Issho had naturally also "seen" the situation beyond the fog, but since he was a Heroic Spirit and his Master, Lin Xiaoran, was the one who made the decisions, he had asked her first.
Now that Lin Xiaoran had no other requests, it was time for him to show his skills.
Issho gripped his Cane Sword in a reverse grip, then swung it forward with force. "Gravity Blade! Raging Tiger!"
Purple light flashed!
The street ahead of Lin Xiaoran and Issho abruptly shattered, the destruction charging straight ahead!
The powerful energy even warped space, also dragging along the fog that had been as thick as a wall and forcibly tearing it apart, revealing a clear field of view!
In Lin Xiaoran's perception, the horizontal gravity Issho controlled and unleashed enveloped the entire street!
Along its path, abandoned cars, rubble and bricks scattered across the ground, and even the houses and buildings beside the street suffered horizontal fractures from the attack!
The ferocious beasts fared even worse. They had never realized an attack would come at them! The horizontal gravity knocked them straight into the air, then blew them away uncontrollably, crushing them and slamming them hard into distant buildings!
[Announcement: Challenger Master Lin Xiaoran from Country L and her Heroic Spirit, Fujitora Issho, have successfully killed an F-rank ferocious beast. Points +5!] [Announcement: Challenger Master Lin Xiaoran from Country L and her Heroic Spirit, Fujitora Issho, have successfully killed an F-rank ferocious beast. Points +5!] [Announcement: Challenger Master Lin Xiaoran from Country L and her Heroic Spirit, Fujitora Issho, have successfully killed an F-rank ferocious beast. Points +5!]
These were not first-kill announcements, so there was no special notification sound, but they appeared on the light screens of every Master's silver bracelet and could be seen with a tap.
Moreover, these announcements recorded not only the ferocious beasts each Master killed, but also the other opponents they killed and the elimination of any Master.
They were what one might call a kill feed.
Outside the game instance.
The viewers who had just witnessed this scene fell silent in unison, clearly stunned by Issho's powerful ability!
Only several seconds later did people begin commenting, as though waking from a dream.
[Incredible! Absolutely incredible!]
[So cool! Is this Uncle Issho's strength!?]
[Aaah! That Raging Tiger move is so powerful!]
[I was wondering why Lin Xiaoran and Uncle Issho suddenly stopped again! So they'd run into ferocious beasts!]
[Hiss! My god, the whole street and the buildings on both sides were destroyed!]
[Uncle Issho looks so cool sheathing his sword!]
[Student Lin is so composed too!]
[Even the fog was blown away!]
Jiang Jiayou slapped the table excitedly and stood up. "Look! With an ability this powerful, do we need to worry about running into that Park-whatever from Country H!?"
Now even Che Yisi was no longer quite certain. "Probably not?"
Han Wenju was also beaming with delight. "Lin Xiaoran and Issho are amazing!"
Jiang Jiayou calmed his excitement and said, "If Lin Xiaoran wins this time, bring her to our National Fortune Department! We must make sure her safety is properly protected!"
Che Yisi and Han Wenju nodded repeatedly.
Protecting the victors was something they had to do.
For the sake of victory in the National Fortune Game, the various countries had long since resorted to any means necessary. If they could not win inside the game, they would carry out assassinations in reality!
Once you died, someone else would have to take your place in the next round. In that case, the quality and strength of the Heroic Spirit summoned by the new Master could no longer be guaranteed!
There had already been bloody examples of all this, so every country had learned its lesson and would do everything possible to protect each victor!
"No! Send people to find Lin Xiaoran's residence right now! Then secure it and wait for her return! The moment she returns, bring her here!"
Jiang Jiayou issued another order.
Although the game had only just begun and no one knew whether Lin Xiaoran could make it to the end, protecting her in advance seemed unnecessary and would waste manpower and resources.
However, the potential Lin Xiaoran had displayed was already enough to warrant this action from their National Fortune Bureau. Other departments would also prioritize cooperating with the bureau's operations. Its current assignments all had the highest priority!
There was another point: sometimes, the enemy's thinking and methods could be even more cautious, rigorous, and ruthless than yours!
Country L had a National Fortune Bureau, and so did the other countries!
There were even so-called assassin departments, intelligence departments, and the like dedicated to studying this area. Whenever they discovered a promising challenger, they would immediately gather relevant information and make preparations in advance!
Perhaps, when a challenger successfully survived to the end and won the game, before they had even left the instance, an assassin from some country would already be waiting outside their door.
Therefore, Jiang Jiayou absolutely could not gamble with Lin Xiaoran's safety!
If Lin Xiaoran failed, they would merely have wasted a little time.
But if Lin Xiaoran succeeded and they had failed to protect her in time, the losses would be immeasurable!
They might even face accusations and abuse from the entire nation!
Soon, under Jiang Jiayou's orders, the various departments swung into action, dispatching fully armed troops to the apartment where Lin Xiaoran lived.
Inside the game.
After Issho's gravity disappeared, the dense fog began gathering and reforming, obscuring the field of view they had just gained once more.
"Uncle Issho, you're incredible!" Lin Xiaoran gave him a thumbs-up in heartfelt admiration.
Although she had also obtained the same version of Issho's Press-Press Fruit ability, its effects were diminished because she lacked the swordsmanship of a great swordsman to match it.
To overcome this shortcoming, Lin Xiaoran would need to train more herself and continue developing ways of using the ability that suited her.
At the very least, she could not release gravity through a Cane Sword the way Issho did, could she?
Did that mean I needed to get a sword too?
Lin Xiaoran suddenly felt that it might not be such a bad idea.
"My abilities are hardly worth mentioning out on the seas. There are plenty of people stronger than me," Issho said very modestly.
Issho might now have been a Marine Admiral, his strength among the foremost on the seas.
But who knew whether powerful monsters remained hidden somewhere? Take him before he joined the World Military Draft, for example. Who had known that a blind man's strength could rival an Admiral's?
"Uncle Issho, you're too modest! I'm counting entirely on you to carry me this time!"
"Haha! I'll do my best!" Though Issho said this aloud, he already felt assured inwardly, because he had yet to sense any presence stronger than his own.
"Hm? No treasure chest this time?" Issho asked in puzzlement.
"These ferocious beasts were probably roaming outside, hunting, rather than staying in their lairs or territories. If we want treasure chests, we'll need to look for lord-level ferocious beasts."
Lin Xiaoran's sleepless night reading information related to national fortune had not been entirely fruitless.
Come to think of it, her physique seemed to have improved considerably after she drew the fruit ability. She actually did not feel particularly tired now.
Superpowers really were a good thing!