And the hooded figure took half a step back.
Half a step!
That half step made the Netherworld King's and the Ghost Princess's eyes light up.
The hooded figure was not invincible!
If he could be forced back half a step, he could be forced back farther!
He could be wounded!
He could even be killed!
Before, the hooded figure had seemed impossibly powerful. But that half step gave them hope!
At that moment, the Netherworld King's and the Ghost Princess's fighting spirit burned brighter!
The Ghost Princess appeared silently behind the hooded figure, her short blade stabbing straight for his heart.
The strike made no sound and cast no shadow. It was the Ghost Princess's strongest attack.
Gray-white Netherworld power gathered to its limit along the blade—a taboo force capable of corroding souls and devouring life.
The hooded figure did not turn. As though he had sensed her all along, he merely tilted his head, and the blade skimmed past the edge of his hood.
Then he flicked a finger behind him.
Clang!
The Ghost Princess's blade flew from her hand, and a formless force hurled her back dozens of steps.
She tumbled several times through the air before barely steadying herself. A thread of gray-white blood seeped from the corner of her dark-purple lips.
"So strong..." The Ghost Princess's voice trembled slightly, and an unprecedented gravity filled her cold eyes. "His body is ten times more terrifying than the Golden Dragon King's!"
The Netherworld King slowly exhaled. The pain in his right fist cleared his head.
He glanced at the Ghost Princess, and she gave a slight nod.
Both figures shot forward again!
This time, neither held back.
Black-red demonic energy surged around the Netherworld King, and an enormous demonic apparition rose behind him.
It wore an imperial