Chapter 1253: The Realm of Providence
"Eh? No one's here? Haha, looks like my luck's finally turning—urk!"
"Take this! My familiars are no ordinary—argh!"
"What a bunch of fools, charging in without gauging the enemy's true strength. I won't be as stupid as them. I'll snipe from a distance—holy crap!"
Several minutes later, the street was littered with bodies.
Whether it was giants and vampires attempting frontal assaults, or beastmen and oni clan members trying to ambush from the shadows—all were sent flying with a single slap. Those attempting long-range sniping were knocked away in the blink of an eye.
Mages, curse technicians, even necromancers—all fell like common grunts, mowed down like wheat without even making a memorable appearance.
None lasted even a second.
"The demon mercenaries hired by the security forces only have numbers going for them."
Eiji held a handful of pebbles, tossing one at bullet-like speed each time he sensed an enemy approaching.
Fierce winds whipped across the battlefield as screams erupted everywhere.
"Aren't there any powerful ones?"
After waiting in place for over ten minutes, his pebbles exhausted, Eiji felt somewhat bored.
"No need to hold back. Send your strongest subordinates—I grant you the right to struggle desperately!"
He shouted loudly at the empty air.
Shikigami of various forms, familiars, and drones floated mid-air—the feeling of being watched had been constant from the start.
Screech!
Soon, as if answering his expectations, several armed light trucks skidded to a stop in the district.
Doors swung open, and dozens of fully armed soldiers poured out continuously.
Without exception, they were clad in armor resembling flesh and blood, exuding an intimidating aura.
Boom!
An immense magical pressure surged forth like an avalanche.
The soldiers instantly felt as if they'd crashed into a tsunami, swept away by the oceanic tide of magic in the blink of an eye—not a single one remained standing.
"Private soldiers created by the commune through researching demon physiology?" What can you accomplish by violating humanitarian principles so blatantly?"
Eiji scratched the back of his head.
Using demon bodies as material for armor was explicitly forbidden by the Sanctuary Treaty, yet research continued clandestinely.
Swish!
Suddenly, a dark figure materialized before him as if teleporting, throwing a punch straight at his face!
Eiji shifted his feet mere centimeters, dodging the blow by a hair's breadth.
Crash!
The fist struck the ground, cracking the concrete like a spiderweb and sending debris flying like bullets.
"You blocked my near-ambush strike? As expected of Natsume-senpai's disciple!"
It was a woman in a qipao, her long hair tied in a bun. Her curvaceous figure contained explosive power reminiscent of a demon.
"In that case, try this move!"
In an instant, her form blurred—one figure became two, then four.
Within moments, twenty-eight copies of her surrounded Eiji.
"Since when did I become Natsume-chan's disciple, you damn mutt teacher?"
Eiji casually replied while scanning the surrounding figures with his gaze.
Phantoms?
No, not at all.
Each of the twenty-eight Sasaki Misaki was a real entity!
"Hey, you called me a stinky dog too? I'm angry, take this!"
Sasaki Misaki roared furiously.
In the blink of an eye, all twenty-eight figures closed in simultaneously!
Some threw punches, some thrust finger-blades, some drove forward with elbows, some launched kicks!
Not twenty-eight consecutive strikes, but twenty-eight simultaneous attacks in the same instant!
In other words, it was a phenomenon of multi-dimensional folding, or concurrent multi-spatial manifestation!
"Worthy of being one of the Four Fist Immortals. This move is quite interesting!"
Eiji praised generously.
But then, his tone shifted abruptly.
"Though only mildly interesting!"
He raised his hand, forming a blade.
At the moment when all twenty-eight figures surged toward him, he merely executed a single slash.
"Rip—rip—rip—!"
Instantly, all twenty-eight Sasaki Misaki were sent flying backward.
"Huh?!"
The true Sasaki Misaki among them was especially horrified, stumbling and staggering dozens of meters before barely managing to steady herself.
Covered in dust, she looked utterly disheveled.
"How is this possible? His hand blade never even touched me, so why did every version of me get hit?"
Sasaki Misaki's eyes widened in disbelief.
During that brief exchange, something occurred that even she, as one of the Four Fist Immortals, couldn't comprehend.
Eiji had merely slashed at the air with his hand blade.
Yet in that instant, without making contact with any version of her, she felt as if she had been simultaneously struck by twenty-eight slashes!
Had he used a weapon just then, she would already be decapitated!
"The fusion of martial arts and mystic arts is called 'Divine Mystic Arts.' Those who have advanced the farthest in this path, becoming as powerful as immortals, are known as the Four Fist Immortals."
Eiji retracted his hand blade, a trace of regret in his expression.
"Unfortunately, it ultimately relies on the power of mystic arts. If one could achieve multi-dimensional folding through pure martial arts alone, that would have been far more intriguing."
"No, no, no! That's simply not a realm humans can reach!"
Sasaki Misaki waved her hands repeatedly, her face clearly saying, "Are you joking?"
"I have already reached it."
Eiji stated with unshakable composure.
"No, 'reached' isn't quite accurate. I should say I have surpassed that realm."
After all.
It had been half a year since his last breakthrough in swordsmanship.
True, after attaining the realm of severing causality, he had once been uncertain of the path forward. Fortunately, this dilemma didn't plague him for long—he soon discovered a new direction and successfully broke through to that realm.
Having no worthy opponents, he had never revealed this until now.
"I call this newly attained realm the 'Heavenly Principle' realm."
Eiji slowly extended a hand blade in a slash.
Sasaki Misaki suddenly felt her scalp tingle and leaped aside without a second thought.
Where she had been standing, an inexplicable slash silently materialized out of nowhere.
"Transcending space?"
Sasaki Misaki's face tightened.
"What kind of sword technique is this?"
From that strike, she could detect no traces of mana or spiritual energy at work!
In other words, it was pure swordsmanship!
"The cycles of heaven and earth follow their own inherent principles. Time and space are both part of this cosmos, naturally adhering to those same principles."
Eiji stood with his hands behind his back, uttering words that sounded rather mystical.
"When you grasp that principle, you will find that heaven and earth are all within my grasp!"
The principle of the cycle of heaven and earth was what Eiji called the Heavenly Principle.
Its essence was the law governing the operation of the world.
This was the inspiration he had gained while delving into the Divine Foot Technique.
Then, in just half a year, he reached this entirely new realm.
Its essence lay in transforming the laws governing the world's operation into his own sword, using the sword to command the principles of heaven and earth.