Standing warily behind the barrier constructed by Judah, sword in hand, Ming Yu sized up the horse-riding Dark Jixuanyuan with great interest.
After absorbing several tons of metal from the mechs, the warhorse had only formed a few hundred pounds of armor on its surface.
In terms of mass, volume, and even color, it didn't match the original configuration of the Titan mechs. It wasn't scientific at all. However, it was very Honkai, which made it perfectly reasonable.
Moreover, in his Sword Heart's perception, Ming Yu could clearly feel that after the warhorse devoured those mechs, Dark Jixuanyuan's originally somewhat weakened Honkai Energy suddenly surged. This was clearly the effect of the Honkai Energy contained within the Titans.
After all, even a Judgment-class Honkai Beast couldn't draw on infinite Honkai Energy from the Imaginary Space like a Herrscher. What's more, Chiyou itself was under two seals, making Honkai Energy recovery even more difficult.
However, this also made Ming Yu more curious about the warhorse. Should this Honkai Energy construct be classified as a Honkai Beast or a mere puppet?
According to the old legends of Shenzhou, should this be considered transforming true energy into a horse?
Looking at that incredibly miraculous warhorse, a faint light flickered in Ming Yu's eyes.
But when he saw Dark Jixuanyuan's cold and indifferent face, Ming Yu forced himself to rein in his wandering thoughts. Facing an opponent of this level, he couldn't afford to be careless in the slightest.
If Fu Hua slacked off, she would just get injured. But if he was careless, it was highly likely he would get a GG.
Tightly gripping Jizo Mitama and Sakura Fubuki, Ming Yu slowly shuffled towards the Principal while keeping his eyes firmly fixed on Dark Jixuanyuan on her steed.
After taking a few steps back and forth to adapt to the warhorse's new form, Dark Jixuanyuan also slowly leaned forward. The black Xuanyuan Sword in her hand slowly rotated, its gleaming blade firmly aimed in Ming Yu and Theresa's direction.
*Boom!*
The warhorse moved its hooves, transforming into a streak of black light and charging towards Ming Yu. The heavy armor seemed to have no effect on its speed whatsoever.
Fast! What a fast horse!
Ming Yu's eyes flew open, his mind left with only this single thought.
Only when facing Dark Jixuanyuan head-on did Ming Yu realize how astonishingly fast the Xuanyuan Warhorse was. In less than the blink of an eye, the horse-riding Dark Jixuanyuan broke through the defense constructed by Judah, and a pitch-black ancient sword suddenly appeared before him.
Sakura Fubuki, in a defensive stance, met the black Xuanyuan Sword without any show of weakness. The crimson blade and the dark green sword edge collided violently, producing a heart-stopping clang.
Glancing at the sparks flying at the point of impact, Ming Yu could almost hear the spirit blade's cry of anguish.
Although Sakura Fubuki was not inferior to the black Xuanyuan Sword in quality, and might even be slightly superior, Ming Yu, as the user, was far weaker than Dark Jixuanyuan. The immense force transmitted from the spirit blade made him feel as if his arm no longer belonged to him.
With a muffled grunt through gritted teeth, Ming Yu didn't try to resist the force head-on. His body was sent flying high by the strike. But as he was knocked back, the Jizo Mitama in Ming Yu's right hand suddenly thrust out. The sword was quickly engulfed in flames as dark as ink, which transformed into a winding python and lunged at Dark Jixuanyuan.
"Hm?"
Seeing the black python Ming Yu had thrust out, a hint of surprise flashed in Dark Jixuanyuan's eyes. But in her staggered state, she was unable to dodge and could only swing her black Xuanyuan Sword to meet it.
Faced with the black Xuanyuan Sword flashing with golden lightning, the black python charged forward fearlessly. At the same time, its body twisted rapidly, and at the cost of being ripped open, it bit down on Dark Jixuanyuan's slender, snow-white forearm.
The python condensed from black flames disintegrated in an instant, but the black patterns left on Dark Jixuanyuan's wound began to spread wildly, quickly advancing towards the rest of her body.
"A decent ability, but it's just for show."
After speaking coldly, Honkai Energy surged through Dark Jixuanyuan's body. The black patterns instantly dissipated into a mist, as if they had never existed. But as a price, the Honkai Energy fluctuations from the black-skirted girl also weakened by a fraction.
In terms of energy level, the corrosive black flames of the Key of Corruption were indeed one of the highest forms of energy in the Honkai world. But to think that such a weak corrosive flame could defeat a Judgment-class Honkai Beast was still too naive.
On the other side, the thrown Ming Yu had also activated the Soul-Etching Armor's power system, desperately trying to counteract the residual force from Dark Jixuanyuan's strike. The two forces collided, giving him the illusion of being in a paper shredder. The once-tamed Honkai Energy was also rampaging inside his body, and an indescribable pain was transmitted from all over his body to his brain.
"Wah~"
After tumbling on the ground for a few turns, Ming Yu barely managed to stop his momentum, avoiding the fate of being embedded in the rock wall. But he couldn't help but spit out a large mouthful of blood, which made him feel a bit better.
He tried to regulate his breathing. The out-of-control Honkai Energy in his body gradually calmed down, and the dizzy feeling of seeing stars also slowly faded. Only then did Ming Yu have the mind to turn his attention back to the battle.
As an S-rank Valkyrie, Judah naturally did not miss the opportunity Ming Yu had created. Chains firmly surrounded Dark Jixuanyuan, restricting her terrifying speed. At the same time, the Principal, serving as the launcher, also charged forward with Judah's main body, launching an offensive against Dark Jixuanyuan.
After being enhanced by Violet Executer, the Principal finally showed some of the prowess of a powerful warrior. Even when facing Dark Jixuanyuan in her warhorse state, she could fight back and forth, temporarily achieving a stalemate.
But even so, the chains constructed by Judah gradually began to break down, the speed of repair far slower than the speed of Dark Jixuanyuan's destruction. As Dark Jixuanyuan's speed increased, it was only a matter of time before she broke out of the encirclement.
And at that time, Dark Jixuanyuan, having regained her mobility, would once again seize the initiative in the battle!
Watching the galloping Dark Jixuanyuan, Ming Yu took a deep breath. A divine light flashed in his eyes, and his Sword Heart operated at full capacity. His essence, qi, and spirit gradually converged, and his body became like a sheathed sword, waiting to reveal its edge at the next moment.
Stomping his left foot heavily on the ground, Ming Yu's body shot forward, leaving only a straight red afterimage in the air.
Deftly slipping through a gap in the chains, Ming Yu landed on a chain and kicked off. His body spun like an unsheathed sword as he stabbed at Dark Jixuanyuan on her warhorse.
Seeing Ming Yu rejoining the battle, Dark Jixuanyuan's eyes flashed with deep contempt: "An overconfident ant!"
Hearing Dark Jixuanyuan's taunt, Ming Yu remained completely unmoved, and waves of black light rippled in his blood-red eyes.
At the same time, the same black light flashed in the eyes of the originally proud Xuanyuan Warhorse. Its four hooves suddenly went weak, and it knelt on the ground.
"What?!"
The strange movement of the warhorse beneath her caused an exclamation to escape Dark Jixuanyuan's lips. Her body, which was preparing to counterattack, was suddenly thrown off balance, and even the black Xuanyuan Sword in her hand trembled slightly.
Glancing at the heavy armor on the warhorse, Ming Yu couldn't help but grin. His Titan mechs weren't so easily eaten.
Although he hadn't controlled the Key of Corruption for long and couldn't deal with an existence of Dark Jixuanyuan's level, for something like the Xuanyuan Warhorse, it was already a piece of cake.
This was why he had gone to great lengths to bring the Titan mechs here. Did they really think he was just delivering a mana potion to Dark Jixuanyuan?
The Jizo Mitama in his right hand once again ignited with the black flames of corruption, which quickly enveloped Ming Yu's body. In the black flames, he seemed to have merged with Jizo Mitama.
The Taixu Sword Qi inherited from Fu Hua was completely integrated into this strike by Ming Yu. The twenty-one sword forms flashed through his mind one by one, and an incomparably sharp Blade Intent erupted from his body, so powerful that even the black flames on his skin couldn't stop trembling.
"Inch Strike: Sky Opening!"
Using the form of the sword to execute the power of the fist. Ming Yu concentrated all his essence, qi, and spirit into the tip of his sword, and it truly had a bit of the momentum to pierce through heaven and earth.
Feeling the power of Ming Yu's strike, Dark Jixuanyuan's expression couldn't help but change. She could feel that this was completely different from Ming Yu's previous attacks; it was a strike that could truly hurt her.
A hint of panic flashed in her gray eyes. Dark Jixuanyuan's right hand suddenly tensed, and just as she was about to meet the attack with her black Xuanyuan Sword, the well-prepared Theresa had already shaken her cross, and golden chains blocked Dark Jixuanyuan's movement.
Although this couldn't completely bind Dark Jixuanyuan, it was enough to buy Ming Yu sufficient time.
The black Xuanyuan Sword's attack slowed, but the Jizo Mitama on the other side did not slow down at all. It shattered the Honkai Energy shield that Dark Jixuanyuan had hastily deployed with unstoppable force and stabbed straight towards her heart.
In a flash, Dark Jixuanyuan could only turn sideways to avoid a fatal blow, but she was still stabbed in the left shoulder by Jizo Mitama. The immense force carried by the longsword sent her flying from her warhorse.
After stumbling back a few steps on the ground to steady herself, Dark Jixuanyuan felt a sharp pain from her shoulder, and rage welled up in her heart. But as her left arm and torso gradually lost sensation, the fear of death began to grow from the bottom of her heart.
Herrscher-level Honkai Energy surged recklessly, without regard for the cost. The immense Honkai Energy caused the spreading black patterns on her body to show signs of contracting. The rampaging Honkai Energy formed a storm with Dark Jixuanyuan's small body as the center, so powerful that it even blew away some of the black flames on Ming Yu's body.
The power of the Key of Corruption is being suppressed?
A hint of shock flashed in Ming Yu's eyes, but he didn't dare to relax in the slightest and continued to push Jizo Mitama. The ink-black blade trembled slightly, already approaching its limit.
In the end, Ming Yu's control over the Divine Key was still insufficient, and his own strength was lacking. He was simply unable to fully unleash the power of the Key of Corruption.
Her gray eyes turned a crazed blood-red, and a look of desperation appeared on Dark Jixuanyuan's face. A large amount of Honkai Energy flowed towards the black Xuanyuan Sword in her right hand, and the dark green ancient sword slashed with all its might at the man before her.
"Die!!!"
The eyebrow under Ming Yu's ghost-faced mask twitched. He stomped his right foot on the ground and met the attack with Sakura Fubuki held in a reverse grip in his left hand.
Faced with Dark Jixuanyuan's desperate counterattack, he didn't dare to be the least bit careless. But the attack from the Key of Corruption was at a critical moment, and he could only choose to face this strike head-on.
*Clang!*
The moment the spirit blade collided with the black Xuanyuan Sword, it was at a disadvantage. A crimson brilliance flowed rapidly along the blade, but it was still firmly suppressed by the black Xuanyuan Sword.
Tightly clenching his jaw, Ming Yu continued to push Jizo Mitama while desperately gripping the hilt of Sakura Fubuki. The Soul-Etching Armor was also operating at maximum power.
Hold on a little longer, just a little longer! Once the Principal and Judah readjust, it will all be over!
But as if hearing Ming Yu's inner thoughts, the force from the black Xuanyuan Sword suddenly increased, causing Ming Yu to let out a muffled grunt.
And on Sakura Fubuki's beautiful crimson blade, a series of fine cracks began to spread rapidly from the point of impact with the black Xuanyuan Sword.
With a soft cracking sound, the spirit blade suddenly disintegrated. The body of the blade shattered into countless crimson fragments, like blooming cherry blossoms, scattering in the turbulent air.