When Ming Yu woke up, the sky was already bright. The unfamiliar ceiling reminded him that everything he was experiencing was real, not a dream.
Although he hadn't held out much hope, truly accepting reality still gave Ming Yu a sense of powerlessness. He shook his head, rallying his spirits. He still had to head towards Senba Academy today.
While washing up, Ming Yu noticed that yesterday's wounds had already scabbed over and fallen off. This body's recovery ability was even better than he had imagined. The new skin was noticeably fairer than the surrounding areas. Although they say scars are a man's glory, Ming Yu thought that having no scars would at least make him look more handsome.
He clenched his fist and could feel that the strength in his body was indeed greater than yesterday's. This meant everything was moving in the right direction. In this dangerous city, only with sufficient strength was survival possible.
After breakfast, Ming Yu packed his bag and began today's adventure.
Ming Yu's location was already not far from Senba Academy. The closer he got, the more he could feel the increasing density of Honkai Zombies. He carefully bypassed large groups of them, trying his best to avoid fighting multiple Honkai Zombies at once.
Although his body had improved since yesterday, Ming Yu did not let his guard down in the slightest. He estimated that Kiana's group at this time had at least C-rank strength. While Kiana and Mei's full power might be hampered by their equipment, Bronya, with Project Bunny, was still quite formidable.
If even a team of three C-rankers had to proceed with caution, what more for a mere D-rank like himself? Although the boost from the stigmata gave him power approaching C-rank, one mistake could still mean game over.
Through the numerous small and large battles during this time, Ming Yu's combat skills had also improved significantly. At the very least, his use of the tachi was more proficient, and his aim when stabbing enemies had improved greatly. Plus, Ming Yu was consciously training his ability to dodge, block, and counter-attack. So, compared to the day before, Ming Yu's biggest improvement wasn't his physical ability, but his combat awareness.
Despite his extreme caution, completely avoiding danger was wishful thinking. Soon, Ming Yu encountered the greatest life-and-death crisis of his journey so far.
After easily dispatching two Ranger Honkai Zombies, Ming Yu ran into the "Black and White Duo" at the next corner—an Obedient Ninja Honkai Zombie and a Loyal Ninja Honkai Zombie.
These two types of Honkai Zombies could not only charge but also perform a three-hit combo, with the third hit having a knockback effect. The black-armored Obedient Ninja Honkai Zombie could block melee attacks, while the snow-white Loyal Ninja Honkai Zombie could dodge most ranged attacks. Furthermore, both were agile types. Avoiding a fight was already impossible.
With Ming Yu's current abilities, he might win a narrow victory against one of them. Facing both at the same time, he could only consider running.
The two Honkai Zombies had clearly spotted him. They paused for a moment, then both charged forward, streaking like a white and a black shadow. If it weren't for the twin blades in their hands pointing directly at him, Ming Yu would have thought the visual effect was quite cool. A distance of several dozen meters was nothing for Honkai Energy-enhanced zombies; it was covered in just a few seconds.
Ming Yu only had time to raise his tachi defensively in front of him before the Obedient Ninja Honkai Zombie's twin blades slammed into the Seishuu Muramasa.
The Seishuu Muramasa shuddered, and a surging force traveled down the blade towards Ming Yu, forcing him back several steps.
I can't fight them head-on! Ming Yu's heart pounded. He had to separate the two. If he was surrounded in an open area, he stood no chance. His only hope of winning was to pick them off one by one.
Taking advantage of the Obedient Ninja Honkai Zombie's brief stun, Ming Yu swung his tachi to knock back the Loyal Ninja Honkai Zombie and then turned and bolted into a narrow alley.
Fortunately, Honkai Zombies didn't have the massive size of Honkai Beasts, and their destructive power wasn't enough to demolish buildings. If it were a huge Honkai Beast, especially a ten-meter-tall Templar-class one, it could take down a building in a few hits. In that case, a narrow terrain would only be a disadvantage.
Right on his heels was the black-armored Obedient Ninja Honkai Zombie, sticking just a few meters behind him, keeping Ming Yu's heart hanging by a thread.
After running into the alley, Ming Yu turned and slashed at the Obedient Ninja Honkai Zombie behind him. The zombie blocked with its left blade, while its right blade swung down at Ming Yu from above.
Seeing the Loyal Ninja Honkai Zombie catching up in the distance, Ming Yu steeled himself. He took a step forward, grabbed the zombie's right arm with his left hand, and at the same time, dropped his shoulder to take the blow with his left shoulder.
Gritting his teeth against the searing pain of his shoulder being torn apart, Ming Yu's right hand swung the tachi down with lightning speed, severing the Obedient Ninja Honkai Zombie's right arm.
With the successful strike, Ming Yu pressed his advantage instead of retreating. He slammed his body into the Obedient Ninja Honkai Zombie, and as it lost its balance, he plunged his blade into its chest.
"Huff, huff, finally dealt with one. Took out the trickier one first, the other one should be much easier," Ming Yu panted to himself.
At this moment, Ming Yu was in a wretched state. The wound on his left shoulder was so deep the bone was visible, blood was pouring out, dyeing his entire left arm red. The unstoppable bleeding even dripped onto the ground with a soft *pat-pat* sound.
Looking at his miserable left arm, Ming Yu gave a self-deprecating laugh. His entire left arm had practically gone numb, and waves of dizziness washed over him. He shook his head to clear the fog and, seeing the approaching Loyal Ninja Honkai Zombie, knew he had to end this quickly. His wound wouldn't hold out much longer.
The Loyal Ninja Honkai Zombie charged, a streak of white. It raised its twin blades high above its head, crossing them. The swinging blades formed two black shadows, descending with fierce intent towards Ming Yu's body.
With his left arm useless, Ming Yu could no longer block. His one-handed strength was no match for the zombie's charge-enhanced attack. Ming Yu clenched his jaw, making a split-second decision in this life-or-death moment.
He spun around, presenting his back to the Loyal Ninja Honkai Zombie's twin blades. The sharp edges tore through his backpack, leaving two deep, bloody gashes on his back, sending him stumbling forward.
It all happened in an instant. The staggering Ming Yu had no time to regain his balance. The post-charge stun was his only chance to kill the Loyal Ninja Honkai Zombie. He spun back around, his right hand holding the tachi close to his waist, and thrust with all his might towards the Loyal Ninja Honkai Zombie's wide-open chest.
With a sickening *squelch*, the bright blade of the Seishuu Muramasa sank completely into the Loyal Ninja Honkai Zombie's body.
Finally, it's over. Seeing the Loyal Ninja Honkai Zombie fall, the tightly wound string in Ming Yu's mind snapped. He could no longer fight the dizziness welling up from deep within. His body, unable to support itself, collapsed to the ground. His vision went black, and he lost consciousness.