Killed Twice by the Wave Sword

Boom! The Star Shepherd slammed into the wall like a doll hurled against hard stone. Yet Yaxiu and the others showed no sign of letting up. Flooring the accelerator, they sped forward as the Wicked Edge furiously gnawed at the Star Shepherd's outer armor. The blades forcibly shoved him more than ten meters along the wall, shaving his armor all the way down from deep blue to a pale hue! He was like dirty laundry scrubbed against a washboard, his Star Archer armor battered to pieces by the iron beast's brute force! Even so, the Star Shepherd's expression remained utterly blank. With a flick of his left hand, the greatbow shrank into a compact shortbow. Bracing his feet against the wall to desperately find leverage, he drew blue-glowing short arrows against the bowstring and fired madly at the hood! A dense barrage of arrows poured down like a torrential storm, continuously whittling away at the sports car's health. Demilo completely disregarded his own peril, letting his armor shatter rapidly just to keep dealing damage to the iron monster! Watching the sports car's health plummet, Yaxiu ducked beneath the seats and called out, "The car's about to blow! We have to stake everything on one throw. Stick to the plan—Witch, keep him suppressed; I'll back you up with damage; Sword Princess... it's up to you." "Then keep your eyes wide open and watch me." Sonia tightened her grip on her hilt. "Ten Years of Sword Sharpening" had already quietly activated. She had spent a fortune purchasing the "Ten Years" sorcery spirit as a trump card precisely for moments like this, when the Watcher went out of his way to court death. A shimmering orange slash hue spread along the blade, signaling that every strike she made over the next minute would carry miraculous cutting power! With only one enemy left, the red-haired Sword Princess—who took special delight in bullying the weak while fearing the strong—naturally felt no fear. She focused every fiber of her senses, waiting for her companions to carve out the perfect opening. Suddenly, the sports car swerved and slammed inward, as though intent on driving itself right into the cave wall—wishing it could bury its entire engine in the rock—savagely ramming Demilo against the stone! This completely pinned the Star Shepherd into the wall, crushing him so deeply that he formed a man-shaped indent. His armor had faded considerably, but it still shielded his entire body without hindering his ability to draw and loose arrows! "Die!" The Witch vaulted from the car and planted her feet on the ground. She strained with both hands, using threads to fiercely yank at the Star Shepherd's waist. Combined with the sports car's Wicked Edge, the Water-Born Lines—sharp enough to sever gold and cleave jade—strained taut with high-pitched, creaking groans, yet they still could not rip him apart completely! Worse, leaping clear of the car left the Witch entirely exposed to Demilo's line of sight. He cast a cold gaze at the female sorcerer, his bow and arrow finding a fresh destination— Clang! With a clear, ringing hum of a blade, a streak of sword light shot toward Demilo's eyes. Its trajectory lingered in the air like heavy strokes of ink, as if repainting the very world around them! Miracle: Sword Painting! Though hailed as a miracle, it was merely a crude combination of "Heart Sword" and "Sword Mark," devoid of much true subtlety. In the Sword Princess's words, it was a miracle akin to throwing unwashed mushrooms and an unplucked live chicken into a single pot to stew. Had anyone tried to patent it as an official miracle, the registrars would have beaten them out the door with sticks. Yet even for such an unrefined combination, Yaxiu had only managed to apply both sorcery spirits in real combat thanks to the swordsmanship faction realm shared with him by the Sword Princess. There remained enormous room for improvement in sorcery power consumption, integration, and destructive efficiency—or rather, it was impossible for it to get any worse. If the theoretical Sword Painting possessed power comparable to a fighter jet, then the current Sword Painting was, at best, a pilot taking potshots with a slingshot while steering the plane. Still, if its only purpose was to create a momentary distraction, Sword Painting was more than up to the task! With his vision obscured by the residual sword light, Demilo was forced to tilt his head slightly. As for the attack's destructive force, it was inferior even to the threads, unworthy of his concern. Yet Yaxiu's appearance prompted Demilo to shift his target once more. Compared to the female sorcerer, this man held the highest kill priority in his mind. No matter what happened next, nothing would alter the path of his arrow. Tap! A graceful figure leaped from the vehicle, swinging her sword toward Demilo! Though reduced to his final layer of armor, Demilo had never cared about his own life or death, and naturally he paid no heed to this impending lethal blow. He drew the shortbow to its maximum draw, his pupils reflecting only Yaxiu's figure— —yet from the corner of his eye, he caught Sonia releasing a scarlet wave of sword energy. A wave... Wave Sword? His fractured soul trembled faintly, and long-settled memories rippled to the surface. The Heroic Spirit, who had never wavered in battle and had remained as ruthlessly steady as a war machine, finally made an error in this fleeting moment. It was the first mistake he had ever made since opening his eyes on the Time Continent. That split second of hesitation cost Demilo his final chance to strike back. Evil Light Slash dropped like a guillotine. It not only shattered the last layer of armor, but also cleaved off both of his hands. Deprived of his hands, Demilo had no way to retaliate, pinned hopelessly against the wall by the sports car. He watched the red-haired female sorcerer's blade radiate the unfamiliar yet familiar light of the Wave Sword, and the icy memories within him seemed to regain a touch of warmth. I, Demilo, have actually... been killed twice by the Wave Sword. Boom! Sonia's second Evil Light Slash cleanly decapitated Demilo, the wave of malevolent radiance biting six inches into the stone wall before finally dispersing! The headless Heroic Spirit collapsed over the sports car's hood, turning into scattering points of starlight that gradually faded away. Sonia stood atop the hood, gripping her longsword tightly. Yaxiu ducked behind the rear of the car, while Diya held her breath. Only after several seconds did Yaxiu step forward and whisper, "Is it over?" "It should be... over." The red-haired Sword Princess jumped down from the hood. Although a soul was supposed to have no concept of physical exhaustion, she inexplicably longed to sit down. Pressing her bottom against the car door, she slid down limply until she hit the ground. Yaxiu dropped out of his extended state of calm observation as well. While he felt no bodily injury, a deep exhaustion welled up from the depths of his soul—like working late into the night, rushing for the last subway train only to realize you had forgotten your keys, missing the train after heading back to fetch them, and, being too broke to afford a cab, having no choice but to trudge several kilometers home in the cold. He walked over to the Sword Princess with leaden steps, sat down against the car door beside her, and breathed in sync with her rhythm. "Aren't we going to collect the loot first?" The Witch still seemed full of energy, her fingers unconsciously producing Water-Born Lines to scratch idly at the stone wall with harsh, grating noises. If one could overlook her matted, discolored hair and the fourfold chorus in her voice, she appeared fairly normal. Yaxiu waved to her, and when she walked over, he took her hand and pulled her down to sit beside them. "Let's rest a bit first." "We really gave it our all this time. So... let's take a moment to savor the quiet after victory."