Volume Three: The Academy Goes on a Rampage

The mountain peak was pierced by a bullet.

For the first time, Stone Strike couldn't believe his eyes.

He knew all too well how hard and heavy the stone he created with his supernatural abilities was.

To withstand his rock attacks is already remarkable; to shatter them is even more commendable.

Right before him, the towering Giant Peak —though only temporarily constructed—was completely pierced through by some unknown force. Only a few high-ranking officials could pull off something like that.

"Why... she should have been completely defeated!"

Stone Strike dared not be careless; he clenched his fists, ready to fight at any moment.

"... What's this?"

With Stone Strike's power, he could clearly sense a certain force fluctuating violently in the air and earth, seemingly converging at a certain point. This force was not spiritual power, but something purer Kako—

Long!!!!!

When the power accumulated to a certain level, it suddenly contracted into a single point, and then, under extremely precise guidance, exploded violently! Before the sound even reached it, the front half of the Giant Peak was blasted to pieces!

Dust and gravel rolled down, the ground trembled violently, and in this terrifying yet magnificent scene, a slender figure slowly emerged.

"Haa... Hoa..."

Xiao Wu's demonic transformation became very unstable; the purple light in her eyes flickered as if it would disappear at any moment. Half of her clothes were torn to shreds, and her exposed skin was covered with wounds that were healing themselves.

She was breathing heavily, cold sweat was pouring down her forehead, and the veins on her hands were bulging; she looked utterly exhausted.

But Stone Strike didn't care about those things.

His gaze was completely drawn to the "weapon" in Xiao Wu's hand, which exuded a strong presence.

"Is that... a gun? Or a knife?"

The original dual pistols were gone, replaced by a strangely shaped blade.

At first glance, it appears to be a short knife more than half a meter long, with a pure white blade and black patterns, simple and beautiful. But upon closer inspection, its peculiarity becomes apparent: its handle is not straight, but rather has a distinct curve, and there is a trigger-like mechanism where it connects to the blade. Embedded on the back of the blade is a strangely constructed long tube, much like the main body of a musket.

But what surprised Stone Strike was not the thing's strange appearance, but its function—he could clearly feel the immense power emanating from nature and even this space gathering towards it, both in quality and quantity, which was extremely extraordinary! Now Stone Strike was certain—what had blasted through his stone peak was none other than this strangely shaped "Gun Blade" in front of him!

Only when that power is condensed to its extreme and then unleashed can it produce such terrifying destructive force!

But what exactly is that terrifying thing?

Look closely, and you'll see that Xiao Wu's black and white twin pistols, which she used to either hang on her waist or hold in her hand, are gone.

Could it be made up of those two guns?

"... So, it seems that when Urahara Mai Ryu dying, she did indeed say something like, 'You must return these two guns to my daughter.'"

So those dual pistols were such powerful things?

"It far surpasses the level of Spirit Artifact or Treasure Artifact, and it's even among the top-tier Saint Artifact... No, it's not perfect yet."

Stone Strike discovered that although the Gun Blade was terrifyingly powerful, it lacked the imposing aura that a super weapon should possess. Its appearance was somewhat flawed, and its actual operation was a bit sluggish, making it seem like a finished product.

At this moment, Stone Strike suddenly realized a problem that he would normally never bother to care about.

Urahara Sakura Dance is a rare "Oni-jin" (Oni), a hybrid of human and Ghost Clan, whose mother is the strongest demon Urahara Mai Ryu.

--And what about the human side?

If she wanted to produce sufficiently powerful offspring, Wu Liu would never allow her human—that is, the father's side—to be mediocre.

"Moreover, as far as I know, the Ghost Clan does not possess such technological capabilities... This weapon could only have been made by humans!"

OMG...

Xiao Wu desperately used her trembling legs to support her body.

My head was throbbing, my limbs were so sore and numb that I could hardly move, my vision was blurry, and my body felt completely drained.

The nameless "Gun Blade" was reduced to this state after firing only two shots.

The energy contained in the bullets fired from the Gun Blade is drawn from the outside world, from all things in heaven and earth, but what drives the Gun Blade is its own power.

"Huff... huff... huff..."

The handle, made of an unknown material, was as hot as boiling water, and the blade trembled violently. This was a secret weapon, according to her mother, "passed down from her father's side," and this was the first time she had unleashed its true power.

"However... ha... although I always felt this thing was unusual, I never expected it to be this powerful..."

Above the Spirit Artifact are the Treasure Artifact, above the Treasure Artifact are the Saint Artifact, and above the Saint Artifact are the legendary Divine Artifact.

Although I haven't personally witnessed the Saint Artifact, the power of this Gun Blade must be among the top even among Saint Artifact.

But--

"Xiao Wu, this thing isn't complete yet."

That's what my mother said to me at the time.

She only remembered fragments of what came after that.

"The Emperor Slayer... Shattered... Found..."

That's what they say.

Xiao Wu had never understood what this meant until she heard Givinia's explanation.

This isn't the time to think about these things!

The important thing now is --

Xiao Wu struggled to hold the Gun Blade up to the distant Stone Strike, her hands still trembling slightly.

I must finish him off before I run out of every last bit of strength!

"Gun Blade... triple loading!"

With a click, an empty bullet automatically ejected from the underside of the Gun Blade. Xiao Wu grasped it, and the surging power of heaven and earth immediately poured into it! It plundered and poured in until it was full!

"... Is it coming? The Stone Ridge Barrier!!"

With a single Stone Strike, the already ravaged earth cracked open once more, and countless hard stone fragments emerged. These fragments overlapped and covered each other, forming a gigantic stone wall with numerous layers. The stone fragments that made up the layers acted as a great buffer against the force, making the wall much stronger than a wall made from a single piece of stone.

"Stone Army!"

The giant rocks on the ground exploded, and humanoid figures emerged from them. They were countless stone figures like terracotta warriors, ranging in size from less than a meter to over fifty meters. They were all simply constructed, with only basic limbs and torsos visible, but each one exuded a terrifying aura!

Meanwhile, on the other side, Xiao Wu's bullet construction was complete. With trembling hands, she loaded the bullet and placed her finger on the trigger—

"Stone Army, charge!!!"

"Gun, tear the earth apart!!!"

The overwhelming Stone Army, transforming into a tsunami of solid rock, pressed down on Xiao Wu, its power unstoppable wherever it passed! At the same time, the muzzles of the Gun Blade erupted with dazzling light, which condensed into sharp arrows that collided head-on with the Stone Army! Amidst the roaring sound of raging waves, the mighty Stone Army was directly scattered! The arrows of light tore through the Stone Army's formation, turning stone soldiers into ashes with overwhelming force, even smoothing the ground as if it were a mirror!

After shattering the tsunami that struck the Stone Army, the rosy light collided head-on with the giant stone wall! A violent shockwave rippled through the atmosphere, shattering the earth within a radius of several kilometers. The rosy light pierced through half of the buffer layer the moment it made contact with the stone wall, and only stopped after penetrating two-thirds of the entire stone wall, resulting in a stalemate between them!

"Please, hurry, hurry..."

Exhausted Xiao Wu knelt on the ground, trying to withstand the storm generated by the collision. She had truly run out of resources to launch this attack; if it failed, she would surely die!

Click!

With a crisp sound, distinct amidst the deafening noise, the arrow of radiant light, worn down to less than a quarter of its original strength, finally pierced through the last layer of defense, its destructive light slamming into Stone Strike's body! Stone Strike crossed his arms in front of his chest to defend himself, enduring immense pain without even blinking!

Boom!!!!

The afterglow finally dissipated in the explosion, leaving behind rubble and cracked earth. This area will likely never be able to recover to a state where it can be developed and utilized.

"Did we... we won?"

Xiao Wu finally breathed a sigh of relief, however--

"That's truly amazing..."

Right at the epicenter of the explosion, as the smoke and dust slowly dissipated, a colossal shadow three meters tall emerged.

Xiao Wu was horrified; she simply couldn't imagine that someone could stand up after taking such a blow!

No, not only did he stand up, he wasn't even seriously injured!

"You're the first person, besides those at the higher levels, to break through my close-quarters defenses to this extent."

Most of the lead-gray thin layer of rock that had covered Stone Strike's entire body had crumbled, revealing the grayish-brown skin beneath. There were also some small wounds on his skin. This was the first time Xiao Wu had seen him injured. He moved his neck and spat out blood foam from his mouth, indicating that he also suffered some internal damage.

But that's all.

For someone who has spent years in combat, this level of injury is hardly even considered an injury.

"Re-forming your body armor into a protective layer isn't easy, so be proud, Urahara Sakura Dance. This thin layer of armor is just as defensively powerful as the Stone Ridge Barrier from before..."

The inside of the pebbles that had been peeled off his body gleamed with a metallic sheen, proving that what he said was true.

"Monster..."

This man is an absolute monster!

"You've really done a great job. If we weren't enemies, I would have loved to take you under my wing or even as my disciple... What a pity!"

With a loud bang, Stone Strike's body suddenly sank into the ground, moving at high speed through the rock strata, and reappeared in front of Xiao Wu!

Wow, so fast!

Xiao Wu immediately retreated, but Stone Strike easily knocked the Gun Blade out of her hand with a wave of his hand. The Gun Blade flashed a few times in the air and returned to its original black and white twin pistols when it landed.

"Stone Shackles!"

Two stone tablets emerged from either side of Xiao Wu's body, clamping her tightly and rendering her immobile. Xiao Wu struggled desperately, but with her strength completely depleted, she was unable to break free!

Stone Strike stretched his hand straight forward, and a rough stone spear formed from rocks that appeared out of thin air in front of his hand, aiming at Xiao Wu's heart.

"In your current state, it's impossible for you to heal a chest wound on your own."

The outcome is decided.

"Farewell, Urahara Sakura Dance, daughter of the Urahara Mai Ryu..."

The stone spear was shot out.

It points directly to the heart.

The Stone Shackles could not be broken.

Xiao Wu closed her eyes tightly at the last moment.

"...?"

Nothing happened.

So,

At the instant the stone spear was launched, a rushing sound seemed to come from afar?

Xiao Wu opened her eyes--

"... Huh?"

She couldn't understand what was happening for a moment.

"Tsk, you bastard, you—"

Stone Strike was cursing angrily.

A person covered in blood stood in front of him.

His body was tattered and broken, his limbs twisted; it was a miracle that he could even stand up.

The stone spear that was meant to kill him pierced his chest.

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Ye Sang QAQ

There are so few people in the group, everyone is welcome to join! ~196580409