Forge a path to success.

Chapter 390 Butterflies Dancing in the Wind (Part 2)

The momentum has changed.

A sense of oppression. A suffocating pressure. It felt like being on the edge of a storm, like being a thousand meters below the surface of the ocean—

Ji Huaisu suddenly looked up, a thin line of blood appearing on her chin. The oddly shaped curved sword grazed her neck, and she was just a moment away from being decapitated.

Before she could summon a new weapon, Lylena's slash arrived. The crimson sword pressure spread out in concentric rings, like a butterfly spreading its wings. Ji Huaisu raised her fists and punched furiously, her gauntlets, enhanced with a gust of wind, striking the back of the blade. The sound of metal clashing was incessant. She withstood the close-range sword dance with the strength cultivated through years of combat, but Lylena sidestepped and kicked her in the chest.

The powerful kick even broke through the divine power barrier, sending Ji Huaisu flying into the Upper House!

Van der gasped, "Be careful, she might be serious!"

"This isn't a problem that can be solved simply by being careful..."

Ji Huaisu wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and watched the enemy slowly approaching. He removed his blindfold, and his weapon changed from a dagger to a curved sword. The only change in appearance was this, but the feeling he gave off was completely different.

That steely focus was undoubtedly proof of her martial arts prowess, a skill far superior to Chu Hengkong's. More importantly, Lylena's eyes held a familiar stinging pain, the kind of gaze characteristic of highly skilled martial artists that Ji Huaisu often encountered in his childhood.

The Path to Unity, Point 5, "Secret Heavenly Eye," allows warriors to glimpse mysteries, distinguish truth from falsehood, and undergo a transformative transformation. It's proof of reaching the pinnacle of technical skill—an observational ability more important than speed!
Ji Huaisu recalled his father's teachings: when fighting against a high-quality martial artist, the first thing to do is to determine what type of Heavenly Eye the opponent possesses.

The Heavenly Eyes of those with broken hearts are "ghostly eyes" focused on physical destruction, while the Heavenly Eyes of mortal cultivators are more focused on the fluid control of external manifestations such as techniques and abilities. It's said that a small number possess Heavenly Eyes that emphasize mental control, but judging from their fighting styles, they should be completely unrelated to Lylena. So…

The Upper House was buzzing with noise as civil servants discussed the wanted criminal who had broken through the walls. Ji Huaisu ignored everything around her; she pulled out a second Gale card and inserted it into the system. As the card flashed, Lylena's curved sword was already aimed at her head!
"The Sacred Judgment of Discipline - Breaking the Army and Chaos!"

Eight tornadoes rose out of thin air, controlled within the room by their overwhelming elemental power, increasing their local destructive force at the cost of reducing their size.

"Help!" "The wanted criminal has gone mad!" "This is an insult to civility..." Members of parliament and civil servants were swept up by the gale, like a flock of chicks being blown out of the window, but Lylena remained unmoved in the face of the gale. She didn't even draw her knife, but simply extended two fingers. The moment her fingertips touched the tornado, the entire gale dissipated into irregular air currents.

The spell was directly shattered because she cut off the flow of magic that guided the wind!

Ji Huaisu cursed inwardly; her terrible premonition had come true. Lylena's Heavenly Eye was a power-controlling type similar to that of a martial arts practitioner, making it a natural enemy for her, who wielded elemental power. She summoned a light shield and shadow blades to temporarily hinder it, but before Lylena's Heavenly Eye, elemental weapons were practically worthless.

The first strike shattered the light shield, the second shattered the shadow blade, and the third, a bright arc of sword light, slashed towards Ji Huaisu's side, but was momentarily hindered in mid-air. An ice pillar rising from the ground froze Lylena's wrist, and Ji Huaisu rolled awkwardly to dodge the attack. But Lylena's reaction was even faster; she stepped forward and stomped on Ji Huaisu's left hand, the unhealed wound from the previous battle delivering a second blow!
“Shit!”

A surge of energy flowed through the wound on her left hand, numbing Ji Huaisu's senses like a neurotoxin. For a moment, she was paralyzed. Vande peered out, calling out anxiously, while Lyrna focused her mind to the extreme. The world before her eyes turned a blank, pure white; the only other color was the weapon in her hand.

She wielded her weapon, slashing through the pure white world, transforming it into a thousand-foot waterfall of pure black!

That was a surge of passion, and the blood gushing from the wound. A flawless strike, even the fully-powered Serpent of Sacrifice would have to take it head-on; Ji Huaisu, whose power was restricted, had no chance of survival.

But Lylena remained relentless; she was a true assassin. She sheathed her sword and slashed three times in quick succession, further shredding her enemy's body and giving him no chance. Ji Huaisu was pulverized under the sword's weight, not a drop of blood shed!

"...!"

Even with her fragile body, the enemy possessed the strange device created by Verus; that thing wouldn't completely evaporate. Lylena clutched her forehead, a useless scream echoing in her mind: (What have you been doing since just now?! Are you exhausted from lack of rest? Why are you cutting through thin air?!)
(Hypnosis...when?!)

Lylena recalled the beholder that had inexplicably peeked out earlier; its eyes were glowing. She had been affected when she was attacked by the icicles!

She imitated her counterpart, unleashing her inner energy and bloodline to probe, and sure enough, she spotted Ji Huaisu near the Media Building. That guy was still arguing with the Eye Demon.

"Well done, Vander! Try again and use hypnosis to make her surrender!"

"You've read too many strange books! I've told you countless times, this is a protective technique; it doesn't have that much power, and you can't use it a second time in a short period of time!"

Ji Huaisu continued trying: "If we can't make her throw away her clothes, then we can make her throw away her weapon instead."

"Please, Knight, be honest! That woman caught up with us, and she looks fucking angry!!"

Ji Huaisu rolled away to dodge the wild sword energy, while Lylena, chasing from behind, possessed an aura as powerful as a demon. She cast her last Shadow Claw card, wielding her gigantic double shadow claws to block Lylena's attack. Lylena did not retreat; her eyes held a chilling rage!

"Talk to her while the hypnosis is still somewhat effective and buy us some time!" Vande said quickly.

"Good eye! You really are an assassin now!" Ji Huaisu racked his brains to buy time. "Then why let that useless personality take over? With your strength, you can control this body for a long time!"

Lylena gripped her curved sword tightly, her anger intensifying: "What do you know? What do you know?!"

Ji Huaisu had a bad feeling. She had wanted to stall for time, but it seemed she had triggered the enemy's painful memories! And most importantly, she didn't want to hear the assassins' sad stories at this moment!

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to reopen your wounds..."

Lylena said angrily, "If I didn't have social anxiety, that useless guy wouldn't have gotten to the top!"

"Isn't that reason a bit too heavy?"

Vande couldn't hold back: "You're already at point 5 and you still haven't overcome your social anxiety?!"

"The transformation of a single particle cannot solve the psychological problem!"

Lylena dodged the Shadow Claw's slash and plunged her blade into Ji Huaisu's left arm. The heavy blow gave Ji Huaisu the illusion that her limb was broken. She was thrown to the third floor of the media building, where reporters and screenwriters scattered in terror.

Ji Huaisu collapsed amidst the pile of documents, numb and almost unable to stand. Lylena approached, stepping over shards of glass. Behind her, the monitor's water screen reflected Hill, subdued by the Divine Guard. She raised her curved sword like a guillotine. "That's enough. I'll finish you off, then go and settle things with Chu Hengkong—"

“I’m afraid you won’t have that chance,” Ji Huaisu laughed. “Isn’t it interesting? Fighting back and forth with me in the Upper House.”

Lylena was taken aback by his words, recalling the strange choices her useless personality had made during their battle. It had relentlessly pursued the Upper House, breaking through the divine power barrier upon being struck, creating a gust of wind that blew everyone away from the room…

The Upper House was emptied at that moment. Realizing this, Lylena turned her head hastily and saw the burning pillar of fire engulfing the Upper House!
The ambitious demon's laughter echoed, but Claire had no time to pay attention to anything else. The female knight rose again; the suppression of the Divine Tree of Love had been lifted due to the destruction of the Upper House. She spread her hands, generating a complete set of sealing spell cards using an array. 10 cards, 20 cards… 40 cards… 100 cards!
"Very good, the mission is almost complete." Ji Huaisu grinned maliciously, revealing a card depicting a dragon. "Let's settle the score, Miss Autism!"

[Disaster Beast Descends]

A fierce wind howled, and thunder roared. A six-clawed dragon descended amidst the thunder, unleashing a deafening roar. That was the unleashed, fully liberated wind, proof of its status as a Windsword Knight. It stretched out its massive claws, seized Lylena, and propelled her with immense force into the sky!

Unable to break free. Unable to resist. The concentration of magic was too high. The structure of this dragon was astonishingly complex; even if the Heavenly Eye were used to break through the surface flaws, the magic circle at its center would repair itself even faster. It was simply the crystallization of power, the embodiment of concepts like strength, quantity, and gigantism in the wildest way, creating this absurd elemental creature.

Lylena pried open the dragon's claws with all her might, but before she could exert any force, she felt a needle-like chill piercing her back. Icebergs were forming in the sky, their surfaces covered with a dense array of shadow blades like thousands of needles!

[Shadow Blade] [Iceberg] [Fusion Descent]

"Discipline Seal - Cold Needle Shadowless".

Lylena was smashed into the iceberg by the dragon's claw. Even before the extreme cold arrived, the excruciating pain of her brain being pierced was unbearable. Those needles pierced her shadow, halting her thought process. The blade that was about to pry open the dragon's claw paused, blood flow slowed, and if this continued, she would be sealed inside the iceberg, becoming a mindless zombie!

(Oh no, oh no, I'm going to die, I'm going to die, what should I do?)
(Switch.)
(Me?! You want me dead?! Gah!)
In the instant of the personality switch, her useless self was pierced by the shadow needles, frozen stiff in the ice like an idiotic mummy. Lyrna used this opportunity to gather power and switch again. During the personality transition, her blood flowed violently, gushing from the wound on her back and melting the solid ice!
"—Red Light Butterfly!"

The iceberg crumbled, the Shadow Needle shattered, and the Dragon of Calamity's claw was pushed away by the suddenly increased force. Lyrna floated in the air, her gushing blood congealing into crimson butterfly wings behind her.

This is a secret technique she developed for the final battle, sacrificing her life force to establish a super-fast cycle with her external systems, absorbing external energy to dramatically enhance her basic attributes in a short period. Deathwing forged from blood!

Lylena flapped her wings, instantly sweeping past the monstrous dragon's body, her curved sword aimed straight at the knight on its back. Ji Huaisu blocked the attack with a card sealing technique, grabbing her lightning spear to retaliate. Dozens of lightning spears simultaneously appeared, but Lylena's butterfly wings unleashed their power, shattering them all with her Heavenly Eye. She sidestepped and unleashed a swift slash, which Ji Huaisu blocked head-on with her Boundless Sword.

"Not bad, not bad... At this rate, he should have no problem fighting A-Kong!"

This was no exaggeration; Lylena, at full strength, possessed astonishing power, and the oppressive aura she exuded was almost comparable to that of Chu Hengkong. In such close-quarters combat, the immense size of the Calamity Dragon was useless; instead, the dispersion of its power would hinder her. However, Ji Huaisu remained calm. This drawback had been considered in the design of the Knight System, and she had already prepared a solution.

Ji Huaisu created a new card, a translucent, emerald-green "Wind Armor." She placed the Wind Armor and the Calamity Beast into her arm armor.

[Wind Armor] [Disaster Beast] [Fusion Descent]

"Dragon Soul Possession!"

The calamity-ridden dragon roared, soaring into the sky before swooping down, its massive jaws blasting away Lylena and swallowing Ji Huaisu whole. The enormous dragon's body dissolved in light, elemental power solidifying and forging a new suit of armor. The majestic dragon's form disintegrated, transforming into the ornate reliefs adorning the armor.

In the blink of an eye, the dragon vanished without a trace, and the green-armored knight descended amidst thunder. She raised her longsword, literally transforming into a whirlwind!
"Elementalization...!"

This is precisely the symbol of the point mass in the path to supreme power, the omnipresent elemental body. After being possessed by the Calamity Dragon, Ji Huaisu was finally able to briefly wield the power of elementalization.

In an instant, wind blades and lightning spears rained down like raindrops, a dense barrage of attacks from all directions. Lylena felt as if the entire world was swallowing her up; even a single raindrop could become a deadly projectile. She remained vigilant, observing her surroundings and using her secret Heavenly Eye to discern every attack. Slashing, parrying, spinning, and soaring, she found openings amidst the relentless onslaught. She wouldn't lose her composure, for she knew her enemy's fighting style perfectly.

In short, it's all about firepower. Victory will be decided by firepower. Her elemental attacks are all designed to force out openings, allowing her to finish off opponents with a lightsaber or dragon spear. At that moment, use your Heavenly Eye to pinpoint the key, and then deliver the decisive blow!
"Are you ready...?"

Ji Huaisu's laughter echoed in the wind, and the speed of his wide-range attacks intensified once more. Lylena stood ready, counting down in her mind. 5 seconds. 3 seconds. 1 second.

The knight appeared, reigning supreme atop the storm, wielding a blindingly large greatsword. She raised the sword high and slashed down, causing the blood-red wings on Lylena's back to vibrate violently as she unleashed her full power in a surprise attack!

Then, Lylena Barry froze in mid-air.

Her curved sword was entangled by countless "threads," as if trapped in an invisible cocoon. The threads bound her wrists, restricted her waist, bound her hands and feet, and tightened around her neck. These threads were woven from air currents and electric light, and in this endless gale and thick clouds, even the heavenly eye would find them impossible to detect!
"I felt something was off earlier. If it's the Secret Heavenly Eye, which is good at sensing the flow of power, why was my ice pillar able to block its attack?"

Ji Huaisu tossed aside the greatsword and chuckled, "I bet you only have one Heavenly Eye. You usually cover it with an eyepatch and can only truly use it when switching personalities, which is why you have 'blind spots' that shouldn't exist."

I realized this in our previous encounters.

So they attracted attention by using elemental transformation, secretly setting up this deadly trap...!
Lyrna was unable to struggle; she was like a butterfly caught in a spider's web. The entire sky was the fulcrum of the threads, and if she exerted any force, she would be torn to shreds by her own power. Ji Huaisu stood with his back to her and tossed out a spark of lightning.

"The Secret Method of Catching Butterflies with the Spider Web".

The lightning bolt struck the net, traveled rapidly along the threads, and ignited a violent fire.

A shimmering giant net enveloped the thick clouds, illuminating the entire Star Fortress of Mansa. Lyrna screamed unconsciously, her will weakened by the elemental infection, and she vanished into the gloomy ocean.

Switch personalities. Switch. Switch!
But there was no response. Useless, she had already fallen during the last seal. Realizing this, she reached out unwillingly, finally closing her eyes and falling from the sky.

Ji Huaisu deactivated her elemental form and bandaged her wounds. She glanced at Lylena, who reeked of burnt food, and whistled gloatingly.

"Before figuring out how to defeat Chu Hengkong..."

"I should think about how to overcome my social anxiety first."

(End of this chapter)