Demon Capital Slayer

Chapter 29 The Scarred Dancer

A strange sensation.

The blade seemed to slice through something, but then quickly slid away, without giving the real feeling of splitting the enemy in two.

He spun around on his sword and looked through the settling dust to see the approaching enemy.

The other person's limbs were oddly proportioned and their height was extremely exaggerated. Even when standing between two completely open floors, they still had to hunch over to avoid hitting the ceiling.

Unlike her hunched back, she stood on tiptoe, her arches and calves curving into graceful arcs, like a ballerina in full twilight.

Her entire body was shrouded in a semi-transparent veil, with long strands of veil hanging down, the ends of which were hung with golden bells that jingled with her movements.

However, beneath the semi-transparent fabric lay not alluring curves, but layers upon layers of horrifying scars that turned outwards. These crisscrossing growths wove together a second layer of clothing, which also served as her personal armor.

Any weapon that strikes it will easily be deflected by the flipped-up scab, no matter how sharp it is.

Scar Rā-qi-ah...

The mist was stirred up by the weapons, forming a line of artistic characters with exquisite skill.

Rā-qi-ah is a transliteration of the word for female dancer in the Tianfang language, so she is actually called the Scar Dancer or Scar Dancer.

As for why Yujian understands the Arabic script, this peculiar knowledge comes from his father, who is an archaeologist.

This self-introduction was dazzling in both style and technique. The long whip and curved knife held by the dancer were both the pen she used to stir up the fog and the dangerous weapon she used to break through the building earlier.

The former is composed of countless short blades linked together. Although it is a soft weapon, it can cut and slash like a scimitar, while retaining the flexible and adaptable characteristics of a long whip.

The latter is no ordinary scimitar; its shape resembles a sickle with an upright blade, similar in form to an ancient Egyptian sickle-shaped sword. The back of the blade is adorned with countless tassels, which flutter and twist as it is swung, obscuring its exact location. A hollowed-out gold sphere hangs from the end of the hilt by a chain, and wisps of mist constantly emanate from its thin, gold casing.

Yu Jian only caught a whiff of the aroma before a wave of intense dizziness washed over him. The light before his eyes began to distort and shift, and countless colorful little figures held hands and danced a bizarre dance.

Hallucinogenic gas!

Yu Jian immediately covered his mouth and nose, but the mist became even thicker, until it replaced the rising dust and filled the two-layered space that had been opened up.

"Retreat to the next level! Hold off the retreating enemies!"

Yujian gave the White Knights a command, and they immediately retreated down the stairs.

The bells rang loudly, and the scarred dancers danced wildly in the mist. The light gauze spun and fluttered, causing the golden bells hanging at the ends to make a continuous, crisp sound, like a torrential downpour that completely drowned out all other sounds.

The thick fog obscured visibility.

The ringing is a disturbance to hearing.

Poisonous gas, which blocks the sense of smell.

Three of the five most important human senses are interfered with; such a method is ruthless and despicable, yet difficult to counter.

How to do?
Yujian closed his eyes, his vision plunging into darkness. The tinkling of bells beside him grew longer and longer until it became a continuous sound. His lungs, unable to get oxygen, heaved in vain, and the suffocation further aggravated the dizziness caused by the hallucinogenic gas.

But this was just the beginning. An even greater crisis was about to unfold. The sound of bells was mixed with strange noises. A long whip came whistling through the air, tearing a crack in the mist and striking hard at a spot just a step away from the sword.

This is where he was before his last breath.

Just now, all his senses were severely impaired, and Yujian managed to dodge at the last moment by relying on his fighting instincts and sixth sense. But this is not a long-term solution; those who lack the margin for error will fall into the abyss once they lose a gamble.

How to do?
A question suddenly arose in Yu Jian's mind.

Sound and fog are not mutually exclusive; how did the other party manage to bypass so many distractions and accurately locate him?

Before anyone could think, the scarred dancer's slender, twisting figure was already close again, her right hand sweeping the scythe-shaped blade across the ground, causing a large amount of mist to swirl and surge, concealing the blade within, leaving only a chilling killing intent that was about to be unleashed.

Using a sword, one can only see things happening very close by; the inability to breathe causes suffocation and darkens the edges of one's vision.

The chilling aura emanating from the sickle-shaped scimitar was faintly perceptible, seemingly omnipresent, like a wall crashing head-on, leaving no room for retreat.

Then I won't refund it!
Yu Jian exhaled sharply, clearing away the thick smoke ahead, using the opportunity to see the dancer's attack path at the last moment. Then, he gripped the pale katana tightly with both hands and plunged it vertically into the ground. Clang!
A crisp, melodious metallic clang rang out. Although the dancer was slender, she was also quite tall, and her strength was not to be underestimated. Under the intense impact, Yu Jian could hardly hold onto his weapon.

However, he also has his own advantages. The Destruction Blade: Extinction of Three Thousand Void has an extremely strong cutting ability on any object in the world of the painting. Combined with the powerful enhancement of the Iron-Cutting Realm, even heavy and wide metal weapons are no exception.

The sickle-shaped scimitar broke in the middle, and the unexpected change caused the dancer's movements to pause. Yu Jian immediately used the little strength he had left to thrust out a sword.

The sword was not aimed at the dancer's vital organs, but rather severed her Achilles tendon at a viciously tricky angle.

"Uh-ho-ho"—the dancer emitted a strange sound characteristic of someone with an injured throat.

However, what gushed from her wounds was not blood-like pigment, but a much stronger hallucinogenic gas, which made people feel dizzy even with just a slight touch of the skin.

Yu Jian bit his lip hard, the pain stimulating his brain to barely keep him awake.

He noticed something noteworthy while attacking the opponent's Achilles tendon.

After obscuring her vision, the scarred dancer no longer tiptoed but kept her feet flat on the ground. Combined with her revealing attire, which was only covered by a light veil, Yujian vaguely guessed how she perceived her surroundings.

Vibration, ground, airflow, skin.

Walking and even heartbeats produce vibrations of varying strengths, and the ground, as a solid, has two main characteristics when transmitting vibrations: low attenuation and high speed.

The answer is obvious.

The other person likely perceives their surroundings through touch. The reason she walks on tiptoe most of the time is probably because the skin on the soles of her feet is overly sensitive.

Then, now is the best opportunity!

The splattered paint and blood flowed on the ground, the slippery texture greatly affecting perception. The dancer twisted her head back and forth, losing track of the enemy's location for a short time.

Yu Jian had retreated to the wall. The outer wall of the castle tower was a brick and wood structure, and it would be difficult to destroy it without heavy weapons under normal circumstances. However, the weapon in his hand could not be broken by anything in the world of the painting!

He gripped the pale katana with both hands, and forcefully thrust the weapon into the wall. The blade pierced through the wall almost completely.

What you need to do next is simple.

run! ! !
Ignoring the poisonous gas, Yu Jian gritted his teeth and sprinted along the wall, the blade tearing a narrow gap behind him, like forcefully pulling back a heavy curtain. Blinding sunlight pierced into the castle tower through the crack in the outer wall, completely banishing the darkness to the corner and causing the thick fog to escape quickly.

He broke through the poison gas blockade with his sword, while also looking forward to something else.

Creatures that have lived in darkness for a long time are likely to become confused when suddenly exposed to sunlight.

"Huh?!?!"

The dancer raised her hand to shield her eyes from the sun, her body contorting as if scorched by flames, causing her to retreat repeatedly. The wildly swung whip attacked her indiscriminately, even the air itself seemed to scream and howl as it was whipped around her.

No wonder such a powerful individual would remain in the castle tower; it has such a significant flaw.

Yu Jian leaned against the wall, panting heavily. Even with a divine weapon like the Broken Blade: Extinction of Three Thousand Void, using brute force to cut through the castle's outer wall made him feel his strength rapidly draining away.

In addition, the mental energy consumed in maintaining the Iron-Cutting Realm forced Yu Jian to kneel down and use his sword to support himself on the ground to avoid collapsing completely.

We can't stop here!
A silent roar erupted in his heart. His muscles were clearly twitching and spasming, but his will overpowered his mortal body at this moment, forcing him to stand up like a puppet on strings.

He felt no pity as he looked at the scarred dancer going mad in the sunlight.

He simply raised his weapon high with both hands silently.

Manifestation of the Profound Truth—Cloud Radiance!

Two figures passed each other.

Then, the whip broke in two, and the dancer was beheaded.

(End of this chapter)