Chapter 557 Great Battle Against the Human God and Demon 2
The blessing power of the small bowl was far more potent than I had imagined.
Although there's no immediate opportunity for direct physical contact, she can still cast powerful blessings upon me. This is likely due to the thermal markings I've left on her and the "fireflies" I've placed there, keeping her in a state of near-zero-distance contact with me.
Unexpectedly, these precautionary preparations would play a crucial role in this way.
“You’ve been a great help. Please continue to uphold this blessing,” I said.
Xiao Wan immediately perked up and promised, "Okay, Brother Zhuang Cheng, I'll do my best!"
The exchange of words is a rapid exchange of thoughts; our conversations happen in the blink of an eye.
Huang Quan, however, seemed to have keenly grasped some information in that incredibly brief moment. He once again condensed yellow-black magic power in his hand and whispered, "—Is that where it is!"
As he spoke, he suddenly raised his hand, as if intending to strike at some empty space in a certain direction.
He undoubtedly guessed the source of the power that made me suddenly agile and wanted to try to attack Number Seven and Little Bowl, who were in the deepest part of space-time!
Before he could unleash that magical power, I flashed forward and crashed into him. The consequences of being struck by my body, which was as solid as a star, were severe; he had no choice but to quickly withdraw his hand and turn to dodge my attack.
Seizing this opportunity, Number Seven's aura shifted repeatedly, as if he were constantly changing positions with Little Bowl in the deepest part of spacetime.
The Great Demon Xuanwu seized the opportunity when I was distracted and roared as it pounced again. However, I am not the same as before. With the blessing of the Little Bowl, even if I am momentarily distracted, I can make an evasive maneuver in time and easily avoid the Great Demon Xuanwu's attack.
However, the blessing from the small bowl cannot increase my attack or defense. I still cannot inflict any damage on the Great Demon Xuanwu, nor can I resist its attacks. But it's different for Huang Quan. If he takes a full-force blow from me, he will be severely injured, and might even die on the spot.
Therefore, I launched another high-speed collision at Huang Quan, who had fled to a distance. Huang Quan's expression changed drastically, and he quickly created distance to dodge. Meanwhile, the Great Demon Xuanwu roared and chased after me.
The situation has reached a bizarre stalemate.
At this moment, I, in my blessed state, seem to be the great demon born in the "apocalyptic era" and enjoying all the advantages of timing and location, while the human god Huang Quan and the great demon Xuanwu, who have been immersed in the afterlife for many years, seem to be "outsiders" who are new to the chaotic space-time and are at a loss.
Neither of these two enemies could hit me, leaving me practically invincible. Conversely, because I needed to distract myself from the Great Demon Xuanwu's attacks, I was unable to inflict damage on the Great Demon Xuanwu, nor could I hit Huang Quan.
This situation seems balanced, but it's actually disadvantageous to me.
Unlike Huang Quan and Da Mo Xuan Wu in their normal states, I am currently in my third form, which has a limited time limit. Once the time runs out, although I can maintain my current high level of evasion thanks to Xiao Wan's blessing, I will lose my resistance to Huang Quan's ranged attacks. At that point, Huang Quan can then join forces with Da Mo Xuan Wu to attack me one-sidedly, leaving me only able to run for my life.
No matter how strong one's evasion ability is, once one falls into such a passive situation, defeat becomes only a matter of time.
Furthermore, Xiao Wan's blessing cannot last forever. It's not a question of whether she will run out of power, but rather that her and Number Seven's current state of concealment cannot last. I can sense that while Huang Quan and the Great Demon Xuanwu are locked in a stalemate here, they are also diverting a portion of their mental energy to quickly search for the two hidden in the deepest reaches of spacetime.
I can still stop Huang Quan from attacking, but I can't stop the Great Demon Xuanwu. It's very likely that they will be captured and eliminated before my third form's countdown ends.
We must introduce new elements into this battle to turn the tide in our favor.
Little Bowl is still being hunted by the Great Demon of Calamity. The reason the Great Demon of Calamity hasn't appeared immediately is simply because Little Bowl has been hiding itself at the level of fate. Once this hiding is removed, the Great Demon of Calamity will appear immediately. This could perhaps be seen as a "new element".
It's very likely that Xiaowan had already thought of this idea, but didn't put it into practice immediately.
Normally, the Great Demon of Calamity is the primary target of the Great Demon Xuanwu. However, I, the Vermilion Bird successor who seems to have the same priority, have already been locked onto by the Great Demon Xuanwu. If I were to summon the Great Demon of Calamity on top of this, the Great Demon Xuanwu might not change its target based on its "hatred" for the Great Demon of Calamity. Instead, the Great Demon of Calamity might ignore the Underworld like the Great Demon Xuanwu and concentrate its firepower on me. That would be far from a timely help; it would only make matters worse.
Ultimately, what exactly is the Great Demon?
I used to think that the Great Demon was a corrupted future Great Impermanence in the apocalypse, but since this "apocalypse" is actually the afterlife, my past theories are no longer valid.
Although I haven't personally witnessed whether Sailor Genbu has truly been resurrected, I'm certain that the Great Demon Genbu already existed in the afterlife long before Sailor Genbu died once. And I myself have never died, yet a being like the Great Demon of Calamity still appeared in the afterlife.
"Number Seven, can you hear me?"
While relentlessly pursuing Huang Quan and dodging the attacks of the Great Demon Xuanwu, I asked in my mind, "What exactly is the Great Demon?"
Perhaps increasing our understanding of the true nature of the Great Demon could change the current situation.
Number Seven was probably quite busy right now, and after a couple of seconds, she finally responded: "...Regarding the origin of the Great Demon, I can't say I'm completely certain, and even the Gospel Institute isn't making much progress in this area. However, there's a theory over there that's probably close to the truth...I think the Great Demon is a creation of 'Naraku Gospel'."
"The Gospel of Naraku?" I asked.
"That's what the higher-ups at the Gospelin call the evil will that now reigns over the afterlife," Number Seven said. "Perhaps you used to think of the Great Demon as a fallen god in the apocalypse, and that's not entirely wrong. Naraku Gospelin can mimic the afterlife as the future apocalypse, and it can also summon countless disasters that will run rampant in the apocalypse. Those 'apocalyptic monsters' are summoned in this way."
"And the Great Demon, as the king of the apocalyptic anomalies, is the same... no, perhaps there are some differences. You must know very well that gods and humans cannot easily fall into demonic possession like mortals. Even if you have spent a long time in a genuine apocalyptic era, madness will not be able to invade your soul, and the same is true for other gods and humans."
"Therefore, the Great Demon is a monster created on the basis of the 'impossible possibility' that 'humans and gods are corrupted by madness.' It is a 'hypothetical monster' that Naraku Fubuki forcibly deduced from the past generations of humans and gods in the world of the living, as well as those who have the qualifications of humans and gods."
"'Suppose you are facing the apocalypse and willingly accept the invasion of madness for one reason or another'—the Great Demon probably originated from such a scenario."
The Great Impermanence and those qualified as Great Impermanence throughout history... I used to think that the "Great Demons with no more than ten heads" in the afterlife were based on the "Great Impermanence with no more than ten heads" in Mount Luo.
That makes sense, after all, the existence of the Great Demon Xuanwu alone is enough to shatter this theory.
Naraku Fubuki can even summon multiple beings from a different dimension, like the Great Demon...
Then I raised a question: "Is there really a reason why the Great Impermanence would voluntarily accept madness?"
“That’s why it’s called ‘the impossible possibility.’ It’s clearly illogical, yet it absurdly exists and manifests itself. In a sense, the Doomsday Demon might be the closest thing to the truth of the world in terms of its structure,” Number Seven said. “However… if we really had to find a reason for it, maybe there is one…”
"What's the reasoning behind that?" I asked.
"This is just a claim lacking evidence..." Number Seven paused for a moment before saying, "...I once heard in the Gospel Institute that only a Great Impermanence who harbors the desire to destroy the world will respond to Naraku's call in the afterlife as the Great Demon of Doomsday."
Upon hearing this, I felt as if a secret in my heart had been inexplicably exposed.
I've always kept my longing for the end of the world a closely guarded secret, but little did I know that in the afterlife, there seems to be a great demon of calamity, essentially a "walking black material," openly operating in the afterlife.
"The current situation is very unfavorable—"
Perhaps sensing my feelings, Xiao Wan immediately changed the subject, "...Ms. Seven, could you please help Brother Zhuang Cheng withdraw from this battlefield, just like last time?"
“It’s impossible.” Number Seven sighed. “There are two reasons. First, the same move was already used against the Great Demon Xuanwu. Although the opponent is a monster without reason, it is still a god and demon with strong spiritual intuition. It’s best not to expect the same ability to work a second time against it.”
"Secondly, and more importantly, Huang Quan knows the details of my supernatural abilities. Since he came here personally to eliminate the Tai Sui Army that includes me, it's impossible that he wouldn't make relevant preparations to block me."
"Is this the end of the road...?" Xiao Wan seemed very distressed.
The knowledge of the Great Demon's origins seemed useless in improving the predicament, so I tried other ways to break the deadlock. I said, "Little Bowl, I'm going to use the power of the Divine Seal Fragment next. Can you enhance the effect of my use of the Divine Seal Fragment's power?"
“Okay…I’ll give it a try,” Xiao Wan replied.
Immediately afterwards, I summoned a ball of flame and infused it with the power of the Divine Seal Fragment.
Meanwhile, the power of another fragment of divine seal appeared out of nowhere, superimposing with the power of my fragment of divine seal.
(End of this chapter)
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com