The frenzied Minotaur showed no hesitation or delay—it immediately lunged at Katie.
One moment, it was dozens of meters away; the next, it was right in front of her. Its massive body cast a dark shadow over Katie as it raised its enormous, spiked club high, then brought it crashing down with a furious gust of wind.
Yet, facing the rapidly descending weapon, Katie only grinned. In the split second before impact, she unsheathed Po Kong and crossed it in front of her, blocking the Minotaur's devastating strike. The ground beneath them, however, wasn't so lucky cracks spiderwebbed outward, stretching several meters before finally stopping.
What pleased Katie most was that despite the tremendous force, she felt no discomfort. Had this been before, she wouldn't have dared to take such a hit head-on and would've instead dodged using Soru. This newfound resilience was all thanks to the Xuan-level physique she had gained from the Minotaur.
"Heh, now it's my turn!"
"Get lost!"
With that single exchange, Katie had already gauged the difference in their strength. She wasted no time.
With a furious roar, she unleashed her full power in an instant, forcing the Minotaur back.
"Cross Slash—Rend!"
In the blink of an eye, Katie unleashed two sword slashes imbued with a rending effect.
Sensing danger, the enraged Minotaur wisely chose to defend, crossing its iron club in front of its chest to block the attack.
CLANG!
The massive iron club shattered into pieces. Staring at the broken stump in its hand, the Minotaur couldn't believe its weapon—one that had served it for years—had been destroyed in a single strike.
"Didn't anyone tell you not to lose focus in battle?"
In that instant, the Minotaur's body tensed, its hairs standing on end as it instinctively dodged to the side. A crescent-shaped slash flashed past, sending a spray of blood into the air.
The pain jolted the Minotaur back to full alertness. Its eyes locked onto Katie, and only now did it realize that this opponent was no weaker than the previous intruder who had knocked it out.
"MOOOO!"
It discarded the broken club; its murderous gaze fixed on Katie. Every muscle in its body bulged as it entered a state of full power—its already massive frame now resembling a mountain of pure muscle. Its crimson eyes burned with madness and fury.
Facing the Minotaur at its peak, Nijoki calmly sheathed Po Kong.
"Come on, little bull—let's fight!"
The taunt sent the Minotaur into a rage. Its hooves scraped against the ground before it vanished from sight.
Invisible.
For the first time, Katie's eyes couldn't track her opponent's movement. Yet, her body reacted instinctively—she crouched low and raised her arm to block her right side.
The moment she did, a massive shadow loomed over her. The Minotaur's fist, carrying the force of a landslide, smashed into her forearm.
Even with her Xuan-level physique, the sheer power sent Katie flying. Her arm throbbed with pain—one more hit like that, and it might've broken. But there was no time to dwell on it.
Through the dust, a dark figure was closing in fast—undoubtedly the Minotaur.
Getting knocked back in a single hit… Even if it's a Jailer Beast, this is unforgivable.
"Bastard—SCREW OFF!"
Katie's muscles bulged as she channeled all her strength into her right fist. The sleeve of her shirt exploded into ribbons.
The next instant, two vastly disproportionate fists collided.
BOOM!
The shockwave shattered the already turbulent air, sending razor-sharp wind blades slicing through everything nearby. The ground cracked like a spider's web.
But this was only the beginning.
The two figures vanished once more, as if they had never been there—only for explosions to erupt moments later, proving their battle raged on.
The chaotic air currents resembled a storm-ravaged sea, obliterating everything in their path—walls, the ground, all of it.
Their movements became a blur—one moment here, the next dozens of meters away. Only fleeting shadows remained.
The numbing sensation of each collision didn't tire Katie out—instead, it exhilarated her. The suffocating urban life of steel and concrete had long drained her, not just physically but mentally. Perhaps it was some lingering primal instinct or the martial arts dreams of her childhood, but now, her body felt like a volcano on the verge of eruption unstoppable.
For the Minotaur, however, Katie's strength was beyond its expectations. Though they seemed evenly matched, it never forgot how easily she had shattered its iron club. If a slash like that landed on its body, even if it didn't die, it would be severely wounded.
A swordsman who abandoned their blade was still fighting it bare-handed—how was this possible?
What unsettled the Minotaur even more was that Katie was clearly growing stronger mid-battle. Not in just one aspect, but in everything—reaction speed, attack power, bodily coordination… It almost felt like it had become nothing more than a training dummy.
"Tsk tsk, are you looking down on me that much? Getting distracted again? Fine—next move ends this."
Katie's words sent the Minotaur into a frenzy. Even if it acknowledged it couldn't win, the idea of being taken down in a single move was unacceptable.
It charged at her like a mad beast, eager to tear her apart.
"Perfect!"
Katie didn't dodge. She met the Minotaur head-on.
Their fists collided like comets, the impact more devastating than anything before.
The Minotaur's lips curled into a smirk. Despite the pain in its fists, it couldn't help but mock Nijoki—after all, it was still standing.
"Heh. Three… two… one… down."