Night pressed down, bonfire smoke trailing slanted in the wind. Xu Zhu had just finished a brief rest with Ling Xue and Fatty Third, not yet fully relaxed, when a sharp whistle pierced the edge of the novice village.
It wasn't an ordinary alert—it was the player rally signal.
"Overlord Spear," Ling Xue muttered, gripping her sword, face sinking.
Sure enough, on the hillside ahead, over a dozen figures appeared. They wore matching gray-black cloaks, the same guild emblem hanging above their heads. At the front, an assassin twirled his dagger, smiling coldly.
"Residual Blood Maniac." His voice was hoarse. "The guild master's order: kill the chicken to scare the monkeys. Tonight, your legend ends."
Already, a crowd of spectators had gathered—some just passing by, others clicking on the forum live feed. Bullet comments exploded:
[Overlord Spear is here!]
[This time he's finished. Surrounded by a dozen men!]
[Can the Residual Blood Maniac survive?]
[I bet five seconds before he dies.]
Fatty Third sweated buckets, whispering: "Big bro, too many of them!"
But Xu Zhu only laid his hand on his stick, eyes calm to the extreme.
—
The first strike came suddenly.
Not head-on, but from every direction—crossbows!
"Scatter!" Ling Xue cried. Her eyes flashed sharp, sword cutting down three bolts in an instant, the chill of her blade quivering the air.
Fatty Third dove into the grass, barely dodging.
And Xu Zhu—he simply stepped forward, toes pressing down, the Residual Edge snapping open!
Arrow trails stretched into red lines before his eyes. He moved like a tightrope dancer, body twisting, every bolt grazing past his ear, shoulder, hair. Sweat slid down his temple, but not one arrow touched him.
[He… he's dancing through the arrows?!]
[Residual Edge prediction! He's cheating, right?!]
[No—that's the Residual ability!]
But Xu Zhu knew—Residual Edge wasn't invincible.
By the end of the volley, his chest felt crushed by stone, black spots pricked his vision. The mental strain was worse than any blade.
—
The assassins, seeing arrows fail, closed in with blades.
Three at once, daggers gleaming.
Xu Zhu shifted, stick snapping up to shatter the wrist of one, sweeping low to drive another back. But the third dagger was already at his throat!
"Xu Zhu!" Ling Xue's cry tore the night. She lunged like lightning, sword flashing cold, striking the dagger aside! Sparks burst, a line of blood opened on her shoulder—but she held firm.
"Don't think I'm just a burden." Her eyes blazed, voice fierce. "I, Ling Xue, am a swordswoman!"
Both hands on her sword, her aura surged—enough to make even Xu Zhu glance. For the first time, he saw Ling Xue not as someone to save, but as a warrior in her own right.
—
The spectators erupted:
[Holy shit, the swordswoman awakened too!]
[She's the real deal, not a pretty vase!]
[Residual Blood Maniac + Sword Goddess? This duo's unstoppable!]
…
But the danger was still sharp. Overlord Spear's vice-captain sneered, lips curling: "Drag it out. His Residual Edge won't last."
He knew—the maniac's bursts came at a cost. Drain him, and he'd break.
Xu Zhu could feel it too. Every time he opened the Residual Edge, his ears rang, as if needles pierced his skull.
"Residual Edge… isn't infinite."
The thought flickered as his vision swam.
Then, the system flashed a faint warning:
[Abnormal state detected: Residual Edge Sync Rate 45%.]
[Warning: Excessive use may cause permanent mental damage.]
Xu Zhu's eyes hardened.
—The curse of Residual Blood had deeper secrets still.
But he didn't retreat.
He raised his stick, voice hoarse, yet sharp as a blade:
"Come on—what doesn't die… was never the blood."
—
The battle ripped through the night, sparks, blood, and shouts interwoven.
Residual Blood Maniac and swordswoman Ling Xue, under the swarm of Overlord Spear assassins, carved a path through sheer defiance.
And in the distant forums and channels, countless players held their breath, comments flooding:
[Residual Blood Maniac!]
[Residual Blood Maniac!]
[Residual Blood Never Dies!]
…
This fight was more than battle.
For the first time, the entire server realized: the Residual Blood Maniac was no joke, no rumor.
He was—a living threat.