Volume 23 Chapter 22.3

Normally, only those who had reached the early fourth stage could use Light of the Soul. Those who reached the mid fourth stage and overcome their heart's devil would be able to personalise their Light of the Soul, such as clone Zheng's Sinflames and Zheng's Dragon Transformation. Every person's Light of the Soul would display itself differently.

However, there were some exceptionally gifted people such as Hao Tian, who had a personalised Light of the Soul despite not reaching the mid fourth stage, and Gando, who could have his personalised Light of the Soul, an A.T. Field, by relying on merging with the Eva. There was also Zhao Yingkong and Zhao Zhuikong who also had it despite not overcoming the heart's devil as well. These people all belonged to the category of either being exceptionally gifted or having unique circumstances.

Yingkong gave a light smile and continued, "I comprehended my Light of the Soul after merging with my secondary personality. Its name is Mirror of Duality. In the beginning, I was my own person and she was her own person. After merging, I was no longer my own person and she was no longer her own person. But after I had this Light of the Soul, I remained myself and she remained herself. Big brother, you have to face two of us while fighting. Tehn, how about you? What's your Light of the Soul?"

"My Light of the Soul..." Zhao Zhuikong smiled warmly. However, his eyes got more and more bloodshot, looking it was being dyed in blood, which looked rather appalling. He enunciated it syllable by syllable, "Inchstep."

"Big brother, in the end were you unable to let go of your obsession and overcome the heart's devil?"

In truth, Zhao Zhuikong's combat power was on the level of the mid fourth stage, but he had in reality never overcome the heart's devil...

(Inchstep? Based on the name...)

Yingkong didn't have the chance to follow this train of thought, because Zhao Zhuikong's next attack was already about to reach her. It was a basic charge followed by a thrust, but it gave off the feeling of being unavoidable. Although the dagger was right in front of her eyes, Yingkong felt as if it was stabbing at her from all directions, and she would be skewered regardless of which direction she moved. This feeling was far from reassuring.

(Is it the pressure from his aura? Impossible, how could I be affected by that?)

Yingkong didn't overthink it, and her body vanished from that spot, while another Yingkong appeared behind his back, Excalibur slashing towards Zhao Zhuikong.

Swish!

At the moment Excalibur grazed Zhao Zhuikong, he didn't hesitate to continue thrusting his dagger forward. Shockingly, despite the dagger clearly stabbing into nothing, a flower of blood blossomed on Yingkong's shoulder. When the shoulder was penetrated completely, she was no longer able to put power into wielding Excalibur, and decisively jumped backwards.

"ZHAO ZHUIKONG! How did you stab me?!" Yingkong's expression was frosty, no longer carrying any of that charm from before when she smiled warmly. Although her appearance hadn't changed, losing that bewitchingness had given her a heroic air, and that androgynous face had a different kind of beauty to it. It was the secondary personality Yingkong.

"Little apple, oh wait, it became the unripe little apple. Learn to mature a little. It's better to rely on yourself than others. If you want to know how I managed to stab you, think through it yourself." Zhao Zhuikong smilingly thrust out the dagger again. The Yingkong behind him vanished, while another Yingkong newly appeared several dozen meters away from him. Still, the dagger gave her another wound as before. Fortunately, she managed to raise Excalibur in time, or the injury wouldn't stop at her arm.

"You keep protecting her, little apple. That's something that will only ever be an unripe little apple, you know?"

"... Well, it's still better than being plucked by big brother, right?" Yingkong smiled warmly.

(My Light of the Soul is to form two independent mes. One me can appear, while the other will exist in a separate space like she's in a mirror, unable to attack or harm. In other words, I can have one me lure in the enemy while the other can move to a safe location. Thus, I should be undefeatable in short or mid distance battles. So how is he hitting me?)

Yingkong continued to think. Zhao Zhuikong had been right just now. The secondary personality wasn't the main personality after all, and wasn't able to think calmly regardless of the situation. This was the gap between the talents of the two personalities.

(Inchstep, Inchstep. If it's a space attribute ability, could it be...)

Yingkong blocked another few attacks, helplessly letting wounds add up on her body. It was just a simple thrust into what was clearly empty air each time,

"Inchstep... Your Light of the Soul means that within an area, you can reach any point in its space with but a step? Spatial contraction? No wonder your dagger can attack a hundred meters away with a light swing. I really thought it was telekinesis. Looks like this is big brother's Light of the Soul, Inchstep."

The so-called Ten Steps Kill in ancient times referred to any location within ten steps were part of one's attack range. Did Inchstep refer to being able to move to any location in the surroundings regardless of distance just by inching forward? With Inchstep, that small dagger could land a hundred hits out of a hundred thrusts. It was no surprise that Yingkong wasn't able to dodge no matter how she twisted and turned.

(If so, then I can't keep dodging. Is that what you mean, big brother? Do you want your release faster?)

Yingkong sighed. She immediately pulled herself together and said, "Sorry, big brother. I definitely will not lose, even if... I cannot lose to you. My comrades are still fighting. Even if I can't help them, I still can't let big brother go and hurt them. So, big brother, together with me..." As she spoke, she vanished from her spot. Another Yingkong didn't appear again. This was a true vanishing act, different from before when one disappeared and another appeared. Zhao Zhuikong couldn't find any clues no matter how he searched.

"Little apple. Just hiding won't..." Zhao Zhuikong hadn't even finished speaking when a heavy sword was stabbing at him from behind. He didn't even turn, but jumped up high into the air, thrusting his dagger forward. However, Excalibur didn't vanish, but a dexterous and gentle hand was suddenly pressing on his dagger. Just like that Yingkong was smiling prettily in front of him, with only dozen of centimeters between them.

"Caught you big brother..."

Yingkong followed along the dagger and lightly pinched Zhao Zhuikong's thumb. Everything from Excalibur appearing, Zhao Zhuikong jumping up, to Yingkong appearing and pinching his thumb hadn't even spanned a second. Zhao Zhuikong's entire body went limp, only his hand that wasn't holding the dagger trembling slightly.

'My force redirection and control needs force. Big brother really is familiar with me... But. Are you really not going to use force?" Yingkong smiled slightly as she didn't continue to attack, her eyes instead briefly glancing behind Zhao Zhuikong. There was another identical Zhao Yingkong carrying Excalibur there, except the gaze she directed at Zhao Zhuikong was filled with hatred, as well as a vague absent-mindedness.

"Big brother, I actually have two Light of the Soul. Mine is Annihilation, capable of annihilating another's Light of the Soul. Hers is the Mirror of Duality... Understand? Big brother can't run away this time."

Zhao Zhuikong's other hand trembled, but nothing happened. When Yingkong had pinched his thumb, his Light of the Soul had begun to vanish at a prodigious pace. Of course, nothing came without cost. Yingkong's Light of the Soul was being quickly depleted as well, while her consumption was twofold as one body was bearing the burden of two Light of the Souls. Only a powerhouse of Yingkong would be able to pull this off. Others, even those exceptionally gifted like Hao Tian, would have been sucked dry.

Zhao Zhuikong wasn't shocked, his face still bearing that insane smile as always. His eyes were bloodshot and filled with madness, and yet he was still slightly smiling. He didn't move his upper body, only using his legs to jump up. However, the smile on the Yingkong in front of him intensified, while the Excalibur of the Yingkong behind began to let off an acute radiance.

Excalibur began to release the white light, while it slowly changed from being invisible to revealing its true appearance. It was a golden knight's sword, with several unknown inscriptions carved on the ancient sword's body. Yingkong brandished the sword, and a white radiance wrapped around Zhao Zhuikong and the main personality Yingkong, before carrying the two into the sky quickly.

As the two streaked into the sky, Zhao Zhuikong quickly pulled back the hand he was using to hold the dagger, as both sides were within a 'field of force' now, Although this white light could't kill them yet thanks to the natural protective effects of their Light of the Soul, they were sure to suffer serious injuries. And the impact from being hit... Although that was force was being moved, it was still force, which could turn every move of Yingkong into a killing move when using her force redirection and control in this close melee.

But it was too late. As two who already possessed infinitesimal control, both could sense the light movements. As Zhao Zhuikong abruptly pulled his arm back, Yingkong went with the flow and squeezed in that direction. There was a clear snapping sound as the fingers Zhao Zhuikong used to hold the dagger were dislocated. Yingkong also went with the flow of the force to grab his wrist.

"So, big brother... What will you do next?"