It Was Merely This

If we only compare stats, Kurusu Kunoichi undoubtedly surpasses Fang Li in every aspect.

Even Fang Li's sole standout stat, AGI (Agility), would likely lose to Kurusu Kunoichi.

However, after the Slayer's amplification, at least in terms of speed, Fang Li is no longer inferior to Kurusu Kunoichi.

Thus, the moment they clashed, the Dagger and the Longsword struck simultaneously, cutting through the air, one thrust and one slash, hurtling toward each other at astonishing speed.

Then, they collided with a sudden impact.

"Clang—!"

A crisp ringing sound immediately erupted.

Brilliant sparks burst forth at the point of collision.

In this situation, Kurusu Kunoichi gained the upper hand.

This orthodox samurai, relying on his STR (Strength), which was considerably higher than Fang Li's, effortlessly knocked Fang Li's Dagger aside.

Instantly, Fang Li felt a tremendous force reverberate from the clashing Longsword, numbing his palm and forcing his feet to stumble back slightly.

This momentary opening was clearly caught by Kurusu Kunoichi.

"Hah!" Kurusu Kunoichi let out a cold shout, took a step forward, tensed his body, and swung his Longsword fiercely down at the retreating Fang Li.

It was an extremely standard Kesa Cut.

Moreover, its power was not to be underestimated.

The fierce force caused a strong gale to swirl around the blade, with sharp whistling sounds howling through the air.

If it landed, Fang Li would surely have a gruesome diagonal wound carved from his shoulder down to the opposite side of his ribs, like a slash mark.

As mentioned before.

This time, Kurusu Kunoichi would show no mercy.

Even if Fang Li raised his hand to block again, Kurusu Kunoichi would not hesitate to sever that arm on the spot.

Understanding this and feeling the oppressive sword wind bearing down on him, Fang Li's expression remained extremely calm. He suddenly tapped the ground with the tip of his foot, twisting his body to the side at maximum speed.

"Shiiing—!"

The sharp gale grazed past Fang Li's body, the sound of the wind echoing in his ears as the slash, packed with fierce force, was cleanly dodged by Fang Li.

In that moment, Fang Li's Magic Eye did not look at Kurusu Kunoichi but fixed on the sharp Longsword.

On the slender blade, crack-like Death Lines were entwined.

That was the "death" of this weapon.

"Right there!"

Fang Li tightened his grip on the Dagger and slashed fiercely at the Death Lines on the descending Longsword's blade.

If he cut the Death Lines on the blade, the weapon would truly meet its end, severed directly by Fang Li's Dagger.

Unfortunately, compared to a human body, a weapon swinging at high speed is not only hard to hit but also much smaller in volume, with far fewer Death Lines. "Killing" it would undoubtedly be difficult.

Proof of this was that Kurusu Kunoichi merely reflexively lifted his weapon, and the Death Lines on his Longsword immediately shifted away from Fang Li's target.

"Ding—!"

Thus, the Dagger struck heavily against the Longsword's blade, where the Death Lines had shifted, producing a pleasant, bell-like sound.

"As expected, it's not that easy, huh?" Fang Li had already anticipated this outcome, but he still clicked his tongue in frustration.

"What's the matter? Is that all you've got?" Kurusu Kunoichi did not know why Fang Li was attacking the weapon instead of him, but that did not stop him from continuing the fight.

So, Kurusu Kunoichi raised his Longsword, and without a moment's hesitation, his arm swung rapidly.

Instantly, the sharp Longsword turned into a wheel of continuous slashes, carving afterimages through the air as it struck fiercely at Fang Li's entire body.

In that moment, Kurusu Kunoichi pushed his swordsmanship to its limit. The Longsword in his hand traced mysterious trajectories, sometimes straight, sometimes curved, like a violent storm, enveloping Fang Li's whole body.

Faced with such exquisite swordsmanship, Fang Li had no means to counter it. He could only rely on his Magic Eye to track the Death Lines on the Longsword, barely seeing through the trajectory of the slashes, and raised his Dagger to block.

"Clang—!"

A single clash sent sparks flying.

Fang Li's palm went numb again from the powerful force, and his body recoiled violently.

"Clang, clang, clang, clang, clang—!"

Kurusu Kunoichi pressed his advantage relentlessly. His gale-like slashes did not pause, coming from all directions, wildly cutting at Fang Li, forcing him to block one after another, sending countless clashing sounds echoing through the air.

In this situation, Fang Li, whose STR (Strength) was already weaker than an average person's, naturally had his wrists weakened by Kurusu Kunoichi's slashes, his body stumbling back repeatedly.

Yet, Fang Li's expression remained calm throughout. Even as his arms began to ache from the shocks and his Magic Eye, tracking the rapidly swinging Longsword's Death Lines, started to strain, his demeanor did not waver in the slightest.

"Tch..."

Kurusu Kunoichi clicked his tongue, whether in irritation or disgust.

It seemed Kurusu Kunoichi had not expected that all his attacks would be blocked by Fang Li.

A Wanderer with no martial arts foundation had managed to see through and parry the sword strikes of a highly skilled samurai, one by one.

"It seems those eyes of his aren't just eerie—they give him remarkable eyesight as well."

Kurusu Kunoichi thought this.

That thought was almost half right.

Fang Li had managed to block Kurusu Kunoichi's masterful swordsmanship by relying on his demon eyes to track the strikes.

However, Fang Li's demon eyes weren't tracking tangible weapons, but rather the intangible Death Lines.

Though the longsword's rapid swings prevented Fang Li from cutting those Death Lines, simply seeing them clearly was no problem.

As long as he could see the Death Lines, Fang Li could tell where Kurusu Kunoichi's slashes would come from.

It was by relying on the Mystic Eyes of Death Perception's capture of the Death Lines that Fang Li had managed to block Kurusu Kunoichi's attacks.

But...

"That's all it amounts to!"

Kurusu Kunoichi's hand gripping the sword tightened, pouring all his strength into it as he swung the heaviest slash yet at Fang Li.

The Ice-Blue Demon Eyes smoothly caught this strike.

Yet, from the howling force of the wind, Fang Li understood.

This blow, he couldn't block.

"Clang—!"

As if confirming Fang Li's realization, the immensely heavy slash landed on his dagger, and with a clash of steel against steel, sent the dagger flying heavily away.

"Got you!"

Kurusu Kunoichi's eyes sharpened, and with a single stride, a Kesa Cut once again tore through the air, carrying a gale wind as it slashed toward Fang Li's body.

Fang Li snapped his head up, his demon eyes blazing with dazzling light.

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