Chapter 677: An Abrupt Ending to the Stalemate
For a reason that Zhen Liu couldn’t comprehend because he wasn’t a mind reader, Jin Fang had suddenly ran right back towards the clashing Aether Emperors.
Unlike the last time she did this though, the danger of the situation had shot up significantly.
Instead of a stray punch or kick leaving a noticeable indent in the ground or walls, the walls were being pulverized into being smooth again and the ground immediately beneath the dueling Emperors had been turned into literal glass.
In other words, this was the equivalent of walking into the middle of an active warzone, and everyone was using nuclear armaments.
Physically, Zhen Liu was more or less focused on intercepting Jin Fang before she got turned into ash.
Mentally, he was trying to figure out why his girlfriend was running in like a woman possessed.
…
Hold up…that ain’t right…
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‘Okay, I do not appreciate that the girlfriend who scolds me for being reckless is being reckless in turn. Seriously, at least I throw myself against threats that I know I or the kaijin can handle…wait, does that make me a coward?’
=Cautious, milord, it means your cautious.=
‘Thank you, Logos. Anyways, really why is she…wait a minute…Hurricroak.’
[Yes, maestro?]
‘You’re good with differentiating sounds and stuff…did Jin Fang sound…weird? Because I swear her voice sounded different when she-‘
[You ain’t going crazy, maestro. Lady Jin Fang did indeed sound different when she ran off.]
‘Oh joy…’
=She didn’t say anything when she ran off.=
‘What the-yeah she did, she said-‘
[I’m not sure either! But my instincts are telling me to stop these naughty kids from infighting!,] Hurricroak repeated in the exact same voice Jin Fang had used seconds ago.
The moment Hurricroak used that voice though, Zhen Liu literally felt Logos and Pathos both stiffen up.
<=...=>
The fact that the two “all-knowing spirits” seemed to be stumped was enough for Zhen Liu to ask, “Are…you two okay? What’s going?”
=In the same tone if possible?=
[Uh…okay,] Hurricroak agreed, a little freaked out at the seriousness being shared between the two normally diametrically opposed spirits.
[But my instincts are telling me to stop these naughty kids from infighting!,] Hurricroak repeated once more.
=Huh…=
‘My entire life, why?’
=That’s the wrong question you’re asking, Pathos. The correct question is: how did you meet her?=
‘That’s…a pretty easy story to tell. Mom and I found her as an orphan in an alleyway back home. Simple as that. Wait, shouldn’t we be focusing on saving her first?’
<=If she's related to who we think she's related to, she'll be just fine. Now please do us a solid and elaborate on how you met her.=>
‘I…okay…’
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Once again, Zhen Xun Tian and Gao Ao Long found themselves locked in a stalemate.
However, unlike the “light” blows that they were exchanging before, this time the consequences for letting up or losing were a lot more dire, as they weren’t holding back in the slightest anymore since they were both using World class aether arts.
On one side, Zhen Xun Tian was channeling the power of the [Symphony of Samsara] into six different fists of hers, four of which were made of materials that most people would commit war crimes in order to obtain.
On the other, Gao Ao Long was focusing all of his might into his transplanted arm, making the most of one of the more powerful arts he learned from having it attached to his body for so long, [Tsunami Smashing Whale Fist].
Either one of these arts were strong enough on their own to destroy a fortress, but both Zhen Xun Tian and Gao Ao Long were channeling a little something extra to these arts that cranked their destructive capabilities by several magnitudes.
Neither one of them knew what this energy was or what it was called exactly, but they both understood that it was incredibly powerful and mandatory if either one of them wanted to kill the other in this bout. If it wasn’t completely obvious, this “weird energy” was the power known as [Chaos].
‘Dammit! What is it going to take to finally kill you?!,’ they silent thought about one another.
As the two Emperors’ kept clashing though, both aether and [Chaos] began to fill the arena and distort their surroundings. The former didn’t have much use to outsiders, not a lot of warriors could make use of this “waste” aether. But the latter, [Chaos], could be used in all sorts of ways by certain types of warriors.
Or in this particular case, a young woman could use this [Chaos] in a way that not even she completely understood, since she was running on pure instinct.
No…not instinct.
Memory.
‘I can’t get any closer than this…fuck it! I’ll just take a page out of Zhen Liu’s book and just wing it!’
Immediately below the Aether Emperors and their literal death struggle, Jin Fang found herself in a spot just a bit further away than when she had first arrived.
She would’ve gotten to that point exactly, but the area was being turned into molten glass at this very moment. It took Jin Fang everything she had and then some in order to not be blown away by the shockwaves.
At this vantage point, Jin Fang stared at the two Aether Emperors, Zhen Xun Tian and Gao Ao Long, but she wasn’t directing her gaze directly at them. Instead, her gaze was focused on the former’s back tattoo and the latter’s stitched on arm.
She wasn’t entirely certain as to why she was focused on…no…she knew exactly why she was so focused on them.
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As she kept staring at these strange treasures [stolen inheritances], the surrounding [Chaos] began to move in a very strange way.
A vortex began to form in front of Jin Fa, allowing more and more [Chaos] to flow directly into her throat, strengthening it [and reawakening an old skill].
‘This power…is this seriously what Xiao Liu channels on the daily?! Holy shit!’
Jin Fu began to feel her whole body burn up/cool down/tremble/stiffen as the [Chaos] kept condensing and building in her throat.
If the Aether Emperors weren’t so busy clashing with one another, perhaps they could’ve noticed that Jin Yu was starting to transform as well as a result of this sudden infusion…well, not really transform.
The shadowy form of a tall, armored warrior queen began to form around Jian Yu’s body, giving the illusion that she had changed from a tomboyish spitfire brackborn, to a tall, queen-like figure that was blessed with both beauty and martial prowess all at the same time.
Honestly, it was unfair.
Then again…Tian Yu came a long, long, long way to be able to boast this fact.
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As Tian Yu(Jin Fang) stared up at the clashing Emperors, she definitely didn’t appreciate that her (ancestor’s) kaijin were acting up like this. Infighting was strictly prohibited, after all.
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Tian Yu(Jin Fang) took a deep breath and focused all of the energy she could into her mouth, throat and lungs. Once all three were fully saturated, Jin Fang(Tian Yu) conveyed a very… straightforward message.
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As soon as Tian Yu let her yell, the two World Class aether arts immediately deactivated, much to the confusion of the ones that were casting these arts in the first place. But that was only the start of the weirdness.
The strange woman’s call seemed to echo far longer than expected, and it caused a most unusual event to occur.
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For reasons beyond their control, Zhen Xun Tian’s tattoo and Gao Ao Long’s arm suddenly began to act as if they had minds of their own and suddenly forced their respective owners to the ground in order to stand before Tian Yu.
As this was happening though, the surrounding [Chaos] began to take on a pair of unusually familiar forms.
Ones that by all accounts she had never seen before in her life, but were important to her all the same.
It wasn’t until the two Emperors touched the ground and the figures had mostly formed that she re(alized/membered) the names of these familiar beings…
[Milady…]
[Milady…]
And it wasn’t until these shadows from the past knelt before her that she could feel their sadness.
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