Regarding the escape of Mei and the others, Fu Xuan, as the caster, naturally noticed it immediately.
Her golden eyes narrowed slightly, and majestic energy gathered at her fingertips. She was clearly prepared to be besieged.
After waiting in full array for a moment, the expected "many against one" scenario did not arrive. In front of her was still only Fuli, standing alone with his saber.
The anger of being looked down upon instantly surged into her heart. "You lot... are you underestimating Zhen?!"
"Yes, yes."
Hearing this, Fuli was not only unafraid but nodded vigorously in admission. "So Your Majesty needs to work a bit harder. First, gnaw down a tough bone like me, and then go fiercely deal with them..."
"You! You scoundrel!"
His punchable tone and expression made Fu Xuan fume with anger, and an extremely dirty insult blurted out.
The effect could only be described as outstanding.
Hit by a critical strike, Prisoner Fuli immediately clutched his chest as if his heart had stopped, his expression pained, nearly performing a "subduing the enemy without fighting" on the spot.
"Ahem!"
Snapping back to her senses, Fu Xuan also realized she had lost her decorum in front of the "court." Her pretty face flushed slightly, and she hurriedly used a light cough to cover her embarrassment.
Immediately, she straightened her face, forcibly restoring the imperial posture of looking down on the world. "Hmph! Your performance just now proves you have the qualifications to be Zhen's Grand General conquering the Myriad Worlds... But the sin of offending the Son of Heaven cannot be lightly forgiven!"
She crossed her arms over her chest, accentuating that soul-stirring arc to appear even prouder. "For this next move, if you can resolve it, Zhen will let bygones be bygones regarding what just happened!"
The power of Yin, Yang, and the Five Elements spiraled up her arms, blending in her palms into an invisible, mysterious vortex.
"Watch out!!!"
In the distance, Qingque, noticing this scene, changed her expression drastically. A warning blurted out without a second thought.
Her warning was extremely useful. Fuli, who hadn't noticed anything unusual yet, moved his body in the nick of time.
Swish—!
Just like that, instead of being cut in half at the waist, his left arm was severed clean at the shoulder. The cross-section was as smooth as a mirror.
The golden radiance of the Sun Armor, which claimed to reduce 90% of damage, was like paper paste before that slash, failing to provide even a trace of resistance.
What happened?
Fuli's expression stiffened. He instinctively looked up at Fu Xuan high in the sky. She was still standing in the same spot, not even having moved her body.
Not only that, the sky, the breeze, the flowers, the earth, the rainbow... no matter what kind of move it was, as long as it existed in the world, it must interact with all phenomena.
This was also the reason Kiana could dodge lightning with Instant Transmission. Just like the most basic logic: I don't need to be faster than your bullet, I just need to be faster than you pulling the trigger.
But?
Nothing!
Nothing!
Nothing!
Fuli, who relied on the Lunar Eclipse to reattach his arm, looked bewildered.
Whether it was the acute five senses of a Limit-Breaker or the 3D map fed back into his mind by Moonlight of the Cold River.
He hadn't been able to perceive anything just now. That slash had quietly passed through the position he was standing in, completely severing his arm!
"What was that?"
Mei rarely frowned. The Blazing Light Wings shined brilliantly, transforming into countless purple-white lightning bolts spreading outward.
Thunderbolt Realm · Detection Mode: In this form, the Judgment Armament would feed back the detected information of the surroundings to the host, its efficacy equivalent to an A-Rank detection skill.
Even so, in the young woman's vision, the flow of energy between heaven and earth was normal. The area around Fu Xuan was completely empty; she couldn't capture any sign of an attack at all.
"Oh dear, why did the General really use this move!"
Qingque scratched her head vigorously. We agreed to just catch Little Brother Fuli and take him back to the Luofu as a star slave! If she gets this serious, we'll only be left collecting pieces of Fuli scattered on the ground!
She instructed rapidly, "Anyway, next I will use the 'Yeming Time Sutra' to freeze the General for an instant! You guys must seize the opportunity, find a way to break her defense, and knock her completely awake!"
"The situation has developed to this point after all."
The Realm of Truth in Bronya's hand erupted with blinding silver light. A silver-white greatsword spanning heaven and earth condensed from the void, bizarre ripples undulating in the space around the blade.
Judgment Falling Star · Silverwing Light Roar: A module created referencing the artificial gravity technology of the Planetary Cleavage Device. Developed to its limit, it is theoretically capable of stripping a portion of a planet's surface. It is the ultimate move of the Realm of Truth mode.
The current Bronya certainly couldn't do that, but the massive distorted gravity wrapped around the silver-white greatsword was enough to create a pseudo-black hole at the impact point that could swallow an entire city.
At the same time, Mei silently switched the Thunderbolt Realm into Crown Cannon Mode. The Judgment Armament retracted and transformed into a super-massive positron cannon spanning the void.
Deep purple lightning surged on the tens of meters long cannon barrel. The cyclotron acceleration device emitted a high-frequency hum. Countless positrons were madly gathered and compressed under the confinement of a magnetic field. A heart-palpitating dark red energy vortex condensed at the muzzle.
"So formidable," Qingque sighed.
Attacks of this level should be able to awaken the General's consciousness.
The girl wasn't worried at all that Fu Xuan would be harmed. One of the unlock conditions for the S-Rank Restriction Treaty was encountering a move that could potentially cause severe injury to oneself. Furthermore, Fu Xuan was famous for excelling in defense (Preservation). Even taking these two world-destroying bombardments in a completely defenseless state, she would at most suffer minor injuries and fall unconscious.
Thinking up to here, Qingque turned to look at Kiana, anticipating what earth-shattering stunt this Schariac and Kaslana mixed-blood girl would pull off.
"Mei, Bronya, you don't need to be so tense."
She saw Kiana standing with hands on her hips, smiling brilliantly. "In this battle, A-Li is going to win!"
Qingque: ?
"My little brother hasn't asked us to intervene yet, you know?"
Kallen, floating in mid-air, added, "I have already linked my communication with his. If he really asked for help, I wouldn't still be standing here."
Qingque: ??
Noticing Kiana's eyes glowing with a faint light—the Pupils of the Distant Star—Mei pondered for a moment, and her finger resting on the positron cannon's trigger slowly moved away. "Then we will observe from the sidelines for now."
"But we must also be prepared to intervene at any time."
Bronya's Judgment Greatsword remained suspended high, but the anxiety of rushing to break the deadlock had faded.
Qingque: ???
"No, sisters, do you know what the General's move is called?"
The girl hurriedly tried to persuade them. "That is the ultimate technique she created by combining the infinite principles of all things in the world, returning Yin, Yang, and the Five Elements to their origin, artificially creating the Tai Shi state among the Innate Five Tai!"
The so-called "Innate Five Tai" refers to the five stages in Daoist philosophy explaining the evolution of the universe from Wuji to before the separation of Heaven and Earth.
Tai Yi (Great Change): A state of boundless, formless void.
Tai Chu (Great Beginning): Formless and immaterial, only innate Qi exists; a state more primitive than chaos.
Tai Shi (Great Genesis): Has form but no matter; imperceptible to the senses; the primitive state before the separation of Heaven and Earth.
Tai Su (Great Simplicity): The state of primitive matter.
Tai Ji (Great Ultimate): The state where Yin and Yang are undivided.
Fu Xuan used the Tai Shi state as the theoretical core. Relying on her pinnacle Honkai energy manipulation, she fused the seven attributes of Yin, Yang, and the Five Elements into one, artificially creating a primitive sphere with the properties of the Tai Shi state, ultimately forming this highly lethal move.
Its name is—Origin Strike: Star Shatter!
This spell is incomparably powerful. Not only does it completely ignore any defense means below S-Rank, but it also cannot be captured by the five senses. One can only rely on the vague sixth sense or perception abilities of the same level to barely detect it.
If the control is sufficient, the caster can manipulate its form at will, gaining a nearly crushing advantage in battles of the same level.
For example, just now, Fu Xuan transformed the Origin Strike: Star Shatter into a sword form. In one fell swoop, it completely bypassed the interference reduction of the Sun Armor, the time-invariance authority of the Finality Holy Lance fragment, the devouring conversion of the Outer Ways, and the passive effects of the Copied Stigmata, cleanly severing Fuli's arm!
Even within General Miao Jian's vast inventory of spells, Origin Strike: Star Shatter was the strongest offensive type she had mastered!
"'Tai Shi' means the mingling of Yin and Yang, blending into one. From one, form is born. Although it has form, it has no matter; this is called 'Tai Shi'. Tai Shi is the beginning of form but without matter."
After reciting the above content in a scholarly manner, Fu Xuan stood in the void with hands clasped behind her back, looking down at Fuli who had reattached his severed arm. Her words carried a hint of charity:
"Zhen gives you one last chance. Lay down your weapon and swear allegiance."
For my daughter's sake.
She muttered in her heart.
As her thoughts shifted, the invisible Origin Strike: Star Shatter transformed again into an unseen blade, silently slashing toward Fuli.
This wasn't playing dirty. To force an enemy to surrender, one must never give them time to breathe.
Only by repeatedly plunging them into the abyss of hopeless despair, completely destroying their will, would the enemy willingly bow their head and swear fealty, never to rebel.
On Fuli's side, attacked again, he was covered in cuts and bruises. The previously invincible Gold Cloth grew dim under the repeated invisible slashes.
But unlike the initial surprise attack, after realizing the effect of Origin Strike: Star Shatter, he actually used himself as bait. The moment his skin was cut by the unseen blade, he relied on the subtle premonition from the wound to judge the trajectory of the slash, then quickly dodged using Void Instant Transmission.
During this, he also tried to counterattack. Regrettably, unlike Uchiha Obito's Kamui, which must manifest its form when attacking, the interference of Origin Strike: Star Shatter is one-sided. Literally, it can hit you, but you can't hit it.
Even if he caught the moment of her attack to counter, the long saber only slashed through nothingness.
Cannot be interfered with.
Cannot be perceived.
Cannot be defended against.
"Compared to that Merlin's Claw General of the Yaoqing, I think Your Majesty is more suited for the beautiful posthumous title of the 'Three-Nothings General' (Invincible)."
Invincible!
Fuli rarely spoke this title out loud.
But right now, he believed that this spell itself was the symbol of the word "Invincible"!
"Beautiful posthumous title? Hmph, General Feixiao is not dead yet."
Fu Xuan chuckled softly, frankly accepting this alternative praise.
"So? Are you ready to offer your head to Zhen?"
"No."
Fuli took a deep breath and slowly sheathed the Plasma Kagehide.
"If I judge correctly, Your Majesty's Origin Strike: Star Shatter has poor resistance against spatial-type moves."
"What if it is?"
The young woman didn't deny it.
The Innate Five Tai do not rank above or below each other; they are merely different stages before the creation of Heaven and Earth.
As the third stage, Tai Shi has form but no matter. The fourth stage, Tai Su, has form and matter, symbolizing the most primitive matter in the universe.
Having form versus having matter—whether it can be interfered with by external objects naturally depends on matter, which is mass itself.
But the problem lies here too: the Tai Shi state cannot be interfered with by the outside world. It is simply impossible to inject matter into it out of thin air to force it to undergo a form transformation.
Then, do the opposite.
It is common knowledge that gravity is born from super-massive objects, and spacetime is essentially the curvature of gravity.
And coincidentally, Fuli not only mastered the Spatial-type Setsuna Blade · Avici Hell but also the Devouring (Gravity)-type Setsuna Blade · River of Forgetfulness Guardian, as well as the corresponding Natural Stigmata for both.
If he slashed with both sequentially, a two-pronged approach, theoretically, he could interfere with Origin Strike: Star Shatter, or even completely break this S-Rank spell.
But the problem was—
"You cannot perceive the Tai Shi state."
Fu Xuan's answer hit the nail on the head.
Relying on wound perception to counterattack was not enough. The girl had actually been going easy all along.
She could have completely waited for Origin Strike: Star Shatter to enter Fuli's body before erupting outward, turning it into the punishment of the "Avici Sword Tree" piercing his heart with ten thousand arrows. Or, more simply, she could have directly swallowed him before he even realized the nature of the ability.
But after all, she was taking him as her man—er, as her Grand General, not executing him. High pressure was fine, but if she killed him directly, what would she do about her daughter?
"That's why I have to find a way, isn't it?"
Fuli closed his eyes, his focus highly concentrated, his right hand gripping the hilt of the Plasma Kagehide tightly.
In past battles, whether it was the Herrscher of Thunder · Godhood Manifestation or the clash with Longevity Heaven, his style had always been flawless. Before stepping onto the battlefield, he prepared everything, wishing he could factor in even the variables.
It was incredibly steady, but he had lost that indomitable spirit suited for his current age, almost making him forget how the "him" of the previous loop pulled chestnuts from the fire, dancing on the edge of life and death time and time again.
Right now, for the first time in a long while, he was prepared to risk his life.
After all, even Fuli himself didn't know if dying under Origin Strike: Star Shatter would trigger Kurikara's—or rather, Sesha's—meta-morph organ to resurrect him.
Sesha couldn't resurrect from any kind of death. For instance, being blasted into elementary particles was a definite GG, and it couldn't combat natural lifespan decay, etc. Otherwise, its counterpart in the Previous Era wouldn't have died.
In fact, back when he tanked Fu Hua's Taixuan Sword God head-on in the Mausoleum World Bubble, if he hadn't used the Outer Ways's power to usurp some energy of the same origin from his cousin beforehand, the Shenyun (Divine Essence) that annihilates consciousness would have been enough to kill him eight hundred times over.
But so what?
When Fuli faced the City Gods, his attitude was as clear as ever.
The moment he stepped into the Honkai Side, he already had the resolve to die.
Then—
Compress!
Compress!
Compress!
Accompanied by the roar in his master's heart, the pink heart-shaped mark on his lower abdomen was the first to erupt with brilliant light.
Under the effect of the Stigma of Reason, the 3D perception domain created by Moonlight of the Cold River was as if fiercely squeezed by an invisible giant hand, madly compressing to a range of a hundred meters.
But not enough!
It's still a void in perception!
Then compress again!
In the center of his chest, the silver flying bird mark shone, its wings ready to fly. Spatial perception was pushed to the limit, and the mental range was forcibly compressed again to ten meters around him.
Still empty?
Not enough! Keep going!
This time, the Quantum-type pattern on his rear waist flared with dark light. The premonition of death stimulated his nerve endings. Fuli's mind was like a taut bowstring, sweat rolling down his forehead. The perception domain was finally squeezed to the absolute limit of five meters.
No! Again!
The purple lightning on his inner thigh crackled. Thought speed surged under the stimulation of the Stigma of Thunder. The perception ring was forcefully pressed into three meters. His skin could even feel the freezing sting as the invisible blade was about to brush past his body.
But still can't see it!
Then continue!
The pitch-black black hole mark on his left shoulder and the Celtic triquetra knot mark on his left chest lit up brilliantly at the same time. Under the power of the Stigma of Domination, the five distinct Stigmata powers of Reason, Void, Death, Thunder, and Earth were forcibly twisted together!
They surged, clashed, and finally reached a precarious yet exquisite balance within Fuli's body!
Finally, at this moment.
"I see it!!!"
Fuli opened his eyes, the power accumulated to its peak erupting with a boom!
The sheathed Plasma Kagehide was drawn with divine speed surpassing time itself, wrapping around a pitch-black sun as it slashed toward the Origin Strike: Star Shatter that was close at hand!
Crack!
It wasn't a real sound, just the illusion the brain instinctively fed back when the body perceived the long saber slicing something in two.
This strike solidly hit the Origin Strike: Star Shatter, which was close at hand and had just revealed a ripple. The latter shattered upon impact like fragile glass!
The pitch-black blade light, its momentum undiminished, soared into the sky like a silver dragon crossing the dragon gate, slashing straight at the Emperor in mid-air!
The blade light swept past. The bright yellow dragon robe on Fu Xuan's chest tore open upon impact, revealing the girl's pristine, fair body... and after the padding was destroyed, her slightly swollen but otherwise flat chest!
"Eh?"
She looked down. What met her eyes were no longer the towering mountains that looked down upon the heroes, but the tips of her toes.
"The secret is out!"
Seeing this in the distance, Qingque directly facepalmed.
Even though Fuli's slash was an arrow at the end of its flight, it was still enough to satisfy the condition of encountering an attack capable of severely injuring her Limit-Breaker state. Thus, the restriction was lifted, and Fu Xuan recovered her full combat power as an S-Rank.
Facing General Miao Jian at full condition, that exhausted slash at most only cut through her outer clothing, unable to harm her person in the slightest.
But the problem was, a pad doesn't have any defense.
Kiana, who also saw this, said blankly, "In other words, General Miao Jian's breasts... are padded?"
"Pfft!"
The Great Bronya turned her head away, covering her lips with her pale hand, her shoulders trembling slightly.
This size is about the same as my 14-year-old self.
"You, you, you! You, you, you!"
Her little secret, hidden for years, was exposed for all to see. Fu Xuan covered the torn front of her dress with one hand, pointing her other finger at Fuli below, who was equally dumbfounded. She trembled all over with anger, unable to speak a complete sentence.
"Pfft!"
She was already mentally exhausted under the effect of the Heirloom Seal. The extreme shame, embarrassment, and post-battle mental fatigue struck her nerves like a tsunami.
And so, under everyone's astonished gazes, Her Majesty the Emperor, who had just been so awe-inspiring, rolled her eyes back and actually fainted from sheer anger.
That tall and graceful body also continuously shrank as it fell, ultimately transforming into her youthful, unripe appearance.
Fuli's figure flashed, appearing below in time to catch the falling girl General.
He looked down at the shrunken Fu Xuan in his arms, then looked up at Qingque, who was hurrying over.
"———What exactly is going on here?"
He opened his mouth, asking the question on everyone's mind.