Chapter 67: Trading Hands
"Where is that dog? I'll give you one last chance."
Dark King Minas exhaled a puff of demonic aura, yellow liquid dripping from his chin. It seemed Bubu Wang had been a bit overheated these past few days.
"Kill me, and it will appear."
Su Xiao slowly approached the Dark King. The enemy was too strong; he had no chance of victory. But the foe stood before him, and retreat was not an option.
"It seems that thing is your subordinate, you little runt."
The Dark King looked down at Su Xiao. At over three meters tall, the Dark King dwarfed Su Xiao's normal human height.
Su Xiao charged forward without hesitation. There was no need for words now. He had to kill the Dark King, find a way out of the Black Forest, then hole up somewhere in the normal area until the trial ended. If the black mist of the Dark Forest dissipated, he would fall back to the Red Earth Zone.
As Su Xiao rushed in, the Dark King clenched his fists. If his power were fully awakened, one punch would flatten Su Xiao.
Unfortunately, the Dark King wasn't fully awake. Dreaming of crushing Su Xiao with one punch was just that—a dream.
Maintaining a distance of about two meters, Su Xiao held his blade with one hand and slashed at the Dark King's neck.
The Dark King stood motionless, neither attacking nor defending.
Dragon-Slaying Flash cut through the air with a mournful whine, leaving a pale blue trail as it struck the Dark King's neck.
*Clang!*
The crisp sound of metal striking metal echoed far and wide. Su Xiao's brow furrowed. The enemy had withstood his slash with his bare body.
The recoil traveled to his hand, leaving his right arm numb.
The Dark King's expression wasn't much better. He was injured. A thin line of blood appeared on his neck, and a foreign energy invaded his body, causing unimaginable agony.
The Dark King touched the blood on his neck and brought his hand before his eyes.
"You actually managed to wound me. Commendable."
As he spoke, the wound on his neck healed.
Su Xiao took the opportunity to step back two paces. He had already infused Dragon-Slashing Flash with Azure Steel Shadow energy and struck a vital point, yet he couldn't sever the enemy's head.
The sharpness of Dragon-Slashing Flash combined with his Blade Grandmaster skill could barely breach the Dark King's defense. The reason was simple: the Dark King's rank was far above Su Xiao's. Though not fully awakened, his defensive power remained undiminished.
*Whoosh~*
The Dark King suddenly vanished before him. The sound of air displacement came from behind. Su Xiao immediately ducked.
A pitch-black iron fist swept over his head—fast, urgent, and undeniably powerful.
Leaping several meters to the side, Su Xiao pondered his strategy. His slash could break through the Dark King's skin, which was enough. As long as he could wound the enemy, Azure Steel Shadow energy would invade, burning the enemy's mana and dealing at least 50 points of True Damage each time.
Fully activating Azure Steel Shadow consumed 30 mana per minute. Su Xiao had 1,306 mana remaining, enough to sustain it for 43 minutes.
Su Xiao looked at the Dark King. The enemy was entirely black, like a muscular man carved from obsidian—impossible to cut through or break.
If Su Xiao couldn't kill the Dark King within 43 minutes, he had no chance. But considering the mana explosion effect after fully activating Azure Steel Shadow, Su Xiao gained some confidence.
Azure Steel Shadow dealt damage while burning the enemy's mana. The Dark King had 310 mana. After a few strikes, he wouldn't be able to use any mana-consuming skills.
Formulating a plan, Su Xiao decided to fight a war of attrition.
Su Xiao remained silent. The Dark King also stopped talking after the battle began. They faced off in tense silence.
Seconds later, Su Xiao suddenly exploded into action, closing the distance in two large strides.
He slashed out, this time targeting the arm. He no longer aimed for vital points. Striking a vital point or an arm made little difference now. As long as he could wound the enemy, Azure Steel Shadow energy would invade.
The blade's edge traced a line. A bloodstain appeared on the Dark King's wrist. Pale blue energy seeped into the wound and vanished in an instant.
Having wounded the enemy, Su Xiao didn't retreat.
The Dark King ground his teeth with a cracking sound. Though he was a mutated demon, he still felt pain. The Azure Steel Shadow energy tormented him with excruciating agony.
The Dark King's iron fists ignored Su Xiao's slash and hammered toward him. Su Xiao dodged by tilting his head.
As he evaded the punch, Su Xiao's long blade in his right hand slashed at the Dark King's exposed chest.
The Dark King grinned, his pitch-black hand leaving a blur as it grabbed directly for Su Xiao's wrist.
*Smack!*
Su Xiao's sword hand was caught by the Dark King. Intense pain shot through him. This was almost a death sentence, but Su Xiao remained calm, unconcerned that his right hand was captured.
Trading one hand for an eye—worth it.
Though his right hand was firmly gripped, he tossed Dragon-Slashing Flash into the air, caught the hilt with his left hand, and stabbed toward the Dark King's eye.
The Dark King had two choices: close his eye and test if his eyelid could withstand the direct thrust of Dragon-Slashing Flash, or release his grip and retreat. Both options favored Su Xiao.
The stab was a matter of an instant. The Dark King had no time for lengthy deliberation. He immediately let go and stepped back.
*Zzzz~*
The sound of metal wire tightening came. The Dark King's retreat was halted. Su Xiao thrust forward.
*Pfft.*
The long blade sank into the Dark King's eyeball before stopping. The Dark King grabbed the blade of Dragon-Slashing Flash with his bare hand.
Su Xiao held the blade with both hands, wrenching Dragon-Slashing Flash free from the Dark King's grip.
Blood seeped through the Dark King's fingers. At the same time, Su Xiao released the Realm Severing Thread wrapped around the Dark King's arm. If the Dark King caught the thread, it would be trouble—the thread was connected to his bracer.
Both sides retreated. Su Xiao held Dragon-Slashing Flash, blood dripping from its tip.
He raised his right arm. His wrist was bruised purple-black, a clear handprint visible.
He tried to make a fist. Though it stung, he could still swing the blade.
Su Xiao tossed Dragon-Slashing Flash back to his right hand. He wasn't limited to his right hand for swordplay; it was just his dominant hand. In a pinch, his left hand could wield the blade just as accurately.
The Dark King covered one eye, breathing heavily—a breath of rage.
After just two exchanges, he had lost an eye. The Dark King's regeneration was strong, but only for healing wounds, not regrowing severed limbs, let alone an eyeball.
The Dark King had one eye blinded. This was undoubtedly great news. Su Xiao was already eyeing the other eye. If the Dark King went completely blind, victory was assured.
Dragon-Slashing Flash made a feinting slash, tracing a blade pattern in the air.
Su Xiao sidestepped, moving toward the Dark King's right. The Dark King's right eye was blind, making that area a blind spot.
The Dark King calmed his emotions, the contempt in his eyes fading. He clearly realized he hadn't recovered his strength. Before he did, the enemy before him could kill him.
This was the price of a long life—a period of weakness after each slumber.
Neither Su Xiao nor the Dark King had the habit of talking during battle. The only sounds on the field were the footsteps of the two moving.
Su Xiao's body suddenly leaned forward, as if about to charge. The Dark King immediately became alert, but it was just a feint.
From the moment the Dark King lost an eye, the rhythm of the battle fell into Su Xiao's hands.
However, Su Xiao kept one thing firmly in mind: he must never be caught by the Dark King. Never. The Dark King had the strength to tear him apart with his bare hands.
PS: (Only two chapters today. The trial ends tomorrow. I'll take today to carefully plan. The first world after advancing to the second rank will be a major highlight.)