What She Lost, What I Gained: The Strongest Creature on Earth (6)

A rocket-like beam of light erupted from the abyss, the shockwave behind it carrying countless rocks and seawater. The Thunder Wings on its back split into thousands of bolts of lightning, all shooting towards Gustav! Each bolt of lightning was wrapped in densely packed scarlet runes, the very manifestation of the power of the Rakshasa True Word!

"Extreme Night Style Fifth Form - Crimson Sun Thousand Bites Flower!!!!"

Thousands of bolts of lightning exploded in succession, transforming into fireworks that bloomed in the sky—a skill that dispersed immense power across the entire heavens. A single bolt of lightning burst into hundreds of lightning flowers, each of which then exploded into even more, rising and falling in a continuous, relentless barrage! Even Gustav had to frown and brush aside these persistent bolts of lightning, causing his movements to pause slightly!

Ding!!!

Xiao Wu instantly appeared before him, throwing a punch straight at his chest—the feeling of flesh hitting its mark! However, when the lightning dissipated, Xiao Wu found her fist firmly caught by Gustav. Gustav chuckled, then used the same trick again, grabbing her arm and flinging her away—

With a snap, an extremely intense bolt of lightning suddenly exploded from the elbow that had been grabbed, blasting the arm in two! Gustav was only holding a severed forearm, while Xiao Wu concentrated all her regenerative power on her arm, causing the severed forearm to regenerate instantly!

Another punch!

As their arms crossed, dazzling lightning erupted once more, but this did nothing to diminish Gustav's power—his elbow joint was shattered beyond repair, and his shoulder joint was twisted and contorted, but it didn't matter. As long as he had the strength to punch, as long as he had a clear mind, he could keep fighting!!!

The two men, their bodies intertwined in mid-air, engaged in the fiercest hand-to-hand combat in history!

Fists clashed, palms crossed, every strike from Xiao Wu was all-out, every defense a gamble with her life! Gustav, on the other hand, seemed to move with effortless ease. He didn't even need to use any techniques; his ordinary punches were more powerful than small nuclear bombs, a slight sway of his body was enough to achieve perfect evasion, and a simple raise of his hand was enough to block all of Xiao Wu's fierce attacks!

Xiao Wu had never felt anything like this before. All the pain and exhaustion were magnified infinitely. Every punch was excruciating, every defense was torture! Her five senses were sharper than ever before, just to catch Gustav's every move. Whether it was sight, hearing, touch, or even her sixth sense, Gustav's attacks always landed on her before she could even "feel" them! But, once, twice, three times... the number of times she dodged the attacks at extremely difficult angles gradually increased. Although each time she dodged a direct attack, she would still be scraped by the sharp wind of the punch, she was indeed adapting, slowly adapting to this most intense battle she had ever experienced!

We need to be faster!

Squeezing the screaming, protesting muscles to their limits, the raging crimson lightning became propulsion, and the afterimages of fists and feet overlapped continuously, constantly pushing the limits of speed!

We need more force!

It doesn't matter if bones are shattered or flesh is torn apart. Unleash all the power you can, whether it's physical strength, Demonic Power, or the power of Rakshasa True Word, exert it all to the maximum!

I want a stronger body!

All remaining power is poured into the body, permeating every bone, every muscle, every nerve, and every cell, pursuing ultimate strength, ultimate flexibility, ultimate speed, and ultimate self-healing power!

We need an even stronger will!

Ignoring pain and hardship, never backing down even when facing a formidable foe, tearing apart the enemy called fear, casting aside despair for victory or defeat, and throwing oneself wholeheartedly into the battle!

Just for, just for--

--Hit him!

Hit him! Hit him!

Hit him! Hit him! Hit him! Hit him! Hit him! Hit him! Hit him!

Even just one hit would be fine!

Attack Attack Attack Defense Defense Defense Dodge Dodge Dodge Dodge Left foot blocked and shattered Right arm grabbed No problem, immediately break it off Fist slashes towards head, quickly dodges most of them, but the force of the punch cracks skull Slams into abdomen Continuous punches, but all are dodged A swift sweeping leg comes, can't dodge, immediately curl up legs to withstand it Lower body is almost blown away Regenerate Regenerate Regenerate Immediately Regenerate Faster, fiercer, stronger Stronger Stronger I need ultimate strength!

He's even faster! Can you keep up? Of course you can! Squeeze him out! Drain every last drop of strength! Go all in! Isn't this a gamble with your life? Come on, try it! How many thousand times have your bones broken? How many tens of thousands of times has your flesh torn? How long has this storm of attacks lasted? Who knows? Ignore the physical strain, ignore all the pain and exhaustion, focus entirely on capturing every detail! Faster...

"Gurgle--!!"

The moment his newly grown arms parried Gustav's palm strike, everything went black for a second.

It was a very brief "loss of consciousness," so brief that it was immediately covered up by the self-healing power.

However, the side effects have already become apparent.

Simultaneously using the Demonic Power and the power of Rakshasa True Word, always in a fully activated state, the burden on the body and mind is self-evident.

It was excruciating pain from the very beginning, like having your skin peeled off and your whole body turned inside out. As time went on and the battle progressed, the pain accumulated and intensified. An ordinary person would go completely insane after enduring it for even a moment, but Xiao Wu not only suppressed the pain with her overwhelming willpower, but also subconsciously used self-suggestion to ignore it all and force herself to continue fighting.

Willpower and perseverance are not omnipotent; in the end, it's just a matter of pushing yourself. She has pushed herself beyond her limits several times, but now she is finally approaching the finish line.

"Has it finally come to an end, Urushihara?"

Gustav's voice seemed to come from a great distance. A sudden, heavy blow exploded on her face, knocking her jaw out and rendering her unable to speak. A follow-up attack came crashing down on her head, but her evolved intuition, honed through continuous battles, saved her; otherwise, her brains would have been splattered. This dodge, however, seemed to be her last.

I'll die, I can't let this happen. Cheer up, I can still fight! I can definitely still fight! The blurred vision must be temporary, the ringing in my ears must be just an illusion, the fatigue and pain in my body will pass if I just endure it, and I'll be back to peak condition after a few breaths. That must be it.

However, her vision grew darker and darker, the sounds reaching her ears grew fainter and fainter, and the world around her seemed to be slipping away from her. Her self-healing speed slowed down more and more, and even her self-healing power seemed to be protesting loudly, begging her to stop, to stop fighting, to obediently admit defeat—

--Should I just admit defeat?

... That seems to make some sense.

Why insist on taking on a battle that is certain to be lost?

Knowing that the opponent is far stronger than oneself, why still insist on fighting?

Why do the weak fight?

Because... Because...

It's simply because... I'm no longer all alone.

If I'm still living alone in this world, then of course it doesn't matter what happens, whether I live or die, it won't affect anyone else, and no one will care about me.

But... now, my life is no longer just my own.

She already has someone with whom her fate is intertwined.

If she loses here, Gustav will leave her and go to kill the person whose fate is intertwined with hers.

Companions?

No, it's not just companions.

In terms of companions alone, both Sin Annihilation Little Ying, the Sick Spider, Givinia can be considered companions, but the two of them are different.

Ye is by no means a good person. She is hypocritical and cruel, using various behaviors that seem to conform to common moral values to cover up the indifference in her heart. To her, everyone except her companions is indifferent. Even towards her companions, she occasionally reveals a paranoid and cruel side.

However, she was his friend.

Haoyue is a fickle freak, putting on a beautiful facade while being utterly rotten inside. She only follows her own rules, and her actions are always extremely cruel, showing no concern for the casualties of ordinary people. She is possessive, bloodthirsty, and has all sorts of perverse tastes.

But more importantly, she was his friend.

Occasionally, when I look back, I can't help but sigh... To be honest, they're the types I really dislike. Why did I consider them friends? Was I out of my mind? Maybe that was it at first. But as we went through life-and-death situations together, moving forward towards a vague goal, the more I understood them, the more I disliked them, but also... the more I valued them. I can't live without them, not because they're incapable, but because it's so wonderful to fight alongside them, so wonderful to understand them so deeply, so wonderful to create so many memories with them. Knowing that I'm no longer alone, knowing that there will be people to laugh and joke with, knowing that there will be people to move forward with, knowing that I'm cared for—it's truly... wonderful.

There are reasons why we cannot back down, reasons why we cannot fail, and reasons why we must persevere even when we reach our limits multiple times.

A hazy consciousness cleared up again.

I saw the light.

It's far, far away, yet it seems so close.

Reach out your hand toward the light—

"... Extreme Mode!"

"--Well?"

Rumble rumble rumble rumble!!!!!

Their fists clashed, and lightning once again illuminated the sky, even brighter than before! Countless cracks instantly appeared on Xiao Wu's arm, blood gushing out like a tide, bones creaking, but it didn't explode as it had before! Numerous lightning patterns emanated from beneath her skin, spreading across her entire body, lightning emanated from her eyes, and even her hair seemed to transform into countless fine electric currents. Fusion with the power of the Rakshasa True Word, she was even more powerful than when she fought the War God monster!

I remembered a conversation I had with Haoyue before.

"I've already asked Xiao Ye about what you asked me to do."

"Thanks. You didn't tell her about my Extreme Mode, did you? I didn't want her to worry."

"How considerate... Don't worry, I was just subtly asking, 'Since you have the ability to control life, Xiao Ye, can you also share your life with me or that delinquent girl?'"

"What did she say?"

Haoyue averted her gaze in an instant, and only spoke somewhat reluctantly under Xiao Wu's glare.

She said, 'Leaving aside others, it's highly unlikely that it will be Xiao Wu.'

"... Why?"

"According to her, the amount of life each person needs is different. If an ordinary person is 'a teacup of water,' then I am a large vat of water, and she is a swimming pool."

What about me?

"... large reservoirs."

"... ah?"

"In other words, she would have to use up most of her life force just to 'fill' you once, so..."

"..."

"I'm sorry... but I'm afraid the path of 'using Xiao Ye's extra life to make up for the lifespan you lost in Extreme Mode' is... not feasible."

"There's no need to apologize... It was just my stubbornness, it's okay, it was my business to begin with, she shouldn't have to pay such a high price."

"But the lifespan you've lost—"

"I've already said, this is my business, stop worrying about it!"

It seems there was such a conversation.

I spoke so casually back then.

But... what's the reality?

If the normal extreme mode reduces lifespan by ten years for every minute spent... how many years does it reduce now?

Twenty years? Thirty years?

Fifty years?

Or... will he just die?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A new month, naturally there should be something new--

--Monthly Votes!!!!(╯‵□′)╯┻━┻

If everyone can offer their support, it will all be worth it, even though I'm working myself to the bone preparing for finals and staying up all night writing this...

Blood Change is expected to conclude early next month. My new book Symphony for the Bug Princess, <A Symphony Dedicated to the Insect Princess>, has already reached tens of thousands of words, and I'm constantly refining the outline... Please look forward to it!

By the way, the number of lunchboxes in the new book will be much less than in Blood Change.