Shu could clearly feel the strength in Kiana's hand slacken, but just letting her catch her breath was far from enough.
Having fought Evolution itself, Shu knew how ridiculously powerful its recovery ability was. Coupled with the boost from the Thousand Stars of Reason, if he let go now, Kiana would probably be back on her feet in the next second, fighting as if nothing had happened.
Shu raised his right hand again, winding up for a punch that was about to come down. Then, that impossibly fast attack came again.
But ever since taking that hit from Bianka's spear, Shu had been keeping a close eye on his surroundings. The moment the thrown spear entered his active perception range, he whipped his head around, caught it, and was about to hurl it back.
But just as he caught the spear, the ice beneath his feet, shattered by Kiana, suddenly cracked open. Bianka, wielding a second spear, thrust upward from below, aiming straight for his head.
A feint?
The ice blade of the spear grazed past his face. Shu keenly felt a chill on his cheek.
Without hesitation, a spinning kick accurately struck Bianka's waist, sending her flying once more. Looking down, he saw that Kiana had already used that brief moment to regain control of her body. Pushing off the ground, she launched a kick at him.
Taking half a step back to dodge the attack again, Kiana gritted her teeth, trying to get up, only to be sent flying by a decisive, powerful kick from Shu.
The ice beneath his feet, already in shambles, seemed to come alive. Huge, sharp ice pillars shot up from the ground, each one dozens of meters high, precisely forming an icy cage that trapped Shu in the center.
Bianka, rising from the ice crater, panted as she pressed her hand down. Now, not only were her gauntlets and chestplate damaged, but the battle skirt at her waist was also half-shattered by Shu's kick.
Although the broken armor showed signs of regenerating, the rate of repair was no match for the damage Shu was inflicting!
I need to buy time...
A blinding light suddenly erupted from within the massive ice cage before her. Startled, Bianka decisively launched herself up, leaving her original position.
The very next moment, a massive slash, like a scorching sun, tore through the ice cage and slammed into the spot where she had been standing.
The icy hell was burning. Shu walked out of the flames, waving his hand to disperse the remaining embers.
Bianka landed with a flip. Kiana, clutching her abdomen, stood beside her with a solemn expression.
"Whatever you're trying to do, if this is your limit, then I can only declare your failure," Shu said, looking at the two of them with an exceptionally serious expression.
His words fell like a mountain, crushing Bianka's heart with immense pressure.
Did she have more abilities?
She did, but they were either insignificant or branching abilities that could hardly decide the outcome.
She had already tried all her strongest abilities on Shu.
The bone armor on her body could indeed block his attacks, but each part could only block once, and not completely.
Her extreme cold ability could also affect him. When he was frozen earlier, his thoughts and body had clearly become sluggish.
And her attacks could also deal effective damage to him. The vertical wound on his face and the lingering frost on his chest were the best proof.
But these were by no means the capital to defeat him. At best, they were just an admission ticket to truly stand before him.
What should I do... No, this isn't something I should be thinking about. I just need to execute every command from Senior Bronya perfectly.
But facing Shu, did Senior Bronya really have a plan?
"I don't care about that!" While Bianka was still lost in thought under the pressure, Kiana had already decisively stomped on the large ice block in front of her and spoke to Shu with an equally imposing aura.
"I said I'd beat you down, and today, I'm definitely going to beat you down!" Kiana shouted excitedly, shaking her fist. "This is what I promised Auntie and Mei and the others! How could I... how could I..."
Kiana couldn't finish the sentence. Shu looked at her, who, despite wearing a magnificent long dress, was still waving her hands like a mischievous little girl. His fist quietly loosened, then clenched even tighter.
I see... "defeating me" is everyone's shared promise...
But you have your promise, and I have my own resolve.
At this point, there was no longer any need for communication. To fight, to fight with all their might—that was the best response to each other.
Shu and Kiana moved almost simultaneously. The ice beneath Kiana's feet suddenly shattered, and she shot towards him like a cannonball.
She knew her advantage, and she knew how to use it!
And Shu knew it too!
Just before they were about to collide, Shu suddenly made a sharp turn and accelerated towards Bianka.
"Shamash—" However, as Shu bypassed Kiana, what he saw was a handsome uncle holding a greatsword of fire high.
"Unsheathed—!" The full power of the Judgment of Shamash directly engulfed Shu. With the boost from the Thousand Stars of Reason, Siegfried's sword was completely different from the one on the beach.
But—it still wasn't enough!
The real killing move was Cecilia, who was charging towards him, hidden within the flames!
Black Abyss White Flower: Holy Blood Liberation!
Like the Judgment of Shamash, the Black Abyss White Flower also had two stages... the Hundred Flowers, which excelled at healing and defense.
And the Black Abyss, which specialized in annihilation!
A concentrated attack stabbed straight at Shu's heart. It was fast, so fast that it felt familiar to him.
This was the same move Bianka had used to leave a wound on his face! It was just a little slower than Bianka's.
Raising his hand to catch the Black Abyss White Flower, Shu's expression was icy.
I can even catch Bianka's attack—Mmph?!
Shu's body once again tensed up strangely, and his ice-cold expression became extremely twisted again.
"Tsk, so tough!" Nicholas's full-throated complaint came from behind. Shu looked back. It was the same familiar posture, the same familiar position, and Nicholas even gave him a familiar smile after he turned his head.
The difference was, this time, Nicholas didn't turn and run. Instead, right in front of him, she suddenly tightened her grip on the Jizo Mitama.
At the same time, a flash of lightning was gone in an instant.
And Shu, who had caught this flash of lightning that might have come from ten thousand meters away, his pupils shrank.
At this moment, the Jizo Mitama, the Black Abyss White Flower, the Judgment of Shamash, and the Seven Thunders of Retribution seemed to be four in one, unleashing their full power at the same time.
The Judgment of Shamash caused the surrounding particles to become violent. The Black Abyss White Flower caused the surrounding particles to undergo a superposition state of collapse and transformation. The Jizo Mitama began to continuously annihilate the nearby particles, and the particles that had not yet been annihilated were disintegrated by the Seven Thunders of Retribution.
They were originally different forms of the same project. Even without the Star of Eden to attract the particles, the combination between them was still a qualitative change!
At this moment, Shu could only feel as if all the "existence" around him had become his enemy!