Between Li Wei and Zhang Xi, there was mutual wariness. The injuries from the light-moment patterned bullet had a significant impact on the vampire's strength. While he could still dominate Li Wei in terms of agility and strength, he had to be mindful of the wind force unleashed by Li Wei's short knife.
On the other hand, Li Wei was cautious of the opponent's formidable strength and speed. There were only two ways to achieve victory.
One option was to delay, as the wounded vampire would eventually reach a point where he couldn't suppress his injuries. However, Li Wei doubted if he could hold out until that moment.
The other path depended on the knife in his hand. He still had an ace up his sleeve. The Gale Slash wasn't something that could be continuously executed. Given Li Wei's abilities, there was a need for some rest after each usage.
In the midst of this, his situation became increasingly difficult. When the vampire rushed at him again and clashed with the short knife twice, Li Wei found himself completely suppressed, with his chest narrowly escaping the vampire's claws.
Nevertheless, he managed to endure until the next Gale Slash.
At the critical moment, the knife imbued with the power of the wind struck again. This time, Zhang Xi was prepared. A blood-red mist suddenly emanated from the vampire's body, increasing his speed by threefold. His ghostly agility allowed him to slide to the side moments before the Gale Slash descended.
According to Zhang Xi's estimation, he would surely evade this strike and counterattack simultaneously. A young man who hadn't even completed extreme training wouldn't be able to adjust his posture in time and would inevitably be pierced through the chest by the vampire's claws.
Moreover, the vampire had already planned to spare the young man's life, transforming him into a blood slave. This way, he could torment him endlessly after the battle, avenging the slash, and gaining a powerful blood slave simultaneously—a win-win situation.
However, this thought had just arisen when Li Wei's knife followed suit. Zhang Xi saw Li Wei's crimson left eye with a jade hook in it. In that brief moment, the jade hook in Li Wei's eye spun rapidly. Right at that moment, Li Wei urgently shook his wrist, and the knife in his hand followed Zhang Xi's movements.
What amazed the vampire was that Li Wei adjusted the direction of the knife as if anticipating his evasion before it even happened!
In a moment of astonishment, Zhang Xi couldn't dodge in time, only managing to block with a swing of his arm.
The sharp knife came down, and the vampire's arm was severed!
Having suffered a major blow, Zhang Xi abruptly retreated. His arm hung on one side, and only a thin layer of skin connected his upper and lower right arms.
Surviving a tough situation with the Sharingan and the Gale Slash, Li Wei was catching his breath.
In a normal battle, Li Wei wouldn't be this exhausted after just a few rounds. However, using the Gale Slash and maintaining the Sharingan required sufficient physical strength.
These abilities obtained from the Book of Ten Thousand Laws didn't require special energy to support, which was impractical. After all, he couldn't accumulate "sword intent" like Yasuo, the Wind Swordsman in the original story, and he didn't possess special powers like chakra.
Nevertheless, he could still use these unique abilities by paying the corresponding price in physical strength.
His physical strength was still too weak. If he had completed extreme training, he could likely rely on his own abilities for prolonged battles. However, at present, he could only pant heavily, physically and mentally fatigued.
Moreover, there was a disgusting aspect to fighting against a vampire. Li Wei could clearly feel a peculiar, numbing sensation in the wounds caused by the vampire's claws. It wasn't painful at all, but he couldn't exert any strength, creating a sense of crisis.
"I can hardly imagine someone like you reaching this level," Zhang Xi's hoarse voice echoed. He covered the severed arm, continuing, "But it ends here. We've wasted too much time."
Upon hearing this, Li Wei's heart skipped a beat. The dialogue sounded like lines spoken by a villain about to explode.
And indeed, it was.
Suddenly, large patches of blood mist erupted from Zhang Xi's body, enveloping him entirely. Subsequently, this blood figure charged at Li Wei even faster than before, by three times!
Li Wei's eyes could still clearly see the opponent's movements, but he struggled to keep up with the pace. He could only passively block vital areas with the short knife.
This tactic worked to some extent. Since he could still see the opponent's movements, although he couldn't respond to the vampire's attacks, he managed to block crucial areas, temporarily holding his ground.
In less than a moment, several more wounds appeared on his body. The moment blood flowed out of the wounds, it turned into blood mist, blending into the blood-red aura surrounding Zhang Xi.
Apparently, this was a vampire's dark magic.
The loss of blood accelerated Li Wei's physical exhaustion. The only reason he hadn't fallen yet was due to seizing the opportunity to sever Zhang Xi's hand. If both of the vampire's hands had been intact, he might have died by now.
Despite this, the onlookers could no longer see any chance of victory for Li Wei.
Initially, the workers who had glimpsed hope with Li Wei's arrival now had dimmed expressions. Some of the more cunning individuals had quietly moved behind the crowd, preparing to slip away unnoticed.
A sudden change occurred!
When Li Wei's body was covered in scars, and Zhang Xi took a couple of steps back, preparing for another charge to deliver a finishing blow, Li Wei suddenly unleashed a sword strike.
This sword strike, spanning several body lengths, seemed inexplicable. It wasn't a massive sword or any long-handled weapon; the distance was definitely insufficient for the short knife to reach Zhang Xi.
Was Li Wei randomly attacking?
Certainly not!
On the tip of Li Wei's knife, the power of the gale emerged from nothingness, growing from small to large in the blink of an eye. It turned into a whirlwind that swept towards Zhang Xi!
As if countless small wind blades formed this tornado, it directly lifted Zhang Xi off the ground, cutting numerous fine wounds on his body. Simultaneously, it left him unable to control his body in mid-air.
This was the second feature of the Gale Slash—Gale Rending Slash.
Li Wei remembered that in the original game, this skill worked by accumulating power when Gale Slash consecutively hit the opponent twice. The accumulated power could then transform the next Gale Slash into Gale Rending Slash, producing a knockback effect.
However, when this skill was transposed into reality, its effect had slightly changed. The power of the wind still lifted the person, but the damage caused by the wind blades was significantly higher than usual.
This was the moment Li Wei had long awaited—the chance to turn defeat into victory!