The triangle of shadow behind the masked killer tightened.
Thin lines stretched outward, almost invisible—like spider silk woven from darkness.
The air vibrated.Not loudly.Not violently.
But with precision.
Lian Hong's bloodline surged in warning.
[ALERT: Shadow Execution detected][Threat Type: Continuous Instant-kill Pattern][Recommendation: Evade all zones—NOT block]
Zhou Shan, still collapsed on the ground, regained consciousness only to scream again:
"BRO—BRO—WHAT IS THAT GEOMETRY OF DEATH BEHIND HIM—?! THAT IS NOT NORMAL TRIANGLE BEHAVIOR—!!!"
The masked killer extended one hand.
"Let us begin."
And then—
the world cut.
A streak of shadow appeared across the battlefield.
No movement preceded it.No sound followed it.
Just a line.
Lian Hong felt the decision a heartbeat before impact.
He leaped—
SSSHHK—!!
The shadow line carved a trench through the stone floor where he had stood.
Zhou Shan shrieked:
"That line just CUT THE GROUND LIKE TOFU—!!"
The masked killer's voice was indifferent.
"Pattern One.Phantom Line."
He tilted his head slightly.
"Again."
Three more lines appeared—this time converging.
Lian Hong rolled, stepped, pivoted—
one slice grazed his arm—blood sprayed.
Another sliced his sleeve.
The third missed by a breath.
The killer observed him like a scholar studying a rare insect.
"…You see them."
The triangle behind the killer contracted.
Six petals of shadow unfolded around him—a lotus that drank the light.
Zhou Shan screamed:
"BRO—IT'S A FLOWER OF DEATH—!!!"
The petals rotated.
Slowly.
Softly.
Gracefully.
But Lian Hong's instincts screamed.
One petal fired.
A crescent slash, silent and curving.
He ducked—
SHHH—!!
It carved a deep cut across the plateau wall.
A second petal fired from behind.
He twisted—
barely avoiding it.
A third came from above.
He sensed it in the shadow-ripple—and bent sideways.
The masked killer murmured:
"You comprehend shadow well."
His tone was still calm.
But there was something else beneath it.
A spark of interest.
"Most opponents die at the third petal."
He raised a finger.
"All six."
The lotus spun—
and six simultaneous shadow-slashes converged.
Lian Hong's pulse hammered.
He inhaled—
Bloodline ignited.
[Bloodline Resonance: 72% → 78%]
The world slowed.
He stepped between the petals—not dodging the attacks,but moving where the attacks would not choose to exist.
CRACK—!!
The six slashes collided behind him, shaking the plateau.
Zhou Shan fainted.
Again.
The masked killer spoke softly:
"…Even this did not kill you."
The killer lowered his hand.
And erased himself.
Not movement.Not teleportation.
He simply—
was not there.
The system stuttered:
[ERROR: Entity missing][ERROR: Spatial trace not found][Host at immediate risk]
Lian Hong froze.
Every instinct screamed.
Every sense sharpened.
Shadow Continuum activated—
but there was nothing to sense.
No intent.No direction.No void shift.No ripple.
Until—
A whisper behind him:
"…Dead."
Lian Hong spun—
but too late.
A shadow blade pierced toward his spine.
He twisted an inch—
the blade grazed deep across his ribs instead of severing his spine.
Blood sprayed.
His vision dimmed.
Zhou Shan, half-conscious, sobbed:
"BRO—YOU CAN'T TAKE MANY MORE OF THOSE—!!!"
The masked killer stepped back into sight.
"You survived."
His tone sharpened.
"Again."
He vanished.
Lian Hong steadied his breath—
but the killer reappeared at his left—
slash!
Then right—
slash!
Then above—
slash—!!
Blood flew with each near-miss.
Cuts opened along his arms, his shoulder, his side.
But none fatal.
The killer paused.
"…You adapt faster than most."
He tilted his head.
"Still, you cannot escape Pattern Three."
Lian Hong exhaled sharply.
He knew.
Pattern Three wasn't meant to kill with one strike.
It was meant to bleed him.Break him.Wear him down.Until his movements slowed—
and then the finishing strike would land.
He couldn't afford to let that happen.
He inhaled.
Lowered his center of gravity.
Softened his stance.
Stopped moving like a fighter—and began moving like a shadow.
When Pattern Three activated again—
the killer vanished,space distorted—
and Lian Hong felt something new.
Not shadow.
Not void.
Intention to erase.
The killer's mental decision to strike.
That tiny crack of inevitability—
Lian Hong sensed it.
Before the blade manifested.
Before the killer appeared.
He moved half a breath early.
The killer materialized—striking empty space.
He froze.
This—
had never happened.
Lian Hong whispered:
"I know where you'll be."
The killer's mask tilted in curiosity.
"…Show me."
The killer activated Pattern Three again.
The world dimmed.
The shadows folded.
The killer erased himself.
This time Lian Hong didn't wait.
He stepped left—
raising his arm—
turning slightly—
and his palm touched the killer's wrist as he materialized.
A perfect interception.
Something no opponent had ever done.
Zhou Shan screamed from the ground:
"BRO YOU STOPPED A GHOST—!! YOU STOPPED AN ACTUAL GHOST—!!!"
The masked killer paused completely.
His voice dropped to a whisper:
"You broke the pattern."
He pulled away—
for the first time taking a step back.
Lian Hong's breath grew heavy.
Blood dripped from his ribs.
But his stance remained solid.
He had survived thirty exchanges.
Thirty.
More than anyone ever had.
The masked killer lowered his hand.
"You are the first to reach this point."
A shadow ripple spread beneath his feet.
He raised both hands.
"Then I will use my true technique."
Zhou Shan regained consciousness only to faint again.