High attack, high speed, low defense.
Regardless of level or attributes, Himeko, at Lv.60, surpassed Lu Xing by a significant margin in every aspect. As for the flashy skills she possessed... no, judging by their names alone, which sounded far more impressive than his own, they were definitely not just for show.
The only exploitable weakness was Himeko's constitution, which, compared to her other two stats, could definitely be considered "frail."
Furthermore, her previous battle with Cheche had left her heavily injured. With Lu Xing's attack attribute as high as 95, if he could land a hit, he was confident he could take Himeko out in one blow.
Since that was the case—
Boom!!
Two figures, one red and one blue, shot up from the ground, rushing towards each other simultaneously!
Himeko held the higher position!
A mere dozen meters was less than half a blink for the two of them. A two-handed greatsword was inherently suited for cleaving attacks. Himeko stomped her feet hard on the ground, utilizing her superior speed and strength to instantly close the distance between them!
Her right arm was raised high above her shoulder, her left arm poised before her jaw. Her hands converged six centimeters from her ears, gripping the greatsword tightly. With an extreme stretch of muscle and sinew exceeding a 60-degree angle, she channeled all her body's strength into this cataclysmic strike!
She opened with a killing move.
Her airborne body, an all-out offensive—in this posture, Himeko maximized her attack, completely abandoning all defense!
She intended to stake everything on this single slash!
Fiery serpents danced upon the greatsword, the wheel of flames descending like a heavy hammer! Combined with the acceleration from [Crimson Lotus Flash] and the power boost from [Phlogiston Burst], Himeko directly unleashed the strike that had cleaved through a Chariot-class Honkai Beast's body—
"Meteor Firefall!!"
Chiii!!!
Clang!!!
Frost and flame.
Two diametrically opposed energies, even before the weapons clashed, had already exploded into a dense cloud of steam in mid-air.
Facing Himeko's self-sacrificing strike, Lu Xing chose not to dodge, but met it head-on with Radiant Star!
He couldn't ascertain the attack range of Himeko's slash; judging by its sheer momentum, even the aftershock of this move was likely enough to severely injure him.
Therefore...
Lu Xing didn't immediately resort to his trump card, [Space-Time Rend]. Once used, if the opponent became aware of it, it would be difficult for the skill to achieve its intended effect again.
Let's test it!
Facing Himeko, who occupied the higher ground, Lu Xing lowered his body further, his forward-leaning upper body now less than 50 centimeters from the ground!
Engaging an enemy in such a posture, the Knight Lance was fundamentally unable to execute an upward [Thrust].
However, Radiant Star was not merely a cavalry lance; its power when wielded as a greatsword for slashing was not to be underestimated!
[Power Strike]! [Spinning Slash]! [Ice Dash]!!!
Thump!!
His left foot shot out horizontally, taking a fierce stride forward! The force of his charge exploded beneath his feet. The ground, plowed open countless times, erupted with a circular sandstorm as a new crater blasted open.
Lu Xing forcefully brought his body to a halt directly beneath Himeko!
His arms swung fiercely, lifting the lance in an upward slash! This was—
"Rising Dragon Slash!!"
Swish!!!
Clang!!!
————
Debris, dirt, dust, and rust.
Everything beneath Lu Xing's feet was completely blown away by the circular shockwave!
Crack!
Himeko held an absolute advantage.
Even disregarding Surtr's sharpness and flames, the sheer weight was unbearably exaggerated—his braced lower limb joints shattered almost instantly upon the clash of weapons.
The ground beneath him disintegrated and flew outwards in a massive spiderweb pattern!
Boom!!
Radiant Star slammed heavily towards the ground.
"So heavy!"
This was Lu Xing's strongest sensation!
He hadn't lost his grip on the weapon he held so tightly, but his body was uncontrollably slammed into the ground by the immense force!
Half a second later, Lu Xing would be eating dirt.
But appearances were unimportant at a time like this.
As he crashed towards the ground, Himeko's body was already rotating in mid-air for a second time—the scorching flames churned into a crimson tornado. In 0.73 seconds, Surtr would transform into a beheading guillotine, directly severing Lu Xing's nape!
There was absolutely no time to defend.
But there was no need to defend!
Himeko had joined the battlefield too hastily; she didn't yet know where Lu Xing's weak point was!
Chii!!
A decapitating blow!
But Lu Xing wasn't some ghost! How could a head be such an inconvenient thing!
The advantage of height was enormous, but attacking from mid-air was not without its flaws. Difficulty in evading was one aspect; what affected the attack more was the lack of leverage! Twisting and slashing by using the power of one's waist and abdomen was the most common way to generate force in mid-air. Building on this, Himeko had gone a step further, using the clash of weapons to impart another burst of force to herself.
Even so, the power of the second slash unleashed by Surtr was far from comparable to the first!
As long as his body could move, it was fine!
As for the rest... Lu Xing let her hack at his head!
His head bounced away from the scene like a basketball. A wave of flame of exaggerated scale surged forth the instant the greatsword cut through the ground!
Screech!!
The searing heat scorched his torso. Pain instantly shot through various parts of his body—this could be considered a good thing for Lu Xing. After all, still being able to feel pain meant his limbs weren't yet damaged to the point of being unresponsive!
Himeko's second strike... its aftershock alone couldn't finish Lu Xing off!
"Opportunity!"
Now was the time!
The opening Lu Xing had painstakingly created!
Himeko's greatsword had already swung down; the blade was more than 40 centimeters away from her body, leaving no time to defend!
Hum!!
The halo shone in mid-air (still at its original height).
On the surface of the armor covering his body, the pathways of flowing Honkai energy became increasingly distinct; the bright, shining demonic veins were a sign of Honkai energy overdrive.
Chii!
White steam spewed from his severed neck.
On the surface of the Knight Lance planted in the ground, galactic starlight coalesced, rendering the pitch-black lance into an ocean of silver! Its pure, bright radiance was like snow, like the moon!
Crack.
In that instant, under the fierce scouring of Honkai energy, barely perceptible cracks even appeared inside Radiant Star!
But it didn't matter!
Its purpose was entirely within this single strike!
The swung Knight Lance shot up from the ground, the light of the slash like a crescent moon on a summer night—
"Moon Fang Heaven-Piercer!!"
Screeech!!!
————
The convenient appendage was reconstructing itself.
That last exchange had consumed over 50% of Lu Xing's energy reserves—both his body and weapon had sustained significant damage due to the "overdrive."
Lu Xing, who possessed what could be called absolute control over energy, was even experiencing Honkai energy overflow like a Ranger-class Honkai Beast because he couldn't repair his body fast enough.
Even so...
Lu Xing hadn't managed to finish Himeko.
Her chest and abdomen were a bloody mess; in the deepest part, one could even see the shredded, stringy spinal bone... but this was his limit.
A blow that should have been fatal. Himeko had barely survived it thanks to the research institute's enhancement drugs and her completely shattered [Flowing Flame Armor].
And now—
"I..."
A heavy voice, accompanied by a thin stream of crimson flowing from the corner of her mouth to the ground, sounded hoarsely.
"Underestimated you."
The greatsword, thrust diagonally into the ground, was raised once more.
"But..."
Flames surged again, the tip of her sword pointing directly at Lu Xing.
"Not this time."