In the dimly lit tunnel, Nidhogg faced off against the Daredevil.
"'They'?" Nidhogg caught a whiff of curiosity in the Daredevil's words and asked, "Who do you mean by 'they'? Who sent you to kill me?"
"No one can send me to kill anyone. I simply want to kill you. As for who 'they' are, I think you should understand well. There shouldn't be any connection between you at all." The Night Devil smiled grimly.
The Night Devil said this, and Nidhogg was absolutely certain that this was indeed one of the five God Hand's schemes.
Perhaps it was a temptation towards Nidhogg's extraterritorial power. If Nidhogg couldn't resist this temptation, it would turn into a real killing, and the ending would naturally be a dead end.
"It seems you understand." The Daredevil stared at the thoughtful Nidhogg and smiled. "It's a pity I missed the chance to kill as an assassin."
"Fortunately, it's dark enough here. For me, this is an excellent battlefield. Hurry up, let's dance!"
Nidhogg felt the cold murderous intent in the Daredevil's words. He waved his hand towards Azan and Serpico and said solemnly, "Step back. Don't come closer."
When Azan and Serpico heard this, they both obediently retreated, yielding enough battlefield space.
They instinctively predicted that Nidhogg would have a fierce battle. Or, in other words, after entering Stormveil Castle, Nidhogg would continue to face fierce battles.
At this moment, their best choice was not to support, but to distance themselves. Even if they didn't want to, they had to admit it.
The Night Devil smiled and said, "Rest assured, I'm not interested in the weak. With such a delicacy as you before me, how could I gnaw on this coarse tea and plain rice?"
Nidhogg silently raised Bloodhound's Fang. The sharp blade of the great curved sword glinted coldly in the tunnel's only light.
"It seems you're ready." The Daredevil smiled, and his entire black cloak rose like a tornado, striking at Nidhogg. "Then I'm coming!"
FWOOSH—!
In an instant, the black cloak tornado approached. A sharp blade, hidden within the shadows, suddenly thrust at Nidhogg's waist and abdomen!
Nidhogg's senses were already extraordinary. Bloodhound's Fang instantly carved a silver arc of light. With a CLANG!, it parried the thorn and rebounded!
FWOOSH—!
At that moment, the Daredevil's cloak spread out like hair. Tentacles, twisted from black fabric, lashed out. Sharp thorns shot from their tips without exception!
"Hehehe..." The Night Devil laughed. Over a dozen thorn-tentacles burst forth one after another. They seemed careless, but in fact, they blocked all of Nidhogg's subsequent attack and defense rhythms.
If there were no accidents, under this intense assault, Nidhogg wouldn't even have a chance to counterattack. He could only exhaustingly defend against the serial strikes of these thorns!
However, Nidhogg used the simplest method to solve this problem. Bloodhound's Fang slashed forward and curved. The concussive energy not only shattered several thorns that had pierced first but also allowed him to use the momentum to backflip!
The Daredevil was momentarily stunned. He glanced at the several severed thorns, then looked at Nidhogg, who had landed not far away. A malicious smile, full of saliva, spread across his face.
With a dull thud, he dropped to the ground like a bat!
Nidhogg didn't retreat to the distance the Daredevil had expected. Instead, he deceived himself and ran towards him like a hound.
His speed was so great that even the Night Devil's eyes widened in surprise!
Bloodhound's Fang—Nidhogg's fang—suddenly leaped up when it was almost close to the Daredevil. Without warning, it struck him on the head!
CRACK—!
They passed by in error. Nidhogg's lightning-fast sword flashed a silver beam in the dim light. It also trembled slightly, lodged in the head!
Half of the Night Devil's head was severed. The patterned mask was also cut in half, revealing the pitch-black mass inside.
Azan and Serpico were constantly watching this intense duel.
They saw the Night Devil erupt with numerous thorns and were so skilled that they sweated for Nidhogg.
Seeing Nidhogg instantly counterattack and sever the Night Devil's head, they couldn't help but make a decision. They were very surprised, thinking the battle was decided.
However, the Night Devil's tornado cloak didn't stop. The dozen or so nearby thorns only stiffened for a moment, then moved again, swaying like spider legs, stabbing at Nidhogg!
At the same time, another skull-shaped object bulged out from under the tornado cloak. The head, previously severed in half, melted into the body like flowing water. The half-shattered mask also floated towards the protruding head.
Who needs a fixed head... Probably it just grows there?
FWOOSH—!
The sound of thrusts made Azan's and Serpico's faces change drastically. The sound of cold sweat echoed in the darkness. Every time, it coincided with the rhythm of the dance of death!
This time, Nidhogg didn't escape like last time. But from such a close distance, he swung Bloodhound's Fang, relying solely on the sharp blade of his sword and the numerous thorns of the Night Devil against his sword!
CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!—
At first, the Daredevil thought Nidhogg was seeking death. But as the sword fight continued, he realized something was wrong when he couldn't hit Nidhogg for a long time, but was instead being pushed back by Nidhogg's fangs.
Could this man have gotten used to my knife strike in such a short time?
No, no, no. I have to say, the most amazing thing is that he caught up to the assassin's swordsmanship I've worked so hard on. That alone is incredible...
FWOOSH—!
Nidhogg seized the moment when the Night Devil was distracted in the fierce battle. Bloodhound's Fang switched from defense to attack, instantly breaking through the Night Devil's thorn array and piercing his torso!
The Night Devil was stunned again. He looked at the pierced part. Then he suddenly twisted his entire body, tearing off a piece of black cloth wrapped around Bloodhound's Fang. The rest coiled into a ball and flew backward.
Nidhogg flicked off the black cloth wrapped around his blade, thinking: It's empty and didn't hit his vital point, so he could react?
The Daredevil retreated into a corner. Then he stared at Nidhogg for a moment before slowly retreating into the darkness.
At the same time, he removed the mask from his head, merging the mask and thorns with the flowing black cloak. His entire body completely blended with the surrounding darkness. Finally, he even held his breath.
The Night Devil seemed to have completely vanished.
This was his ideal posture as an assassin, and also the best for hunting.
He moved no more. He simply stood in the darkness, waiting for the prey to take the initiative and come to his door.
Serpico understood the situation faster than Azan. He covered Azan's mouth and pulled him further back, to a place where they wouldn't interfere with Nidhogg's senses.
Nidhogg looked at the complete darkness of the tunnel. He was neither afraid nor nervous. But, thinking about what he had, he stepped forward.
He raised Bloodhound's Fang, pointed the tip of the great curved sword forward, and slowly walked step by step. His other hand quietly touched the brand on his chest.
After that, at a certain moment, he felt that needle-prick intuition again!
"Melina."
Golden light instantly burst from Nidhogg's chest. Melina appeared unhurriedly, illuminating the darkness like tinder, and also illuminating the Daredevil's current position.
His Bloodhound's Fang involuntarily pierced the Daredevil's cloak, or more precisely, pierced a part of his incorporeal cloak.
At the same time, he entered the "embrace" of the Daredevil's cloak, which was completely spread out.
All of the Daredevil's tentacles were extended to their limit, wrapping around Nidhogg from front, back, left, and right in a hooked curve. Or, more precisely, he had set this trap from the beginning, waiting for Nidhogg to step into it step by step.
However, the Daredevil hadn't expected Nidhogg to have a way to produce light here.
He didn't like light, not particularly. After Melina summoned the golden light, he almost subconsciously tilted his head and slowed down for a moment.
But that was enough. This distance was enough!
The "Dark Embrace" was over!
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