"Watch out."

Castorice raised her left hand, releasing a substance resembling black mud from it. Just as it was about to take form, the black-robed swordsman slowly raised his left hand, pointing at Castorice.

"First Slash."

A pale phantom suddenly tore through the air, like an arrow released from a bow, slashing toward Castorice in an instant!

The scythe in Castorice's hand was shattered by the slash before it could even fully form, and she was sent flying back. Fortunately, at the critical moment, Stelle was quick-witted, stepping forward to steady Castorice.

Yet, almost simultaneously with the first slash, a second one occurred. This strike was aimed at Trianne, who was to Stelle's right. Fortunately, Trianne reacted in time; her wings flared, and in a flash, she barely dodged the sword... though she was still sent flying far away by the aftershock.

The black-robed swordsman slowly drew a longsword from his palm; the blade's light was cold and clear as the moon:

"Three slashes... are enough."

— — Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon?

The moment that first slash descended, Welf slammed his eyes shut. The speed of that sword made him feel certain of death.

Yet, out of instinct, he still tilted his head back slightly.

Of course, that sword would not pass through the Celestial Screen to slash their necks, yet it still made the group of Adventurers feel a chill on their necks, causing them to subconsciously touch their throats.

Head... it's still there, right?

"What a fast sword."

Bell's face turned pale, his right hand subconsciously reaching for his scabbard. He never expected this Black Tide monster to be so powerful; it was vastly different from the monsters that had died on the ground.

It was like comparing a well-trained adult to a toddler; the difference was like heaven and earth.

"Is he the Lord of the Black Tide? The mastermind behind the spread of the Black Tide?" Hestia subconsciously hugged Bell's arm, leaning her head against him. "...I feel like his aura is even more terrifying than the Titan of Strife. Will Phainon and the others be his match?"

"No... Goddess, I think that in a one-on-one fight, perhaps only Dan Heng transforming into the Imbibitor Lunae would have a chance, and he would still need the geographical advantage of the ocean; that might kill him. Mydei might be able to hold him off, but he would die many times..."

Bell wiped the cold sweat from his forehead: "...Lastly, we would need to gather all current demigods and Chrysos Heirs, set a trap, and surround him. If we could get the help of Aglaea, we might be able to do it."

— —

"Who exactly are you...?"

Having caught her breath, Castorice immediately manifested her weapon.

However, the opponent had no intention of answering. He raised his longsword high, and in an instant, four phantoms appeared on his left and right, like Asuras formed from sword intent, standing in a grim line.

Yet, just like the previous attacks on Castorice and Trianne, these shadows seemed to have their own consciousness. In a single moment, they attacked simultaneously, their assault wild and fierce, like a raging storm!

How could there be such a powerful person in the Black Tide?

Stelle gripped her baseball bat, feeling sharp sword qi from all directions. She couldn't find a single opening for a counterattack, forced to barely parry, exhausted by the continuous sword strikes, and retreating step by step.

"So strong... What Celsis said was true..."

Mimi was sweating profusely in anxiety: "Where is she? Is the Flame of Life not assembled yet!"

Crucially, this was only the assault from the phantoms. After barely blocking dozens of strikes, Castorice suddenly saw the black-robed swordsman's true body flicker out of thin air.

"With your soul's breath... offer it to the flame."

Castorice's expression changed drastically: "Not good...!"

Everyone heard a series of "humming" sounds, and the sword shadows from all directions converged in an instant.

The black-robed swordsman's speed increased several times over. In an instant, his sword shadows flew, slashing dozens of times at the two of them in a split second. The sharp, trembling sound of the blade entered everyone's ears, as if a steel wire were humming its way into their eardrums.

The weapon in Castorice's hand collapsed immediately, and Stelle could no longer resist, forced back dozens of steps, her arms numb.

The black-robed swordsman gripped the air with his left hand, and a white ritual sword as bright as the full moon appeared out of thin air. But just as he raised the blade, his killing intent gathering—

"Pfft—!"

A hand burning with cyan flames pierced through his chest without any warning!

The cyan-blue flames instantly exploded, like hellfire devouring him in an instant! It even set off a heaven-shaking explosion around the Throne of Enlightenment, sending debris flying and shockwaves surging; the entire top of the Holy Tree trembled slightly from this sudden turn of events.

However, the black-robed swordsman's reaction was astonishingly fast. Before the cyan flames could erupt, he forcibly broke free from Anaxa's control and leaped to a distant open space. This sudden, heavy blow seemed to have injured him severely, as he clutched his chest and knelt on one knee.

"Hehehe... couldn't kill me in one hit..."

As the smoke and dust slowly dissipated, Anaxa walked slowly out of the throne, holding his forehead. Amidst low laughter, his voice merged and overlapped with Celsis's, as if two souls were resonating within the same shell.

"Sure enough, you are not an ordinary person."

— —

Genshin Impact.

"So cool—!"

Furina sprang up from the sofa chair, her heterochromatic eyes flashing with intense excitement, as if cheering for the climax of an opera.

"That strike by Anaxa was simply perfect! Quick! Take advantage of the moment while he's unable to fight back and press the attack!"

However, the theater box was dead silent; the cheers she expected did not appear. Furina froze, then slowly turned her head to look at Clorinde and Navia across the table.

Clorinde's brows were furrowed, his expression grave, reminiscent of storm clouds gathering in the sky, causing Furina's relieved mood to instantly tighten back up.

"What... is wrong?"

Clorinde slowly shook his head and said: "That strike by Anaxa just now, although it luckily landed, did not cause him much damage."

Furina hurriedly cast her gaze back to the Celestial Screen, only to see the black-robed swordsman kneeling on one knee, the huge hole in his chest healing at a speed visible to the naked eye. The charred flesh scorched by the cyan flames was refilled by new flesh in the blink of an eye, returning to normal.

"Th-this... is he an Abominations of Abundance? He doesn't die even from this?"

"If even a strike from the combined Celsis and Anaxa cannot kill him... then what must be done? Do we have to blow this guy's head off?" Navia said in a deep voice, "...But with his skills, that is almost impossible."

Clorinde narrowed his eyes slightly and held up two fingers: "According to my guess, there are two possibilities: First, his body has been deeply affected by the power of the Black Tide, and the location of his heart is no longer his weak point. There may be a weak point in his body, but it must be in a very hidden location."

"Second, either this body is not his true form at all; his true self might be within the Black Tide, and this current body is merely a 'projection' of his true self."