Chapter 226: Decapitation

Luo Qi did not pause at all; he was already within close range of Clownfish. Clownfish's long blade in his right hand had lost its utility. Luo Qi kept attacking in a manner nearly identical to Wing Chun Push Hands, except that tucked between his fingers were daggers he had condensed himself. Every punch transformed into a rapid stab, and the targets were all anatomical vital points.

The striking techniques came from the special forces soldiers in the hotel, the Secret Language for condensing weapons came from Zhao Zhiyan, and the aiming points came from the anatomy of human Doctors. Luo Qi synthesized every bit of knowledge absorbed into his brain, but he knew his physical strength was perhaps barely higher than an ordinary human's, yet still quite inferior to a trained Mage. Besides, Combat was not entirely about technique. It was like the "Fairy Sister" who was familiar with all the martial arts under heaven, yet possessed not a shred of martial arts skill herself. For Luo Qi, this was equivalent to his brain understanding Combat techniques, but he had no way to replicate the muscle memory forged through thousands of trials by special forces soldiers onto his own body.

Even for the same movement, Luo Qi could not figure out exactly which subtle muscle groups the special forces soldiers mobilized, making it impossible to replicate them in detail on his own body. Moreover, even if he could replicate them, it might not be useful; two different people, different physical characteristics, different muscle strength—the results of muscle groups exerting force in the same position could have completely different effects. Just taking Luo Qi's current unexercised physical fitness, completing these movements carried the risk of muscle strain. But then again, Luo Qi knew clearly in his heart that as long as he could save his life, who cared about muscle strain.

Clownfish's muscle strength was above his, and his physical agility was also a significant cut above, but because he had completely underestimated him, he was caught off guard and immediately suffered several bloody gashes from this fierce offensive. It was only because Clownfish was agile that he avoided the vital points every time. Once he stabilized his balance and his left-handed short blade stabbed toward Luo Qi, Luo Qi's right hand swung over and slammed into his left wrist, while his left hand stabbed toward his heart. Clownfish dodged backward, the momentum of his attack long lost, and he turned urgently to move to a more reasonable attacking position.

Luo Qi agilely followed him; he must have been performing beyond his level today, as he was usually a slow-paced person and had never been this agile before. However, Luo Qi suspected that this "hacked" agility might be an illusion. Although Clownfish's expression was startled, he remained composed, and another blade swung toward him. Luo Qi twisted his waist, driving his shoulders, putting all his strength into parrying Clownfish's wrist, hoping best to stab a dagger into his wrist.

Who would have thought that Clownfish's strike was entirely a feint? To parry with force, Luo Qi had to temporarily stabilize his lower body and remain motionless. In that instant, Clownfish stepped back half a step, finally creating a bit of space between himself and Luo Qi. He lifted his foot and kicked out fiercely at Luo Qi's chest.

Luo Qi was kicked squarely in the chest, the heavy blow nearly causing him to lose his breath as if his lungs had been flattened. He let out a gasp, his heart aching with intense pain. The immense force of that kick sent him flying straight into the corridor wall; the windowsill dug into his lower back, causing him to cry out in pain as he collapsed to the floor.

Clownfish did not abandon this opportunity, and the long blade in his right hand swung down toward him. Seeing the non-reflective metal blade's terrifying dark color approaching, Luo Qi ignored the pain, endured the agony in his chest and lower back, and rolled away along the ground. Clownfish kicked him heavily in the waist, causing him to wail, and he stabbed the dagger in his hand back toward Clownfish's leg. But in this situation, he had long since lost his aim, and the blade tip missed.

Clownfish kicked him in the hand, and the weapon he had condensed for the first time flew away. He was not yet skilled enough, nor did he have enough power to condense a larger weapon for himself; he had originally thought that a small weapon might have a chance of succeeding in a sneak attack.

In fact, his sneak attack could not be considered a failure; blood flowed from Clownfish's shoulder, soaking half of his black clothing. It was a pity that the time he had regained his Magic Ability was too short; in the end, he was not powerful enough. His left hand was also kicked, the other dagger flew away, and Clownfish's leather shoe stepped onto his chest, pinning him fiercely against the marble floor of the corridor.

"Dealing with hidden dangers should be done while the little brat hasn't grown up yet," Clownfish said in a low voice. The long blade in his hand grew a few inches, changing into the size and shape of a Mo Dao, and the blade rested against Luo Qi's neck. "Three years ago, I should have killed Du Zhengyi with a blade; then he wouldn't have had the chance to be rescued and cause me so much trouble. It's the same for you now. If I let you live, you will cause me even more trouble. How do you want to die? For a Mind Mage, cutting off the head is more traditional."

The blade cut into Luo Qi's neck. Luo Qi breathed nervously; he lay on the ground, his eyes wide with terror, watching thick smoke emerge from the morgue. He knew he had no chance left. Clownfish was a more mature Mind Mage than him, and at the moment he chose to kill him with a cold weapon, his brain was already tightly locked. Luo Qi had no chance to invade his brain and modify his thoughts.

"Burn me," Luo Qi suddenly murmured.

Clownfish's blade stopped. "Why?"

"Lest... lest they be heartbroken when they see it."

"There are no 'they,' they will all die," Clownfish said in a low voice. There was no fanaticism of slaughter in his voice, and even a hint of helplessness. "This is war."

"He won't die; he is always the last person to survive," Luo Qi said. He didn't know why he wasn't convulsing from fear yet and could still continue to speak. "When he comes to find me and sees my head cut off, he will be upset. So after I die, please use a Mage's flame to burn me to ashes; don't leave a corpse. We are all of the same kind, after all; it's just that we blocked each other's paths, and there's actually no deep-seated hatred. I'm begging you, just do me this favor."

Clownfish looked at him. Luo Qi still couldn't see his expression clearly and didn't know what he was thinking. After a few seconds, he replied, "I will grant your wish."

Luo Qi still felt a wave of grievance; he wanted to cry, but he didn't want to be a pathetic wretch who died crying.

"What are you aggrieved about?" Clownfish suddenly asked him.

Luo Qi felt somewhat depressed, thinking that he had leaked his emotions at the very last moment, which was no different from crying out. "My friend is about to die, and I am about to die, and I'm dying before him, and in the end, I couldn't do anything for him. This world is truly boring, and I myself am meaningless."

"If you weren't going to die, what would you want to do for your friend?" Clownfish asked him.

Suddenly, something was different. Luo Qi looked at Clownfish. "Will you let me go?"

Clownfish couldn't help but laugh. "Because I was moved by you? Have you been watching too much Disney animation?"