Die, Replay, Repeat

CLANG!

The sharp sound of metal clashing rang out, slicing through the tense air.

For a split second, the blood around Joker's neck seemed to vanish, like it had been wiped clean by some unseen force.

But that moment was brief.

The blood quickly surged back, filling the empty space.

A deep, crimson line formed across his neck. The cut was so deep, you could almost catch a glimpse of the bone beneath.

In just one move, Fang Xiu’s "wife" had managed to wound Joker.

For an ordinary person, that slash would’ve been the end of them, but Joker had barely flinched. His body repaired itself in the blink of an eye.

While the physical wound vanished, however, the shock from the "wife’s" attack lingered.

Joker’s face tightened, his eyes wide with both fear and disbelief as he stared at Fang Xiu's "wife." She looked less like a person and more like a vengeful spirit.

“What kind of power is this?” he muttered. “It broke through my Mindflare! That’s impossible! Mindflare blocks every ability. How did she break it?”

Fang Xiu's eyes flickered with thought. 'Mindflare can resist any ability?' He had already seen Joker’s shock when the “wife” brushed off his blood lightning like it was nothing.

Now, with his seemingly invincible Mindflare shattered, Joker looked completely rattled.

Fang Xiu guessed that Mindflare had to be some kind of defense mechanism—probably designed to negate or counter abilities. That’s why Joker was losing it.

And what made it even more interesting was that this wasn’t even the real "wife" in action. She was just a projection, a shadow of her true self, with only a fraction of her real power.

The “wife” attacked again. Her long, pale fingers curled into claws as she slashed at the air.

Joker, eyes wide, moved to dodge. But it didn’t matter. The moment her hand lifted, her attack somehow ignored the space between them and struck him directly.

*SLASH! *

It was as if the very air cut him. Blood around Joker’s chest seemed to disappear, like it had been erased by some invisible blade. Five jagged claw marks tore across his body, so deep that Fang Xiu could see his heart pounding beneath the flesh.

“That power again!” Joker’s voice cracked with terror.

Without wasting a second, he transformed into a bolt of lightning, zipping far from the “wife” to create some distance. His face twisted in frustration as tiny tendrils of muscle and skin began to stitch his chest back together.

'What is going on? *Joker's thoughts raced. The wounds aren’t that bad, but this attack keeps getting through my Mindflare! Is she holding back? Or is this her true strength?' *Confusion clouded his mind as he struggled to make sense of it all.

Meanwhile, Fang Xiu watched in awe. His "wife's" power was unlike anything he’d ever seen. Untouchable. Unstoppable. 'What kind of force is this?'

“If I can’t deal with her, I’ll deal with you first!” Joker’s voice echoed from a distance, filled with fury.

He had clearly made a decision. If he couldn’t handle the “wife,” he’d go for Fang Xiu instead. To him, Fang Xiu was the one controlling this dangerous Spector. Take him out, and she’d likely vanish.

*BOOM! *

A crack of lightning tore across the sky as Joker unleashed a powerful attack. Blood-red thunder split the night, roaring through the air, heading straight for Fang Xiu.

Fang Xiu didn’t even try to dodge. The attack came too fast, and even though he had recently leveled up to the third tier, he wasn’t strong enough to withstand an all-out hit from a fifth-tier opponent.

The blood-red lightning struck him like a hammer.

*BOOM! *

Flesh exploded, bones shattered.

In an instant, Fang Xiu was a gruesome sight. His body was torn apart, looking like he had been caught in the blast of a grenade.

Exposed bones glistened under the moonlight, and blood and chunks of flesh scattered across the ground.

There were even pieces of his organs lay strewn around him.

Joker’s lips curled into a satisfied grin, thinking his enemy had finally been crushed.

But that grin quickly vanished.

The "wife" was still there, and even more shocking—Fang Xiu was still standing.

"Impossible!" Joker's voice cracked. “You’re just third-tier! How could you survive my attack?!” He was losing it—If his Mindflare couldn’t take down the "wife" and now couldn’t even kill Fang Xiu, what did that say about his own strength?

Just then, Fang Xiu moved. Slowly, he bent down, pushing his exposed intestines back into his body as if it were nothing more than an inconvenience. His voice was chillingly calm.

“Die? From a little wound like this?”

Suddenly, a strange shift rippled through the air.

Fang Xiu activated his ability to absorb pain, and his ravaged body began to knit itself back together.

It was as if time itself reversed—his skin, muscles, and bones healing before Joker’s disbelieving eyes.

In just a few seconds, Fang Xiu stood there, completely unharmed, without a scratch on him.

But that healing came at a cost—his Spiritual Energy was nearly tapped out.

Since breaking into the third tier, Fang Xiu had experienced a massive boost in power.

Not only had he grown stronger physically, but the Specters bound to him—Nightmare, Taotie’s Mouth, and the others—had also become more powerful.

Nightmare’s power, in particular, now allowed Fang Xiu to protect his consciousness. As long as his mind stayed intact, his body could be pulverized, but he wouldn’t die.

And with his ability to absorb pain, he could regenerate, though it drained him quickly.

The real problem was the "wife." Summoning her had cost a huge amount of energy, limiting how many times Fang Xiu could heal himself.

Joker stood there, speechless. He couldn't believe what he was seeing.

Fang Xiu’s regeneration ability seemed even more potent than his own Specterized body.

In front of him stood two unbeatable foes—one who couldn’t die and another who couldn’t be touched. He cursed silently, realizing just how dire his situation was.

“Fang Moli,” Fang Xiu called out suddenly, his voice steady, “have you rested enough?”

Amid the rubble, Fang Moli stirred. Using the Xuanyuan Sword to prop himself up, he rose slowly to his feet.

Though bloodied, with his hair a mess and his clothes in tatters, Fang Moli still maintained a sense of calm dignity.

“To handle him?” Fang Moli replied, voice steady, “I’m more than enough.”

With those words, Fang Moli’s battered figure blurred and vanished, turning into a brilliant streak of sword light that shot straight toward Joker.

In an instant, golden light and blood-red lightning clashed in mid-air, filling the sky with a series of deafening booms.

Each strike sent shockwaves rippling through the night as Fang Moli’s sword and Joker’s lightning battled ferociously, neither side giving an inch.

Meanwhile, the projection of Fang Xiu’s "wife" joined the fray. Her attacks ignored all of Joker’s defenses, slipping through his guard like a nightmare come to life. Every now and then, she would strike, throwing Joker off balance.

Then, after just a few seconds—

BANG!

A brilliant golden light crashed from the sky, slamming into the earth and forming a crater shaped like a human figure.

It was Fang Moli.

At this moment, Fang Moli looked like he was barely hanging on. Blood soaked his torn clothes, and the number of broken bones inside his body was anyone’s guess. His breathing had grown shallow, each gasp a struggle.

"Is this what you meant by 'more than enough?'" Fang Xiu glanced at him, his tone calm, almost indifferent.

Fang Moli tried to speak, but only blood and bits of flesh spilled from his mouth, no words managing to escape.

“It seems we’ll need to start over,” Fang Xiu muttered quietly.

Joker’s manic laughter erupted, echoing across the battlefield. “Fang Moli is already one foot in the grave, and as for you, Fang Xiu, I’ve finally figured out your game. That Specter of yours has some freakish powers, sure, but it can’t really harm me. And you—well, you love to brag about seeing the future, don’t you? So tell me, where’s your precious future now? Oh wait, I forgot—you don’t have one anymore, because you’re about to die.”

Joker stood tall, radiating confidence, his arrogance at its peak. But Fang Xiu? He didn’t flinch. His expression remained eerily calm, almost as if he found Joker’s taunts amusing, like he was watching a performer desperately try to entertain a bored audience.

“Shall I show you a real performance?” Fang Xiu’s voice cut through the tension, his words steady and composed.

Joker paused, momentarily caught off guard by Fang Xiu's sudden boldness. Then he scoffed. "Oh? What now? Planning to beg for your life?”

A faint smile crossed Fang Xiu's face as he lifted his hand, pointing upward toward the sky.

"Have you ever seen the end of the world?” he asked, his voice as calm as ever.