Looking at the still composed Tyrant, a stern glint flashed in Ming Yu's eyes. Since his opponent was powerful, he would have to rely on speed to win.
With this thought, Ming Yu slightly bent his body, channeling Honkai Energy into his legs. His left thumb pushed Sakura Fubuki an inch out of its sheath while his right hand gripped the hilt tightly. A sharp aura began to emanate from him.
The Tyrant watched Ming Yu slowly build up his power, showing no intention of stopping him, its expression unchanged.
His eyes locked on the Tyrant's position, a trace of anger rose in Ming Yu's heart. This Honkai Zombie was far too arrogant!
Stomping his left foot hard on the ground, Ming Yu executed Flash at his top speed, even leaving an afterimage that lingered for half a second.
A crimson blade light flashed past. A bright crimson sword wave sliced straight through the Honkai Zombie's body, leaving a deep gash on the ground behind it.
The Tyrant crossed its arms, its head slightly raised, the mockery in its eyes intensifying as if to say, "Is this all you've got?"
How could this be? When did it activate Phasing? Why was there no sign at all? Looking at the unscathed Tyrant, countless questions flashed through Ming Yu's mind. Shock and helplessness rose from the bottom of his heart.
In the game, phasing-type skills always had obvious tells, which was why Ming Yu had wanted to win with speed. He thought he could use Flash to close in and kill the Tyrant before it could react and activate its phasing. But now it seemed that plan was a no-go.
Not only did its phasing have no tells, but its attacks were also not weak. This battle was truly going to be troublesome!
"Principal, hurry up and think of something!" His mind in turmoil, Ming Yu couldn't come up with a countermeasure and could only hope that the experienced Theresa could offer some reliable advice.
"The Tyrant's phasing has a time limit," Theresa shouted. "Depending on the individual's strength, it's generally between five to ten minutes. Moreover, when it attacks, it must first exit its phased state."
Ming Yu was shocked. Are you sure this isn't Kamui? Did this Tyrant wander onto the wrong set?
After carefully examining the Honkai Zombie's eyes and confirming it didn't have pink eye, Ming Yu's heart settled slightly.
Still, this ability was truly broken! Ming Yu neither had superhuman nerve-reflex speed, nor did he know Rasengan or the Flying Thunder God, nor was he so rich he could bury his opponent under six hundred billion Exploding Tags.
While maintaining rapid swings with his spirit blade, keeping constant pressure on the Tyrant and forcing it to continuously use its phasing, Ming Yu also pondered a strategy to defeat it.
"So, Principal, how was the Tyrant dealt with before?" Ming Yu asked, slightly out of breath.
"Uhh~" Theresa showed a rare moment of difficulty. "Well, you just suppress it with firepower. The Tyrant isn't fast anyway, so you just need to hold out until its phasing time is up."
Ming Yu was speechless. He was the only combatant here, how was he supposed to suppress it with firepower? And hold out until its phasing time was up?
Although he wanted to complain, Ming Yu's bladework didn't slow in the slightest, the edge of his sword never leaving the Honkai Zombie's body. No matter what, he had to give it a try. What if he could actually do it?
The Tyrant remained motionless, not even lifting a hand, seemingly in no hurry at all. Only its eyes moved with Ming Yu's position, still filled with mockery.
Three minutes later, Ming Yu's attack speed gradually slowed. His attacks had no effect, yet he had to maintain a certain frequency, which was not easy for him.
This can't go on, I'll lose sooner or later!
As his stamina gradually depleted, Ming Yu's attacks would become slower and slower. By then, even if he outlasted the Tyrant's phasing, he wouldn't have the strength to kill the enemy.
At this thought, Ming Yu was suddenly struck with the urge to retreat, losing all will to continue the entanglement.
Sheathing his blade's momentum, Ming Yu leaped backward, trying to create distance and buy himself time to recover.
But how could the Tyrant let him get his way? Seeing Ming Yu retreat, a vicious glint instantly flashed in the Honkai Zombie's eyes, and it threw a swift right punch toward Ming Yu's chest.
Its earlier nonchalance was just a disguise. Seizing the opportunity and striking decisively was its true nature.
Although the fist was some distance from Ming Yu, and the Tyrant showed no sign of moving, Ming Yu felt no sense of security. He hadn't forgotten what the Tyrant's other ability was.
In mid-air, Ming Yu had no ability to dodge. He could adjust the position of his head and limbs, but it was difficult to change the orientation of his torso. Seeing the ferocity in the Tyrant's eyes, he didn't think this punch would be as simple as the last one.
"Be careful!" Theresa shouted, a hint of worry in her eyes.
Hiyokumaru also clenched her small fists, glaring angrily at the attacking Tyrant, looking as if she was about to charge forward at any moment.
In this moment of life and death, Ming Yu felt time itself slow down. His five senses became incredibly sharp, and he could faintly see the position of the Tyrant's attack.
Widening his eyes, Ming Yu vaguely saw a strange ripple in the space in front of his body—that was the direction the Tyrant's fist was coming from.
Gripping the spirit blade with both hands, Ming Yu swung Sakura Fubuki fiercely at that point in space. The blade cut through the air, and the resulting gust blew away the bangs on his forehead, revealing the three tomoe of the Sakura of the Far Shore glowing with a faint red light.
"Clang!" Sakura Fubuki collided with that space, producing the sound of clashing metal.
Using the force of the Tyrant's attack, Ming Yu retreated another great distance.
That should put me out of its attack range, right? Ming Yu wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, catching his breath as he cautiously watched the Tyrant ahead.
Having been counter-attacked by Ming Yu, the Tyrant wasn't completely unharmed. A wound about two centimeters long appeared on its pale right hand, and trickles of black blood flowed from it.
Injured and bleeding for the first time in the fight, the Tyrant became very agitated, roaring angrily in Ming Yu's direction, its previous calm and composure gone.
"Now you know how it feels to be hurt, don't you?" Ming Yu taunted, rubbing his still aching chest. That first punch had been quite heavy.
After roaring, the Tyrant calmed down again and did not rush forward to duel with Ming Yu. It was a guardian; it only needed to ensure no one passed. Chasing down enemies was not part of its duty.
With ample Honkai Energy in its body, the wound on the Tyrant's hand quickly healed. Crossing its arms over its chest again, the Tyrant stared at Ming Yu with a disdainful expression, as if its recent injury had never happened.
Seeing that the Tyrant wasn't provoked, Ming Yu's heart sank. The Tyrant not only possessed troublesome abilities, but its rationality was also far beyond that of ordinary Honkai Zombies; common taunts had no effect on it.
Offensively, Ming Yu lacked the ability to harm his opponent; he couldn't seize the fleeting moment between its tangible and intangible states. Defensively, Ming Yu was also struggling; at close range, he would have a hard time blocking the Tyrant's fists.
Looking at the calm Honkai Zombie before him, the hem of its black clothes fluttering without any wind, Ming Yu for the first time had the thought that it was unbeatable.