Watching their summoned demon army retreat in defeat before the combined might of the three heroes, the limbs of the rock trolls lay scattered across the ground, and the ashes of the shadow demons drifted through the air.
A sinister glint flashed in Blackheart's eyes, which glowed with an eerie green light, as he turned his gaze toward the hostages frozen on the second floor.
"Useless trash! Since I can't count on you, then I'll just have to—"
Before Blackheart could finish speaking, a dark green figure suddenly appeared before him.
The Flowing Moon Needle, accompanied by a piercing shriek that tore through the air, stabbed straight for the throat of Blackheart, forcing him to retreat more than ten steps.
"Whoosh—!"
The spear's sharp tip grazed the Demon's neck, leaving a wound that oozed black smoke.
"Those burdened by karmic obstacles do not deserve to live."
Xiao raised his spear and spoke coldly, his amber pupils locked on Blackheart. Karmic energy swirled around him, forming a visible dark green vortex.
Blackheart licked the black blood trickling from his wound, then suddenly grinned. "Then we'll deal with you first—and them afterward."
In an instant, the temperature in the entire hall plummeted.
"Bang! Bang! Bang!"
With a flick of his right hand, Blackheart caused the ground around him to freeze into a spiderweb of frost. Razor-sharp ice shards erupted from the floor like living serpents, lancing toward Xiao's vital points.
Xiao's figure blurred—and the afterimage, left in his wake, shattered instantly under the assault of the ice.
"Useless!"
Xiao's voice came from behind Blackheart. The Flowing Moon Needle swept forward with crushing force.
"Clang—!"
Blackheart twisted around, crossed his arms just in time to block—the spear blade struck his ice armor with a deafening crack.
"Boom—!"
The impact sent Blackheart flying. He crashed through three stone walls before finally skidding to a halt in the rubble.
Amid the wreckage, Blackheart slowly rose, his ice armor peeling away in jagged fragments.
Grinning maliciously, he wiped the black blood from the corner of his mouth and rasped, "...Interesting."
Suddenly, he slammed both palms onto the ground. Instantly, a thick layer of ice spread across the entire hall floor, and countless icy spikes surged upward from every direction, converging on Xiao.
"Hmph!"
Xiao snorted coldly, stomped his foot—and a violent gale erupted from his body.
"Bang! Bang! Bang!"
Countless dark green wind blades—like millions of spinning razors—shredded the incoming ice spikes into fine powder.
Amid the swirling mist of frost, Xiao vanished.
Blackheart scanned the room, senses on high alert—then felt a rush of wind from above.
He looked up just in time to see Xiao descending like a falling star, the Flowing Moon Needle arcing down with blinding blue radiance.
Blackheart hastily conjured an ice shield over five meters thick above his head. The spear struck it with a thunderous roar.
"Boom—!"
Cracks raced across the shield. A cold gleam flashed in Xiao's eyes. With a flick of his wrist, the spear tip spun like a crescent drill—and pierced straight through the ice.
Blackheart recoiled in shock, twisting to dodge—but not fast enough. The blade slashed his shoulder, and black blood spurted into the air.
"Damn bugs!"
Enraged, Blackheart thrust both hands forward with all his might.
A torrent of frost, over tens of meters in diameter, roared toward Xiao, freezing the air in its path and forming countless sharp ice crystals.
"Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh—!"
Xiao neither dodged nor evaded. The Flowing Moon Needle drew a perfect arc before him, and the powerful wind elemental force condensed into a semi-transparent barrier.
"Bang! Bang! Bang—!!"
Solid ice collided violently with the gale, unleashing a deafening roar.
The frost torrent split in two upon striking the wind wall, howling past Xiao on both sides and freezing a vast swath of forest behind him into glistening ice sculptures.
Seizing the opening, Xiao charged forward—his figure transforming into a streak of blue lightning, his spear aimed straight for the heart of Blackheart.
"Whoosh!"
Blackheart hastily conjured ice armor over his chest—only to see Xiao suddenly shift his stance, thrusting the spear tip upward toward his throat.
"Pfft—!"
Blackheart barely turned his head in time. The spear's blade grazed his cheek, leaving a trail of glaring black blood.
His eyes hardened. Instantly, his right hand morphed into a razor-sharp ice claw, lashing toward Xiao's abdomen.
"Sizzle—!"
Xiao twisted his waist. The claw grazed his clothes, tearing away a few shreds of fabric.
But Xiao used the momentum to spin and delivered a powerful roundhouse kick to Blackheart's chest, sending him flying over ten meters.
"Boom—!"
Blackheart finally came to a halt after smashing through a load-bearing pillar. Rubble and ice shards rained down in a chaotic flurry.
"Ineptitude!"
Xiao's voice was cold as he pointed his spear diagonally at the ground. Wind elements swirled around him, coalescing into a small, roaring tornado.
From the ruins, the demon struggled to his feet—the red light in his eyes burning with unnatural intensity.
"Aaahh—!"
He let out a shrill, inhuman scream, and the very hall began to quake violently.
"Rustle… rustle…"
Giant ice cones plummeted from above, while countless ice spikes erupted from the ground, transforming the space into a lethal glacial maelstrom.
"Go to hell!!"
Blackheart clapped his hands together—and every ice spike and icicle launched simultaneously toward Xiao.
Xiao's eyes narrowed. He slammed his spear into the ground and his hands flew through a rapid sequence of seals.
"Whoosh—!"
Raging wind elemental force erupted around him, forming a colossal tornado wall that shredded every incoming ice projectile.
"Boom—!"
The collision of ice and wind detonated in a violent explosion, and the abandoned hospital began to collapse.
Pebbles and shards of ice rained down like hail—but Xiao and Blackheart stood unmoving, locked in a silent, deadly stare.
As the dust settled, the demon moved.
Xiao yanked his spear free. His form blurred into a cascade of afterimages as he unleashed a storm of attacks against Blackheart.
"Whoosh! Whoosh—!"
Each strike was as swift as lightning and as heavy as a mountain. The demon was forced into frantic defense—his ice armor shattering and reforming in rapid succession, black blood welling from an ever-growing number of wounds.
"Enough!"
With a thunderous roar, Blackheart unleashed a shockwave of frost.
Xiao was hurled backward several steps. Before he could steady himself, Blackheart materialized a massive frost blade in his hands and brought it crashing down toward Xiao's head.
"Hmph?"
Xiao raised his spear to block—but the ice sword dissolved mid-swing, transforming into a storm of countless razor-sharp ice needles that assailed him from every direction.
"Whoosh… whoosh… whoosh…"
At the critical moment, a dazzling blue radiance erupted from Xiao's body. Wind elemental power surged outward, forming an impenetrable barrier that deflected every needle.
Xiao raised his spear high. The sky itself seemed to darken as countless wind currents converged upon him. The spear's tip blazed with searing blue light—as if he held a miniature sun in his grasp.
"Boom! Boom! Boom—!"
Sensing imminent annihilation, Blackheart frantically reinforced his ice armor and summoned hundreds of colossal ice spears—each over five meters long—to impale Xiao.
But it was already too late.
"The Demon-Suppressing Nuo Dance!"
Xiao vanished.
In the next instant, he reappeared behind Blackheart.
Time seemed to freeze for a heartbeat—then countless fine blue rays of light bloomed across Blackheart's body.
His movements ceased. He looked down in disbelief.
"You… are not human!"
"Pfft…"
With a soft sigh, Blackheart's body disintegrated like shattered glass—shards of ice crumbling into nothingness.
Countless wind blades erupted from within
, reducing every fragment to dust before it could fall.
Even his black blood evaporated midair, leaving only a wisp of acrid black smoke that slowly faded into the cold, silent air.
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