The underground space was shrouded in white smoke.
In one corner, Alote stood with his back against the wall, cold sweat covering his forehead, his breathing disrupted by the intense pain.
His right arm was empty, the entire limb severed by Nuobai's Tang Blade. The wound was covered by bones differentiated from the Mad Corpse Blood Code, sealing the injury to stop the bleeding.
He retrieved a military stimulant from the supply pack at his waist and injected it into his body, his complexion only slightly improving once the drug took effect.
The lingering smoke gradually dispersed through the ventilation ducts, restoring visibility.
Alote stepped out from behind the wall, casting a cold gaze at the two figures in the distance, his eyes settling on Nuobai.
Nuobai was covered in blood grime, trembling like withered grass swaying in the wind, panting heavily, barely able to maintain balance with the support of the Tang Blade, her mental state extremely haggard.
Alote's gaze turned sinister: "It seems I guessed right, you couldn't maintain that state for long, and the side effects are substantial."
"Screech—" He stepped forward, his bone claws carving five grooves into the wall, sparks illuminating the savagery in his eyes: "Come, let's clash your blade with me once more."
Nuobai wiped the blood from the corner of her lips and gripped the Tang Blade tightly, preparing to face the battle head-on.
Su Mo hurriedly stopped her, his expression extremely anxious: "Didn't you hear me? You can't beat him now! We can only escape here if we follow my plan together!"
Whatever bad idea Su Mo had, Nuobai seemed somewhat irritated. She pushed Su Mo aside, pointing to the distant cover, indicating for him to hide.
Su Mo was almost driven to despair: "Will you listen to my advice?!"
Nuobai ignored Su Mo, leaving him behind as she faced off with Alote alone.
The two experts moved simultaneously, their figures interweaving.
"Clang! Clang! Clang!..." The Tang Blade and bone claws clashed violently, sparks and bone fragments continuously erupting, the battle's airflow spreading violently in all directions.
Alote was still somewhat wary of Nuobai at this point.
After all, that supersonic five-strike attack earlier was genuinely terrifying.
He was afraid Nuobai was feigning weakness, waiting to suddenly open her eyes red and slice him down, so he fought conservatively, mainly focusing on defense and probing.
Missing her strike, Nuobai dodged the sweeping bone claw and rolled forward, followed by the Tang Blade's cold light surging forth, directly stabbing at Alote's heart.
"Clang!" A sharp collision sounded, as Alote retracted his bone claw to block the blow at his chest.
Nuobai's offensive didn't cease, the cold light of the Tang Blade pressing irresistibly, aiming at various vital points on Alote's body.
"Clang! Clang! Clang!..." No matter how Nuobai attacked, Alote's bone claws were like a wall, forming an impenetrable defense in front, blocking every strike of the Tang Blade.
The two figures moved in tandem, Nuobai maintaining an offensive posture, constantly swinging, and Alote's defense was skillful and deliberate, remaining unscathed.
As the fight went on, Alote noticed something amiss.
Nuobai, although in the main attack, had unsteady footwork, and her swing was weak, several times nearly losing grip of the blade.
So it's not acting... is her body really unable to hold on?
Just as Alote had this thought...
Nuobai suddenly sheathed her blade with a "click," crouching forward, assuming a drawing stance.
The familiar motion made Alote break out in a cold sweat, quickly raising his bone claws in front of him, retreating in avoidance.
Nuobai stepped forward, the Tang Blade unsheathing.
"Clang!" The jarring collision sound left Alote momentarily dazed.
But he quickly discovered that this strike not only failed to sever his arm as before, it didn't even penetrate the outer bone layer, only leaving a superficial scratch.
Now he could be certain, Nuobai wasn't acting weak, she truly couldn't continue.
He immediately switched from defense to offense, the sense of pressure abruptly intensifying, the bone claws sweeping as if a white mist was rising, the mere sound of cutting through air was chilling.
"Clang!!!" The Tang Blade was struck heavily, and even though Nuobai skillfully deflected most of the force, she still felt the blood in her body roiling, a sweet taste persistently rising in her throat.
Alote sneered: "I don't know what bad idea that guy gave you, but you might as well try it. You're going to die anyway, it doesn't matter if you die foolishly."
Seeing Nuobai clenching her teeth in silence, Alote's tone became mocking: "Oh, sorry, I forgot you're a poor little mute."
The bone claws swung again.
"Clang!" Nuobai was shaken back several steps; before she could stabilize herself, Alote suddenly appeared in front and continued the assault.
The positions in their offensive and defensive struggle quickly reversed.
Alote's bone claws moved broadly, each strike carrying a thunderous force.
Nuobai found it hard to take the blows head-on, forced into fighting while retreating. She dodged what she could, and when impossible, used the blade to deflect from the side, countering the immense power of the bone claws.
However, the entanglement didn't last long before Nuobai's disadvantage became increasingly apparent.
Her internal IPS stem cell reserves were already low, severely limiting the Crimson Rose Blood Code's ability.
Additionally, the side effects from the previous "Scorched Blood" state left her extremely weak, sustained only by her willpower.
Even though Alote lost an arm, his stamina wasn't depleted, the pain suppressed by the military stimulant, maintaining robust combat capability.
His bone claws swept madly, unimpeded, each attack bringing tremendous pressure.
Soon, he cornered Nuobai against the wall, a claw striking forward.
With nowhere to retreat, Nuobai could only raise her blade to block.
"Clang!" The immense impact shattered her tiger's mouth, blood surging forth, unbearable pain in her wrist joint, likely a fractured bone.
"Die." Alote seized the moment, raising his claw for a fatal strike.
"Tatatatata—" Suddenly, the sound of running came from behind.
Someone was rushing toward him.
Alote turned to look.
He saw Su Mo had circled behind during their fight, holding a combat knife seized from the Razor Warrior's corpse, thrusting towards him with force.
This clumsy thrust, combined with the sluggish speed, was no different from a child's play in Alote's eyes.
His eyes filled with contempt, he backhanded a claw strike at Su Mo.
"Pfft!"
The bone claws sliced without obstruction through Su Mo's abdomen.
Su Mo's gaze turned vacant, as if not expecting Alote's reaction to be so swift.
Alote's mouth twitched, unable to hold back his laughter: "Is this your plan? She fights upfront, and you sneak attack from behind?"
"Guh—" Su Mo spewed blood abruptly, convulsing violently from the excruciating pain.
Alote dangled Su Mo in the air, watching him playfully, his tone taunting: "Didn't your mother teach you not to meddle when adults fight?"
Su Mo's gaze continuously blurred, his body suddenly relaxing, limp in the air without motion.
Blood trickled down the bone claws, dripping, soaking Alote's combat suit.