Chapter 1073 Frost Shuriken

The countdown ended, and the barrier disappeared.

Atobe's bizarre tactics… were finally here.

He naturally knew that he had no chance of winning against these two in a normal fight, so he didn't hesitate to use his ultimate move from the start.

"All realms of the six worlds, search for lapis lazuli… Sumi Sōkyoku!"

As Atobe chanted the "release phrase," the weapon in his hand—a pure white giant folding fan—burst forth with astonishing energy.

In that instant, a biting chill rapidly spread out from him, covering an area of several miles in the blink of an eye.

Seeing this, Honghu's expression also changed, and he recited while pulling back his bow and arrow, "Could this be… a Zanpakuto?"

As soon as he finished speaking, a light arrow for testing the waters shot out, accurately flying towards Kuroshirohai, who was hiding behind Atobe.

Unexpectedly… this arrow disappeared in mid-air before it even flew five meters; the way the light arrow dissipated made it clear that it had been neutralized by some other energy.

"Oh? It can even do something like that?" Honghu was indeed a little surprised, because according to the information he had, whether it was in terms of energy intensity or the skill of using energy… Atobe had not yet reached the level of "being able to create a protective qi wall or domain."

"Hey, hey… don't space out…" Just as Honghu was pondering, Wasted Uncle beside him suddenly reached out and tugged at his shoulder, pulling him backward as he spoke.

"Hmm?" Two seconds later, Honghu, already in mid-air, belatedly and astonishingly discovered… that the parts of his feet below his ankles were already covered in a layer of frost when he left the ground.

"The current Atobe is not an opponent you can afford to be distracted against…" Although Wasted Uncle usually looked like a slacker, at this moment, his reaction speed was a step faster than Honghu's, "If the situation from just now… happens a second time, I might not be able to save you in time."

"Ah… sorry." Honghu also put on a solemn expression at this moment, "There won't be a next time…"

As he spoke, he had already activated his spiritual energy, gathered it at his feet, and shattered the frost with a touch.

At the same time, the two remaining [Hyotei] members on the ground… had also launched their next move.

In these few seconds, Atobe had created a three-centimeter-thick, more than two-meter-long and wide, standing "ice board" in front of him.

And Kuroshirohai, had summoned a strange woman wearing a sixteenth-century European red dress, with a pale face and blood seeping from her seven orifices… Just from her appearance, one could guess that this summon was not good at "fighting," but possessed some kind of "special ability."

"Honghu Honghu Honghu!" Suddenly, Kuroshirohai recited Honghu's name three times in rapid succession.

As the last "Hu" was uttered, Honghu, who was far away, was passively teleported to the front of the ice board created by Atobe.

"Wh…" This time, Honghu was not just "surprised," it would not be an exaggeration to describe it as "scared half to death"… He only managed to utter one word before a bone-chilling coldness swept through his entire body along with the fear. When he calmed down and looked down, the ice board that served as a "mirror" had already decomposed, reorganized, and frozen his body.

"Got you!" The next second, Atobe's shout arrived, and the "blade" of the giant fan in his hand… also slashed down diagonally at Honghu's neck like a lightning-shaped strange blade.

This series of continuous actions was so strange and abrupt that Honghu was caught completely off guard.

First, Atobe activated his "high-cost" Soul Intent [Weapon Spirit Fusion], sacrificing his main weapon (a legendary fan-shaped weapon) as a price to summon the Bankai form of his own spirit weapon—[Sumi Sōkyoku] (the stronger the sacrificed weapon, the stronger the Bankai's effect).

In this state, Atobe's reiatsu (energy) would explode to a level that even a master of the "Drunk Life Dream Death" level could not reach; combined with the frost effect of [Sumi Sōkyoku], he could freely manipulate the diffused chill around him, freezing any nearby target in a very short time, or even freezing the air.

In addition, Kuroshirohai's summoned "stand"—[Bloody Mary], was also a strange move.

[Name: Summoning Art - Bloody Mary (Stand Type)]

[Skill Card Attribute: Active Skill, Permanently Learned]

[Skill Category: Summoning]

[Effect: Summons a Bloody Mary (Stand-type summons can be summoned or dismissed at any time, with no cooldown, duration based on "Endurance", non-plural Stands cannot be multi-summoned)]

[Stand Ability Values: Destructive Power e, Speed e, Range C, Endurance A, Precision d, Growth d]

[Stand Ability: When Bloody Mary materializes, as long as her user says the name of a character three times in front of any mirror, that character can be instantly teleported to in front of the mirror (the summoned party and the summoning party must be in the same universe, and both parties must have "seen with their own eyes" each other within twelve hours; if the same name appears, the target with the same name who was seen first within twelve hours is summoned first)]

[Consumption: Concentrate to summon]

[Learning Conditions: Unlock Summoning and Spiritual Arts Specialization; pierced or damaged by "Arrow"; implanted with the Stand "disC"; has been to the "Devil's Palm" area; has equipped "Saint's Remains"]

[Note: This countess possesses an unbelievable enchanting appearance, an intelligent mind, and an arrogant and cold temperament; for a long time, she was regarded as one of the most beautiful women in Hungary.

At a very young age, the countess showed a tendency towards violence and sadism; when she grew up, she enjoyed torturing beautiful maids and young girls from common families; in middle age, the countess finally began to study black magic and witchcraft, trying to use the blood of virgins to keep herself young forever.

Cruel massacres were constantly staged in her castle, like a hell on earth.

Her atrocities lasted for decades, directly causing the deaths of hundreds of people, and even her noble status could no longer protect her…

She was sentenced to spend the rest of her life without ever leaving her castle; when the stonemasons sealed all the doors and windows of her residence, her castle became a huge, dark tomb.

But until the end, she never admitted her guilt, nor did she express any remorse for what she had done.]

In terms of Stand ability values, [Bloody Mary]'s "six stats" are not presentable at all, but it has an effect that can be called a law of causality skill… and it was this effect that pushed Honghu to this point of certain death.

"Tch…" Even Wasted Uncle in the distance could only click his tongue in that second, thinking… "Honghu is probably hopeless this time."

But!

Honghu himself, has not given up… Even if it is certain death, he must seek life from death.

Kacha Kacha Kacha—

In that instant, only the sound of shattering ice could be heard, and when Atobe's attack slashed down… all it swept through was shattered ice.

"Where do you think you're going!" Although Atobe missed the attack, he did not lose his target. He knew exactly what Honghu had done and where he had escaped to… so he immediately snorted and chased after him.

"I didn't plan to run…" Honghu replied as his figure flashed to the side of Kuroshirohai.

At this moment, what he held in his hand was not a light bow, but a short, flat light blade; as for what he was going to do, it was also clear at a glance… Since he had already used a self-harming move like [Ransō Tengai], he might as well risk his life…

"Damn it…" When Atobe saw Honghu's movements, he immediately cursed inwardly, because he had roughly determined that… his teammate was about to die.

Honghu, who had activated [Ransō Tengai], had his body completely controlled by the "strings" composed of spiritual particles, like a puppet being forcibly pulled… This not only greatly increased his speed and strength, but also allowed him to make some movements that normal force could not make.

Just now, it was with the help of this skill that Honghu broke free from the ice shackles and avoided Atobe's sure-kill strike.

Of course, this method of "pulling yourself like a puppet to fight" comes at a price…

Because the body is completely handed over to spiritual particle control, the body will continue to be in a state of complete exhaustion; under this premise, Honghu's fast and strong movements that violate the laws of human movement can easily break his bones, tear his tendons, and even damage his blood vessels and nerves…

In other words, every swift and powerful movement he made… was equivalent to self-harm.

However, Honghu believed that it was worth it.

Right now, he must stay in this state in order to move around near Atobe, who had activated Bankai, otherwise… with his original physical skills, he would be trapped by the cold air in the air within five seconds and gradually frozen.

Since there was no other choice, Honghu would use this skill until he died, and before he died, he must take someone down with him…

Perhaps Kuroshirohai could escape from and maneuver around Honghu in his normal state, but in front of the current Honghu, there was really no room for resistance… All she could rely on was her health and defense, but unfortunately that didn't allow her to last even two seconds.

Two seconds later, Atobe, who had caught up, kicked Honghu in the waist, but it was too late… Kuroshirohai had already fallen when Honghu was kicked away.

"Damn it…" Seeing that he had failed to save his teammate, Atobe gritted his teeth and muttered, stomping his foot and chasing after him with all his might.

"Stop struggling, our victory has already been determined." With [Ransō Tengai] on his body, Honghu could freely change his posture and even direction in mid-air even if he was kicked away. While accelerating his escape, he said to Atobe in a tone of certainty, "I know you are greatly strengthened at this moment and have a lot of confidence, but the reality is… even if I die, with your current combat power, the chances of winning against Wasted Uncle in a one-on-one fight are very slim…"

"How would I know without trying!" Atobe agreed with the other party in his heart, but he would definitely not admit defeat.

"You can know without trying, right…" Honghu said, as if he remembered something, he smiled and said, "Heh… Brother Atobe, acting crazy won't solve the problem… If you want to learn from my 'nemesis', I still advise you… Feng Bujue isn't really crazy, he is…"

"What did you say?" Atobe interrupted him loudly before he could finish speaking, "Feng Bujue's nemesis is you?" His voice instantly rose an octave, "Bah! It's clearly me, okay? I've had a feud with him since the closed beta! When did you meet him? Do you even qualify to be his nemesis?"

"Ha?" Honghu didn't like hearing this, "What? What kind of statement is that? Is the depth of hatred only measured by the length of time? Besides, you and him are not the same type of player at all, okay? How can you be rivals?"

"Nonsense! Does a nemesis have to be the same type?" Atobe was also unconvinced, "Sakuragi Hanamichi and Rukawa Kaede, Yagami Iori and Kusanagi Kyo, Satoshi and Shigeru, Son Goku and Vegeta… which pair is the same type?"

…………

At the same time that the two were arguing and chasing each other, in the conference room of [Hell Front]…

"These two idiots… just fight… why drag me into it…" Feng Bujue supported his cheek with one hand, staring at the screen with dead fish eyes, and cursed weakly.

"I'm also very curious…" At this time, Ruoyu took over his words and asked, "Which of the two do you think is your nemesis?"

"Ha!" Brother Jue gave a dry laugh, turned to look at Ruoyu, and asked, "Did you see my expression?"

"I saw it… sorry, I can't hit you every time I see it." Ruoyu's ability to complain is quite promising now, the subtext of her words is roughly—your expression is as cheap as ever.

"Ah—" Feng Bujue let out a long breath from his throat, squinted his eyes, and pointed at the screen with his fingers, "Then did you see their expressions?"

"The expression of two men being jealous for another man… what does that mean?" Ruoyu also squinted her eyes and replied.

As soon as these words were said, everyone else in the conference room burst out laughing.

"What I mean is…" Brother Jue supported his forehead and continued, "I don't bother with them at all… If they want to find a nemesis, they can get together and be each other's."

…………

At the same time, in the [Order] conference room.

"Ha! Hahahaha…" Gui Xiao, who was originally sitting there watching the game, inexplicably crossed his hands in front of his chest, put his legs on the table, and looked at the big screen… letting out a series of barbell-like laughter.

"Hey, hey, what's wrong with you?" Ye Zhi, who was sitting next to him, slapped him on the head with one hand when she saw this scene, "What's wrong with you? Do you want to go to public relations for another month of basic etiquette training?"

After being scolded by the team leader, Gui Xiao immediately became honest. He curled his lips, straightened his sitting posture, and muttered in a low voice, "Uh… I'm just a little upset…" He raised his eyes and looked at the live broadcast screen again, "Feng Bujue's nemesis should obviously be me!"

"What nemesis? There must be a limit to being a chuunibyou." Unexpectedly, Sister Ye Zhi immediately put on a disgusted face and said to Gui Xiao in the tone of a head teacher training a child, "Look at those two guys… they're several decades old, and they open their mouths and shut their mouths with nemesis, and they like to shout out the names of their moves when they fight (one is a studio boss, and one hasn't signed with a studio, so it can be seen that they shout out the names of their moves not because they are required to, but because they are willing to), needless to say… they definitely don't have girlfriends, do you want to become like them in a few years?"

Not to mention Gui Xiao, when they heard these words, Drunk Life Dream Death and Barcode… also collectively became speechless and showed sad expressions…

Especially Chan-ge, he took a deep breath of smoke and drank half a bottle of wine.

"And… even if you have to set yourself a 'lifelong opponent' to urge yourself to improve, why choose Feng Bujue?" But Ye Zhi's lesson was not over, "Is he a good person? What are you competing with him for? A lack of bottom line? You're courting death."

"Um…" Gui Xiao's head was almost lowered to the table, "Sister… you're right, I was wrong… I will definitely draw a clear line with him in the future…"

A second later, the other five people in the room also inexplicably and unanimously expressed their position: "We will also draw a clear line with him…"

…………

Getting back to the main topic…

At this time, on the battlefield, the argument and chase between Atobe and Honghu had not yet ended, and Wasted Uncle had already killed his way back.

Since the situation had changed, Atobe, who was one against two, had to change his moves first.

In an instant, Atobe urged his spiritual pressure, raised [Sumi Sōkyoku], and swept towards where Honghu was with a move [Ice Dragon Spinning Tail - Absolute Sky]…

This skill consumes a lot; the effect is naturally not ambiguous… In the blink of an eye, the direction pointed by his fan blade turned into a large piece of frozen land, and Honghu's body was also frozen on the ice.

After hesitating for a second, Honghu still chose to take a gamble and try to break free with [Ransō Tengai], but… this time, he failed to withstand the damage caused by "forcibly pulling"; when Atobe killed him, Honghu died due to the damage of his own skills.

And Atobe, obviously foresaw the possibility of this situation… Therefore, as soon as he saw Honghu die, he did not hesitate for a moment, he stopped abruptly and launched a counterattack.

This change of move came suddenly, and it came quickly and powerfully… But, I have said more than once that at this critical moment, Wasted Uncle's reaction is extremely fast; facing Atobe's counterattack, he charged forward and rolled, and with a slash of his foot, he used the flip-flops wrapped in fighting spirit on his feet to block the fan blade that the enemy swept back.

"He's really strong…" Even standing on the position of the opponent, Atobe had to admire the strength of Wasted Uncle; whether it was physical skills, energy, or adaptability… Wasted Uncle was a level higher than him… Honghu's sentence "the chances are slim" was not bluffing.

"But… I'm not without a solution now…" While Atobe was thinking, he used the recoil after the two sides fought each other to lean back and fly away, retreating rapidly.

He retreated, and Wasted Uncle chased; the chase was not because of recklessness, but because Wasted Uncle knew—in a battle with the current Atobe, he could not "rest" or "wait".

Because the ability of "ice" is really too superior… Once Wasted Uncle stopped, the effect of "freezing" would follow like a shadow, so the battle must be carried out in this state of "constant movement"; and this state is definitely a huge test of physical strength. If the battle is dragged into a protracted war, Atobe, who is not affected by the low temperature, will slowly accumulate advantages.

To sum up, it is not Atobe who is anxious now, but Wasted Uncle; as a person with keen combat intuition and tactical thinking, he judged in almost an instant that… "Quick battle and quick decision" was the last chance of victory for himself and even the entire [Wasted Alliance] team.

"Hmm… I can't wait any longer. The current Atobe is already a first-class master. I can't expect him to show a flaw himself and let me release a 'cardboard box kill' or something… If I drag it on, there will be even less chance when he adapts to my speed." During the back-and-forth of the offense and defense, Wasted Uncle's thoughts flashed quickly, "I'll use 'that' here… otherwise, I might not really be able to pass this round…"