The presence of the soul energy made Kars extremely uncomfortable as if a wooden stake had been driven into his chest, causing intense irritation.
Lin Jiu twisted his wrist, reversed his grip on [Dawn Shadiw], and then launched another attack from above. Kars paid the price for allowing Lin Jiu to get so close. Despite his ultimate evolution, Kars lacked Wamuu's natural combat talent. After all, talent is an innate gift, not something that can be acquired through genes or skills.
Blood gushed out wildly from Kars's chest, spraying onto Lin Jiu's face, the droplets constantly changing shape in the air. This sword strike landed on Kars's chest, with the wound extending from his shoulder down to his waist.
"Die!"
Kars threw a straight punch at Lin Jiu's face. The wind pressure hit him directly, and Kars' fist was covered in spikes. If that punch landed, Lin Jiu would either die or be left critically injured.
Lin Jiu tilted his head, narrowly avoiding the punch, but the spikes still grazed his cheek, leaving a cut.
A golden opportunity!
The blade of[Dawn Shadow] flashed past, and a cold glint caught Kars' eye.
Kars' arm went numb, and he could no longer feel his right arm. A non-human arm flew into the air, severed by a single sword strike. Kars' evolved body's defense was only slightly stronger than paper in the face of [Dawn Shadow]. Staggering back a few steps, Kars managed to stop the bleeding from his severed arm, but there were no signs of regeneration.
Though Lin Jiu's attributes weren't as strong as Kars', his skill was far superior. Even though his swordsmanship was only at Level 1 specialization, it was still at the specialization level.
Kars had lived a long time, but his physique and vitality put him at the top of the food chain, leaving him with no equal opponents to hone his skills against.
"Impossible..."
Kars felt a strange sensation from his regenerating arm as if it wasn't part of his body. That unknown energy had severed it at the stump.
"Do you think you can defeat me like this? Naive!"
Kars laughed maniacally.
As he laughed, his underarm muscles swelled, and four arms extended out, ending in claws. Bones protruded from his back, and a pair of wings emerged.
"Come on! Let's see how many more limbs you can cut off!"
Kars taunted Lin Jiu with a grin.
Lin Jiu frowned, looking at the Kars in front of him, who was completely different from the one in the anime. Six arms, covered in black scales that bristled into spikes.
Kars' back sported a pair of wings, which also hid scales that could serve as weapons. If he had the eyes of Kokushibo from the world of Demon Slayer, it would be even more perfect. But even with his flowing hairstyle, Kars still exuded a unique aura.
Lin Jiu thrust his sword forward, but Kars didn't dodge. He crossed his two claws in front of him, catching Lin Jiu's sword perfectly between them.
Kars cleverly used his two claws to restrict Lin Jiu, allowing his other four claws to strike at his vital points.
But he forgot that Lin Jiu wasn't his only opponent. At the critical moment, four ropes suddenly wrapped around Kars' four claws.
Lin Jiu immediately withdrew [Dawn Shadow] and slashed at Kars' head. The wind pressure was fierce, and the edge of [Dawn Shadow]'s blade was blinding, not because of its shine, but because of its sharpness.
Kars' face twisted in rage, and he ignored Lin Jiu's slashing blade, using his remaining two claws to aim for Lin Jiu's vital points. He wanted to see who would die first: Lin Jiu, the human, or himself, the ultimate being!
Lin Jiu didn't retreat but instead adjusted his body to avoid the vital areas, taking the hit on less critical parts of his body. Kars saw this and twisted his body as well.
As Kars' claws pierced Lin Jiu's body, his life force plummeted, putting him on the brink of death. But with the support of the [Fighting Demon], being near death did not affect Lin Jiu.
A soft light glowed from Lin Jiu's body, instantly restoring his health to 30%. The hidden healer, the little loli Linda, had worked her magic.
The blade flashed again, slicing off a large chunk of muscle from Kars' arm up to his shoulder. The strike was originally aimed at Kars' head, but he twisted to avoid it.
The two were still very close. Kars had no technical skills, but his combat experience was rich. He quickly kicked at Lin Jiu's abdomen with a tricky angle.
Instinctively, Lin Jiu raised his leg to block the kick. Kars' foot struck Lin Jiu's shin, sending him flying several meters before he landed steadily.
Before being kicked away, Lin Jiu managed to slice off a piece of Kars' scalp with his sword, causing blood to flow down Kars' face.
Lin Jiu wasn't in good shape. His shin was fractured, and the health Linda had just restored was quickly dropping again due to his continuous bleeding.
He had been fighting Kars for nearly ten minutes, and the battle wouldn't last much longer. From the current situation, he was more severely injured, as Kars' stamina far exceeded his own. But he had a healer behind him and recovery items to use.
He had attacked Kars' vital points multiple times, but Kars had managed to dodge each time. His evolved eagle-like dynamic vision played a major role in this.
"Kars! Don't forget about us!"
Jojo shouted, and along with the other three, kept changing their positions. Although the ropes infused with hamon energy could no longer harm Kars, they still held him tightly.
There was no time to consider what kind of play this was. Lin Jiu seized the opportunity and directed [Dawn Shadow]'s blade at Kars' head.
Lin Jiu was severely injured. Not to mention the dozen or so wounds on his body, the double claw penetration through his chest would have been fatal for any ordinary person. If it weren't for his numerous recovery items and strong survival instincts, Lin Jiu wouldn't have been able to hold on.
But now, it was Kars' turn to die! Restrained by Jojo, Lisa Lisa, and the others, Kars could see Lin Jiu's attack trajectory but couldn't dodge.
"You annoying rats!"
Kars spread his wings with all his might, trying to break free.
Lisa Lisa and the others knew this was a critical opportunity, so they held onto the ropes with all their strength. Although two ropes snapped, Lin Jiu's attack had already landed.
Kars broke free one pair of claws to meet the leaping Lin Jiu.
Lin Jiu saw the claws coming, but without hesitation, he let them pierce his body. His life force plummeted again, nearly reaching death, but it was instantly restored to 50%.
This was the effect of a one-time use recovery item from the [Hamster's Treasure], which brought Lin Jiu's health back up.
A shallow cut appeared on Kars' neck, his face darkened, and the cut deepened. Two seconds later, his head fell to the ground, but his headless body remained standing.
Lin Jiu severed Kars' claws but didn't pull them out. Otherwise, the excessive bleeding would have quickly drained his life force again.
The group remained vigilant, watching Kars' body. After a few minutes, Lin Jiu received a notification from Reincarnation Paradise and finally relaxed.
[You have killed the Ultimate Being, Kars.]
[Charm +2]
[Kars was a key plot character. You have gained 10% of the World Source, bringing your total World Source to 24%.]
[Your talent, Soul Condensation, has activated. You have reached the limit for Soul Energy in this derivative world!]
[You have obtained a Blue Chest.]
Lin Jiu: "???"
Lin Jiu was puzzled. Why had his charm attribute increased by two points? This had also happened when he killed Kibutsuji Muzan.
At that time, Kibutsuji Muzan had attempted to invade his mind, which was a fatal mistake. Anyone else would have suffered greatly. Even if Lin Jiu had failed the mental check and Muzan had succeeded in invading, Reincarnation Paradise would have killed them both.
After Muzan was completely defeated, Lin Jiu's charm attribute increased by one point. He thought it was a reward for passing the mental check, similar to the increase in his willpower.
But now it seemed that wasn't the reason. Unable to figure it out, Lin Jiu decided not to dwell on it. After all, it was a boost to his attributes, and he was too exhausted to think about it now.