Miyata Kuraki’s current experience looked extremely colourful in personality… or extremely ‘unique’. It looked very weird, but in this getup, he had an extremely peculiar presence, which made Zheng involuntarily get serious.
This time, Miyata Kuraki wasn’t continuously wiping blood on his body. He merely tapped his katana on the ground lightly on the ground. The black fog on his body suddenly gushed out, enveloping the area over ten metres around him. A substance formed of the black mist gradually appeared within, a majority constructing a set of wings behind his back, with the surplus creating multiple strange dark-red eyes around him. [1]
“This move is called Silent Eyes! It uses the mind’s eye to attack, the so-called hearts rends the soul… When pursued to the extreme, all can be cut, whether the fleshy body or soul!” Miyata Kuraki’s expression wasn’t clear, and was completely hidden within that substance-like black mist. The black mist wrapped him up as if it were armour, and he slowly flew up as he spoke. The rune wings behind his back were extremely beautiful, and were genuine items capable of flight.
“Wave Eye[2]: Wings of Light!” The various eyes around began to flash violently. When he was a dozen metres from Zheng, the wings behind him began to spin like a wheel as it slashed towards Zheng, spinning like a pitch-black wheel with sawtooths. The speed could no longer be followed with the eyes, and Zheng, who had been previously unconcerned, could only hastily unsheathe Tiger’s Soul. With the sound of metal colliding, the wheel’s force seemed to actually not be inferior to him in Explosion.
Miyata Kuraki howled as he charged forward once again. However, Zheng had already activated Explosion and sent a sabre slash ahead of Miyata Kuraki. When Miyata Kuraki used his katana to resist, he had already landed a kick on his chest. He sent him flying over a kilometre away, towards a distant aircraft carrier.
“This isn’t the place to battle. Let’s have a good fight over there!” This kick was firmly within the power level of Explosion, but it hadn’t been able to destroy his black mist armour. It had only sent him flying. However, this kick revealed a flaw. Miyata Kuraki possessed this level of strength, but he didn’t possess the level of genetic constraint to control it. His mind couldn’t follow the speed born of this power and he didn’t possess sufficient control. This power was definitely not his innate power, but a borrowed kind.
Miyata Kuraki landed heavily on the aircraft carrier’s deck, causing a half metre deep depression in it. However, it seemed it hadn’t resulted in any heavy injuries. He leapt up with a forceful stomp, vigorously slas.h.i.+ng upwards when he saw Zheng chasing after.
“Wave Eye: Piercing Claw!”
Five claw fingers emitting black light suddenly appeared out of the katana, which grabbed towards Zheng. However, it was struck into nothingness by Zheng with a wave of his hand before it had even reached ten metres away from him. A crimson light blade was on Tiger’s Soul, and it was stronger than this black claw. A casual brush had disintegrated it and Zheng didn’t stop there. He descended from the sky, sending his foot kicking out. He landed on the spot Miyata Kuraki was before he got out of the way. With a crash, the spot Miyata Kuraki had been standing on caved in two or three metres deep. If the man himself had still been there, he definitely wouldn’t have had a whole corpse left.
“True, your power this time is great, and can be described as being on the cusp of the fourth stage. But is there a point? Only personal power that belongs to yourself is truly great power. Power that can’t be controlled is a burden no matter how great it is. If my guess is correct, this power should be the Light of the Soul.”
Zheng stood there, sighing. “How miraculous. I didn’t expect G.o.d’s exchanges to have a similar technique. It can stimulate the consciousness’ power to the point of the Light of the Soul, although it’s a double-edged sword, harming both yourself and others. No, it should be harming you more. I refuse to believe you can control it with your current level.”
Miyata Kuraki said hoa.r.s.ely, “Correct! I can’t use it at my current level. But! I said it before, I won"t retreat even half a step backwards even in the face of death. So, treat it as a last request of a warrior. Kill me!” So saying, he leapt at Zheng once again.
“Just to die? I remember once I saw in a book about a j.a.panese custom. It said ‘under the beautiful cherry blossoms, the snow white sword flashes past, peerlessly beautiful even if it dies out’. Is that how it is? Even if you die out?” Zheng laughed coldly. He didn’t care what Miyata Kuraki did or what move he used.
He swung out Tiger’s Soul using both forehand grips and reverse grips. That crimson light blade was unparalleled, and every strike could crush each and every one of Miyata Kuraki’s attacks. Miyata Kuraki was forced to jump backwards to avoid that light blade. The phrase ‘using force to break through technique’ was perfectly encapsulated here.
“How naïve. You think that dying is courage, so there’s nothing to fear! It just happens to be opposite! Living on is what needs greater courage!” Zheng roared. “Living on is to follow through with your convictions! Live on, together with your companions! Return alive back to the real world with them! Only if you’re alive can you obtain a better future! Are you really doing all this just to die?”
Miyata Kuraki was silent. However, the black mist around his body began to be much more violent a moment later. He shouted hoa.r.s.ely, “She IS my conviction! Without her, what meaning would life have? I’ve always wanted to live on, despite countless instances of despair and disappointment. I’ve wanted to change the world around me! What would you know! Yeah, I’m a j.a.panese! I was born in a military family! My parents and elders were indeed from the right wing! But was it me who wanted it to be so? What I wanted for was change, a normal childhood. What I did not want was constantly fighting my father with a s.h.i.+nai, a bamboo sword, and ending up bruised and battered! I didn’t want to learn that kind of revised history or those revised textbooks. I didn’t want to face enmity with enmity or look down on others to elevate myself. I just want to be ordinary and live on with a loved one and get a job and chat with friends… What would you know!”
Miyata Kuraki howled, and the black mist on his body surged endlessly. All the eyes around him all fused into a pair of giant eyes which seemed to envelop the surrounding hundred metres. And Zheng was absolutely within this area.
“I said it already. Even if I die, I won"t retreat! Silent Eye!”
That pair enormous black eyes abruptly opened. Zheng suddenly felt as if Miyata Kuraki had become much faster, to the point that he was faster than his limit in Explosion. Miyata Kuraki had already pa.s.sed his light blade and rushed to his side, a katana streaking past his arm. Thanks to Zheng’s shocking reflexes, he was able to dodge it before his arm was sliced off. Even so, a long cut had been drawn on his arm.
“The speed quickened? Did you overdraft your life force?” Zheng rubbed the wound on his arm, asking curiously. Miyata Kuraki didn"t reply to him. However, Zheng was suddenly enlightened upon seeing an abnormality in the speed the dust was falling at the spots on the ground Miyata Kuraki had stepped on.
“Wrong. You didn’t become faster. I became slower. How wondrous. Such a s.p.a.ce belongs to a high grade of hypnosis. Is it it a method that a.s.saults the soul as well?”
Zheng exerted his strength as he swung his sabre a number of times, forcing the closing in Miyata Kuraki to move backwards. Laughing, he said, “I said it before, you and I are different. I don"t have any special enhancements outside of speed and strength, which is the best battle style I’ve gained after experiencing life and death. Our levels of power are too far apart. Although this is unfair to you, alas this is G.o.d’s Realm, so I don’t have much to be guilty over. Then… this is Destruction!”
A heated battle was ongoing on the aircraft carrier. Looking from afar, the entire carrier was enshrouded in a layer of black mist, that wasn’t being blown away by the wind. The black mist was only covering a large circle on the deck, and outsiders were unable to see what was going on inside.
“Is it fine? They’ve been inside for over an hour, Xuan. Did something happen?” Honglu looked at the distance worriedly.
Xuan spoke, not even raising his head to do so. “It’s fine. Zheng is stronger than you imagine, and has experienced countless life and death battles. This strength is already in the deepest parts of his bones. Apart from his clone, no one can win against the current him. He’s been training and getting to his peak state ever since his revival, all for the final battle. He’s stronger than you imagine. He won"t lose, not until he meets the enemy he must face in the final battle.”
“Xuan, when have you started saying such philosophical words?” Honglu was shocked hearing such things.
“I’m quite proud of my psychological counselling abilities. Would you like me to give you some counselling?”
“...Never mind."
At this moment, a figure was sent flying. Miyata Kuraki had used his katana to block Zheng’s kick, but he hadn’t been able to offset that horrifying force. The katana had immediately shattered, and he had been sent flying over a thousand metres, landing in the water and causing a splash dozens of metres tall. Another figure then shot out at even greater speed, fis.h.i.+ng Miyata Kuraki out of the water a second or two after he fell in. The man’s black mist on his body had actually been kicked apart and he was near death.
“This is the gap between our power levels I was talking about. Be it using raw power to break through technique or technique to break through raw power, the crux is the level of powers involved. Nothing else matters.” Zheng let out a breath, leisurely deactivating Destruction.
At this moment, two streams of psyche force came from the distant destroyer’s lower area before Miyata Kuraki could say anything. One immediately contacted Miyata Kuraki, while the other contacted Zheng.
“Welcome back, Lan and Kampa.” Zheng said silently in his heart. He looked at Miyata Kuraki, who he was holding. He was on the verge of death. It wasn’t just Zheng attacks that had done this. The technique he himself had used had inflicted greater injuries.
Zheng didn"t hesitate, and took out a pill to pop into his mouth. He said to the destroyer, “There"s no threat to his life. Bring him to G.o.d’s dimension for a full body repair. After this, I think he’ll become much, much stronger.”
Then he turned to Miyata Kuraki. “You j.a.panese call the Diaoyu Islands the Senkaku Islands, correct? If you want to change anything, start with this. Go. I won"t kill you. Tell your future team members… the Diaoyu Islands belong to China!”
Finished speaking, Zheng turned to the Diaoyu Islands, the entrance back to G.o.d’s dimension. That was where the final battle would begin!
[1] If you want to see a visual of the multiple eyes, look at this youtube link of a Ghost Knight using its Wave Eye ability and go to 0:18.
[2] Wave Eye is an active skill of the Asura Cla.s.s which creates a temporary dark area where it"s stronger and enemies are weaker. Within that area, enemy Attack Speed decreases and the character"s Basic Attacks turn into Magic attacks with additional Atk.
The final battle of Terror Infinity: Final Battle of Evolution
……
“It’s like this. All those with this rope on are members of team China. When you die… it’ll return to my wrist. I hope that apart from the rope on my wrist, there won"t be any others. Comrades, I hope to live on together with each and every single one of you!”
……
“... Yes. I admit I’ve been afraid of death since a long time ago. When being researched on in the hospital, when making schemes in the past, I was utterly terrified of death. Because, I had nothing worth treasuring apart from life. Strange, isn’t it? The reason I feared death happened to be so. I wanted something worth treasuring so I wouldn’t be lonely after death. Only then would I be able to face death peacefully. And now I have it. Something I can treasure dearly. So, this is my victory! Adam! With my life as the bait, you’ve lost!”
……
“A man has difficulty repaying their debt of grat.i.tude to their country. Dying in battle is a good end. It’s not that I, w.a.n.gxia, know not of the various kinds of corruption in my country, nor the many people silently suffering under greedy officials. But my country will always be my country. I remember once seeing in a book, the United States Military Academy at West Point said, ask not what your country has done for you, but what have you done for your country? That"s what I ask myself. Let"s not talk about political parties, officials or armies. It has nothing to do with that. I only love my country, the country named China! Only if Zheng wins can us of team China return to the real world. So now that it’s my turn to die… I can do it without the slightest ounce of regret!”
……
“I’m... crying? Ah, so this is how it feels to cry? And tears. What is this…”
“This is because you’re weak. It’s proof of you being corrupted by a mortal’s wisdom.”
“NO! These… these are the tears of my desire to live on with everyone! Zheng, this is my final a.s.sistance to you. WIN!”
……
“All you hypocrites. Alright, you call yourselves kind. You have your saviour. Then what of us devils? We’re called devils? We too, have our saviour, the salvation of us devils… Even if I die, even if we’re called clones, I’ll make my Zheng win!”
……
“Little apple, is this your revenge against me? Really… you make me want to give you a kiss. I’ve always liked you since a long time ago, and yet we…”
“No, it’s not revenge, you stupid big brother… This is my repayment to you. This time, I’ll push forward this sword and pierce both our hearts… Let me do it this time.”
……
“My heart has never been so utterly resolute before. I’ll die to make amends and can make amends by dying. A lifetime, or even more, I definitely won’t run away!”
“If I run away? If I want to die? I don’t want you to turn your back and run away from me again…”
“Then I’ll follow you to the depths of h.e.l.l and beyond! I won’t run away!”
……
“Fool. You’re crying too? Because those losers dragged you down? Because you’re afraid of death? You simply haven’t matured to the point you can rival me, you weak-hearted coward!”
“No. These tears… are from courage, power, trust and my comrades… You won’t get it. From the moment you stepped on a road opposite of mine, you could never understand! I WILL beat you! CHAOS, GENESIS SPLITTER!”
“You can never beat me. As long as you don’t abandon that hypocrisy of yours, as long as your heart remains weak, you never shall. PRIMORDIAL DUSK, UNIVERSE ARMAGGEDON!”
……
“I won’t help you. Whatever the future it is you want… seize it yourself!”
“I don’t need your help! I shall unlock the future myself. I shall not fear any enemy… Also, we could actually have become friends…”
“Perhaps. The future… I’ll be entrusting it to you.”
……
The final battle of Terror Infinity.
Final Battle of Evolution!
End of Volume 22: Final Act before the Storm
Next, Volume 23: Final Battle of Evolution