Chapter 16: Flash of the Unique
Blood dripped down his fingertips. Su Xiao’s perception was pushed to its absolute limit, yet even so, he still struggled to keep up with Kanzaki Kaori’s speed.
After the ‘warm-up,’ Kanzaki Kaori’s speed was fully unleashed, reaching an unbelievable level.
Su Xiao stood still, with no one beside him. Kanzaki Kaori hadn’t left; she was simply moving so fast that she vanished from most people’s sight.
Su Xiao suddenly raised his longsword. A heavy pressure came from the blade as Kanzaki Kaori materialized. Using the kinetic energy from her high-speed movement, she actually managed to overpower Su Xiao slightly in terms of strength.
Clang.
The blades scraped against each other. The two separated after a single clash.
Each had their own advantages. Kanzaki Kaori was faster, while Su Xiao had richer combat experience.
The surrounding area became a living creature exclusion zone. Within a hundred meters, everything—buildings, public facilities—was either slashed to pieces or destroyed by the shockwaves of their battle.
Just as Su Xiao pushed Kanzaki Kaori back, a sound of wind breaking came from his side. He immediately sidestepped.
Shiiing. A slash mark appeared on Su Xiao’s chest. Though not deep, it spanned his entire torso.
Despite taking the hit, a smile appeared on Su Xiao’s face.
With a muffled groan, Kanzaki Kaori, who had just cut Su Xiao, stumbled back a few steps, clutching her lower abdomen. Four energy blades were embedded in her belly, blood dripping down them onto the road.
Just as Kanzaki Kaori was about to pull out the energy blades from her abdomen, Su Xiao lunged forward.
From the start of the battle until now, Kanzaki Kaori had been avoiding close combat with Su Xiao, as that would negate her advantage—her weapon was too long.
As Kanzaki Kaori tried to retreat using her speed advantage, a crow swooped in from behind her. The crow’s peculiar aura made her pause for a moment.
The incoming crow was an Alchemical Crow. Its main function was reconnaissance, but that didn’t mean it was completely non-combative. Moreover, all alchemical creatures possessed a unique aura, something between living and dead. Upon sensing this aura for the first time, most people would remain cautious.
Kanzaki Kaori hesitated only for a moment, but that was enough for Su Xiao to close in. During his forward charge, the Dragon-Slaying Flash in his hand vanished, and several energy blades shot toward Kanzaki Kaori’s longsword to prevent him from being blocked mid-charge.
Bang. Su Xiao collided with Kanzaki Kaori. She immediately realized that Su Xiao intended to engage in close-quarters combat. Though her primary fighting style was swordsmanship, that didn’t mean she feared hand-to-hand fighting.
Ignoring the risk of exposing herself or being groped in close quarters, Kanzaki Kaori first thrust her Seven Blades Seven Flash into the ground beside her. In close combat, a sword over 1.6 meters long was less useful than a simple fire poker.
Kanzaki Kaori’s pale fist shot toward Su Xiao’s chin, the punch so fast it left afterimages.
Bang. Su Xiao’s head tilted to the side, a dull pain radiating from his cheek.
Was Su Xiao planning to trade punches with Kanzaki Kaori in close quarters? Of course not. At her punching speed, he’d be beaten to death by her little fists in just a few minutes.
Su Xiao grabbed Kanzaki Kaori’s arm with one hand, while the Slaughter short blade appeared in his other.
Seeing the sudden appearance of the short blade, cold sweat broke out on Kanzaki Kaori’s back. Before they closed in, she had observed that Su Xiao wasn’t carrying any daggers or similar weapons.
Su Xiao reversed his grip on the Slaughter short blade and stabbed it into Kanzaki Kaori’s ample chest several times. The movements were clean and decisive, yet exceptionally ruthless.
Pfft, pfft, pfft…
The blade pierced through skin and muscle, blood splattering everywhere. Several wounds appeared on Kanzaki Kaori’s chest. The scene was both brutal and blood-pumping—this was true combat, a life-or-death struggle.
The Cyan Steel Shadow Energy invaded Kanzaki Kaori’s body, showing signs of heading straight for her brain. Kanzaki Kaori gritted her teeth, struggling to stay conscious. She was lucky—the control effect of the Cyan Steel Shadow Lv.30 additional ability, ‘Soul Electrocution,’ wasn’t triggered.
After taking three stabs from Su Xiao, Kanzaki Kaori, her eyes bloodshot, grabbed his wrist. Though she had been stabbed three times, she had shifted her body each time before the blade struck, avoiding a fatal hit to the heart.
Just as Kanzaki Kaori grabbed Su Xiao’s knife-wielding hand, a sharp pain shot through the back of her hand.
The short blade in Su Xiao’s hand spun, stabbing into Kanzaki Kaori’s palm at an impossible angle.
As the short blade pierced through her palm, Su Xiao drove the Slaughter short blade downward into the ground.
Clink. Asphalt debris flew.
The Slaughter short blade, now piercing Kanzaki Kaori’s hand, was pinned to the road. Su Xiao released the blade and stomped on its end.
In agony, Kanzaki Kaori could only crouch, gritting her teeth. The pain made her eyes redden. With one hand pinned to the ground, she had only her other hand left to attack.
For some reason, Kanzaki Kaori clenched her fist and aimed a punch at Su Xiao’s groin.
This punch genuinely startled Su Xiao. A 150-point strength energy shield appeared in front of him. Crack. Kanzaki Kaori’s fist shattered the shield into pieces.
Su Xiao dispelled the shield, keeping one foot on the Slaughter short blade. He lifted his other leg, shifting his body weight onto the foot pinning the blade, and kicked toward Kanzaki Kaori’s head—the motion resembling a soccer kick. Forced into a corner, Kanzaki Kaori raised her free arm to block her face.
Bang.
A shockwave spread. Su Xiao’s kick landed on Kanzaki Kaori’s arm, nearly sending her sprawling to the ground.
Ensuring Kanzaki Kaori wouldn’t counterattack for a short time, Su Xiao summoned the Dragon-Slaying Flash into his hand.
The moment Su Xiao drew the Dragon-Slaying Flash, Kanzaki Kaori gritted her teeth and leaped backward with all her might.
Rip. Flesh tore. Kanzaki Kaori forcibly pulled her pinned left hand free, the gaps between the bones beneath her index and middle fingers split open.
As she leaped back, Kanzaki Kaori grabbed the Seven Blades Seven Flash beside her and slashed at Su Xiao’s throat.
By now, Kanzaki Kaori had developed killing intent. She wasn’t rigid in her thinking; she knew that holding back in this situation was not an option.
Su Xiao tilted his head back, the tip of the Seven Blades Seven Flash grazing his chin.
Kanzaki Kaori’s sword was too long. At this distance, she could reach Su Xiao, but the Dragon-Slaying Flash’s length clearly couldn’t reach her.
Kanzaki Kaori realized this too, yet she still held the Seven Blades Seven Flash in front of her to prevent Su Xiao from unleashing a blade aura. Su Xiao didn’t bother—it would only waste stamina.
Kanzaki Kaori landed, and the two were now over ten meters apart.
Drip, drip.
Both their blood dripped to the ground. After the close-quarters exchange, both were heavily injured.
Su Xiao flicked his toe, flipping the Slaughter short blade embedded in the ground into the air. He stored it in his inventory and gripped the Dragon-Slaying Flash, staring at Kanzaki Kaori.
Kanzaki Kaori began leaping backward. After a few bounds, she reached a pile of rubble, kicked it aside, and revealed a scabbard beneath—the scabbard for the Seven Blades Seven Flash.
Picking up the scabbard, Kanzaki Kaori sheathed the Seven Blades Seven Flash and assumed a drawing stance. Her aura surged, as if she were charging up.
Seeing this stance from dozens of meters away, Su Xiao immediately thought she might be about to use the Flash of the Unique.
Zheng.
A dazzling blade light appeared before Su Xiao’s eyes. Fast—incredibly fast. After activating her Saint physique, Kanzaki Kaori’s movements were impossible to track with sight or perception.
When Su Xiao sensed the Flash of the Unique’s slash, all he saw was the brilliant blade light—nothing else. How Kanzaki Kaori had drawn the sword was completely invisible.
Fortunately, just as the blade light flashed, a golden spherical shield appeared around Su Xiao, courtesy of the [Divine Afterglow] scabbard’s skill: Holy Blessing (Active): Upon activation, generates a secondary invincibility shield lasting 1 second.