"An S- rank physical enhancer?"
Upon the throne, a flicker of interest flashed through Cerydra's eyes.
She lightly pinched her fingertips, and a deep blue chess piece appeared out of thin air in her palm. Accompanied by a thud, the piece landed upon the magnificent chessboard.
Buzz—
The air rippled like a stone being tossed into a pond. In the center of the church hall, space suddenly distorted, and a black-haired girl dressed in fine clothing appeared within the hall.
"What the hell?! A Queen chess piece?!" Seeing this, White Blade froze on the spot, his arrogance instantly replaced by shock. "Starting off with an ultimate move? For real?!"
Before his exclamation could fade, Hysilens's tightly closed eyes snapped open.
Those deep blue pupils, like a profound oceanic abyss, instantly locked onto the nearby White Blade. Without the slightest hesitation, she flipped her slender wrist, and a long sword shaped like a violin bow, flowing with pale blue water, appeared in her hand.
Swish—!
The scream of torn air rang out. Hysilens's figure left a faint afterimage where she stood, and in the next instant, she appeared right in front of White Blade.
Immediately following that, the bow sword wrapped in water drew a sharp blue arc, aiming straight for White Blade's throat.
White Blade's pupils constricted as the chill of death instantly enveloped his body!
At the critical moment, he crossed his arms over his chest, and with a click, two alloy bracers emitting a metallic luster popped out from the outside of his forearms.
Clang— Screech!
Amidst the ear-piercing sound of clashing metal, the blue arc slashed violently against the bracers.
However, the successful block White Blade anticipated did not occur. The seemingly solid alloy was like butter under a hot knife, instantly sliced open by the blade entwined with water. The sword's momentum remained undiminished, cutting deeply into the flesh of his arms!
"Dammit!" Alarm bells rang in White Blade's mind.
The split second before the blade touched his bone, the ground beneath his feet shattered, and he used the recoil to shoot backward like a cannonball, narrowly avoiding the fate of having his arms severed.
Rip—!
Two terrifying wounds, deep enough to see bone, appeared on his crossed arms, dripping with blood.
"Hiss... the speed is ridiculous, and the attack power is even more insane!"
White Blade looked down at the wounds gushing blood, hissing in pain.
But soon, shortly after he spoke, the muscles around the wounds began to writhe frantically like living things. Granulation tissue intertwined and skin extended; in just a single breath, those horrifying scars had vanished without a trace, leaving only two faint white marks.
"Musculoskeletal strength surpassing alloy... high-speed regeneration..."
Feeling the sensation from the slash just now, Hysilens murmured to herself.
She then flicked off the blood droplets staining the tip of her sword. Her figure transformed into a blue shadow once more as the bow sword lunged out, rapidly stabbing toward White Blade's heart.
"Good timing!"
Seeing this, a look of ferocity flashed in White Blade's eyes, and a sharp brass knuckle instantly covered his knuckles.
Facing this fatal strike, he did not dodge. Instead, he twisted his waist and stepped forward, his right fist carrying a dull sonic boom as it accurately smashed toward the side of the bow sword's spine.
Clang—!!!
The heavy impact rang so loud it made eardrums go numb. This heavy punch successfully knocked the blade aimed at his heart several inches off course, grazing past White Blade's ribs.
"Got you!" A murderous glint flashed in White Blade's eyes. His left fist was already prepared, like a cannonball leaving the chamber, carrying the wind that tore through the air as it smashed ruthlessly toward Hysilens's unprotected face.
However, in that lightning-fast moment—
Puchi—!
The slight sound of a sharp weapon entering flesh rang out from White Blade's abdomen.
The intense pain caused his attack to deform instantly. Hysilens simply tilted her head slightly and dodged White Blade's punch.
White Blade looked down in disbelief.
He saw an elegant rapier, shaped like a violin body, had unknowingly pierced through his abdomen. The tip of the sword protruded from his back, dripping warm blood.
At the same time, the bow sword that had been blocked aside seemed to possess a life of its own, swirling back at an incredible angle and slashing its cold edge toward his neck.
"Ugh—!"
In a life-or-death moment, White Blade let out a beast-like roar.
He grabbed the blade of the rapier in his abdomen with both hands, ignoring the sharp pain of his palms being sliced, and pulled it out with force. Simultaneously, his body dropped into a sudden squat.
Whish—!
The bow sword, carrying a chilling frost, swept past almost touching his scalp, shearing off several strands of flying hair.
The entire process had not even lasted a second.
After experiencing all this, he took the opportunity to roll backward, creating distance again. The bloody hole in his abdomen and the wounds on his palms were healing at a speed visible to the naked eye, but his heavy panting betrayed his exhaustion.
"Damn it... she actually has two swords?! So treacherous!" White Blade stared fixedly at the long and short swords in Hysilens's hands, his face contorted by pain and annoyance. "As expected of a Queen chess piece... close quarters combat should have been my home field..."
"Foolish and laughable." Hearing White Blade's words, Cerydra, sitting upon the throne, mocked him with disdain. "Relying solely on brute force and recovery without corresponding speed and skill, like a barbarian, yet you dare claim an advantage in close combat? Hmph, a frog at the bottom of a well."
"Ha!" Hearing Cerydra's words, White Blade spat out a mouthful of bloody phlegm. Instead of being angry, he grinned and revealed a wild smile. "You're right! Those extras from before certainly didn't require skill! But now..."
As he spoke, he clenched his right hand, and a syringe filled with crimson liquid appeared out of thin air in his palm.
Then, without hesitation, he stabbed it ruthlessly into his neck.
"Things like skill and speed..." As the crimson liquid in the syringe was instantly injected, White Blade's body shuddered violently.
The skin on his exposed upper body instantly became crimson and scalding, his muscles began to swell violently, veins bulged, and white steam erupted from his pores!
A violent, scorching, and destructive aura burst forth from White Blade!
"...With my recovery power, I can get this kind of stuff whenever I want! Second round—begin!!"
Following a roar like that of a wild beast, the ground beneath White Blade's feet collapsed into a spiderweb pattern, and his figure instantly vanished from the spot. Only a circle of expanding sonic boom clouds and a searing heat wave remained in the air. His speed had more than doubled as he charged straight for Hysilens!
Facing this charge that resembled a human-shaped beast, Hysilens's ice-blue pupils constricted slightly.
She held her swords with both hands, the bow sword held vertically before her with the tip pointing toward the ground.
In an instant, surging water appeared out of nowhere and began to swirl at high speed around her, forming a heavy water barrier.
Boom boom boom boom—!!!
White Blade's figure crashed violently into the rushing water. He had no intention of dodging, his fists smashing out frantically like pile drivers. Each punch contained terrifying power, blowing apart and shattering the high-pressure water columns rushing at him!
The water washed over his crimson skin, making a sizzling sound and instantly turning into large clouds of white mist, leaving behind dense, tiny bloody pits that were instantly repaired by his terrifying regenerative power.
Braving the violent impact of the water, White Blade actually forced his way right in front of Hysilens.
Seeing this, Hysilens's gaze sharpened, and her twin swords thrust out again—one sword stabbing straight for the heart, the other for the throat! She attempted to force back this beast-like White Blade.
However, this time—
A ferocious smile flashed in White Blade's eyes. Facing the thrusting twin swords, not only did he not retreat, but he also threw his arms wide open, completely exposing his chest and throat!
Puchi! Puchi!
Two clear sounds of blades entering flesh rang out. The bow sword accurately pierced White Blade's heart, while the violin rapier sank deep into his throat.
But this failed to stop White Blade; instead, the smile on his face became even more hideous and terrifying.
In the next second, he opened his arms wide and, ignoring his body being pierced by the blades, lunged forward to embrace the close-at-hand Hysilens with a death grip!