Chapter 380 – Sorcerer? Six-Star? Su Ming!

“————”

Heavy air flowed, isolating all other movements on this battlefield, leaving only the two figures locked in a standoff.

Su Ming and Crow stared at each other, the emotions in their eyes making the heavy air nearly solidify, almost ceasing to flow.

After more than three months, in this Northern Realm far from Longyao City, the two who had once fought to the death finally faced each other again.

And from the very start, both were unleashing their Killing Intent toward one another.

Especially Crow.

Gazing at the young man across from him—clearly not yet twenty—Crow seemed to see the man from over three months ago: the one in the Longyao City Underground Ruins who, like him, wore a black robe and mask, yet nearly sent him to eternal damnation.

————”Ming Wang.”

This mysterious figure sought by countless factions, countless powerful experts, and countless schemers, who had completely vanished over the past three months, now stood before him.

Recalling how, over three months ago, he had nearly died from a direct hit of 【Futian Falling Blossom】 at the other’s hands, the Killing Intent in Crow’s eyes intensified sharply.

“Su Ming? Ming Wang?” Crow said coldly. “What should I call you?”

Hearing this, Su Ming curled his lip.

He didn’t deny Crow’s words.

If it were anyone else using the name “Ming Wang” to address him, Su Ming would never admit it so easily.

But Crow was different.

After all, at the end of their fierce battle in the Longyao City Underground Ruins over three months ago, his true face had indeed been seen by this No.3 of the 『Ten Demons』.

So, while he could brush off others, he couldn’t brush off this former opponent.

But…

“I never expected you to survive in that situation,” Su Ming said with a smirk. “I admit I didn’t hold back then. Though my condition was poor, my Spirit Power was full, and the 【Futian Falling Blossom】 I unleashed wasn’t weakened in the slightest.”

“And you were in a similar state at the time—both of us at the end of our ropes. Taking a direct hit from an Advanced Spirit Art in that condition, even if it’s a lower-ranked Spell Formula among Advanced Spirit Arts…”

“I didn’t think you could survive that.”

“Was I wrong to think so?”

Su Ming’s casual tone made the cold light in Crow’s eyes grow increasingly intense.

“Indeed, I nearly died then,” Crow said in an icy, detached voice. “If not for a protective artifact I had and the Vice Captain rescuing me from the 【Futian Falling Blossom】 in time, I definitely wouldn’t be standing here today.”

“I see,” Su Ming said, both understanding and amused. “So you relied on an artifact’s power. No wonder.”

“Heh.” Crow sneered. “You’re the last person in the world qualified to say that.”

No wonder Crow said so.

Thinking back to their life-and-death struggle in the Longyao City Underground Ruins, Su Ming had frequently relied on artifacts himself.Whether it was the substitute straw dolls that could be used as decoys or the precious alchemical potions chugged without hesitation before the battle, in that previous fight, Su Ming had relied heavily on the power of various tools to contend with Crow. Ultimately, he even broke through his limits, Awakened the ability of Demonization, greatly enhanced his strength, and managed to defeat Crow.

Without the aid of those precious tools that even surprised and astonished Crow, Su Ming at that time, no matter how much of a cheat he had, would have been unlikely to overcome Crow.

“So?” Su Ming asked with keen interest. “What are you trying to say?”

“What am I trying to say?Crow also laughed, his laughter icy and deep.

“What I want to express is simple,” Crow said calmly. “That is, this time, I won’t give you any chance to exploit the situation.”

As soon as the words fell, Crow’s figure vanished.

“Whoosh!”

In the faint sound of breaking through the air, Crow’s figure surged forth with astonishing momentum, breaking the sound barrier as he charged toward Su Ming.

His speed was actually even faster than when he had fought Su Ming in the Underground Ruins.

Without a doubt, Crow had gone all out from the very start of this battle.

Thus, in almost the blink of an eye, Crow closed in on Su Ming and raised his hand.

Upon closer look, a pair of gauntlets had somehow appeared on Crow’s hands.

It was none other than the alchemical weapon Crow had used once before in the Underground Ruins—”Ifingar.”

Back then, during the final exchange in the Underground Ruins, facing the attack of 【Silver Arm: Torrent】 released by Su Ming after his Demonization, Crow resisted with all his might, causing this alchemical weapon to be destroyed.

Now, it seemed Crow had retrieved the fragments of this weapon and repaired it completely.

At this very moment, he donned it without hesitation.

Unlike last time, when he only used it at the critical moment, he was employing it from the very beginning.

This showed that, this time, Crow truly had no intention of holding back at all, nor did he have the underestimation or carelessness he had shown in the Underground Ruins last time. He was starting in a fully serious, all-out state.

If this had been over three months ago, facing such a full-force assault from Crow, Su Ming might not even have had the chance to use a substitute straw doll and would have been instantly killed.

But three months, though brief in the eyes of others, had brought earth-shaking changes for Su Ming.

“Clang!”

Crow’s confident assault was ultimately met with a resounding clang.

Su Ming, without a second thought, abruptly threw a punch. His fist, carrying a howling gust of wind, moved with lightning speed to meet the gauntlet aimed at his head.

The powerful punch struck squarely on the side of the gauntlet, hitting Crow’s wrist and forcefully deflecting the grasping hand.

“……!?”

Crow’s eyes widened slightly beneath his mask, then narrowed intently. His entire Aura surged once more, causing his gauntlet-clad hands to become blurs as they assailed Su Ming from all directions.

Instantly, countless hand shadows enveloped Su Ming—claws, fists, palms, fingertips—varied and potent, like an unending torrential downpour bombarding every part of Su Ming’s body.This onslaught was something that even Su Ming from three months ago would have been unable to handle, let alone a powerful Hunter of the same Six-Star Rank as Crow. No one would dare claim they could withstand it.

At the very least, figures like Chi Qian and Xu Xiayan, who had only recently advanced to Six-Star, would find it extremely difficult to deal with Crow’s storm-like assault. Even if they managed to cope, they would be left in a sorry state.

A single moment of distraction or negligence, and these attacks would land on them, inflicting severe injuries.

This was the true strength of those known as the Ten Demons within Sin, second only to the two Commanders.

There were far more than ten Six-Star Professionals in Sin, but among the many, only the ten most outstanding individuals were worthy of the title Ten Demons, renowned throughout the entire underground world.

Especially the top-ranked members of the Ten Demons—they were all at the Peak level of Six-Star, just one step away from the pinnacle of humanity, the Seven-Star Rank.

Crow, as the No. 3 figure among the Ten Demons, was precisely such an existence, only a step away from the peak of humanity.

Six-Star Peak level—this was Crow’s true Rank.

It was precisely because he was at the Six-Star Peak level, just one step away from Seven-Star, that even Vice Captain Li Wu treated him with near-equality.

If Crow could take that critical step that had stumped countless human Geniuses, he would become a Seven-Star Professional, standing at the same level as Sin’s two leaders. Naturally, this made him worthy of Li Wu’s respectful treatment.

Three months ago, in that battle within the Underground Ruins, Su Ming’s victory over such a figure could truly be called a miracle.

Without the numerous precious alchemical potions to boost his combat power, Su Ming wouldn’t even have had the qualification to contend with Crow.

Without an Extraordinary Item like the Substitute Straw Doll, Su Ming would have been killed the moment he faced Crow.

Later, without the transformative power of the Demon Emperor Sword, without the resonance between his right hand and the Divine Artifact that spurred his progress, allowing Su Ming to advance to the Advanced Hunter Realm, formally Awakening the Demonization ability and becoming a Four-Star Hunter, he would have had no chance of securing even a sliver of victory.

And even then, it was only because Crow had been careless and underestimated his opponent.

If Crow had gone all out from the start…

If Crow had used alchemical weapons from the beginning…

If Crow hadn’t been so arrogant, only resorting to Demonization when facing Silver Arm: Torrent, unwilling to use it before then…

Even with all the favorable conditions, Su Ming would have found it difficult to defeat this Six-Star Peak-level existence.

Fortunately, Su Ming was a Dual Professional, and he had deliberately concealed his abilities as a Sorcerer until the very end. Seizing the moment when Crow let his guard down, he decisively struck with an Advanced Spirit Art, securing victory in one blow.

Otherwise, even with all the aforementioned conditions, in the final moments, the exhausted Su Ming would surely have been killed by Crow, who still had the ability to act.

Today, having been defeated once, Crow no longer underestimated Su Ming, no longer let his guard down, and no longer acted arrogantly. From the very start, he unleashed the full strength of a Six-Star Peak-level existence, launching a fierce assault against Su Ming.

The threat this posed was undoubtedly terrifying.

But as the saying goes, in the span of three months, Su Ming had undergone earth-shaking changes.Thus, Su Ming used his actions to show Crow that he was no longer the same as before.

“Clang!”

A flash of saber light suddenly appeared, illuminating the surrounding area.

The darkness was dispelled, the heavy air was severed, and the brilliant saber light instantly caught the attention of everyone present.

And so, everyone witnessed it.

Under Crow’s overwhelming assault, Su Ming silently gripped a scorching-hot alchemical long saber. Without taking a single step back, he swung the blade, transforming flashes of saber light into icy arcs that swiftly slashed through the torrential rain of attacks.

Thus, the shadowy fists were severed.

Thus, the palm strikes were deflected.

Thus, the finger spears were blocked.

Thus, the claw lights were sliced apart.

Like a violent storm, every single one of Crow’s relentless attacks was deflected and neutralized by the rapid, flashing arcs of the saber.

“Clang!”

The next instant, Su Ming abruptly lunged forward. The scorching alchemical long saber sang a clear, melodious note as it flew through the air, its final flash of light slicing through both the atmosphere and the remnants of the countless dissipated attacks. It struck heavily upon Crow, whose pupils had contracted violently, shrinking to the size of pinpricks.

“Thud!”

The sound of flesh being pierced was exceptionally clear and resonant in that moment.

“What?”

Li Wu, guarding the basin’s entrance, frowned slightly.

“Lord Crow…!?”

The Underground Professionals surrounding Chi Qian and Xu Xiayan gasped in shock.

Even the young girl licking her wounds and silently weeping in the corner suddenly halted her movements.

As for Xu Xiayan and the others, they too wore expressions of astonishment upon witnessing the scene.

Only Su Ming himself narrowed his eyes slightly.

He alone could sense that his strike had not achieved the result he had anticipated.

“Raaaaaagh!”

Crow suddenly let out a furious roar, violently wrenching the saber from his shoulder.

That’s right.

At the critical moment, Crow had managed to evade the vital strike. The blade had only struck his shoulder, piercing through his right shoulder.

Now, as the long saber was brutally pulled out, Crow roared in fury, bathed in a spray of blood, and recklessly slammed a palm strike into Su Ming’s chest.

“Thump!”

Amid the loud, dull impact, Su Ming was struck by the swift palm and sent flying backward. His feet scraped against the ground, kicking up gravel dust as he carved two deep furrows into the earth. He only managed to stabilize his stance and come to a halt after being forced back several hundred meters.

“Ugh…”

After repelling Su Ming with a single blow, Crow was unable to immediately pursue. Clutching his shoulder, he dropped to one knee.

“That was heavy…”

Su Ming also ceased his offensive, rubbing his chest as he felt a dull, heavy pain.

Having taken a full-force palm strike from a Peak-level existence like Crow, even with his current Physique, Su Ming couldn’t possibly emerge completely unscathed.

Of course, compared to Crow, Su Ming was in much better condition.

Yet, this outcome was naturally unacceptable to Crow.

“How is this possible…”

Crow stared at Su Ming, his eyes filled with disbelief.

And it wasn’t just Crow; even Xu Xiayan and the others were wide-eyed with shock.Watching Su Ming, who was wielding an alchemical saber and had been struck back by a palm strike from a Six-Star Peak-level being, merely pat his chest without sustaining significant injuries, Xu Xiayan and the others were utterly stunned.

Especially when they saw the two deep furrows plowed open by Su Ming’s feet and that breathtakingly brilliant saber strike just moments before, only one thought remained in everyone’s mind.

“Isn’t he a Sorcerer?”

The answer to this question might not surface in their hearts anytime soon.

But Crow’s doubt was genuine and concrete.

He stared intently at Su Ming, murmuring with a mix of disbelief and astonishment.

“Have you… already advanced to become a Six-Star Hunter?”

These words shook everyone to their core.

(End of Chapter)