There's a strategy like that?!
Everyone stared blankly at Nishi. They couldn't understand how she had done it—actually managing to tear away the sharp arm-bone from Kusaregedo's right arm.
Looking at Nishi running away with the arm-bone, Cyan's poker face almost cracked. Stepping on Kusaregedo's now limp right arm, she leaped into the air, green fire-like sword qi condensing on the demonic blade.
However, compared to Zankuro Minazuki's sword qi, Cyan's was like an infant's—so thin it looked as if a breeze could blow it away.
[Mugen-ryu: Gale Slash!]
Gale Slash wasn't just a ground-crawling wave like in the games; using sword qi as a means of attack, it could naturally target air or ground, and could be used while jumping like this.
Swordsmanship shouldn't be fixed in a framework; one must know how to adapt.
Cyan spun once in the air, the sword qi severing Kusaregedo's head and leaving a slashing mark on the ground.
Kusaregedo's health bar instantly lost a massive chunk. However, the head falling toward the ground suddenly moved.
Several arrows struck the flying head. After aiming for a long time, Ai Asama and Chen Xiaoxue finally fired their first shots! They hit the head, which was acting like a giant target.
Kagaribi drew her bow with three arrows held between her fingers. Firing so desperately made her hands tremble slightly; sweat poured down her face and soaked her clothes.
Two of the three arrows hit Kusaregedo's left eye, causing thick fluid and blood to spray out. The third arrow hit its nose.
The monster, which had seemed to feel no pain, let out a shriek. Its headless body writhed as bone spikes sharp as swords sprouted from it, and it began rolling toward Kagaribi and the others like a runaway ball.
"Scatter! Don't stand together!"
Kagaribi shouted at Erni's group and Nishi as she saw the giant meatball covered in blades rolling their way.
"Hungry! So hungry! I want meat!!!"
Kusaregedo's head shrieked as it lunged to bite Cyan.
[Mugen-ryu: Fudo!]
Pshhh—!
Blood sprayed from her bitten arm. Kusaregedo's head attack wasn't a normal strike at all, but a move skill called Flying Head Kill. Fudo, which could parry normal attacks, was unable to block skills.
Cyan's error in judgment resulted in her right arm being bitten through, her health dropping by 80 points from that single bite.
Crunch, crunch!
Kusaregedo's head chewed on Cyan's arm. The bone-chilling sound of mastication echoed from its mouth.
Why did Fudo... was it not a normal attack?
Cyan stared at the arm being chewed by the monster's head with a mix of shock and confusion. The pain didn't make her afraid; instead, it made her violent!
A flash of blood-red lit up in Cyan's silver-white eyes. Gripping the demonic blade with her remaining hand, she threw herself at the monster's head, plunging the blade into its other, still-intact eye.
Feeling resistance, Cyan let go of the blade and punched the hilt. One punch after another—violent and crazed!
On the other side, because Kusaregedo was now blind in both eyes, it couldn't tell its direction. Furthermore, since everyone had scattered, it instinctively rolled toward Nishi—the one who had kicked and broken its leg. Nishi nimbly climbed onto a roof, causing Kusaregedo's body to crash into a house instead.
Kagaribi held Sinner-Slayer, plunging the sharp blade into Kusaregedo's belly and pulling with all her might, carving out a massive wound.
Erni fired at Kusaregedo's back with her flintlock, then rushed forward brandishing her worn-out katana.
Chen Xiaoxue swung the Ryugu cleaver at the side of the monster's body, hacking wildly as if venting all the pressure in her heart.
Ai Asama, seeing how ferocious everyone around her was, looked at the hunting knife she used for skinning. Wielding the small knife like a dagger, she began stabbing Kusaregedo's backside repeatedly.
"Scare me, will you! Scare me! Scare me!"
Ai Asama muttered under her breath while stabbing the monster's rear.
After Nishi climbed down from the roof, she took that sharp arm-bone stolen from Kusaregedo's right arm and viciously returned it to its owner, stabbing it right into the monster's lower regions.
With a mysterious, excited smile on her face, Nishi looked terrifying. Fortunately, no one noticed her actions at the moment—except for Ai Asama, who was busy stabbing the monster's butt.
Seeing how savage Nishi was, Ai Asama instinctively took two steps back.
Kusaregedo's head let out a high-pitched, distorted shriek. Its body moved, slamming its hands heavily against the earth. Numerous evil spirits crawled out of the ground.
The evil spirits shrieked piteously, surrounding the five of them. They were the souls of those Kusaregedo had eaten. These tragic people were food while alive, and after death, their souls found no peace, controlled by the monster as malevolent spirits.
The hideous spirits glared at the five with malice, looking as if they wanted to tear them apart!
[Mugen-ryu: Gale Slash!]
Cyan looked at the group surrounded by spirits. Holding the demonic blade, she gathered sword qi. She picked up the head with the blade through its eye and jumped. As she landed, the blade finally pierced through the monster's skull. With a swing, the sword qi split the head halfway open.
[Mugen-ryu: Gale Slash!]
The vanishing sword qi reappeared on the blade. With a follow-up strike, Cyan completely cleaved the head in two.
Kusaregedo's health bar hit zero.
With the monster's death, the summoned evil spirits were liberated, returning to their original forms and passing on.
[Damage Contribution calculating...]
[Survivor No. 11766: Dealt 63% damage to Kusaregedo. Obtained Silver Card.]
[Survivor No. 11766's Servant, Nishi: Dealt 10% damage to Kusaregedo. Obtained Bronze Card.]
[Plot Character Kagaribi: Dealt 11% damage to Kusaregedo.]
[Survivor No. 12010: Dealt 9% damage to Kusaregedo. Obtained Bronze Card.]
[Survivor No. 13001: Dealt 3% damage to Kusaregedo. Obtained Black Iron Card.]
[Survivor No. 13124: Dealt 4% damage to Kusaregedo. Obtained Black Iron Card.]
[Cards have been placed in the inventory. For survivors who have not opened their inventory, the Survival Brand functions are activated; Inventory function opened.]
"You two would be the dead weight teammates in a game, wouldn't you?" Erni looked smugly at Ai Asama and Chen Xiaoxue. She wasn't in a hurry to use her Bronze Card; the joy on her face was palpable.
"If you didn't have the flintlock Cyan gave you, could you have dealt that much damage? Also, the only reason we could kill that thing was because of Cyan, right? Without Cyan, we'd all be dead! What are you so proud of!"
Perhaps influenced by the cleaver in her hand, Chen Xiaoxue snapped back at Erni.
"Who told me to be on such good terms with him~!"
Erni blew on the muzzle of her flintlock. But when she looked at Cyan and saw he was missing an arm, her expression changed, and she ran toward him.
"Cyan, your arm..."
"Master!"
"Cyan!"
Kagaribi, Nishi, and Erni gathered around Cyan. They could see the jagged tooth marks on the broken bone of the stump.
Ai Asama and Chen Xiaoxue also approached. Seeing the horrific wound on the severed limb, they couldn't help but shudder. Just looking at it made them feel the pain.
Aside from a slightly pale complexion, Cyan acted as if she couldn't feel the pain. If they hadn't seen the cold sweat on her forehead, they might have actually believed she was immune to it.
"I'm fine."
Facing their concerned gazes, Cyan used the Silver Card.
[Used Silver Card. Obtained 1000 Survival Points, Outcast: Brand Crush Skill Book, White Rice.]
[Outcast: Brand Crush]
[Type: Skill Book]
[Function: Learn the LV1 Active Skill Outcast: Brand Crush. Grab the enemy with both hands, leap into the air, press the enemy's head with the left hand, and use body weight to crush them into the ground while grinding forward.]
[Prerequisites: Strength 20, Constitution 20.]
[Note: Please do not use this skill on enemies whose strength crushes yours. That is seeking death! Death... death... death... (Fade out).]
[White Rice]
[Type: Recovery Item]
[Function: Restores 100 Health Points.]
[Note: Hakama: Father, this is the white rice you love most!]
After eating the white rice, as her health recovered, thick blood welled up from the wound and quickly clotted into a scab.
Kagaribi carefully bandaged Cyan's scabbed stump, looking hesitant before closing her eyes in pity.
"Cyan, your arm... I'm afraid..."
"It doesn't matter."
Compared to the reactions of those around her, Cyan, the victim, was exceptionally calm, as if the person who had been crippled wasn't her.
"What do you mean it doesn't matter! Your arm is gone!" Nishi shouted at Cyan in anger.
"Swordsmanship... I can still use it."
Cyan held the demonic blade in her left hand, gathered sword qi, and swung. The green sword qi caused a nearby dilapidated house to collapse halfway.
Seeing how strong Cyan was, the others, who had wanted to say something, fell silent.