A faint red aura enveloped Kanzaki Kaori, slowly eroding her. Raising her arm, she noticed red marks on her previously smooth skin. These marks resembled magical runes but had nothing to do with magic.
"The rate of stamina consumption is increased, defense is lowered, and my mind is intermittently disturbed."
Kanzaki took a deep breath, attempting to dispel the red aura with her special internal magic. However, Aura Release was a passive halo effect that persisted as long as it was successfully applied once. The debuff would only disappear if Kanzaki distanced herself more than 30 meters from Su Xiao.
Of course, there were other ways to dispel the Aura Release effect, such as using mind-cleansing skills. However, given Kanzaki's combat style, it was unlikely she possessed such abilities.
As Kanzaki struggled with the effects of Aura Release, Su Xiao didn't stand idly by. Having gathered information about Kanzaki's skills and condition, he approached her slowly, intending to go all out with his attacks. As a master swordsman, Su Xiao knew that facing a skilled swordsman meant that any mistake could lead to a fatal chain reaction. Prioritizing defense would only put him at a disadvantage.
Rebuttal Shields appeared around Su Xiao, but this time, they took the form of 20-centimeter-long energy short blades, floating around him. These energy blades lacked guards and hilts, consisting only of the blade itself—this was the offensive form of the Rebuttal Shields, the Energy Blade Form.
A total of 56 energy blades hovered around Su Xiao. Their attack range was limited, extending about 1.5 meters from Su Xiao, with weak defense but decent slashing power and excellent penetration.
Although the attack range wasn't extensive, Su Xiao could, at critical moments, eject the energy blades by consuming mana, attacking without warning. The downside was the high mana consumption.
Facing an opponent like Kanzaki, pure defense was unwise. If she used her Only Flash technique, even the defensive form of the Rebuttal Shields might be broken in one strike.
As Su Xiao slowly approached, Kanzaki bent her body, gripping her sword with both hands.
Boom!
Both Su Xiao and Kanzaki vanished, reappearing less than half a meter apart. Su Xiao could even hear her breathing.
Ding.
Sparks flew as their swords clashed, their eyes locking.
Ssss~
A thin metal wire, glowing with a greenish-blue hue, snaked towards Kanzaki. She was surprised that her enemy's combat style was so similar to hers.
Unfazed, Kanzaki knew how to handle this kind of attack. She shifted, bending one leg and driving her knee towards Su Xiao's side. This girl held a grudge.
Given Kanzaki's physical strength, if the knee strike hit, it could fracture Su Xiao's ribs or at least leave him breathless.
But Su Xiao's combat experience was vast. As their swords clashed, he bent one leg, using his shin to meet Kanzaki's knee.
Bang!
A powerful force traveled up Su Xiao's shin, pushing him back two steps. As he stabilized, ten energy blades shot toward Kanzaki.
Before Su Xiao could steady himself, Kanzaki had already disappeared, the energy blades missing their target. She was too fast.
A whistling sound came from behind Su Xiao, making him lean forward instinctively.
Zing!
A bright blade sliced close to Su Xiao's back, even cutting a few strands of hair.
Missing her strike, Kanzaki changed her horizontal slash to a downward chop.
However, before her blade could fall, a white centipede-like creature wrapped around her leg.
Boom.
An explosion echoed through the street, engulfing Kanzaki in flames.
Before the fire dissipated, Kanzaki walked out, her leg showing slight injuries. The flames couldn't harm her, but the explosion's impact did.
Kanzaki forgot that while her physical strength was immense, her clothes couldn't withstand an explosion. She stood almost naked before the roaring flames. Her jeans were reduced to short shorts, and her white T-shirt was in tatters, leaving her exposed.
Although Kanzaki was embarrassed by her torn clothes, she couldn't focus on her modesty. She wanted to change into something new.
Su Xiao scrutinized Kanzaki to check for any injuries, not for her figure.
Click, click.
Flashes nearby resembled those of a camera.
Hidden behind a trash can, Bubu held a DSLR camera in his front paws, clicking the shutter occasionally and even changing angles—truly a professional paparazzi dog.
Kanzaki stiffly turned her head. Seeing the 'canine' holding the camera, she didn't know how to react.
Su Xiao tugged with his left arm, tightening the broken wire around Kanzaki's right arm.
Realizing this, Kanzaki quickly raised her arm, searching for something. In less than a second, she found the hook at the end of the wire and flicked it off with her sword. The wire left bloody marks on her arm as it fell away.
Seeing this, Su Xiao decided to retract the wire. Kanzaki was too familiar with this attack method, instantly locating the hook and freeing herself.
Bubu noticed Kanzaki hadn't fallen for the distraction and threw the camera into the trash, knowing the photos were just a diversion to help Su Xiao.
On the battlefield, swords flashed in the night as Su Xiao and Kanzaki disappeared again. After several clashes, they reappeared, leaving deep slash marks on the surrounding roads.
After an initial exchange of blows, they engaged in a fierce melee, their blades clashing repeatedly. Su Xiao's sword strikes left deep cuts on the nearby mall's walls.
These sword beams were Su Xiao's attempt to slow down Kanzaki's rapid movements. Her speed was astonishingly fast; sometimes, her sudden acceleration was too quick for Su Xiao's dynamic vision and reflexes.
With her 83 agility points, Kanzaki wasn't just fast—she was terrifyingly fast. After a brief warm-up, they began aiming for each other's vitals.
Swish.
A slash appeared on Su Xiao's shoulder, blood splattering on his face. Kanzaki had hit him, though the wound wasn't deep.