Volume Three: The Academy's Rampage - Heartbreak

Although she couldn't see Ling Ye's movements clearly, she could still defend herself—that's what Xiao Wu thought.

Even if you can't predict his movement route, as long as you know that his target is you, you only need to defend your surroundings.

With my physical strength and superhuman resilience, I definitely can hold on.

Such thoughts vanished the instant my arm turned into mincemeat.

Swordsmanship, techniques, aiming, and so on, are ultimately just things created to increase speed and power. Once you reach the extreme of speed and strength, the benefits of those things become negligible.

The Black Star in his left hand flew out, and the next attack arrived before the pain even reached his brain.

"Ghost transformation--50%!!!"

Without hesitation, she unleashed her demonic transformation to 50%! Her pupils instantly turned purple, half of her hair turned white, her fingernails transformed into claws, a single horn sprouted from the end of her brow bone, and her missing left arm regenerated at a molecular level—

"Wild Bite!!!"

The massive blow, like a monster's gaping maw, collided head-on with the blue shadow. The demonic enhancement prevented her from being seriously injured, but even so, the excruciating pain made her grimace! The sturdy dagger shattered upon impact with the heavy punch. Ling Ye brushed past her, the wind pressure from their speed alone enough to obliterate an ordinary person! Despite his destroyed weapon, Ling Ye didn't stop. Instead, as he passed Xiao Wu, he reached forward and grabbed something—another small knife he had thrown earlier!

"What--"

"Ha!!!"

The enemy, swift as lightning, attacked again, this time from behind! Xiao Wu's right hand, wielding the White Night bayonet, emitted a blinding light as it met Ling Ye's attack. Another explosive collision ensued; Xiao Wu's right hand stiffened, and the White Night bayonet nearly slipped from her grasp! The new sword shattered from the violent impact, but Ling Ye showed no sign of stopping. He continued to accelerate, grabbing a third sword stuck in the ground and attacking once more—

"--Ugh!!!"

The impact made Xiao Wu's blood surge, her finger bones cracking and snapping. Unable to fully absorb the force, she was thrown backward. At that moment, Ling Ye, whose third sword had shattered and who now possessed the fourth, launched a new attack! Xiao Wu forcefully pushed off the ground, sinking her legs into the earth to stop her momentum, while simultaneously pointing her gun backward—

"Your movements have slowed down, Xiao Wu!"

Ling Ye seemed to say something, but moving at several times the speed of sound, his words were impossible for Xiao Wu to hear. Xiao Wu was forced back by the fierce attack, while Ling Ye grew faster and faster! Each strike shattered a sword, and the instant he finished his attack and passed Xiao Wu, he would pick up a new sword and launch a powerful combo attack! The swords stuck in the ground formed a wheel-like circle, Ling Ye's movement was the spokes of the wheel, and Xiao Wu was the axle at the very center!

Each flash of silver light took away a large chunk of flesh, and the ground was already stained red with blood. Even with 50% demonic transformation, it was difficult to continue resisting!

Clang!!!!!

Blood splattered again, and Ling Ye's figure flashed by, leaving only a gruesome wound resembling an outward-turned human mouth. Just then, Xiao Wu did something Ling Ye could never have imagined.

She put away her stance.

Not only was her counter-attack stance abandoned, but even her defensive posture was removed, and she even threw down her pistol. She simply stood there with her hands hanging down, her eyes slightly closed, and her legs spread apart to shoulder level.

"...?"

Ling Ye felt a moment of confusion.

To remove all defenses in such an extreme offensive and defensive situation is tantamount to suicide.

But he quickly understood Xiao Wu's intention.

As soon as he understood, he slammed on the brakes, ignoring the pressure caused by stopping at several times the speed of sound. He stared intently at Xiao Wu, his eyes filled with anticipation and fervor.

"So that's how it is. Realizing that continuing like this would surely lead to his death, he decided to take a gamble?"

If I were to launch my strongest attack at this moment, Xiao Wu would undoubtedly die.

That way, everything will end.

But Ling Ye hesitated for a moment before abandoning the idea.

He did want to win, but not an easy victory; it was a battle of wits and strength that would splatter his brains and take his opponent's life.

A fierce battle of wits.

Although Ling Ye's mind was racing with all sorts of thoughts, Xiao Wu remained motionless on the other side. An outsider might think she was asleep, but Ling Ye could tell that her breathing rhythm had reached an extremely mysterious state, as if she had become one with everything around her.

"Are you ready, Xiao Wu- chan?"

"..."

"You have three seconds..."

Xiao Wu remained motionless, like a stone statue.

"Three."

Her breath grew weaker and weaker until it was completely gone.

"Two..."

Ling Ye gripped his sword with both hands, assuming an attack stance once more.

"... one!"

At the very last moment, Xiao Wu.

Ling Ye also began its operation at this time.

Advance at ten times the speed of sound.

The crack split the earth in two.

The blast wave destroyed everything in its path.

The sharp blade was pointed directly at Xiao Wu's brow.

The two passed each other.

What should have been a sure hit missed.

The two remained motionless in the same position they had been in at that moment, as if a moment had passed, or perhaps as long as a day.

Then, pfft!!!!

A horrific scar, deep enough to expose bone, appeared on Xiao Wu's body, running from her shoulder to her side.

A deep fist-shaped mark appeared on Ling Ye's chest, just centimeters from his heart.

"60% Demon Transformation, Style 120: Inner --"

Thanks to her ultimate regenerative abilities, Xiao Wu was the first to act.

"Slaughter Space-- "

Ling Ye was a fraction of a second late before turning back to attack.

The moment the two figures crossed paths again—

"--The Unwarranted Purgatory!"

"--The Seven Ordeals Festival!"

Ling Ye realized something was wrong the instant the blade and the force of the fist collided.

Xiao Wu several knuckles shattered in her left hand, but her momentum did not diminish in the slightest, cutting through obstacles like an icebreaker.

Most of his knife was shattered, and a sharp pain shot through his hand. The nails of his thumb, index finger, and middle finger split lengthwise, revealing the tender flesh beneath.

And this was only the first time.

The Unwarranted Purgatory is divided into seven levels, destroying the physical body with seven devastating consecutive attacks. Each attack is a concentrated expression of the overwhelming power after the demonization, and its essence lies in accumulating power and releasing it at a certain point.

The Seven Ordeals Festival is divided into seven forms. First, six extremely fast slashes are launched to block all escape routes and eliminate all ability to resist. Finally, the strongest attack is launched, and the "momentum" accumulated from the first six attacks will be fully reflected in the seventh attack.

The second clash was between a knife and a foot. Xiao Wu's left ankle was paralyzed in a flash of silver light, but she still supported herself with her broken leg, showing no sign of falling. Meanwhile, Ling Ye broke another knife, and several muscles in his arm were torn, causing him excruciating pain.

Hurry up--

The third time, the knife grazed the arm, severing a large chunk of flesh from the right arm—a vital muscle for arm movement. Two of Ling Ye's fingers also broke in the impact.

Faster--

The fourth time, a deep, bone-revealing wound appeared on her right thigh. Xiao Wu's right leg buckled, and she nearly lost her balance and fell to the ground. The new knife shattered and fell to the ground. In an instant, the skin on Ling Ye's right hand was completely peeled off, revealing the stark white bone.

Hurry up, or the damage will heal quickly.

The fifth time, even though all four limbs were severely injured, why could she still move them? Why could she still fight with limbs that should have been unusable? The sixth slash caused a long, narrow cut from her left shoulder to her right leg; any deeper and her internal organs would have spilled out.

Depriving her of her last remaining ability to act

The sixth time, a flash of silver light grazed Xiao Wu's face, slicing open her eyeballs. Blood and vitreous humor gushed from her eyes, robbing her of her sight. Meanwhile, Xiao Wu's punch slashed through Ling Ye's body, the destructive force surging within him. The exploding pain in multiple places told Ling Ye that his internal organs had suffered irreparable damage.

Hold on, this is the last one.

The seventh time.

The Oni Fist and the Murderous Ghost Blade have both accumulated to their maximum destructive power.

In the instant their fists clashed, Ling Ye even felt as if his soul had left his body.

It was like watching from the sidelines as the final blade shattered, his own hand turning into bloody foam with a deafening roar, and her fist being sliced open vertically. Despite being blinded, she still struck with incredible accuracy.

How many times in a lifetime do we truly have the opportunity to connect with others on a deeper level?

"Xiao Wu..."

Having gone this far, can you feel my love even a little bit now?

Will you approve of me?

Will you give me a chance?

Will you kill me?

Or will I kill him?

"Zero... Night..."

What did you say?...

Ah, I see.

In the end, they still suffered a setback.

As a man, I'm a real failure.

Ugh, I just want to crawl into a hole and disappear.

What? I'm sorry?

Hey, hey, hey, don't apologize, that's not like you.

Apologizing after giving a guy a hair clip only creates cumulative harm.

I'm okay.

To have met you in this tiny fraction of a second, and to have resolved a knot in my heart, I am already very content.

Then, it felt like ten thousand years had passed, yet also like a nanosecond.

The outcome is decided.

Ling Ye and Xiao Wu stood back to back, separated by a chasm in the earth.

Time, which had been still, began to flow again.

"Ugh... cough cough cough!!!"

Xiao Wu suddenly coughed violently, all the pain that had been suppressed in her demon form surged up, every inch of her skin was stained red with blood, and the strength in her legs was drained in an instant, she could only kneel on the ground and support her body with her knees.

And Ling Ye—

"Ah, ah..."

A relieved smile appeared on his face.

"As expected, you won..."

Then, he collapsed to the ground with the sound of his bones and muscles shattering, losing all ability to move.

"Haa... haa... haa..."

Although she won, Xiao Wu didn't feel like she had truly won.

The injuries on my body have begun to heal, but at a much slower pace than usual.

"You... sigh..."

Xiao Wu looked at Ling Ye lying on the ground. This guy was still smiling even though he had lost. It was really annoying.

"You were totally holding back... While I was charging up my Style 120: Inner, you had countless opportunities to kill me!"

"In that case... cough... it's pointless..."

Ling Ye seemed to want to answer her easily, but the intense pain only allowed him to utter one word at a time.

"There's no point in fighting you to the death in a direct confrontation... isn't there?"

"..."

Xiao Wu sighed softly and turned her head away.

"How badly are you hurt?"

"This is bad... cough cough... a rib has pierced my lung..."

"Isn't that extremely serious!?"

"It's alright, I have a strong will to live... Besides, I haven't given you my life yet..."

"Why are you still saying things like that...?"

"Oh? I thought you... would definitely understand me..."

"I don't understand, and I don't want to understand."

"Haha... But now I've lost the meaning of living again... If possible, I'd like to at least use this life... to help you overcome the hurdle of killing..."

"... Even if we do nothing, given your current state, you'll die sooner or later if left unattended."

"Probably... if I die, the blame for killing me will probably fall on you... to be the first person you kill... it would be an honor..."

"Don't talk nonsense, you should... tsk, wait until I'm able to move again..."

"... Well?"

"I already said, I'll bandage you up and get it treated as soon as I can move, then take you to the hospital..."

Ling Ye couldn't help but chuckle.

"Hey, Xiao Wu... even now... you still can't break your 'no killing' principle?"

"It's not a matter of principle, I just feel..."

Xiao Wu slightly away.

"I think... if you died, I would probably be heartbroken."

"--!?"

"Hey, what's with that expression?! Don't get the wrong idea, I have absolutely no feelings for you!"

"Don't be so adamant about it..."

"However, after this battle, I've come to understand you a little better... Now, you're practically a friend to me."

Friends and such.

"... I guess I should just die."

"Wait, wait, wait for me!"

"Xiao Wu, your emotional intelligence is practically negative."

"Try saying that again... cough cough!!"

"Hey... be careful, your injury... isn't fully healed yet."

"We weren't talking about that, were we? I suddenly remembered, you haven't told me about Evelynths' whereabouts yet."

"I already told you not to worry, and people should know when to back down. When have I ever lied to you... huh!?"

"How--!?"

Boom!!!

A massive pressure, like the ocean, suddenly appeared above them without warning! This was the first time in Xiao Wu's life she had felt such pressure; it was a combination of fighting spirit, anger, and killing intent—the aura of a true powerhouse!

"This is... damn it, they came ahead of schedule?"

Ling Ye showed a serious expression for the first time, which surprised Xiao Wu.

Who's here?

"The rest of the organization, aside from the top brass, are the most troublesome guys— the Special Class Combatant!!!"

The words had barely left his mouth--

"Ling Ye, what are you doing here...?"

A sound came from not far away.

It is extremely deep and resonant, reminiscent of the voice of mountains and the earth.

I have no idea when I got there.

Xiao Wu Mai looked in the direction from which the sound came, trembling.

A massive body nearly three meters tall, with extremely thick and heavy limbs, lead-gray skin like rock covered with tattoo-like white lines, white hair standing on end, a head like a stone, and rugged features sculpted by a knife and axe. The upper body was naked, while the lower body was wrapped in a black and white striped cloth, and the dark feet were planted directly on the ground, as if they had merged with the ground.

"Stone Strike... Senior..."

"Ling Ye," Stone Strike stepped forward, and the ground trembled violently at that moment.

"Your mission was to monitor Boundary Breaking Armor, right? But you killed Soya instead."

The deep, booming voice was deafening, and Xiao Wu couldn't help but cover her ears.

"Ah... I'm really sorry, but Soya is definitely going to die."

"No matter your personal reasons, killing a comrade is the most serious betrayal."

Then, the large, lead-gray hand rose—

"Traitors deserve to be judged!"

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Then comes the real boss battle!