The Blood Slaughter Soul Emperor hovered mid-air, six Spirit Rings slowly rotating beneath his feet—white, yellow, yellow, purple, purple, black—emitting an intimidating pressure. The Soul-Sucking Bone Tubes on his back writhed like living vipers, their tips gleaming with a cold, eerie light. The deathly stillness of the abandoned village seemed to freeze solid.
"Two ignorant brats, daring to destroy my foundation and kill my subordinates!" Blood Slaughter's voice was hoarse and grating, filled with violent killing intent. "Perfect. Your brains and Soul Power will make up for my losses!"
Marco and Lu Zhou exchanged a glance. No words were needed; their tacit understanding was already formed. Simultaneously, they released their Martial Souls, standing ready for battle.
Blood Slaughter struck first. Not underestimating his opponents, his second Spirit Ring lit up: "Second Spirit Ability: Rock Body!" A layer of rock-like, grayish-brown keratin covered his body, his frame expanding, his aura growing even more ferocious. The moment he landed, his first Spirit Ring flickered slightly. The Soul-Sucking Bone Tubes shot out like striking snakes, accompanied by a piercing sound as they tore through the air, aiming directly at Marco, who was positioned slightly forward! This "Bone Tube Pierce" was swift as lightning, specialized in breaking through protective energies.
Marco was prepared. "Shave" activated instantly, allowing him to sidestep and evade. The bone tubes brushed past him, the resulting gust of wind stinging his cheeks. Seizing the opportunity, Lu Zhou drew his long blade, a condensed arc of sword light aimed precisely at Blood Slaughter's ribs, forcing him to defend. Blood Slaughter retracted the tubes to block. With a "clang," sparks flew. Lu Zhou was forced back a step, while Blood Slaughter's body swayed slightly.
This initial exchange gave both sides a preliminary understanding of each other's strength and speed. Blood Slaughter felt a slight chill inwardly; these two youths were more troublesome than he had anticipated.
The battle quickly escalated into a fierce confrontation. Relying on the formidable defense of his Rock Body and the strange and tricky nature of his Bone Tube Pierce, Blood Slaughter launched aggressive assaults. Marco combined "Shave" with "Moonwalk," his movements elusive, using agile dodges and "Tempest Kick" enveloped in Azure Flame for mid-range containment, while fully deploying his Observation Haki to predict the bone tubes' trajectories. Lu Zhou, meanwhile, wielded his blade with steady precision, striking at critical moments. His sword flashes were like lightning, accurately blocking or counterattacking, preventing Blood Slaughter from focusing entirely on pursuing Marco.
The three figures darted rapidly among the ruins of the abandoned village, the collisions of Soul Power roaring continuously. Dilapidated walls and structures crumbled under the turbulent forces. Wherever Blood Slaughter's bone tubes passed, hard stone walls were pierced as easily as tofu, leaving behind alarming holes. Marco's Azure Flame slashes scorched black trenches into the ground, while Lu Zhou's sword energy cleanly sliced through obstacles in its path.
Growing impatient from his prolonged failure to gain the upper hand, Blood Slaughter's fourth purple Spirit Ring lit up: "Fourth Spirit Ability: Pine Needle Barrage!" The bone tubes vibrated intensely, releasing hundreds of pine needle-like energy projectiles that burst outward in all directions like a torrential downpour, covering a vast area!
"Watch out!" Marco shouted, retreating swiftly with Lu Zhou to evade. Marco coated his fists with Armament Haki, swiftly shattering the incoming projectiles. Lu Zhou's long blade danced, forming a curtain of light that blocked all the energy needles. However, this area attack successfully disrupted their coordination, giving Blood Slaughter a moment to catch his breath.
"Fifth Spirit Ability: Mental Sucking!"Greed flashed in Blood Slaughter's eyes as the bone tubes abruptly accelerated, evading Lu Zhou's blade and thrusting at Marco's temple from an extremely tricky angle!" He intended to first drain the target who seemed to possess stronger mental power!
Marco's double pupils abruptly contracted as his spiritual sense detected the suction force emanating from the bone tube. He sharply tilted his head, the bone tube grazing past his temple and taking several strands of hair with it. Simultaneously, he activated his Double Pupil Eye, fortifying his spiritual barrier to forcefully repel the invasive suction force!
"Hmm?" Blood Butcher grunted, suffering minor spiritual backlash that caused a slight delay in his movements. He hadn't expected Marco's spiritual power to be so condensed!
"Perfect opportunity!" How could Lu Zhou miss such an opening? His body moved as one with his blade, a razor-sharp arc of sword light directly striking the undefended back Blood Butcher exposed while executing his Spirit Ability! This strike was fast, precise, and ruthless!
Blood Butcher jolted as piercing cold wind assaulted his back. Though his Rock Body defense was strong, he dared not take Lu Zhou's full-powered strike head-on. He forcibly twisted his body, sweeping the bone tube back to block.
"CLANG—!"
Amid the deafening impact, Blood Butcher was sent stumbling forward, the rock armor on his back torn by the sword energy, leaving a shallow gash as his blood and energy churned violently. Lu Zhou was also pushed back several steps by the recoil.
The battle continued with fierce exchanges, both sides consuming Soul Power rapidly. Blood Butcher's Rock Body provided astonishing defense while his bone tube moved unpredictably, occasionally releasing paralyzing toxins to disrupt the fight, placing immense pressure on Marco and Lu Zhou. Though the duo coordinated flawlessly, they repeatedly faced mortal danger, barely sustaining themselves through Marco's Observation Haki predictions and Lu Zhou's precise swordsmanship. They began accumulating minor wounds but managed to avoid vital areas.
Unable to secure victory after prolonged combat, Blood Butcher flew into a complete rage, his eyes blazing with ferocity: "You should be proud to have forced me to this point! Sixth Spirit Ability: Ferocious Beast Roar!"
His chest heaved violently as a black ten-thousand-year Spirit Ring blazed with light. A terrifying roar, as if from an ancient ferocious beast, suddenly erupted!
"ROAR—!!!"
Visible sound waves surged forward like raging tides, tearing apart the ground and completely flattening ruins in their path! The physical impact was utterly devastating! Simultaneously, immense spiritual pressure hammered into their consciousness like a heavy mallet!
Marco's double pupils swirled with golden light, his spiritual barrier standing firm as a rock, completely blocking the mental assault. Lu Zhou condensed his sword intent, his will forged like steel. Though shaken to his core, he instantly stabilized himself through extreme focus on his blade path.
However, they couldn't completely evade the substantial sonic impact! Marco condensed Azure Flame before him as a shield while Lu Zhou held his blade horizontally in front. Both were still sent flying backward by the roar's impact, crashing heavily against a distant broken wall. A sweet taste rose in their throats as their internal organs trembled, sustaining serious internal injuries. This marked the first substantial heavy damage either had suffered since the battle began.
Blood Butcher entered a berserk state, his aura turning savage as his speed and power increased again. Laughing maniacally, he pounced forward, his bone tube attacks becoming a torrential storm as he swore to tear them apart!
"His berserk state can't last long! His spirit is the weakness!" Marco wiped blood from his lips, transmitting the message. He keenly observed that Blood Butcher's spiritual fluctuations grew more chaotic after entering berserk mode, and the connection between the bone tube and its origin became increasingly unstable.
"Create an opening for my decisive strike!" Lu Zhou responded, his eyes growing more resolute.
The two changed tactics, focusing on evasion and guerrilla strikes. Marco continuously disrupted and provoked Blood Butcher's spirit using his Double Pupils while Lu Zhou gathered momentum, searching for that lethal instant.
Finally, at the very moment when Blood Slaughter's full-force pounce missed its mark—his old strength exhausted and new strength yet to form, his spirit fluctuating violently from both berserk state and prolonged battle—
"Now!Marco's Double Pupils blazed with runes at their brightest limit. "Double Pupil Divine Light!" A highly condensed spike of mental energy, ignoring all physical defenses, shot straight into the core of Blood Slaughter's consciousness!
"Ahhh—!" Blood Slaughter clutched his head with an agonized scream. His berserk state instantly collapsed, blood streaming from all seven orifices, his eyes growing unfocused as his defenses completely shattered!
"Azure Meteor!"
"Night!"
Marco and Lu Zhou, pouring their last reserves of Soul Power and willpower, unleashed their ultimate combined attack! A kick like a cyan meteor and a blade aura that devoured all light converged at a single point, completely engulfing the disoriented Blood Slaughter!
After the earth-shattering explosion, a massive crater appeared at the center of the desolate village. Blood Slaughter Soul Emperor and his evil Martial Soul were utterly reduced to ashes.
At the crater's edge, Marco and Lu Zhou collapsed from exhaustion, gasping for breath. Exchanging a glance, they saw in each other's eyes both profound weariness and overwhelming relief.