As soon as he rushed out of the sea of lightning, what greeted Ming Yu were three phantom Xuanyuan Swords flying in a triangular formation. Orange-red flames clung tightly to the blades, and even from a distance, the scorching heat could be felt.
His gaze slightly focused, Ming Yu's left-hand Spirit Blade slashed out consecutively, instantly creating three crimson sword auras that met the three Xuanyuan Swords head-on.
Bang, bang, bang!
With three loud bangs, the crimson sword auras collided with the phantom ancient swords. The sword auras shattered instantly, and the ancient swords could no longer maintain their form. Violent Honkai Energy, accompanied by astonishing heat, raged outward.
Faced with this energy storm comparable to a typhoon, Ming Yu did not retreat but advanced. His right hand, holding Jizo Mitama, slashed heavily in front of him, cutting a long and narrow path. At the same time, his toes tapped lightly, and his body swiftly swept toward Himeko on the circular platform.
On the other side, Fu Hua, who had charged through the sea of lightning earlier, was now being held back by three humanoid Sword Souls.
The flames of the red Sword Soul, the lightning of the purple Sword Soul, and the frost of the blue Sword Soul—three elemental powers erupted simultaneously, causing Fu Hua quite a bit of trouble.
Just as her gauntleted right hand struck the chest of the Flame Soul, knocking it back several meters, Fu Hua's figure immediately retreated, not daring to press her advantage at all.
The next moment, the spot where Fu Hua had been was covered in frost, and bolts of lightning continuously struck along her path of retreat, blasting several craters in the ground.
Although there were three Sword Souls, they moved as if they were one person, their attacks, defenses, and movements perfectly coordinated, giving their enemy not a moment's rest.
Looking at the three Xuanyuan Sword Souls before her, Fu Hua's breathing couldn't help but become heavier. Facing three Sword Souls, each comparable to an average A-rank Valkyrie, was a bit much even for her.
Even if she could hold her own with her rich combat experience, her body limited the full extent of her power. If this dragged on, it was only a matter of time before she would be at a disadvantage.
But when Fu Hua's peripheral vision caught sight of Ming Yu approaching Himeko, she understood how to break the stalemate.
Taking a deep breath, Fu Hua's retreating figure suddenly stopped. After a brief pause, she quickly took a step forward, her fists striking out.
The fists, wrapped in gauntlets, rapidly frictioned against the air, creating a continuous series of sonic booms. Myriad fist shadows instantly enveloped the three Sword Souls.
As the A-rank Valkyrie Fu Hua, all she could do now was to trust Ming Yu, to trust that he had the ability to defeat "Himeko".
Ming Yu, who had broken through the energy storm, also saw that Fu Hua was in a tough spot, but he continued to rush towards Himeko without any hesitation. Since Fu Hua had chosen to hold back the three troublesome Sword Souls, he naturally had to take on the task of defeating the Xuanyuan Sword.
With the high speed of the Soul-Etching Armor, Ming Yu reached Himeko in the blink of an eye. Holding Sakura Fubuki in a reverse grip, he unhesitatingly slashed at Himeko's body.
Seeing the cold glint of the Spirit Blade's edge, the Xuanyuan Sword in Himeko's hand met it without showing any weakness.
Clang!
With a piercing sound of metal on metal, the thin blade of Sakura Fubuki clashed violently with the edge of the ancient Xuanyuan Sword, scraping out a series of sparks.
Hearing the wail of Sakura Fubuki in his ears and feeling the soreness in his arm, Ming Yu couldn't help but sigh inwardly.
In the end, Sakura Fubuki was no match for a Divine Key. In front of the Xuanyuan Sword, the usually invincible Spirit Blade inevitably paled in comparison, losing some of its sharpness.
But Ming Yu had more than just Sakura Fubuki in his hands.
His left hand slightly retracted, but his right foot stepped forward half a step, and his right hand, holding Jizo Mitama, immediately followed up with an upward slash.
Noticing Ming Yu's movement, Himeko continued to press down with both hands on the Xuanyuan Sword, but a phantom ancient sword suddenly condensed behind her. As soon as it appeared, it thrust rapidly towards Ming Yu's body.
Seeing that phantom ancient sword, a blade's light flashed in Ming Yu's eyes. The upward-slashing black longsword instantly changed direction, carrying a faint black sword qi as it unstoppablely shattered the phantom.
Jizo Mitama's surprise attack had failed to connect, but Ming Yu felt a surge of joy instead.
If Ming Yu were facing a conscious Himeko, what he would have to endure next would be the relentless attacks of an A-rank Valkyrie, not that seemingly fierce phantom ancient sword.
But "Himeko's" response showed that the one currently leading the battle was not the A-rank Valkyrie Ming Yu feared, but that Xuanyuan Sword.
Although the Xuanyuan Sword was a Divine Key, it was ultimately just a sword.
A faint smile appeared on the corner of his mouth, hidden by the mask. Ming Yu flicked Jizo Mitama with his finger, and the longsword immediately left his hand, its inky-glowing blade slashing diagonally towards Himeko.
Faced with Ming Yu's unexpected attack, a hint of panic flashed in Himeko's crimson vertical pupils. A phantom ancient sword quickly formed behind her and rushed towards the descending Jizo Mitama.
The phantom ancient sword accurately struck the body of Jizo Mitama, and without meeting any resistance, it dispersed the black sword qi attached to the longsword. Even Jizo Mitama was sent flying far away by the phantom ancient sword.
Seeing Ming Yu's most powerful weapon removed, a hint of joy appeared on Himeko's face.
But the next moment, the sharp pain from her left shoulder made the joy on her face stiffen.
Looking down, Himeko realized that Ming Yu's empty right hand had, at some unknown point, clenched into a tight fist and launched an attack at her with the speed of lightning.
"If it were Himeko, she would understand that the most threatening thing isn't some Divine Key, but me, the person!"
Seeing the confusion in Himeko's eyes, Ming Yu kindly explained for once.
Taking advantage of the lightened force from the Xuanyuan Sword, Ming Yu turned his body slightly, avoiding the sword while his left hand also let go of Sakura Fubuki.
A longer reach provides greater power, a shorter reach provides greater risk. But in this kind of close combat, the fist was undoubtedly the simplest and most convenient weapon.
And as it happened, Ming Yu had practiced the Inch-Heart Fist Technique.
Having gained the advantage of the first move by trading a Key of Corruption, Ming Yu naturally wouldn't miss this opportunity. Stepping forward, Ming Yu's fists became the sharpest weapons, relentlessly raining down on Himeko.
At such a close distance, it was a huge disadvantage for the greatsword-wielding Himeko, but she couldn't let go of the Xuanyuan Sword and could only retreat continuously under Ming Yu's assault, without even time to condense a phantom ancient sword.
A glint flashed in his eyes. Ming Yu formed his right hand into a palm and struck sharply at the hilt of the Xuanyuan Sword. The golden ancient sword immediately flew out of her hand, tracing a diagonal parabola through the air.
Staring at the ancient-looking Xuanyuan Sword, Ming Yu did not stop there. A side kick mercilessly struck the thick body of the blade.
*Voom~*
The Xuanyuan Sword, capable of cutting through iron like mud, sank directly into the nearby rock wall, leaving only a section of its golden hilt exposed, a testament to the ancient sword's sharpness.