Chapter 60: Why Don't You Just Fly to the Sky?
"Go back and keep watch over Orochimaru's base. Someone will come to find you later. Go with him, and tell him—"
"Um... wait a moment." Karin gathered her courage to speak up.
"Am I your spy now? How are you going to control me?"
After saying this, Karin focused intently on observing Su Xiao's expression.
Su Xiao looked Karin up and down. He suspected this woman had persecution paranoia. Aside from shooting her once, he hadn't really hurt her that much. Was he really that terrifying?
Although that was what Su Xiao thought, in reality, he was a complete demon king in Karin's mind.
"Spy? No. Don't interrupt me."
"Mm, mm."
Karin nodded rapidly, like a chick pecking at rice.
"As I was saying, you continue watching over Orochimaru's base. If someone comes looking for you, go with him. Whether you become his subordinate is your own judgment. You only need to tell him one sentence."
"What sentence?"
"If he wants to avenge Itachi, he can find me at Shenqiao Mountain in the Land of Fire."
Karin organized her thoughts and finally nodded.
"You have enough food for five days. As for fresh water, eat snow for the first few days. After you leave the Land of Iron, figure it out yourself. If there's no river water, drink dew."
"Dew..."
Karin really wanted to complain. She wasn't a grasshopper; why did she have to drink dew?
"Understood?"
"Perfectly understood, word for word. I'll go back to Orochimaru's base first, then wait for someone to find me, and tell him that if he wants to avenge Itachi, he can find you at Shenqiao Mountain."
"Good comprehension. Complete this task, and the next time we meet, I won't kill you."
Karin calmed her emotions. Although her heart was full of doubts, she knew she wasn't in immediate danger.
"Still not leaving? Or do you want me to 'see you off'?"
"Goodbye!"
Karin lifted her legs and ran, faster than a rabbit. Even Bubu Wang turned to look at her speed.
"Wouldn't it be simpler to just have your brother come find you directly?"
Su Xiao looked at a crow not far away. The crow was watching the retreating Karin.
"Forget it. As a teammate, helping you with this small matter is no problem. Don't forget to pay me after you take your brother Sasuke's eyes."
Su Xiao mounted Bubu Wang, who ran out of the snowy plain. Moments later, Itachi appeared.
The earlier Amaterasu was because Itachi had already sensed Obito's identity. Although he didn't know the specifics, he knew Obito was from the Uchiha clan.
"This should be fine. From here on, it's up to you, Sasuke."
A gentle smile appeared on Itachi's face. He had been waiting for this moment for a long time, and had done many things he was reluctant to do for its sake.
...
Three days later, in a mountain range.
This mountain range was located within the Land of Fire. Because at sunrise, one peak resembled a seated giant, the locals called it Divine Mountain and would often worship it. After a rain, a rainbow appeared on this 'Divine Mountain' stretching straight to the sky, earning it the name Shenqiao Mountain.
"996, 997, 998, 999... 1000!"
With a crash, Su Xiao dropped a massive boulder he had been holding above his head, drenched in sweat.
He went to the river to wash himself. He had been waiting here for two days, and conservatively estimated he would need to wait a few more days.
With nothing else to do, Su Xiao opened his skill list. He hadn't had a chance to check the upgraded Azure Steel Shadow level yet.
[Azure Steel Shadow (Active Skill)]
Usage Condition: After activating (Azure Steel Shadow), the Hunter consumes 62 mana points per minute (increased by 12 mana consumption). Automatically deactivates when mana falls below 1%.
Skill Effect: After activating (Azure Steel Shadow), each melee attack burns 130 mana points from the enemy (increased by 30 points), and deals true damage equal to the burned mana value plus 9% of the enemy's lost mana (increased by 1%). The enemy will suffer intense pain from the mana burn.
Lv.20 Additional Ability
Controller: Can highly materialize Azure Steel Shadow energy into three forms.
Form 1, Demon Hunting: This is the basic form of Azure Steel Shadow, burning the enemy's mana and dealing true damage.
Form 2, Proud Song: This is the defensive form. Can generate energy shields of any shape to defend against enemy attacks. The shield's strength is related to the mana consumed. The single-use mana consumption cap is 400 points (increased by 100 points).
Form 3, Azure Shadow King (Not Awakened)
...
The improvement to Azure Steel Shadow was significant, both in the mana burn increase and the 9% true damage based on the enemy's lost mana.
Although both increases were substantial, the biggest improvement was in the energy shield of the 'Proud Song' ability.
Su Xiao wasn't sure what a 400-mana-point energy shield was like. Since he had nothing to do, he decided to test it.
He extended his palm, and an energy shield two meters wide and three meters high appeared.
This energy shield was a light blue color, with darker edges. It seemed a line of energy was circulating along the border. The entire shield was crystal clear, not like energy, but carved from light blue crystal.
Su Xiao raised his hand and knocked on the energy shield, producing a crisp clanging sound.
He clenched his left fist and punched the energy shield with his fist wrapped in a crimson metal gauntlet.
Bang!
A wave of air spread out. Su Xiao grimaced, keeping his punching posture motionless. His hand hurt badly, even though his fingers were covered in metal.
Bubu Wang, who was sleeping nearby, was startled awake, kicking his hind legs.
A resentful look appeared, but Bubu Wang sighed and went back to sleep on his furry front paws.
After finding that his fist couldn't break the shield, Su Xiao drew the Dragon-Slaying Flash from his waist.
Clanging sounds rang out. Su Xiao struck with all his might with each slash. After ten minutes of relentless hacking, he was panting heavily, hands on his knees, with the Dragon-Slaying Flash stuck in the ground beside him.
He looked up. The energy shield in front of him was as smooth as new, though its strength had slightly decreased because ten minutes had passed. This thing would make enemies doubt their existence.
Su Xiao dismissed the energy shield. He had been thinking about how to develop the energy shield, but hadn't come up with much yet.
His initial idea was to step on the energy shield for a double jump, or even multiple jumps, to achieve a flight-like effect.
This idea died in its infancy because the energy shield was centered on him. This made it absolutely impossible to jump off the energy shield. Jumping off the energy shield was as absurd as stepping on your left foot to jump off your right foot to fly. Su Xiao shared the same gravity as the energy shield.
As for other development methods, he had some ideas but needed extensive experimentation.
His energy shield should be developed for defense and functionality. For offense, the blade in his hand was enough.
After studying the energy shield for a while, Su Xiao resumed practicing his swordsmanship. Although his swordsmanship had reached a level where improvement through practice was extremely difficult, he never stopped training on his own.
He trained until he was tired, slept, and then continued practicing swordsmanship. Five days passed in the blink of an eye.
Although time in the derivative world was precious, he couldn't leave now.
On the morning of the sixth day, the aerial guard detected humans approaching.
[Detected biological approach, scanning...]
[Biological judgment: Human, total of four. Database analysis in progress. Identities of the four have been determined.]
[Uchiha Sasuke, Karin, Suigetsu Hozuki, Jugo.]