Volume Two: The Devil's Game, Chapter 52: The Original Shortcoming

Struck by the Western-style sword, Lu Yi immediately retreated several steps. Fortunately, Lu Yi was no longer the man he once was; thanks to his accidental status as a Demon King, his Demon Eyes had become exceptionally active, continuously performing energy conversions. Even though he had lost some energy, he did not find himself in the dire straits he had experienced before.

Scanning the three people surrounding him, he immediately saw strands of energy fluctuations connecting Tan Weiwei and the others. Lu Yi pondered for a moment, and his expression shifted. He realized he was trapped in the center of a triangle formed by the trio. Linking this to those energy threads, a sense of foreboding grew within him.

The reality quickly confirmed his fears. As Tan Weiwei raised her sword, a beam of light shot out from it. Deng Yuqi and Liang Feisong followed suit, raising their staff and crystal sword, respectively, and two more beams erupted simultaneously. The three beams converged above Lu Yi’s head, and he felt a pressure similar to the "must-kill" techniques of the Warden bearing down on him. In an instant, he found it incredibly difficult even to move his fingers.

"Strike!" Tan Weiwei and the others shouted in unison, pressing down with their weapons.

Lu Yi struggled to reach out, intending to retrieve the flower, and suddenly understood the purpose of this immense pressure. Clearly, the Warden knew about this powerful defensive item and was using the pressure to restrict his movements. Lu Yi had indeed been afraid to place the flower into his temporary space, and he had been outmaneuvered by this tactic.

Although his actions were restricted, it did not mean Lu Yi was helpless. For instance, he could fully erupt the energy within his body, which would make breaking the pressure and dodging the attack a simple matter. However, Lu Yi chose another path. The hexagram in his eyes rotated slowly, and he turned his gaze toward Tan Weiwei.

"Hmm?" Tan Weiwei looked puzzled. Lu Yi’s expression was calm—there was no despair of a dying man, nor was there any visible confidence. Yet, in the next moment, Tan Weiwei’s face twitched, and she collapsed.

The pressure enveloping Lu Yi vanished instantly. He lunged forward just as the two beams of light intersected at his previous position. He happened to be in the gap between them, and as the beams struck the ground, a massive cloud of dust billowed up.

Just as Lu Yi intended to charge out of the encirclement, Tan Weiwei stood up, clutching her head. She waved her right hand, and the Western-style sword reappeared. "So that’s it. That was my own mental attack; you stored it and released it just now."

Tan Weiwei shook her head. "No wonder your expression changed so drastically when I mentioned I had three finishing moves. After I used the mental attack, you became unconcerned—it was because you had stored my attack to use against me. If the third move had been a water-based one, it wouldn't have hurt you, and if it were a mental one, you could use my own attack to cancel it out. That explains why you were so unfazed."

"I can't believe you woke up so quickly," Lu Yi said, staring at her in disbelief.

Tan Weiwei brushed the dirt off her clothes. "That was close. It seems that in order to store my attack, you had to leak some of its power. If it had been the full force, the host body would have died, and I wouldn't be able to use this strange skill. If it had been any weaker, she might have awakened further, rendering my preparations useless."

Tan Weiwei flashed a brilliant smile. "Not too much, not too little. Thank you, Lu Yi."

Lu Yi felt a sense of dread; it seemed his attack had actually aided the Warden.

"You see, her ability is quite special. When I use it, it triggers a reaction in her. Before this, she was already showing signs of breaking free from my illusions." Tan Weiwei clapped her hands. "But thanks to your assist, the hidden danger is completely gone. Now, I can truly let loose."

"Let loose?" Lu Yi’s expression shifted. Could it be that what had been displayed so far was not the full extent of Tan Weiwei’s talent?

Under Lu Yi’s gaze, those lights once again enveloped Tan Weiwei, sinking into her body in the blink of an eye. Now, her appearance had changed completely; not only was she wearing a gorgeous gown, but her hairstyle had changed, a crown sat upon her head, and even her facial features had undergone a significant transformation, exuding a noble aura.

"Amazing, isn't it?" Tan Weiwei looked at Lu Yi. "As far as I know, as she continues to tap into her talent, it naturally evolves in this direction." She chuckled lightly. "Pity, though—she has no future left."

Her eyes narrowed into crescents, and she pointed at Lu Yi. "You die first."

After speaking, she retracted her hand and drew a circle in the air. "Then those three. I naturally don't need to use such methods against the other prey. This hunt ends with me right here."

Tan Weiwei pulled the sword with her left hand, causing it to bend slightly. She leaned slowly to the side, her expression turning cold as she swung the blade at Lu Yi. At that moment, Lu Yi clearly saw energy flowing from Liang Feisong and Deng Yuqi into Tan Weiwei. With a sharp ring from the sword, a crescent-shaped wave of light several meters wide flew rapidly toward him.

Lu Yi dodged quickly, but his expression changed again when he felt energy flowing into Liang Feisong. Liang Feisong gripped the crystal sword and slammed it into the ground, causing rocks to rise rapidly from the earth. Lu Yi condensed dark energy to gain leverage, but a massive block of ice suddenly appeared and smashed him to the ground. Lu Yi turned his head and saw the energy flow to Deng Yuqi had just ceased.

Tan Weiwei raised her sword again. Lu Yi’s expression shifted; he still had the massive ice block pinning his back. Even if he shattered it with energy, he would have no chance to stop the combined attack.

Lu Yi suddenly mobilized the energy within him and leaped up, gripping the flower. However, no attack came.

Tan Weiwei looked at Lu Yi with a smug expression. "I naturally knew you would use this flower that can resist attacks."

As she spoke, she held her sword horizontally, and the other two followed suit. Soon, three different magic circles appeared before them. With the emergence of these circles, the energy flows that were previously only visible to the Demon Eyes became tangible. Even without his eyes, Lu Yi could see the three of them connected by currents of energy, with himself trapped in the center.

"Sweetheart Yiyi: The streamer seems to be surrounded by them."
"Feng: It must be some kind of formation or a combo skill."
"Sweetheart Yueyue: Are they really that strong? Why haven't they shown this before?"
"Sweetheart Yiyi: Right? If they had this power, why were they captured by the Warden?"
"Warm-hearted Man: You have to consider who is using the same ability. The Warden is experienced and unconstrained, so naturally, it shows impressive power. As for the others, think about it—besides Lu Yi, who hasn't been humiliated by the Warden?"
"Black Phosphorus Sauce: In this situation, is there any way to break it?"
"Feng: Given the streamer's current strength, unless he uses the Three-Phase Flying Daggers to kill Tan Weiwei, I can't think of any other good way. But he already threw one dagger, so he might not have all three left."
"Sweetheart Yiyi: Then what should he do?"
"Feng: We can only wait and see if the streamer has any hidden trump cards."

Listening to the scrolling comments, Lu Yi frowned. Meanwhile, he was considering a different problem: he needed to control the damage he took while increasing his performance. He was, after all, a certified Demon King. If he only defended and never attacked, appearing completely helpless, it would look nothing like a battle against a Knight Order. If he continued like this, the Warden would surely spot the deception.

"I am a Demon King, after all; I have to at least put on a show," Lu Yi muttered to himself. He raised his right hand and drew an arc in the air, sending a black energy bolt surging toward Tan Weiwei.

"Hmm?" Tan Weiwei frowned and thrust her sword at the bolt. The two collided with a loud explosion, and Tan Weiwei stumbled slightly.

"Haha! So you were hiding this skill after all." Although rattled by Lu Yi's attack, Tan Weiwei showed no signs of annoyance. "That’s it, that’s more like it!" She licked her lips. "Why worry about the other prey? As long as you stay alive, isn't that enough?" Her expression became incredibly gleeful. "Struggle with all your might. Put on a good show for your final act."

Tan Weiwei tapped her head gently with her finger. "Let’s call this act: The Demon King at the End of His Rope."

As she finished speaking, she swung her sword upward in a crescent arc. Lu Yi formed his right hand into a claw, strands of black energy coiling around it. He clenched his fist tightly, causing a boom in the air, and charged toward the crescent slash.

He met the slash head-on with his right fist. Upon contact, an astonishing force erupted; a massive pit exploded into the ground before him, sending dirt flying everywhere. Ignoring everything else, Lu Yi pressed his attack, continuing to strike toward Tan Weiwei.

"Well met!" Two streams of energy surged into Tan Weiwei. Since she hadn't undergone much physical enhancement, her body struggled to contain the influx, and large amounts of energy began to spray out, causing her clothes to billow violently.

Tan Weiwei grunted, yet she continued to swing her sword. Empowered by the massive energy, the blade let out a sharp hum, firing several sword beams with every swing.

The hexagram in Lu Yi’s eyes rotated rapidly. There were several times more sword beams than before, effectively sealing off his path forward. If he wanted to break through, he had to confront this power head-on.

Scanning the area, Lu Yi noticed that among the sea of sword beams, not all were fully charged with energy. Though they looked identical, some held only half the energy of the others, and some were merely empty shells.

"Warden, it seems that even with all your methods and wealth of experience, you are powerless against the original shortcomings of these people!" Lu Yi laughed loudly, shattering several sword beams with his fist, and charged through the illusions to attack Tan Weiwei.