The blade ultimately failed to sever the thick neck bone, but with Kochou Shinobu's fingertip manipulation, a large amount of poison was injected into Mei Jing's body.
"Hmph…"
Mei Jing's elegant demeanor vanished. From the wound on her neck, the dark blue poison spread quickly.
Veins bulged across her face, and her originally gentle eyes were now bloodshot: "Damn swordsman!"
She shook the bell in her hand, and the spreading sound waves struck Kochou Shinobu's chest like a heavy hammer.
"Pfft!" The slender girl flew backward, crashed into a tree trunk, and coughed up a mouthful of blood.
"Your heart is treacherous and filthy; these clear eyes should not remain on your face!"
Mei Jing roared and followed up, her sharp demon claws about to pierce her eyes.
"Bang!" A huge gun roar sounded in her ear.
At some point, Shinazugawa Genya had already closed in on the two combatants. At the critical moment, he pressed the muzzle and blasted Mei Jing's demon claw with a shot.
The demon suddenly turned its head. The rooster-haired youth deftly jabbed the still-hot barrel into Mei Jing's eye socket, and with another fierce gunshot!
"Bang!"
Pfft!
Under the assault of gunpowder, the demon's beautiful head was blown apart by a shot, and the elegant woman instantly became a disgusting, foul-smelling headless corpse.
However, Shinazugawa Genya's bullets were not mixed with scarlet crimson iron, and the damage caused could not incinerate the demon's body.
Shinazugawa Genya quickly retreated, but he still couldn't avoid the demon's claws. The tips of the claws tore his robe, leaving three deep bloody gashes on his chest.
"It hurts like hell!" Shinazugawa Genya cursed, violently shaking the gun barrel in his hand.
Why can't I learn the Breathing Technique?
Otherwise, with just one strike, I could send this guy to hell!
Mei Jing, with mouths squirming out of her wound, lowered her voice and said, "How can someone who can't learn a Breathing Technique be considered a swordsman..."
"Shut up!" Shinazugawa Genya's eyes widened, bloodshot, sweat beading on his stubbled scalp. He raised his hand and fired several shots in a row until the magazine was empty.
"None of your damn business! Even if I can't use a Breathing Technique, I can still blast your dog head off!"
Lower Three looked down at the several new bullet holes in her body with her newly grown head, utterly furious.
"I've never seen such a crude and vulgar patient like you! You're impossible to communicate with!"
Shinazugawa Genya slid behind a bush, deftly reloading his spare ammunition.
"Heh, communicate? I never communicate with beasts, especially not with scum like you!"
Kochou Shinobu lowered her gaze, her vision still trembling, likely due to Mei Jing's Blood Demon Art just now.
Wow... Shinazugawa Genya is really good at cursing. I never noticed it before.
Mei Jing's chest heaved. Gentleness, elegance—all of it could go to hell!
The poison Kochou Shinobu injected into her was taking effect; parts of her body had already slowed their self-healing due to the poison's invasion.
But so what? Just a few swordsmen; she could tear them to shreds in the blink of an eye!
Now, immediately, right now! She would tear open this rooster-haired youth's throat!
Countless blood threads entwined around Mei Jing's kimono, dyeing the white fallen-leaf kimono as blood-red as autumn maples.
She bared her blood-red lips, sharp fangs protruding from the corners.
She no longer needed to shake the bell in her hand; instead, with every step, dizzying bell sounds rang out.
At this moment, Mei Jing truly transformed into an infernal demon that had devoured countless human flesh and blood.
Her thick-soled geta did not affect her speed at all. With a light tap of her foot, she swooped down towards Shinazugawa Genya like a graceful wild goose.
"Shinazugawa Genya, dodge quickly!" Kochou Shinobu gritted her teeth and shouted, reaching for her waist and gripping the cold Browning.
"Bang!"
A bullet, distinct from a flintlock, pierced Mei Jing's body, and when it burst, it injected more Wisteria poison into her.
"Blood Demon Art: Psychic Reverberation!"
Mei Jing let out a shriek. Compared to her white kimono state, her Blood Demon Art now possessed even greater power.
"Cluck, cluck, cluck..."
Shinazugawa Genya heard the sound of his teeth chattering from fear.
Damn it! Damn it! Stop! Shinazugawa Genya!
Stop that damned fear! How can you be afraid of demons? You should hate them, tear them apart like food!
Not good, the thick clouds... seem to be starting to disperse.
Mei Jing's eyes darkened, knowing she couldn't get entangled with them any longer.
If the sun came out, she would be finished!
Kochou Shinobu held the Browning with trembling hands, the gunshots echoing loudly, startling the birds perched in the forest.
Having emptied the magazine in one breath, she used her violently trembling hand to search for her spare ammunition.
"So annoying... these inferior bugs."
Mei Jing murmured softly, seemingly unable to endure Kochou Shinobu's continuous barrage of fire any longer.
She turned around, and the bell sounds seemed to connect into a single line at that instant, one end tied to Mei Jing's outstretched hand, the other to Kochou Shinobu's wrist.
"Because you're too noisy, so... die."
Kochou Shinobu's beautiful purple eyes instantly lost their luster.
"Shinobu-neechan (Older sister Shinobu)!"
Under the furious gazes of her Tsuguko, she turned the gun on her own temple.
"Get lost."
She turned her head and said softly to Shinazugawa Genya, who was blocking her path.
Thus, Shinazugawa Genya's body flew backward uncontrollably.
"How lucky you are to have met me in the daytime. If it were at night..."
She sneered, her elongated, blood-colored kimono trailing lightly as she leaped through the forest: "Then I would have to..."
Kochou Shinobu pulled the trigger.
Mei Jing's eyes curved slightly, anticipating that beautiful head shattering under the attack of the black weapon in her hand.
However, the Browning only made a crisp "click."
Hmm? A hint of doubt appeared in Mei Jing's eyes.
The Tsuguko swarmed forward, restraining Kochou Shinobu, who was reaching for her nichirin blade.
"An idiot is an idiot." Shinazugawa Genya did a somersault and landed steadily on the ground, grinning with an extremely mocking smile: "When the bullets run out, you have to reload. Don't you even know that?"
He scoffed, shaking his head: "You've lived for so many years, but it seems you haven't read much, have you?"
This! Damned! Rooster-haired brat!
Mei Jing's face was purple, half from poison, half from anger.
Then where's your gun? Your gun must have bullets, right! I just saw you load the bullets!
Lower Three angrily raised her hand, hooking her pinky finger as if pulling a thread of fate: "Noisy brat, you too—die!"
Mei Jing always wondered in hell if her fate would have been different if she hadn't said that sentence, hadn't used her Blood Demon Art to issue the command for Shinazugawa Genya to commit suicide, hadn't lingered when the sun was coming out, and hadn't forcefully tried to kill a few more people after being severely poisoned...?
If she had left earlier, would she, severely poisoned, still have had a chance to be saved?
In any case, at this moment, she ordered the rooster-haired youth in front of her to commit suicide.
The loaded double-barreled flintlock slowly moved towards his temple, trembling.
Only... where did this unripe plum come from?!
A plum flying from behind quickly struck Shinazugawa Genya's wrist joint, knocking the flintlock from his hand before he could pull the trigger!
Mei Jing immediately turned around, a pair of extremely gloomy, misty blue eyes rapidly closing in on her own.
"Gan Lin Liang!"
A "Tear of Light" quickly closed the distance between Haruto and Lower Three. He bent his legs, stomping heavily on the demon's body, kicking the slender Lower Three right in front of Kochou Shinobu!
Haruto twisted his hand, restraining Shinazugawa Genya, who was trying to pick up the gun to commit suicide, and held him under his arm.
"Dare to lay a hand on my disciple and Shinobu... How many heads do you have to spare?"
He shouted at Kochou Shinobu: "Shinobu! Draw your nichirin blade at her!"
"You are... Haruto? You are Haruto? The Star Pillar?" Mei Jing's entire body was festering due to the poison, yet she still strained to keep her eyes open: "Your..."
Before she could utter her surname, Kochou Shinobu, whose limbs were trembling, seemed to snap back to her senses.
She raised her nichirin blade, gripping the hilt with both hands, and plunged it straight into Mei Jing's throat!
Shut up... Shut up!