Molten metal fragments gathered before her, forming a grotesque weapon with branching prongs, ten meters long, its surface covered in radiating iron crystals. It was the Grim Reaper’s giant scythe! And Mai only had two ninja blades, each less than two feet long.
The scythe howled through the air, piercing the curtain. In front of it, Mai was as fragile as a fledgling, about to be impaled and hung on the scythe’s metal thorns.
A hand emerged from the shadow behind Mai, gripping the blade of the scythe!
It was the fifth person, the other shadow hiding behind Mai. He held the searing hot metal as if casually holding a cup of tea. The advance of the air curtain stopped, the transparent edge representing death only thirty centimeters away from his face.
He was an ordinary-looking shadow, his face unclear, his figure unremarkable, seemingly dressed in pajamas.
“Power and authority? Do you also believe in power and authority?” The man in pajamas looked at the shadow. “Very well, you understand the rules better than they do. But those who believe in this rule must also pay the price for it.”
“Mai, stand up and move in front of me. Don’t be afraid, and don’t panic,” he commanded coldly. “Here, some have the ‘Bronze Throne’ as their shield and fear nothing. Some have the Philosopher’s Stone as their shield and fear nothing. You have none of those, but I am behind you.”
Mai got up and walked in front of the man, standing between him and the edge of death. If that edge advanced just a little more, she would be crushed like the sarcophagus. But she was no longer afraid, for that man had stepped out of the shadows.
“Understood, you are my shield.” Mai said.
“No, I am not your shield. You are my weapon—the sharpest weapon needs no shield. Its blade is its shield. No need for defense, just cut down the enemy.” The man placed his hand on the back of her head. “I grant you blood; with blood, forge the soul. The unreachable shall forever be unreachable, yet where you go, brilliance will shine! I grant you a sword—those who oppose shall be slain. ‘Heavenly Feather Slash,’ also called ‘Futsunomitama’!”
A calm domain was released, like a small stone dropped in water, but that stone caused a massive wave!
Mai closed her eyes, then reopened them, her eyes now filled with blazing golden flames.
In an instant, she had been reborn, and the same death-like domain erupted from her body, blowing away the encroaching edge of death.
She drew her swords—“Heavenly Feather Slash” in her left hand, “Futsunomitama” in her right!
At that moment, KFC man and Parsi couldn’t tell if what they were seeing was real or an illusion. These two swords were two of Japan’s “Three Sacred Swords” from the “Age of Gods.” “Futsunomitama” was the sword of Takemikazuchi, and “Heavenly Feather Slash” was the divine blade that the god Susanoo used to slay the ancient beast Yamata no Orochi. In other words, they shouldn’t even exist—they were as legendary as the Ruyi Jingu Bang (“Golden-Banded Staff”) in Chinese mythology.
But now, Mai had truly drawn two long swords, flowing with crimson and molten gold. Heavenly Feather Slash, true to its other name “Ten-Handed Sword,” was a long, curved blade ten fists in length, while Futsunomitama was a massive straight sword two meters long, just like the legends described.
“To rewrite one’s bloodline—throughout all history, only three have been capable. Who are you? Who are you? Who are you?” The shadow’s voice was hoarse.
From the moment that man had stepped out of the shadows, she had been staring at him. She hadn’t spoken because she couldn’t find the words. She understood far better than the other three how terrifying his presence was—or rather, that he shouldn’t even exist! His appearance here was a greater paradox than Futsunomitama and Heavenly Feather Slash! She finally couldn’t help but ask, and the repeated question revealed the trembling deep within her soul.
“You’re as beautiful as you were before.” The man smiled softly. He disappeared, like a trace of ink washed away by water.
The Grim Reaper’s scythe trembled, letting out a dying wail. It was collapsing, metal fragments shooting towards Mai like blades, but they couldn’t cut her skin—they only severed the red ribbon tying her hair. Her black hair, cascading like a waterfall, spread out, dancing in the air of the death-filled domain. She swung her sword lightly—Heavenly Feather Slash. It was the most basic of slashes, with no special technique, like cutting an onion with a kitchen knife, but the Grim Reaper’s scythe shattered, its fragments sent flying. This was an unmatched power, like when the shadow had shattered the sarcophagus.
Mai swung her sword again. “Futsunomitama” traced a perfect arc around her, and with that arc as the boundary, a new domain naturally emerged. Blinding violet lightning crackled along the surface of the domain, roaring like thunder.
Holding the long sword in both hands, Mai walked slowly forward, stepping into the shadow’s domain. On the surface of the new violet lightning domain, two different electrical currents crossed and sparked.
“An alchemical domain!” Parsi shouted hoarsely.
Like the domain in the Well of Oblivion, Futsunomitama also triggered an alchemical domain. This type of domain didn’t require a living being—it could be created purely from alchemical artifacts, and it was an endless cycle. Previously, this was merely an imagined miracle of alchemists, not a real technology. The domain was generated by Yanling, and Yanling could only be wielded by living beings. No matter how finely alchemists refined elements—turning silver into gold, refining sulfur from volcanic ash—they only obtained dead matter. The alchemical domain was different. To achieve such effects, an alchemist had to use the four basic elements to create something imbued with “the essence of life,” something alive that could release a domain.
But this was an act of stealing divine power—technology imitating life from dust.
Forbidden technique!
Indeed, all doctrines exist to be challenged and rewritten.
The two sides drew closer. The shadow’s combat suit split open, and gray-blue scales covered her graceful body. Her form swelled abruptly, the scales standing upright like steel thorns! Bone spurs broke through her skin, her black skeleton growing outwards, turning into bone blades. The molten metal fragments attached themselves to the bones, solidifying and forming metal crystals on the surface. A similar change was happening to Mai.
“Dragonization phenomenon,” KFC man licked his lips.
“Heavenly Feather Slash” roared, trembling with excitement. In the shadow’s hand, another twisted metal weapon formed. The two rushed towards each other head-on, like colliding meteors.
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