Chapter 15: Devour
Feeling the pressure coming toward him, the anger in Diarmuid's eyes faded. Though he disagreed with his opponent's methods, the other's strength was worthy of recognition, so he would face him with his full might.
Diarmuid stomped the ground, driving the yellow short spear beneath the surface to conceal it.
The Yellow Rose of Mortal Wounds had the property of preventing wounds from healing, but its durability was far inferior to the Red Rose. It was suitable as a one-shot killing weapon, but for a frontal confrontation, he preferred the Red Rose.
Su Xiao instantly closed the distance to Diarmuid, dozens of counter shields floating around him.
He swung his long blade forward in a probing strike. Diarmuid instinctively blocked with the Red Rose.
*Clang.*
Sparks flew. Diarmuid felt a tremendous force surge through his hands, his feet sinking into the ground.
"Such strength..."
Before Diarmuid could adapt to the force, Su Xiao delivered a full-power side kick. Diarmuid's reaction was quick; he bent one leg, using his shin to block the kick.
*Bam!* Diarmuid staggered back a few steps, his entire leg numb.
*Zzzz~*
The sound of metal wires retracting came from all directions as the Realm Severing Thread coiled around Diarmuid.
Diarmuid immediately leaped up, thrusting the Red Rose into the stone slab beneath him. Using the spear as support, his entire body hovered in midair.
The Realm Severing Thread wrapped around the Red Rose. Su Xiao pulled, and the spear's tip scraped a groove across the stone.
Just as Diarmuid was about to land, Su Xiao stepped forward. He didn't strike immediately, waiting for the moment Diarmuid's feet touched the ground.
The instant Diarmuid's toes made contact, Su Xiao slashed diagonally.
Dragon-Slaying Flash traced a pale golden "thread" through the air. Its current sharpness was enough to chill anyone's heart.
Diarmuid had just landed, his stance unstable. This awkwardly angled slash put him in a difficult position, leaving him unable to advance or retreat.
This was the difference between rich and poor combat experience. Many factors were involved in battle; raw power and numerous skills alone didn't guarantee victory.
Left with no choice, Diarmuid could only continue blocking with his spear. He knew that choosing to block would put him at a disadvantage in the ensuing exchange—his enemy's strength was too great.
Just as Diarmuid braced himself to withstand Su Xiao's slash and face the risk of being sent flying, Su Xiao's blade suddenly stopped, and he took a few steps back.
*Boom!*
Flames erupted from beneath Diarmuid's feet. The ground under him had inexplicably exploded.
Shards of alchemy bombs scattered as Diarmuid was engulfed in the blaze.
Su Xiao raised his left arm, wrapped in a metal bracer, to shield his face from the flying debris.
When the flames receded slightly, Su Xiao slashed into the fire a few times. Pale blue blade auras detached from Dragon-Slashing Flash's edge and flew into the flames.
*Clang, clang, clang...*
All the blade auras were shattered. Diarmuid, covered in burns with one leg torn open, burst out of the flames.
The moment he emerged, Diarmuid locked eyes with Su Xiao.
"Damn it!"
Diarmuid thrust the Red Rose forward. Su Xiao actively met the red spear's strike.
*Clang.*
The Demon-Slaying Red Rose struck a counter shield. The sensation from the spear left Diarmuid stunned. In his view, the counter shield was clearly an energy construct—how could an energy construct block the Demon-Slaying Red Rose?
The answer was that the Cyan Steel Shadow Energy and the Demon-Slaying Red Rose were on different tiers. This red spear could indeed break magic, but it couldn't ignore energy levels.
If the mana level in the Holy Grail World was 3, then the level of Cyan Steel Shadow Energy was at least 10 or higher, and this energy level would increase as the skill level rose.
The moment the Demon-Slaying Red Rose was blocked, Diarmuid knew he would lose. Any mistake in a fight against this enemy would come at a heavy price.
Diarmuid's guess was correct. The instant the spear was blocked, Su Xiao had already swung his blade.
Almost instantly, the blade swept through. A large spray of blood splattered. The slash was so fast, combined with Dragon-Slashing Flash's sharpness, that Diarmuid barely felt anything.
Two seconds later, a sharp pain shot through Diarmuid's left shoulder. He turned his head to see his entire left arm gone, blood spurting from the severed wound, with faint blue energy visible on the surface.
*Thud.* The entire left arm hit the ground.
The blood splattered across Diarmuid's face dripped down his chin. He couldn't help but let out a bitter laugh.
"May I ask your name? I wouldn't want to have been defeated by an unknown nobody."
Hearing Diarmuid's question, Su Xiao remained silent. He never wasted words in battle.
Ignoring Diarmuid for the moment, Su Xiao picked up the severed arm. Pale blue smoke emanated from his left hand, enveloping the limb.
Su Xiao held his blade in his right hand while pale blue smoke rose from his left. He didn't look like a magician at all.
Su Xiao activated the Devouring Core. He was attempting to devour Diarmuid's arm. Theoretically, Heroic Spirits were composed of energy and manifested, not flesh and blood, which was exactly the high-grade biological energy the Devouring Core needed.
The pale blue smoke enveloped Diarmuid's severed arm. The blood on it evaporated as the arm began to energy-fy.
After a moment, the arm in Su Xiao's hand had transformed into a mass of golden energy—the high-grade energy that constituted a Heroic Spirit.
The Heroic Spirit energy sank into Su Xiao's palm. He didn't absorb it directly; it needed conversion.
The energy first entered the Devouring Core, where the golden Heroic Spirit energy was transformed, purified, and filtered, eventually becoming a colorless energy.
When the colorless energy surged out of the Devouring Core, the Cyan Steel Shadow Energy within Su Xiao's body pounced on it, as if encountering an irresistible delicacy. In moments, the colorless energy was devoured completely.
Su Xiao immediately sensed his Cyan Steel Shadow Energy growing stronger. Though it hadn't reached the level for an upgrade, the ability had indeed become more powerful.
"Compared to Tailed Beast energy, Heroic Spirit energy is smaller in quantity but purer."
Blue light flickered in Su Xiao's eyes. The Devouring Core was powerful, but using this ability risked losing one's mind; a firm will was required.
After more than ten seconds, the blue light in Su Xiao's eyes faded. When he looked at Diarmuid again, Diarmuid instinctively took a step back.
Su Xiao didn't immediately engage Diarmuid again. He was waiting to see if the Greater Grail would backlash after devouring the Heroic Spirit energy.
This was entirely unnecessary worry on Su Xiao's part. The Greater Grail had yet to manifest, and even if it had great power, it couldn't do anything to him now.
"It seems there's no problem."
Blood dripped from Dragon-Slashing Flash as Su Xiao slowly advanced toward Diarmuid. Even if Diarmuid was a Heroic Spirit, his severed arm couldn't be restored—whether through his own regenerative abilities or his Master Kennith's healing magic.
Supreme Blade Effect 2: Ten Thousand Blades Sect (Passive), Sharpness +10. If a slash causes dismemberment to an enemy, the enemy cannot restore the severed limb through surgery, potions, skills, bloodline abilities, or any other means below the Fourth Rank. (This ability evolved from "Sharp as a Razor" (Passive).)
PS: (One more chapter in ten minutes)