The lesser invincible shield protected Su Xiao as the blade flashed, and Su Xiao vanished.
Boom!
Su Xiao crashed into a mall on the street, breaking through the outer wall and flying into the interior at high speed, knocking over dozens of shelves before being buried under a pile of colourful clothes.
Climbing out from the clothes, blood dripped from the corner of Su Xiao's mouth. His internal organs felt displaced, registering only a vague sense of pain mixed with numbness.
The lesser invincible shield successfully blocked Kanzaki Kaori's Only Flash. While it stopped the slash, the power behind the move was overwhelming.
"Cough, cough..."
Su Xiao coughed dryly. He wasn't wounded by the slash but by the impact. Although the shield blocked the slash, the force turned into a shockwave that the shield couldn't fully absorb, leaving Su Xiao to endure it with his body.
He took out a bottle of Potion No. 1 and downed it in a few gulps, feeling a sharp pain in his chest that quickly subsided due to the potion's effects.
A few seconds later, Su Xiao climbed out of the pile of clothes and stood up just as Kanzaki Kaori entered the mall through the hole he had made, holding her sheathed Seven-Flashes.
Kanzaki looked pale; using Only Flash after being injured had significantly affected her.
Yet, she assumed the stance of another Only Flash, ready to use the move consecutively. During the earlier battle, she had realised her predicament. Deep inside 'enemy' territory, attempting to take Index, a person of immense significance to the magical side, was impossible without force.
Understanding this, Kanzaki's resolve in battle changed. She was prepared to kill Su Xiao, fearing what might happen if Index fell into his hands. For her, a villain possessing the Forbidden Tome was a disaster for the world.
Seeing Kanzaki take the familiar stance for Only Flash, Su Xiao also sheathed Dragon Flash. The lesser invincible shield had a long cooldown, and the Rebuttal Shield might not withstand Only Flash. Given Kanzaki's speed during the move, dodging was impossible.
Since he couldn't dodge or block it, Su Xiao also decided to make sure Kanzaki would suffer. Even if he died, he intended to take her down with him. He converted 300 mana points into Qinggang Ying energy, enveloping the sheathed Dragon Flash.
As he slowly drew the sword, blue light surged with immense cutting power, making Su Xiao's aura sharper.
Swish.
Tiny cuts appeared on the ground beneath Su Xiao's feet. At the same time, the offensive Rebuttal Shields around him vanished, replaced by dozens of new ones.
These new Rebuttal Shields took various shapes, forming a combined full set of energy armour.
The shields flew toward Su Xiao, assembling into a suit of armour that covered his entire body, even his head.
"Void Slash."
With a swoosh, Su Xiao disappeared.
"Only Flash."
Kanzaki also vanished.
A blue slash streaked through the mall, colliding with a silver slash.
Their collision didn't produce an explosion or a loud bang, just the sound of sharp blades slicing. A flurry of slashes filled the air, tearing through the mall leaving clothes shredded and scattered.
Seconds later, the slashes dissipated, leaving the mall's structure heavily damaged, almost in ruins.
A severed arm fell to the ground, still gripping a sword—Dragon Flash.
A sneaky figure darted into the mall—Bubu. The dog grabbed the severed arm and ran, carrying a person on its back.
As Bubu ran, it left a trail of bloody footprints—Su Xiao's blood. Su Xiao retreated because he was severely injured and sensed other arrivals nearby. These weren't from Kikyo but likely a magician. Staying would have been foolish. Su Xiao would have waited to settle the fight with Kanzaki if not for the incoming reinforcements.
Kanzaki stood in the mall, unable to pursue, with a deep slash across her abdomen, exposing her organs.
Though Su Xiao seemed more grievously injured and nearly incapacitated, the reality differed. Su Xiao's self-developed sword technique, Void Slash, had a potent secondary attack.
Kanzaki stood dazed as a red-haired man with a barcode tattoo entered the mall—a magician named Stiyl Magnus from the same organisation as Kanzaki.
Stiyl, who had arrived shortly after the battle began, chose to remain hidden, waiting for the right moment and setting up his spells. He had ambushed Kikyo, severely injuring her, preventing her from intervening when Kanzaki used Only Flash a second time.
Holding a cigarette, Stiyl walked up to Kanzaki, who looked at him with bloodshot eyes.
"Stay here, Kanzaki. I'll deal with that dangerous guy."
Stiyl intended to pursue Su Xiao, but given Bubu's ability to hide, finding Su Xiao was wishful thinking.
"I'm... barely holding on..."
Kanzaki's words were cut off as a blue energy spike erupted from her collarbone.
"What is this?!"
Stiyl was shocked.
"Stay... away from me."
Kanzaki's body trembled as she pressed a hand to her chest, closing her eyes.
Squelch.
Another energy spike burst from her abdomen.
Normally, Void Slash's secondary attack would erupt simultaneously. However, without Su Xiao's control, the spikes appeared sequentially, giving the target a chance to resist.
Kanzaki used her magic to delay the spikes' emergence, controlling where they would appear to avoid vital organs. While effective, the process was excruciating.
Seeing the spikes pierce Kanzaki's body, Stiyl felt a chill just watching, alone experiencing it.
The Qinggang Ying energy within Kanzaki also attacked her magic, dealing substantial tree damage. If her luck was bad, she might die.
...
On the street, Bubu ran swiftly, carrying Su Xiao, who had briefly lost consciousness and was now awake but dazed from blood loss.
Su Xiao's right arm was severed, and a deep wound spanned his chest, revealing his organs. Fortunately, Bubu had retrieved his severed arm and Dragon Flash.
Taking out a walkie-talkie, Su Xiao said, "Aleister, the mission didn't go smoothly. Cough, cough..."
After coughing up some blood, he continued, "But given the current situation, if they lack healing magic, they won't reappear soon."
The walkie-talkie crackled before Aleister's voice said, "You're severely injured."
"Obviously. If there's a skilled doctor, I'd appreciate a referral."
Su Xiao tossed the walkie-talkie to Bubu and picked up his severed arm.
"Turn left, 300 meters. Then right, 700 meters... After nine blocks, you'll see a hospital with a capable doctor."
The walkie-talkie crackled again before the call ended.
Ten minutes later, Su Xiao arrived at the hospital and dismounted from Bubu.
Carrying his severed arm, he slowly walked into the hospital. Several patients at the entrance stared at him, shocked. It wasn't uncommon for someone to come in with a severed limb, but Su Xiao's chest wound was particularly gruesome.
Su Xiao approached a young, attractive nurse nearby.
"Where do I check in?"
His question left the patients dumbfounded, thinking such severe injuries shouldn't require check-in.
"You... your injuries don't need check-in. Quick, get to the emergency room!"
Despite the nurse's urgent plea, Su Xiao refused to be wheeled in on a stretcher. He walked to the operating room, carrying his arm and smoking, though the nurse snatched the cigarette away before he entered.
Bubu, covered in blood, sat alert at the operating room door. Normally seen as goofy, his eyes now gleamed with vigilance, ready to act if any threat appeared.