Chapter 107: Defeat

The Demon Hunter was dead.

His lumbar muscles had been severed mercilessly, leaving him utterly unable to dodge the Water Blade’s attack.

So, he died—no matter how many techniques he had, no matter how many sequences he hadn’t yet unleashed… he was dead.

Wu Xiaomi gasped heavily, taking step after agonizing step toward the altar.

She had to destroy the Bionic Altar immediately, or else… none of this would stop.

The Green-faced Puppet had vanished into hiding, and new Demon Hunters could emerge from the altar at any moment.

Finally, Wu Xiaomi reached the edge of the altar.

Raising her Thunder Blade, she aimed it at the formation patterns etched into the altar.

Stab—

The blade’s tip touched the altar’s rocky texture, and a repelling force like two magnet poles clashing pushed back.

“Don’t block me! Shatter!”

Wu Xiaomi poured all her strength into the blade.

The tip inched downward bit by bit.

The blade itself glowed red-hot under the intense pressure, almost melting and softening.

“Vzzzz—”

The altar sensed the threat; the inscribed patterns began to glow fiercely.

At the same time, in the altar’s center, the light sculpted bone, blood vessels, muscles, and skin patterns once again…

Not only did this happen at an incredibly fast pace, but more than one at a time!

“Oh, damn it, it’s a Bionic Altar—I’m a clone.”

The Demon Hunter raised a hand to his forehead in synchronized frustration.

“And there’s more than one copy of me…”

The other Demon Hunters exchanged uneasy glances.

“Why is this happening?” they looked at Wu Xiaomi.

Suddenly, Wu Xiaomi had an idea: “You wouldn’t want more clones of yourselves either, right? Help me destroy the altar! We can decide the winner afterward!”

Sounds reasonable, doesn’t it?

“No…”

The altar rippled suddenly.

All the Demon Hunters’ eyes turned blood-red.

“Protecting the altar… is the top priority…”

Not fair!

A blade sliced toward Wu Xiaomi, and she couldn’t afford to care about the altar anymore—she hastily retreated.

There was no way to hide her weaknesses now.

Siren Dance, Rain Prayer Technique—fully unleashed!

Within the mountain’s cavity, small dark clouds gathered.

Water surged forth.

At the same time, blood trickled from her eyes, ears, and nose. Wu Xiaomi’s mind buzzed as if wrapped in darkness.

Without the Spirit of the Wilds’ aid this time, the effect was greatly reduced.

“Trifling tricks. Combat Technique Sequence 73—Divine Descent Protection!”

The Demon Hunters were prepared this time; all five raised their hands simultaneously to summon Divine Radiance that surrounded their bodies.

Whenever water approached, the radiance met it head-on, evaporating the flow instantly.

Seeing her trump card utterly ineffective, a surge of despair uncontrollably welled up inside Wu Xiaomi.

She had planned to win this battle beautifully and reunite with Sister Xiaozhi…

But now, she truly had no way out.

Five Demon Hunters—this opponent was naturally stronger than her—and they came at her all at once.

Damn this formation; how could it be so absurdly powerful?

“Fall—!”

In a graceful spin, Wu Xiaomi gave up on striking back at these guys.

She gathered all the water streams into a waterfall spear and aimed it at the formation’s center.

She struck with all her might!

“Sizzle—”

The water spear collided with the array’s barrier; the water was rapidly worn away and evaporated, while the defensive light of the formation weakened.

Was it working?

Could it work?!

If only she could destroy this damn formation, she still had a chance!

“Puff puff puff—”

The Demon Hunters’ blades tore through the air, pinning the fragile, butterfly-like girl’s body firmly to the wall.

Her left lung was pierced, along with her stomach and shoulder.

It hurt… but she didn’t have time to feel the pain.

Wu Xiaomi focused all her attention on the water spear.

Just a little more! Just a tiny bit!

The barrier guarding the formation had been reduced to a thin layer, but the water spear was only finger-length now.

“Snap—”

The formation’s protective barrier shattered completely, yet…

The water spear disappeared too.

Wu Xiaomi sagged weakly against the wall, the blade still embedded in her body, her feet suspended in midair.

The wound throbbed, but her consciousness had gone numb; she couldn’t feel it anymore.

Within the formation, even more Demon Hunters were being spawned.

There was no chance.

This battle… the gap in strength was too vast.

From the very beginning, winning was impossible.

“You said we are all creations. You’re wrong—we’re very different,” one Demon Hunter said.

Another sneered cruelly, slowly driving his blade deeper into Wu Xiaomi’s heart.

“Ptooey.”

With her last ounce of strength, Wu Xiaomi spat saliva onto his face.

The Demon Hunter didn’t hurry; the blade’s advance slowed.

“I have family, I have friends. I have lived bathed in praise until today. I have bloodline, bonds, status. As long as I return to the shore, I can reclaim everything that belongs to me. I have a reason to exist.

But you—no family, no one to care for you, no love… Your purpose is to be a disposable Magitek device. You are a tool, a fusion monster condemned and forbidden by the Sequence Lords. Only death awaits you.”

Heh.

Wu Xiaomi was too weak to refute, only managing a bitter smile.

“I have… Xiaozhi…”

“You think the honorable Highness cares about you? Once you die and she returns to her domain, she will meet truly outstanding talent, befriend equals in status… She will soon forget you, forget those laughable hard days you spent together.”

“She… will not…”

“Do you know why I hate you? Because you don’t deserve to be by Her Highness’ side. You confused her, made her give up going home, gave up her rightful honor and status.”

“…”

“You deserve to die. You should have died long ago. No one cares about you in this world; you have no family. All your bloodline and Lingyuan were stolen…”

“…”

Seriously.

Even after winning, why say such cruel things?

Annoying. Couldn’t they just let her die in peace…

So rude.

Two lines of blood slid down her cheeks, leaving faint red marks.

Wu Xiaomi closed her eyes.

Calmly feeling the blade piercing her heart.

At first, it was only the tip, making each heartbeat feel like a tearing pain.

Then, more of the blade slid in.

Then…

The blade suddenly stopped.

“You seem to have some objections about my daughter.”

A clear, ethereal female voice appeared suddenly in front of her, vaguely familiar but impossible to place…

Oh, right, it sounded a lot like that fake Ah Fu.

But with an added layer of allure, reminiscent of Se Se the Salacious Witch, yet clearly different from her.

Very beautiful, very comforting.

In that voice, even the wound didn’t seem so painful.

Wu Xiaomi blinked, dazed.

Before her stood a tall, slender silhouette.

Though her body seemed fragile, her delicate jade-like fingers gripped the Demon Hunter’s neck tightly.

She lifted him clean off the ground.

The Demon Hunter struggled desperately, his bloodshot eyes nearly rolling from their sockets, but no matter how hard he fought, he couldn’t break free.

The woman’s crimson lips parted:

“Spell Sequence 13—Divine Disintegration.”

In an instant,

Within the mountain cavity, all the Demon Hunters turned to dust.