Chinese Superman

Even more terrifying was that the Dojigiri Yasutsuna in Musashi's hands was sprouting strips of dark red flesh, which were terrifying and grotesque.

They multiplied wildly, like the tentacles of a monster, instantly wrapping around the right hand holding the sword, and quickly spreading upwards along the arm. Wherever they passed, Musashi's clothes, skin, and even flesh were devoured by the strange strips of flesh!

"No...no! This is...ah—!"

Musashi resisted instinctively, but to no avail under the corrosive power of the "demon".

In just two or three breaths, his entire body was completely engulfed by the ever-expanding, dark red flesh and blood, forming a scarlet ball of flesh with a diameter of over three meters.

The surface of the fleshy mass was covered with twisted blood vessels and protruding bone spurs, like a giant heart, pounding violently. With each contraction and expansion, it would spew out a nauseating bloody stench and a raging, overwhelming demonic power.

In the distance, high in the sky, Xia Xinghan raised an eyebrow.

"Is this the true strength and mystery of Dojigiri Yasutsuna?"

"It actually devoured its master and transformed into the legendary great demon Shuten-dōji."

"but……"

Xia Xinghan shook his head: "The pre-transformation animation is too long. Do you think you're a magical girl with invincibility frames?"

Before he finished speaking, his small figure had already transformed into a streak of light, rushing towards the crimson mass of flesh that was undergoing metamorphosis.

Its speed was so great that it left a series of sonic booms in the air!

Seemingly sensing a threat, the throbbing mass of flesh, like a pounding heart, suddenly froze, then trembled violently.

"Pfft! Pfft! Pfft!"

The ground beneath and around the mass of flesh shattered and cracked, and dozens of dark red fleshy tentacles, as thick as houses and covered with suckers and barbs, burst forth from the earth.

These tentacles, like giant pythons or the tongues of monsters, carried a foul wind and terrifying force, lashing fiercely at Xia Xinghan who was rushing towards him from different angles.

With each swing of its tentacles, the air was torn apart, producing a piercing whistling sound, and the force was enough to easily flatten buildings and destroy half a block!

Xia Xinghan remained calm and composed in the face of the demonic attack.

"Too slow."

He didn't even change his flight path; he simply threw a punch!

"Bang"

With a single punch, the thick tentacle that was slammed into the front was instantly shattered into a cloud of blood and flesh, as if it had been hit by a high-speed train!

"Snap—"

The sound barrier cloud exploded, and the tentacles that were stabbing from the side were slapped by his backhand. The small palm was more powerful than a rocket, breaking the hundred-meter-long tentacles into pieces, with bone fragments and flesh flying everywhere!

Xia Xinghan charged straight ahead like a human cannonball, neither dodging nor avoiding. Facing the dozens of thick tentacles that blocked his way, he simply threw punch after punch.

Left punch deals high damage!

The right punch deals more damage!

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

The tiny figure flashed by, and wherever it passed, countless dark red tentacles swung in the air, flesh and blood disintegrated, and it exploded in half!

These demonic tentacles, which were enough to easily kill experts below the Innate Realm, were as fragile as broken ice in front of Xia Xinghan.

His speed was not hindered in any way, and he instantly rushed to the front of the scarlet mass of flesh that was throbbing violently and contracting at an increasingly rapid frequency.

Without further ado, he threw a punch.

"Boom—"

The crimson mass of flesh suddenly exploded, sending pieces of meat flying and blood mist billowing, revealing Musashi inside, or rather, Shuten-dōji who was resurrecting.

Judging from his appearance, he has already completed half of his transformation.

Thick, crimson hair was wildly disheveled, each strand ablaze with flames, and a curved, menacing black horn had emerged from the top of his head.

It has half a face, handsome yet sinister, with pale skin and blood-red lips. One vertical pupil flashes with an eerie crimson light, filled with a wild, greedy, and destructive desire.

The other half of his face is still Musashi.

In addition, half of his body was covered with a hideous armor made of black and red keratin and bone, with bone spurs growing from his joints and his muscles bulging, exuding explosive power.

"Looks like there's no invincibility frame."

Xia Xinghan grinned and raised his little fist.

"Shameless brat, wait until I'm fully recovered!" The half-face, with its sinister and handsome features, spoke arrogantly.

"No, we won't wait."

"There's an old saying in the Xia Kingdom: 'Victory is not achieved through martial prowess.' You're not showing any martial virtue!" Musashi shouted hastily, his half-face exposed.

Xia Xinghan looked surprised.

What's the point of talking about martial virtue with those Japanese devils?

"I won't talk about it."

Before he could finish speaking, Xia Xinghan's fist had already landed first.

This time, the entire mass of flesh exploded completely. The resurrected Shuten-dōji let out a roar of impotent rage, bursting into blood mist and transforming into scarlet spiritual particles that drifted in the air.

A "ding" sounded.

The design became even more exaggerated, with the blade wrapped in hideous flesh and burning with scarlet demonic flames. The demonic sword fell to the ground.

Soon, with the passing of its "master," and without the support of life force, Dojigiri Yasutsuna would not needlessly deplete its own reserves, so it fell silent, and the demonized sword returned to its normal form.

"Transforming into Shuten-dōji and wielding Dōjigiri Yasutsuna, this level of strength would allow him to wreak havoc in the Kogure. He truly deserves to be called a legendary figure."

"Unfortunately, the current situation doesn't allow me to wait for you to complete your transformation."

What if we gave Shuten-dōji an invincible frame during his magical girl transformation under normal circumstances?

What is there to fear, Superman!

But now, Xia Xinghan is going to support his senior sister.

I don't have time to argue with you.

He had barely taken half a step, and before he could even pick up Dojigiri Yasutsuna, an invisible yet tangible overwhelming pressure descended from the sky.

"boom--"

It was like the Milky Way falling from the heavens, a transparent torrent pouring down, suppressing Xia Xinghan's small body, scouring him wildly, and the surrounding ground also sank and sank, pressing out layers of round pits!

……

A little earlier.

Gu Zhi Qiu was not idle either.

As Xia Xinghan dealt with the ronin samurai's "Severing the Void" attack, her gaze was already fixed on the remaining Prince Renhui and the pipa player.

"Your opponent is me."

With a clear shout, she stepped onto the Lingyan Ferry and swiftly moved closer, simultaneously raising her hands and fully unleashing the mystical power of the Jade-Handled Iron Sword and the Spring and Autumn Gold-Handled Iron Sword!

"Control gold! Control the land!"

The earth roared!

Countless boulders rose from the ground, and soil gathered together. From the edge of the giant crater created by the nuclear fireball, two giant hands made entirely of rocks and soil suddenly "grew".

The giant hand, with its five fingers spread wide, slammed down from both sides towards the area where Prince Renhui and the pipa player were located, carrying a terrifying aura that could crush everything.

Even as the two retreated hastily, the two giant hands of earth and stone still followed closely, like maggots clinging to bones, impossible to shake off.

Prince Renhui's face turned ashen. He urgently said to the pipa player beside him, "Yaxue! Hold her off! Buy me some time!"

Upon hearing this, the woman in the Tang suit named Yaxue did not reply. Instead, she gently plucked the beautiful and antique five-stringed pipa inlaid with mother-of-pearl and sandalwood in her bosom with her slender fingers.

The first string rang.

"Zheng—"

As the sound waves spread, the giant rock hand controlled by Gu Zhi Qiu slowed down strangely, as if it had sunk into an invisible swamp.

Is it not a sharp sonic blade, but a sonic swamp?

wrong!

It's about control!

Gu Zhi Qiu felt a chill run down her spine.

Her combat talent was astonishing; she keenly sensed the sonic attack of the pipa relic, which had the effect of interfering with mysterious power!

Taking this opportunity, Prince Renhui did not hesitate to take out an object wrapped in brocade from his bosom.

He quickly unveiled the brocade, revealing a golden seal that gleamed and had an ancient and majestic design.

The seal knob is serpentine, and the seal face is prominently engraved with five seal characters in intaglio: "King of Han Wa Nu"!

A near-national treasure—the gold seal of the King of Wa (a Han dynasty Japanese pirate)!

Prince Renhui held the golden seal with both hands, his expression solemn and reverent, and exerted all his strength to activate it with his innate cultivation:

"Born of the bloodline of the Heavenly King, bestowed by Emperor Guangwu of the Eastern Han Dynasty! This national treasure, please display its power—a royal seal!"

The golden seal suddenly burst forth with a vast and boundless golden light.

A powerful force, imbued with ancient authority and capable of suppressing the fate of a nation, descended from the sky, as if an ancient emperor were holding a golden seal and pressing it against the paper.

Gu Zhi Qiu and Xia Xing Han are like tiny words on a piece of paper.

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.