Chapter 42: Head-On Clash
After the deafening sound of Su Xiao crashing into the mountain subsided, the members of the Travel Group all looked toward the circular opening leading deep into the mountain.
Crackle, a few pieces of gravel fell from the top of the hole, and silence reigned within.
"Did we get him?"
Machi stared intently at the opening.
"Not sure, but there's a high chance we did."
Shalnark's eyelids drooped, looking drowsy; he had consumed too much Nen, to the point of overexertion.
"Let Uvogin keep going."
"No, he just threw two full-power straight punches. Even for Uvogin, his body has a limit. He needs to rest a bit to continue fighting, and I can't control Uvogin's specific actions."
Receiving Shalnark's reply, Machi tilted her head to dodge a side kick from the Diseased Dog.
The Diseased Dog and the Porcupine watched the opening with pounding hearts, hoping desperately that Su Xiao wouldn't die. If Su Xiao died, they wouldn't live long either.
Not only were those present staring at the opening, but the contractors watching nearby were also fixated on it. These contractors were starting to doubt their own lives; if this weren't the Hunter world, they would seriously suspect Su Xiao was a contractor above the second rank.
"Big bro, it looks like the ruthless guy is done for. Should we go join the fun?"
"Steady, third bro. Let's just watch. That 'Super Saiyan' down there is way too fierce."
"Third bro, big bro is right."
The Three Brothers of National Football each held a bottle of beer, with the youngest even clutching a chicken leg.
These three brothers usually didn't loot during chaos; their hobby was being wild, flashy, and shameless in derivative worlds. Having fun was what mattered most.
Uvogin, covered in golden Nen aura, stood frozen in place. If observed closely, one would notice fine cracks appearing on his muscular body, with some muscle fibers slightly torn.
Tap, tap, tap...
Footsteps echoed from within the opening, followed by a violent fit of dry coughing.
Su Xiao covered his mouth with his left hand, blood seeping through his fingers as he coughed. He had nearly been one-shot by Uvogin's punch.
The dozens of Counter Shields floating around him had dimmed somewhat. If struck by too strong an attack, the shields' duration would decrease.
A bottle of No. 1 Potion appeared in his hand, and Su Xiao drank it down in large gulps. Cyan Steel Shadow Energy surged through his body, devouring the Hashirama Cells within the potion, rapidly healing his injuries.
Everything around was pitch black, with faint moonlight casting a glow ahead. Su Xiao walked slowly toward the opening.
When Su Xiao emerged from the cave, the Travel Group members tensed up.
"He's still alive after that? This guy is tough. Is it because of those floating energy shields?"
As Machi spoke, she tightened the Nen threads in her hand. The Diseased Dog, already tightly bound by the threads, was sliced into several pieces and killed. After dealing with the Diseased Dog, Machi didn't go to support Uvogin but instead moved to aid Shizuku, who had been injured earlier and was struggling against the Porcupine.
The Porcupine's heart was in turmoil. He wanted to flee, but Shizuku swung her Convex-Eyed Fish to entangle him, making it impossible to escape for the moment.
At the center of the valley, Uvogin, who had been standing still for over ten seconds, turned his head to look at Su Xiao. He now had only one thought: kill the second enemy—Su Xiao.
With a boom, Uvogin vanished. His absurd speed left Su Xiao speechless.
Holding his longsword, Su Xiao scanned his surroundings. If he took another straight punch, he probably wouldn't survive. His entire body was aching, and his bones felt like they could fall apart at any moment.
A sharp sound of breaking air came, and Uvogin appeared before Su Xiao, still in the same stance: arm bent, fist clenched, a straight punch coming down.
As the punch was thrown, golden Nen aura exploded from Uvogin's fist. This was Uvogin's Super Destructive Punch, and an upgraded version at that.
An ordinary straight punch had nearly killed Su Xiao. Could he survive this one?
Su Xiao's mind raced. The fist grew infinitely larger in his vision, filling his entire sight.
Avoidance was never Su Xiao's fighting style. The fact that he chose a longsword as his weapon showed he preferred head-on clashes.
The Counter Shields, which had formed a circle protecting Su Xiao, rapidly spread outward. While the shields could block Uvogin's attacks, they also made it easier for the enemy to knock Su Xiao flying.
The moment he withdrew the shields, Uvogin's fist arrived.
Su Xiao's pupils slightly contracted as he desperately tried to track Uvogin's movements. At that instant, everything around seemed to slow down.
The fist grew closer. Su Xiao's neural reflex speed came into play, allowing him to catch Uvogin's fist, which was moving so fast it left afterimages.
Su Xiao's right arm muscles bulged slightly. He converted all his mana into Cyan Steel Shadow Energy, channeling it into the Dragon-Slaying Flash, which now glowed like a pale blue energy blade.
He swung an unremarkable slash. Though delivered later, the blade was faster than Uvogin's fist.
Clang!
Boom!
A massive blade aura flew out, slicing toward a nearby mountain peak, which was cleaved diagonally in two.
Su Xiao and Uvogin, covered in golden Nen aura, passed each other. Uvogin now had only one arm left; the arm he had punched with was already flying over a hundred meters away.
With a scraping sound, the Dragon-Slaying Flash stabbed into a rock over ten meters away. On the sword's hilt was still attached half an arm, the stump jagged and uneven.
Su Xiao's hand holding the sword was severed. He had anticipated this outcome when he took Uvogin's punch head-on. In the past, this would have been a terrible situation, but with that woman around, losing an arm wasn't a big deal. He had chosen this deliberately—it was the option with the highest chance of winning this fight.
After passing Uvogin, Su Xiao suddenly turned and charged at him.
Uvogin also turned immediately, but the deep slash across his chest made him pause for a moment.
That split-second gap was all Su Xiao needed. He leaped up, bent his knees, and slammed them hard onto Uvogin's shoulders.
Clamping his legs tight around Uvogin's head, Su Xiao's left hand, wrapped in a crimson metal arm guard, grabbed at Uvogin's face. His two fingers hooked like claws, aiming for Uvogin's eyes.
A rough sensation came through. Uvogin's physique was monstrous; even his fragile eyeballs were far tougher than an average person's.
Using all his strength, Su Xiao plunged his fingers into Uvogin's eye sockets with a squelch. But he didn't stop there; he bent his fingers and pulled outward with force.
Uvogin's two eyeballs were gouged out by Su Xiao. He then twisted his legs, clamped around Uvogin's head, to the side, intending to snap Uvogin's neck.
A massive force suddenly struck him from the side. The world spun, and Su Xiao was sent flying, like a crashed plane making an emergency landing, skidding far across the rocky ground.
When he stopped, Su Xiao's vision was a blur of red. His entire body felt like it was about to fall apart. He pulled out another bottle of No. 1 Potion, drank it expressionlessly, and stood up.
Scanning the valley around him, Su Xiao looked for any contractors trying to fish in troubled waters. If anyone came, he would find a way to kill them. The intense pain throughout his body stirred his ferocity.
The contractors had witnessed his entire fight with Uvogin. This kind of reckless fighting style was probably a first for them.
Su Xiao glanced at his right arm, now only half remaining. Not only that, but his right chest was also caved in, with broken ribs piercing into one of his lungs, causing pain with every breath.
Walking over to the Dragon-Slaying Flash, Su Xiao pulled it out with his remaining arm. He was equally skilled with the left-handed sword.