After slamming him three consecutive times, Rex stopped. Seeing that Minazuki Zankuro had only a sliver of health left, Rex picked up the Red Steel Grudge-Alms that had fallen to the side and thrust it toward Zankuro's head.
"Mugenryu · Immovable!"
Green sword qi converged in Minazuki Zankuro's hand, and the Red Steel Grudge-Alms was blocked by his palm. Flesh and blood collided with the metal weapon, yet it produced the ringing sound of clashing steel.
Minazuki Zankuro gave Rex a violent shove.
"Fuck!"
Rex felt his body stagger backward, out of control.
"Mugenryu · Lawless Fist!"
Minazuki Zankuro spat out a mouthful of blood and roared. Green light gathered in his fist as he struck Rex squarely in the head. With a backhand move, he reclaimed Red Steel Grudge-Alms and charged forward, a massive amount of blood flowing from his wounds with every step.
"Mugenryu · Heaven-Shattering Slash!"
Minazuki Zankuro reached Rex's front, slamming an elbow into his chest. Red Steel Grudge-Alms slashed upward, leaving a bone-deep wound across Rex's upper body. Then, he pierced through Rex's abdomen with a sword thrust, flicked upward, slashed down, and twisted his body into a horizontal cleave.
A series of sword combinations was executed by the heavily wounded Minazuki Zankuro with fluid grace; there was not a single wasted motion.
Having sustained continuous high-damage attacks in such a short time, Rex didn't even have a chance to consume the life-saving recovery items in his Survival Brand. His body was sliced into two sections. After the upper half hit the ground, it split into two more pieces, blood mixing with internal organs as they scattered across the earth.
Rex didn't even have time to let out a scream before he was counter-killed with lightning speed by Minazuki Zankuro.
[Survivor No. 9543 Rex has died.]
"Rex! You son of a bitch, I'll kill you!"
Leo received the notification from the Survival Space. His eyes turned bloodshot as he looked at Minazuki Zankuro. He poured almost all of his remaining mental energy into his next attack. His body emitted an alarming heat, and scorching flames gathered in his mouth.
Before the Yoga Flame could be spat out, Sinners-Slayer pierced through his abdomen. The fire was swallowed back down, and the searing flames instead began to burn inside his body.
Damn it...
Leo turned his gaze toward Cyan and threw a bottle of purplish-red potion her way. His body was wreathed in flames, and his lips moved as if he were saying something.
Within the fire, Leo turned to ash.
[Full Rejuvenation Potion]
[Type: Recovery Item]
[Effect: Restores 100% of Health and Mental Energy.]
[Note: Even if you have only one breath left, this miraculous potion can snatch you back from the hands of the Grim Reaper!]
Cyan looked at the potion in her hand, thinking of the request Leo made before his death. She looked up at the severely injured Minazuki Zankuro. Cyan used the potion; her wounds healed in an instant, and she charged toward Minazuki Zankuro.
So fast! Is this really a speed someone who was heavily injured can have?
Minazuki Zankuro was shocked. Looking at Cyan, who had appeared before him almost instantly, an old katana appeared in her hand. The way she gripped the sword was actually the grip of the Mugenryu sword style he had created.
"Despicable mimic! Die!"
Minazuki Zankuro thought Cyan was imitating his swordsmanship to humiliate him. Enraged, he ignored his severe injuries and attacked Cyan frantically.
How could an old katana withstand Red Steel Grudge-Alms?
The old katana in Cyan's hand collided with Red Steel Grudge-Alms and shattered into pieces.
Siding past Minazuki Zankuro's attack, Cyan raised her knee and struck his arm with her fist. The sound of breaking bones echoed from the arm caught between her knee and fist.
Minazuki Zankuro let out a cry of pain as his arm bent at an eerie angle.
Cyan snatched Red Steel Grudge-Alms from Minazuki Zankuro's hand. Mimicking the movements Zankuro used earlier to release the Mugenryu Secret, she slammed into Minazuki Zankuro and stomped the ground heavily.
That posture is!
Minazuki Zankuro's eyes widened as he watched Cyan attempt to use Mugenryu Secret: Muso-ken. In the next moment, a look of relief appeared on his face.
"As expected, my Mugen Itto-ryu is the strongest! Young child, inherit my swordsmanship and take Mugen Itto-ryu to the next level!"
Cyan could not truly unleash the Mugenryu Secret; she was merely imitating the form. Even so, against Minazuki Zankuro, whose life force was like a candle in the wind, this imitated swordsmanship was enough.
"Psh—!"
Blood sprayed from Minazuki Zankuro's body. The "Demon" who had slaughtered countless villages stood with his legs straight as his diagonally sliced lower half fell to the ground. Blood flowed from the corpse.
[Demonic Blade · Red Steel Grudge-Alms]
[Type: Plot Character Weapon]
[Attribute: Attack Power 32~43, Strength +2, Constitution +2.]
[Special ①: Mugen Itto-ryu (Special) skill level increased by 1.]
[Special ②: Red Steel Grudge-Alms has drunk the blood of the innocent and become a demonic blade. Its obsession with slaughter will disturb your mind. At the same time, it possesses growth potential; continuously hunting the strong and absorbing their blood will make it stronger.]
[Requirement: Strength 15, Agility 15, Constitution 10. Note: Once equipped, this item is soul-bound to the wearer and cannot be traded. If the wearer dies, the equipment disappears!]
[Note: Minazuki Zankuro used the blood of countless people to make Red Steel Grudge-Alms a demonic blade!]
After Minazuki Zankuro's death, Cyan could see the attributes of Red Steel Grudge-Alms, which were previously invisible.
It truly lived up to being a piece of plot character equipment that even seniors coveted. After drinking the blood of countless people, this sword had become a self-growing demonic blade; slaying powerful enemies would make it even stronger.
However, using this demonic blade had its drawbacks: influenced by the blade, the wielder was prone to becoming bloodthirsty.
The sudden battle ended in a short time. Looking at Minazuki Zankuro's corpse on the ground, Basara laughed frantically, a hint of liberation in his voice.
"Dying by his own swordsmanship, how ironic." Kagaribi looked at Minazuki Zankuro's corpse coldly. She gave Cyan a look filled with complex emotions and walked toward the laughing Basara.
After Minazuki Zankuro died, a card that looked as if it were cast in gold appeared on his body, emitting a faint golden light. At the same time, the survivors still alive in the world of Samurai Shodown Zero received a message from their Survival Brands.
Cyan dragged the demonic blade and walked to Minazuki Zankuro's corpse. She picked up the golden card and sat tiredly on the ground, beads of sweat dripping from her cheeks.
"Survival Mission 1: Cloud Hunt Village is about to suffer a massacre by the 'Demon'. Survive and escape the 'Demon's' pursuit. Note: Survivors cannot leave Cloud Hunt Village without authorization before the 'Demon' arrives."
"Mission Complete."
Red Steel Grudge-Alms absorbed the blood of its previous owner, Minazuki Zankuro. Its attack power increased from 32~43 to 39~50.
Cyan noticed the anomaly in the demonic blade in her hand and saw the change in attributes. Looking at the ground, she saw that most of Minazuki Zankuro's blood had vanished, clearly absorbed by the blade.
"Basara..."
Kagaribi walked to Basara's side and picked him up, letting him lie in her arms.
"Kagaribi... it's so good that you're okay..."
Basara lay in Kagaribi's arms, raising a hand to lightly caress her cheek. His hand gradually began to become transparent, revealing the bones inside.
"Yes, Basara has worked very hard."
Kagaribi pursed her lips, trying hard to force a smile, as tears fell onto Basara's face.
"Are you alright?" Erni looked at Cyan cautiously. Although she was curious about that golden card, she knew it was something that did not belong to her.
"..."
Cyan looked at Erni in silence, tightly gripping the demonic blade in her hand.
"May I help you up? Do I look like someone capable of hurting you?"
Seeing Cyan so guarded, Erni felt she was a bit paranoid, yet she also felt that in a place where one could lose their life at any moment, such vigilance was correct.
Cyan stared at Erni for a second and then reached out her hand.
With Erni's support, Cyan stood up. Most of her body weight pressed onto Erni, inevitably coming into contact with her full softness.
The Full Rejuvenation Potion could restore her injuries, but the physical exhaustion could not be recovered. Even if the body was digitized, a living being was still a living being and could not become mere data composed of numbers.
Looking at Cyan, who had taken advantage of her without even realizing it, Erni felt extremely displeased. If she hadn't run out of the house to find excitement at a bar, she wouldn't have been stabbed to death, and she wouldn't have ended up here suffering like this.
If there were a regret medicine in the world, Erni would definitely travel back and give her past self a thorough beating. Wouldn't it have been better to just stay home, play games, and watch movies?
She just had to go to a bar for excitement!
"You... what is your name?"
Basara looked at Cyan, who was walking over with Erni's support.
"Cy... an..."
"Cyan, I leave Kagaribi in your care..."
Basara looked at Cyan with a hint of pleading in his eyes. The chain of Sinners-Slayer wrapped around Kagaribi's left wrist, and the cuff locked onto her arm.
Although he had been in a state of madness earlier, his memories remained. He knew the young boy before him had the strength to protect Kagaribi well. However, he was still somewhat uneasy, so he left the weapon that was born alongside him when he became a ghost on Kagaribi's arm.
"Okay..."
Looking at the pleading in Basara's eyes, Cyan nodded slightly.
With his wish fulfilled, Basara raised his hand and his fingers gently wiped away the tears on Kagaribi's face. In the dim morning sky, a beam of light descended and shone upon him; the rising sun's light fell upon his body.
Basara's soul left his body and flew into the air. He gave a gentle smile to the tearful Kagaribi and turned into light, flying toward the sky.
"Hidden Mission: Protect Kagaribi from being killed while being pursued by the demonized Kubikiri Basara."
"Mission Complete."
"Mission Reward: 1500 Survival Points."
"Hidden Mission: Purify the demonized Kubikiri Basara."
"Mission Complete."
"Mission Reward: 1 Skill Point, 1 Attribute Point."
After Basara's soul attained Buddhahood, the flesh and blood on his body vanished, leaving only bleached-white bones.
Kagaribi wiped her tears and gathered Basara's remains, wrapping them in her outer garment. She planned to return to the village and bury him together with the villagers' bodies.