Understood. After these days of training, Huan Hong had gained some deeper insight into the Resonance State.
She felt it was like unlocking a level cap. If before she had been only Level 10, after resonating, it felt like she had unlocked a cap of Level 20, and she was now slowly raising her level through training.
It was different from what the Contract Goddess had said, but there were similarities.
After these days of training, Huan Hong—who used to fight evenly with Low-level Demons—could now hold her own against an Intermediate Evil Demon, losing by only a slight margin of 40-60. She had finally earned the right to challenge it.
The demonic creature’s single eye spun wildly, locked onto Huan Hong as she moved with agile footwork.
It began to get serious too.
Another set of that simple Turtle Fist.
But don’t underestimate this Turtle Fist. If a flick of the finger carried a Mercedes-level impact, a single punch packed a high-speed train’s force, and a charge delivered a Boeing-level shock, then Huan Hong getting beaten black and blue was perfectly normal.
The girl’s light weight actually became an advantage in fighting the demon. Close-quarters grappling, common in human boxing matches, rarely occurred between her and the Intermediate Evil Demon. Any attack that hit Huan Hong would send her flying, making it hard for the demon to land a quick combo.
Back when Huan Hong’s defense was low, those heavy blows that could send a person flying were a great threat—often a one-hit kill, no combo needed.
Now that her stats had risen, she could barely block them at the cost of minor injuries. A single heavy attack could no longer finish her off; in fact, it would push her away and interrupt the demon’s combo.
Every forced parry made Huan Hong’s bones and muscles ache. The enemy’s attacks were far too heavy.
Only a minute into the fight, she was already carrying some injuries. Her joints ached terribly and felt weak and sore.
It should have been an agonizing experience, but Huan Hong’s face was full of joy—she nearly laughed out loud.
After so long training, seeing results made her ecstatic, and this happiness even overshadowed her fear of facing the Intermediate Evil Demon.
The demon still didn’t dodge. She switched from defense to offense and launched a few tentative attacks, all of which were tanked head-on.
No matter how Huan Hong struck, the Intermediate Evil Demon suffered no real damage.
The most serious injury it took was when Huan Hong’s staff hit a wound left from a previous fight, tearing it open slightly and making the demon a little irritable.
While Huan Hong was busy attacking, her defense slipped. The demon nearly killed her with a single slap.
She hastily raised her staff to block, but the stick slammed painfully into her own body, sending her—staff and all—flying.
When she stood up, her mouth was red, and the saliva she spat was bloody.
The demon began to pursue. It kicked off the ground and shot toward Huan Hong, closing the distance in seconds.
Huan Hong was prepared. She kept defending and stopped attacking.
Every time the demon sent her flying, it would give chase again, steadily accelerating the pace of the fight.
The enemy’s huge body was surprisingly agile, like the Berserker from Fate—both strength and speed terrifyingly high. The difference was that both Huan Hong and this demon were limited by the laws of physics.
Huan Hong was too light; when hit, she flew backward, unable to stand her ground and resist the demon’s attacks without retreating.
The demon also suffered from mechanical limitations when running. The ground couldn’t withstand its explosive start, causing it to skid. When approaching Huan Hong, it needed time to brake against inertia.
In short, this demon’s attack wind-up and recovery were both extremely long, making its strikes predictable.
It could not dash and stop instantly like Jin Luan could.
After three minutes of fighting, Huan Hong gradually adjusted to the physical changes brought by the Resonance State and gained a lot of valuable combat experience.
She knew she couldn’t drag it out any longer. Her stamina was partially spent, and she was injured. If she kept stalling, her chance of victory would slip away.
With that thought, Huan Hong found an opening after the demon’s charge recovery and flew into the air.
The demon pursued again, leaping dozens of meters high in an attempt to block her.
Huan Hong had fought it too many times to not expect this. She was ready, shifting sideways in the air to dodge the demon’s intercept.
She climbed higher, to a height the Intermediate Evil Demon could hardly reach.
Finally, Huan Hong used her trump card: Burst Aura Reinforcement.
Her long red hair fluttered, a faint glow emanated from her entire body, and a red light shone in her eyes.
It looked slightly different from her usual Energy Burst appearance—the aura and glow were stronger.
She recalled what Yin Lin had said: after resonance, skill usage would also change.
Huan Hong felt that the casting bar for her Energy Burst had shortened, the mana required to maintain the state had decreased, and the stat boost from the Burst had increased.
During training these days, she had used the Burst after resonance, but never in actual combat.
Now she dove from the sky again, using the Fallen Heaven Strike. She deliberately kicked backwards off her staff, accelerating her fall toward the ground.
The demon below still didn’t dodge; it took the hit head-on. It kicked off the ground a second time, leaving small craters, then leaped upward.
This scene was quite manly, exciting even the onlookers in the Countermeasure Center.
Both sides were going all-out with frontal attacks, no tricks or evasions—a stark contrast to the underhanded tactics of Jin Luan and Yin Lin.
Then, a violent collision occurred between heaven and earth.
Huan Hong’s staff smashed into the demon’s palm, dealing the highest damage she had ever inflicted in her life. The Intermediate Evil Demon’s fingers broke; the staff had leftover momentum and struck the demon’s head.
It was slammed heavily into the ground, carving out a large crater. The ground even trembled slightly.
Huan Hong’s tiger’s mouth split open, and two of her fingers were fractured.
The power of this Fallen Heaven Strike was too great, exceeding the limit of Huan Hong’s body to withstand. Even the Burst state couldn’t fully protect her.
The damage to the demon was also severe. Besides breaking its fingers, it left a shallow dent in its skull, and green blood smeared its face.
The demon judged that it still had a chance to win. If it had been facing Yin Lin, it might have chosen to flee; but against Huan Hong, an evenly matched opponent, it did not retreat.
When it stood up, the demon roared at the sky, entering a state of furious rage.
Both sides, injured, began to fight again. This Intermediate Evil Demon finally displayed the “intelligence” it should have had, but it had degenerated into nothing but a killing instinct.
It wanted to tear the girl apart and eat her—she must be delicious.
In the Countermeasure Center, a Psychology Expert frowned at the scene, then suddenly raised his hand to speak.
Huang Yi had somehow appeared beside him, holding his hand down.
“Come here. I have something to tell you.”
The Psychology Expert was a little confused and a little scared, but he followed. However, he didn’t go alone—he forcibly dragged the Sociology Expert along.