Chinese Superman

He survived a modified fireball spell; if we disregard radiation, it's practically the same as withstanding a nuclear explosion!

It takes a powerful dragon to cross the river; this time, the Japanese ambush was indeed carried out by a strong force.

This seemed to confirm Xia Xinghan's words.

next moment.

A clear, melodious sword cry rang out.

It carries the imagery of severing everything, bursting forth suddenly from the epicenter of the nuclear explosion.

"Clang!"

A gleaming blade of light, condensed to its extreme and seemingly capable of cleaving the heavens, slashed fiercely from the bottom of the mushroom cloud, splitting the billowing mushroom cloud and the still-raging fireball in two like slicing a cake!

The blade's momentum remained undiminished, soaring straight into the sky and cleaving a clear crack in the clouds, like a mark on the heavens!

As the light and smoke dissipated slightly, the scene at the epicenter of the explosion was revealed.

A majestic illusory image, about ten meters in diameter and shimmering with seven-colored glazed light, resembled a peacock spreading its tail feathers, with its wings spread out to encircle the four or five figures within, like the most solid fortress.

On the peacock's back, there is also a seated deity.

The King holds a lotus flower in his first right hand and a rare fruit in his second; on his left, he holds a pomegranate in his first hand and five peacock tail feathers in his second.

It was originally a majestic and solemn statue, but now its radiance is dim and it is covered with cracks, clearly having endured unimaginable destructive force.

Beyond the Dharma image, there was another rare artifact that was slowly rotating, continuously absorbing the remaining flames and violent energy from the surrounding area, like a bottomless pit, further weakening the damage from the explosion.

This unusual object has a lotus-patterned base at the bottom, a hollow flame-patterned cover in the middle, and a vajra-shaped pillar at the top. It has a pearl-shaped knob with seven sets of spiraling flame patterns, and the outermost part is an empty ring.

The vessel is engraved with Sanskrit seed syllables, which correspond to the inscriptions on Vajradhatu Mandala ritual implements.

It is the image of the Peacock King and the gilt bronze reliquary shaped like a flame!

The two Class A relics were activated by their owners at the cost of their own lives, barely managing to save these people at the epicenter of the nuclear explosion!

The wielder from Ying Kingdom who performed the "Peacock King Image" was now a charred, dried corpse lying in the center of the image, devoid of any life.

The illusory image of the Peacock King suddenly dissipated, and an ancient scroll fell to the ground.

The esoteric Buddhist monk who activated the golden-bronze flame-shaped reliquary container, though still alive, was not far from death.

His face was withered, like that of a centenarian, his life force exhausted, his breath weak, and he could barely stand.

Only three people remained who were protected:

Ronin samurai, Prince Renhui, and the Tang-style woman who always carries a pipa.

Although they survived, they were all in a sorry state.

"Baka yarou!"

The ronin samurai was furious, and his sword, Dojigiri Yasutsuna, was already drawn from his waist.

The blade gleams brightly, radiating a chilling, menacing light!

He stared intently at Xia Xinghan and Gu Zhiqi, several kilometers away, his eyes filled with a murderous intent that was almost tangible.

Such a luxurious and powerful lineup, with so many experts, was wiped out by a child and a woman?

The losses are devastating! Even if we complete the mission and return to Japan, the Heavenly King will still punish us!

Without any further words, he gripped the Dojigiri Yasutsuna tightly with both hands and, thousands of meters away from Xia Xinghan, unleashed a powerful, sweeping slash through the air!

"Hokushin Ittō-ryū: Severing the Void!"

A massive, condensed, crescent-shaped silver blade of light tore through the air, emitting a sharp whistle, and instantly traversed thousands of meters, aiming to cleave Xia Xinghan in two.

"brush"

Wherever the blade flashed, space seemed to be sliced ​​open, rippling with faint black light.

The barren mountains stretched endlessly, but the blade swept across them without any obstruction. More than a dozen mountain peaks were flattened like fish and tofu on a chopping board, crashing to the ground with smooth, mirror-like surfaces!

This single strike contains the true sharpness of the legendary heirloom, Dojigiri Yasutsuna.

It seems to have been able to sever the head of a great demon, thus possessing the ability to withstand anything, enough to tear apart a bio-force field and break through the ultimate physical defense of a steel body.

Faced with the earth-shattering strike, Xia Xinghan showed no fear whatsoever; instead, his eyes lit up slightly.

"That's interesting."

He neither dodged nor avoided, but slowly raised his right hand, extended his index finger, and met the terrifying blade light that seemed to split mountains and cleave peaks.

"bite"

A sound like metal clashing against stone.

Xia Xinghan's seemingly fragile fingers collided head-on with the unparalleled sword light unleashed by Dojigiri Yasutsuna!

Intense Martian energy surges and turbulent flows erupt.

As expected, the bio-force field was indeed torn apart, but the enormous blade of light that could split mountains like cutting grass was actually stopped by a tiny finger, frozen in mid-air, unable to advance any further!

"broken."

Xia Xinghan whispered and pointed his right index finger forward with force.

The sharp, unparalleled blade light, like fragile thin paper or glass, shattered with a "crack," then crumbled and scattered.

"How could this be?! This... how is this possible?"

The ronin samurai's pupils dilated in shock; he simply couldn't believe what was happening before his eyes.

Is it really possible for a human body to shatter an unparalleled blade of light with a single finger?

"Dojigiri Yasutsuna, one of the Five Great Swords of Japan."

"The legend says he slew the great demon Shuten-dōji? Now it seems... he's nothing special."

"Is it because the so-called King of the Demons, Shuten-dōji, one of the three great demons of Japan, is too weak?"

Xia Xinghan's voice reached the ears of the ronin samurai clearly.

"Damn it!!"

The ronin samurai's eyes were bloodshot, completely enraged by Xia Xinghan's nonchalant words.

"Musashi! Now is your glorious moment to dedicate everything to the King and the Kingdom of Ying!" Prince Renhui's cold voice rang out, carrying an unquestionable command.

The ronin samurai named Musashi shuddered, a resolute glint flashing across his face before turning into utter madness.

"I am willing to die for the Heavenly King!!"

Musashi roared and, without holding back, poured all his remaining life force, spiritual power, and even soul into Dojigiri Yasutsuna in his hand as if it were fuel!

"With my blood and soul, I offer this sacrifice to the sword's spirit! Shuten-dōji, come forth!!"

Suddenly, the blade of Dojigiri Yasutsuna burst forth with an eerie, blood-red light.

The blade seemed to come alive, faintly emitting sounds of ghosts wailing and wolves howling.

"Whoosh!"

The blade light surged tenfold, and boundless crimson blood energy and malevolent aura erupted from the sword hilt like a flood, rapidly converging behind Musashi and condensing into a colossal phantom several meters tall, with blurred features but overwhelming imposing presence.

It had two horns on its head, and its red hair was as red as fire, wild and unruly. Although it was just a phantom, it exuded a suffocatingly powerful demonic aura.

It was none other than the legendary demon king, Shuten-dōji, who was slain by Minamoto no Yorimitsu with his dōjigiri Yasutsuna!

"Hahaha... I never thought... I'd see the light of day again..."

"Insect... since you've willingly offered yourself as a sacrifice, then I, your great lord, will gladly accept your flesh and soul! Hahaha!"

Shuten-dōji laughed wildly, looking down at the tiny Musashi below, his scarlet demonic eyes filled with greed.

The next moment, Musashi let out a painful and shrill scream, because Shuten-dōji's phantom suddenly disintegrated, turning into hundreds of scarlet evil energy, like countless blood snakes, which entered his body through his mouth and nose, leaving no opening untouched!

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

(A gilt bronze reliquary shaped like a flame-shaped pearl; this thing is really quite beautiful.)