Forge a path to success.

Chapter 53 Club Inflammation (Part 2)
Ji Huaisu supported his body with the greatsword and took out a bandage from his waist pouch to bandage his left hand.

Her left hand was completely unusable; her palm was a bloody hole, and her fingers were almost severed by the sword blade, held together only by the bones. But compared to those "offspring" who had been unwittingly bewitched by Maivia, losing only one hand was considered fortunate. The illusion of the illegitimate son of Shuoyue was too powerful; it couldn't be broken without paying such a price.

After completing the emergency treatment, she secretly breathed a sigh of relief, thinking that the damned gray cat was finally dead, and she had finally personally eliminated the scourge of the city... But Ji Huaisu immediately gripped her sword alertly, noticing something strange about Maivia's corpse. The hideous body had turned into a pool of viscous black water after death, and now bubbles were silently rising within it. The bubbles burst, revealing a bewitching woman's face.

It was the Hand of Favor. Even after Maivia's death, the summoning ritual hadn't stopped; new demons emerged from his corpse. Without a word, Ji Huaisu swung her sword. She realized Maivia had a backup plan: besides himself, he had set up another summoning core to ensure the ritual to summon the Black Moon could continue even after his death.

That summoning core will only exist in one place, in his lair which he has cultivated for many years!
"Make sure everyone inside the club is evacuated, then smash the building to pieces!"

Team members from nearby rushed to provide support, but Ji Huaisu suddenly realized after giving the order: "Where's A-Kong? Where is A-Kong?"

·
Flames engulfed the gray building as team members covered the evacuation of men and women. Whether employees seeking a living or customers looking for pleasure, everyone ran out of the building with all their might, including many thugs hired by Maivia. A few thugs trapped on the upper floors, seeing no one coming to their rescue, recklessly jumped out of the windows.

They would rather fall to their deaths than perish in the flames. The blue flames were too terrifying; they spread like a whirlwind, seemingly capable of burning anything with a physical form to ashes.

"Is everyone here?! Brothers who haven't left yet, evacuate immediately! Firefighting equipment is on its way!"

Jie An rushed out of the police car and hurriedly counted the number of people before his heart sank. Several more brothers in the team had been lost. Before the operation began, no one had expected such an accident. They had defeated the enemy's henchmen, but fell in this inexplicable fire.

Lu Xing was the last to retreat, holding the still-shaken child in his arms: "Those who are still breathing have all left. But Brother Chu is still inside!"

Jie An raised his head silently, his gaze piercing through the flames to the top floor where the fire was most intense. Two long shadows flickered and intertwined in the fire, like nobles clashing in a duel, or demons dancing in hell.

The 17th floor, about to burn down, was ablaze with the glint of blades. The incredibly swift blades intertwined to form an impenetrable net, at the center of which Du Muyan brandished his rock blade in defense.

Such a net of blades defied common sense in close combat, because even the fastest swordsman could only wield two hands and two swords, at most creating a prison for a few seconds within the blade's reach. But Chu Hengkong was clearly someone completely detached from common sense; he wielded the swords with his tentacles like chains, combining the range of a whip with the sharpness of a blade, leaving even a powerful swordsman like Yan unable to gain an inch for a time.

Chu Hengkong knew this was just a stopgap measure. Yan couldn't get out, and he couldn't get in either. Yan was in a defensive position, which saved him some energy, but he also had the light armor to help him recover his strength. Neither side could really defeat the other. If it weren't for his injured right hand that prevented him from holding a knife, he wouldn't be fighting this pointless war of attrition. The raging fire was constantly eroding his movable area, and his lungs were already aching from the smoke.

If the fighting continues like this, both sides will perish in the flames.

Yan clearly realized this as well, and looked into Chu Hengkong's eyes through the glint of the blade.

"You should leave, Detective Chu. A man like you doesn't need to die here in vain."

"Are you going to summon monsters after you leave?" Chu Hengkong's eyes lit up. "That's not called retreat, that's called running away. In a battle between martial artists, it's better to die than to run away!"

Yan was stunned. He hadn't expected the other party to see him as a martial artist. In his eyes, this was a final battle to die for the club, while in the other's eyes, it was both the detective's responsibility and a martial artist's commitment. Duels between martial artists had nothing to do with morality or profession; men who prided themselves on their swords would fight to the death when they met.

"Then let's settle this once and for all," Du Muyan said, holding his knife in both hands. "It's a fight to the death!"

A burning wooden beam crashed down between the two, forcing Chu Hengkong's tentacle blade net to a halt. Taking advantage of this opportunity, Du Muyan leaped into the air, stepping on the burning beam and launching a deadly uppercut like a suicide soldier.

Rock's single-edged sword was as rough as mountain rock, and the skillful handling of the blade made it incredibly heavy. Such an attack was impossible to block; even ordinary relic weapons would break, and dodging would only expose an opening. Therefore, Chu Hengkong did not attempt to block it. He stepped forward to meet the blade's edge, letting Rock's sword slice through his light armor and cut into his muscle.

Dragon Township Boxing Techniques - Immovable.

In the instant before the blow, Chu Hengkong shifted an inch to protect his vitals. The powerful force from the rock blade was transmitted through his twisting muscles, converging on the simultaneously retracting tentacles. Amidst splattering blood, Chu Hengkong bent down and swung his blade, a resolute strike breaking through the suit-clad man's defenses and cleaving Du Muyan's abdomen!
This was a tactic of exchanging injury for injury; both sides knew that a prolonged battle would not yield a victor, so they both entrusted their lives to the blade. Du Muyan tightened his abdominal muscles to seal the wound, and he swung a very small slash at Chu Hengkong's wrist. Chu Hengkong alertly withdrew his hand to defend, but Yan's sword merely brushed through the air before smoothly sheathing itself. This was a feint to mislead. Seeing that Chu Hengkong had not died from the vertical slash, Yan realized that another strike would not be decisive. Yan chose to use this opportunity to sheath his sword; he was about to unleash the Iaijutsu that would break through the water flag.

Du Muyan slightly lowered his knees, his thumb lightly touching the hilt of his sword. At this moment, his mind, body, and technique merged into one, all for the sake of unleashing the strongest sword strike of the Steel Edge Style. At this moment, Chu Hengkong took a step forward with a powerful stomp, his aura as deep and resonant as an iron mountain lean, the force originating from his taut palm. His palm struck the hilt of the sword, forcing the outstretched rock blade back into its sheath.

I can’t leave the house!

Chu Hengkong changed his palm into a claw, his little finger pointing towards Yan's wrist. Yan's right hand suddenly loosened its grip; this point seemed to possess a magical power controlling his hand, precisely the fundamental acupoint striking technique of the Dragon Township Fist. Chu Hengkong slashed with his left arm, his tentacle blade flashing, while simultaneously clenching his fist to snatch the blade, the rough rock blade being directly pulled from its sheath.

A swordsman cannot be without a weapon; fighting bare-handed only leads to death. Seeing his weapon lost, Du Muyan decisively clapped his hands together and struck the blade. His petrified hand withstood the blow, managing to pull the white sword from the tentacle.

Disarming an opponent barehanded, also known as taking a knife without a blade, was a quick and ingenious move that barely restored balance to the game, with both sides enduring the pain and creating distance between them. Du Muyan sheathed Chu Hengkong's blade, and Chu Hengkong gripped the sword with both hands, waiting for his chance. Both were seriously injured, and the next strike would determine the victor.

The flames pressed in relentlessly, shrinking the battlefield outside the inferno every moment. The ceiling groaned under the weight, and a cluster of ash fell silently. In that instant, Chu Hengkong struck first, choosing a desperate, all-or-nothing vertical slash!

Du Muyan drew his sword almost simultaneously, the gleaming blade slicing through the ashes, but unlike the previous bold, unrestrained strokes, it was now converging into a single, needle-like line. His Iaijutsu was also a vertical slash, the compressed power resonating within the blade, causing a thunderous roar as it was drawn.

Steel Edge Style - No Return Strike!

This is the true art of striking first after being struck later, the club's greatest trump card. No matter how powerful the strike, it is useless against this one, for the shockwave shatters all restraints upon impact, even the enemy's blade. Only a concentrated, vertical slash like Iaijutsu can fully unleash its power; even Ji Huaisu's sword and shield cannot stop it.

The two swords clashed in mid-air, the recoil instantly generating a powerful force that surged into Chu Hengkong's palm... but his sword did not shatter! The arc of his sword suddenly deflected during the clash, as if a swallow were spreading its wings at sunset, bathed in light and drawing an extremely eerie circle.

The force of the impact deflected the blade from its original trajectory, thus avoiding a fatal annihilation. It slashed diagonally into the rock's body, cleaving through its heart!
Their figures clashed as metal struck the ground with a loud crash. Chu Hengkong could no longer grip his knife; the force of the blow exploded within his arm, nearly crippling his right hand. He barely managed to grab the rock knife with his tentacle and turn to defend himself, not allowing himself a moment to relax, for these monsters in the club only revealed their true forms after being severely wounded.

Du Muyan knelt on the ground, still clutching the knife tightly in his hand.

"Excellent swordsmanship," the man exclaimed.

Only then did his calm voice sound weak. He could no longer suppress his injuries; his clenched muscles relaxed, and his internal organs spilled out of his abdomen. Hot blood dripped from the fatal wound, as red as human blood.

Chu Hengkong was stunned.

"You are not a victim."

"I'm not."

Du Muyan turned his head and smiled slightly.

What's so strange about people not wanting to be monsters?

He collapsed to the ground, his lifeless body falling into the fire.

(End of this chapter)