Rod vs. Kanzaki Kaori [3]

Ultimate forces converged in one place. This had already surpassed the level of explosions and shockwaves; it was no longer within the range human ears could endure.

It was the anguished wail of the world itself. The aftermath of the aftermath of that wail.

Two terrifying impacts, each capable of effortlessly destroying a city, canceled each other out, yet still sent violent tremors through all of Academy City.

"An earthquake!?"

"Haven't there been way too many earthquakes lately?"

"Seriously. So annoying."

The people of Academy City had no idea that, a moment before the earthquake, they had nearly all died. Naturally, Rod could not let these adorable cannon fodder die completely, or how would his later plans proceed? So he had calculated the strength of Kanzaki Kaori's Nanasen strike and countered it with roughly equal force.

Thus, the terrifying shockwave that could have swallowed the entire Academy City vanished without a trace.

"Cough, cough, cough." Her blade had shattered into fragments. Kanzaki Kaori, drenched in blood, coughed up blood, yet she continued to glare fixedly at Rod. The person before her had reached heights she had never attained; she was completely no match for him.

But so what!?

So what if she had lost her weapon?

So what if she was covered in wounds?

She would never hand that child over to him. Even if it cost her life, she would protect that child.

Her powerful will to protect supported Kanzaki Kaori's battered body. Through the wound in her abdomen, the organs pulsing within could faintly be seen.

At this point, even standing had already taken everything Kanzaki Kaori had.

"Is it necessary? To stake your life on it, when that child doesn't even remember who you are?" Rod slowly asked.

"Do you know, Salvare000? The meaning carried by my magic name is [to extend a helping hand to those who cannot be saved]." Rather than answering, Kanzaki Kaori explained the meaning behind her magic name.

"To extend a helping hand to those who cannot be saved... Heh, what an interesting magic name. What are you pursuing? And what have you abandoned?" Rod's words made Kanzaki Kaori's body stiffen.

"Inhale... exhale... inhale... exhale." Kanzaki Kaori panted violently, steadying her trembling body as a pure white, holy radiance gradually began to emanate from her.

When a "Saint" was born, they bore magical markings similar to those of the "Son of God," also known as Stigmata. Once the power of their Stigmata was released, a Saint could gain abilities beyond the human realm and conquer a city alone.

Because "Saints" possessed physical traits similar to the "Son of God," they gained a portion of the Son of God's power and could freely wield it. Having transformed into a "God Splitter," Kanzaki could briefly acquire abilities beyond the realm of mortals.

She possessed speed that entered the domain of gods, mobility beyond the speed of sound, and could easily evade subsonic bullets. In one-hundredth of a second, she could draw her blade, strike, and sheath it again.

"You still want to keep fighting? Very well, then." Rod smiled at the sight. He drew the Inverted Spear of Heaven from Ten Shadows Space, activated Idle Transfiguration to reshape it into an exact replica of the Seven Heavens Seven Blades, and casually tossed it to Kanzaki Kaori.

Kanzaki Kaori instinctively raised a hand and caught the blade, her gaze turning complicated. Yet respect welled up from the depths of her heart. Without saying much, both to protect Index and to answer the man before her—

Kanzaki Kaori radiated white light. With a terrifyingly swift draw, she struck Rod before he could react, blasting his figure into the sky.

"Trying to avoid involving innocent people? Just what I wanted." Rod noticed Kanzaki Kaori's intent and, without resisting, allowed himself to be sent nearly ten thousand meters into the air.

The two figures collided amid the clouds. Their terrifying power blew the cloud cover away completely, leaving only moonlight to illuminate them.

In her "God Splitter" state, Kanzaki Kaori used Nanasen like a normal attack. Blade after blade of light swept out, carving chasms nearly ten thousand meters long through the sky. At this moment, every slash she unleashed carried enough power to destroy a city.

The terrifying blade lights intertwined into a cage, suppressing Rod's body for a time and rendering him unable to move. They also made him feel pain again after so long, streams of blood continuously spilling from his body.

These wounds could have been healed instantly with Reverse Cursed Technique, yet Rod did not do so.

He touched the blood sliding down his body. It was scorching and hot. This pain—this was battle! This was the feeling of his blood boiling!

"HAHAHAHAHA! AHAHAHAHAHA!!!" Rod burst into hearty laughter. With force, he broke free from the blade-light restraint, then tore off his shirt with both hands, exposing his bare upper body.

At this very moment, Rod was high as hell. (This is the best, damn it.jpg)

Cursed energy wrapped around Rod's hands as he unleashed Black Flash like ordinary attacks. The shockwaves from their clash alone tore open space. From the universe, one could see that the clouds above the entire Japanese archipelago had been completely cleared away, not a trace remaining.

"Open!" Flames appeared in Rod's palm. In an instant, he drew an invisible bow and nocked an arrow, firing a flaming arrow straight at Kanzaki Kaori.

But how could that possibly strike Kanzaki Kaori with her speed fully unleashed? Sensing the terrifying heat contained within the arrow, Kanzaki Kaori did not meet it head-on and instead used her extreme speed to dodge aside.

Yet Rod's flaming arrows came one after another as though they cost nothing, like he was using his ultimate move as a normal attack. If Suzushina Yuriko had seen this, her jaw would have dropped.

Flaming arrows with the power of nuclear bombs exploded in the air one after another.

The extreme light and heat made the surrounding space searingly hot. People near the Japanese archipelago could see that brilliance. Like Hou Yi shooting down the suns in ancient records, nine suns appeared above Japan, dazzling and blinding.

"BOOM!?" A flaming arrow that had veered beyond the atmosphere suddenly struck a satellite in space, exploding violently. Not even a scrap of debris remained as it vanished within the flames. (Tree Diagram Designer: First of all, I didn't provoke any of you! Second, I didn't provoke any of you!! Finally, I DIDN'T PROVOKE ANY OF YOU!!!)

In the original story, the Tree Diagram Designer had still left behind wreckage after being destroyed by a single Dragon King's Breath from Index. But after being hit by Rod's flaming arrow, not even dregs remained.

The two figures began plummeting rapidly toward the ground, and cracks started appearing across Kanzaki Kaori's body.