Chapter 29: Desperate Struggle

Blankness.

Right before death, Su Yun’s mind was an expanse of absolute, profound blankness.

It was as if the world had been muted; all the chaotic cries of battle, the explosive bursts of energy, the wounded’s wails, all faded away like receding tides, leaving only a dull, oppressive ringing in her ears.

Time seemed to stretch and thicken like syrup. The sacred sword, shimmering with holy radiance, descended in her pupils in an eerily slow motion.

She seemed to think of nothing at all; her consciousness was like a wasteland covered in blizzard, with no trace of a single thought.

Yet, in that instant, it was as if she had thought of far too much.

Fuzzy fragments of childhood memories, the relief from every brush with death.

And that most basic, most humble yearning—to live on…

Countless jumbled images flickered through her mind like a revolving lantern, so fast she could not grasp them, unable to form a single meaningful command.

Yet the instinct to survive is something even faster than thought.

It’s rooted deep within every cell—a primordial cry for life.

The moment before the sacred sword touched her skull, her body moved, defying the blankness of her mind, acting on its own!

“Crack! Crackle!”

The sound of bones grinding and multiplying pierced the air.

Her left arm’s flesh twisted as a thick, rough bone shield with primal, wild patterns burst forth, slamming fiercely into the side of the sacred sword!

“Clang——!”

A shrill clash of metal and bone exploded, sparks flying in all directions.

Web-like cracks instantly crawled over the bone shield, and the massive counterforce left Su Yun’s entire left arm numb. But that deadly sword was forcibly knocked off its path by her savage blow.

At the same time, her right hand’s five fingers fused, flesh stretching and warping at high speed, transforming into a bone blade shimmering with icy white light—thrusting straight for the knight’s neck!

“Tsk…”

The knight’s face darkened, a flicker of shock and comprehension flashing through his single eye.

It seemed he had already expected this seemingly frail prey to launch a stunning counterattack when driven to the brink.

With a sudden exertion from his waist and abdomen, his upper body bent backward at an almost inhuman angle, nearly parallel to the ground.

The lethal bone blade barely grazed his Adam’s apple, and the rush of air it stirred raised goosebumps along his throat.

After dodging, he mustered the last of his strength and kicked off the ground, his figure retreating in a sorry state, landing crookedly a short distance away, gasping for breath.

From his viewpoint, Su Yun had transformed in a startling way.

She was no longer the shivering little mouse that could be crushed at any moment.

Expressionless.

The big orange eyes that should have brimmed with terror were now empty—no joy, no anger, no fear, only a chill of utter deadness.

Step by step she approached, her strides small but oppressive, her whole being like a murderous puppet driven by the will of death itself.

If it were before the battle,

Facing an opponent of this level, he wouldn’t even need to draw his sacred sword.

Just his domain of holy light would be enough to purify her.

But now, continuous high-intensity fighting had nearly wrecked his body.

The torrent of magic within was also nearly depleted.

It was no exaggeration.

His current stats were now nearly on par with this strange girl before him.

If not for his battle-hardened experience and mastery over the power of law, he might really end up perishing here.

Su Yun took a step, the ground dipping beneath her feet. She moved like a shadow clinging to bone, or a wad of gum that couldn’t be shaken off, instantly crossing several meters to once again press close.

Why…

Why must you force me.

I really don’t want to fight…

All I want is to find a place to hide and quietly survive…

Her inward cry was a stark contrast to her body’s killing intent.

“Clang!”

Su Yun’s petite fist, wrapped in a thin layer of bone armor, once again blocked the sacred sword the knight swung on instinct at an impossible angle.

Her other hand, now a bone blade, relentlessly slashed for the knight’s neck.

It was the same move, but her flawless timing made it deadly.

For the first time, the knight’s face showed unmistakable shock.

What kind of fist technique is this? Why is it so slippery and hard to catch?

He tried his earlier trick, bending backward to dodge.

But the gaping wound through his body suddenly flared with agonizing pain.

The tissue there had been ravaged by wild energy; such a move tore at the injury, making it impossible to act. He could only wrench his neck aside at the last instant.

“Splurt!”

Hot liquid sprayed out.

The bone blade cut deeply into the side of the knight’s neck, leaving a gash to the bone.

The agony snapped the knight back to clarity; he realized he could no longer wield the heavy sacred sword.

His old partner was now just a burden.

He made a snap decision, let out a furious roar, and released the sacred sword that had accompanied him half his life, letting it crash to the ground.

Immediately, he poured all his remaining magic into his fists. Holy light flared from his body; every punch carried what little remained of the deadly, if thin, power of law.

Su Yun instantly sensed great danger and began dodging on instinct.

She knew she couldn’t withstand a single punch like that.

Even the faintest trace of that power of law, if it hit her, would be enough to unravel her bodily structure and annihilate her.

But she could also clearly see that this powerful knight was now little more than a candle flickering in the wind.

With every punch, he gasped and lost more life force.

This was a contest of willpower and endurance.

Whoever collapsed first would die.

But she couldn’t defend forever either.

The knight’s attacks covered a wide range, every punch gouging deep, scorched grooves in the ground.

If she took a single hit, she’d shatter on the spot, turned into a mist of blood.

I don’t want to provoke anyone.

But… I will never let anyone have the chance to kill me!

Su Yun’s eyes held no joy or sorrow, not even killing intent.

She wasn’t slashing to kill the knight before her.

She was slashing to survive.

In an instant, her right hand began to grow madly, swelling to dozens of times its size.

Heavy exoskeleton layered upon itself, forming a mountainous, savage bone fist, roaring as it smashed towards the knight’s face!

“Hmph.”

The knight’s eyes flashed with disdain. He coldly snorted, gathering all his power in his right fist, and swung it straight into the monstrous bone fist.

Golden holy light burst forth in a final blaze, instantly smashing the fierce bone fist to pieces, shards flying everywhere.

But behind the shattered fist, there was nothing.

Emptiness, as hollow as his heart now felt.

“Not good!”

Warning bells blared in the knight’s mind. Years of combat instinct screamed of a deadly danger from behind. He moved to turn and defend without thinking.

But…

There was still nothing behind him.

So where was she?

“Sss….”

A cold, sharp object piercing flesh—he heard it from his chest.

“Thud….”

The sound of a heart being run through and suddenly ceasing to beat.

“Cough… cough…”

The knight struggled, in disbelief, to lower his head.

A small hand, caked in blood and flesh, had punched out from his chest, tightly gripping a heart that still twitched weakly from instinct.

At some point, Su Yun had appeared before him like a phantom. Using the giant fist as a decoy, she’d slipped impossibly into his arms and dealt the fatal blow.

Then, that little hand clenched hard.

“Squish!”

The heart was crushed to pulp.

If I’m dying… you’re coming with me!

The knight’s life force was instantly drained. But the raging hatred in his eyes and the pride of a Temple Knight spurred him to one final act.

He whirled around, mustering the last of his willpower for a punch of vengeance.

The punch grazed Su Yun’s body as she failed to pull away in time.

Golden holy light seared across her abdomen, leaving a thin yet terrifyingly deep golden scar.

“Ugh….”

A wave of pain like she’d never felt before crashed over her like a bursting dam.

It wasn’t just pain of flesh and blood, but as if her very soul was aflame, scorched by holy fire.

Su Yun let out a howl of agony, her body going limp. She nearly collapsed to her knees.

She looked at the golden scar on her belly. It didn’t bleed; instead, it glimmered like a living thing, holy power surging through the wound, wildly invading her body, tearing at her life structure.

No! I have to get rid of it!

Gritting her teeth, Su Yun shaped her hand into a blade and slashed hard at her own belly!

But it was useless.

The flesh was cut away, but her powerful regeneration only caused new flesh to grow—and the golden scar appeared unerringly on the new skin, exactly the same!

This time, the wound no longer glowed. Instead, blood began to pour out—streaked with pale gold, as if her life force was being drained by the scar with no end in sight.

A terror she’d never known before flooded over Su Yun like an icy tidal wave.

The shadow of death was clearer, more suffocating than even when she’d faced the sacred sword.

She was going to die! This time, she was really going to die!

A single, crazed thought took root in her mind.

Mo Qingqing! Find Mo Qingqing!

She didn’t even know why she dragged the knight’s corpse along.

It was just instinct, the urge to find Mo Qingqing, to show her the corpse, and have her save her.

But perhaps fate was kind.

It wasn’t long before she spotted that familiar figure nearby.

Mo Qingqing was talking with several witches.

Without a moment’s hesitation, Su Yun flung herself over.

Covered in blood and despair, she clung to Mo Qingqing’s long leg.

“Master, Master, I-I’m going to die!!”

Su Yun wailed out, her voice hoarse and trembling.

All the terror, pain, and injustice she’d bottled up erupted at once. Like a lost child finally finding her anchor, she hugged that leg tightly, as if it were her only hope to survive.

Mo Qingqing was startled by the bloody little attachment that suddenly appeared.

But when she looked down and saw Su Yun’s tear-stained face, felt that small, soft body shivering at her leg with overwhelming fear—

Her expression softened a little.

“What’s wrong? Let me take a look….”