"May this Buddha's voice ferry the mortal world—may all three thousand realms of existence hear it."
As the Great Sage Equal to Heaven intoned his Buddhist chant, golden radiance gradually spread throughout the glazed space. That projected realm seemed to encounter a natural nemesis, trembling violently as instability rippled through it.
"Is this... the power of vows?"
Having once faced The Enlightened One · Shakyamuni directly, Satsuki was no stranger to this peculiar energy.
This power had nothing to do with myth or history. Instead, it was intimately tied to the thoughts and aspirations of countless living beings. It could be called the most worldly of forces—yet also the purest.
Though it appeared gentle and harmless, it possessed unimaginable divine authority. If wielded by The Enlightened One, it was a force capable of restraining even the power of Vipralopa in her Demon Buddha state.
If the being before her were truly the Victorious Fighting Buddha from her own world, then relying solely on Vipralopa to oppose him would undoubtedly result in utter defeat.
Fortunately, Vipralopa was only one of her many abilities. Even if one trump card were countered, she still retained formidable combat strength.
That gave her confidence that the situation would not spiral beyond her control.
Whether it was the benefit of mastering many techniques or simply foresight at work, the value of such thinking became evident at moments like this—when one was being specifically countered.
Erica and Luo Hao also sensed the instability of the surrounding space and the sheer strength of this power. However, since the power of vows did not directly restrain curse power, they merely heightened their vigilance without sensing immediate danger.
But in the next instant, they realized something was wrong.
"It's constructing its own divine domain."
Experienced in battles against gods, Erica and Cult Leader Luo Hao recognized it at once. Just as in every battle against other deities, fighting this Military God of Steel meant inevitably being dragged into a domain woven by his own authority.
"You noticed?—But it's too late!"
The golden vow-light radiating from the Great Sage transformed into Sanskrit characters filling the sky. Faced with the two Campiones' pincer assault, he remained utterly composed.
With a casual swing of his now-shrunken Ruyi Jingu Bang, he effortlessly parried Erica's high-speed charge. With a flick of the staff, he struck her slender lightning sword downward, rendering the electrical energy within it useless.
In terms of martial skill alone, Erica was inferior even to Lu Yinghua, let alone this being.
On the other side, Luo Hao showed no concern for friendly fire as she unleashed the Dragon's Roar Tiger's Howl Technique once more.
"Blazing and radiant, lightning scorches and shines—spirits of heaven and earth heed my command! Supreme Lord Lao, swiftly as the law decrees!"
Though she did not recite the full incantation, her extraordinary curse power and the authority she had usurped from Gayatri were enough to produce a demonic wind capable of blowing divine beasts away with ease.
Yet against this razor-thin pincer attack, the Great Sage raised his other hand and formed a mudra. Golden Sanskrit text materialized out of thin air, forming a luminous barrier before him that completely blocked the demonic gale.
"Sword of the Lion, abandon your blade and become shackles."
Abandoning her beloved Sword of the Lionheart without hesitation, Erica retreated at high speed using the Phoenix authority to escape the Dragon's Roar Tiger's Howl range while rapidly chanting.
The silver blade instantly transformed within a crimson magic circle into gleaming chains that wrapped tightly around the Great Sage.
"Oh? Quite the effort," he remarked calmly while bound. "But do you think this is the Immortal-Binding Rope of the Supreme Lord Lao?"
With only a slight exertion of his arms, creak—creak— metallic tension rang from the silver chains. Cracks spread across the magical implement in an instant—it could barely restrain him for even a few breaths.
Yet in the next moment, Erica, using the divine speed of the Phoenix authority, began chanting her strongest Word of Power at an unprecedented pace.
"Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani! Lord, why have You forsaken me..."
The opening words were audible, but the remainder blurred into incomprehensible syllables under her rapid incantation. Even so, the Word of Power completed in that fleeting instant produced its effect.
Without pause, Erica began chanting another spell. Her Phoenix authority was already exhausted, so this time the incantation rang out clearly.
"Lion of Steel, I entrust you with my sighs and wrath. Bear the lament of the Son of God and the Holy Spirit—be baptized in the blood of the sacred end—manifest—Holy Lance, Longinus!"
In Erica's hand reappeared the Godslaying Lance she had once wielded against Athena. Unlike before, its tip was already entwined with Words of Power steeped in hatred and despair.
At the very instant she drew forth the Holy Lance, the Great Sage shattered the chains binding him. What greeted him head-on was the Godslaying weapon.
"A counterfeit forged from curse power—and you dare flaunt it before me?"
His Fiery Golden Eyes pierced through the lance's reality in an instant. With a single swing of the Ruyi Jingu Bang, he struck its tip.
Bang—!
With a brittle metallic crack and a burst of sparks, the lance's tip was knocked flying. Yet the Great Sage frowned slightly. The sensation was wrong—far too light.
"You've fallen for it, Great Sage Equal to Heaven!"
The red-clad king declared triumphantly.
From her other hand, a golden longsword suddenly shot forward and stabbed toward him.
While using divine speed to chant earlier, she had not only summoned the Godslaying Lance—she had also completed the Word of Power for the Warrior Who Wields the Golden Sword, concealing it cleverly amid the chaos of battle.
When one possessed detailed knowledge of a god, this authority could be activated. The information about the Great Sage had been secretly provided moments ago by Satsuki, who had been observing.
This was an authority capable of erasing divine power—the foundation of the Persian War God's invincibility. Even a Military God of Steel as mighty as this could not possibly withstand such a force.
—That was what Erica firmly believed.
What happened next, however, left her utterly stunned.
The sword, capable of piercing a god's body, struck the Great Sage—yet it felt as though it had collided with the hardest substance in existence. Not only did it fail to penetrate, the blade let out a mournful cry and snapped cleanly in half.
"How could this be?!"
The Great Sage, however, paid it no mind.
"Old Sun has eaten the peaches of Heaven, drunk immortal wine, and swallowed elixirs—my body became indestructible. Tempered by the flames of the Eight Trigrams Furnace, I can endure blades, axes, and lightning without suffering the slightest harm. And you think a god-slaying sword can do anything to me?"
With that, he swung the Ruyi Jingu Bang and smashed it fiercely toward Erica's head.
To shatter the Golden Sword with his bare body—this was the first time such a thing had happened since Erica obtained the Persian War God's authority.
But the Ruyi Jingu Bang sweeping toward her next left no room for evasion. The strike was incredibly fast, its movement like a bolt of lightning.
Invisible!
Erica once again faced the same situation as before.
The resplendent hero who moved in white flashes possessed speed far beyond her expectations. Against an opponent whose motions she could not even perceive, she had no choice but to once again overdraw the Phoenix incarnation, ignoring the faint pain coursing through her body.
Hyper-acceleration!
When the staff passed within barely ten centimeters of her body, Erica narrowly avoided the blow by a hair's breadth.
"Oh~"
The Great Sage murmured lightly—and instantly increased his attack speed.
The Ruyi Jingu Bang tore through the raging wind, beginning to roar. Within this domain of Buddhist radiance, his movements grew faster and smoother with every strike, his divine power surging ever stronger.
Lightning-fast consecutive blows rained down from every conceivable angle, forcing Erica into desperate evasions. Each time, she relied on split-second bursts of hyper-acceleration to escape by the narrowest margin.
The entire sequence resembled a theoretical "single surviving route" demonstrated by TAS software—something that should exist only in theory.
"Hmm, you can actually withstand Old Sun's staff assault? Not bad. That makes you worthy of being called a Demon King. But—you're not the only one who can change!"
In that instant of exchange, the battle-hardened Sun Wukong had already seen through the subtle timing of Erica's evasions. He adjusted his own rhythm just as swiftly. The next strike clung to her like a shadow—this time, there was no escaping it.
She could only cross her arms in front of her chest in a defensive posture before being sent flying by the golden staff.
"—Ugh."
Even with protective techniques and the Bull incarnation reinforcing her, facing the manifested divine pillar that stabilized the seas left the Red Devil gravely wounded in an instant.
What was most infuriating, however, was that after delivering such a blow, the Great Sage calmly muttered, "Buddha is merciful."
"Merciful? Are you joking?!"
At that moment, Luo Hao threw another punch from afar. Though separated by a vast distance, a simple straight punch sent a shockwave surging toward Sun Wukong.
"Useless!"
The colorless, formless attack—like a typhoon—was once again blocked by the golden Sanskrit characters surrounding him, which transformed into a luminous barrier without any visible motion on his part.
"So it truly is powered by Buddhist force? In that case—"
The power within Cult Leader Luo Hao surged higher and higher. Golden particles of the Essence of Diamond Power radiated outward from her body, forming a mirage-like shimmering image.
This scene drew the attention of the Great Sage Equal to Heaven. Within the illusory image, he seemed to glimpse a familiar figure.
"Oh~ Feels like someone I know. Though I can't say I remember clearly."
In the next moment, the golden barrier resounded with a tremendous roar as the mirage-like figure struck it with lightning speed.
Then again—at the exact same point—a fierce midline charge collided with it.
Cracks burst outward from the point of contact. Forced to shift his attention from swiftly finishing Erica, Sun Wukong turned fully toward the Cult Leader.
At this moment, the Demon Cult Leader's face displayed a pure, delicate smile like that of an innocent girl. Yet beneath that charming exterior lay a deeply twisted and stubborn heart. When she became serious, that naive sweetness bloomed like a flower—an unmistakable sign.
Crash—crash—
As the golden barrier shattered, the mirage-like figure gradually solidified into a clear form—
A massive, half-naked giant.
Seated upon a rock throne, bearing the form of a youthful deity. Seven topknots crowned his head, with braided hair falling over his left shoulder. His left eye was slightly closed, his lower teeth biting upon his upper lip in wrathful expression. Flames blazed behind him like the inferno of a smelting furnace, pillars of searing karmic fire roaring and radiating intense heat. In his right hand he held a sharp sword; in his left, a noose—poised to sever afflictions.
This was no ordinary Vajra guardian, but the wrathful manifestation who purges heresy from the Buddhist path—Fudō Myōō.
Fudō Myōō, also known as the Immovable Wisdom King, the Immovable Bodhisattva, or the Immovable Messenger.
"Immovable" signified an unshakable compassionate heart. "Wisdom" represented the radiance of enlightened insight. "King" denoted mastery over all phenomena. According to esoteric classification, Fudō Myōō is the command-wheel embodiment of all Buddhas—thus called the King of the Wisdom Kings and chief of the Five Great Wisdom Kings.
This King of Wisdom possesses the meaning of overcoming all obstacles without wavering. His wrathful form terrifies evil beings who disturb sentient life, driving them away so that practitioners do not falter upon the path to enlightenment.
"Strange. Even Luo Hao should not be able to manifest a level of divine power as high as Fudō Myōō when she originally could only manifest Vajra Arhats. It seems something interesting has occurred within this region... Was this specifically prepared by those of the Netherworld, using the rusted three-meter divine sword embedded in the great rock at the summit of Mount Nantai as a focal point?"
Satsuki's Tenseigan easily discerned the divine power within Fudō Myōō. The majority of that power did not originate from Luo Hao herself—it came from an external source.
"It was Kōbō Daishi—Kūkai—who brought the faith of Fudō Myōō from China to Japan. It is said he founded the name 'Nikkō,' and the founder of Nikkō, Shōdō Shōnin, left behind the Futara Mountain Stone Monument. It seems this seal cannot be unrelated to him."
"Those who see my form shall awaken the bodhicitta. Those who hear my name shall abandon evil and cultivate good. Those who hear my Dharma shall gain great wisdom. Those who know my heart shall attain Buddhahood in this very body!"
The moment Fudō Myōō manifested, he proclaimed a grand vow. Even with the Great Sage Equal to Heaven igniting his own Buddhist authority, he seemed slightly overshadowed beneath this vow.
The Fiery Golden Eyes locked instantly onto the formidable foe before him. Yet Sun Wukong calmly rested the Ruyi Jingu Bang against his shoulder and spoke.
"Wisdom King... I didn't expect to cross hands with your incarnation here."
The towering Fudō Myōō bent his nearly hundred-meter-tall body, gazing down at Sun Wukong.
"Unexpected that the mental incarnation in this world has once again been sealed by the former Stable Keeper. It seems your cultivation remains insufficient, Venerable One."
"What?"
Sun Wukong's expression shifted. "Mental incarnation? What are you talking about?"
"Oh? And yet you wield my Kurikara Sword without knowing? Perhaps ignorance of such karmic ties is a blessing."
Vast karmic flames erupted from the colossal Fudō Myōō.
"Not all can reach the truth. You are long divorced from this mortal world—but if you still refuse to let go..."
"Then fight once more."
Forming a mudra, Fudō Myōō merged his wrathful flames with immense karmic fire between his fingers, transforming it into a golden railgun-like beam that spanned the glazed space and surged toward Sun Wukong.
For a fleeting instant, the space filled with Buddhist radiance dimmed.
Even Satsuki, watching from afar, felt blinded by the dazzling golden brilliance—like a great sun erupting before her eyes. All around was unbearable heat, as though she stood within a boundless sea of fire.
Beyond light and heat, nothing existed. Heaven and earth vanished. Directions lost meaning. Above and below could not be discerned.
Around that beam raged a torrent of destruction that nearly tore the entire space apart.