When he raised the gun to his head, was it firm courage or endless fear that surged in the depths of his heart?
The moment he pulled the trigger, the bullet left the chamber, tearing through fragile skin and muscle, passing through the brain, and exiting from the other side of his temple, bursting out blue fragments.
That formless death, like a dense black fog, gradually condensed, transforming into a sharp fear that quietly seeped into his lungs, like inhaling countless fine dust particles, slowly eroding his breath until it tightly bound his life.
Qian Yi remembered a fairy tale he had read before, "Snow White." The protagonist, Snow White, was deceived by her evil stepmother into eating a poisoned apple. But perhaps Snow White wasn't killed by her; perhaps it was suicide. Maybe she knew it was a poisoned apple and bit into it anyway, because her stepmother had already found her hiding place, and she had no way out.
Despair. The despair of being poisoned by one's own mother, the despair of one's life being firmly held by another, a despair of having no way out, a despair that came from the world itself. That's why Snow White would eat the poisoned apple and commit suicide.
But death is not the opposite of life, but a part of it.
Only by swallowing the poisoned apple, by approaching death infinitely, can one temporarily glimpse the answer to life.
"Izanagi-no-Okami! Come forth!"
A mysterious being, five meters tall, wearing a shining silver trench coat and a silver mask, slowly materialized behind Qian Yi. Its arms, legs, and chest were covered in exquisite, brilliant armor. In its hand, it held a great sword with a ring-shaped guard, its blade glinting with a cold light. The image was noble and sacred, like a deity from ancient legend, bringing endless majesty and solemnity.
Its name was Izanagi-no-Okami!
The next moment, Izanagi-no-Okami, Qian Yi, and Durandal violently collided, creating a deafening roar mixed with the sharp sound of breaking bones. The impact forced their figures apart. Qian Yi did a 360-degree flip, rolling backwards, while Durandal returned to her original position, pulling her lance from the ground.
"So big!" This wasn't the first time Kiana had seen Qian Yi summon this thing, but she clearly remembered it being the size of a normal person last time. This time it was five meters tall. Did it have something to do with that gun?
"Izanagi? Isn't that a god from Far East mythology?" Raiden Mei, who was well-versed in Far East literature, immediately recognized the origin of the name Qian Yi had called out.
"Izanagi, is he that strong?" Seele said she had never heard of him.
"It's not a question of whether he's strong or not. He's the father of the gods and the origin of Far East mythology!" Raiden Mei's eyes sparkled with envy. "As expected of the Captain."
"Captain vs. Captain?" Durandal understood. It seemed that Qian Yi was the strongest in the opposing team. In that case, as long as she defeated him, the remaining members should obediently follow her back to Schicksal.
However, his strength wasn't that great. In the first collision, her force had already broken his right forearm.
As she was thinking this, she saw Qian Yi point the gun at his temple and fire again.
"Savior's Heal."
The Izanagi-no-Okami behind him spun its great sword like a propeller, and a wind-like force swept over his right arm, healing the injury. At the same time, a cherry-blossom-shaped tattoo appeared on the back of his sword-wielding right hand.
Stigma: Yae Sakura.
He had obtained this Stigma along with Jizo Mitama. Although he hadn't originally planned to use it, that dog Otto had pushed him too far. If he didn't transform into "Yae Sakura" and give him a good cucking, it would be an insult to himself for agreeing to be his pen pal.
Qian Yi and Durandal locked eyes and charged out at the same time.
Jizo Mitama and Abyss Flower clashed, creating a brilliant shower of sparks. The searing heat washed over Qian Yi's face.
Even with the Stigma's enhancement, the power difference with Durandal was still too great. Izanagi suddenly moved, swinging its great sword at Durandal's throat, forcing her to stop pressing Qian Yi and defend. And as she defended against Izanagi, Qian Yi, who had ducked low, slashed at Durandal's knees.
As Qian Yi's Persona, Izanagi didn't need any nurturing of rapport. Any thought from Qian Yi could be decisively executed by Izanagi. It was truly a case of—I am thou, thou art I.
Abyss Flower repelled the great sword, intending to immediately block Jizo Mitama, but found that Izanagi had already struck a second time with the exact same posture and trajectory, hitting Abyss Flower as it was recovering from its previous move. Then came the third, fourth, and fifth slashes, and finally...
It is said that Uesugi Kenshin of the Warring States period proclaimed herself the incarnation of "Bishamonten" (Vaisravana), meaning the god of war. To demonstrate her strength, she once unleashed several powerful slashes in quick succession, all hitting the same spot on her opponent's weapon, eventually breaking their sword. That move was called—
Bishō Renzan!
The quality of Abyss Flower was beyond imagination. If it were slightly inferior, it would have already broken. But a Divine Key made mainly of Soulium and a Herrscher core was obviously not something that could be easily broken by brute force. Even so, this move forced the super dumb goose to defend, and the Jizo Mitama from below forced Durandal to retreat again and again.
Kiana couldn't help but clap her hands and cheer for Qian Yi. But before the praise could leave her mouth, she saw Durandal dismantle her lance into two weapons, Abyss and Flower, blocking the attacks from Qian Yi and Izanagi simultaneously from above and below. Then, with one strike, she forced both of them back, regaining the initiative.
Seeing this, Rita couldn't help but hum lightly. Compared to Lady Durandal, anyone would seem inferior. But suddenly, she noticed that Durandal was gathering numerous points of light, like fireflies, scattered around her, and their number was as dense as willow catkins in spring. She had a bad feeling.
Surrounded by the points of light, Durandal had no time to break through before Qian Yi pressed his Persona to his head and pulled the trigger.
"Megidolaon."
The points of light instantly converged, like dozens of machine guns firing at once. A mushroom cloud rose above Nagazora City.
—BOOM!
This scene sent a cold sweat down the spines of many people in the Far East, who exclaimed, "WOC, is this the third dimension?" (TN: Reference to the atomic bombings).
Durandal, walking out of the explosion, looked quite disheveled. Fragments of her sportswear fluttered in the air, revealing large patches of rosy skin. Sweat trickled down her neck, and under her tattered clothes, the lines of her well-trained body were faintly visible.
Her chest heaved violently, both from the intensity of the battle and from her uncontrollable emotions. Her half-concealed white lace underwear was faintly visible, setting off her fair and delicate skin.
Just then, Rita's voice sounded.
"Lady Durandal, Valkyrie armor support has been called for you."
-------
Enjoying the story? Support the author and get access to early chapters by joining my Patreon!
Find me at My : pat*eon*com/RuneA
I, Herta's Fiancé, the Universe's Number One Male Fist (114 Chapter (Simulpub-Full) )
Zenless Zone Zero: I'm a Succubus in Sixth Street (260 Chapter)
Reborn in Type-Moon, My Sister is Aoko Aozaki (230 Chapter)
MyGO!! A Story Voiced by Me (100 Chapter)
BLEACH: Blade of Purification (110 Chapter)
Konoha: Starting the Game as Yoriichi (280 Chapter)
My Real Job is Spying on Konoha, but I'm Also its Hokage (110 Chapter)
The Pinnacle of the Navy! Starting from Being Captured by Garp (130 Chapter)
Watching Yu-Gi-Oh! short videos is making the veteran players lose...(60 Chapter)
Uma Musume : The Trainer Who Just Wants to Live (162 Chapter)
Zenless Zone Zero The Random Kamen Rider (130 Chapter)
Genshin Impact: It All Began With Me Being Stepped On by Arlecchino (90 Chapter)
Naruto: I Can Synthesize Summoning Beasts (60 Chapter)
Demon Slayer: The Great Swordsman's System, Disciple of Yoriichi (90 Chapter)
My Wife is a General, but I'm an Emanator of Abundance! (110 Chapter)
Type-Moon: My Nine-Fold Path (100 Chapter)
Uma Musume: They're Peeking at My Diary, and All of Tracen is Panickin (80 Chapter)
The Wild History of Type-Moon world (50 Chapter)
Reborn in Conan, But I Refuse to Be the Bad Guy (70 Chapter)
Ruan Mei is begging me to go back? But there's no going back anymore (90 Chapter)
Just a Slacker at Tracen Academy (90 Chapter)
Survival in Blue Archive (50 Chapter)
Kimetsu no Yaiba: Doma Wasn't Hated Today, Either (70 Chapter)
The Vibe of This Chat Group is a Little Off (70 Chapter)
Heartbreak Simulator: I Broke Them and Made Them Cry (50 Chapter)
The Talentless Trainer Doesn't Want to Restart (50 Chapter)
A Journey Starting as a Quincy (50 Chapter)
Uma Musume: The Master of Romance Obstruction (50 Chapter)
If there's a particular novel you're enjoying on Patron, please give it a 'like' so I know to focus on it.