The speeding bullet burst from the muzzle. Mu Xiu's head twisted sharply, yanked by his muscles, and moved aside at high speed, dodging the incoming bullet once again.
Then, before he could smile, the next bullet struck his right eye, spraying bright-red blood.
Hit!
He Ao quickly rolled away from his original position.
"Ah!"
A huge fist smashed the floor where He Ao had just stood, blasting apart the concrete as broken chunks flew everywhere. Mu Xiu's pained roar followed close behind.
Then came attacks like a sudden rainstorm.
After being injured, Mu Xiu attacked even faster and more fiercely. Several times, the wind from his enormous fists brushed past He Ao's body.
But after his right eye was hit, he had lost part of his vision. So although his attacks had become more violent, the pressure on He Ao had lessened somewhat.
Eyes were a weakness, but not a fatal point.
He Ao dodged as he thought.
But eyes could be blinded. If both eyes were destroyed, he could reduce the pressure and look for an opportunity.
By now, the blood around Mu Xiu's eye had stopped. His right eye had been completely ruined, and the bullet that had entered it had somehow been forcibly dug out.
His left eye was shot through with blood-red veins as it stared fixedly at He Ao. His fists swept toward him again and again like hurricanes.
"Die!!"
His voice was like that of a wild beast, filled with utter fury and violence.
His speed increased further. His terrifying strength nearly reduced the nearby walls to rubble, and he tore down the ceiling above like paper.
Amid that violent outpouring, He Ao evaded the fatal attacks again and again.
The modeling in his mind through Super Memory became clearer and clearer, and his predictions of Mu Xiu's movements grew increasingly accurate. Often, He Ao had already dodged before Mu Xiu made his next move.
But even so, under that terrifying pursuit of speed, He Ao's situation grew more and more difficult.
Although Super Memory could be called a divine skill, it was ultimately more suited to support. The enhancement he had gained from devouring the "waiter" was also far too lacking compared to Mu Xiu's strength.
Mu Xiu had no support at all, but by maxing out his speed and strength, he could still force He Ao to the point of gasping for breath.
Overwhelming strength could break through all techniques.
He Ao's Physical Fitness was far too different from Mu Xiu's. No matter how powerful Super Memory was, it had only just advanced to E-rank.
There were two bullets left in the Gauss Gun.
He Ao's mind rapidly simulated Mu Xiu's next move.
Without looking back, he raised his gun and fired.
Bang—
With a muffled groan, the speeding bullet seemed to have struck soft flesh.
It hit?
He Ao looked up at Mu Xiu.
That shot had been aimed at Mu Xiu's left eye.
But what met his gaze was a blood-red eye.
Mu Xiu had used his already injured right eye to take the shot aimed at his left eye, faking the effect of being hit in the eye.
Not good!
He Ao's heart jolted. He was about to dodge, but it was already too late.
Mu Xiu had faked being hit with his right eye to lure him into looking up and confirming it. In such an intense battle, even a momentary mistake could bring devastating consequences.
A massive palm descended from above, directly grabbing He Ao and lifting him into the air.
"You?" Mu Xiu stared at He Ao with his one remaining eye, a cruel, crazed smile spreading across his face. "You want to kill me? With this?"
His other hand covered the Gauss Gun in He Ao's grip, then yanked hard, dislocating He Ao's wrist. He tore the gun away and threw it to the ground.
Mu Xiu looked at He Ao madly and suddenly clenched his hand.
He Ao felt an immense force crushing his chest. His ribs shattered under that fierce squeeze, but Mu Xiu seemed unwilling to kill him outright. After the initial crushing grip came a gradual increase in force, slowly adding to his pain.
Compared to Mu Xiu's peak D-rank strength, He Ao's power was pitifully weak. Even if he burned his life force to unleash Super Memory, attacking Mu Xiu was no more than an egg striking a stone.
He had frightened off Dancer through his mental resistance, verbal intimidation, and the little boy's timely appearance. None of that had any effect on a physical powerhouse like Mu Xiu.
Blood from his shattered organs surged up through his trachea and esophagus, filling He Ao's throat before spilling from the corners of his mouth.
Even then, he showed no fear. He stared straight at Mu Xiu, bared bloodstained teeth in a grin, and said,
"Revenge! What a fine word. But why should your path of revenge be paved with the lives of my family? Your family are people! Aren't my family people too?!!!"
By the end, his words had become a nearly hysterical roar.
This was Ander's question, the question of a child who had lost his parents.
Mu Xiu was left stunned by those words. The madness in his eyes froze for a brief instant.
The thick dust slowly dispersed as the brief battle paused, revealing an enormous pattern.
It was an intricately drawn Heptagram Pattern, and He Ao and Mu Xiu stood at its exact center.
At the seven points of the heptagram, arranged clockwise, lay new elementary school textbooks, notebooks, a fountain pen, a briefcase, an exquisite ink bottle, fragments of a human skull, and human finger bones and knuckles.
This was a Ritual Array!
The instant he saw the pattern, Mu Xiu immediately ran outward. But at that very moment, dazzling pure-white light rose from the heptagram.
"I have seen—"
He Ao looked into Mu Xiu's eyes and spat out a mouthful of blood mixed with fragments of his organs. His voice carried a calm madness.
"All Things Will Decay."
A vast and boundless presence crossed endless space, bringing the gaze of a great god. A terrifying pressure suddenly descended upon every inch of the surrounding land.
"Only Truth is Infinite!"
One phantom figure after another appeared in the air. Twisted whispers echoed once more beside He Ao's ears as endless knowledge flooded into his mind like a tide. The phantoms surrounded He Ao and chanted devoutly,
"All Things Will Decay, Only Truth is Infinite!"
He Ao had actually been setting up this communication ritual all along. His inability to defeat Mu Xiu did not mean he could not kill him.
A tooth for a tooth, Blood for Blood.
Selina rode a black heavy motorcycle through the towering buildings, its engine roaring.
The distant high walls seemed almost within reach. The signs of human habitation around her grew increasingly sparse, and even the streetlights no longer shone brightly. Some old, poorly maintained lamps stood by the roadside, casting only faint light.
This was the land of wanderers, a place untouched by dawn.
The howling wind battered Selina's shoulders and scraped across her skin. She had long surpassed the road's maximum speed limit, but there was only one thought in her heart.
Faster. Faster still.
Just as she drew closer and closer to that dilapidated building, a vast, profound majesty descended upon this land.
She was incomparably familiar with that majesty.
The God of Knowledge.
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