Slaying the Evil Ghost

The massive body launched itself directly from the spot, kicking up a cloud of dust as it soared at least twenty meters into the air. Like a heavy truck, it plummeted straight toward Li Ke's position.

Not only that, but its shattered mask was filled with malice, and its two truck-sized fists were raised high, waiting to slam into Li Ke with crushing force upon impact.

Gripping his sword while standing on the wreckage of the carriage, Li Ke couldn't help but gape. He felt his small frame wouldn't survive those two blows. The crisis of impending death constantly pricked at his spirit, forcing his mind and body to operate at high speed.

Desperately squeezing every ounce of energy from his body, Li Ke once again assumed the stance for a draw-strike, his eyes locked firmly on the giant demon before him.

He watched the hideous face beneath the broken mask, watching the shadow of death grow larger and larger.

And then...

Energy flooded his body, sword striking heart and soul!

Backstep Slash!

The moment the giant demon landed, Li Ke leaped backward off the carriage, clearing the range of those two massive fists. The light of his blade flickered once more, unleashing a sheet of white sword energy. A sharp, piercing force radiated outward, striking where the steel could not reach, once again causing the demon's face to spray foul, green blood.

The demon's wail tore through the heavens, but Li Ke didn't fare much better.

Those two giant fists smashed the two horses into unrecognizable piles of meat. The remains of the carriage were pulverized, and a visible shockwave distorted the earth, rushing toward the spot where Li Ke had landed.

Not only that, but the demon's fist swung toward him again.

"Crap!"

In the blink of an eye, Li Ke saw it happen, saw the fist swung in the demon's fury. He only had time to raise his blade to block before he was sent flying like a shuttlecock struck by a professional athlete.

Violent power brought extreme speed, but Li Ke wasn't a pushover. With a physique weaker than others, he had long since mastered high-level force-redirection while training with other disciples of the Wind Technique. He could easily neutralize the strength of opponents far superior to him by using footwork, posture, and movement.

Therefore.

In this situation, his force-redirection...

Was completely useless. Li Ke felt as if he'd been hit by a truck. Force-redirection depended on the level of power involved; against this magnitude of strength, his technique was effectively non-existent.

If he hadn't used his energy at the last second to protect his internal organs, they would have been shattered instantly. He looked fine on the outside, but inside, he was a mess.

Even so, he was severely wounded.

Glancing at the system panel, Li Ke, who had collapsed into a patch of lush vines, nearly coughed up blood.

HP: 12/157.

That single slap had brought his vitality down to the single digits. Any harder, and he would have been writing his last will and testament.

But fortunately, his opponent wasn't doing well either.

"ROAAAAAR!!!!"

A crisp snapping sound came from the direction of the demon. Li Ke looked up and saw the mask on the demon's face fall away, revealing a hideous visage.

Judging by the contours of the face, this girl must have been quite pretty before, but now...

Tsk.

"A vicious expression really is the greatest destroyer of a girl's beauty."

Saying this, Li Ke leaned on his sword and stood up, preparing to give this demon one last thrill before he died.

To his surprise, after seeing him stand, the demon's gaze turned fierce, but as soon as she took a step, thick black energy began to leak from her body, and she appeared to be in great pain.

With every step she took, more black energy poured out, and her massive body shrank. As her body continued to shrink, the demon's roar began to sound more and more like a human voice.

"No! Impossible! How could you cut my mask? Why! Mortal blades shouldn't be able to harm us!"

The hideous demon felt as if she had encountered the most incredible thing in the world. Beings like them, existing between the spirit and material worlds, could not be harmed by mere spirit or matter. Only weapons that were neither spirit nor matter—foreign objects to this world like themselves—or their own kind could harm them.

But why! Why could this human, who possessed not a shred of magic, so easily shatter her mask!

Why!

Watching the swaying Li Ke, the demon accelerated. She wanted to kill this man before she died, but unfortunately, because her mask had been completely severed, her power was rapidly dissipating. By the time she finally reached Li Ke and raised her fist, her consciousness had already begun to blur.

In the final moments of her memory, she vaguely remembered raising her fist...

Li Ke looked at the human girl who had raised her fist at him only to collapse on the ground, and he let out a deep sigh of relief.

The way that monster had charged at him while leaking black energy had truly made him think he was a goner. If he hadn't been too badly injured to run, he would have bolted long ago.

Looking at the girl on the ground, Li Ke pondered for a moment, then weighed the sword in his hand. He decided not to risk getting close.

Even though she appeared to have returned to human form, heaven knew if that devil had truly vanished, or if she was just waiting for him to get close so she could take a final stab at him.

In his current severely wounded state, he really wasn't in a position to take risks.

"In that case, I'll have to use a projectile to finish her off."

Looking at the distance between himself and the girl, Li Ke decided to use a throwing knife. But since he didn't have a small blade, naturally, he would have to use Yone's sword.

But if he threw the sword and the girl turned out to be a zombie, that would be bad. So, it would be best to have something to tie to the sword.

Li Ke looked around and found that the surrounding vines were either too thin, too short, or he lacked the strength to pull them down, or it would take too long to retrieve them.

So, he looked at his own belt.

"No choice, I'll have to use you. Good thing I'm poor and my pants are tight; even without a belt, it won't stop me from running."

Sticking his sword into the ground, Li Ke began to undo his belt.

However, the scene of a fallen girl, a desolate wilderness, and a man constantly undoing his belt looked suspicious no matter how you sliced it. Noticing the movement, Meimu, who had rushed over quickly, saw Li Ke with his back to her, constantly shaking his butt and belt at a girl. She subconsciously fell silent for a second, then broke the Kinkou Order's precepts once more to ask:

"What... are you doing?"