Chapter 434 Zhuang Cheng's Blade 1

The uninvited guest was not Zhu Shi.

It was a strong man dressed in a black Impermanence uniform, with black iron knuckle dusters covered in blood-red runes on his hands. His body was surrounded by magical energy fluctuations that were slightly stronger than those of the "Preacher," clearly indicating that he was an Impermanence of a certain level.

Based on the time and place of his appearance, as well as his direct attack on the "preacher," I have reason to believe that this person's true identity is Luo Shan Wuchang, who disappeared in the last half month and was in charge of the security of Xianshui City and several surrounding cities.

After the head-on collision, the suddenly appearing Impermanent One and the "Preacher" were ejected in different directions. As soon as they landed, the "Preacher" went into the shadows below, and then rapidly emerged from the shadows behind Impermanent One, viciously grabbing at Impermanent One's head and heart with both hands, intending to sever his head and rip out his heart.

With the power of a monster of that level, let alone a human head and heart, even the most sturdy armored tank would be torn apart like paper.

The powerful attack pierced through Wuchang's body without any hindrance.

"We've succeeded!" the "Preacher" whispered.

However, things were not that simple. The torn body of the impermanent creature did not burst into blood and flesh, but vanished like white mist in the wind.

The impermanent figure appeared behind the "Preacher" like a ghost. The "Preacher" seemed to sense the killing intent from behind, his expression changed drastically, and he tried to turn around, but it was too late. The impermanent figure's iron fist struck the "Preacher" in the back.

"That's an afterimage." This impermanent figure also casually mentioned a line that would easily rank in the top ten of the lines I most wanted to say after learning to manipulate light.

At the same time, it seemed that magic power was injected into the iron fist, and a huge explosion occurred when the iron fist hit the "Preacher", blowing the "Preacher" to pieces.

Unfortunately, he didn't succeed in actually getting his way. The "Preacher's" body didn't explode into blood and flesh either; instead, it transformed into countless black, shadowy substances that scattered on the ground like water droplets. The "Preacher" teleported out from the shadows behind Impermanence once more, launching a deadly attack.

Two humanoid war machines, seemingly possessing endless backup plans, moved and collided at lightning speed, generating more than thirty collisions per second. Each impact was like detonating a bomb in the space. The relentless sonic booms and shockwaves transformed the floor into a zone where no mortal could survive. Even when a successful attack was achieved, the combatants would dissolve into afterimages or shadowy matter, then re-enter a cycle of exchanging attacks.

I didn't rush to intervene in this battle. The sudden appearance of Wuchang, which seemed to be nothing more than an interlude in this "farce," an unexpected intruder, was actually not something that could be so easily defined. I didn't believe that the other party's seemingly opportune appearance was merely a coincidence.

Or, objectively speaking, it might really be a coincidence. But since this coincidence occurred within the events that Asahi had brought me here, I'm willing to believe that this turn of events must contain some kind of revelation, some kind of fateful meaning. I need to observe it.

Compared to the eccentric "Preacher" who can manipulate the power of shadows, this Impermanent One is more like a character specializing in physical enhancement and close combat. His afterimages are not special spells, but merely effects produced by light and shadow and visual illusions. Rather than a witcher who has mastered magic, he is more like a martial artist with an extremely strong physique.

Moreover, he uses traditional martial arts that conform to certain stereotypes, with many seemingly flashy and exaggerated movements.

I don't know the specific practical significance of these moves in a regular combat setting, but they certainly have meaning within the realm of mysticism. These "performance moves" are actually a kind of "incantation."

The essence of language is the expression of will; and influencing the outside world with magic is also an act of expressing one's own soul's will outward. Therefore, in the world of Witcher, language and magic are always inseparable.

Language isn't limited to sound and writing; gestures and dance are also forms of physical expression, and even facial expressions and eye movements can become languages. In ancient times, when humans were still eating raw meat and drinking blood, they worshipped heaven, earth, and spirits, often accompanied by lively dancing. Physical movements are humanity's most primitive form of language, and dance is its most primitive form of incantation.

Through the power of dance, ancient humans were able to achieve all sorts of incredible miracles. And when humans incorporated dance into primitive hunting and combat, "dance" became "martial arts." The seemingly redundant and comical mysterious dance elements that frequently appear in many ancient martial arts are the most primitive hunting magic.

When talking about martial arts, one inevitably thinks of the most powerful and unpredictable old boxing master in Luoshan. Could this suddenly appearing unpredictable figure be related to the old boxing master, or perhaps a follower of him?

I think it's probably not. Although the Old Fist God is known for his martial arts skills, his martial arts do not have elements of dance and ritual. Rather, he has always wanted to remove magic from his martial arts, so he would not allow any mystical elements to appear in his martial arts.

Furthermore, the Old Fist God wasn't a Great Impermanence who endorsed the extraordinary. According to Zhu Shi, the one in charge of governing Saltwater City and several surrounding cities should be a Great Impermanence who advocates the extraordinary.

"ah……"

Xiao Qiao, my junior, froze on the spot, gripping my arm tightly, afraid to move. While protecting her with my own power, I also created more flames to form a shield protecting those caught in the shockwave and sonic boom. I couldn't let them die right under my nose; it wouldn't be good if Zhu Shi got angry.

However, despite all the tactic I'd taken here, the two fighting on edge over there still hadn't noticed me. Even though I was consciously trying to hide and observe, being ignored like this still felt strange. I suddenly wondered if those lost souls were in a similar state to what I was currently experiencing.

Even if a miracle were to occur on the spot, it would still remain unrecognized by others. Traces left at the scene might be discovered, but they would more likely be attributed to a natural phenomenon. Perhaps the "Tunguska event" I've read about in magazines about mysterious events, the one that occurred in the early 20th century, was actually something done by some lost and eccentric person with nothing better to do.

The battle between the "Preacher" and Impermanence also seems to be nearing its end.

In the midst of the fierce battle, Wuchang's stamina not only did not decline, but he fought even more fiercely, and the power of his attacks and the speed of his movements also increased. Instead of immediately turning his extra strength into direct strikes against the enemy, he seized every opportunity to add one or two seemingly meaningless, theatrical movements to his actions.

These movements, like swinging the sling more times to amplify its power, made his actions stronger and faster. At the same time, the ritualistic-like actions genuinely summoned mysterious power. I sensed that this unpredictable magical fluctuation had become even stronger, and it faintly carried a familiar quality.

The next moment, presumably having completed some kind of sacrificial ritual during the battle, the unpredictable fluctuations of magical power suddenly expanded, and invisible energy spread outwards in waves.

Now I recognized that familiar scent; the mysterious power bestowed upon him was very similar to Ming Zhuo. In other words, the object he was worshipping with martial arts was Ming Zhuo.

This process of invoking power reminds me of those who believe in me and attempt to invoke my power through prayer. Although the outward manifestations are different, in my intuition, the core is remarkably similar.

It turns out that this impermanence is a believer in the impurity of life.

Following the impermanent energy, the "preacher" leaped to a spot not far away.

“That’s enough, messenger from Peach Blossom Spring,” said Wuchang. “For the past two weeks, I’ve been diligently tracking your trail. I finally caught you, and I don’t want to waste any more time on you. Now you have nowhere to run, so just die here.”

Upon hearing this, the "preacher" smiled mysteriously and said, "That's not necessarily true."

As he spoke, he raised his right hand, and the other man's expression changed. A large knife had appeared in his hand without his noticing—in fact, if I looked closely, I could tell the knife had just emerged from the shadows behind him and he had swiftly picked it up.

The blade has many seemingly chaotic patterns that actually possess a certain unity.

I suddenly realized that those patterns looked so familiar.

Wuchang stared incredulously at the enemy's broadsword, gritting his teeth as he said, "Could it be... could it be that the blade is..."

“That’s right, just as you think.” The “preacher” said confidently. “Since I already knew that Luo Shan Wuchang, who was in charge of this city, was a believer of the Divine Mandate, how could I not have made preparations in advance?”

“Even this location was specially chosen by me for your burial. Because here, the power of this knife will be amplified.”

Upon hearing the "preacher's" words, Xiao Qiao, a junior student, muttered with a puzzled expression, "This location...?"

"And this weapon is a deadly weapon meticulously prepared specifically to deal with you, a believer in the Life-Turbidity." The "Preacher" pointed the greatsword at Wuchang. "This greatsword has undergone countless rituals, and it houses the power of a god who once defeated the Life-Turbidity. According to the mythological system of restraint, that god's power can restrain the Life-Turbidity within you. Even you yourself will be caught up in this fate and become a soul beneath the blade."

"If you still harbor any illusions, then I'll be blunt with you right now. The name of that deity is the god who controls fire—'Zhuang Cheng'!"

As soon as he finished speaking, orange-red flames suddenly burst into flames on the blade.

Upon hearing this, Xiao Qiao, the junior student hiding behind me, was first taken aback, then uttered a silly sound: "—Huh?"

"ah?"

I couldn't help but make a similar sound, and then carefully examined the familiar patterns carved on the broadsword. It turned out that they weren't patterns, but rather a great many characters.

Specifically, the blade was covered with the name "Zhuang Cheng".

(End of this chapter)