Grinya's figure flashed like a bolt of light, instantly appearing before the banshee.
The banshee's stunned expression flickered for a moment before warping into a twisted rage. She raised her sharp, dark claws, aiming them at Grinya's delicate face.
But under the passive influence of Innate Talent: Peerless and the Sword of Honor, Grinya's speed was even faster than the banshee's!
The blade mercilessly tore through the banshee's scales, and pitch-black blood sprayed out. Lu Xun clearly saw the health bar above the banshee's head drop by a significant chunk.
The banshee's agonizing roar echoed throughout the area. Taking advantage of the moment the monster was staggered, Grinya gripped the hilt with both hands and thrust forward with sudden force.
The sharp sword pierced through the banshee's mouth, erupting from the back of her head, and her shrill scream came to an abrupt halt.
【Weak point hit, triggering double damage!】
The banshee's gaze was filled with a mixture of shock and fury. Perhaps realizing that death was near, she ignored the excruciating pain and swung both claws simultaneously, intending to hack the human woman before her into mincemeat.
Grinya tried to pull the sword back, but the blade was firmly wedged inside the banshee's skull, refusing to budge.
A slight frown appeared on her otherwise calm, expressionless face.
A smirk of triumph, however, spread across the banshee's face.
Seeing the banshee's claws about to shred the young girl's body, Buze cried out in alarm:
"Watch out!"
"So noisy!"
Lu Xun calmly pressed the skill button.
Life Star skill, Air-Piercing Sword Dance!
In that instant, Grinya's silhouette suddenly vanished. The two claws that should have torn through her flesh struck only empty air.
The banshee was suddenly overcome by panic. She realized she had lost sight of her enemy. This unknown variable was beyond the processing capacity of her primitive mind, leaving her feeling extremely uneasy.
Suddenly, she noticed countless streaks of cold sword qi surrounding her like a cage.
Though she wished to defend herself, she was powerless to do so.
Under her terrified gaze, one streak after another of sharp, cold sword qi sliced through her flesh.
The banshee's agonizing screams continued to echo.
【Weak point hit!】
【Weak point hit!】
【Weak point hit!】
...
The notification for 【Weak point hit】 flashed repeatedly on the screen. Under the effect of double damage, the health bar above the Shapeshifting Banshee's head quickly emptied.
Lu Xun stroked his chin thoughtfully and murmured:
"I didn't expect the Air-Piercing Sword Dance and the Life Crown talent to have this kind of synergy. It can trigger weak point hits multiple times. This burst damage is way too overpowered."
After this combo, he estimated that no one below level 20 could survive such an explosive burst of damage.
On the battlefield, only one person remained standing.
Her snow-white hair reached her waist, dancing gently in the light breeze. Even after defeating the final boss, her expression remained cold and indifferent, as if nothing in the world could cause a ripple in her emotions.
That small, beautiful silhouette was etched clearly into everyone's eyes.
The crowd stared at her blankly, a sense of utter absurdity suddenly rising in their hearts.
She actually defeated the final boss?
Buze's eyes burned with intensity as he stared at her. "I knew it. I knew you would win."
Grinya looked at the corpse of the Shapeshifting Banshee.
【You have completed the time-limited quest, The Doom of Wuxin Island.】
【Obtained 1000 Source Crystals, 500 Prestige, 1 banshee scale.】
The Peerless Fencer's character level broke through from level 10 to level 13.
Looking at the bountiful rewards on the screen, Lu Xun nodded with satisfaction.
This feels great.
He suddenly noticed the NPC named Buze staring at him with a burning, fervent gaze.
Lu Xun's eyes lit up.
Isn't this my little lucky star? Every time I run into this kid, something good is bound to happen!
Lu Xun looked back at him with a smile, his expression as kind as a gentle elder.
The two of them gazed at each other deeply, their eyes filled with unspoken sentiment and wild imagination.
Until Buze reached out his hand.
Lu Xun blinked. What does this NPC mean by reaching out his hand?
Seeing that Grinya remained motionless and didn't seem to understand his meaning, Buze tilted his head and reminded her: "My sword... now that you're done using it, you can return it to me, right? That is my Kritov family's—"
Before he could finish his sentence, Grinya suddenly raised her palm, and a look of disdain appeared in her eyes that had remained so calm until now.
"Sorry, I refuse!"
...
"Bah! You want me to return an item you already gave away? What a total buzzkill NPC!"
Lu Xun's eyes were filled with nothing but contempt for Buze.
"And here I was thinking highly of you, kid. You can't even tell who the protagonist is. I'll beat you up every time I see you from now on!"
At this moment, Grinya, who was silently listening to the evil god's complaints, thought:
"..."
The evil god is truly thick-skinned.
...
"Sorry, I refuse!"
Grinya's cold voice echoed in his ears, and Buze stared at her in disbelief.
"Are you serious?"
Grinya's gaze was proud, showing not the slightest bit of respect for him. "If you have the ability, then take it back yourself!"
"You..."
Buze was stunned by Grinya's audacity. He had only lent her the Sword of Honor because he saw she was no match for the banshee. He never expected this woman to shamelessly claim the Sword of Honor as her own. His heart immediately flared with anger.
His chest heaved up and down as he stammered the word "you" several times. Unfortunately, his temper was so great that he couldn't even manage a complete sentence.
"That is my family's heirloom sword! Give it back!"
At this moment, Buze didn't care if Grinya had saved his life. The Sword of Honor was the ancestral sword of the Kritov family, symbolizing their noble status and supreme glory. To be able to wield this sword was his honor as a son of the Kritov family, and he would never allow it to be taken by an outsider.
He was someone who valued noble honor more than his own life!
A fierce look appeared on his face as he suddenly lunged forward, attempting to seize the Sword of Honor back.
However, at that exact moment, the golden domain barrier shattered. A sense of extreme weakness flooded his entire body, and his limbs went limp as he collapsed to the ground.
Lu Xun was startled by this scene. "Whoa, buddy. Has this NPC learned how to take a dive and scam me?"
Seeing that Buze wasn't responding, Lu Xun approached him with confusion.
Only then did he realize that Buze's health bar was almost empty; he was only a breath away from death!
He would need a Basic Health Potion to be saved.
"Young Master Buze!"
Seeing Buze suddenly collapse, the group of freshmen who had already developed a sense of admiration for him rushed over.
Looking at the urgent expressions on their faces, Lu Xun's perception of Buze shifted slightly.
"I originally thought that as a noble, you would play the role of a brainless villain, but I didn't expect you to have such a high standing in the hearts of the people."
The evil god's voice resonated deeply with Grinya. She looked at Buze with a complicated expression.
She had always thought Buze would be the kind of arrogant and overbearing noble, which was why she had been so afraid of his retaliation. But in reality, Buze had never truly done anything excessive to her; he had only ever wanted to have an honorable duel with her.
He simply wanted to reclaim his dignity and honor.
She had never imagined that someone as high-born as Buze would be willing to sacrifice himself and stand before everyone else without hesitation.
The noble spirit he adhered to even moved the evil god.
Grinya's thoughts were in a whirl. She thought the evil god would step in to save this human who had earned its respect.
"But what does that have to do with me?"
However, the evil god's next words caused the divine image she held to shatter like glass.
Grinya stood dazed, her body moving involuntarily. She turned around and began to walk away.
While everyone else crowded around to frantically check on Buze's condition, she was the only one who chose to walk in the opposite direction.
For some reason, Grinya felt a sense of sadness in her heart.
Gods are, in the end, gods.
No matter how unique or outstanding a human might be, in their eyes, they are nothing more than an interesting life form.
And life, to them, just happens to be the most uninteresting thing of all.
Humans will pay any price, no matter how tragic, just to catch a god's eye for a fleeting moment, but gods will never stop for a human.
They are gods, after all!
Grinya understood that she shouldn't harbor any illusions about the divine, nor should she try to understand them using human logic.
Suddenly, her footsteps stopped. Just as she was feeling surprised, she turned her head and threw a bottle of Basic Health Potion.
"But on second thought, an NPC who can constantly bring me benefits is probably better off staying alive."
She heard the evil god's murmur.
A sudden change in a god's whim decided the life or death of a human.
Yes, the only thing that can ever drive a god is profit.
Human emotions are merely a joke.
Grinya's consciousness seemed to give a self-deprecating laugh.
Rate on N.U.
