Nighttime Slaughter (2)

Even though this was not his first encounter with a so-called Half-Blood, Lu Mingfei could not help but marvel at the magnificent Golden Pupils of the man before him; it was as if golden mandalas were blooming deep within his irises.

After receiving orders from King, Kazama Ruri did not take them to heart, merely arranging for Sakurai Kogure to handle the matter at her discretion.

Yet he had not expected such a coincidence, that he would see his "little sister," Uesugi Erii, here.

No, that was wrong; she should belong to Gen Chisaki as his sister, a mere substitute for himself.

Is she the one currently receiving her brother's affection?

Although she is the strongest Tsukuyomi-no-Mikoto, since they have met, why not put her to the test?

Try to kill her and see how her brother reacts.

He just hadn't expected the man beside her to also be a Half-Blood; was he the one who had spirited Erii away?

"Erii, stay back. Do not come any closer."

Lu Mingfei handed his umbrella to Uesugi Erii, then pulled the silver necklace from his neck, transforming it into a Zanpakuto.

Uesugi Erii felt a sense of familiarity upon seeing Kazama Ruri, but she also knew that this person harbored murderous intent toward her. She wanted to say something, but Lu Mingfei stopped her.

Rainwater dripped incessantly onto Lu Mingfei as he drew his blade, standing face-to-face with Kazama Ruri.

Kazama Ruri merely watched Lu Mingfei with keen interest.

In the world of Half-Bloods, a stable bloodline refers to a dragon-lineage concentration of less than fifty percent within the human body; it can approach fifty percent at most, but once exceeded, one will quickly lose control and degenerate into a Dead Servant.

However, the White King Descendants are different; they were born differently from other lineages of Half-Bloods, having been personally granted bone and blood by the White King when he was suppressed by the Black King.

Thus, the White King Descendants give birth to a type of Half-Blood known as an Emperor.

An Emperor refers to a Half-Blood who has exceeded the critical blood limit yet can still maintain their humanity intact. Each generation of Emperors is extremely rare, born only within the top three families of the Snake Eight Families; Gen Chisaki is the Emperor of this generation.

And Kazama Ruri, in contrast, is the ultimate evil: an Oni.

Therefore, Lu Mingfei had only piqued his interest slightly.

"Tell me, do all Half-Bloods have to flash their Golden Pupils before a fight? Every time I see you lot, it's the same routine."

As he spoke, Lu Mingfei closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, his brilliant golden pupils were ablaze.

These Golden Pupils were so dazzling that Kazama Ruri actually felt a trace of pressure from them.

His playful expression vanished; a man capable of possessing such eyes was worthy of his full attention.

Amidst the curtain of rain, two pairs of brilliant Golden Pupils locked gazes, and the next moment, both men moved.

Their blades collided directly, sparks flying violently from the steel.

After just one exchange, both men retreated.

There was no difference in strength, which left Lu Mingfei somewhat surprised.

In the past, every opponent he had encountered in this world had been dispatched in a single strike; he had rarely needed a second. Was this the true power of a Half-Blood?

Lu Mingfei felt a surge of excitement. A different power system, a capable opponent—surely Sister Hana would be unable to resist testing her skills if she were here.

This was the hunger for battle he had seen in her eyes during their usual sparring sessions.

As her student in swordsmanship, Lu Mingfei naturally would not refuse such a fight.

He lunged forward again, and in an instant, their weapons clashed repeatedly, a string of sparks exploding with every impact.

I underestimated him, Kazama Ruri thought as they shifted their stances.

The sword fight ended in less than ten seconds, as abrupt in its cessation as it had been in its start; they went from motion to stillness without any transition.

They passed each other, standing as still as statues.

Rainwater splashed between them, and a single drop of blood slid down the blade of Lu Mingfei's sword.

Kazama Ruri looked down at his chest; his haori had been sliced open, and blood was slowly seeping out.

Lu Mingfei was not unscathed either; he wiped his neck, a fine smear of blood staining his hand.

Had he not been suffusing his body with Spiritual Pressure, his neck would surely have been severed.

What he hadn't expected was that his strike had only barely cut into the man's chest, as if blocked by something, so he could only say he had wounded him, though the impact was minimal.

"You are strong." Kazama Ruri turned around, narrowing his eyes at Lu Mingfei. "How about this: you hand Uesugi Erii over to me, and I will leave immediately."

"Do you think I would let you take that silly girl away?" Lu Mingfei also turned, holding his blade as he retorted.

"No matter. I just thought I'd mention it. In that case, let us continue."

Before the words had even faded, Kazama Ruri lunged forward, his cherry-red blade filling Lu Mingfei's vision.

Lu Mingfei held his sword and swung in a vertical slash.

With his Dragon blood boiling, Kazama Ruri suddenly released his grip with one hand, yet even with one hand free, he was not suppressed by Lu Mingfei.

He used his free hand to strike fiercely at Lu Mingfei's chest.

"Cough, cough." Lu Mingfei stepped back twice.

How did his strength increase?

In his state of boiling Dragon blood, Kazama Ruri's combat power had already surpassed his previous, ordinary state.

He unleashed the potency of the Evolution Drug he had been consuming for so long, pushing himself to this level.

Fine, white Dragon scales erupted from beneath his skin, weaving into a protective mesh that rivaled the scales of a pure-blooded Dragon.

"So that's how it is." Watching the changes take hold, Lu Mingfei realized he had grown stronger; he hadn't expected a boss transformation to be on the table.

Since this was no longer a contest of pure swordsmanship, Lu Mingfei stopped holding back.

Activating Flash Step, Lu Mingfei instantly shifted to Gen Chi-me's side, his right hand gripping his blade for a horizontal slash that whistled through the air.

"Such speed." Though surprised, Kazama Ruri reacted in time, parrying the Zanpakuto aimed at his neck.

The two traded blows in a flurry of offense and defense, leaving the road surface battered and ruined.

Retreating once more, Lu Mingfei sliced through a roadside lamppost and kicked the severed metal toward his opponent.

The lamppost whistled as it flew toward Kazama Ruri.

"Do you think this will work?"

Kazama Ruri cleaved it in two with a single strike, walking through the rain as he stared at Lu Mingfei.

"It's useless, really. I just felt like it looked cool to fight this way, so I gave it a shot," Lu Mingfei said with a laugh.

His sword arm felt numb; Lu Mingfei had been on the defensive during that exchange. Ever since those fine scales had sprouted, Kazama Ruri's strength and reaction speed had seen a massive boost.

Not only that, but the scales on his body were incredibly tough—countless times harder than the metal gates he had sliced through before. What a satisfying opponent to cut!

"Warm-up over. Let the second round begin."