Despite the astonishing speed of Ming Yu's sword, the Lightning Soul was a high-level Honkai Zombie after all. Its rapidly moving twin blades clashed with the Spirit Blade time and again, creating countless sparks in the air, a dazzling sight to behold.
Although the Lightning Soul's striking speed couldn't match Ming Yu's, it had two blades to its advantage and just barely managed to withstand his fierce assault, allowing Sakura Fubuki to only leave a few minor wounds that couldn't have a decisive impact on the battle.
Sensing the Gale Soul attacking from behind again, Ming Yu sighed internally. It seemed he wouldn't be able to finish off the Lightning Soul this time.
Slowing his blade, Ming Yu took a quick breath, and Honkai Energy flowed rapidly into his right foot, which began to glow with a faint golden light.
"Hah!" With a soft cry, Ming Yu's right leg flew up in a side kick that slammed viciously into the Lightning Soul's side.
*Thump!* The Lightning Soul, busy defending against Ming Yu's Spirit Blade, took the full force of the blow. Unsurprisingly, its entire body was sent flying six or seven meters away, tumbling and making intimate contact with the floor.
With no time to check on the Lightning Soul's fate, Ming Yu could already feel a chill on his back and an undisguised killing intent—the black longsword of the Gale Soul.
"That was fast."
Ming Yu gained a new appreciation for the Gale Soul's speed. His fight with the Lightning Soul had only lasted a few seconds, yet the Gale Soul had already caught up. Though surprised, Ming Yu's body moved without delay, spinning around and raising Sakura Fubuki in a reverse grip to meet the attack.
*Clang!* The black longsword forced the crimson Spirit Blade back. How could Ming Yu, defending hastily, withstand the full-power attack of the Gale Soul?
Having gained the upper hand, the Gale Soul wasn't about to miss this opportunity, slashing at Ming Yu's body again and again without pause.
Ming Yu, caught between moves with his old strength spent and new strength yet to be generated, was unable to muster the force to block. He could only retreat several steps to evade this wave of attacks and buy time to recover.
Glancing at the gashes the Gale Soul had left on his clothes, Ming Yu felt a surge of anger. He adjusted his breathing, urged the Honkai Energy to circulate within his body, and gripped the Spirit Blade with both hands to meet the attack, heralding the start of his counterattack.
"Now, it's my turn!" Knocking aside the Gale Soul's black longsword, Ming Yu stared into the Honkai Zombie's black eyes, a hint of coldness in his gaze as he announced in a low voice.
With that, Sakura Fubuki swung out repeatedly at a speed faster than the Honkai Zombie's black longsword, forcing the Gale Soul back again and again, not even giving it time to teleport. It could only futilely swing its longsword, trying its best to minimize the damage it took.
But the Gale Soul's defense couldn't completely block Sakura Fubuki. The crimson Spirit Blade would occasionally slip past the Honkai Zombie's black longsword, leaving wounds of varying depths on its body. Streaks of sword qi also slowly seeped into the Honkai Zombie's body, lying dormant and not exploding immediately.
When facing a single high-level Honkai Zombie, Ming Yu could completely dominate it, suppressing it with his Spirit Blade. It was only when facing multiple high-level Honkai Zombies that he found it troublesome.
Thinking of multiple Honkai Zombies, Ming Yu couldn't help but glance in the Lightning Soul's direction, only to see an empty patch of floor. The Lightning Soul was long gone.
When did that happen?
Ming Yu was greatly alarmed. He could no longer afford to focus on the enemy in front of him and hastily dodged to the side.
At the same time, a black longsword slashed down, grazing past Ming Yu's body. It was clear that if Ming Yu had hesitated for even a moment, that blade would have torn his body apart.
That was close! Ming Yu thought to himself, a cold sweat breaking out on his back. Even without turning around, he could feel the mockery and regret in the Lightning Soul's eyes behind him.
He really couldn't underestimate these Honkai Zombies. With a certain level of intelligence, they were far more dangerous than Honkai Beasts.
With no time to turn around, Ming Yu blocked the Lightning Soul's follow-up attack with a backhand strike and used the force to create distance. The two Honkai Zombies had regrouped. A head-on clash would be difficult for him to win.
Turning around, Ming Yu looked at the Lightning Soul and Gale Soul standing side by side. Their morale was high from having pushed him back. They let out guttural roars as the Honkai Energy within them erupted, pushing their physical abilities to their peak, seemingly intending to cut him down in the next exchange.
Seeing this, a cold smile tugged at Ming Yu's lips as he muttered to himself, "Don't worry, this battle will be over soon."
Sheathing Sakura Fubuki, Ming Yu placed his left hand lightly on the scabbard and his right hand firmly on the hilt. His eyes were fixed on the equally poised Gale Soul and Lightning Soul as he shouted, "Come on, let's decide this with one strike!"
As soon as his voice fell, Ming Yu and the two Honkai Zombies vanished simultaneously. Three intersecting lines—two white and one black—collided with each other throughout the small room, leaving slightly clearer afterimages at the points of impact.
The two Honkai Zombies tacitly chose not to teleport, instead pushing their speed to their physical limits just like Ming Yu. Several blades clashed in mid-air, creating showers of sparks, the sound of ringing steel echoing incessantly.
Watching the three afterimages in the room, Theresa nervously pursed her cherry lips. This time, the enemies seemed a bit tricky. The power unleashed by two high-level Honkai Zombies with a high degree of coordination was far more than the sum of its parts.
However, compared to the last battle, this kid Ming Yu had shown even greater strength. Watching the occasionally flashing crimson sword shadow, Theresa felt a glimmer of hope for Ming Yu.
Just as Theresa's thoughts were racing, the battle in the center of the room concluded, and the three figures reappeared.
Ming Yu's body was covered in new wounds, with blood slowly seeping out to form crimson lines, a rather tragic sight. In contrast, although the two Honkai Zombies had a few more sword marks on their bodies, due to their constitution, not much blood flowed out, making them appear to be in much better condition than Ming Yu.
Did he lose?
Theresa clenched her small fists, looking at Ming Yu nervously, her eyes filled with worry.
Higokumaru also became tense, her entire body beginning to emit wisps of red mist as a faint, dangerous aura slowly rose.
Before the girl and the fox could ask, Ming Yu revealed a faint smile. With his right hand, he flourished Sakura Fubuki in the air before sheathing it with a crisp *clang*.
Instantly, crimson sword qi erupted from various parts of the two Honkai Zombies' bodies, destroying their Honkai Energy-enhanced forms from the inside out and causing them to dissolve into motes of light that slowly dispersed.
During the previous battle, Ming Yu's sword qi had already invaded the bodies of the two Honkai Zombies, but he hadn't detonated it immediately. In the final exchange, not only did the sword qi provide him with the Honkai Zombies' locations, but it also disrupted their movements.
In high-speed movement, it's difficult for the naked eye to capture an enemy's figure, even for high-level Honkai Zombies, who can only rely on perception and prediction to lock onto their target. But with the assistance of the sword qi, Ming Yu's perception was far more precise than the Honkai Zombies', and he could also occasionally cause the sword qi to erupt to create interference. The outcome was thus predictable.
The end of the battle had been decided long before!