"......"
When the mountain-like oppressive aura surged from Kanzaki's body, even the atmosphere itself changed in an instant.
It became like the eerie stillness before a violent storm, carrying a suffocating silence that made one's heart tremble.
And Fang Li felt it even more clearly than that.
At that very moment, Fang Li could sense that the essence of the person known as "Kanzaki Kaori" had changed.
If the previous Kanzaki could still be considered human, then the current Kanzaki no longer necessarily was.
Within her body, she had already released a portion of the power of the Son of God from the scriptures, transforming into a God Breaker.
Shortly afterward, Kanzaki's voice entered Fang Li's ears.
"This power was never meant to be used against ordinary people."
Kanzaki stared fixedly at Fang Li as she spoke in a low voice.
"Fortunately, you are not ordinary."
The instant her words fell...
"QIANG......!"
A sword cry that seemed capable of piercing the heavens rang throughout the space.
"......!"
Fang Li's pupils suddenly contracted.
Immediately afterward, his ice-blue Mystic Eyes automatically appeared within his gaze.
Only at this moment was Fang Li finally able to see it.
A blade flash...
As though it had crossed through time and space itself, splitting apart heaven and earth as it rushed toward him.
Without the slightest hesitation...
"Zheng!"
Brilliant starlight surged from Fang Li's body, instantly strengthening him.
"BOOM......!"
The sound of an explosion followed immediately after.
It was the disturbance created only after that terrifying slash struck the ground.
The astonishing strike directly tore through the soil and split apart the earth itself, carving a massive trench across the land as though the ground had been plowed open. Gravel flew everywhere, dust filled the air, and a horrifying scar was gouged deeply into the earth.
That was an absolute killing strike.
A slash of certain death.
In terms of speed alone, it had already nearly reached the Domain of God, surpassing human reason itself.
No matter what kind of lifeform faced this attack, it would be cleaved cleanly in two.
That strike existed solely for that purpose.
And precisely because of that, Kanzaki, still maintaining her sword-drawing posture, revealed a shocked expression.
"He dodged it?"
That's right.
He dodged it.
At the very last possible instant, Fang Li not only activated Prana to reinforce his speed to the utmost limit, but also pushed the footwork of the Nanaya Assassination Arts to its peak. Using its ability to accelerate instantly from complete stillness to maximum speed, he had barely managed to evade the strike.
"He actually dodged my Yuisen?"
Kanzaki was genuinely astonished.
..."Yuisen."
It was a one-hit-kill sword-drawing technique executed with the nodachi known as "Shichiten Shichitou," the crystallization of the history of the Amakusa-Style Church.
The Amakusa-Style Church was a religion formed through the fusion of Christianity, Buddhism, Taoism, and other doctrines.
Because of this, Kanzaki could bypass the limitations of one religion by utilizing the techniques and spells of another, compensating for every possible weakness.
If Christian techniques and spells failed, then she would use Buddhist ones.
If Buddhist techniques and spells failed, then she would use Shinto techniques and spells.
If Shinto techniques and spells failed, then she would return to Christian techniques and spells.
By appropriately complementing each doctrine's weaknesses like this, she could unleash a unique attack technique possessing complete destructive power...
"Yuisen."
It was a technique specifically developed to allow Kanzaki to fully display the power of a Saint.
Its foundational swordsmanship, techniques, spell combinations, and tactical patterns had all been passed down to Kanzaki by the seniors of the Amakusa Style.
Its very nature was the ability to slay any enemy.
Because of this, Yuisen was a technique capable of instantaneously drawing upon Saint-level power. Not only could it vastly amplify physical movement, but even if it exceeded human limits, it would not damage the user's muscles.
Because the power released after unleashing her Stigma placed an enormous burden on the body, Kanzaki devoted all of her effort to refining this single technique, achieving a true one-hit kill. She minimized the duration of battle as much as possible, bringing the power of a Saint to its absolute limit.
Under these conditions, Kanzaki required only a split second to draw her blade, while the speed of the slash itself surpassed even that.
For Kanzaki, an entire exchange of attack and defense required no more than one hundredth of a second.
"And yet, you can actually keep up with this speed?"
What Kanzaki did not know was...
In order to evade that strike of Yuisen just now, Fang Li had already used every ability at his disposal.
Only through the Mystic Eyes of Death Perception and their ability to capture Death Lines was Fang Li able to clearly perceive Yuisen's attack.
Only through the Enemy Detection Skill and its sensing of hostile intent was Fang Li able to grasp the precise timing needed to evade.
And only through the reinforcement of Prana and the exquisite techniques of the Nanaya Assassination Arts was Fang Li able to complete the dodge successfully within a span of time too short to even be called an instant, darting away in a blur.
In other words, merely to avoid a single strike of Yuisen, Fang Li had already used nearly every ability he possessed.
Thus, the conditions were equal.
If Kanzaki had poured all of a Saint's power into that one strike, then Fang Li had poured all of his own power into avoiding it.
Unaware of this, Kanzaki could not afford to hold back.
"Yuisen!"
With a sharp shout, the god-speed slash was unleashed once more.
"QIANG......!"
The cry of the blade echoed across the heavens.
The slash was so fast that even nerves could not keep up with it. In an instant too brief even for a blink to follow, it split open the atmosphere, crossed space itself, and violently cut toward Fang Li, who was still midair from evading the previous attack.
This time, there was absolutely nowhere to dodge.
"......"
The Enemy Detection Skill reacted wildly inside Fang Li's mind, screaming at him just how dangerous his current situation was.
Even the skin across his entire body tingled painfully, as though pierced by countless needles, making it difficult to breathe.
His thoughts could not keep up with the strike.
His nerves strained desperately to follow it, making his head spin.
In the end, Fang Li still managed to react through his own keen instinct toward "death."
That reaction was simple...
He raised the Moon Blade in his hand.
The slash that seemed to transcend time and space immediately descended upon it.
"CLANG......!"
The bell-like collision rang out once again.
Unable to evade, Fang Li blocked Yuisen's strike this time.
But that was all he could do.
A terrifying force exploded from the Moon Blade he had raised in defense, directly smashing Fang Li downward.
"BANG!"
The ground shattered like glass beneath the impact of his feet and knees.
Fang Li dropped to one knee.
The power was so overwhelming that even the earth beneath him cracked apart.
And from the moment Kanzaki released the power of her Stigma until now, only a single second had passed.
In the span of one second, Fang Li had gone from standing perfectly still to being forced onto one knee.
His opponent was simply that powerful.
"It's over…"
Kanzaki's voice drifted softly through the air.
"QIANG......!"
The third strike of Yuisen was suddenly released amidst the wailing of the atmosphere.
The slash containing the full power of a Saint descended almost at the same instant Fang Li fell to one knee.
Like divine punishment descending from heaven.
Like a god delivering judgment.
Without the slightest mercy, it came crashing down toward Fang Li's shoulder.
"Puchi......!"
Amid the sound of flesh tearing, blood sprayed into the sky.
(End Of This Chapter)
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