Chapter 521 VS Great Demon Xuanwu 3

When the flames are compressed to a certain extent, they transform into black flames where even spacetime itself is distorted and destroyed, and all light and heat converge and collapse towards the inner center.

A dark, miniature sun formed in my palm.

— "Solar eclipse".

This is a secret technique I discovered while exploring ways to increase the density of magical power. Unlike the high-density magical power of Life Turbidity, which can only be mastered by highly experienced Great Impermanence, "Solar Eclipse" simply and crudely compresses the power itself on a visual level, involving almost no abstract manipulation. Having used it many times before, I'm quite proficient at it now, and I condensed it almost instantly.

The reason I didn't continue exploring the potential of "solar eclipse" in the past was because fire, in essence, is a substance that emits light and heat, while the black flames that appear with "solar eclipse" do not emit light or heat outward. The more I refined my skills, the further I strayed from the essence of "fire." I judged that if I continued down this path, it would likely distort my understanding of my superpowers sooner or later, potentially leading me down a path of demonic possession.

However, here, this power that deviates from the theme of "fire" may become the key to breaking the predicament of the Great Demon Xuanwu's restraint on me.

Like a heavy tank firing a shell, "Eclipse" was launched with a roar.

Perhaps because all previous attempts had failed, the Great Demon Xuanwu seemed to underestimate this attack. "Eclipse" struck its body directly. A deafening explosion resounded throughout the heavens and earth, and the light, heat, and shockwave, far more terrifying than a strategic nuclear weapon, swept across everything around it.

Amidst the earth-shattering explosion, I saw a huge hole appear in the black water-formed body in the distance, like a large-caliber pistol bullet piercing a human torso, and the Great Demon Xuanwu let out a tremendous roar.

This time, it wasn't just a simple matter of the physical container being destroyed. I clearly sensed that the Great Demon Xuanwu's soul had been burned and destroyed.

"What……"

The mysterious woman in the shadows also expressed her surprise during the telepathic communication; she clearly hadn't expected that I could actually harm the Great Demon Xuanwu.

But... that's not enough.

I still can't muster any optimism.

My flames only slightly deviated from the essence of the Vermilion Bird's Flame, and their power was still significantly weakened. The Great Demon Xuanwu only suffered superficial wounds.

Not only did it fail to reach the core, it couldn't even reduce its output efficiency. Its black water body instantly returned to normal, and its soul seemed to be regenerating at a "visible" speed. Although it did cause effective damage, it only remained at a superficial level.

When encountering a large predator in the wild, a less-than-lethal attack will only further provoke the beast's rage, causing it to unleash terrifying power. This principle seems to apply to the Great Demon Xuanwu as well; it seems to have finally truly realized that I am a threatening enemy, and its attention is now entirely focused on me.

With a deafening roar, a massive amount of black water erupted from its body, transforming into various forms of attacks. Some were water cannons, some were tentacles, some were giant waves, and countless other amorphous shapes approached me from different angles. Each one was a deadly attack capable of damaging my true spirit.

I was immediately forced into a desperate and exhausting situation.

Fortunately, true spirits are unprovable, whether for gods or demons, and are tantamount to non-existence. Even for gods and demons, harming such an "unprovable thing" is extremely difficult. In order to accurately grasp the imagery that would precisely kill my true spirit, the Xuanwu Demon's accuracy has clearly weakened.

In the modern world, the successor of the Black Tortoise would receive a boost to the hit rate of attacks against the successor of the Vermilion Bird due to their element of advantage. However, in the post-apocalyptic era where most of the established order has been shattered, this kind of "environmental advantage" is absent.

Of course, as a post-apocalyptic anomaly, the Great Demon Xuanwu can also leverage its adaptability to the apocalyptic environment to recreate some of the environmental enhancements that gods and demons would have in normal time and space, including accuracy bonuses in terms of fate and causality. However, this is no longer a power within the order of the Four Symbols and Five Elements, and cannot be strengthened by the restraining relationship; it is precisely this part that is currently weakening.

Originally, as a descendant of Xuanwu, the Great Demon Xuanwu shouldn't even be able to do things outside the framework of the Four Symbols and Five Elements system; all its talents should have been converted into water and alchemy power. However, since it's not even human now, it's not unreasonable for it to exhibit some phenomena beyond its "duty."

Black flames, something that deviates from the essence of "Vermilion Bird Fire," should not be a power I, as a descendant of the Vermilion Bird, should have access to. I don't know why I was able to condense them. Is it because I am a naturally manifest being who transcends the dualistic worldview of mountains and water? Or is it that black flames are actually a manifestation of the order of the Four Symbols and Five Elements?

Incidentally, I also noticed another annoying thing.

That means I don't seem to have a way to collect the flesh and blood of the Great Demon Xuanwu for Mazao for the time being.

As mentioned before, the body of the Great Demon Xuanwu is composed of extremely compressed black water, and there was never any concept of "flesh and blood" in it.

Even if I considered this black liquid as its flesh and blood, I still couldn't complete the collection. Based on my observations during the two times I destroyed its body, the black liquid would explode and revert to a large amount of ordinary water after being separated from its body.

Just as the matter of a white dwarf or neutron star cannot maintain its super density after it leaves its original gravitational environment, it seems that this black water cannot exist without the magic power of the Great Demon Xuanwu. The soul components contained within it will collapse and dissolve as the black water cannot maintain its density.

More importantly, I'm not in a state where I can focus on that kind of thing right now; I have to do everything I can just to survive.

Continuing to fight like this, defeat remains inevitable. To use a video game analogy, I'm currently like a player character with only ten health points and ten attack points, fighting against another player character with a thousand health points and a thousand attack points in a fighting game. Although I can revive a few times, my opponent can only manage to hit me a few more times. And if I can't land a hundred hits on my opponent, I can't win.

Furthermore, the opponent's health will automatically regenerate over time. In reality, my victory condition is far more complex than simply hitting the opponent a hundred times.

Fortunately, the hope of victory is not absolutely zero.

This isn't because I've come up with a new winning strategy. I intend to just continue playing as is.

I have no interest in battles with zero chance of winning. Conversely, even if there is only a one in ten thousand chance of winning a desperate battle, I can ignite a fierce fighting spirit and gamble everything, including my own life, to defeat the enemy with all my might.

The risks were enormous, the consequences severe, the odds of winning slim… but it was all my own doing. I simply enjoy this life-or-death predicament, like walking a tightrope. I'd rather face the terror of falling into an endless abyss than spend a boring, merely safe life.

There are some things to be dissatisfied with, though.

While I crave a stage where I can give it my all and truly shine, what I truly enjoy is a grand, epic adventure, not just a simple battle maniac. This kind of brutal, straightforward combat feels a bit like a huge serving of junk food from a roadside fried chicken stall. I don't dislike junk food, but I still hope that what might be my last adventure will at least be a super-deluxe feast.

Humans are truly shameless creatures, easily becoming insatiable. Since when did I start being so picky about my adventures? If I'm hoping to be drawn into a grand adventure I can't control, I shouldn't be so critical.

Whether it's a huge portion of junk food that's enough to burst a diner's stomach, or a super luxurious meal that's so delicious it's enough to make you lose your mind and fall off a tightrope, bring it all on!

I will eat them all.

Amidst the rapid exchanges, the mysterious woman asked again, "Having come to this point, aren't you planning to run away?"

“Don’t make me repeat myself so many times,” I said. “Since you can’t get involved in the battle, just watch from there, or you can take advantage of the Great Demon Xuanwu’s inattention and escape. Right now, its attention is entirely on me, so you should be able to stay away from the battlefield.”

"I never imagined you were a warrior obsessed with life-or-death situations..."

The mysterious woman seemed to have misunderstood my nature. She continued, "However, I have no intention of running away. After all, the Great Demon Xuanwu is an enemy I have provoked, and it would be against my conscience to throw it at you."

"Furthermore, I have something to ask of you. I can't let you die inexplicably in a place like this."

"Let me end this battle."

Does she have a way to end my battle with the Great Demon Xuanwu? With her?

I don't think she was just exaggerating, but as a character at the Great Completion level, it's already very difficult for her to survive on the battlefield between me and the Great Demon Xuanwu. How could she possibly intervene in the war between humans and gods and the Great Demon?

One thing is certain: from the start of the battle, she was indeed trying to do something under the pressure of the Great Demon Xuanwu. And as the Great Demon Xuanwu used all its power on me, she seemed to finally have the opportunity to free herself up to achieve her own goals.

As I was dodging the attacks of the Great Demon Xuanwu high in the sky, her figure suddenly broke free from the depths of space and time and teleported to my side.

She raised her right hand, and a revolver appeared out of thin air in her hand.

(End of this chapter)