Okkotsu's pupils suddenly contracted as he looked at Fenghua, covered in blood, her blade hanging low.
Where was Rika? Had Fenghua already taken her down?
Fenghua gave him no time to check. The Sky-Piercing Blade sprang up in her hand, and she caught it in a reverse grip and slashed downward. Pale blue light traced a vicious arc through the air.
Okkotsu twisted aside, narrowly avoiding it. The blade swept past his shoulder and struck the ground, blasting open a deep fissure. Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted Rika picking herself up nearby. Cracks in her white body were still slowly healing, but she had already regained her feet.
"Are all sorcerers these days," Fenghua's cold voice drifted toward him, carrying undisguised weariness, "trash like you?"
Okkotsu did not answer. He reset his stance, lowering his center of gravity further.
Fenghua suddenly frowned and whipped her blade behind her. The Sky-Piercing Blade lay across her back, firmly blocking the enormous fist Rika had swung from her blind spot. Metal collided with white skin, sending out a visible ring of compressed air.
Okkotsu seized that instant. He lunged forward, keeping his body low, and drove his right fist, encased in black armor, hard into Fenghua's lower abdomen.
"Ngh!" Fenghua grunted, her abdominal muscles tightening sharply. Yet instead of retreating, she pressed forward. Gritting her teeth, she wrenched the Sky-Piercing Blade free from behind her and twisted at the waist, bringing it around in a backhand slash at Okkotsu.
Rika reached out, seized Fenghua's wrist, and hurled her like a sandbag into a ruined building beside the street. Masonry crumbled and dust billowed. The entire building collapsed under the impact.
Okkottsu panted heavily, his gaze locked on the heap of rubble where loose stones were still tumbling. His thoughts