Scarlet Blade Rises, Ghost Mist Dissipates

Zero Yu Zi rolled out of the way, and Tsugikuni Kuuga took the opportunity to slash his blade at her neck, but Zero Yu Zi instantly mistified, slipping past Tsugikuni Kuuga and fleeing toward the town.

Tsugikuni Kuuga naturally couldn't let her reach the village—if she did, in her dying state, a demon would definitely eat humans to replenish energy, since they couldn't release their Blood Demon Art infinitely like his boss could.

As a mass of mist drifting through the air, Zero Yu Zi's speed had increased by more than a little, and she quickly widened the gap between herself and Tsugikuni Kuuga.

Zero Yu Zi had already figured out how she would explain things to her boss later. Even though she had run away, the information about Tsugikuni Kuuga might earn her some leniency.

Tsugikuni Kuuga also activated his full speed to chase Zero Yu Zi. When he was only one meter away from the mist, he leaped, which drastically shortened the distance.

The moment he descended, he used Sun-Breathing: Tenth Form, Brilliant Grace Light. The spiral slash wreathed in flames cleaved the mist in two.

But the mist quickly reformed. Tsugikuni Kuuga realized he had been wrong—the mist formed by the Blood Demon Art wasn't destroyed by his sword technique. He could only cut her when she materialized to attack.

But now, Zero Yu Zi was almost certainly not going to attack him. Tsugikuni Kuuga looked up and saw that the town was less than five hundred meters away.

"Hahaha, can't do anything to me now, can you? I may not be able to beat you, but you can't kill me either!" Zero Yu Zi taunted.

"Once I get into town, I'll kill a human right away—right in front of you!"

"I wonder how wonderful your expression will be, hehe!"

"Tch! You think I'm out of options?"

"Today, you won't escape, and you won't kill anyone!"

It was already late at night, so most people in the town were asleep. Only a few were still outside—those who had to keep moving just to survive.

At the town entrance, someone was just packing up their stall, clearly working until now before heading home. Zero Yu Zi was ecstatic—it looked like she could replenish her energy.

The stall owner noticed a patch of mist drifting toward him but didn't pay it any mind. What he never expected was for a person to burst out of the mist, charging at him with a ferocious expression.

Zero Yu Zi kicked his cart flying with one blow. The stall owner, seeing his livelihood destroyed, instantly flew into a rage. Just as he was about to argue with Zero Yu Zi, she grabbed him by the throat and lifted him up.

"You... who are you? Why?" the stall owner asked in broken gasps.

"You don't need to know. But remember, your death is because of a useless piece of trash, hahaha!"

Zero Yu Zi reached straight for the stall owner's heart, ready to put on a live show of ripping out a heart.

Tsugikuni Kuuga saw he wouldn't make it in time, so he threw his blade directly. The sword pierced straight through Zero Yu Zi's heart, and she froze for an instant.

But that single instant of hesitation bought Tsugikuni Kuuga the time he needed. He launched a flying kick straight at Zero Yu Zi's head, while simultaneously pulling the blade out of her body.

However, because his body was airborne, Zero Yu Zi caught his opening. She threw the stall owner aside, grabbed Tsugikuni Kuuga's leg with one hand, and slammed him viciously into the ground.

Tsugikuni Kuuga spat out a mouthful of fresh blood, his eyes rolling white. A crack came from his thigh—his leg had snapped—and he couldn't even let out a scream from the pain.

Zero Yu Zi stomped on Tsugikuni Kuuga's chest, making it even worse since several of his ribs were broken too. Another gush of old blood sprayed from his mouth.

Zero Yu Zi laughed triumphantly. She hadn't expected to turn the tables so quickly. She really had to thank this useless human for holding her back.

"You humans are just pathetic, always bound by your pitiful sense of responsibility. This so-called 'protection' of yours only protects a bunch of selfish people!"

Zero Yu Zi grabbed Tsugikuni Kuuga by the collar and lifted him up. Though his head was ringing, he still gripped his blade tightly.

Zero Yu Zi tilted Tsugikuni Kuuga's head up and sneered with mock pity:

"Open your eyes and take a look. That guy you saved has no idea where he ran off to, and here you are, in my hands!"

"How pathetic. If you had just ignored that bastard's life, my head would be rolling at your feet right now!"

Tsugikuni Kuuga's eyes snapped open. He quickly swung his blade horizontally at Zero Yu Zi's neck, but because of his severe injuries, she still managed to dodge.

But the moment Tsugikuni Kuuga landed, his whole body was in agony. The broken left leg throbbed with pain every second.

Still, Tsugikuni Kuuga smiled calmly and said, "You villains all die from talking too much. Looks like that saying isn't wrong. If you'd just hit me one more time back there, things wouldn't have come to this!"

"Tch! What do you think you can do in this state?" Zero Yu Zi said disdainfully.

"Cutting you down shouldn't be a problem."

Just then, the stall owner who had run off came back holding an axe. Though his hands and feet were trembling, he still said, "Benefactor, I'm here to help you!"

Despite the pain wracking his body, Tsugikuni Kuuga felt a warmth in his heart. He said lightly, "You coming doesn't change anything. Leave quickly, or you'll make things difficult for me."

The stall owner knew that the monster in front of him was something he could never handle. Staying would only hold his benefactor back, so he bowed to Tsugikuni Kuuga and ran off.

"Oh, how touching! I wonder if you can still keep up now that I'm going to kill that guy?"

As she spoke, Zero Yu Zi activated her Blood Demon Art: Mistification. She knew that in this form, Tsugikuni Kuuga couldn't cut her, and she could just pass right through him to kill that foolish human.

Sometimes, breaking someone's spirit is more satisfying than killing them. Zero Yu Zi clearly wanted to break his spirit first, then kill him—proving that in the end, he couldn't protect that human.

Tsugikuni Kuuga took a deep breath. The strength in his hands grew greater and greater. He believed that the only way to counter Zero Yu Zi's Blood Demon Art was that one special ability.

Sure enough, as his grip tightened, his entire blade turned red. Steam could even be seen rising from where his hand met the hilt.

Veins like little snakes crawled all over Tsugikuni Kuuga's body. He was clearly using every ounce of his strength.

And then, the blade that burns everything—the Scarlet Blade—was formed. This was also the first time Tsugikuni Kuuga had used one of those special abilities: the Scarlet Blade, the Mark, or Clear World.

At that moment, Zero Yu Zi brushed past Tsugikuni Kuuga. He swung his blade down, and the mist formed by the Blood Demon Art instantly burst into flames.

Zero Yu Zi screamed and rolled away, a hideous, massive scar carved across her chest. The fear etched into her cells made cold sweat pour down her face like rain.