The young man did not intend to agree to the Noppera-bō's words; instead, he directly raised his long spear and charged at them. The three Noppera-bō, startled, quickly dodged. His strike pierced the large tree behind them, its power clearly showing the depth of his hatred for the three individuals before him.
"Hmph..."
The Noppera-bō who had spoken earlier let out a cold snort and resumed speaking in a mocking tone.
"Oh my, piercing a large tree with a single strike, how impressive~"
"But what a pity~ No matter how strong you are now, your wife, your family... they are no longer here..."
*Thump!*
The Noppera-bō's words made the young man's heart lurch. His hands, gripping the spear shaft, trembled. The intense emotional surge even reactivated his Evil Eye, causing a large amount of purple energy to manifest around him, and the whites of his eyes turned crimson.
"You scumbags! I will avenge them now!!"
With those words, the young man yanked his long spear from the tree. The moment it left the trunk, the leaves on the massive tree crumbled into dust, and the entire root system turned to powder.
Upon witnessing this terrifying power, the Noppera-bō broke out in a cold sweat. However, this quickly gave way to an excited eagerness to possess it.
Seeing the dense purple lightning bolts hurtling towards him, he quickly retreated, dodging the attack, all the while spewing venomous words to taunt the young man's emotions.
"Hahaha... Even if you kill me now, it won't change your cowardly nature of abandoning your wife and children and fleeing alone due to your timidity~"
"Shut up!"
The young man roared in fury. With a flicker of his body, he appeared directly in front of the Noppera-bō, swinging his spear to pierce his chest. However, this attack had been anticipated. With a sidestep, the Noppera-bō narrowly avoided the spearhead.
Noticing the man's trembling hands, the Noppera-bō intensified his taunts.
"Hahaha... Do you know? After you fled, that woman's eyes lost their light. You call us scumbags, but are you not a beast yourself, having abandoned your family?"
"Shut up!!"
"She could only collapse on the ground in despair, begging me again and again not to harm your children..."
"I said shut up!!"
"I'm a very kind person, so I happily agreed to her plea... I ended her life with just one swift blow~"
*Thump! Thump!*
The young man's body and mind reeled. Tears instantly welled up in his eyes, streaming down his face. For a moment, he lost control of the Evil Eye.
"My wife, my child!!!"
He screamed frantically, attempting to charge forward with his spear once more, but the immense pain in his heart caused him to collapse onto the ground.
"Heh... Even after gaining power, you are still that same cowardly man."
The Noppera-bō chuckled lightly, stooped down, snatched the Evil Eye from the young man's waist, then stood up. He raised his katana and brought it down towards the young man's body.
*Clang!*
Just as the katana was about to strike the young man, Ying activated her Electro abilities and instantly appeared between them. Summoning the Skyward Blade, she parried the incoming attack.
Utilizing Geo to enhance her own strength and infusing the Skyward Blade with Electro, she made the already sharp blade even more formidable, bisecting the opponent's katana.
"What?!"
The Noppera-bō's eyes widened. Before he could even react, Ying closed the distance and unleashed a powerful Anemo skill, the Gale Blade, directly into him. After absorbing the full force of the Gale Blade, he was sent flying towards the other two. Startled, they quickly raised their katanas and shouted at Ying.
"Who are you?!"
"Heh..."
Ying had overheard their entire conversation. She looked up, her gaze filled with a murderous intent as she stared at the three fiend-like individuals.
"Many people in this world deserve to die. Whether someone who abandons their wife and child deserves to die, I don't know, but you, who indiscriminately take other lives, clearly belong among those who should die..."
Hearing Ying's words, the two Noppera-bō scoffed.
"Hmph... Ridiculous. The law of the jungle, the strong prey on the weak, has always been the unchanging rule. If you want to blame someone, blame him for being a coward who couldn't even protect his own family!"
"Heh... Little sister, don't be misled by his words. He and I are not allies. Neither he nor the person beside you are good people. Come over here, brother has something good for you~"
Looking at the two before her, Ying felt a surge of disgust and said coldly.
"You two, too much nonsense..."
"Yo ho? You're young but speak with such arrogance. Brother will teach you today what happens when you meddle in other people's business... *Pffft!*"
Before the man could finish his sentence, he suddenly felt a searing pain from below. Then, a tearing agony swept through him, causing him to collapse on the ground in pain.
"Ah!!!"
As screams echoed, the other Noppera-bō, witnessing the horrific state of his companion, instinctively clutched his lower body in fear.
Seeing Ying clench her fist and slowly walk towards him, the Noppera-bō initially trembled uncontrollably. Then, blinded by rage, he snatched the Evil Eye from the fallen Noppera-bō, who had been struck by Ying and suffered multiple fractures.
"Don't underestimate me!"
As if sensing the man's fury, the Evil Eye resonated with him, emitting a vast purple energy that enveloped him. While bestowing immense power, it also began to visibly age his body.
"Hahaha... Hahahaha! Power... Power! Power is surging forth ceaselessly!!"
This transformation caused Ying's brow to furrow.
"Trading one's life force for power... A very dangerous ability..."
Biting her lower lip, Ying retracted the Skyward Blade and casually conjured a Gale Blade.
"Dealing with someone of your caliber only requires one move."
"Hmph... A mere little girl, die for me!"
As soon as the words left his mouth, the Noppera-bō charged at Ying with incredible speed. Enhanced by the Evil Eye, his speed had clearly increased by more than a notch.
However, to Ying, who had already infused herself with Electro, he still appeared as slow as a snail. With a mere sidestep, she dodged the strike he delivered with all his might.
Seeing his exposed back, Ying shook her head and pressed the Gale Blade in her hand firmly into him...