Chapter 2: The Barber Demon

"Holy crap, is this new execution animation for real? How is this rated 12+?"

Amidst the gasps of the crowd, Su Yao wiped his face with a thrill of excitement. His handsome features were drenched in fresh blood, giving him an eerie, malevolent air.

"???"

It wasn't until his subordinate's head rolled to his feet that the Xiongnu centurion snapped out of his trance, roaring in fury, "Kill... kill him for me!"

The other Xiongnu soldiers finally regained their wits. Although they had been momentarily shaken by this bizarre stranger, there were nearly fifty of them. The sight of their comrade being decapitated ignited their bloodlust, and they charged forward, brandishing their swords and blades.

"Nice, let the slaughter begin!" Su Yao shouted lightly. He lunged at the nearest enemy, his blade rising and falling in a single breath, and another head tumbled to the ground.

"(Xiongnu profanity), this kid has some skills. Surround him, watch your defense!"

The Xiongnu centurion was a seasoned veteran of countless battles. After seeing these two moves, he immediately realized Su Yao was no ordinary fighter and began to command his men with calm precision.

Yet, it was all for nothing.

"Too slow."
"Too many openings."
"Where are you looking?"

Every sentence Su Yao uttered was punctuated by another severed head.

As blood sprayed, the raiders couldn't even track the man's movements. The hastily formed defensive circle was torn to shreds in an instant.

Dazed and terrified, the men retreated, looking at one another in panic. Despite their numbers, not a single one of them dared to take another step forward.

The man in the center, however, remained unsatisfied, waving his blade in invitation.

"Come on!"

*Is this AI really this cowardly? I haven't even warmed up yet, and they're already backing off?*

"(Xiongnu profanity), this guy is too strong!"
"Where did this expert come from?"
"Who's going first? I'll cover you!"

Gazing at his dripping blade, many of these Xiongnu raiders—who were mostly just herdsmen until recently—found their legs trembling. Some of the more timid ones even developed the delusion that they were the ones being surrounded.

"You cowards, don't be afraid! He's only one man!"

The Xiongnu centurion shouted to rally his comrades, finally stepping to the front himself. "Three-man groups, maintain formation! Shield-bearers in front, everyone else grab your bows. Prepare for a volley!"

"Is this a phase shift?"

Though he couldn't understand the gibberish they were spouting, Su Yao could certainly read their movements.

He had to admit, the AI optimization in this game was actually quite impressive. After all, he wasn't a superman; without armor or a shield, taking a full volley head-on would still be a bit of a challenge.

So, in the next moment, embodying the spirit of "if the mountain won't come to me, I will go to the mountain," he struck the nearest target like a cannonball with a resounding *thud*.

"Oh, mother—"

The shield-bearing Xiongnu soldier couldn't withstand such a vicious impact and was sent flying back two or three meters. His shield shattered, his bones cracked...

The slaughter, however, did not end with the fall of that unlucky soul. Having lost their teammate's cover, the two men behind him who had just drawn their bows stared at Su Yao with wide, bloodshot eyes, frozen in indecision.

"Goodnight."

The considerate Su Yao didn't leave them struggling for long. A blood-red arc of his blade swept out, and two more heads rolled to the ground.

"Man, the durability on this blade is trash; it's already dull."

He had expected those two heads to fly high into the air. What a disappointment.

Muttering to himself, Su Yao casually snatched a blade from the waist of each headless corpse still standing before him.

Such demonic behavior made the Xiongnu centurion's eyes bulge with rage. "Shoot him! Shoot him! Shoot the bastard down!!!"

*Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh—*

The sound of arrows tearing through the air filled the space behind him. Without even looking back, Su Yao grabbed a corpse and swung it, perfectly blocking the volley.

"Nock your arrows! Again!" The Xiongnu centurion’s voice trembled with uncontrollable agitation.

"Here I come!" Su Yao charged again.

He repeated the same process, and once again, not a single enemy could withstand a single blow.

"Waaah, a monster! A monster!"

At this point, no one was willing to fight anymore. The raiders scrambled back, keeping as far from their teammates as possible, terrified that the demon would find them and wipe them out too.

It was only thanks to the centurion's long-standing authority that they hadn't already scattered and fled.

The centurion clearly understood this, and amidst the retreating crowd, he was the only one who marched forward.

"Captain, this man is too freakish. I think we should retreat," his personal guard urged with concern.

The centurion shook his head, pointing his sword at Su Yao. "I have heard of a man among the Han with such martial prowess. Boy, are you Lu Bu, Lu Fengxian?"

"What is this guy rambling about?"

Su Yao tapped the air in front of him, frantically searching for a language setting in the system menu, and ended up slapping his thigh in frustration.

To be honest, while he usually skipped through dialogue and cutscenes in games, he would at least glance at the gist of important plot points. Now that he was clearly in a boss fight, he was completely in the dark.

*What the hell? What year is this? Playing a Three Kingdoms game and I have to deal with raw content? Even Koei knows to provide Simplified Chinese subtitles.*

"Whatever, whatever. At least the UI is in Chinese. It would be a bigger loss if I logged out and lost my account. I'll just enjoy myself for tonight."

If the NPCs want to speak gibberish, let them. Red names are monsters, and monsters are meant to be cut down.

Just as Su Yao was reaching his limit, the Xiongnu centurion was even more frustrated.

Seeing this freakish boy dancing around and muttering to himself, completely ignoring him, the centurion was so angry his mustache bristled.

*How hateful! I was once the greatest warrior of the Xiutu tribe, and now I am being so thoroughly disdained by a Han dog.*

Unable to take it anymore, he lunged forward, his long blade poised for a strike.

Su Yao, snapping back to reality, let out a loud shout, assumed a stance, and held his blade ready, waiting for the right moment.

As a game focused on realistic combat, a battle between experts could sometimes be decided in a single move. Since this was the first boss fight of the official release, Su Yao wanted to savor it.

"Captain is mighty! Captain is mighty!"
"Victory! Victory! Victory!"

With their leader in the fray, the Xiongnu raiders clearly found their footing. While they still didn't dare to step up and fight, they were quite good at shouting encouragement for their commander.

"No problem, no problem. This pale-faced kid is definitely no match for you—"

Seeing the two stand off, the centurion's guard felt a bit more at ease and shouted his support.

"Avenge everyone, Cap— Captain?!"

Then, he watched as his captain's head went flying before everyone's eyes...

"That's it? Taking your dog head really was as easy as reaching into my pocket."

Su Yao flicked the blood off his blade and scanned the area. "Is there anyone tougher? Anyone who can take a hit?"

"Waaah—"
"Monster! Devil!"
"Run for your lives!!!"

The Xiongnu raiders were completely broken. Forget the loot and the women; they dropped their weapons and scattered in a panic.

"??? Don't run! My EXP!"

These mobs were way too fragile. Why were they running already?

Su Yao took off in pursuit, passionately demonstrating what it meant to be faster than the fleeing enemy.

One cut, two cuts, three cuts.

As headless corpses fell to the ground, the Xiongnu soldiers screamed in terror.

"The Head-Shaving Demon! It's the Head-Shaving Demon!"
"Don't come over here! Stay away from me!!!"