Chapter 46: The Blade's Body

The abandoned factory was vast and empty.

In the darkness, Lin Lei stood on the second floor, watching a youth in black stroll inside. Lin Lei raised an eyebrow. He sensed no powerful source energy fluctuations emanating from the intruder.

"The Deathbirds sent only one person to deal with me?" Lin Lei’s eyes flickered. Given that "Juan" had already been killed, the fact that the Deathbirds made such a choice could only mean this youth was no ordinary source energy user.

In the darkness, the youth suddenly seemed to sense something. He looked up toward the second floor, his gaze locking with Lin Lei’s. Lin Lei’s eyes narrowed.

"Such keen perception..."

Lin Lei knew his own condition; the ghouls and specters he had plundered were all creatures adept at moving in the dark, giving him senses far superior to the average source energy user. That this youth could pinpoint his gaze was enough to prove he was no ordinary man.

Lin Lei licked his lips and leaped straight down.

*Thump!*

Clutching a bone sword in one hand and draped in a heavy trench coat, he landed with unnatural grace.

"Did you steal the 'Hilt' and kill 'Juan'?" The youth stopped, his eyes staring sharply at Lin Lei. His cold, interrogative voice echoed through the derelict factory.

"And if I did? What if I didn't?" Lin Lei deliberately strained his voice into a sneer.

Peregrine narrowed his eyes and lifted a hand. "If you hadn't killed 'Juan,' you might have had a way out..."

"Heh..." Lin Lei scoffed. When "Juan" had ambushed him, there was no intention of leaving him alive; Peregrine’s words now felt like a hollow afterthought.

He tore off his trench coat, revealing the blood-red, grotesque physique beneath. He was disguised as "Blood Shadow," whom he had already killed and "plundered." No one besides himself, the late Juan, and Hong Qiuqiao knew of Blood Shadow’s death. The "Deathbirds" had no way of verifying whether a non-member had perished.

Though they were in the dark, Peregrine could clearly see Lin Lei’s form. He arched a brow, his expression deepening. "Are you... from the Blood Sakura Society?" He did not recognize Blood Shadow personally, but he had made a guess based on Lin Lei’s physical traits.

Lin Lei’s eyes flashed, but he remained silent. He gripped his bone sword tightly and licked his lips.

*Crack!*

Spiderweb-like fissures spread across the concrete floor beneath his feet. He lunged forward like a gale, rushing toward Peregrine in an instant.

"Not bad speed..." Peregrine raised an eyebrow, showing no intention of retreating. Instead, he charged forward as well, his hands empty of any weapon.

"Is this kid being arrogant, or does he have a trump card?" Lin Lei’s eyes darted. Since the youth didn't mind engaging in close-quarters combat, he was likely a "physical type."

Their speeds increased, and they collided instantly. Facing Lin Lei’s sharp bone sword, Peregrine swung his arms, meeting the blade head-on!

*Clang!*

When Lin Lei’s sharp, powerful bone sword struck Peregrine’s arms, it produced a crisp, metallic ringing. At the same time, Lin Lei felt a surging, overwhelming force travel from the sword into the webbing of his hand and up his arm.

*Step, step, step!*

Unable to withstand such immense force, Lin Lei was pushed back several paces. A look of shock flashed across his face. "You..."

Peregrine tilted his head slightly, ripping off his shredded black shirt to reveal lean, solid muscles. "Let me introduce myself. Peregrine, a Fourth-Tier source energy user of the Deathbirds. My gifted ability is... 'Blade Body'!"

He crossed his arms over his chest; his fingers and forearms flattened, transforming into sharp, lethal blades. Lin Lei’s gaze intensified. For Peregrine to reveal his ability so openly showed immense confidence.

*If his body parts can turn into blades, does that mean his entire body is as hard as one?* Lin Lei narrowed his eyes. He knew best how sharp and hard his bone sword was—it could easily cleave through ordinary steel. Yet, it hadn't left a single scratch on Peregrine.

*Whoosh!*

With the introduction over, Peregrine charged again. Lin Lei’s expression turned grim, and he decisively activated his "Demonization" ability, holding his bone sword horizontally. Seeing the transformation, Peregrine’s eyes grew solemn.

"In that case... taste this!" Peregrine extended his arms and slashed repeatedly.

*Swish! Swish! Swish!*

The sharp blades tore through the air, raining down upon Lin Lei like a storm. Lin Lei countered, black spikes extending from his bone sword to intercept the onslaught.

*Clang! Clang! Clang!*

A dense, continuous sound of impacts filled the room. Peregrine’s strength and speed surpassed Lin Lei’s; his arms slashed down in a rhythm that a single blade could not block. Although the bone sword was incredibly hard, Peregrine’s body was equally durable.

Lin Lei was unable to block the simultaneous strikes of both blades and began to take hit after hit, forced steadily backward. Even though his "Demonization" skin was tougher than tempered steel, dense black cracks quickly appeared under Peregrine’s razor-sharp strikes. Blood began to seep from the fissures. His skin, already tinged red by the transformation, turned a deep, dripping crimson in the blink of an eye.

"This Peregrine’s physical strength and durability are absurd..." Even though Lin Lei had yet to use his final trump cards, he didn't feel that a desperate struggle would grant him victory. His opponent’s defense was more monstrous than his own "Demonization"! He hadn't managed to harm the man in the slightest.

"Is this the power of a Fourth-Tier expert..." Despite being on the losing end, Lin Lei didn't belittle himself. The man’s gifted ability was clearly top-tier, and with a source energy level far beyond his own, losing was only natural.

Realizing he couldn't win, Lin Lei decisively activated "Mist Form"!

*Whoosh.*

His body instantly dissolved into a cluster of blood mist.

*Swish! Swish! Swish!*

Peregrine’s sharp blades cut through empty air. A look of astonishment crossed his face as he scanned the darkness, failing to immediately locate the mist. Lin Lei, however, maneuvered the mist to drift upward, flying toward the second floor in the blink of an eye.

Only then did Peregrine notice him and look up.

"Are you... 'Blood Shadow' of the Blood Sakura Society?" He might not have met Blood Shadow, but he had certainly heard the name. After witnessing this unique ability, he was convinced of Lin Lei’s identity.

Meanwhile, Lin Lei materialized on the second floor. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a detonator, choosing not to confirm his identity.

"Peregrine, I’ll remember you. Next time we meet, I will kill you."

"And the Deathbirds... for everything you’ve done with the Investigation Bureau against my Blood Sakura Society, I will pay it back in full."

As his hoarse, menacing voice faded, Lin Lei pressed the button.

*BOOM!*

The explosives Lin Lei had buried in advance detonated. Amidst the roar, a violent shockwave erupted, and flames surged toward the ceiling.