At the prison gate, Luo Chen and the guards faced each other in a tense standoff. Faced with a vicious criminal who had dared to break out and had almost succeeded, the guards did not dare let down their guard in the slightest. The same was true of Luo Chen. Although he was confident in his strength after more than a month of training, he remained wary of the fully armed soldiers who had been brainwashed by God.
A battle seemed ready to erupt at any moment. After an unknown amount of time, the guards suddenly made the first move.
"Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!"
The soldiers took the Cloud Dials hanging from their waists and fired them at Luo Chen, constructing cloud paths around him. Then the guards rode toward him on their jet boots, carrying all kinds of weapons made from dials.
"Whoosh!" A guard rode past him and fired a long jet of flame from his flame dial gun. Luo Chen leaned back to dodge it. Then the others moved in, attacking with cloud chains, impacts, and wind blades. One strange, bizarre attack after another came at him.
"How dangerous, how dangerous." Despite his words, his body was anything but slow as he swiftly dodged the various attacks coming at him.
Just as he regained his footing, the Chief Warden reached his side, pressed a hand against Luo Chen, and shouted, "Impact!"
The immensely powerful shock wave sent Luo Chen flying into the gate. A loud metallic clang rang out as he struck it and fell to the ground. Smoke filled the area, making it impossible to tell how he was faring.
"Cough, cough!" Coughs came from the smoke. A blurry figure stood up and swept the smoke aside, revealing the scene within. Luo Chen covered his mouth and coughed a few times, brushed the dust off himself with his other hand, then looked straight at the enemies ahead once more.
"An Impact Dial? That was a pretty good attack, but it doesn't seem to have done much. Want to try it again?" Luo Chen asked, staring into the Chief Warden's eyes.
"Hmph! Still talking tough? You really don't know when you're about to die. Then I'll let you try it again!" With that, the Chief Warden again ordered his men to ride toward Luo Chen and cover him while he got close enough to attack again.
"Cloud Dial: Cloud Iron Chain!" one soldier shouted. A chain made of clouds bound Luo Chen.
"Hm, what is this..." Before Luo Chen could finish wondering, another attack followed. Several cloud chains bound his limbs and head. The Chief Warden rode his Waver into the air, wrapped his legs around Luo Chen, braced his right hand with his left, and pressed it against Luo Chen, using the Impact Dial again with even greater power.
"Extra Large Ring: Shock Wave!" As soon as he spoke, a still greater impact surged into Luo Chen's body. Its aftermath shook the surrounding air and stirred up layers of smoke.
"Pfft... cough." The enormous shock wave reverberated through Luo Chen's internal organs, making him spit out the stagnant blood trapped inside him.
"What a powerful attack! I almost couldn't withstand it," Luo Chen said softly, wiping the blood from the corner of his mouth. It seemed that taking the blow had not been easy for him.
"What a monster! He took our lord's strongest attack and barely got hurt. How are we supposed to fight him?"
"A monster. What a terrifying body."
"What attack do we have left that can hurt him?"
Luo Chen remained calm, but the guards panicked instead. Frightened, they retreated one after another.
"Out of my way, all of you! He's just one enemy. What are you panicking for? There are so many of us. Are we supposed to be afraid of him?" A tall, burly man in the crowd pushed aside the comrades retreating around him and stepped forward, looking at Luo Chen as he spoke.
"That's right. He's just a Blue Sea mining prisoner. What's there to be afraid of? If his body can withstand impacts, burn him with fire. If he's not afraid of fire, cut him with blades. Let's see if he still won't die," the Chief Warden said, looking back at his men to encourage them.
"Haha, that's right, just like that. I'm getting excited. I hope you won't disappoint me! Let me see just how strong you so-called apostles of God really are." Luo Chen raised a hand and laughed, looking down at them as he spoke.
"Damn brat, you're utterly repulsive. Get him! Tear this Blue Sea scum to pieces!" The Chief Warden looked at Luo Chen's arrogant expression, veins bulging on his forehead as he shouted in anger.
"Charge! Show this blasphemer the wrath of God!"
"Blasphemy against God is an unforgivable crime. Kill!"
"Kill! I'll kill you, blasphemer!"
The guards felt that their faith had been blasphemed by the Blue Sea man before them. Their anger instantly surged, and they charged at Luo Chen with even greater vigor.
"Are you this angry because you feel I've trampled on your faith? But so what? If you have any moves that can kill me, go ahead and use them. Don't say I never gave you a chance." Faced with their fiercer assault, Luo Chen did not feel much pressure. Instead, he shouted at them again, provoking them into using their best techniques.
"God must not be insulted. Blue Sea man, your sins are unforgivable. I hereby sentence you to death," the Chief Warden said even more sternly.
"If you can do it, come on."
"This time, I'll show you my true strength."
"Devil Fruit, Mythical Zoan: Asura Form, transform!" As Luo Chen spoke, a blood-red light surged from his body and enveloped him. A moment later, the red light shot into the sky, and a tall man with crimson hair, blood-red eyes, faintly red skin, and a pair of blood-red feathered wings on his back stepped out upon the red light.
The moment he stepped out, surging killing intent filled the entire area. Everyone who saw him trembled inwardly. Through his eyes, they saw a boundless sea of blood, as well as mountains of corpses and roads paved with endless bones.
The killing intent and the illusions he brought with him were abilities inherent to the fruit. After eating it, Luo Chen had gained the ability to manipulate this power. He could control killing intent and use it to create illusions, utterly shattering an enemy's mind and reducing them to a puppet that knew only slaughter. At present, however, Luo Chen was not yet capable of fully controlling it. Once he used it, even he would be affected.
What was a Shura?
At the very beginning, The Eight Classes of Devas and Nagas identified the eight classes: first, devas; second, nagas; third, yakshas; fourth, gandharvas; fifth, Shuras; sixth, garudas; seventh, kinnaras; and eighth, mahoragas. It then explained the meaning of each of the eight classes.
Buddhist scriptures often spoke of Shuras. Among the six realms of reincarnation was the Shura realm.
The six realms were the human realm, the heavenly realm, the animal realm, the hungry ghost realm, the hell realm, and the Shura realm. The human and heavenly realms were good realms. Shuras were good by nature, and theirs was also one of the good realms, but because they often bore hatred and were determined to fight, they were ultimately not truly good beings. Male Shuras often stirred up trouble among the various realms, delighting in combat and violence. Among the heavens, they would from time to time attack the heavenly kings, seeking to seize their thrones.
Female Shuras were beautiful and often beguiled sentient beings, making it difficult for them to cultivate. Thus, although Shuras did not have to suffer, they had a very high chance of falling into the three evil realms after death, and their realm gradually came to be classified as an evil one.
"Asura" was a transliteration from Sanskrit. In Chinese translations of Buddhist scriptures, it was also rendered as axuluo, asuoluo, asuluo, asuluo, axulun, and axulun, among others. Its translated meanings included "non-deva," "not of the same kind," "improper," and "not a wine god." They were one of the beings of the six realms of the Buddhist world and one of the divine beings among the eight classes of devas and nagas. Call an asura a heavenly god, yet it lacked the good deeds of one and resembled a ghostly being in some respects. Call it a ghostly being, yet it possessed divine might and supernatural powers. Call it human, and although it had human emotions and desires, it also possessed the might and wickedness of heavenly gods and ghostly beings. Thus, it was a monster that was neither god, ghost, nor human, but stood between all three.
It could be said that this was an extremely powerful ability, one that could even be called the "strongest Zoan." With it, Luo Chen had what he needed to contend with those monsters.
"Quiet! Everyone, don't be frightened by his appearance. Remember, you are apostles of God. How can you be afraid of him, afraid of this blasphemer? Keep attacking! I refuse to believe we can't kill him." Seeing his men's cowardly behavior, the Chief Warden could not help encouraging them again. The guards soon calmed down, regained their courage and confidence, and charged at Luo Chen once more.
"You do have some tricks, but to me, small fry are still small fry. It doesn't matter how many come. Asura: Demon Sword!" Luo Chen glanced at the Chief Warden as he spoke. Then killing aura gathered and took shape in his right hand. Gripping a dark-red Han sword covered in strange patterns, he swung it across several guards who had approached him.
"Ah!!!" Wherever his blade cut them, the guards' flesh and blood seemed to be devoured by something. Reduced to skin and bones, they fell, sending the people around them retreating in fear once again.
"Damn it! How could a blasphemer gain such power? Such an evil ability must be destroyed."
"Die, blasphemer! Cloud Sword: Cloud Iron Strike!" The Chief Warden glared at Luo Chen and rushed at him, using his technique to attack.
"Demon Sword: Steel Severing!" Faced with the Chief Warden's attack, Luo Chen swung his demon sword and sent out a blood-red slash that severed it. The Iron Cloud fell straight down in front of him.
"It's not over yet! Cloud Sword: Roaming Snake!" Seeing that his attack had failed, he did not lose heart. Instead, he used a new technique. The Iron Cloud moved unpredictably like a slithering snake, attacking Luo Chen from every direction.
"Honestly, you pursue bizarre attacks too much and rely too heavily on your weapon. That's why you can't truly become a swordsman." Eyes closed, Luo Chen moved ceaselessly among the snake-like attacks, dodging every one aimed at him. The Chief Warden, however, attacked frantically like a madman, disregarding his own exhaustion and throwing his life away.
"Your mind is in disarray. The outcome has already been decided!" Luo Chen drew steadily closer as he dodged left and right, speaking to disturb his opponent's state of mind.
"D-don't be ridiculous! As an apostle of God, how could I lose to a blasphemer like you? Cloud Sword: Wild Dance of Demons!" With that, the Chief Warden grew even more frenzied. He drew a second cloud sword and, heedless of his nearly depleted stamina, unleashed dozens of attacks. The cloud swords came at Luo Chen like slithering snakes from every direction, leaving no gaps.
"Does your faith in God make you disregard your life? How devout. Unfortunately, your devotion is misplaced. Let me finish you off. Demon Sword: Chaotic Blade Slash!" As Luo Chen spoke, he used his sword technique, sending out dozens of slashes that cut down every attack.
"Have you run out of tricks? Then let me send you on your way. Don't worry, I'll send your god to keep you company too. Goodbye-no, I should say farewell forever, Chief Warden. Demon Sword: Heart-Devouring Sword!" By the time Luo Chen finished speaking, he had reached the Chief Warden's side and swung one final sword strike to end his life.
The plain, unadorned sword thrust pierced the Chief Warden's body. This seemingly powerless technique was actually the most terrifying of all. Its terror lay in questioning the opponent's heart and destroying everything of the enemy on a spiritual level.
"Was I really wrong... God, please forgive me for being unable to serve you any longer. Ah!!! I'm not wrong." The Chief Warden fell to the ground, questioning his own heart over and over. He saw the sins he had committed throughout his life and countless wronged souls weeping. His spiritual world collapsed, but he still clung to his faith and shouted. A moment later, he stopped breathing.
"The... the Chief Warden is dead."
"How? How could the Chief Warden die? That's impossible."
With their spiritual support gone, many soldiers lost confidence as well. They threw down their weapons and sat on the ground, speaking dejectedly. They could no longer pose a threat to Luo Chen, and he spared them and walked outside.
"Then you're next, God. Just wait. I'll pull you down from your pedestal." Luo Chen looked up as he spoke, as though he could see the god who lived in the palace in the sky.