Wielding the sword with one hand, she unleashed even greater power than with two! In clashes of swords and halberds, she no longer solely relied on the sword for attack. Her free left hand and both feet became weapons no weaker than blades. Fists, kicks, fingers, claws, she even used her sword to kick up dirt and sand, imbued with magical energy, to interfere with Anhalt. Despite having lost her reason, she displayed unparalleled combat artistry!
"Ugh... Ahh—!"
While seemingly conscious, her movements and aura were entirely that of a frenzied beast. If she had lost her reason due to madness, then what was with this combat awareness and martial skill that had advanced so tremendously compared to when she was rational?!
Anhalt felt as if he had truly seen a ghost today. This seemingly insane human girl before him was even more bizarre than any Ancestor of the Dead Apostles he had ever encountered.
"Ping! Ping! Ping..."
Rin, mad yet skillful, wielded the demonic Holy Sword with a tide-like momentum! Each strike was heavier than the last. Even Anhalt, the Ancestor of the Dead Apostles, was now completely suppressed. Unable to recover in time, he was struck in the chest by Rin's fist, directly sent flying backward, breaking three towering giant trees before finally stopping.
At this moment, the Avenging Knight, who hadn't been so utterly outmatched in close-quarters combat for who knows how long, finally erupted in fury! The "Sword of Vengeance" in his hand was fully unleashed. In an instant, black demonic energy enveloped the entire greatsword, then spread throughout his body. A monstrous aura of death erupted like a dormant volcano!
Although Anhalt was among the Twenty-Seven Ancestors, his heart remained on the human side. At the same time, half of his body was still human. So, the moment the power of the demonic sword belonging to a Dead Apostle was fully unleashed, his still-human right hand immediately suffered severe damage, turning a putrid black.
However, this pain was nothing to the Avenging Knight, renowned for his willpower. Completely ignoring the erosion of the demonic energy, the greatsword descended like a mountain, heavily cleaving down towards Rin, who was once again in pursuit... Boom!
Centered on him, the ground for dozens of meters around suddenly sank. An irresistible aura swept out, and in an instant, the sudden immense pressure forced Rin to one knee.
Crack! Crack! Crack... The fully unleashed Avenging Knight's immense power completely suppressed Rin. Kneeling on one knee, the girl gritted her teeth, holding her sword horizontally above her head, desperately blocking the opponent's attack. However, it was clearly extremely strenuous; her arm trembled slightly, and the clashing blades emitted a series of piercing sounds, as if the sword was wailing!
"Ah ah ah ah!!!!!"
The furious roar was like raging waves. At this moment, Rin, at a disadvantage, was like a tyrannosaurus rex trapped in chains, unleashing all her power in a desperate counterattack. The magical energy burning like flames on her body suddenly truly transformed into dazzling white flames! The crimson flames burned with a prairie-fire momentum, surging upwards along the blade. She roared madly!
Facing such a blaze, Anhalt, who still retained part of his human body, naturally dared not make contact easily. Moreover, it was not ordinary fire. In his current state, merely enduring the erosion of demonic energy was one thing, but if he were to be burned by these flames, it would be dangerous.
Anhalt retracted his sword and retreated without hesitation.
"She can still use magic?!" Altrouge, behind Rin, looked at Rin with eyes like she was a monster. Moreover, the white flames that had suddenly erupted centered on Rin were controlled so perfectly that they didn't harm her in the slightest.
To be able to release magic at the eleventh hour for a desperate counterattack, even while her reason was completely submerged in a state of battle-induced madness, could only mean that Rin's current state, though seemingly insane, was actually bringing forth all her inherent combat potential, including her magic as a Magus.
At this moment, Anhalt, the Eighteenth Ancestor of the Dead Apostles, who had retreated to a distance, had already activated and erupted with Dead Qi Awakening. Having awakened the Demonic Sword in his hand, he was no longer eager to attack and win. Instead, he spoke with full vigilance: "Black Princess, although I don't know where you found such a strange human girl, it's a pity, you are still going to die here."
"Unknown maiden, your resolve and fighting spirit impress me. I don't know how long it's been since an enemy could fight me with blades and swords so enjoyably. Although it feels like an unfair victory, I have seen through your weakness!"
At this point, Anhalt twisted the Avenging Knight in his hand. The Demonic Sword, imbued with endless Dead Qi and Mana, was held in a reverse grip and plunged into the ground beneath his feet!
"Stop him!"
Without waiting for Altrouge's reminder, Rin had already moved a step ahead. However, Rin's movement speed was greatly hindered by her inability to lift both feet off the ground simultaneously. No matter how fast she ran, she still couldn't prevent the roaring Avenging Knight from plunging into the ground!
In the face of life-or-death crisis, the berserk Rin disregarded everything else. She rapidly flew closer to Anhalt, pouring all her Mana, energy, and strength into the "Avalon." The projected demonic holy sword instantly grew ten meters long! It slashed towards the Avenging Knight with the force to cleave mountains and sever rivers!
Boom!!!
A powerful explosion, shaking the entire shared domain, occurred as Dead Qi and Mana reacted violently, like a strong chemical reaction. A giant pit, hundreds of meters in diameter, was exposed bare under the sky.
"Pfft."
Rin's figure fell from the air, collapsing directly onto the mud on her back. Her exquisite, jade-like body was covered in countless cracks, with blood seeping from them. Soon, the ground beneath Rin turned into a bloody mire.
Anhalt's full-power strike just now had blasted all the land within a hundred-meter radius into the sky. Rin, standing in that domain, was no exception and was also sent flying into the air, away from the earth. Deprived of the earth's blessings, Rin's body instantly began to collapse under the high-overload Mana Burst, with her Mana spiraling out of control.
Rin was now like a jade beauty slowly cracking and shattering. Not only her body surface but also her internal tissues, bones, and organs were gradually developing cracks, slowly progressing towards collapse, and the cracks on her skin surface were also deepening.
Altrouge, who had separated from Rin in mid-air, ran over from the side. Her long, golden, furry ahoge on her head swayed incessantly. The ahoge loli frowned as she looked at Rin, "You look very bad."
"Yes..." It was a miracle that she could still speak, "If no miracle happens, I will probably slowly shatter into pieces like this." Rin's voice was very calm, as if she had seen through the cycles of life and death.
"How is that guy?" Rin asked.
"Fortunately, his situation is very bad." Altrouge looked at Anhalt, who was half-kneeling motionless in the distance, and replied.
At the moment Rin was blasted into the sky, the giant Mana greatsword also struck Anhalt. Starting from his ribs, the left half of his body directly dissipated into nothingness under Rin's sword. It seemed that Rin had won, but in reality, such injuries could not kill an Ancestor of the Dead Apostles. Anhalt's body was reorganizing and recovering at a visible speed.
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