Just as Chi Chuchun planned to finish off the last person, using her unchecked rampage to maneuver around the pursuers again, her dagger sank into someone's neck.
But this time, no blood trace appeared. The soft, spongy sensation made her doubt if her attack had truly landed on a solid body.
"Got you," the man growled with a stiff smile.
Chi Chuchun froze, then was immediately grabbed by the wrist and hoisted into the air.
The light had been too dim before, but now that he was close, she could see the details under the man's trench coat. He was incredibly tall, his skin covered in needle-and-thread suture marks. His limbs were unnervingly uncoordinated, looking as if he had been pieced together from the body parts of countless people.
Refusing to accept this, Chi Chuchun flicked a spider-venom-coated blade from the tip of her boot. She curled her body and thrust her leg forward, piercing the blade into the man's chest where his heart should be.
Despite this, the man acted as if nothing had happened. He twisted his neck, his body letting out a series of crackling pops, and gave a cruel grin.
He reached out, grabbed Chi Chuchun's leg, and forcibly yanked the blade out of his own heart. Then, he slammed her violently into the ground.
Chi Chuchun rolled several times before crashing into a wall. A sweet metallic taste filled her throat, and blood seeped from the corner of her mouth.
Her entire body felt as if it were falling apart from the impact. A buzzing ringing in her ears left her dazed for a long time.
In her blurred vision, she saw members of the Age of the Dead surrounding her. A pair of black Gothic boots stepped toward her, and the head of a baseball bat pressed against her jaw, forcing her to meet those cross-shaped pupils.
"Not bad, Titans," Vlad II said, squatting in front of Chi Chuchun with a smile.
"Those useless trash really aren't as reliable as my dearest Titans. He caught this disobedient brat so quickly."
The hulking figure known as Titans responded with heavy breathing, standing faithfully by the girl's side.
"Got anything else to say?" Vlad II raised an eyebrow at Chi Chuchun.
"Cool," Chi Chuchun said, sucking in a breath of cold air.
"Huh?" Vlad II hadn't expected that answer.
Chi Chuchun shifted her tone. "Don't misunderstand. I'm not talking about you. I'm talking about the weapon in your hand. It's pretty cool. What's it called?"
"As for you... your fashion sense is actually quite terrible. This isn't Gothic at all. Are you a landmine type, or maybe an obsessive girl, or just a little delinquent?"
The surrounding Age of the Dead members couldn't help but stifle their laughter. They hadn't expected Chi Chuchun's tongue to be so sharp, every word dancing right on their guild leader's triggers.
"Still talking tough when death is at your door," Vlad II growled, veins bulging on her forehead. "Are you going to open your mouth yourself, or do I need to use Alice to pry it open?"
"Are you going to feed me candy? Sure, I love sweets. Ahhh—"
The buzzing in Chi Chuchun's ears finally faded. She opened her mouth with the brazen attitude of a dead pig unafraid of boiling water.
Vlad II didn't let herself be provoked by the girl's taunts again. Instead, she licked her teeth excitedly. "You've killed so many of my people. I plan to pry out your teeth one by one. I'll take as many teeth as people you killed and make them into a necklace. As for your body..."
She leaned into Chi Chuchun's ear. "Once you become my undead, I guarantee I'll know how to use it better than you do."
"Then you must treat me well. I'm really scared of pain."
Chi Chuchun's eyes curved into crescents, and she suddenly screamed like a tantrum-throwing child.
"Did you hear that? She's a necromancer, and that big guy is her undead puppet!"
"Damn it!"
Vlad II realized something and turned around, only to see several members of the Red Glow squad surging out of nowhere and attacking her people. Various traps and projectiles were triggered simultaneously. Smoke filled the air as steel balls, shrapnel, and poisoned arrows flew everywhere. Within seconds, a dozen people collapsed with screams.
"Fuck!" Vlad II couldn't help but curse. She grabbed Chi Chuchun forcefully, pinning her arm to the wall with several daggers. Then, she turned with her baseball bat, radiating murderous intent.
"Watch closely as I smash their heads in!"
"Ugh, that hurts like hell. I shouldn't have been so mouthy." Chi Chuchun grimaced in pain, her hand reaching for the daggers as she nearly fainted.
Just then, her gaze suddenly landed on a short blade, positioned just within her reach.
Su Sui took advantage of the chaos, searching through the swirling smoke for Chi Chuchun. She soon spotted the girl in the corner, tears nearly welling up from the pain.
Su Sui's gaze sharpened. She turned and slashed the throat of a man approaching her. The Snow-Yuzu odachi moved like a delicate dagger in her hand as she sprinted toward the girl, until a baseball bat blocked her path.
"She is my prey!" Vlad II licked her fangs.
"Coincidentally, so are you."
In the next moment, Vlad II's eyes glinted with ferocity as she charged with her bat. Su Sui didn't waste any breath, raising her blade to block. Her chestnut-colored hair fluttered in the air.
Despite Vlad II being a necromancer, Su Sui noticed her strength was extraordinarily high. She must have shared some attributes with that frenzied hulking figure nearby.
"I'm going to catch you first, then smash your head in right in front of her. What do you think of that idea? It will be quite a spectacle. I can't wait to see what kind of expression she makes!"
Vlad II pinned Su Sui against the wall with her baseball bat, pressing in close. She applied enough force to snap the girl's neck with the bat.
"I wouldn't advise doing that."
Su Sui's tone was calm and steady.
"Because your end will definitely be miserable."
Su Sui let out a soft sigh and shook her head. She suddenly slammed a knee into Vlad II's abdomen, followed by a whip-kick that sent the other girl crashing into the wall. The Night Crow short blade followed immediately. The tide had turned.
"Is that so? That sounds interesting too!" Vlad II broke free, deathly aura swirling around her baseball bat as she swung it repeatedly at Su Sui. Each strike carried a whistling wind, leaving massive spiderweb-like cracks wherever it hit the wall.
After only a few exchanges, the wall behind the two girls collapsed entirely.
"How will I die?!" Vlad II's eyes were filled with madness. "How will Dark Gold Rose kill me? Will she throw me into a meat grinder? Will I be cut into a thousand pieces or torn limb from limb?"
"You're a lunatic. Beyond reason." Su Sui shifted the weight of her wrist and lifted her arm. Vlad II lost her balance and stumbled into her arms. Su Sui gripped Snow-Yuzu, twisted the hilt, and slammed the pommel forward.
Vlad II took the blow to the side of her face and was sent flying, her delicate face swelling up.
In just a few exchanges, Su Sui was certain she was the superior fighter. The other girl's long and short blades moved like a cluster of reed flowers in the wind—agile, yet impossible to predict.
The shadow warrior's beautiful fingers rested on the long hilt, her blood-stained black-and-white kendo uniform making her look like a killer emerged from a mountain of corpses.
"However, I should remind you," Su Sui said coolly.
"The one who finally kills you won't be our guild leader."
Rate on N.U.
