On the spacious street, the traffic lights changed periodically. It was an ideal battlefield for combat.
Kanzaki Kaori still hadn't drawn the long sword in her hand. Instead, she held the scabbard with one hand, while the other hovered near the hilt.
"Salvare000."
Kanzaki Kaori uttered a strange title. This was her magic name, meaning "the saving hand of the forsaken." Magic names were a tradition among magicians, announced before they fought with all their might, though the exact reason for this was unknown.
After declaring her magic name, Kanzaki Kaori's fingers curved.
Zing.
A sound like a sword ringing out was heard. Starting from Kanzaki, three slashes appeared on the road in front of her, with the wind pressure spreading around. One of the slashes moved straight towards Su Xiao.
Ding!
A spark flew off Dragon Flash, which Su Xiao held in front of him. He extended his left arm, which was covered with a metal bracer, as if grabbing something.
Crack, crack, crack...
A grinding sound came from Su Xiao's hand. His hand was now wrapped in an energy shield, grabbing something incredibly sharp. If it were just the King's Respect bracer, it might not have withstood this thing's cutting power.
Su Xiao was holding a steel wire, so thin it was almost invisible. He pulled on the wire, and Kanzaki Kaori, standing several meters away, braced herself with a powerful step, leaving deep footprints in the asphalt.
From this pull, Su Xiao judged that Kanzaki's physical strength was formidable, at least on par with his own.
As for her previous attack, Su Xiao had analyzed it based on his combat experience: the steel wire, invisible to the naked eye, was about 90 to 120 meters long, with at least three strands hidden in the scabbard. There was a mechanism in the scabbard to control the wires. According to the original story, there were seven such wires.
"He caught Seven Flashes' attack trajectory. This is troublesome."
Kanzaki Kaori pressed a mechanism on her scabbard, detaching the steel wire Su Xiao was holding from the scabbard.
Normally, Su Xiao would have charged forward for close combat, but this time he wasn't in a hurry. His opponent was also a close-combat fighter with a similar combat style, using long swords and metal wires. Before engaging in close combat, he needed to understand her abilities and physical attributes. The Eye of the Apostle floated beside him, observing Kanzaki Kaori.
The information was as follows:
Name: Kanzaki Kaori
Category: Human
Health: 100%
Mana: 2530
Strength: 77
Agility: 83
Stamina: 79
Intelligence: 83
Charm: 8
Skills:
Saint Physique · Slayer:
Active Effect: Increases movement speed by 100%, nerve reaction speed by 30%, and physical strength by 47 for 7 seconds.
Passive Effect: Increases health by 4000, mana by 700, all attribute resistances by 20, and provides 20% immunity to all magical damage and 100% immunity to divine damage.
Seven Flashes:
A mid-to-long-range sword technique/special martial art using seven enchanted steel wires for attacks or creating barriers.
Note: Enchanted steel wires have three attributes: sharpness, basic durability, and strength enhancement.
Note: Seven Flashes has no cooldown time.
???
???
Only Flash:
Kanzaki Kaori's one-hit kill sword technique, requiring activation of Saint Physique. If it hits, it deals weapon attack power x 7 strength attribute x 3 agility attribute x 4 damage.
Note: Only Flash possesses divinity, with 50% of the damage being holy damage, ignoring 75% of physical defense.
???
???
???
After reviewing Kanzaki Kaori's information, Su Xiao's pupils contracted slightly. These attributes and skills seemed very strong!
Most of her abilities were manageable, but her agility and intelligence at 83 were quite troublesome. As for her "Saint Physique," it was an incredibly powerful bloodline skill.
The strength of "Saint Physique" wasn't in the increased health and mana but in the boosted movement speed and nerve reaction speed. Although it lasted only 7 seconds, activating it during Only Flash would make it extremely deadly. Not to mention the insane speed, the 30% increased nerve reaction speed alone was enough to challenge Su Xiao.
He couldn't let Kanzaki hit him with Only Flash. Being killed by one strike wasn't just possible; it was very likely.
Su Xiao tossed aside the steel wire. Fighting Kanzaki required caution regarding her speed. An attribute of 80 was a significant threshold, and surpassing it made a noticeable difference.
He flourished Dragon Flash in his hand, his calf muscles tensing, cracking the asphalt beneath his feet.
Boom!
Su Xiao left a circular depression in the ground, launching himself towards Kanzaki like a cannonball.
From several hundred meters away, Awaki Musujime watched as Su Xiao seemed to teleport, reappearing in front of Kanzaki Kaori.
Awaki's dynamic vision couldn't keep up with Su Xiao's speed, but Kanzaki could. She saw Su Xiao's sudden approach and was confident she could move even faster.
They were about two meters apart, a bit too close for a sword strike but still manageable.
Su Xiao's slash was unhindered, but Kanzaki struggled. Her long sword, similar to a nodachi, was too long for such close quarters.
Kanzaki tried to step back, but Su Xiao seized this moment, not really a flaw, to slash at her.
Su Xiao raised Dragon Flash high, striking down from above. Kanzaki's leg was still in the air, and even if she could block, it would unbalance her.
The blade of Dragon Flash cut through the air with a chilling wail.
The timing of this strike made it difficult for Kanzaki. Her lifted leg hadn't yet landed, and taking a hit now could make her fall. In close combat, falling was almost fatal.
Kanzaki raised her sheathed sword, the blade peeking out a bit to meet Dragon Flash.
Su Xiao's strength, including equipment bonuses, was 79, while Kanzaki's was 77. Their strength was almost equal, both at the level of monstrous strength.
Boom!
A loud explosion and a rumbling sound echoed simultaneously. The former was Kanzaki's method to counter the attack, and the latter was the clash of their swords.
The collision of the blades created a shockwave that spread from the impact point, cracking the surrounding road. The shockwave pushed Awaki Musujime back several steps, her mouth agape in astonishment.
"Are these two really human?!"
Ignoring Awaki's shock, Su Xiao held Dragon Flash with both hands, pressing down with all his might. Kanzaki spread her legs, one hand on the hilt and the other pushing the blade, blocking the attack. The scabbard of Seven Flashes had flown off somewhere.
Crack, crack, crack...
The blades ground against each other, creating a harsh, screeching noise.
Kanzaki hadn't fallen. In the moment before blocking Su Xiao's strike, she had activated Saint Physique for 0.2 seconds, making her suspended leg move at supersonic speed and stomp the air, using the recoil to maintain her balance. The explosion sound was from this supersonic movement.
Kanzaki felt the force on her sword and the precision of Su Xiao's previous strike. For some reason, her heartbeat quickened, and her skin turned slightly red. She was excited, surprising even herself.
"What are you suppressing? Using a sword but not wanting to kill is foolish. You actually enjoy fighting, don't you?"
Su Xiao's words hit a nerve, and Kanzaki bit her lip, knowing he had struck a chord.
"I..."
Bang!
Kanzaki suddenly felt a sharp pain in her side. Su Xiao had kicked her exposed waist with full force, targeting her weak spot.
Su Xiao rarely spoke during battle. When he did, it meant he had found a psychological weakness in his opponent and used words to distract them, exploiting their moment of distraction to strike.
"Despicable!"
Kanzaki staggered back, clutching her side. Su Xiao's kick had been full force, and the location was a weak spot. Trying to breathe, she felt a stabbing pain.
"..." Su Xiao remained silent. The "verbal distraction" tactic was effective when used occasionally, but not repeatedly.
Moreover, when Kanzaki cursed "despicable," Su Xiao's passive ability, Aura Release, activated. Psychological fluctuations affected the Willpower attribute.
Realizing this, Su Xiao smiled. Making an opponent's psyche waver could temporarily weaken their Willpower, a new discovery for him.
The consequences included 27% increased stamina consumption, 5 points reduced physical defense, and an 8% chance of skill failure. These debuffs were significant for close combat, especially the increased stamina consumption, which was the most lethal.