"Hah, hah!~" Li Xuan gasped violently, his body feeling weak. If Liv hadn't been supporting him, he might have collapsed onto the ground.
"Is it finally suppressed?…" Li Xuan bent over slightly, his back drenched in sweat. If he weren't wearing the 'Xuanyuan Festive Garb,' his clothes would likely be soaked through.
The pain just now had nearly cost him his life... After all, if one's nerves can't withstand a certain sensation, it's possible to...
"No, Master..." Liv, supporting Li Xuan, whispered in his ear, "It has only receded temporarily...." She also seemed somewhat shocked. "I never thought a human body could contain such powerful Honkai energy..."
Liv had only ever seen such potent Honkai energy in Honkai Beasts.
"..." Hokushin Mei, opening her eyes again, wasn't as happy as Li Xuan had imagined.
"Master...." Li Xuan looked at Hokushin Mei's expressionless face, his mouth agape.
"It's useless..." Hokushin Mei interrupted Li Xuan.
"This is the karma I have sown; I must be the one to repay it." She looked down at the cold, gleaming katana in her hand. The tip of the black sheath was stained with a dark red that she couldn't wipe away no matter how hard she tried.
It was because of her own youthful recklessness, relying on her swordsmanship to kill so many people... even provoking that kind of monster.
"To think that I, who sought defeat my entire life, would ultimately be defeated by my own hand. The Hokushin Itto-ryu I took such pride in is nothing but a laughable thing in the end." Hokushin Mei laughed, a hint of sorrow in her voice.
"No, that's not it..." Li Xuan stood up straight and said in denial. How could a supreme art like Hokushin Itto-ryu be a laughable thing?!
"The Hokushin Itto-ryu I know isn't just for fighting!" Li Xuan said with conviction, the image of a black-haired, black-eyed girl smiling while holding a longsword appearing before his eyes.
'It can also be used for cooking!' Li Xuan barely stopped himself from saying it out loud as he looked at her serious gaze. After all, Mei did usually practice her swordsmanship with ingredients during her free time from cooking...
Of course, Li Xuan felt that the 'Hokushin Itto-ryu' that Raiden Mei learned was more for protecting the people around her... the reckless Kiana, the stoic Bronya Zaychik, and even himself. When they fought Honkai Zombies, it was often Mei who guarded their backs.
"Master's swordsmanship isn't invincible. Even I can defeat you..." Li Xuan picked up the ancestral katana of the Raiden family that was placed to the side, a blade identical to the one Hokushin Mei was currently using.
"You brat... Are you tired of living? I am not so weak as to be defeated by a disciple I just picked up off the street." Hokushin Mei shook her head and said with a touch of disdain.
"Whoosh!~" A sound like a raging fire suddenly reached Hokushin Mei's ears.
"Hmm?…" She raised her head and looked in the direction of the sound. Her wine-red eyes reflected the flames before her. An intensely crimson flame was burning on Li Xuan's katana.
Li Xuan seemed oblivious to the terrifyingly hot flames on his blade. He slowly raised the sword in his hand, striking a pose based on his memory of the young girl's stance.
"...This stance, is it Hokushin Itto-ryu?…" Hokushin Mei said, a little surprised as she looked at Li Xuan's posture. "Hmph, hahahaha, how interesting! It seems you two were indeed arranged by the young ladies to be by my side. Let me see what the meaning of your Hokushin Itto-ryu is!"
Hokushin Mei drew her longsword. The katana, flashing with a cold, icy light, was slightly dazzling.
"I ask for your guidance. Self-taught Hokushin Itto-ryu, Hokushin Mei. Let's have a fair and square duel!" Hokushin Mei said seriously. She gave the katana in her hand a light flick, and the powerful cutting sound made the green grass on the ground bend to either side.
"Li Xuan... currently an in-name disciple of Hokushin Itto-ryu," Li Xuan said, the once-dim 'Jao Shingan' in his right eye lighting up again.
Although forcibly absorbing the Honkai energy had caused his body to suffer a strange and intense pain, Li Xuan's Honkai energy reserves had been fully restored as a result, and had even increased by a fair amount.
At this moment, his full Honkai energy reserves allowed him to use both 'Vermilion Bird Flame' and 'Jao Shingan'.
"Hmph! Haaah!" Hokushin Mei used both hands to execute the 'Five-Slash Technique' from 'Hokushin Itto-ryu' and charged towards Li Xuan.
............…..
"Yae Sakura, will Master lose?…" Liv clenched her small fists as she watched the two about to clash, even forgetting her previous discord with Yae Sakura.
"No... Li Xuan-kun won't lose," Yae Sakura said affirmatively, though a trace of worry was in her eyes. "...He still has his shield, after all."
"...Oh, right." Liv immediately remembered her master's practically cheating ability...
"..." Then, Liv quietly shifted to the side, drawing a clear line between herself and Yae Sakura.
"..." Yae Sakura silently watched the two, completely oblivious to Liv's small movements.
Do your best, Li Xuan-kun.
(End of Chapter)