Chapter 80: Luo Hao's Expectation
Next, the girl spoke in an extremely haughty tone.
"In my martial arts and authorities—I, Luo Cuilian, can slaughter ten thousand soldiers by raising my fists and feet, and sweep away a hundred thousand with blades and spears. If I demonstrate the ultimate essence of my martial techniques, an army of a million would become a mountain of corpses and a river of blood; all territories would turn to naught, leaving only the remnants of mountains and rivers."
"That certainly is impressive," Shirou complimented perfunctorily.
"My time is pressing. The Dragon God or Snake God is already prepared. Before I deal with that monkey who brought shame to Jiangnan, I will defeat you with all my might."
"You truly are brimming with self-confidence."
Hearing Luo Hao's prideful declaration, Shirou couldn't help but curl his lip. However, she indeed possessed the right to be so arrogant, for she was a powerhouse on the same level as Marquis Voban, the oldest Godslayer.
Marquis Voban, who possessed ten authorities—had Shirou not pre-emptively obtained Verethragna's authority and sealed the Marquis's most critical ability to defeat him, "Severing the Knot of Fate," the outcome of that battle would likely have been far more unpredictable. In the end, it would have been hard to say who would have won or lost.
"My confidence is not a sham; it is a conclusion reached through a thorough understanding of my own strength."
"A thorough understanding of your own strength... which means you don't know much about mine?" Shirou suddenly smiled.
It was a smile that gave Luo Hao a bad premonition. In the two hundred years since she had become a Campione, it was the first time she had ever felt this way. But at this moment, she had no time to ponder why she was having such a strange foreboding.
"Behind the mica screen, the candle shadows deepen..."
The girl with the beautiful countenance sang a ballad with a melody reminiscent of the notes of a zither—a soothing, beautiful voice.
"The Long River gradually sinks as the morning star sets. Chang'e should regret stealing the elixir of immortality, her heart dwelling nightly in the green sea and blue sky."
It was sorcery!
However, the "Leader" Luo Hao's chanting didn't feel tedious at all; on the contrary, it provided a pleasant, melodic sensation.
"The concubine dwells alone, with no one by her side."
Finally reaching the last line, as the final syllable of the incantation was uttered, Luo Hao lunged at Shirou.
Her figure was like a phantom; even in the eyes of the Knight-Princesses and the Shrine Maidens, she left no trace to be captured. Appearing instantly before Shirou, Luo Hao raised her slender arm. Her seemingly small palm carried the momentum of a dragon and a tiger as it struck ruthlessly toward Shirou's heart.
What Leader Luo Hao was utilizing now was not an authority, but an attack performed with "Qi" combined with the 『Twelve Divine Palms of the Flying Phoenix』.
This strike was one of the techniques of the Twelve Palms, named: "The Phoenix Claw Tears the Heart"!
Thump!
A muffled sound echoed. Luo Hao's eyes widened slightly. She looked with some surprise at the boy who had reached out and caught her slender right wrist.
"You could actually block my 『Twelve Divine Palms of the Flying Phoenix』? It seems strength is your forte."
While her right wrist was restrained, Luo Hao immediately raised her leg and kicked fiercely toward Shirou's head, forcing him to release her wrist and raise his arm to block the kick.
That strike was infused with "Qi" and was incredibly powerful. However, Shirou's constitution, possessing a vast amount of divine power, was not so easily shaken. His raised right arm took the full force of Luo Hao's kick with a dull "thud," but his body did not budge an inch.
Seeing that Shirou's body did not waver in the slightest, Luo Hao's beautiful eyes narrowed slightly.
"It seems that fighting you without using authorities is not a wise move."
Saying this, Leader Luo Hao scanned the surrounding buildings.
"Fighting here would make it very inconvenient to unleash authorities." Luo Hao glanced at Shirou and tilted her head slightly. "How about we take this to the sky? Tell me... do you have the ability to fight in the air?"
"Naturally, I do," Shirou replied.
While it is actually quite simple for a Godslayer to learn magecraft, most Godslayers to date—aside from those without the aptitude—have never bothered to learn. They seem to find fighting and being a "King" above men to be more interesting. Despite knowledge being right in front of them, they only care about indulging themselves.
However, Leader Luo Hao was clearly not such a person. As the "Leader" of the Five Sacred Mountain Cult and a ruler at the pinnacle of martial arts, she naturally researched magecraft and sorcery; after all, one cannot remain at the top forever if one stands still.
"Then I shall go first. Follow me."
Leaving these words behind, Luo Hao's figure rose without wind. With a step, she leaped into the sky. It was the "Sky-Walking Technique," a sorcery usable only by Taoist priestesses with the aptitude of a shaman. Like Liliana Kranjcar, Leader Luo Hao was a figure referred to as a "Witch" by those in Europe.
Of course, if she knew Europe defined her that way, they would surely have to endure the Leader's wrath.
Watching Leader Luo Hao ascend, Shirou looked back at the Knight-Princesses and the Shrine Maiden waiting obediently in the villa and waved his hand.
"Wait for me here."
Then, his figure turned into a blue stream of light, soaring into the sky.
"Since we have come to this aerial domain, let our battle begin," Leader Luo Hao said with some excitement. However, her youthful appearance combined with her expression made her look somewhat like a girl excited to go to an amusement park after a holiday.
But in the next moment, the blooming golden particles shattered that image instantly.
"Battle south of the city, die north of the ramparts. Dead in the wild, unburied, the crows may eat us. Speak for me to the crows: for the guests, a feast!"
Accompanied by the girl's Words of Power, her authority activated immediately.
"Dead in the wild, surely unburied, how can rotting flesh escape you? The sound of water gushes, the reeds are dark and dim. The brave riders die in battle, the weary horses linger and neigh!"
This was the authority Luo Hao had usurped by defeating the pair of Buddhist Nio guardians, 『Misshaku Kongo』 and 『Naraen Kengo』—『The Divine Art of the Great Powerful Vajra』!
It was a pure authority that allowed the strength of the Vajra warriors to dwell within her body, granting her peerless, Herculean strength. It released golden particles of "Kongo-riki Essence" that could transform into giant golden palms. It could also be wrapped around her body like armor; if the defense was concentrated at a single point, it could even block Salvatore Doni's magic sword that severs all things.
Furthermore, the particles could summon two massive 『Vajra Manifestations』 to fight. These armed Vajra warriors could perform the summoner's own martial arts. The manifestations could grow up to 3000 meters in size, though they had the weakness of lower density at larger sizes; usually, she controlled them at sizes under 20 meters. The consumption of magic power for these warriors was vast, and any damage dealt to them would be reflected back to Luo Hao herself.
With golden particles swirling around her, Leader Luo Hao looked at Shirou with confidence and said leisurely:
"This is the 『Divine Art of the Great Powerful Vajra』 I usurped from the pair of Nio... Martial arts are necessary to become strong; those with great power do not necessarily possess supreme martial skill. Now, let me show you how powerful the pinnacle of martial arts truly is!"
Luo Hao's seemingly small fist, accompanied by the howling of the wind, swung toward Shirou. A massive amount of magic power surged from within her, and her strength multiplied in an instant. Combined with her peerless martial techniques, the doubled strength and skill together made even Shirou feel a bit of pressure.
Of course, only a bit.
"Crush its spine, tear out the bones, hair, and brain, and trample the blood and soil together. If I am the one with sharp fangs who is hard to approach, then follow the Lord's word and grant them ruin!"
With the chanting of the Words of Power, a gate connecting the underworld and reality suddenly opened in front of Shirou. As if rushing out from an abyss of absolute darkness, the black divine beast Boar roared, galloping through the air like thunder as it charged toward Luo Hao!
"O thou with sharp fangs! Kill with a single strike, trample and crush!"
Simultaneously, Shirou chanted without hesitation once more, adding blue flames to the Boar's massive body to increase its attack power.
"The Way of Heaven is clear and bright; the Way of Earth is peaceful and serene; the Way of Man is empty and tranquil!"
Facing the black divine beast Boar charging at her, Luo Hao chanted her Words of Power without fear.
"Brilliant and solar, the lightning scorches with splendor. Sky is divine, Earth is divine, by the urgent order of the Supreme Lord Lao Zi!"
The incantation she recited was Luo Hao's second authority—『The Great Law of the Dragon's Hum and Tiger's Roar』!
This was an authority she had usurped by defeating the Vedic goddess of hymns, 『Gayatri』. It allowed her to exhale her voice and breath as ultrasonic winds, generating the power of shockwaves. Since the longer she chanted, the greater the destructive power, she used it in the form of poetry. Even a slight chant could generate a demonic wind capable of blowing away massive divine beasts.
If Luo Hao continued to chant regardless of her limits, her destructive power would reach a level capable of destroying all of Europe at will; an island nation like Japan would sink directly into the sea. Even a light shout containing magic power could cause destruction equivalent to a collision with a heavy vehicle. Exhaling softly without sound could still produce a "fist-like" demonic wind. When used in close-quarters combat, her strikes and shockwaves could be combined. Additionally, it could sever all sounds except for Luo Hao's own voice and the howling wind.
"Last year we fought at the source of the Sangkan, this year we fight at the Onion River road. Washing weapons in the waves of the Tiaozhi Sea, grazing horses in the snow-grass of the Tianshan Mountains. A march of ten thousand miles, the three armies grow old and frail."
Facing the black divine beast Boar charging recklessly, Luo Hao recited the Words of Power without a change in expression. The ballad-like incantation transformed into a demonic wind that annihilated all things.
"The Xiongnu take slaughter as their tilling; since ancient times, one sees only white bones in the yellow sands. The House of Qin built walls to avoid the barbarians; the House of Han still sees the beacon fires burn. The beacon fires burn without ceasing; the campaign goes on without end."
The singing became more beautiful, and the demonic wind grew stronger. The Boar was now right before her eyes.
"The campaign goes on without end. Dying in field combat, the defeated horses neigh toward the sky in sorrow. Ravens and kites peck at human entrails, flying with them to hang on withered branches."
The pressure of the demonic wind shifted. The peaceful ballad was like a lullaby to the Boar; suppressed by this vibration, the black divine beast's footsteps slowed slightly.
"Soldiers paint the grass and brush, the general works in vain. Thus we know that weapons are instruments of ill omen, used by the sage only when there is no other choice."
In that instant, Luo Hao stopped reciting the poem. The wind, created from her voice and breath as ultrasonic waves, transformed into a terrifying shockwave.
"HA—!"
The shockwave swept out, directly blowing away the twenty-meter-tall divine beast Boar! The blue flames were extinguished instantly, causing Shirou to frown slightly.
"What an impressive 'wind.' Even my 'Boar' couldn't withstand it."
Regarding the elimination of the 『Boar』—one of the ten incarnations of the authority 『Warrior from the East』—and the fact that it could not be used again today, Shirou felt no regret. This was exactly the strength one would expect from Luo Hao, the nemesis of Marquis Voban.
Hearing Shirou's exclamation, the beautiful Luo Hao curled her lips in a playful smile.
"If this is all you are capable of, it would have been impossible for you to defeat Marquis Voban."
Her eyes remained fixed on Shirou, anticipating what kind of authority he would unleash next.
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