!----
Lu Yin stared at the figure with its back to him in front of Toad Sixth Brother. It was human—and not made of bone. How could that be? There were humans in the Death Universe?
Huh? No, that wasn't right. It was stone?
A stone with a human shape?
At the endpoint, Toad Sixth Brother stared at the stone figure that had suddenly appeared before him, his expression more solemn than ever. "You're actually taking part in the contest for the Abyssal position?"
The stone figure said nothing. He raised his right hand, a sword grasped in his palm, and slowly lowered it point-first. The blade flickered with a restless gleam.
Toad Sixth Brother growled, "The ones in the Dead Sea are letting you leave? That doesn't make sense, you—" Before he could finish, the stone figure slashed at him. The blade swept diagonally through the air, its edge cutting through space. Toad Sixth Brother let out a strange cry. "You just attack without warning? Where's the sportsmanship?"
He dodged the blade and kicked at the stone figure. The stone figure reversed his grip, pointing the blade at Toad Sixth Brother. Apparently wary, Toad Sixth Brother immediately backed away to avoid the blade, then slapped his palm forward. Star Toad Star Plucker.
Stars were plucked from the sky and hurled violently at the stone figure's sword.
The stone figure stood with his sword in hand, neither attacking nor defending. He let Star Toad Star Plucker hit him, yet his body remained unharmed. Then the sword in his hand fell, leaving afterimages in its wake. The afterimages converged, and he slashed.
Toad Sixth Brother flipped through the air.
The blade tore through space where he had been. It looked like nothing had happened, but Lu Yin saw a thin line