When Inspiration Strikes

How could anyone possibly kill a monster like this? Yesterday, it had slaughtered people like chickens. Its strength had driven everyone present into utter despair. Even those who fought back couldn't break through its defense, despite it not dodging at all.

"R-Run!!"

The girl stared fixedly at Lu Ren, hope in her eyes. Yet she could only weakly force out the words through a hoarse voice. What should have been a sweet voice had long been ruined by terrified pleas for help and screams.

The "blind man" took a single step forward. With his powerful physique, he shot toward Lu Ren like an arrow loosed from a bow.

Lu Ren, who had been keeping watch on the blind man behind him, paid no attention to the girl's cries. He only felt his scalp explode with alarm, but he did not panic in the slightest. He understood that the more flustered and fearful he became at a time like this, the faster he would die.

His steps paused, but the momentum from his full-speed sprint prevented him from stopping immediately. Borrowing that force, Lu Ren sidestepped and performed a side flip in midair, landing four meters away.

At the spot where he had just been standing, the blind man's punch struck empty air, producing a shrill howl as it tore through the wind.

Ding! You performed a beautiful 270-degree perfect aerial side flip, perfectly dodging Heartless One's attack. Your Agility proficiency has increased by +4.

The instant Lu Ren landed, he drew the two longswords from his waist and slashed at the fist retracting toward him. The sharp blades cut through the air with an unceasing, piercing hum.

The monster known as Heartless One seemed to realize that the sharp blades in Lu Ren's hands were capable of severing his arms.

His body shuddered as though fire had touched it, and his drill-like fist suddenly retracted, as if it possessed no inertia whatsoever.

What incredible physical ability!

Lu Ren remained calm as the twin swords in his hands danced without pause—lifting, chopping, thrusting, and circling.

His movements flowed like clouds and water, without the slightest delay.

Although his Basic Swordsmanship was only at the Beginner's Insight level, that was still a realm ordinary people could only reach after four or five years of grueling practice and refinement, and only with someone regularly sparring with them.

When hand, eye, and body moved as one, it meant one had thoroughly mastered the basic sword forms and turned them into bodily instinct. In a fight, they could then be executed without a second thought.

Rigidly performing an entire set of forms and breaking the forms apart to react on the spot, using the best move according to the flow of battle, were entirely different concepts.

Ding! Because you are wholeheartedly wielding your twin swords, your Basic Swordsmanship proficiency has increased by +1.

Ding! Because you are wholeheartedly wielding your twin swords, your Strength proficiency has increased by +1.

Ding! Because you are wholeheartedly wielding your twin swords, your Agility proficiency has increased by +1.

Ding! Because you...

A string of system notifications surfaced in Lu Ren's mind, but he paid them no heed. His unblinking eyes remained fixed on Heartless One's movements before him. His twin swords swept out like a rain of blades, enveloping the creature and leaving it unable to find any chance to counterattack.

Fighting with a weapon in hand and fighting barehanded were completely different matters. Generally speaking, even a skilled Sanshou fighter would not dare rush at someone holding a machete and wildly swinging it around. They could only keep using the surroundings to search for an opportunity, and that required both courage and caution.

Usually, running was the best option.

That required extremely strong mental fortitude in the moment.

There were plenty of such examples in the world: skilled fighters in the ring being cut down in bar brawls by knife-wielding thugs.

So the weapons in his hands gave Lu Ren immense confidence.

Suddenly, Lu Ren finally seized the instant Heartless One stepped on a pebble while retreating, causing his body to falter slightly, and dislocated his left shoulder.

Against the sharp Strange Sword, it felt to Lu Ren as though he were cutting tofu. The opponent's powerful muscles and Bones offered no resistance whatsoever.

At the same time, Lu Ren thrust with the sword in his left hand, aiming straight for Heartless One's heart.

Yet Heartless One seemed to feel no pain at all. He immediately lowered his stance, twisted his waist, and turned sideways.

Lu Ren's longsword merely sliced past the edge of his skin.

Damn it!

Seeing the opponent's right fist shoot skyward toward his chin, the force of the wind it brought made Lu Ren feel the skin on his face being peeled backward.

If that punch landed, Lu Ren could foresee his lower jaw being shattered, leaving him instantly unconscious and unable to fight.

Lu Ren clenched his teeth. As he exerted strength through his waist and abdomen and threw his head back, the sword in his right hand slashed diagonally again.

Slash!

The sound of blade entering flesh rang out. As Lu Ren looked upward, he suddenly saw an arm appear in his vision, followed by the opponent's severed arm flying into the air.

Lu Ren staggered back several steps. Shifting his gaze, he saw Heartless One standing there with both arms gone.

Not a trace of blood flowed. The muscle tissue within the dark brown flesh wriggled, making the sight nauseating.

Even without both arms, Heartless One showed no expression. He stepped forward and leaped high into the air, then brought his right leg down like a Giant Axe.

However, after losing both arms, Heartless One's balance had greatly worsened. In Lu Ren's eyes, he had become much slower, and even his movements carried a severe sense of imbalance.

Lu Ren stepped forward, twisted his body and waist to evade the downward chop, then, facing the gust of wind from the descending kick, casually swung his sword and severed the opponent's right leg.

Yet what he had not expected was for Heartless One to forcibly twist his waist in midair and whip his left foot toward Lu Ren's ribs.

The force generated by that powerful waist and abdomen was absolutely beyond what Lu Ren could withstand. He did not even have time to react, only instinctively raising the longsword in his left hand horizontally before him.

Thud!

Lu Ren was sent flying six meters away. He rolled across the ground several times before stopping, then endured the intense pain and scrambled to his feet, staring fixedly at Heartless One, who only had one leg left.

If not for the sword blocking that kick to his right ribs, his ribs would probably have broken and damaged his internal organs, leaving him unable to fight.

Even so, his waist and ribs were still numb with pain, affecting his mobility to a certain degree.

But at that moment, after kicking out, Heartless One had already fallen to the ground and was struggling desperately.

Lu Ren glanced at the girl in the distance, whose expression looked as if her entire worldview was on the verge of collapse, then gripped both longswords and rushed to Heartless One in a single stride, beheading him.

Only then did Heartless One finally stop moving, without any further reaction.

Ding! In a moment of fortuitous inspiration, you actually struck a killing blow and killed Heartless One. Your Basic Swordsmanship proficiency has increased by +50.

Fortuitous inspiration my ass.

Lu Ren cursed inwardly, then walked toward the girl lying on the ground. Before she could speak, Lu Ren said coldly, "Shut up."

After saying that, he sheathed the sword in his left hand at his waist, grabbed the back of her collar, and quickly left the area.

Although he found it irritating, her telling him to hurry and leave had ultimately made Lu Ren take her along.

It could be said that the battle with Heartless One had been resolved entirely within two minutes. In a true fight to the death, if one kept attacking the other party's vital points, it could end very quickly.