I Really Am A Villain

When it came to blades and steel, Xu Zimo had never feared anyone.

Endless streams of blade intent surged like rivers, sweeping through the void. The oppressive force of his knife began to overwhelm Seven Kills.

The clash of metal rang out again and again.

“Blood-Stained Edge,” Seven Kills whispered.

A crimson sheen coated her blade, the blood-lit sword cleaving through the air in a deadly arc. Xu Zimo stepped back, narrowly avoiding it.

“Flying Stream.”

“Soul Reversal.”

Her voice was cold, and with each cry, the Seven-Star Sword flared brighter.

Blooms of killing light unfurled from the sword tip, beautiful and deadly.

Each strike descended like a waterfall of death, tearing through the air.

“Dust to Dust.”

“Falling Stars.”

Sword rose, sword fell. Life and death intertwined, stars shone brightly, only to fade in an instant. It was the cycle of existence, the rise and fall of all things.

Xu Zimo kept retreating as the storm intensified.

Seven Kills’ aura was immense, her killing intent surged higher and higher.

One of her slashes caught him at the waist; blood splattered, but the wound sealed almost instantly.

“Myriad Extinction.”

“Blood Samsara.”

The Seven Kill Sword Art had seven forms, and she unleashed them all. The final stroke formed a blood-red vortex in the sky.

The wheel of blood spun rapidly, shredding the void itself as it descended toward Xu Zimo.

Before he could move, he was engulfed within it, his limbs locked in place.

Seven Kills raised her sword, the tip glowing with both starlight and malice.

But within that killing aura, Xu Zimo felt something foreign, an echo of the Ghost God’s power.

Someone was channeling through her blade, trying to kill him.

Of the Nine Ghost Gods, only Kui and Abyssal-Chimera had crossed him. He doubted any other would intervene.

But the force approaching him now was unmistakably that of a Ghost God.

“Kill!” Seven Kills roared, driving the sword through Xu Zimo’s chest.

The blade pierced flesh and spirit, shaking the air with thunderous energy.

Yet her face didn’t show triumph, only deep concern.

Behind Xu Zimo, three great doors rose from nothingness.

The Heaven-Unity Three-Life Gates, one of the Ten Primordial God-Scriptures.

The Gate of Life, the Gate of Death, and the Gate of Eternity.

That final gate could block any harm, it was the very essence of transcendence.

Xu Zimo broke free, his right hand snapping up to seize the Seven-Star Sword. With a flick of his finger, the immense energy within him surged, blasting Seven Kills backward.

Behind him, a colossal shadow loomed, the Heaven-Shattering Giant, its roar shattered the Blood Reincarnation vortex.

Dragging Shadow Tyrant across the ground, Xu Zimo walked forward. Sparks hissed beneath the blade’s edge.

Looking down at her, he asked, “Who wants me dead?”

“Isn’t killing you reason enough?” Seven Kills said with a faint smirk, retreating a step.

“Not you, the one behind you,” Xu Zimo said quietly.

“I don’t understand what you mean,” she replied coldly.

“You will,” Xu Zimo said.

He gathered power in his palm, the Heaven-Shattering Giant’s strength flowing into him.

He stomped once, earth cracked.

Wind howled around his legs as he dashed forward.

Seven Kills lifted her sword to block, but Shadow Tyrant crashed down like a falling star.

The impact tore her sword apart, the ground caving beneath her feet.

Another strike sent her Seven-Star Sword flying from her grasp.

“Slash,” Xu Zimo said, swinging again toward her unarmed form.

Seven Kills’s eyes flashed. Behind her, her True Fate appeared, the Seven Kill Star itself.

The heavens blazed with its light as lines of starlight connected between constellations, forming a celestial web that pulsed like living cords.

“Break,” Xu Zimo commanded.

His blade came down once more. Even the stars, as mighty as they were, shattered beneath the edge of Shadow Tyrant.

“Pierce.”

“Lift.”

“Shatter.”

Each word fell like a hammer, and with a final crack, the starry sky behind her exploded.

The storm of energy settled.

Seven Kills closed her eyes as Shadow Tyrant stopped just short of her neck.

“Who sent you to kill me? You get one chance,” Xu Zimo said.

“You’ll never get the answer,” Seven Kills said with a faint, bloodied smile. “Kill me if you want, it changes nothing.”

“No,” Xu Zimo said softly. “That’s because you’ve never experienced something worse than death.”

He raised his hand toward the void and swung.

The very sky split apart.

Those watching from the White Emperor’s Mausoleum gasped, the projection shattered, the image fragmenting into static.

When it cleared, Seven Kills was gone. Only Xu Zimo stood in the ruined village.

Nearby, Wu Daozi’s face darkened.

“Let’s go,” Xu Zimo said, glancing at Ji Jiuning.

She nodded silently, following behind.

“You know,” Xu Zimo said as they walked, eyes fixed ahead, “you don’t have to keep pretending.”

“What?” Ji Jiuning blinked.

“You don’t have to act so weak,” Xu Zimo said. “If Northern Hills Fox Clan were that fragile, it wouldn’t rank among the five great powers.”

At his words, Ji Jiuning fell silent. He had seen through her.

All this time, her injuries, her exhaustion, they’d all been an act to lower his guard.

“I think I can sense the aura of the North Fox again,” Ji Jiuning said after a while.