consume 50% mana to restore 60% of the owner's health within three seconds. Cooldown: 24 hours.
Bubu Wang wasn't just watching from the sidelines; he was constantly ready to support Su Xiao.
A gust of wind pressure rushed toward him. Sloth, the terrifyingly fast giant, charged again.
Su Xiao wouldn't make the same mistake twice. He quickly sidestepped, and while dodging, he placed Dragon-Slashing Flash horizontally across Sloth's charging path.
With a tearing sound, Sloth was sliced in two.
The two halves of Sloth slammed into the wall like two piles of rotten meat.
Before Sloth could regenerate, blade lights flashed in succession, forming a net of slashes. Sloth was directly diced into pieces.
Sloth soon reformed into human shape. Having figured out the enemy's combat style, Su Xiao gradually gained the upper hand.
Clang!
Blade aura crisscrossed, blood splattered everywhere. Su Xiao nimbly dodged Sloth's charges while leaving cut after cut on the enemy's body.
Though he had been beaten badly by that punch earlier, Su Xiao now held the rhythm of the battle in his hands.
The number of times Sloth was killed rapidly increased. Once, twice, three times...
After ten minutes, Su Xiao's breathing was a bit heavy. It wasn't due to exhaustion but the lingering effects of his earlier injuries.
Dragon-Slashing Flash in his hand emitted a brilliant blue light, almost blinding. Azure Steel Shadow had been running at maximum for ten minutes, triggering the Mana Explosion effect.
Sloth lay on the ground, gasping for breath. The Philosopher's Stone inside him was nearly depleted.
The blade swept through, and the true damage from this slash would make other contractors' eyes pop out.
"Death... such a hassle... I just want to sleep."
The Philosopher's Stone inside Sloth shattered. Without its support, his body gradually disintegrated.
[You have killed Sloth the Lazy.]
[Sloth is a key plot character. Obtained World Source 5.7%. Total World Source obtained: 28.3%.]
[Your talent 'Soul Devourer' has activated. Permanently increased mana by 15 points. Current mana: 974 points.]
[You have obtained a Treasure Chest (Purple).]
[Achievement Mission: Execution of Sin has been completed (5/7).]
...
Even after killing Sloth, Su Xiao still took out a bottle of Alchemy Secret Medicine and drank it.
This item couldn't be used consecutively, or its effects would sharply diminish. Using more than three bottles in a row would render it completely ineffective, requiring several days to offset the resistance. Drinking one bottle every ten minutes or so was just right.
The surrounding plot characters were not trustworthy. Su Xiao would not entrust his safety to others.