Chapter 52: Death Struggle on the Street

"Wow! They're fighting!" Qi Fang's sudden shout startled Ye Yang. Squinting against the light, he saw two figures locked in combat beneath the overpass. Moreover, they didn't look like ordinary people; that speed... were they Hunters?

Ye Yang froze. Why would Hunters be fighting out in the open on a public street? Besides, one of them looked extremely familiar. Even from a distance, that shock of white hair immediately gave away his identity—Ouyang Yu!

"This kid really loves stirring up trouble," Ye Yang sighed. Qi Fang, unable to see clearly from where she stood, anxiously stamped her feet and pulled Ye Yang into the pressing crowd to get a better look.

"Ah... murder! Someone's about to be killed..." A sudden wave of panic rippled through the crowd. Ye Yang's heart skipped a beat. Looking up again, he saw that Ouyang Yu had actually drawn a weapon—a slender mercury rapier. Was this guy seriously trying to commit murder?

"Help..." Ouyang Yu's target was a young punk with dyed yellow hair, who was already on the verge of collapsing from terror. The gap in their combat skills was evidently vast, and the frantic youth was desperately trying to flee. Gritting his teeth, Ouyang Yu pursued him relentlessly, angrily shouting at the onlookers to get out of the way.

"This brat!" Ye Yang jerked his hand free from Qi Fang's grip. Channeling his demonic energy into his feet, he instantly lunged forward. No matter what deep grudge existed between them, you couldn't just kill someone in the middle of a public street! What kind of Hunter was this kid? He was acting like a total maniac!

"Save me... save me..." Seeing Ye Yang running toward him in a panic, the yellow-haired youth threw himself forward like a drowning man grasping at a straw. Without wasting a word, Ye Yang nodded and stepped directly into the path of the pursuer.

"Get lost!" With an angry roar, Ouyang Yu arrived in an instant. Without a word of explanation, he thrust his rapier straight ahead, the blinding arc of the blade encompassing both of them.

"Damn it! You little..." Ye Yang's temper flared as well. Shoving the youth aside, he sidestepped rapidly while pulling his short samurai blade from his storage space, bracing himself in guarded readiness.

"No matter what the reason is! You're a Hunter, playing at street execution? Aren't you being a bit too arrogant?!" Ye Yang roared in fury.

Ignoring him entirely, Ouyang Yu launched a vicious downward slash, his eyes twisted into a look of absolute cruelty. Boiling with anger, Ye Yang poured every ounce of his demonic energy into his weapon. A blazing halo of light flared around the short blade as he parried diagonally. Even if he wasn't as powerful as this kid, in a pure contest of demonic energy, he wouldn't fall too far behind.

Clang! Blade and sword collided with a deafening crash. Ye Yang was sent flying backward like a kite with a severed string. A searing pain flared through his right arm as if it had been snapped in half, and he couldn't help letting out a miserable cry.

"Stop! Stop it!" Qi Fang bolted out from the crowd. Terrified though she was, she recklessly threw herself directly in front of Ye Yang to shield him. Having no idea what was actually happening, there was no way she could just stand by and watch Ye Yang get hurt.

"You..." A flicker of internal struggle crossed Ouyang Yu's eyes, and his sword ultimately halted just short of striking. When he whipped his head around to search for the yellow-haired youth, the punk was already gone, leaving Ouyang Yu stamping his feet in frustration.

"You're dead! You bastard, how dare you get in my way! You are dead!!" With a ferocious expression, Ouyang Yu stalked toward Ye Yang. When Qi Fang tried to block his path, he shoved her roughly to the side.

"Damn it! Having high strength makes you think you're invincible? Just running around murdering people?" Ye Yang's stubborn streak kicked in. Though that sword strike had scared the wits out of him, he forced himself to his feet, gritting his teeth. Admit defeat to a kid in front of all these people? That was something he simply couldn't bring himself to do.

"You idiot... You fool! That guy was... he wasn't even human!" Ouyang Yu roared in exasperation, yet he still didn't dare utter the forbidden word out loud. After all, this was a public street with far too many bystanders around; shouting that out would instantly trigger mass panic.

Though Ouyang Yu left the word unsaid, understanding suddenly dawned on Ye Yang. Not human? As he took in Ouyang Yu's anxious and frantic expression, cold sweat instantly broke out across Ye Yang's skin. Could that guy possibly be a Demon? How was that even remotely possible? How could a Demon have infiltrated Beishangjing?

"Stop standing around like an idiot! Help me chase him!" Ouyang Yu bellowed. Without a moment's hesitation, Ye Yang shouted for Qi Fang to take care of herself, whirled around, and bolted down the street in pursuit.

At that exact moment, he felt a wave of regret so intense he wanted to kill himself. A Demon—he had literally watched a Demon slip right through his fingers! What on earth was wrong with him? How could he have had the nerve to chew out Ouyang Yu for causing a scene earlier?

Chasing him? Easier said than done. The crowd was far too dense, and the yellow-haired youth had already vanished without a trace. Ye Yang felt like crying. He felt so guilty he wanted to commit seppuku to atin for his failure. Just how pathetic was his perception attribute anyway? A Demon had walked right past him, and he hadn't noticed a thing!

"You're dead meat, I'm going to kill you..." Behind him, Ouyang Yu's voice rang out once more. Utterly drained of any argument, Ye Yang hung his head like a frost-bitten eggplant, far too ashamed to even offer an apology.

"Draw your blade!" Ouyang Yu roared, pointing his rapier straight at him.

He was furious to the point of madness. The appearance of a Demon in Beishangjing was an ominous anomaly. If this creature were allowed to run wild, countless lives would be lost. That was why he had attacked the moment he spotted it, only to have Ye Yang inadvertently let the monster escape.

"I'm sorry, I—"

"Draw your blade!!"

"I'm sorry, I really didn't—" Ye Yang completely abandoned all thoughts of saving face; he knew he was genuinely in the wrong.

"I said, draw your blade!!" Ouyang Yu snarled with a savage expression. Gritting his teeth, he thrust his rapier directly toward Ye Yang's throat. Arrogant and reckless by nature, he cared about nothing else at a time like this.

"Damn it!" Ye Yang dodged aside in a panic. Even though he had messed up, it didn't mean he deserved to be killed for it! His own temper flared up again, and he swung his short blade in retaliation.

During this second exchange of blows, Ye Yang finally felt it—a massive rebound force. The moment his blade struck with his entire reserve of demonic energy, a flash of light emanated from Ouyang Yu's sword, instantly generating a ferocious, overwhelming counter-force.

With a loud crash, Ye Yang was once again blasted backward through the air. A heavy pressure gripped his chest, a mouthful of blood sprayed from his lips, and his short blade flew out of his grasp.

"Useless trash!" Ouyang Yu cursed bitterly.

"Get lost! You're the trash, you little..." A flash of crimson bled into Ye Yang's vision. Unable to swallow this insult any longer, he abruptly drew the Dark Dragon Spear. A brilliant halo flared around his right arm as the tattoo materialized once more.

Of course, Ouyang Yu didn't see the tattoo; ever since the Yao Jun incident, Ye Yang had kept it tightly concealed beneath a wristguard.

His demonic energy surged rapidly, climbing to around six hundred. Though still inferior to Ouyang Yu's, Ye Yang had spent a considerable amount of time training in the practical application and control of his power. He had grown extremely proficient, meaning he wouldn't necessarily be at a complete disadvantage in a fight. Even Sangshi had once remarked that blocking a full-power strike of Ye Yang's demonic energy was already proving to be quite difficult for him.

Yet Ye Yang was entirely mistaken in his assessment. He had never truly considered himself strong until Yao Jun helped build his confidence. After all, he was one of the rare humans possessing a Hunter status tied to an entire alien-dimensional spore organism, but...

He had not yet fully evolved, and he had completely forgotten that Ouyang Yu had just beaten a Level 4 Demon to a pulp.

The Dark Dragon Spear swept outward like a streak of lightning, accompanied by Ye Yang's furious roar and the massive, whining hum generated by the violently excited demonic energy.

The shaft of the spear vibrated frantically, as if protesting Ye Yang's inability to fully harness such immense power, or perhaps simply showcasing the sheer might of the blow. The shrill ringing sound forced everyone nearby to cover their ears in agony.

With a deafening boom, the spear slammed directly against Ouyang Yu's rapier. A look of cold disdain flashed across Ouyang Yu's eyes as he let out a frigid huff: "Useless..."

Ye Yang tried to retort, but before the words could leave his mouth, he froze. A sharp *crack* echoed in his ears—was that... was that the sound of his arm bones shattering? An overwhelmingly powerful force violently rebounded through the weapon. Before he even had time to cry out, the sheer impact blasted him bodily into the air.

As he flew through the midair, Ye Yang felt as though his entire arm had been pulverized. Countless blood vessels ruptured, spraying a mist of crimson droplets. Even the shaft of the Dark Dragon Spear warped under the strain. Worse still, his shoulder, his chest, his entire body felt as though it had been struck by a giant's hammer. His bones emitted a series of eerie cracking noises, and the excruciating agony nearly caused him to black out.

With a heavy thud, Ye Yang crashed to the ground, barely able to stay conscious. His eyes were wide with utter disbelief. How was this possible? What on earth had this kid done? Ouyang Yu had merely blocked his attack without even launching a counter-strike, so how had he ended up in this state?

"Stop right there!!" An angry shout rang out as several figures rushed forward. Two of them were people Ye Yang recognized—instructors from the Hunter Academy. They threw themselves directly between Ye Yang and Ouyang Yu.

"Bodyguard Number One..." Qi Fang cried out in despair, running over to scoop up Ye Yang, whose right arm was soaked in blood. She glared viciously at Ouyang Yu; the young girl had no idea what was going on, but she despised this person with every fiber of her being.

"What on earth is going on here? You're Hunters, and yet you're brawling on a public street!" an instructor demanded, his face purple with rage.

Ouyang Yu let out a cold snort. "Ask the idiot yourself. The fool let a Demon get away..."

"A Demon? Gasp..." Though Ouyang Yu had spoken in a low voice, it was loud enough for the instructors to hear. Their faces drained of all color, turning ashen with shock. Taking one look at Ye Yang's guilt-ridden expression, they instantly understood the gravity of the situation.

"Head back to headquarters immediately! Hurry! Call Commander Wang, lock down the entire city right now!" an instructor barked. The others quickly rushed forward, hauling Ye Yang and the still-seething Ouyang Yu to their feet.

"What is actually happening?" Qi Fang asked, looking completely bewildered. The girl hadn't caught Ouyang Yu's words earlier and was frantically trying to tend to Ye Yang's wounds.

Clueless as to how he could possibly explain, Ye Yang was hoisted into a vehicle by the instructors and sped away. Sitting in the back, he buried his face in his left hand, his complexion looking wretchedly pale.

He felt an overwhelming wave of guilt mixed with a profound sense of humiliation. In front of Ouyang Yu, he was no better than a stray dog, weak as a mere insect—and on top of that, there was the catastrophic mistake with the Demon... *sigh*.

"Don't beat yourself up too much. You must have done it by accident; unless you're a perception-type, it's really hard to spot a Demon," one of the instructors comforted him. Ye Yang nodded blankly, though the heavy depression in his chest refused to lift.

Glancing at Ouyang Yu sitting in the front, the instructor sighed and leaned in close to Ye Yang's ear. "Don't be discouraged. Losing to him is nothing to be ashamed of. And judging by the nature of your injuries... your actual strength must be pretty impressive. The stronger you are, the harder you get hit."

"Huh? What do you mean?" Ye Yang blinked, confused. What did strength have to do with how badly you were hurt?

"His innate ability is Demonic Energy Rebound," the instructor smiled bitterly. "Whatever amount of demonic energy you put into your attack, he returns to you in full—not a fraction more, not a fraction less."

"That kid's ability is completely overpowered. That's why even Boss Wang can't beat him."

"It all gets... bounced back?" Ye Yang's jaw dropped. He finally understood why he had lost so miserably. Ouyang Yu's ability was practically cheating! And to make matters worse... it was a direct hard counter to his own fighting style!