Chapter 294: Book of Fuxi Has Her Own Mission
"Sword Art: Falling Blossoms!"
The massive, blunt-edged sword shot out like a rainbow, tearing through the air with a sharp sonic boom.
"Hahahaha! Kevin, the warm-up's about done—now come witness my true power! Go!"
"Judgement of Shamash—Come!"
Amid the floating fragments of shattered islands, Kevin stood atop a giant boulder. He brushed the dust from his clothes—dust raised from the destruction of the floating isles—and extended his hand. From the depths of darkness, a blaze of fire flew toward him.
Boom!
The searing crimson greatsword cleaved through the incoming sword, which had been infused with tremendous force. However, Kevin's brows furrowed slightly.
"A move called 'Falling Blossoms'... it shouldn't just be a single attack. Shouting out the move name aside, with a name like that, it's already hinting at the real technique. Still too immature, huh?"
Kevin thought to himself as he sharpened his focus, intent on experiencing "Fu Hua's" full strength firsthand.
The outcome of this fight wasn't important. What mattered was gauging "Fu Hua's" abilities and limits, to gather strategic and tactical intel for possible future conflicts.
In the next moment, countless black feathers appeared in the air, filling the space around Kevin.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Each feather exploded with Honkai energy, unleashing wave after wave of devastating shockwaves.
But the physical destruction didn't bother Kevin much. His body, like most fusion warriors, possessed extraordinary resilience and regenerative ability, any minor injuries would heal almost instantly.
The real trouble lay in the mental assault embedded in the black feathers.
Despite his iron will, Kevin wasn't a specialist in mental defense. The repeated spiritual shockwaves left him momentarily dazed, his mind blanking for a split second.
And that brief lapse was enough.
"Fu Hua," wreathed in ominous black mist, appeared before him with a savage grin, bringing her massive sword down in a heavy slash.
Kevin's brow furrowed. With no time to spare, he hastily raised his own sword to meet the attack.
Clang—!
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Managing to parry the direct hit, Kevin was nevertheless sent flying by the tremendous force, smashing through fragment after fragment of the floating islands.
"Hahaha! Welt's strength only shines in large-scale wars, Durandal is still too young, the Herrscher squad is far from a real threat, and who knows how long it's been since Sigurd last fought seriously. Among today's heroes, only you and I, Kevin, can still boast of our prowess! But—there can only be one true champion. And today, we settle this once and for all!"
As her bold proclamation echoed, the air around them abruptly heated up, molten rock dripping from the floating debris under her gaze.
Kevin was returning, dragging the Judgment Sword behind him like a flaming meteor streaking through the void.
"Fu Hua" grinned even wider, laughed wildly, and raised her greatsword to charge straight back.
BOOM!!!
The most intense head-on clash yet—the floating island battlefield Su had carefully prepared was finally, utterly annihilated, leaving behind only an endless, empty void.
One side was a blazing inferno that dyed half the world red.
The other, a fierce, savage battle aura that corroded the very space around it.
For a brief moment, the two forces stood deadlocked in the broken battlefield.
Then—
A flurry of relentless, deafening clashes.
"Hahaha! This is great! Only you, Kevin, can let me go all out without holding back!"
"You are strong."
"Save your breath! I know you haven't shown your real power yet! Come on—show me what you've really got!"
"As you wish."
BOOM!!!
Each clash was a rapid and unpredictable contest of swordsmanship. "Fu Hua's" techniques allowed her to leave small cuts on Kevin again and again.
Yet Kevin's expression remained unchanged. He didn't specialize in finesse, nor did he care about superficial wounds that healed in the blink of an eye. His focus was solely on swinging his sword, again and again.
The Honkai energy radiating from him grew more intense with each strike, and the temperature of the Judgement of Shamash soared higher and higher.
—He only needed a single hit.
One decisive blow was all it would take to turn the tide in his favor, regardless of the minor setbacks he'd suffered in close-quarters combat.
Boom!
Another clash of raw strength. "Fu Hua" gritted her teeth as she was forced to retreat, flying backward through the void.
Kevin stood motionless, flipping his sword around. Flames capable of melting anything enveloped him as he expressionlessly charged after her.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
With each collision, "Fu Hua" was pushed back again and again. Now it was Kevin's turn to dominate, his momentum overwhelming.
"Fu Hua" gritted her teeth and held her ground while trying to find an opening, inwardly regretting her earlier mistake—getting carried away and attempting to match Kevin's brute strength head-on, her own weak point. That decision had now placed her at a major disadvantage.
. . . . . .
Inside the mental realm, Fu Hua and Su sat opposite each other, both having projected a fragment of their consciousness inside to observe. They shook their heads simultaneously.
"This child is going to lose."
"Yes," Fu Hua sighed. "She's too impulsive. Facing Kevin head-on in a contest of raw power, something even I wouldn't dare to imagine. If she had stuck to exploiting her superior sword skills, combined with her unpredictable mental attacks, advancing step by step, she might have stood a chance. But trying to overpower Kevin from the start only wasted her energy. Once Kevin started counterattacking, it was already too late."
"Don't be too harsh on her," Su said gently. "We both know what level Kevin is at. And this child... in some ways, she's still like a naive newborn. Honestly, if we can guide her properly, her future potential is limitless."
"True," Fu Hua agreed thoughtfully. "As a Herrscher of Sentience, and with the Art of Taixuan Sword in her hands, she could push the art even further. So, Su, do you have any ideas for her?"
Fu Hua stopped paying attention to the battle outside—despite it being her own body that was fighting.
Su scratched his face and shook his head helplessly.
"I have no experience with something like this. I never imagined I'd have to give advice to a Herrscher who thinks she's Fu Hua... So don't look at me—I'm useless here."
"Fair enough. Otherwise, you would've said something the last time," Fu Hua mused.
"Maybe we should let Book of Fuxi try talking to her?" Su suggested. "It seems she genuinely cares about that child."
"Little Xuan, huh? It's worth a try. She's probably the only one who can keep that reckless spirit under control. I'll think it over carefully; something like this must be handled with caution. Such a promising seedling... it would be a real tragedy if she went astray," Fu Hua said with a troubled sigh.
Su nodded in agreement.
He himself had a generous and tolerant heart; after meeting Kiana, he had already come to accept the existence of human-side Herrschers. From what he could see, this Herrscher of Sentience also showed great promise of aligning with humanity. If they could successfully guide her, the boost to civilization's combat strength would be immense.
"If you need anything else, just come find me. I'll always be keeping an eye on your condition. As long as you call out to me within the mental realm, I'll hear you."
"Alright. Thank you, Su."
. . . . .
The outcome of the battle was exactly as the two veterans had anticipated.
"Fu Hua" eventually collapsed, her grip slipping from her sword hilt. Covered in wounds and drained of all strength, she fell through the void.
"Damn it... I messed up my strategy..."
Muttering in frustration, her crimson eyes saw the gray, empty sky above her gradually transform back into the blue skies and white clouds from when she first arrived.
Then, she gently landed on a soft patch of grass.
Her greatsword was still sheathed and planted in the ground not far away. She no longer had the strength to stand.
"You're strong in every way, you are just lacking a bit in calm judgment."
Kevin offered a plain evaluation, leaning his massive sword against a table before sitting down. He took the tea Su handed him and downed it in one go.
Su smiled and shook his head, then walked over to "Fu Hua" and offered her a cup of tea as well.
"Fu Hua" weakly waved her hand.
"Forget it. I'm too pissed to drink anything... I had the advantage! I just didn't use it properly!"
"Defeat is defeat. No point getting mad—don't mess around and hurt your body because of it."
This time, it wasn't Su who spoke, but the Book of Fuxi.
She slowly floated over to "Fu Hua's" chest, her hands tucked into her wide sleeves, and landed lightly on "Fu Hua" breast.
Her small, snow-white feet sank slightly into the 'ground'.
"...Sorry. I couldn't beat him. Next time, I definitely won't lose!"
"Why are you apologizing to me? I never said you had to win. Lord Kevin was the strongest human fifty thousand years ago, and after fifty thousand years... naturally he's even stronger now. Whether you win or lose doesn't matter—what matters is not destroying your body over it."
"You meanie, Little Xuan! You don't believe I can win?"
"Well, wasn't that just proven?"
Book of Fuxi replied nonchalantly, her tiny feet tapping lightly on the 'ground' as she hopped around a bit, checking the height and field of view from her position.
—Mmm, rather than worrying about winning or losing, she was actually much more pleased to notice that "Fu Hua's" body had filled out since their first meeting.
Back then, Fu Hua had been extremely undernourished; now, at least she was at a B to C grade.
"As long as she keeps eating properly... when she reaches peak condition, she'll be quite a sight," Book of Fuxi muttered under her breath, stroking her chin as she pondered upgrading Fu Hua meal plans.
As Fu Hua's caretaker, this was her real mission!
The dejected "Fu Hua," of course, caught every word of that little mutter.
Her expression twisted instantly.
All her frustration about the battle was thrown aside.
With her strength finally returning, she lifted her hands and gently grabbed Book of Fuxi by the shoulders.
"Book of Fuxi!!!"
[Book of Fuxi!!!]
Her furious, embarrassed shriek echoed across the vast grassy plains outside and rang through Fu Hua's mental realm, spreading far and wide.