Thunder roared, and blinding white light flashed.
In a world stripped of sound and sight, time seemed to stretch endlessly. Ch'en was flung away by the shockwave and crashed heavily onto the ground. Her surging momentum was cut short, and even the sentient Chi Xiao instantly returned to its sheath.
Ch'en could not move.
That was the power of heaven and earth, utterly beyond the realm of humanity.
Shattering a building or tearing up an entire road could not begin to describe the effect of that power. Standing here, Ch'en felt as though she were face-to-face with a massive natural disaster. Rolling thunderbolts swept past her face, making her smooth hair stand on end.
Fear.
Though she hated to admit it, Ch'en felt fear.
Anyone who faced something like this ought to be afraid. Anyone who knew of this power should lose sleep and appetite over it.
Perhaps...
Ch'en finally understood why the shrine maiden had been afraid.
She did not even dare speak its name aloud.
Thunder and wind ravaged the earth. Amid the riot of light and sound, the clone slowly stepped forward and stopped before Ch'en.
She remained as cold as ever.
Hoshino figured it was about time. If Ch'en opened her eyes, the ruse would be exposed, so she hurriedly made the Shadow Clone vanish on the spot. The Paralysis Field spread out and enveloped Ch'en, immediately plunging her into several seconds of paralysis.
The roaring thunderstorm subsided as well.
Everything returned to silence, leaving behind only a devastated wilderness.
Hoshino retrieved the scattered Xuanyuan Swords into her pack and hurriedly ran into the distance, hoping to escape Ch'en's sight before she could react.
As for those few seconds of paralysis, that depended on how Ch'en interpreted them.
The rumbling thunder vanished. After a brief bout