Volume Three: The Academy Runs Wild - Chapter 260: Overlord of the Lithosphere (5)

"Not again!?"

The same mountain created by supernatural power appeared even more suddenly than last time!

This time, with Bai Ye Black Star not at hand, he was unable to break the Gun Blade.

"Don't... underestimate the power of evil spirits!"

Backing down now is not an option.

The use of demonic transformation results in a significant difference in power for every 10% increase. While 100% and 99% may seem to differ only slightly, there is actually an insurmountable gap between them. A fully 100% demon could easily annihilate ten 99% demons.

Even so, she could clearly sense that even though she had become a complete demon, there was still a qualitative difference in combat power between her and Stone Strike.

But we cannot back down.

From the moment she stepped onto this battlefield—no, from the moment she was born, this battle was probably already destined.

It's either win or die.

Therefore, Xiao Wu made no attempt to dodge; without hesitation, she met the falling Giant Peak head-on, her eyes blazing with purple light as immense power gathered in her palms—

"Li San Wu Shi - Shattering Strike!!!"

She struck the Giant Peak above her head with both palms overlapping, and the two violent forces intertwined in the air! The originally indestructible rock was shattered into pieces the moment of impact, but Xiao Wu did not rashly confront it head-on. She rolled her body and slid to the side of the Giant Peak, skillfully avoiding its sharp edge.

But--

"The First Commandment!"

"--Huh!?"

The Stone Strike standing on the ground suddenly stretched out its left index finger toward the sky.

The inexplicable action caught Xiao Wu off guard, leaving her momentarily bewildered.

However, the stone peak pressed against her reacted, its immeasurable mass shattering and then reforming in Xiao Wu's astonished gaze!

"... finger?"

Countless fragments of stone continuously coalesced and compressed, shrinking in size until they finally formed a colossal stone pillar about a hundred feet long. It looked like a simple, unadorned giant finger, yet it exuded a terrifying sense of oppression.

"This density...!"

Xiao Wu's pupils constricted sharply, and she accelerated to her maximum speed without hesitation! At the same time, the unusually dense stone pillar descended from the sky. Although it was only a hundred feet long, it emitted a thunderous roar like a mountain collapsing and a tsunami crashing down! The two passed each other at the last moment, and the shockwave alone caused Xiao Wu's completely demonized right arm to be shattered and blood to splatter everywhere! The stone pillar pierced the ground like a foundation pile, without a violent impact, but instead, it sank into the ground the instant it made contact, leaving a dark cave with walls as smooth as a mirror, without a single extra crack!

This demonstrates the ultimate concentration of penetrating power.

Xiao Wu landed, cold sweat pouring down her face. If she had been hit head-on by that thing, even if she were 100% demonized, she would have been left with only half a life, if not dead.

Stone Strike gently retracted his outstretched index finger and said in a rumbling voice:

"In order to become powerful, I established ten precepts during my long years of cultivation, and eliminated the ten desires..."

He moved his ten fingers, and the earth responded to his movements with a low hum.

"Greed, lust, materialism, cruelty, sleepiness, laziness, greed, revenge, self-expression, control... leaving only the desire to fight the strong. With each desire I overcome, I will comprehend a new technique. Do you dare to accept?"

"No one would agree to that!"

Xiao Wu shouted and quickly retreated to create distance, while Stone Strike extended the index and middle fingers of his left hand.

"--The Second Commandment!"

The ground beneath Xiao Wu's feet instantly cracked open into a massive fissure hundreds of feet wide, from which countless stone blades shot out like gray lightning! It was an extremely magnificent stone forest, with each stone pillar having an incredibly sharp tip! Xiao Wu raised her arms in front of her, enduring the storm of piercing stone tips, her body constantly breaking and healing itself, using her extraordinary regenerative abilities to fight against it!

"Li Qiqi Style: Flying Ripple!"

Xiao Wu forcefully deflected an attack, using the opening to shift her stance. Suddenly, her body became as light as a swallow. Her nimble feet lightly touched the stone pillars, using their momentum to move swiftly like a dragonfly skimming the water, escaping the attack range.

"Three Rings!"

With three fingers extended, the ground beside the stone forest flowed like liquid, yet remained as hard as rock! The earth trembled, and under Stone Strike's manipulation, towering waves of stone crashed head-on against Xiao Wu!

"Sixty-four Style - Sickle Carving!!"

The Demonic Power erupted in her leg, and her right foot kicked out horizontally, cutting a scythe-like vacuum in the air, creating a momentary gap in the front wave of the stone wave! Taking advantage of this gap, Xiao Wu dodged the giant wave's impact by the narrowest of margins!

"The Fourth Precept!"

"Will this ever end?!"

Ignoring Xiao Wu's frantic roar, the Stone Strike wave suddenly froze midway, and countless stone flowers bloomed on its crest. The petals of the stone flowers scattered in all directions the moment they took shape. Xiao Wu pushed her punching speed to the limit in mid-air, using skillful force to attack the sides of the petals countless times, forcing them to change their trajectory. Even so, her fists were shattered countless times.

"The Fifth Commandment!"

Extend all five fingers of your left hand!

Before Xiao Wu could recover from the previous wave, a gray-black rock suddenly raised a hand from the ground! Xiao Wu dodged one, and immediately more rock hands emerged from the ground one after another!

Just as Xiao Wu was busy dodging the giant hand's attacks, Stone Strike extended his right index finger again—

"The Sixth Commandment!"

The Sixth Commandment is a seismic wave! Destructive shockwaves surged through the earth's strata towards the surface, clinging to the countless wildly clawing giant hands! The stone hands, empowered by the shockwave, could be seen distorting the space they passed through with a mere swing! Even a demon's body would be rendered incapable of movement by a single touch!

"The Seven Commandments!"

A thick plume of smoke, resembling limestone, billowed from the Stone Strike. Despite being thick smoke, it rose incredibly fast, completely ignoring the wind and ascending straight into the sky. Centered on the limestone smoke column, the clouds in the sky turned a oppressive leaden gray, and Xiao Wu below felt as if she were being buried alive!

Boom!!!

A dense rain of stalactites poured down from the leaden-gray clouds, forming a deadly stone rain! Stones rained down from above, while stone hands clawed wildly from below; Xiao Wu was almost driven to the brink of despair!

"The Eight Precepts!"

Unexpectedly, the stone hands scattered on the ground and the rain of stones in the sky suddenly exploded into tons of lead-gray dust, filling the air. Xiao Wu, caught in the dust, froze for a moment. The dust that touched her skin condensed on its own, forming a layer of rock that appeared thin but was extremely hard! The rock layer spread extremely quickly, covering half of her body in the blink of an eye, and even the dust she inhaled began to solidify into rock!

As the smoke and dust cleared, a small gray shadow fell from the sky and landed on the ground.

It was a stone statue shaped like Xiao Wu.

"It's over, Urahara Sakura Dance - The Ninth Ring!"

Thousands of thin stone spears emerged from the void, piercing through Xiao Wu, who had turned into a stone statue, the instant they appeared. They pierced, stung, and tore, until every inch of the statue was completely destroyed!

The dense array of stone spears resembled a thicket of thorns, and the stone statue hanging in the center, pierced countless times, was no longer human-shaped.

Xiao Wu has completely lost consciousness.

You lost.

Stone Strike exhaled and turned around—

In that instant, "What—"

A white-haired, purple-eyed demon appeared behind him like a ghost!

Li Bai Shi: Afterimage, the only life-saving technique in the Night Nether Style Liu style.

It creates afterimages at the moment of attack to confuse the enemy. If used in conjunction with the surrounding environment, it can even have a miraculous effect of turning the tide of battle.

The "Xiao Wu" that Stone Strike attacked just now was just an afterimage.

"Lijiu Liu Shi·Desolate Biting Snake Walk!!!"

Success!

Xiao Wu was absolutely certain of it.

Stone Strike were too late to defend themselves, and the most troublesome close-fitting stone armor had already been broken through by the Gun Blade. This was a golden opportunity!

However, there was a whooshing sound.

The seemingly clumsy hands reached out to their own bodies first.

The ten fingers, like Armor-piercing Shell, shot out and struck directly in the center of Xiao Wu's torso.

"The Great Secret Technique-- "

The earth's power, compressed to its absolute limit, erupted from Stone Strike's fingertips!

"--Ten Commandments, Consecutive Kills!!!!"

Everything that followed happened in an instant.

The most powerful shockwave, both immense and compressed to its extreme, pierced through the air and space, directly shaking through Xiao Wu's body.

100 meters away--

In the previous battle, all the countless stone blades created by Stone Strike were pierced, leaving ten smooth holes on each blade.

1,000 meters away--

The rocky mountain was also pierced through, running from the front to the back, leaving it completely exposed.

Dozens of kilometers away--

In the Central United Academy, all the buildings along the same straight line were smashed to pieces, a horrific sight as if they had been run over by a monster.

Hundreds of kilometers away--

Near the coast, the tops of several cargo ships suddenly twisted and deformed, as if they had been violently grazed by something flying at low altitude. The lucky crew members inside were unaware that they had just brushed with death.

Thousands of kilometers away--

On a remote island in the vast ocean, there is a low mountain.

With a deafening roar, ten finger marks suddenly appeared on the smooth stone wall in front of the mountain peak, and all the surrounding plants and animals were shattered by the aftershocks.

The seabirds on the island, still reeling from the shock, were unaware that an attack from thousands of kilometers away had finally stopped right there with them just seconds before.

On the fragmented earth--

"... Why?"

Xiao Wu blinked. The pain came and went so suddenly that she didn't understand what had happened.

"It's been a long time since I used this move..."

For the first time, Stone Strike's voice betrayed a hint of weariness.

Xiao Wu had no obvious external injuries, only ten hideous blood marks in the center of her torso.

She suddenly felt a wave of weakness wash over her, her vision blurred, her legs went weak, her hands ached, and blood trickled from the corner of her mouth.

"I will forever remember our battle. Farewell, Urahara Sakura Dance."

Farewell?

What is he saying?

Are you kidding me?

Am I going to die?

The moment she realized this, the pent-up pain surged through her body like a tidal wave; unable to struggle, unable to resist, she plunged into the abyss of darkness—

Stone Strike watched as the girl's eyelids, still clinging to his fingertip, slowly closed, the purple light in his eyes fading.

Farewell...

He was now certain of the girl's complete defeat.

And yet another victory for himself.

Just as he was about to withdraw his hand—

"... No,"

His eyes, which were about to close completely, suddenly opened.

The hands, which should have been unable to move, gripped Stone Strike's arms.

"... You're the one who'll lose!"

A tremendous force erupted from her slender hands.

"How could you..."

Without giving Stone Strike time to express his surprise and doubt,

Because Xiao Wu herself didn't have time either.

The next strike will decide the outcome!

"The Hundred and Eight Styles of the Li River"

The sound of breaking joints came from Stone Strike's arms.

It was too sudden, impossible to resist, and beyond our control.

When he came to his senses, he had been thrown two hundred meters into the air, and Xiao Wu was right in front of him.

A series of crackling sounds emanated from the girl's body; it was the sound of her bones repeatedly shattering and regenerating at an extremely high frequency.

The 180th form of the Night Nether Style is already close to the limit of 100% demon transformation!

" --Illusory Heavenly Prison!!!!"

The massive kick exploded in Stone Strike's chest, sending him flying a hundred meters like a cannonball. Before he could regain his footing, Xiao Wu appeared behind him with lightning speed! A ten-hit combo unleashed in an instant slammed into his back, propelling him even higher into the air! Sharp stone blades flew towards Xiao Wu but only struck her afterimages. Just as he was about to unleash a second blade, she interrupted him, and a palm strike to his jaw nearly shattered his jawbone. He was once again propelled upwards like a rocket!

Stone Strike, somewhat dazed, frantically analyzed the situation. A hail of stone spears rained down on him in all directions, yet each of Xiao Wu was merely a blur! Every movement of Xiao Wu created a powerful visual illusion for him—one became ten, ten became a hundred, a hundred became a thousand! In Stone Strike's eyes, countless afterimages of Xiao Wu swirled around her like a vortex, making escape impossible! Although the power was vastly different, the sheer scale was identical to Gustav's Afterimage Attack!

Caught in a vortex of afterimages, he couldn't even discern the direction of the attacks. Thousands of punches and kicks rained down on him relentlessly, each strike imbued with the destructive Demonic Power! Each blow sent him flying dozens or even hundreds of meters, his direction constantly shifting, but overall he was rising! The thinning air around him told him that he had probably been launched into the air at an altitude of over two thousand meters!

"Urushihara-- Xiao Wu!!!!!!"

Stone Strike roared, his wounded body moving again. The stone frame replaced his bones, propelling his movements. His powerful punch, undiminished, tore through space and slammed towards Xiao Wu's main body! However, this was high in the sky, far from the ground, and without the support of the earth's power, the punch was slower. Xiao Wu dodged the blow in an instant, and her right fist, gathering a surge of purple lightning, struck with all its might, slamming into Stone Strike's chest!

Then, for a mere second, she remained frozen in that position.

Xiao Wu's condition was even worse than Stone Strike's. She had already pushed herself beyond her limits, and every bone, every muscle, and every cell in her body was screaming in agony. Immense pain was ravaging her body, but she couldn't stop. This was her last chance! If she gave up here, there would be no chance of winning ever again!

"Sister Sakura Dance..."

We can't stop.

"You have to win, sister..."

"We're waiting for you to come back..."

We can't stop.

"You must come back alive, Sister Sakura Dance..."

Let's rebuild our little world together.

We can't stop.

"Sister Sakura Dance is the strongest!"

"We love you the most!"

"Definitely, definitely--"

Can't stop! Can't stop! Can't stop! Can't stop! Can't stop!

"I am whole because of you..."

"You are my salvation..."

"I believe in you, Xiao Wu."

The moment that young man's voice echoed in my ears—

"Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh"

The almost completely weakened purple lightning erupted once more, its snow-white hair danced wildly in the wind, fine cracks appeared on its demon horns, and the purple light in its eyes had never been so dazzling!

"Li Bai Jiu Shi--"

Xiao Wu's fist sank into Stone Strike's chest, her final burst of strength...

"--Secret Technique--"

For myself and for everything I love, everything I once had, and everything I've lost!

"--Azure Heaven and Yellow Springs!!!!!!!"

The Demonic Power erupted completely, transforming into a violent propulsive force! The two intertwined figures plummeted like meteors, accelerating continuously under the combined effects of propulsion and gravity! Their speed increased faster and faster, until they left no afterimages. The intense friction with the air transformed them into fireballs like meteorites, leaving a straight trajectory in the space they passed through! Plunging, plunging, and plunging endlessly! Xiao Wu was above, Stone Strike below, and the ground was almost within reach!

"Die!!"

The instant she hit the ground Xiao Wu was thrown off Stone Strike, who, now a Stone Strike, crashed into the earth! The land, thousands of feet high, shattered into fragments in an instant, and the resulting shockwaves soared into the sky, clearly visible even tens of kilometers away. The violent shockwaves reverberated between heaven and earth, producing noises even louder than thunder!

When the towering dust finally settled, a massive crater appeared in the center of the earth, centered on the impact site.

At the center of the crater is a grayish-brown figure.

Stone Strike.

Half of his body was buried in dust, with only his limbs exposed.

At the edge of the meteorite crater, Xiao Wu was coughing violently. The purple lightning that had been coiling around her gradually disappeared, her claws retracted, her horns shattered, and her purple pupils deepened in color, turning back to black. The complete demon transformation that had been supporting her finally reached its limit at this moment.

"Phew... Ah... Finally... I won... Hmm?"

Xiao Wu's hazy vision revealed her surroundings; two objects, one black and one white, were right beside her— Black Star and Byakuya.

So the impact just now brought them all over with it?

And on the other side of the body --

"--!!!"

It was a blood-soaked human figure, and his identity could be vaguely discerned through his blood-stained black hair.

"Zero... Night..."

Tears suddenly welled up in her eyes and she couldn't stop them.

"See...? I... won... oh..."

We won. We finally won.

I defeated this, the strongest opponent I've ever faced in my life!

However, in the field of vision, a dark blue figure seemed to be shaking its head.

"...?"

Xiao Wu sensed something was wrong.

She strained to turn her neck and look at the newly formed crater.

The grayish-brown body in the center of the pit appeared to have completely lost its life.

However--... crack!

The exposed finger twitched.

"... Eh?"

First it was the index finger, then the middle finger, then the ring finger, and even the toes started moving.

"No... no... it can't be... right...?"

This monster named Stone Strike, after being directly attacked by her 100% demonized form's ultimate move, the Hidden Hundred Nine Styles: Azure Netherworld, actually—

Still alive!?

A bolt of lightning flashed through Xiao Wu's mind.

Yes...

Stone Strike's special ability is to manipulate rocks!

If you look closely, you'll notice that the soil around the Stone Strike is a bit abnormal.

He loosened the rocks on the ground like cotton at the moment of impact, mitigating the shock!

Although it was just a drop in the ocean compared to such a heavy blow, it was this slight difference that saved Stone Strike's life!

"Damn it... damn it... so close!"

It was so close, so very close! Just one last blow and Stone Strike would be dead!

Sensing its master's will, the black and white pistols automatically merged into their strongest weapon, the Gun Blade. Xiao Wu gripped it with trembling fingers. Even without drawing energy from the surroundings, simply pulling the trigger and firing a spiritual bullet would be enough to kill Stone Strike in his current state!

"Ugh... my fingers... I can't move them?"

Unable to move her fingers, Xiao Wu had exhausted herself; every muscle was as if dead and unresponsive, and even her most prized self-healing ability was waning.

"Please... please... move... move!!!"

Her pleas were in vain. Her body was completely drained, and she couldn't even muster a trace of spiritual energy, making it impossible for her to fire a bullet!

Meanwhile, Stone Strike's movements had expanded from his fingers to his entire arm. His arm slowly bent and groped for the ground, as if he was about to lift up his buried body!

"Hurry, hurry... hurry,..."

Once Stone Strike gets back up, I'm truly doomed!

It was so close, so very close!!! It was that tiny difference that drove Xiao Wu to near despair! No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't unleash that final blow; she couldn't even move!

Victory was just one step away, but was it going to end here?

Is that all?

Is it a painstaking effort, or a tiny mistake leading to a huge difference?

Xiao Wu was plunged into despair.

"Don't..."

He even experienced auditory hallucinations.

"Don't be discouraged... you idiot..."

No, it's not a hallucination.

"You've already said it all, haven't you?"

The deep blue silhouette imprinted on the retina became increasingly clear.

Didn't I say I would give you everything I have?

Ling Ye still laughed easily, and his tone remained flippant.

"After a person dies, their soul dissipates into the world...? It seems my vitality is quite strong; I've lingered for so long without dissipating. Perhaps it's because I still have attachments..."

His figure became increasingly indistinct as he grasped Xiao Wu's hands, which were holding a gun.

"Your Gun Blade absorbs all power, right?"

No, wait, you need to...

That would be wonderful.

Wait a minute, you, don't--

"Since it's the last time anyway, let me make the most of it one last time."

Wait, wait, wait!

"I, Ling Ye,"

I would give you everything.

Dedicated to Urahara Sakura Dance,"

Ling Ye's spirit grew thinner and thinner, turning into fine sand, while his corpse beside him began to glow red.

"I offer my blood,"

I offer my bones.

I offer my flesh.

"With all my heart,"

The corpse's flesh and blood gradually melted, transforming into a deep crimson heat that surged into the Gun Blade, while the fine sands of his soul also flowed into it—

Stop right now! Don't you even care about your own existence anymore?

Ling Ye! Ling Ye! Ling Ye!!!!!

"I dedicate my soul to it."

And my very existence—

Transformed into bullets for killing and winning.

In the very end,

Bring victory to my loved ones!

Ling Ye!!!!!!!!

We've finally reached the end.

I'm finally free.

The countless lives I have slain are waiting for me on the other side.

My wish has been fulfilled; I have no regrets.

Farewell, my love.

At last,

You must live on.

Let's live on, including my share.

Bullets forged from flesh and blood were fired amidst a dazzling burst of light.

The moment it came into contact with the air, it transformed into a torrent of scarlet light, surging towards the bottom of the pit.

"Gurgle--!"

The moment the Stone Strike's head emerged from the ground, it engulfed him.

Washed by the immense force, the ashen head seemed to reveal a relieved smile at the last moment.

Beautiful things are always fleeting.

The crimson light stream lasted only a few seconds before disappearing without a trace.

And the Stone Strike finally lost its last glimmer of life.

"It was you—no, it was you who won, Urahara Sakura Dance, Ling Ye."

I vaguely heard his last words.

"...Ugh..."

Those who triumph, and those who perish.

"Waaaah... Waaaaah..."

Xiao Wu lay on the shattered earth, wailing loudly at something that had vanished forever.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This is absolutely the most brutal battle I've ever fought. I've been fantasizing about it for a long time, and now I've finally written it down. The more I wrote, the more excited I got. When I finished, I saw it had reached 6,500 words!

This word count could easily be split into two chapters, but I think I'll pass. I'm ultimately unwilling to forcibly break up this battle just to stockpile one more manuscript.

I know that a lot of people will think of Rock Xiao Li's Lotus Flower from Naruto when they see Wu Ye's ultimate move.

Actually, the inspiration came from Grandma's physical combat version of Dreamborn and Fat Tengu's ultimate move in KOF 13.

That was a mistake. This battle was so intense; it should have been saved as the grand finale, the third match.

(Ye Jiang: Author, are you serious? I'm the main character! Why is my presence getting weaker and weaker?!)

(Author's note: That's why I put Xiao Wu in the second-to-last match so you could have the grand finale, you idiot! Make your fight against the Sick Spider intense! You'll get a bonus afterward!)

Hey everyone! I've been so principled! Dancer has done his best! Stone Bro (just kidding) is dead! Zero-san has also met his end! Aren't you going to cause some trouble in the comments section and give me some Monthly Votes?