Perceiving the oncoming pressure, the anger in Dilumudo's eyes subsided. Although he disagreed with the opponent's approach, he acknowledged their strength and intended to respond fully.
Dilumudo pressed the ground, embedding the yellow short spear into it to conceal it.
Although the invulnerable yellow rose had characteristics of unhealable wounds, the strength of this spear was far inferior to the red rose. It could be used as a one-shot kill weapon, but he preferred to use the red rose if facing the enemy head-on.
Suddenly, Su Xiao rushed to Dilumudo, surrounded by dozens of counterattack shields floating around him.
He swung his long knife forward, a mere probing attack. Dilumudo instinctively used the red rose to block.
Clang.
As Dilumudo felt a tremendous force in his hand, sparks flew, and his feet sank into the ground.
"This power..."
Before Dilumudo could adapt to the immense force, Su Xiao launched a powerful sidekick. Dilumudo's reaction was swift; he bent his leg and used his shin to block Su Xiao's kick.
Dilumudo staggered back a few steps with a loud thud, his leg entirely numb.
Sizzling~
The sound of contracting metal wires resonated as dimensional threads entangled Dilumudo from all directions.
Dilumudo immediately jumped, using the support of the red rose embedded in the stone slab beneath to suspend his entire body in midair.
The dimensional threads wrapped around the long spear, the red rose. Su Xiao pulled on the dimensional threads, causing the spear's tip to leave a mark on the stone.
Just as Dilumudo was about to land, Su Xiao stepped forward. Instead of attacking immediately, he waited until Dilumudo touched the ground.
Just as Dilumudo's toes touched the ground, Su Xiao executed a diagonal slash.
The Dragon Slayer Flash traced a faint golden "thread" in midair. Its sharpness was chilling.
At this moment, Dilumudo had just landed, and his posture was unstable. This cunning strike made him uncomfortable, leaving him with little room to manoeuvre.
This was a testament to the importance of battle experience. Combat involved numerous factors, and victory didn't solely depend on strength or the number of skills.
Dilumudo continued using his long spear to dodge with no better option. He knew that by choosing to dodge, he would be at a disadvantage in the upcoming exchange. The enemy's power was just too overwhelming.
As Dilumudo prepared to brace himself against Su Xiao's attack, facing the danger of being struck down, Su Xiao suddenly halted his swing and stepped back.
Boom!
Flames erupted from beneath Dilumudo's feet, and the ground beneath him exploded inexplicably.
Shrapnel from alchemical bombs scattered, consuming Dilumudo in the blaze.
Su Xiao shielded his face with his left hand, clad in a metal bracer, to prevent stone fragments from hitting his eyes.
Su Xiao executed several more slashes into the flames as the fiery explosion subsided. A faint blue sword aura detached from the Dragon Slayer Flash's edge and flew into the fire.
Ding, ding, ding...
The sword aura shattered utterly, and amidst the burns, Dilumudo, his leg injured and his flesh torn, emerged from the flames.
As soon as he broke free from the inferno, Dilumudo locked eyes with Su Xiao.
"Oh no!"
Dilumudo thrust the red rose in his hand forward. Su Xiao voluntarily met the thrust with the long red spear.
Clang.
The Counterattack Shield blocked the Red Rose of Exorcism. The sensation from the long spear puzzled Dilumudo. To him, the Counterattack Shield was clearly an energy body. Why could an energy body block the Red Rose of Exorcism?
The answer lay in the disparity between the energy levels of the Blue Steel Shadow and the Red Rose of Exorcism. The long red spear could certainly exorcise evil, but it couldn't ignore energy levels.
If the magical energy level of the Holy Grail world was a 3, then the Blue Steel Shadow energy level was at least ten or more. Furthermore, this energy level would increase as the Blue Steel Shadow's skill level improved.
Just as the Red Rose of Exorcism was blocked, Dilumudo knew he was done for. He couldn't afford any mistakes when clashing with his opponent. Otherwise, the price would be steep.
His suspicion was correct. Su Xiao struck with his long knife when the Red Rose of Exorcism was blocked.
Almost instantly, the blade cleaved through, blood spraying profusely. The speed of the strike, combined with the sharpness of the Dragon Slayer Flash, left Dilumudo with hardly any sensation.
Two seconds later, a searing pain shot through Dilumudo's left shoulder. He turned to look, realising his left arm was now missing. Blood gushed from the severed limb, a faint blue energy visible on the wound's surface.
With a snap, the entire arm fell to the ground.
Blood dripped onto Dilumudo's face, tracing a path down his chin. He couldn't help but chuckle bitterly.
What might your name be? I surely can't lose to an unknown underling."
Upon hearing Dilumudo's question, Su Xiao remained silent. He never wasted words during battle.
Temporarily ignoring Dilumudo, Su Xiao picked up the severed arm from the ground. A pale blue vapour emanated from his left hand, enveloping the arm.
Su Xiao held his knife in his right hand, and the pale blue vapour rose from his left, not unlike a magician.
Su Xiao activated the Devouring Core, attempting to absorb Dilumudo's severed arm. In theory, Heroic Spirits were composed of energy and manifestation, not flesh and blood. This made them ideal for the advanced biological energy Devouring Core required.
The pale blue vapour enveloped Dilumudo's severed arm, and its bloodstains began to rise. The arm began to undergo energy transformation.
After a moment, Su Xiao held a mass of golden energy in his hand—the advanced-level energy that composed Heroic Spirits.
The energy of the Heroic Spirit entered Su Xiao's palm. He didn't absorb it directly; he needed to convert it.
The Heroic Spirit energy first entered the Devouring Core, where it underwent transformation, refinement, and filtration, ultimately becoming a colourless energy.
When the colourless energy emerged from the Devouring Core, the Blue Steel Shadow energy within Su Xiao surged towards it as if drawn to an irresistible delicacy. In moments, the Blue Steel Shadow energy consumed the colourless energy entirely.
Su Xiao immediately sensed his Blue Steel Shadow energy growing stronger. Although it hadn't reached a level of advancement, his Blue Steel Shadow ability was undeniably enhanced.
"Compared to Tailed Beast energy, although Heroic Spirit energy is scarce, it's purer."
A flash of blue flickered in Su Xiao's eyes. The Devouring Core was formidable, but using its power could easily lead to mental confusion. It required unwavering determination.
"After a dozen seconds, the blue light in Su Xiao's eyes disappeared. When he looked at Di Loomuduo again, Di Loomuduo instinctively took a step back.
Su Xiao didn't immediately engage in battle with Di Loomuduo. He was waiting to see if there would be a backlash from the Great Holy Grail after devouring the heroic spirit energy in reverse order.
This was entirely Su Xiao's excessive concern. The Great Holy Grail had not yet appeared; even if it were powerful, he couldn't do anything to it.
"It seems there's no problem."
Blood dripped onto the Dragon-Slaying Flash. Su Xiao approached Di Loomuduo step by step. Even though Di Loomuduo was a heroic spirit, his severed arm couldn't regenerate. Whether it was his inherent recovery ability or his Master Kenneth's healing magic, it didn't matter.
Supreme Edge's Effect 2: Wanren Sect (Passive), Sharpness +10. When slashing, it causes a dismemberment effect on the enemy. The enemy cannot recover severed limbs through any abilities below the fourth rank, including surgery, potions, skills, and bloodline abilities.
