Chapter 43: The Lucky King's Roar
The cigarette was lit, and Su Xiao exhaled a wisp of pale golden smoke.
At that moment, the surrounding fortune began to shift, forming two distinct auras.
[You are eroded by the Mist of Fate, taking 1 point of True Damage.]
[You are eroded by the Mist of Fate, taking 0.9 points of True Damage.]
[You are eroded by the Mist of Fate, taking 4 points of True Damage.]
...
Seeing the first two prompts, Su Xiao breathed a sigh of relief, but the last one made his heart tighten.
If fortune was like air, he was now vying for it with that woman. Su Xiao didn't care about being lucky, as long as he wasn't unlucky.
Holding his longsword, Su Xiao slowly approached the enemy.
Ada frowned, she too sensed something was off.
"So, he's resisting the bad luck. This is a bit troublesome."
Ada pulled a pair of black gloves from her bosom. The gloves were soft in texture, sewn from some animal's hide, and faintly emitted a dark purple glow.
Putting on the black gloves, Ada relaxed her body, her gaze shifting.
"It's been a long time since I've fought seriously. Seems relying solely on luck isn't reliable."
Ada tentatively approached Su Xiao. Being ranked eighth in the arena, she naturally had her exceptional qualities.
The two slowly closed in. When they were a few meters apart, Ada suddenly burst forward, charging at Su Xiao.
A flash of blade aura, and Ada's movement halted. A piece of her collar was sliced off.
Su Xiao took a step back. If his judgment was correct, Ada was also a melee fighter, specializing in ultra-close-quarters combat.
Ada continued to close in on Su Xiao, but he wouldn't let her have her way.
Zzzt.
The sound of a metal wire retracting came. Ada's pupils contracted sharply, and she instinctively jumped.
The Realm Severing Thread tightened, but unfortunately failed to ensnare Ada.
Su Xiao didn't mind. His goal was to force Ada to dodge, and having her in the air was perfect.
Rushing forward quickly, Su Xiao maintained a distance of two to three meters from Ada—the most advantageous range for his sword strikes.
Judging Ada's landing point, Su Xiao swung his blade down.
The longsword cleaved through the air, letting out a mournful whine. If this strike connected, Ada would be dead for sure.
Pfft.
Blood gushed forth. Ada was cut in half at the waist, her severed body thudding to the ground as blood spread.
Although he had bisected Ada with one strike, Su Xiao immediately leaped backward. There was no kill prompt for cutting her in half.
A soft embrace wrapped around Su Xiao from behind, followed by a rapid sensation of diving.
Boom!
The back of Su Xiao's head slammed into the ground, his body arched backward, his mind ringing incessantly.
It was Ada, who had embraced Su Xiao from behind and executed a backfall throw.
At this moment, Ada was completely unharmed. After landing her hit, she immediately moved for a follow-up, wrapping her long legs around Su Xiao's neck and driving her elbow down.
Pfft.
A longsword pierced through Ada's chest. Her movements stopped, and pain twisted her face.
With a crackling sound, a crystal-clear gemstone in Ada's bosom shattered.
Dazed and dizzy, Su Xiao stood up, his longsword still impaling Ada's chest. He could confirm that the previous strike had already cut her in half.
"Looks like your luck isn't working anymore."
Su Xiao twisted the longsword, shredding Ada's heart to pieces.
"Who knows?"
A smile curled on Ada's bloodstained lips.
Bang.
A knee strike slammed into Su Xiao's lower back, sending him stumbling forward a few steps.
Turning his head, he saw another Ada behind him. The one he had pierced through the chest had turned into a scarecrow.
"Fate is truly wonderful, isn't it?"
This time, Ada wasn't completely unharmed; blood was seeping from a wound on her chest.
Su Xiao wiped the blood from his chin, quickly analyzing the enemy's information in his mind.
Name unknown, female, age between 19 and 22, height 1.68 meters. Combat style involves an aura that reduces enemy luck, close-range grappling throws, and has a substitute-type or death-replacement skill.
Su Xiao looked at a nearby scarecrow, which was severed at the waist. That confirmed it.
Checking the remaining time on Destiny Redemption, there was still 1 minute and 26 seconds left. Enough.
Locking his gaze on the enemy, Su Xiao rushed forward.
Su Xiao's combat style was bold and unrestrained, his longsword sweeping wide, using the most ferocious attacks to slay his foes.
Ada, on the other hand, was methodical. Whether moving or attacking, she was very cautious, spending most of her time evading Su Xiao's strikes.
The two were locked in a struggle—no, it was more accurate to say Su Xiao was chasing Ada down to cut her.
Clang.
A deep sword scar was carved into the ship's wall. Ada dodged with lingering fear.
Just as she evaded Su Xiao's slash, Ada suddenly felt a numbness in her feet, and her body uncontrollably fell.
A metal wire stained with blood appeared beneath her feet. Both of her calves had been severed.
"You've got to be kidding me. I'm going to die again."
Ada's face was full of resignation. Although she wouldn't truly die, she still had to endure the pain of death.
A flash of blade aura, and Ada's head flew off.
Having just slain Ada, Su Xiao immediately crossed the Dragon-Slaying Flash behind him.
Bang.
An elbow strike hit the back of Su Xiao's neck. He was already roughly familiar with Ada's tactics.
Getting hit once was nothing, as long as he wasn't grabbed by Ada. Her embrace might be soft, but it was equally deadly.
Ada wiped the blood from her neck. Her fair neck bore no wounds.
"Why aren't you unlucky anymore? This isn't scientific."
Ada looked at Su Xiao in confusion. He hadn't suffered any bad luck for over a minute and had nearly chopped her to death.
Although Ada had a death-replacement ability, it had harsh usage requirements. Each use consumed 2% of her maximum health, could only be used 10 times per derivative world, and required paying one Soul Crystal (Small) each time, among other conditions.
If it weren't for Ada's explosive luck, this ability alone would have bankrupted her.
Ignoring Ada's question, Su Xiao continued charging at her. He didn't believe she could keep coming back. If that were the case, she wouldn't be just a first-rank contractor.
The longsword swung down. Ada immediately jumped back, quickly creating distance.
Su Xiao was taken aback. Previously, Ada would actively close in, counterattack once before 'dying,' and then attack again after 'reviving.'
Her retreating now only meant one thing: her 'revival' attempts were running low or had reached their limit.
Su Xiao had dealt with similar enemies before. The android had abilities akin to Ada's, though Ada's were more advanced.
Just as Su Xiao charged at Ada for the ninth time, a large hydraulic pipe beside him exploded.
Boom!
The powerful blast pushed Su Xiao back a few steps. A sharp steel plate flashed past his eyes.
[You are eroded by the Mist of Fate, taking 9 points of True Damage.]
Seeing this blood-red prompt, Su Xiao sighed. The effect of Destiny Redemption had ended.
Although the effect of Destiny Redemption was gone, Ada wasn't faring well either. She no longer dared to get close to Su Xiao.
Su Xiao's sharp slashes made Ada very wary. Moreover, Su Xiao only aimed for vital points, and the Azure Steel Shadow energy left Ada in 'ecstasy,' the pain nearly causing her to lose control.