(The Knight Maiden's mind was sharp. From Kuchiba Hiro's relentless, hateful gaze and his direct actions, she had already deduced the truth. Her emerald eyes narrowed slightly, and her voice remained steady, though it carried a hint of persuasion:
"I am employed by the master of this house to protect his family. Inside are all defenseless women; during our time together, I have found them to be no villains. Your hatred is surely directed at the master of this house." She let out a faint, almost imperceptible sigh. "I am not an unreasonable person, and I can understand the desire for revenge. However, involving innocent relatives is not the right path, and it violates the knight's code. Why not withdraw now?"
The Knight Maiden's words echoed in the night wind, carrying the principles she upheld and a trace of helplessness. However, to Kuchiba Hiro, these were nothing more than hypocritical excuses.
"Involving the innocent? The way of the knight?" Beneath his visor, the corners of Kuchiba Hiro's mouth curled into a cold arc. Such high-sounding words seemed so pale and ridiculous in the face of bloody revenge. He didn't bother to argue; action was his only language.
With another thought, black matter surged from the armor on his left hand as well, quickly solidifying into a second, identical Tang Hengdao. Dual-Wielding Style! Simultaneously, the armor on his back and chest writhed, and several long spears—flexible as spider limbs and tipped with sharp points—suddenly shot out, twisting and dancing in the air, emitting a grim, cold light.
In the next moment, he moved!
This offensive was completely different from his previous wild ferocity. The twin blades swung in lethal arcs like a torrential downpour, exerting immense pressure from the front.
Even more deadly were those elusive Spider Spears! Sometimes they lunged from bizarre angles like venomous snakes, sometimes they swept across like iron whips, and sometimes they attempted to entwine and lock down the maiden's sword path.
The onslaught was swift, dense, and filled with unpredictable treachery!
The Knight Maiden's expression grew solemn. Though her knightly longsword was drawn later, it reached its target first, consistently and precisely parrying the slashes of the twin blades. However, faced with the flexible spears attacking from multiple directions simultaneously, she appeared to be struggling to cope.
To protect the gate behind her, she could not retreat. She could only endure this storm-like attack, her sword light dancing so densely that not even a drop of water could pass through, yet the situation remained fraught with danger.
"Screech!" A spear grazed her shoulder armor, trailing a shower of sparks.
Seeing several spears about to break through her sword net and strike vital points she couldn't cover from different angles, a look of determination flashed in the maiden's emerald eyes.
She couldn't hold back anymore!
With a single thought, an invisible current of air began to gather around her.
"Strike Air!"
Amidst her cold, low shout, the blade of the knightly longsword in her hand was suddenly enveloped by visible, highly compressed, and violent air currents, resembling a miniature tornado!
"Boom—!"
She didn't thrust the sword forward; instead, she slammed the blade forward! The entwined hurricane, like an invisible giant hammer, erupted violently with her at the center!
A powerful shockwave instantly spread, and the air hummed under the strain! Kuchiba Hiro felt an overwhelming force crash into him. The attack trajectories of his twin blades and Spider Spears were forcibly disrupted and deflected, and he was sent flying back like he'd been hit by a battering ram, slamming heavily onto the courtyard ground.
The relatively fragile Spider Spears on his body shattered inch by inch under this violent wind pressure, turning back into black liquid matter and retreating into his armor.
"Cough..." Kuchiba Hiro pushed himself up. His internal organs throbbed with pain, but his Hardening body and armor had absorbed most of the damage. Instead of defeat, a sharp glint flashed in his eyes.
He had forced out her ability! This meant his attacks truly posed a threat!
The Knight Maiden stood with her sword, the air currents around her not yet fully settled. She looked at the rising Kuchiba Hiro, her gaze becoming incredibly sharp and solemn.
"Since you have the resolve to persist, I shall no longer hold back. This is my glory, and it shall be your end!"
Before her voice had even faded, another change occurred!
The blade of that ornate knightly longsword began to grow blurry and transparent, eventually vanishing completely! It was as if she were holding nothing, assuming a combat starting stance with empty hands.
"Invisibility?" Alarm bells rang in Kuchiba Hiro's mind. Before he could ponder the mechanics of this ability, the maiden had already initiated a charge!
Her speed was faster, and her momentum even greater!
"Clang!"
Relying on battle instinct, Kuchiba Hiro noted the position of the maiden's empty-handed grip and the angle of her swing. He subconsciously raised his blade to parry the predicted path of the sword edge —however, what he felt was the sluggish sensation of a missed block! No collision, no sound!
"Not good!" He instantly realized he had been tricked!
In that fatal moment when his old momentum was spent and new strength had yet to gather, the maiden's posture, which had seemed like a forward thrust, suddenly shifted. Her body nimbly ducked and whirled inward, changing to a reverse-grip horizontal slash! Utilizing the fact that her weapon was completely invisible, she had easily executed a lethal feint trap!
The invisible blade silently swept toward Kuchiba Hiro's abdomen!
At the critical moment, the two remaining Spider Spears on Kuchiba Hiro's back, which had just reformed, seemed to possess a will of their own. They violently pulled his body backward, forcing him to retreat by a single step!
"Screech—!"
The invisible sword tip grazed his abdominal armor by a hair's breadth, leaving a clear scratch and a burst of sparks!
Kuchiba Hiro broke into a cold sweat and quickly leaped back to create distance. His mind suddenly cleared, yet his heart grew heavier.
"I see... An invisible sword doesn't just hide the attack trajectory; it can also be used with feints to set lethal traps!"
This woman... was not some pedantic knight who didn't know how to adapt. While upholding her principles, she was equally proficient in the deceptive arts of combat!
The battle entered an even more perilous stage, one that tested insight and adaptability to the limit. Kuchiba Hiro had to use every means at his disposal to "hear" the wind and "see" the momentum, capturing every lethal swing of that invisible sword. Any single mistake could lead to his utter destruction.)
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