In Liu Ma's astonished eyes, Tendo's figure transformed into an afterimage that tore through the air, suddenly appearing right above Liu Ma's head in an instant.
Looking at the moon-white figure backlit by the sun, raising a blade to strike, Liu Ma's pupils sharply contracted. His proud dynamic vision was completely unable to track Tendo's movements. Because of this, he was utterly defenseless against Tendo's sudden attack.
At this critical moment, a gunshot broke the eerie silence.
Clang!
Tendo lightly shifted his body, and his Star Shatter blade accurately struck the 'Silver Falcon Bullet' shot by Yuchen, sending sparks flying. While he managed to block Yuchen's sneak attack, his own movement was momentarily, almost imperceptibly, paused.
A good opportunity!
Seeing this, Liu Ma instinctively realized that this might be his only chance to pose a threat to Tendo. Without any hesitation, he decisively used the special martial art his 'big sister' Yu Qianxia had taught him not long ago—Feathered Fivefold Power.
[Feathered Fivefold Power: A unique skill crafted by Yu Qianxia for the children of the stars, integrating the family's secret Feathered Fourfold Power. It can sequentially detonate the four layers of power from the body's Star Core, Star Source, Star Energy, and physical body, finally condensing a fifth layer of power called 'Intent.']
Although Feathered Fivefold Power could theoretically stack up to five layers of power, Liu Ma could only barely unleash a pseudo-triple power. That is, a combination of physical and Star Energy power, augmented by the dual boost of Star Source and Star Core, creating a burst of power that approximated the triple power.
Even so, when Liu Ma's fist shot through the air, the exaggerated force created a sound like a thunderclap on a clear day, making a dramatic scene that couldn't be ignored.
Yet, in the face of his mighty punch, a playful look flashed in Tendo's eyes. Tendo had clearly seen Liu Ma use this very punch in the original story. At that time, Liu Ma had used this punch to defeat the original Fifth Squad Captain, the showy, red-caped guy, Kong Cheng.
But he, Tendo, was not Kong Cheng. This punch held no threat for him. An attack that doesn't hit the enemy is meaningless!
"Ink Flow—Revolve."
As Tendo's voice fell, his Star Shatter blade, like flowing ink, lightly connected with Liu Ma's fist. Tendo then used the force to redirect the violent punch, guiding it directly towards Yuchen!
This turn of events not only stunned Liu Ma but also caught Yuchen, who had intended to use the chance to launch a sneak attack on Tendo, completely off guard.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Amidst three sonic booms, Liu Ma forcefully pulled his punch back at the last moment. At the same time, Yuchen fully activated his 'Fantastical Silver Wings,' narrowly managing to dodge Liu Ma's exaggerated punch.
Boom!!!
The punch, now without a target, finally slammed into an empty spot on the brass bridge. The hard brass bridge surface showed a large area of dents and cracks, and the bridge itself visibly shook.
This was still the result of Liu Ma holding back his power. Even so, Yuchen was still affected by the expanding shockwave, sent crashing into a nearby metal pillar, and spat up blood.
When Yuchen managed to climb back to his feet and struggled to look up, he was shocked to find that Tendo had already moved to stand in front of him. Yuchen's peripheral vision glanced at Liu Ma. Liu Ma had already dispelled his 'transformation' and was sprawled unconscious on the ground. It turned out that during the time Yuchen was sent flying by the pseudo-triple power's aftershock, Tendo had already dealt with Liu Ma at light speed.
Seeing this, Yuchen coughed up blood and gave a bitter smile. He had considered that even with him and Liu Ma teamed up, they still might not be Tendo's match, but he never expected to be defeated so miserably.
Ink Flow, you're a monster who just came out of nowhere.
But...
"Cough...cough... At least my mission is now complete..."
"After all, with that guy Kong's Star Core ability, Vivian should be safe."
Hearing this, Tendo suddenly laughed. And seeing his smile, a bad premonition surged in Yuchen's heart.
"Vice-Captain Yu, it seems you think you've played everyone like a fiddle."
Tendo turned to look in the direction where Chen Kong and Vivian had just left. He said meaningfully, "The existence-erasing ability of the Empty Mark is indeed a divine skill for stealth and escape, but that's for ordinary people."
"Do you think for a monster whose intuition is stronger than his reason, 'existence' can truly be erased?"
Yuchen's expression froze, and he subconsciously said, "W-what do you mean?"
Tendo adjusted his glasses and calmly gave his explanation. "It means that as long as a certain person is willing, no matter where Chen Kong and Vivian run, she can follow the traces they left behind and find the two hiding individuals in the shortest amount of time."
"Don't doubt it. That person is exactly that kind of existence."
With that, Tendo no longer bothered to explain to Yuchen. He immediately used the back of his blade to knock out the rebellious vice-captain, ending the brief farce.
After doing all this, Tendo casually found a clean step and sat down to rest patiently. His relaxed and leisurely demeanor suggested he wasn't worried at all about Chen Kong and Vivian successfully escaping. In this farce with a predestined outcome, Tendo never changed the result; he only changed the process.
As Tendo's fight concluded, the episode's scene shifted to the escaping Chen Kong and Vivian.
"We're almost there. Just hold on a little longer!"
Chen Kong pulled the complex-looking Vivian, desperately rushing towards the junction of Steam City's upper and lower districts—the Nut Hub Station. During their sprint, pedestrians and vehicles along the way seemed to be completely oblivious to them, automatically making way.
But just as they were about to enter the Nut Hub Station and use it to get to the lower district, a figure that Chen Kong had not expected appeared at the entrance of the Nut Hub Station.
Looking at the fiery red figure sitting on the steps like a flame, Chen Kong's steps came to a sudden halt. His force was so great that Vivian almost slammed into his back.
At the same time, the fans on B-station (Social Media), upon seeing the figure with the demon blade tucked at her waist, sitting on the steps, completely lost their minds.
'Bad news! It's that woman!'
'A scene of an older sister beating up her younger brother? This is getting interesting.'
'Wait, how do Ink Flow and Star Dust know each other? Was that mentioned before?'
'I don't know. Maybe Chen Kong's actions were too big, and Star Dust couldn't stand it, so she came to stop him.'
'Chen Kong, even though you're the protagonist, your opponent is Star Dust, who's the third most popular character. So... please stop right there. I beg you!'
'High-energy incoming!'
Amidst the fans' excitement, Star Dust looked up and accurately gazed in the direction of Chen Kong and Vivian. Although it was just a glance, both Chen Kong and Vivian felt a pressure more terrifying than what they had felt from Ink Flow earlier.
If Ink Flow gave a feeling of a bottomless, secluded abyss, then Star Dust at this moment gave a feeling of a terrifying, fiery hell.
And in front of her bug-like 'Demonic Star Intuition,' Chen Kong's so-called 'existence-erasing' ability was completely useless!
As Chen Kong's tension mounted, Star Dust slowly spoke.
"Kong, after all these years, you still haven't improved at all."
Chen Kong swallowed, giving a clumsy greeting. "Sis, it's... been a long time, haha."
Star Dust did not respond to Chen Kong's words. She stood up, placed her right hand on the hilt of her demon blade, and slowly began to walk towards the two of them.
Although she was alone, both the audience and Chen Kong understood one thing. The path to the lower city had been completely 'severed' by the woman standing before them!