Chapter 28: Technique and Gap
Su Xiao looked at the enemy collapsed not far away. He didn't charge forward. Judging by the purple-quality shield in the opponent's hand, the enemy was definitely a main tank.
One-shotting a main tank was impossible at this stage. Even Sniper Feng hadn't been instantly killed by him.
Inserting Dragon-Slaying Flash into the ground beside him, Su Xiao drew his black and white dual pistols.
Bang, bang, bang, bang.
A fierce barrage began. Leng Yue immediately retaliated, swinging her sword to unleash a wind blade.
Su Xiao sidestepped the wind blade while aiming his gun at Leng Yue.
Bullets poured out. Leng Yue raised her rapier in front of her, forming a wind barrier that blocked all the bullets.
After enduring over a dozen bullets, cracks appeared in Leng Yue's wind barrier.
"How much longer do you need?"
Leng Yue shouted.
"Three seconds."
Rona pressed one hand against her knee. Her severed foot had already been reattached. With Candy's skill, her injuries were rapidly healing.
"I can't hold it."
Bang.
Leng Yue's wind barrier shattered. Bullets came straight at her. Her pupils contracted as she began tracking the bullet trajectories.
Ding, ding, ding, ding...
A large number of bullets were deflected by Leng Yue, though occasionally a spray of blood burst from her body.
Su Xiao suddenly stopped firing.
"Not bad sword technique."
He holstered the black and white pistols and pulled Dragon-Slaying Flash from the ground beside his foot.
With a push off the ground, grass clippings flew. Su Xiao charged toward Leng Yue and the others from above, gliding in a low arc.
"Almost done. Buy me time."
Rona shouted. Leng Yue nodded. Blood Rose didn't charge forward with Leng Yue but instead blocked the path Su Xiao would take to reach Candy.
It was clear that the Spider Lily Adventure Group had grown a lot, both in tactics and strength.
Su Xiao rushed straight at Leng Yue like a hunting falcon.
Leng Yue extended both arms straight down toward the ground, her twin rapiers glowing with silver light.
Just as Su Xiao was three meters away from Leng Yue, his diving body began to descend.
Leng Yue's lips curled upward. The moment he landed would be her opportunity.
Su Xiao was about to touch the ground. Leng Yue's twin rapiers slashed in a scissor-like motion. If they hit, Su Xiao would be cut in two.
Su Xiao halted his descent. He thrust Dragon-Slaying Flash into the dirt, bracing one hand against the pommel of the blade, keeping his body at least a meter above the ground.
This made Leng Yue's slash extremely awkward. She couldn't hit Su Xiao, and her attack would be blocked by Dragon-Slaying Flash.
Ding.
The two rapiers struck the blade of Dragon-Slaying Flash, sparks flying.
Midair, Su Xiao didn't idle. He delivered a straight kick to Leng Yue's throat.
Bang.
Leng Yue flew down the slope, blood spilling from her mouth. But that wasn't the end. The moment Su Xiao landed, he yanked Dragon-Slaying Flash from the dirt, his arm muscles bulging as he hurled the blade with full force.
Dragon-Slaying Flash spun rapidly through the air, turning into a wheel of gleaming cold steel.
Leng Yue, still flying through the air, suddenly felt a numbness in her shoulder, followed by the dizzying sensation of crashing to the ground.
A slender arm fell to the ground, still gripping a rapier in its severed hand.
Dragon-Slaying Flash was embedded near the severed arm. Su Xiao, far away, made a pulling motion. Dragon-Slaying Flash suddenly flew back.
He retracted the Realm Severing Thread. He had tied the thread to the hilt of Dragon-Slaying Flash earlier; otherwise, he wouldn't have used a throwing technique like that.
Leng Yue stood up, blood trickling from her mouth. She instinctively raised her left arm, but the familiar sensation of lifting it didn't come.
She turned her head and froze. Her arm was gone.
The first few seconds after a limb is severed by a sharp weapon aren't painful, thanks to the adrenaline secreted during battle. Also, when nerves are cut, the initial sensation is numbness, not pain.
Agony then consumed Leng Yue. But before the pain of the severed arm fully hit, the pain from the Azure Steel Shadow energy struck first.
Fine veins bulged on Leng Yue's forehead. Her body began to tremble slightly.
Rona's injuries had healed. She rushed forward, standing in front of Leng Yue, and said softly, "Leng Yue."
Leng Yue turned her head, confusion in her eyes.
"Let's flee separately."
Rona's words made Leng Yue unwilling to accept. She meant they were doomed to lose.
No wonder Rona said that. Though the fight with Su Xiao had been brief, she felt a huge gap. The opponent seemed to have no obvious weaknesses.
"No need. This guy is a low-defense, high-damage melee fighter. Very fragile."
When Spider Lily had fought Su Xiao before, her sniper rifle could easily pierce his body. And after Spider Lily lost, Su Xiao was heavily injured.
"Fragile?"
"Probably..."
Leng Yue wasn't entirely sure either. After all, several derivative worlds had passed.
Rona was skeptical about Su Xiao being fragile. He didn't give her the impression of a frail physique. Though he didn't have obvious muscles, Rona had a feeling he wasn't fragile at all.
Rona's guess was correct. With 44 points in Stamina, the health bonus from the Spirit Shadow Constitution, and the defense of the Gale Wind Coat, Su Xiao was anything but fragile.
However, Rona's Stamina was 47 points, three higher than Su Xiao's.
Rona's survivability differed from Su Xiao's. She held a shield and had mastered several defensive skills.
Su Xiao slowly walked down the slope. Leng Yue and the others gradually clustered together, as if Su Xiao had surrounded them.
"You were the ones who revealed killing intent on the plane earlier, right? If my instincts are correct, there were six of you showing killing intent. Where's your other companion?"
Flicking the blood off Dragon-Slaying Flash, Su Xiao didn't attack immediately. He was searching for the contractor who knew his identity. Encountering Leng Yue and the others along the way was too coincidental.
After all, no contractor would move toward the center of the Red Soil Area. Everyone could sense the ominous feeling emanating from the central region. Unless necessary, Su Xiao didn't want to get close either.
"Looks like you have quite a few enemies."
Leng Yue's implication was that there were only five of them.
"Forget it, then."
Su Xiao stopped talking, his gaze fixed on them. Once the battle resumed, he would remain silent.
"Prepare to fight. Rona in the center, Rose on the left, me on the right. Candy, stay hidden. If you get a chance to control this guy, focus fire immediately."
As Leng Yue finished speaking, she was stunned to see Blood Rose stepping back.
"Rose?"
Blood Rose lowered her head, silent.
A sonic boom came from directly ahead. Leng Yue had no time to worry about Blood Rose. She and Rona charged forward.
Rona rushed ahead, with Leng Yue close behind.
Su Xiao reached the two of them. He didn't choose to slash at Rona's shield. That purple-quality shield looked extremely sturdy, with signs of reinforcement.
"Ha!"
Rona let out a roar, and a golden ripple spread outward.
[You are affected by the Taunt effect of War Cry. Stamina attribute check in progress.]
[Check passed. You are immune to this control.]
After using the War Cry skill, Rona instinctively stepped back two steps. It was her habit. Usually, when she taunted an enemy, they would mindlessly attack her. Stepping back made them run a few extra steps, giving her teammates more preparation time.
Rona retreated. Su Xiao slashed at Leng Yue.
Ding.
The long blade clashed with the rapier. Rona stood nearby, utterly stunned.