The sky was gray, and smoke and dust billowed among the ruined walls.
Naoya Zenin had been forced into a corner. Mahoraga's ten-meter-tall, gray-white body slowly bore down on him, the positive-energy white light of the blade on its right arm illuminating his taut jaw.
A black streak suddenly tore through the dust.
Qingxiao swept in sideways. Before anyone could even make out his movements, he drove a sweeping kick into Mahoraga's flank.
The dull impact sounded like muffled thunder striking the ground. Mahoraga's massive body flew sideways several meters like a punching bag struck by a sledgehammer.
Its shoulders and back smashed through half of a ruined three-story wall. Bricks and stones crashed down with the dust in a rain of rubble.
Qingxiao landed and stood firm with his back to Naoya.
His gaze first swept over the slowly turning Dharma Wheel on Mahoraga's back, then settled on the coldly gleaming Sword of Extermination on its right arm.
Finally, a live Mahoraga. Even cooler than the rumors made it sound.
"Watch out! Mahoraga can analyze Cursed Techniques. Cursed Energy attacks will be-"
Naoya pushed himself into a sitting position and shouted in alarm.
Qingxiao tilted his head slightly and answered Naoya with utter confidence:
"Relax. I'm the strongest."
Naoya froze.
He already idolized Qingxiao, but seeing him casually block a blow that Naoya could not have stopped with everything he had-
The words "the strongest" still struck his ears hard enough to make his eyes burn.
Without looking back, Qingxiao waved a hand. "Get yourself out of here. Don't get in the way."
Gritting his teeth, Naoya pushed himself up and limped away from the battlefield.
He looked back every three steps. Qingxiao's back remained amid the dust, and only when a towering wave of dust completely obscured that