Chapter 29: Blood-Weeping Rose
Being in close quarters with Su Xiao is a terrifying experience, at least that's how Leng Yue felt.
The howling blade swept past her ear, severing strands of Leng Yue's black hair and leaving a trail of blood on her cheek.
Leng Yue, skilled with dual swords, was now left with only one arm, making it even harder to block Su Xiao's slashes.
"Shield Charge."
Lona charged in from the side, but Su Xiao didn't even glance at her.
With force applied to the long blade in his hand, Leng Yue's face flushed red, and she could barely hold onto her rapier.
An emerald-green light wafted around Leng Yue—it was Candy's healing skill.
Su Xiao didn't care about Leng Yue in front of him, nor did he pay much attention to Lona charging from the side. As for Candy, he completely ignored her.
Only one person in the vicinity gave him a dangerous feeling: Blood Rose, who had been standing not far away the whole time.
As the vice-captain of the Sinful Othershore Flower Adventure Group, Blood Rose had contributed virtually nothing in the previous battle, even seeming to betray her teammates.
Even so, Blood Rose still gave Su Xiao a faint sense of danger. That guy wasn't selling out her teammates; she was brewing some kind of skill.
First, take care of the two in close quarters, then deal with Blood Rose.
Having made up his mind, a red light flashed on the bracer of Su Xiao's left hand as he activated the skill of his [Bull Lord Arm Bracer].
Equipment Effect: Bull Lord's Wrath (Active) — Upon activation, +15 Strength for 10 seconds.
Tip: Bull Lord's Wrath (Active) has a cooldown of 10 natural days.
Tip: Activating Bull Lord's Wrath (Active) consumes 30% of current Health Points.
...
Su Xiao didn't use this skill often. He had originally planned to keep it as a trump card, but later discovered it wasn't as ideal as he had imagined.
In a particularly brutal battle, suddenly losing 30% of his Health Points could be very dangerous, potentially putting Su Xiao in a near-death state.
He had considered activating it during the fight against the Great President but ultimately gave up due to the high risk.
A large amount of blood drained from his body, and a faint red light flickered in Su Xiao's pupils.
His current Strength attribute was 45, which would become 60 after the +15 boost. Unfortunately, since he hadn't passed the first-rank trial, Su Xiao's attributes could only reach a maximum of 50.
A surge of power erupted from within him. Though it would only last for 10 seconds, that was more than enough.
The long blade in Su Xiao's hand pressed down, and with a *puchi*, Dragon-Slaying Flash sank deep into Leng Yue's shoulder.
The bones near her arm were severed. Leng Yue's right hand went limp, and the rapier in her grip clattered to the ground.
Just then, Lona charged in from the side with her shield raised.
Su Xiao grabbed Leng Yue by the throat and used her as a shield beside him. Lona, mid-charge, was shocked.
*Bang.*
Su Xiao and Leng Yue were both sent flying. Leng Yue coughed up a mouthful of blood in midair, while Su Xiao remained calm and composed.
"You bastard!"
Lona roared and charged at Su Xiao again.
Landing steadily, Su Xiao grabbed Leng Yue by the back of the neck and slit her artery with Dragon-Slaying Flash.
The cold blade sliced across. Leng Yue knew it was over—not because she was about to die, but because Lona was about to lose.
He tossed Leng Yue toward the charging Lona. Lona's expression twisted as she hesitated whether to catch her.
The explosion from earlier was still fresh in her mind, and she still had Feng's body tissue on her.
Leng Yue, midair with her throat cut, couldn't speak and could only shake her head desperately, signaling Lona not to catch her.
There were no bombs on Leng Yue this time; Su Xiao wouldn't use the same trick twice.
The duration of Bull Lord's Wrath (Active) had 6 seconds left. Su Xiao needed to hurry.
Leng Yue hit the ground. When Lona turned to look at Su Xiao, he had already vanished.
*Puchi.*
A cold sensation pierced her from behind. Lona gritted her teeth and twisted her body to the side.
The blade tip emerged from near Lona's collarbone—it hadn't struck her heart.
Just moments ago, while Lona was staring at Leng Yue bleeding in midair, Su Xiao had already sprinted at full speed behind her.
Su Xiao wasn't slow. With 45 Agility, he was far beyond what Lona, a main tank, could track.
A massive amount of Cyan Steel Shadow Energy surged into Lona's body. She spat out a large mouthful of blood with a *wa*.
Leng Yue had lost her combat capability. Without timely treatment, she would surely die from excessive blood loss.
Lona wasn't faring well either. Su Xiao had run her through with his blade, and since he was behind her, she couldn't turn around.
After fully thrusting Dragon-Slaying Flash into Lona's body, Su Xiao released the hilt, wrapped his left arm around Lona's neck, and grabbed his left fist with his right hand, forming a guillotine hold.
The red metal bracer pressed tightly against Lona's skin. She dropped her shield, drew a dagger, and stabbed at Su Xiao.
Before the dagger could strike, Su Xiao raised his knee and slammed it hard into Lona's lower back, right on her spine.
*Bang.*
The spine took heavy damage. Lona's backward stab noticeably weakened, and a choking sensation set in as stars danced before her eyes.
*Crack, crack, crack.* The guillotine hold tightened.
A few seconds later, Lona's body went limp, and the dagger fell from her hand.
Not far away, Leng Yue saw all this, but both her arms were broken, her throat was cut, and the tendon in one leg had been severed.
After several failed attempts to stand, Leng Yue resignedly collapsed to the ground. Two things puzzled her: why had the enemy grown so much stronger, and what was going on with Blood Rose? She couldn't believe Blood Rose would betray her.
Su Xiao had defeated Leng Yue and Lona without taking any damage himself. This wasn't a crushing difference in attributes but a gap in technique and combat experience.
If they compared attributes, Leng Yue's Agility was actually slightly higher than Su Xiao's.
His Strength surpassed Leng Yue's, and his speed outpaced Lona's—this was the advantage of developing all four attributes.
Attributes were like a car. How fast it could go depended on how the driver handled it. "Crashing into walls" and "drifting through turns" couldn't be compared.
Su Xiao continued to choke Lona. She was about to enter a state of cerebral hypoxia, and then she would be done for.
Just then, Su Xiao suddenly released his grip for no apparent reason and shifted his body to the side.
*Woo—*
A terrifying sonic boom rang out as a blood-red long spear shot past. If Su Xiao hadn't dodged, it would have pierced his head.
Lona fell to her knees, her head dropping toward the ground.
A hand caught Lona's body—it was Blood Rose.
"Sorry to keep you waiting."
Blood Rose gently laid Lona on the ground. Leng Yue stared blankly at Blood Rose from the side.
"What's... wrong with you?"
Hearing Leng Yue's question, Blood Rose let out a soft laugh.
"Just a small skill."
Blood Rose stood up, glanced at Su Xiao, then turned to Candy.
"Don't just stand there. Take them both and go."
Candy quickly stepped forward, helping Leng Yue and the semi-conscious Lona to their feet.
"Sister Rose, your eyes..."
"I told you, it's just a small skill. You two go now."
Given the situation, anyone with an IQ above 50 wouldn't believe Blood Rose's words.
At this moment, Blood Rose's face was pale, her pupils dull and lifeless. More importantly, a red mist was wafting out of her body, gradually evaporating into the air.
This was the ultimate skill of Blood Rose's class, called Blood-Weeping Rose.
Blood-Weeping Rose Lv.3 (Ultimate Skill)
Usage Condition: Soul Crystal (Small) x2, consumes 90% Mana Points.
Skill Effect: Upon activating Blood-Weeping Rose, Strength +13, Agility +12, Stamina +10, Charm +10.
Tip: This skill cannot be stopped once activated until the enemy is killed or the user's blood is completely burned out.
...
The concept of this skill was simple: either the enemy dies, or she does. No one except Blood Rose herself knew she had this skill.
"Dear friend, farewell."
Blood Rose whispered softly to Leng Yue, but Leng Yue didn't hear what she said. Massive blood loss had left her groggy.
Blood Rose turned and walked toward Su Xiao, her back to Leng Yue.
Her dull pupils revealed little emotion. Since Blood Rose dared to activate Blood-Weeping Rose, it meant she had the courage to face death.
Su Xiao sensed that this was an extremely powerful state. Judging by her expression, it seemed similar in principle to the "Dragon Force" potion.
But when the gap in strength between enemies was vast, did a power-up really help? The answer was: not much.
If power-ups were that effective, everyone would learn such skills instead of painstakingly strengthening their own abilities.