What the?!
What's going on?
None of the external spectators could understand the intricacies of what was happening.
In their eyes, it was very simple and direct: Xie Antong was continuously performing high-risk dodges when she suddenly failed to react in time and got caught.
Crack!
The axe showed no mercy whatsoever, chopping directly into her shoulder, causing blood to instantly spray out.
The sneer on Jealousy's pink mask remained unchanged, but unusually, he refrained from mocking her this time.
This sudden scene made many viewers clench their teeth and gasp in shock.
It wasn't about who they supported; it was simply that the scene was too brutal.
In contrast, Xie Antong's figure was much more slender, appearing exceptionally fragile by comparison. She was a beautiful woman who clearly looked delicate and vulnerable.
Although the power level both possessed was the same—both at the level of Divine Emissary combat capability.
But everyone is superficial by nature, and instinctively, they felt nervous for Xie Antong, who aroused stronger protective instincts.
Not to mention, the Extreme Path Battle Axe itself was exceptionally huge; the blade alone looked about half the size of Xie Antong's body!
If this axe struck down, wouldn't it split her directly in two?
Now she'd become five strips of Blank.
People like Chiyo Eine even instinctively closed their eyes.
However, a sudden change occurred!
At the moment the giant axe pressed down, about to sever tendons and bones, a burst of intense divine light erupted from Xie Antong's body.
This suddenly erupting power sent the axe, along with Lu Ce himself, flying backward instantly!
It was as if he had struck some kind of rebound shield.
The axe spun through the air but ultimately landed back in Lu Ce's hand. Lu Ce, who had been flung backward, also steadied himself.
Looking at his opponent, the powerful energy around Xie Antong now rapidly contracted and restored, as if she had recovered.
The corner of her mouth lifted slightly as she looked at Lu Ce and said:
"What? Were you almost starting to get carried away with arrogance?"
But although she said this, inwardly, she felt a surge of intense excitement!
The gamble paid off!
Pleasure's power didn't fully erupt! And it could still protect her.
Actually, she had known this all along, because Pleasure's temptation toward her soul had always been:
—Only through complete fusion could It unleash Its full power.
Heh, complete fusion—wouldn't that mean she would directly lose herself? Seemingly gaining power, but actually losing everything.
But she had just made a bold speculation: the power Pleasure erupted with at such times must come with a cost to some degree!
Definitely!
For example, right now, that formidable divine power erupted and then rapidly withdrew inward, but she could clearly feel that a portion of it hadn't returned.
Where did it go?
She didn't know. Maybe it was stolen by a thief, maybe it just couldn't return. But in any case, this was a weakening of Pleasure.
Most people might think that weakening Pleasure now equated to weakening herself, but she saw it clearly: what didn't belong to her and what she couldn't control was ultimately useless!
She wanted to swallow an elephant.
Preferably, a slightly smaller elephant.
"Oh? You still have such a trump card or ability?" Jealousy twisted his dislocated shoulder, saying with surprise.
"You guess?" Xie Antong smirked arrogantly, lifting her chin with an arrogance she didn't usually show.
Pleasure: ??
What are you pretending for?
You made a mistake, alright! You almost got yourself killed. If I hadn't quickly protected you, this vessel of mine might have died!
It had been distracted earlier, thinking about how to assimilate and devour this vessel, so it temporarily neglected control.
As a result, this woman almost got herself killed. Really, what was she thinking!
Her combat experience was far too lacking. Even with good theoretical analysis, such accidents could still happen.
"Sin" was clearly the battle-hardened type. This woman... was a bit too theoretical.
Although her theoretical level was indeed not low.
Pleasure roughly defined her in its heart.
......
"Me, guess?" Jealousy shook his head with some amusement, holding the axe with one hand and pointing it toward her.
"Your shoulder is still bleeding profusely, you know."
Actually, as he said this, Lu Ce paused slightly.
He somewhat inappropriately wondered: if he used his "Assimilation" ability now, would the other party possibly get a "Pain Points +1"?
Of course, he didn't bother testing it arbitrarily.
"Is that so? Then your axe is really quite painless." Xie Antong replied indifferently, quickly applying some potion to herself to heal rapidly.
She wasn't immune to pain; it actually hurt quite a bit right now. She was just putting on a brave face.
Pleasure found it strange. Looking at this woman forcing a brave front, she didn't seem like someone with particularly strong willpower.
She made a mistake and still cared about face—theoretically, such people shouldn't be hard to tempt, right?
Hmm?
Meanwhile, elsewhere.
"Hmm?" The Sun let out a light sound of doubt. He suddenly felt that the power he was absorbing seemed to have increased abruptly.
—That's right! The divine power wasted after Pleasure's earlier eruption was absorbed by him!
Divine Power Thief, The Sun!
He had been thinking all along about how to make a move, how to absorb some power, whether attacking these two could trigger the Blasphemer's Medal, and so on.
Now, this was great! Where did this power come from?
He was momentarily startled, then immediately turned inward, focusing on himself without saying a word.
First, quietly reap the benefits; deal with matters later!
Despite being such a prominent target, no one paid him any attention now. Under normal circumstances, he would definitely cause trouble, but now, he cunningly behaved himself a bit more.
Soon, Lu Ce and Xie Antong clashed again.
They fought fiercely, each move a lethal strike!
Xie Antong, with her lack of combat experience, revealed openings several times during this process. Sometimes, Pleasure's control helped her dodge or block.
But other times, Pleasure was forced to erupt with power it shouldn't have used, just like before, to confront "Sin."
Whether attacking or defending.
Pleasure was furious. This woman was so incompetent yet so stubborn! After all this time, she still hadn't succumbed to temptation.
Really, very hard to understand.
Moreover, as time passed, It gradually noticed something wrong.
—Why is my power decreasing?!