Chapter 52: Club Inferno (Part 2)
Tremors, gunshots, cries, roars, all kinds of frantic sounds filled the wealthy area, waking up the people in their soft beds. Through the windows they saw the blue night sky and the magnificent building immersed in flames, like a torch burning the sin of money.
Beneath the torch, two people stared at each other. Maivia, on the bat monster's back, and Ji Huaisu, holding sword and shield. Their eyes met for a fraction of a second before the human-headed bat monster flapped its wings and soared, emitting a shrill, almost laughter-like whine.
The officers in the police car clutched their ears, uttering painful moans through gritted teeth. The sound pierced their eardrums like needles, the intense agony paralyzing them. Maivia seized the opportunity to extend his oily, black, blood-soaked tentacles. They swept up a police car, intending to crush it and turn the officers into food.
But Ji Huaisu advanced alone, shield in hand, her pace changing from a quick walk to a trot, and from a trot to a sprint. She forcibly carried the magic sound forward, swinging the greatsword in her right hand in a sharp arc, severing the bloody tentacles that were engulfing the police car.
The tentacle's cross section sprouted strands of maggot-like flesh and blood, instantly transforming into several black blood chains that threatened to encircle Ji Huaisu. The Scourge Knight simply slammed his greatsword into the ground, scattering the blood chains with the swirling wind.
This little trick couldn't stop the Scourge Knight, and Maivia had no intention of deciding the outcome now. The blood lock was merely a delaying tactic. By this time, the human-headed bat monster had already taken to the air. Maivia spat mud bombs, smashing the surrounding police cars one by one, quickly putting distance between him and Ji Huaisu. He planned to use his speed advantage to escape first, his target being the residential area just a stone's throw from the club!
With two of the family's children killed, the success rate of summoning "elders" was too low, but as long as the head of the family was still alive, the Moon Beast would provide continuous support. Ji Huaisu, wielding a large shield and a greatsword, could not keep up with his speed. Once he received sufficient blood and flesh supplies, he, blessed with divine grace, was equivalent to the strength of an army.
Maivia turned his head 180 degrees, intending to destroy all the surrounding vehicles to cut off the enemy's pursuit. But his eyes widened in shock. The blond knight was chasing him closely, like a golden blade cutting through the night.
It's that shield! Ji Huaisu stepped on the shield, and a fiery glow gathered behind it, its powerful force giving it a speed that surpassed even the speed of other vehicles. With perfect balance, she maintained her center of gravity, her sword firmly nipping at the man-headed bat monster's rear. Ten meters, eight meters, five meters... The distance between them kept closing, and the man-headed bat monster hurriedly increased its altitude. However, the burning building in the distance provided light, and the bat monster's wings cast a huge shadow.
Ji Huaisu drew his sword decisively and pointed it at the bat monster's shadow's head!
The shadow blade slashed through the shadow, slicing through the body. The bat monster's head exploded, its headless body tumbling downward. Ji Huaisu, grasping the greatsword with both hands, swung upward, the blade slicing through the bat monster's abdomen with a crescent-shaped flash. The strike cleaved upward, slicing through the bat monster's abdomen. The black blood and internal organs within the wound chuckled, transforming into a flock of bird-sized bats. The flesh-and-blood bats, also bearing human faces, half carried Maivia to the ground, while the other half frantically pounced on Ji Huaisu, enveloping the knight in a ball of flesh and blood.
The human-headed bat monster, whose true name is the Hand of Favor, is the most powerful of the three. Its unique characteristics are its immense vitality and the ability to differentiate between flesh and blood. Whether it feeds or is injured, it can multiply into a swarm of bats. Seeing Ji Huaisu engulfed by the bats, Maivia finally had a chance to breathe. With no other predators around, he simply expended his strength and chanted the incantation to summon him once more: "Darkest Moon, cradle of beginnings, first abyss once forgotten..."
"break!"
A powerful light pierced the bats' wing membranes, and the gathered monsters screamed in terror! The light originated from Ji Huaisu's great shield. She transformed the shield into a blunt weapon like a battering ram and struck the ground. The resulting light patterns intertwined into a gorgeous seal. The seal's light was like a golden fire, burning the filthy bats to ash.
Ji Huaisu charged forward, brandishing her light hammer. Each blow left a light seal on the walls and floor, its intense light scorching the beloved hand. This exceptionally brave knight finally resembled a magician, her magic the natural enemy of all evil.
Seeing that the last summoned creature was also defeated, Maivia had no choice but to fight alone. His fists swelled like drums, and he chanted the improvised spell as he punched: "Please bless the poor son with your embrace and your curtain..."
Two giant, wing-like hands emerged from behind Maivia, striking down from above with immense force. Ji Huaisu held them steady with her giant sword, wielding her hammer and sword without confusion. Her left hammer struck with a bulging fist, smashing into Maivia's slug-like head. A brilliant golden light imprinted itself on Maivia's body, a powerful burst of light that vaporized the evil spirit!
Maivia swung wildly, emitting a dying wail in the light. Ji Huaisu cautiously withdrew his attack and observed the enemy's movements. This kind of enemy was cunning by nature and would inevitably have a trick up their sleeve, such as faking their own death. Maivia's previous summoning was halfway complete. The arms should be the hands that appeared out of thin air. The other summoning word was "curtain"...
What is the curtain?
The massive figure in the light suddenly shattered, and the one that struck Maivia was only a clone. Ji Huaisu immediately shielded herself with a light shield, turning her head to meet a pair of sinister eyes. Maivia was standing behind her!
"...and your dreams." Maivia chuckled.
A dim light shone from his eyes, rippling outward in circles, transforming into a hazy moon in Ji Huaisu's vision. Ji Huaisu's movements slowed, and she swung her sword instinctively, but only vaguely struck the phantom.
Visafu was adept at using his clones, and as the head of the family, Maivia naturally possessed the same ability. Maivia's true form was ten meters away, having replaced him with a clone at the very beginning of the summoning. He shook his head with delight, "dragging" the leather bag he normally wore like a coat.
Beneath his burly exterior lies a black creature, sluggish and hideous, like a slug. This is the true face of the New Moon Bastard. His outer skin is a trap to lure his enemies, and the previous battle was similarly a diversionary tactic. He is Maivia, the "Magician." His true strength lies in illusion and delusion, a skill that ravages the mind.
The knight was now lost, but approaching too easily would only put him in danger. He knew Ji Huaisu's intelligence and had already prepared a corresponding countermeasure. Maivia rolled his black eyes and chanted a new spell:
"Mother of all, cradle of love, please satisfy this helpless fool. Give her the warmth, childhood, and family she craves."
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Ji Huaisu heard the sound of waves.
It repeated endlessly, echoed endlessly, like gazing at the ocean at the end of the world from a cliff. Between heaven and earth, there was only the tide, nothing else. The utter monotony engendered utter loneliness. As she thought this, she heard a cry. She realized it was her own voice, weeping from loneliness, longing for someone to be by her side.
"Don't cry. Don't be afraid," said the woman.
"You have to be strong, little girl." The man's voice followed, "You are the last knight. In such a dangerous world, how can you survive if you are not strong enough?"
The woman sobbed softly, and the man soothed her gently. Warm, strong arms lifted her up, and the monotonous sound of waves approached. Memories from long ago were awakened, and with them, the fear etched in them.
No. Don't leave me! I don't want to go to the sea. Don't abandon me!
The girl's cries became more urgent, clearly audible amidst the endless waves. The sound seemed to move the man as well, and he hesitated for a moment.
"...Do you want to be with Mom and Dad?"
She kept crying, and only her crying was answered.
The faces of the man and woman magnified in the field of vision, shrouded in a halo of indistinct light, but only closer could they be seen clearly.
"We will be together." The man reached out to her, his voice gentle, very close to her. "Forever."
The sound of the waves faded away, and she stretched out her small hand in response.
The tender palm was pierced by the blade, and the halo was dyed bright red!
Ji Huaisu suddenly looked up. The dark night, the raging fire, the dust and smoke from the ruins, the look of astonishment and fear in the monster's eyes. She side-stepped and kicked Maivia, sending the Shuoyue Bastard flying into a car on the side of the road. His voice was filled with genuine fear: "What did you do? How could you possibly break free from Black Moon's spell?!"
"Dad is right. As long as it hurts enough, you won't care about something like illusion." Ji Huaisu muttered to himself.
Ji Huaisu's left arm drooped like a puppet with its strings cut. Her method of escaping the illusion was brutally simple: she pierced her own hand with a shadow blade! The dream conjured by Black Moon was shattered by the excruciating pain. She raised her head nonchalantly, looking down at the trembling demon, as proud as a young knight.
"Have you finished your third-rate magic tricks? Have you thought of your exit speech?" Ji Huaisu said coldly, "Then go to hell!"
Maivia was still in shock. It was a blessing from the First Abyss, the power of the oldest outsider in the world of Shendong. Forget the inverse image of a single particle of magnitude 2, even the three demons of particle of magnitude 3 would be lost in the moonlight.
Can it be dispelled by pain alone? How is that possible?!
But reality is always crueler than fantasy, and Ji Huaisu's murderous intent was no lie. She gripped the greatsword tightly with one hand, shouldering it, and lowered her knees slightly to gather strength. Although she was clearly seriously injured, her aura was as dangerous as that of a ferocious beast.
Maivia took a deep breath, exhaling thick, sticky black smoke. The smoke was actually poisonous blood in gaseous form. This was his most vicious killing move. The blood smoke would seep into the enemy's body and devour the flesh beneath the skin.
At this moment, Maivia still had a plan. He saw that Ji Huaisu's injured left hand prevented her from using the light shield, so he decided to abandon the attack on the knight. Ji Huaisu, however, didn't even use a shield. She slashed the ground with her sword, using the recoil to leap upwards. Her shadow blade spun through the air like a chariot wheel, its surging wind sweeping away the bloody smoke. In Maivia's frozen gaze, she used the momentum of the swirl to reach the highest point, slashing down with her greatsword!
It was a desperate, life-or-death strike, like the bite of a lion in dire straits, the claws of a dying hawk. Martial artists and Taoist monks could never cultivate such a resolute sword technique. This kind of swordplay existed only on the battlefield, in desperate situations where only life could be risked for victory. The strike split Maivia's head, the greatsword nearly bisecting the demon's body.
But the blade stopped just before it reached the corrupted heart. Maivia urgently coagulated black blood within his body, weaving layers of defensive nets. He desperately resisted the slash, and the black blood transformed into a spear blade that pierced Ji Huaisu's body.
At this time, Ji Huaisu raised her seriously injured left hand, and she slammed her palm against the sword blade with all her strength, providing the final power to push the slash!
The blood web broke, the greatsword slashed down, shattering Maivia's corrupted heart. Black blood, like oil, splattered everywhere, and his hideous form disintegrated amidst a wailing cry. Like his evil offspring, Maivia, with his final scream, was reduced to a foul stain of blood.
Ji Huaisu picked up the giant sword again and exhaled the foul air filled with the smell of rust.
Ah Kong was right. This thing was no different from an ordinary villain when it came to chopping it.
(End of this chapter)
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