The scale of the battle ahead was much larger than the two of them had expected.
It could hardly be called anything other than a chaotic melee.
Seven or eight swordsmen were currently using their own breathing styles to battle four man-eating demons.
Beside them already lay several human corpses with no life left in them.
The panels of the demons entered Xiaxi's sight.
[Lanpu ???][Power Level: 43 (Body: 36, Skill: 2, Mind: 5)]
[Heavypress ???][Power Level: 41 (Body: 28, Skill: 9, Mind: 4)]
[Soil-Hanging Blade ???][Power Level: 62 (Body: 25, Skill: 31, Mind: 6)]
[Rot ???][Power Level: 51 (Body: 20, Skill: 25, Mind: 6)]
These trash mobs could actually coordinate with each other?
Could it be that he had already cleared out the weaker monsters, leaving only the ones with at least some ability?
There were many swordsmen taking the selection, but their stats held no advantage.
On top of that, these demons had probably known one another for years. Their teamwork and coordination were obviously far beyond what swordsmen who had only met in the last two days could match.
Clearly, if Xiaxi did not step in, it would only be a matter of time before these friendly NPCs were wiped out.
"You two over there—run!"
One swordsman spotted Xiaxi and even squeezed out enough time in the middle of combat to shout a warning.
Xiaxi glanced at him.
A Rock Breathing user.
His Breathing skill was only Lv.1, not even on par with the Seiko beside Xiaxi.
After these last few days of high-intensity demon encounters at Xiaxi's side, Persimmon-chan's Breathing had already leveled up.
"Persimmon, the short one is yours. Same drill as usual."
Cripple it, and he would take the kill.
The girl nodded.
Turning into a blur, she rushed toward the shortest demon, expressionless.
[Yukihashi Seiko (Power Level: 31)] [Water Breathing Lv.2]
[Heavypress ??? (Power Level: 41, Body: 28, Skill: 9, Mind: 4)]
The gap was not especially large.
In fact, because of Breathing, swordsmen could draw out far more power than their raw stat panels suggested.
Not to mention that these demons fought with absolutely no finesse, relying only on brute physical ability.
Then Xiaxi raised his sword and looked toward the swordsmen who were already locked in combat.
The endless crashing of waves.
The bold, burning blaze of fire.
The lightning-like bursts of speed and piercing rushes.
The wildly sweeping, violent gale.
The steadiness of something that could split mountains and shake the earth.
Though all still only rudimentary, they were enough for Xiaxi to catch the characteristics of the Five Major Breathing styles and a hint of the sword intent behind each.
Hmm...
The special effects were a little too dazzling.
Xiaxi silently selected [Turn Off Breathing Effects].
In an instant, the battle remained just as intense. Blades still clashed, demons still lunged, sparks still flew.
But the gorgeous effects of flowing water, lightning, and flames were gone.
Yeah. This was much easier on the eyes.
Wind Breathing
First Form: Dust Whirlwind Cutter
Sword light crisscrossed as Xiaxi slammed into the battlefield like a freight truck in motion.
"The newcomer—"
One swordsman, caught between anger and gratitude, started to speak.
The intention was good, but against four such powerful demons, what difference would another life make except becoming one more corpse?
And then he saw it.
The blue demon with its chest caved in as it was blasted flying,
and the other two demons carved open with huge wounds.
And it was not over yet.
After crashing into the battlefield, Xiaxi immediately launched into the next form.
Eighth Form: Primary Gale Slash
A spinning cut.
A huge, perfected spinning slash.
It forced back the strongest demon while simultaneously taking the head off another whose reaction was half a beat too slow.
Just two moves.
One demon critically wounded.
One demon killed outright.
So, so strong!
Hope rekindled in the eyes of several swordsmen who had already been close to despair.
Meanwhile, Xiaxi was savoring that last strike.
Wind Breathing at Lv.3 was already on a completely different level from Lv.2.
Speed.
Precision.
Both had risen enormously.
And with his increased base attributes, that became a qualitative transformation.
If it were yesterday's version of himself facing these three high-stat demons at once, he would probably have needed to be more careful and pick them off one by one.
But now?
He had room to spare. All he needed to do was charge straight in.
"Everyone, together! It's time to avenge the people who just died!" one swordsman shouted in excitement.
What he got in return was not a demon's counterattack,
but a warning from Xiaxi:
"Don't interfere. They're my prey."
The swordsman's face went blank.
Huh?
You're saying you want to solo them?
Sure, all of us hate these man-eating demons beyond coexistence, but isn't your grudge level a little excessive?
Ignoring the stunned looks of the surrounding swordsmen, Xiaxi looked at the two remaining demons and grinned.
"Perfect. I'll use you two to test out my upgraded blade."
"Anyway, you demons don't feel pain, right?"
Both demons and swordsmen shivered at once.
Xiaxi, however, did not care in the slightest. Raising his sword, he rushed the remaining two demons.
"Don't look down on me!" roared Soil-Hanging Blade, whose power level reached a full 62, charging directly at Xiaxi.
A few breaths later—
[Proficiency +41]
[Proficiency +83]
[Proficiency +101]
And after Xiaxi severed the demons' heads, Seiko's battle on the other side had also nearly come to its end.
She hacked off the limbs of the already heavily wounded demon.
Seiko did not decapitate it on the spot. Instead, she quietly drew back her Nichirin Blade and looked toward the boy.
"You little bitch! If I hadn't slipped up, how could I have lost to you?! If you've got the guts, come again!"
The demon shrieked as it struggled to regenerate its limbs.
Then it noticed a shadow falling over it.
When it saw Xiaxi's face clearly, it finally realized that all its comrades had already been exterminated, and real panic entered its eyes.
But before it could say anything,
the cold gleam of the Nichirin Blade had already swallowed it whole.
If you're weak, then train. Stop yapping.
What did it matter if your stats were higher than Persimmon-chan's? Did you not understand what a noble skill multiplier zone was?
[Proficiency +25]
[Wind Breathing Lv.3 (263/2000)]
Only after there was no demon left standing on the field did the other swordsmen finally relax.
They all collapsed to the ground.
"We survived..."
"A narrow escape. A true narrow escape..."
"That kid is so strong..."
Seiko also stepped closer and whispered quietly into Xiaxi's ear, "Now all the other swordsmen of our batch owe you a huge favor."
The warm breath brushing his ear made it itch a little.
The boy turned to look at Seiko. "What can that favor do?"
Seiko rolled her eyes at him, then touched her chin and seriously considered it. "For someone like Xiaxi-kun... maybe you could ask them about their experience with other Breathing styles?"
Oh?
Only now did Xiaxi become interested. He walked over to a somewhat skinny swordsman and held out his right hand.
"Jiuche Xiaxi. Nice to meet you?"
"Huh?" The swordsman looked confused as he took the hand, then was yanked to his feet. "I'm Hedao Shota. Um... thank you for saving us."
"If you want to repay me, once you've rested up, show me a few sets of Flame Breathing."
"Huh?!"
Inwardly, Shota added another tag to the boy before him:
[Strange Guy]
A [Strong], [Straightforward] strange guy.
Before he could even agree, Xiaxi's gaze had already shifted past him.
"There's still one straggler left."
[Rustbite Maru ???] [Power Level: 49 (Body: 25, Skill: 19, Mind: 5)] [Blood Demon Art...]
In the shadow of a tree trunk, a lean, masked man-eating demon crouched silently in the corner, watching the group.
Its aura was not especially strong, but it felt strange.
Even after seeing all its companions killed, it still did not flee, and instead looked almost eager to try something.
But weren't its stats a good chunk lower than the last demon?
Almost the instant Xiaxi spoke, Seiko at his side moved.
Water Breathing
First Form: Water Surface Slash
Though the flowing-water effect was invisible, the sharp cut itself still landed cleanly on the demon's left arm.
Got him.
That was what Seiko thought—
until she realized the feedback in the sword hilt felt wrong.
She looked down at the Nichirin Blade in her hands.
The blade that had been perfectly sharp only moments ago was now reduced to half its length.
The broken edge was coated in jagged, dark brown rust.
The blade broke?!
"You don't actually think you landed a hit, do you?"
Looking at the girl swordsman right in front of it, the demon's face twisted into grotesque excitement.
Taking advantage of Seiko's moment of shock, it slashed downward with its claws.
Blood sprayed.
But what broke was not Seiko's head.
It was the demon's arm.
And the other half of the Nichirin Blade flying into the air.
Xiaxi.
He had arrived in time at the critical moment and successfully cut off the demon's arm.
But his own Nichirin Blade, just like Seiko's, also broke as sudden rust spread across it.
Xiaxi raised an eyebrow.
This was definitely not the sword's problem.
His Nichirin Blade might not have been brand new, fresh from the forge, but it was nowhere near rusting apart on its own.
If it was not the blade's problem, then naturally it was the demon before him.
"Oh? So you noticed."
Though thin as a skeleton, the demon laughed with outrageous arrogance.
"But even if you noticed, what of it?"
"I can regenerate endlessly, while you only have one sword."
Fresh buds of flesh were already sprouting from the still-bleeding stump of its severed arm, visibly restoring it.
Meanwhile, Xiaxi was left holding only a broken sword.
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