In terms of attributes alone, Kurusu Kunoichi undoubtedly surpassed Fang Li in every aspect.
Even Fang Li's only noteworthy stat at the moment, AGI, was probably inferior to Kurusu Kunoichi's.
However, after the Slayer's enhancement, Fang Li was no longer weaker than Kurusu Kunoichi in terms of speed, at least.
Thus, the instant they met, dagger and katana struck out simultaneously, cutting through the air and hurtling toward each other at astonishing speed.
Then, they collided head-on.
Clang—!
A crisp clash rang out at once.
Brilliant sparks burst from the point of impact.
Under such circumstances, Kurusu Kunoichi gained the advantage.
This genuine warrior relied on his considerably higher strength to effortlessly knock Fang Li's dagger aside.
Fang Li immediately felt tremendous force surge through the colliding katana, numbing his palm and forcing him to retreat a few steps.
Kurusu Kunoichi clearly caught that momentary opening.
"Hah!" Kurusu Kunoichi let out a cold shout, stepped forward, tensed his body, and fiercely brought his katana down on the retreating Fang Li.
It was an extremely standard Kesa Cut.
Moreover, its power was not to be underestimated.
The fierce force whipped up a powerful gale around the blade.
A shrill whistling filled the air.
If it landed, Fang Li would be sliced cleanly from his shoulder to the ribs on the opposite side, leaving behind a gruesome diagonal wound.
Just as had been said before.
This time, Kurusu Kunoichi would not hold back again.
Even if Fang Li raised his hand to block once more, Kurusu Kunoichi would undoubtedly cut that arm off without hesitation.
Understanding this, and feeling the oppressive sword wind bearing down on him, Fang Li remained exceptionally calm. He suddenly tapped the ground with his toes and darted sideways at top speed.
Swoosh—!
The sharp gale grazed Fang Li's body, and the piercing whistle continued to echo in his ears as he cleanly dodged the forceful slash.
At that moment, Fang Li's Magic Eye was not looking at Kurusu Kunoichi, but at the sharp katana instead.
Crack-like Death Lines coiled around the slender blade.
That was the weapon's "death."
"Right there!"
Fang Li tightened his grip on the dagger and viciously slashed at the Death Line on the descending katana.
As long as he struck the Death Line on the blade, the weapon would truly meet the end of its lifespan and be cut in two by Fang Li's dagger.
Unfortunately, compared to a human body, a weapon being swung at high speed was not only difficult to hit, but much smaller as well. It also had far fewer Death Lines than a human body.
Trying to "kill" it was undoubtedly difficult.
The proof was that with merely a reflexive upward lift, Kurusu Kunoichi shifted the Death Line on his katana away from Fang Li's target.
Ding—!
The dagger heavily struck the katana's blade where the Death Line had shifted away, producing a pleasant, bell-like sound.
So it wasn't going to be that easy after all? Fang Li had already anticipated this possibility, but he still could not help clicking his tongue.
"What? Is that all you've got?" Kurusu Kunoichi did not know why Fang Li was attacking his weapon rather than him directly, but that did not stop him from continuing the battle.
Kurusu Kunoichi raised his katana, and without the slightest hesitation, rapidly swung his arm.
The sharp katana immediately became a continuous barrage of slashes like a spinning windmill, leaving afterimages in the air as it viciously cut toward Fang Li's entire body.
At that moment, Kurusu Kunoichi pushed his swordsmanship to its limit. The katana traced profound paths through the air in his hand, sometimes straight, sometimes curved, shrouding Fang Li's whole body like a violent storm.
Facing such exquisite swordsmanship, Fang Li had no means of responding. He could only rely on his Magic Eye's ability to catch the Death Lines on the katana, barely see through the slashes' trajectories, and raise his dagger.
Clang—!
Sparks flew from the clash.
Fang Li's palm went numb from the powerful force again, and his body was sent reeling backward.
Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang—!
Kurusu Kunoichi pressed his advantage relentlessly. His wind-like slashes did not pause for an instant, attacking Fang Li from all directions and violently cutting at him, leaving Fang Li with no choice but to block each strike.
Countless clashes rang out and echoed through the air.
Under such circumstances, Fang Li, whose strength was already weaker than that of an ordinary person, naturally found his wrists growing weak from Kurusu Kunoichi's strikes as he staggered backward again and again.
Yet Fang Li's expression remained calm throughout. Even as his arms began to ache from the impacts and his Magic Eye, which was tracking the Death Lines on the rapidly swinging katana, started to sting, his expression did not waver in the slightest.
"Tch..."
Kurusu Kunoichi clicked his tongue, whether out of irritation or disgust.
Presumably, Kurusu Kunoichi had not expected all of his attacks to be blocked by Fang Li.
A Wanderer with no foundation in martial arts had somehow seen through every sword strike of a warrior with exceptional swordsmanship and blocked them one by one.
It seems those eyes of his are not merely strange. His eyesight is also remarkably sharp.
Kurusu Kunoichi thought so.
That thought was almost half right.
The reason Fang Li could see through Kurusu Kunoichi's superb swordsmanship and block his attacks was his Magic Eye's ability to catch them.
However, what Fang Li's Magic Eye caught was not the tangible weapon, but the intangible Death Lines.
Although the katana was swinging too quickly for Fang Li to strike the Death Lines, simply seeing them clearly was not a problem.
As long as he could see the Death Lines, Fang Li could tell where Kurusu Kunoichi's slashes would come from.
Only by relying on the Mystic Eyes of Death Perception to catch the Death Lines had Fang Li been able to block Kurusu Kunoichi's attacks.
But...
"That's all there is to it!"
Kurusu Kunoichi's hand gripping the katana suddenly tightened, and he poured all his strength into it, swinging his heaviest strike yet at Fang Li.
The Ice-Blue Demon Eyes successfully caught the attack.
However, from the howling gale, Fang Li understood.
He could not block this attack.
Clang—!
As though confirming Fang Li's thought, the immensely heavy strike landed on his dagger. Amid a collision like steel striking steel, it violently knocked Fang Li's dagger away.
"I've got you!"
Kurusu Kunoichi's gaze sharpened. With one step forward, his Kesa Cut tore through the air once more, carrying a fierce gale as it slashed toward Fang Li's body.
Fang Li abruptly raised his head, his Magic Eye blooming with dazzling light.
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