Amid the desolate mountain range dyed in the deep blood-red of the morning sky, the demonic aura erupting from Akai Kiriko's body was so dense it flattened the surrounding air. Shin stood at the center of his Crimson-Black Overdrive state, looking at the petite figure before him transformed into a brutal half-demon, letting out a heavy breath:
— "Thought today was just going to be about recruiting forces... Who knew trouble would follow trouble like this!"
SWOOSH!
Without hesitation, Shin slammed his heel onto the stone floor, rocketing forward like a meteor from deep space, unleashing a sweeping kick wrapped in red-and-black shockwaves that tore through space!
However, Kiriko's demonic form simply raised a hand covered in blood spikes and pitch-black demon scales.
BANG!
Shin's powerful kick was blocked by that demon hand effortlessly! The bursting shockwave shattered the geological plate beneath, yet Kiriko's body didn't shift even a single millimeter.
Shin startled, instantly leaping back dozens of meters, narrowing his eyes as he stared at his opponent's demon hands squirming with blood vessels:
— "This thing in front of me... is it really a Demon?!"
Before he could compose himself, Kiriko's demonic silhouette vanished from dozens of meters away. A foul wind stench of fresh blood blasted straight into Shin's nose.
SWOOSH!
A massive demon hand unexpectedly burst forth from the void, clamping tightly over Shin's entire face! The grip was so crushing it felt ready to cave in his skull.
BOOM!
Kiriko slammed Shin's head hard onto the ground! The brutal impact blasted a crater meters deep, stone debris splattering as deep crimson blood flowed from Shin's forehead. Without stopping, Kiriko immediately swung the demon sword Akeomi with her other hand, plunging it straight down to pierce through his head!
In that hair-trigger moment of life and death, Shin unleashed all the muscle power in his left arm, tightly grabbing Kiriko's sword-bearing forearm.
CRACK! CRACK!
With wild, explosive force, Shin grit his teeth and snapped Kiriko's demon arm in half! Immediately after, he channeled all his Sophion energy into his right fist, delivering a vicious uppercut straight into her stomach to send Kiriko flying back, freeing himself from the hand clutching his face.
BOOM!
Kiriko was punched dozens of meters away. But just a single second later, horrifying popping sounds of snapping bones echoed. Her shattered arm instantly rotated back into place, ruined muscle fibers regenerating in a flash!
The demon's bloodshot eyes rolled backward. Kiriko raised Akeomi high, her voice rasping through her teeth with brutal malice:
— "Demon Sword Release: Half-Demon Fox — Continental Eclipse (魔劍解放: 半魔狐 - 大陸日食)!"
SWOOSH! SWOOSH! SWOOSH! SWOOSH!
Kiriko executed the Nine-Tails Dance—Kyūbi Dance (九尾の舞)—at a speed that naked eyes or even human perception could never keep up with!
Millions of crisscrossing blood-red demon aura slashes materialized simultaneously across the entire battlefield. The complete geological structure within a multi-kilometer radius was shredded into countless tectonic fragments. Shockwaves of blood aura swept through, flattening the entire rocky mountain range. Grass and vegetation under the morning light withered instantly under the destructive demon energy, reducing the vast landscape into a desolate wasteland!
Shin was forced to push his concentration to the absolute maximum. All his senses were pushed to record thresholds, his mind strung tight as a wire to continuously dodge amid the storm of sword qi.
However, the density of the slashes was too horrific!
SWOOSH!
A razor-sharp wave of sword qi grazed Shin's left flank. The Crimson-Black protective aura was torn open, a deep slash wound appearing across his side as fresh blood splattered out!
Shin clutched his wound, letting out a heavy breath. But right then, he noticed something abnormal: Kiriko in the distance began to stagger, her body trembling violently as fresh blood seeped from her pores and the corners of her eyes. The demon inside the sword could recklessly use ultimate techniques, but Kiriko's physical body couldn't withstand the massive energy being overconsumed!
Seeing her stumble, Shin narrowed his eyes:
— "Here's the chance!"
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Ignoring the bleeding wound on his side, Shin shot forward like a phantom, expelling all the remaining Sophion energy in his body outward:
— "Crimson-Black Calamity: Spiritual Explosion (黑紅大禍: 精神爆炸)!"
BOOM!
A colossal storm of red-and-black energy exploded from Shin's position, sweeping through everything like a nuclear blast! The super-tier Sophion shockwave completely leveled the ground and rocks within a multi-kilometer radius, turning the entire mountain range into a massive, smoking energy crater.
Yet, as the smoke cleared, the sight before him left Shin in total disbelief.
Even after taking a direct hit that pulverized her entire left side into smoking lumps of flesh, the demon inhabiting Kiriko's body was still furiously spewing blood tendrils to regenerate her body in the blink of an eye!
Shin grit his teeth, spitting out a mouthful of dark blood:
— "This damn thing... is as stubborn as Kagetora!"
Shin didn't give his opponent a second to rest. Closing in instantly, he unleashed a barrage of Sophion-infused punches amplified by his Overdrive state.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Every punch that slammed down shattered Kiriko's demonic muscle fibers. Kiriko braced herself to stand firm, but she couldn't withstand the insane frequency of Shin's barrage.
Shin clasped both hands, executing a rapid succession of seal techniques:
— "Ten Directions Flesh Anchor (十方定肉)!"
The pressure, air, and molecular density around Kiriko were instantly locked solid! Kiriko's demon form froze like a cement statue mid-air, helplessly taking the full force of dozens of bone-shattering punches from Shin.
Without pausing, Shin forcefully yanked his ten fingers:
— "Ten Thousand Threads Soul Binding (萬絲縛魂)!"
Tens of thousands of razor-sharp Sophion threads shot out from Shin's fingers, driving straight into the acupuncture points and blood vessels across Kiriko's body, completely sealing the demon's ability to swing Akeomi. Still not stopping, Shin stacked his domain:
— "Nirvana Heart Realm (寂滅心界)!"
All of Shin's ultimate control combos were stacked together to manipulate the demon's mind. Inside the isolated perceptual realm, the demon's soul roared insanely:
— "I've been trapped inside this sword for over 70 years!! Once I break free, I'll tear you to pieces!!"
Shin responded with a gaze bone-chillingly cold:
— "You think I'm gonna give my enemy time?"
BOOM!
Shin pushed his power threshold to the absolute limit, accepting the burnout of continuous Sophion energy that scorched his meridians!
This time, Shin's punches were no longer just physical organ-piercing damage. He funneled energy to strike directly at the demon's true spiritual form residing inside the blade of Akeomi!
BOOM! BOOM!
The demon sword Akeomi's soul took direct damage inside the spiritual space, screaming in agony. Its demonic eyes looked at Shin, suddenly filling with utter confusion and sheer terror.
Inside the demon's mind, Shin's silhouette wrapped in crimson-black energy began to blur, overlapping with a legendary, almighty figure from 70 years ago—the one who had terrified it and sealed it into this Katana!
— "Akaisin...?!"
— "Those eyes... that form...!!"
Utter fear turned into uncontrollable bloodlust! The Akeomi blade erupted with all its evil demon blood. The force of demon blood swallowed Kiriko's entire body, weaving together and turning her into a massive demon over two meters tall with a face grotesquely deformed in rage!
— "EVEN IF I AM ERADICATED, I WILL NEVER FORGET YOU!!"
Shin was startled by this hideous transformation. The Akeomi demon wildly swung slashes that tore through the sky. Shin nimbly dodged, both engaging in a close-quarters brawl at extreme velocity, leaving behind countless overlapping red-black residual images and demonic blood across space.
Shin delivered a punch that sent Akeomi flying hundreds of meters away, plowing through the mountain terrain. The demon stood up with twisted bone joints, roaring like a mindless monster before charging back. Demonic blood slashes bit deep into Shin's flesh, fresh blood splattering everywhere.
Shin panted heavily, his vision blurring:
— "Damn it... if this drags on, I'm gonna drop first!"
He immediately executed Ten Directions Flesh Anchor to suppress Akeomi, but the demon was too fast now! It slipped past the sealing range by a hair's breadth, swinging back to land a brutal demon-blood punch straight into Shin's open side wound!
BOOM!
— "Gah...!"
Shin coughed up a mouthful of fresh blood, his battered body enduring flesh-tearing agony. He quickly scanned the situation:
— "Gotta figure out a way to close out this fight right now...!"
Shin noticed a critical detail: No matter what demonic form it transformed into, the opponent's right hand was always tightly gripping the hilt of Akeomi.
— "Gamble it all on one shot! Sever that arm!"
Shin roared with thunderous force, forcing all blood vessels in his body to operate past 200%! In a split second, his speed skyrocketed near light speed!
SWOOSH!
Even Akeomi couldn't track this speed. Shin materialized right at the demon's side, aiming precisely at the sword-holding arm and swinging his hand down like a razor-sharp Sophion blade!
SWOOSH!
The demon arm along with Akeomi was cleanly severed, falling to the ground!
Shin rejoiced:
— "It worked!"
However, before his joy could linger, a cruel reality struck! Akeomi didn't vanish upon leaving Kiriko's hand. The demonic blood mass surrounding the demon remained intact; it roared with manic bloodlust and slammed a punch straight into Shin's exposed flank!
— "I'M STILL HERE!!"
BANG!
The two descended into an unprecedentedly brutal and bloody fistfight!
No more techniques, no more distance—Shin and the demon lunged at each other, tearing each other apart with everything they had left. Shin repeatedly landed energy-coated punches into the demon's face, while the demon continuously clawed and smashed Shin's body to pulp.
Blood streamed down from Shin's forehead, dyeing both eyes blood-red. His vision shifted to a deadly crimson hue as blood flowed relentlessly from his nose and mouth. Yet Shin's eyes, burning with fierce killing intent, made Akeomi tremble—it felt as if the legend Akaisin himself were present and crushing it into oblivion!
With the sword severed, Akeomi's supply of demonic blood rapidly dried up. It began to weaken and lose breath.
Seizing the momentum, Shin tackled the demon to the ground, straddling it and unleashing a continuous ground-and-pound barrage!
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Every punch Shin pounded into the demon's face caused the surrounding continent to quake violently. He punched on and on, punching until the skin peeled from his knuckles to reveal bare bone, until the demon dissolved completely into particles of black ash…
As the demon vanished, the petite figure of Akai Kiriko reappeared, lying weak and gasping for breath inside the crater dozens of meters deep created by Shin.
Shin managed to take two steps before his entire body collapsed onto the pulverized ground, passing out from utter exhaustion.
Instantly, the Zero Horizon group rushed to the scene from afar.
Kento panicked upon seeing Shin lying in a pool of blood:
— "Hurry! Get Shin back right now!"
Ren and Rei quickly hooked Shin's arms, hoisting him onto their backs. Seijuro looked over at Kiriko lying unconscious not far away, asking in a deep voice:
— "What about this girl?"
Roxy stepped forward, her eyes flashing with killing intent:
— "Kill her! One less loose end!"
Kento shook his head, intervening:
— "Bring her back with us too!"
Xie Xingchen knelt down to check Kiriko's pulse, then nodded:
— "She's still alive. Bring her back to base and deal with it later!"
The group quickly cleared the field, hastily retreating back toward the city with both Shin and Kiriko.
At the same time, at the staging area of the Regular Military inside the Central District.
Thousands of soldiers and armored vehicles were nervously awaiting news when, from behind, a tall, imposing figure wearing a high-ranking officer's uniform casually stepped forward.
The commanding General startled upon seeing him, hurriedly running over and bowing respectfully:
— "Sir... you're here to assist Miss Kiriko as well, correct?!"
The tall man glanced at the commander with eyes cold as ice, speaking in disdain:
— "No! I'm here to tell you idiots to retreat immediately! Resident evacuation was just a sudden excuse—why the hell did you guys evacuate so damn fast?!"
The commander broke into cold sweat, hastily waving his hands:
— "Y-Yes, sir!"
Turning to the troops, the commander roared:
— "EVERYONE RETREAT IMMEDIATELY!"
After issuing the order, the commander saw the man off, hesitantly asking further:
— "Sir... Miss Kiriko is still engaging in combat in the distance. Aren't you going to reinforce her?"
The mysterious man stopped, slowly turning his head back. His gaze flashed with horrific killing intent that made the commander's limbs go numb:
— "Shut your damn mouth! You have no right to question me! Whatever happens to that brat is none of my concern!"
He stepped closer, growling each word directly into the commander's face:
— "Say one more word... and I will make you vanish right on this spot!"
The commander trembled violently, bowing 90 degrees:
— "Y-Yes, sir! My... my oversight!"
The man shoved his hands into his pockets and walked off, speaking arrogantly with annoyance:
— "Then get the hell out of here! Hmph... another pile of mess forcing me to come clean up!"
(To be continued)