A dim mountain tunnel.
Because the area was fairly remote, and because Xu Fu had cast a wide-range barrier to drive people away in advance, there was not a single car or person to be seen inside the tunnel.
Six particles of light abruptly pierced through the tunnel wall. In the next second, that section of wall collapsed with a roar, leaving a massive breach. Mahoraga flew out through it and embedded its entire body into the opposite wall.
Mahoraga gritted its teeth and struggled to pry itself out of the wall. Taisai Seikun suddenly leapt out through the breach as well, stomping heavily onto Mahoraga's neck and driving it back in.
Taisai Seikun stood on Mahoraga's chest. Left punch, right punch, left punch, right punch... He hammered Mahoraga's face without pause, every strike reinforced with spiritual energy, every blow as heavy as a mountain.
All at once, Taisai Seikun gave up on continuing to beat Mahoraga. Using Mahoraga's chest as a foothold, he flipped backward, slipping perfectly through the gaps between three invisible slashes.
The instant his toes touched the ground, Taisai Seikun left that spot at a speed nearly impossible for the naked eye to follow. In the next moment, an X-shaped slash mark appeared where he had just been standing.
The slashes were clearly invisible, yet Taisai Seikun could always dodge them precisely. Before Xu Fu had even released a slash, he had already predicted it in advance.
This was Da Liuren, which allowed him to know the trajectory of an enemy's attack ahead of time and arrange his next move accordingly.
Taisai Seikun suddenly raised a hand, seized the arm rushing toward him, then spun and threw Xu Fu, who had tried to ambush him from behind, toward the charging Mahoraga.
Mahoraga hurriedly stopped and caught Xu Fu. At the same time, Taisai Seikun made a finger-gun pose, vast spiritual energy gathering at his fingertip.
"LOW-COMPRESSION EXPANSION STATE..."
"PHASE, PARAMITA, PILLAR OF LIGHT..."
With her back to Mahoraga, Xu Fu likewise pointed a finger at Taisai Seikun, a red sphere of repulsive force condensing at her fingertip.
"[COMET STAR]!"
"[RED]!"
Two beams of light, one incandescent white and one red, collided.
Neither gave an inch. They continuously eroded each other's territory, and at the boundary between the lights, a chaotic blackness appeared.
Within the narrow tunnel, such violent power erupted all at once. The shockwave from the collision instantly sent all three of them flying.
Support beams snapped one after another, causing the tunnel to collapse. Xu Fu and Mahoraga broke through the rolling dust and smoke, flying out before the tunnel completely caved in. Like cannonballs, they plunged into a lake, throwing up waves over ten meters high.
Taisai Seikun destroyed the rubble blocking his path with Extinction Malefic Star, ran out from the collapsed tunnel, and likewise leapt into the lake.
He looked left and right, excitedly searching for Xu Fu and Mahoraga. Suddenly, several hemp ropes bound him tightly, wrapping around his body multiple times.
The other ends of those ropes were held in Mahoraga's hands. Like a hammer throw athlete, Mahoraga gripped the ropes and spun madly, stirring up a massive whirlpool in the lake.
Finally, Mahoraga suddenly let go, hurling both the ropes and Taisai Seikun away.
As he fell, Taisai Seikun quickly steadied himself and landed smoothly on the lakebed.
"...!"
With force from both arms, Taisai Seikun soon snapped the ropes binding him.
At that moment, Mahoraga dropped sharply toward Taisai Seikun's position, using Afu's move, "Meteor Destruction"!
Seeing this, Taisai Seikun raised his fist as if refusing to be outdone, then struck out violently.
The instant their two fists collided, it was as if an explosive had been thrown into the lake. Bursting spray shot into the sky.
Mahoraga and Taisai Seikun stepped on the surging water and leapt out of the lake. In the next moment, both their fists flew like a sudden storm.
Ora ora ora ora ora ora ora ora—!!
Fist shadows poured down like torrential rain. Each collision compressed the air and produced ring-shaped shock bursts.
A severed arm suddenly plummeted at high speed, smashing a sizable crater into the base of the cliff.
Mahoraga's arms and legs had all been broken by Extinction Malefic Stars that had suddenly shot in. Without hands or feet, Mahoraga could only be grabbed by the tail behind its head like fish on a chopping board, then flung away by Taisai Seikun like a meteor hammer.
Somehow, this move from Taisai Seikun felt at least a little personal, because Mahoraga had thrown him in much the same way underwater just now.
Wind howled past Mahoraga. It had already repaired its hands and feet, and when it landed, both feet sank deep into the soil.
Suddenly, it twisted sideways, dodging Taisai Seikun's descending flying kick. Mahoraga swung its fist, trying to attack Taisai Seikun from behind, only for Taisai Seikun to evade the punch with a backflip and strike Mahoraga in the face with an elbow.
That elbow knocked Mahoraga down onto one knee, making it spit out a great deal of saliva. Taisai Seikun stood behind it, watching with great interest.
'What are you doing?'
A voice suddenly rang inside Taisai Seikun's head.
'Why are you still wasting time here? That shikigami's ability will gradually adapt to your curse. Hurry up and act. Turn it to ash before it completely adapts to your power!'
"Shut up! Mind your own business. I don't need you telling me what to do!"
Taisai Seikun smacked his own forehead heavily, and the voice disappeared from his head.
"You don't seem to be in very good shape?"
Xu Fu appeared. She did not attack immediately, but lifted the corner of her mouth and spoke as if in concern.
"Do you need a halftime break~?"
Barring any surprises, the existence that had spoken to Taisai Seikun just now was probably his main body—the true Taisai Seikun, the one who was currently still in China and had truly lived for four thousand years.
The god before Xu Fu was the bunrei of Taisai Seikun in Japan, whom Abe no Seimei had invited over from China. Originally, he had wanted this god to protect his descendants forever after his death. In the end, however, his descendants had failed to live up to expectations and could not control this calamitous god at all. Yet they were unwilling to give up the god's power, so they established a contract: they would offer girls from their family to the god in exchange for his power.
Ai Kamiyo was one of those sacrifices.
Taisai Seikun's main body could not leave China and descend upon the island nation of Japan across the sea, but he could use Ai Kamiyo's body to speak and observe the situation in Japan.
Although they were bunrei and main body, the Japanese bunrei actually hated his main body intensely. One could tell from the way he had spoken to the main body just now. He did not take the main body seriously at all.
It was the same in the original plot. Taisai Seikun had called his main body "a piece of trash who can't even speak without Ai" and said, "If you dare interfere with my duel, I'll kill you even if you're the main body."
Hearing Xu Fu's words, Taisai Seikun grinned as if he had heard some amusing joke.
"Halftime break? I don't need anything like that. Let's hurry up and continue. I haven't had enough yet!"
"Easy for you to say. You can draw spiritual energy from the leyline whenever you want, but I'm using my own power here..." Xu Fu patted her neck, looking helpless.
She had not brought a Holy Grail this time. The only reason she had been able to fight until now was because Xu Fu's Saint Graph itself had a high mana value, ranked A+.
Although she was complaining, Xu Fu had already cast her technique.
The ground split open, and the surrounding rocks were dragged over by the attractive force of Blue, forming a stone sphere that enclosed Taisai Seikun inside.
Anyone who had watched Naruto would probably find this move familiar, but the power of Xu Fu's version was far from comparable to the "Chibaku Tensei" that could seal Kaguya.
Naturally, something of this level could not trap Taisai Seikun. He did not even use Extinction Malefic Star, breaking through the stone restraints with brute force alone.
He sprinted forward, only to discover that the figure ahead was not Xu Fu, but Mahoraga, whose grin revealed two rows of bright white teeth.
Facing the descending Sword of Extermination, Taisai Seikun raised his left arm horizontally.
BOOM!
The blade chopped down on Taisai Seikun's left arm. In an instant, the impact flowed through Taisai Seikun's body down to the soles of his feet, then poured entirely into the ground, causing the earth beneath him to crumble inch by inch.
Immediately after, Taisai Seikun reached his right hand under his left armpit and caught Xu Fu's incoming fist with his palm.
When the strike failed, Xu Fu did not lose heart in the slightest. This scene had long been within her expectations. She did not withdraw her fist, but instead kicked upward at Taisai Seikun's chin, only for him to lean back and dodge.
Xu Fu refused to let Taisai Seikun leave. She abruptly pressed in close, lashing out with a side kick that carried a violent gust and looked immensely powerful, striking at his waist.
Taisai Seikun put both hands in front of himself, using his elbows to take Xu Fu's kick. As a result, the instant the two made contact, his arms began to twist and deform.
Xu Fu's kick had actually broken both of Taisai Seikun's arms by sheer force.
However, injuries on the level of broken arms recovered in a single breath for Taisai Seikun. He forcibly halted his retreat and stepped forward instead, hugging Xu Fu's long leg, still extended from the kick.
To break through the protective golden light around Xu Fu, Taisai Seikun once again gathered Extinction Malefic Stars in his hand.
Seeing this, Xu Fu showed no fear at all. Since the other side was clinging tightly to her leg, she simply went with the flow. Both her legs locked around Taisai Seikun's waist, and her finger pointed at his forehead.
That posture, as if they were about to take each other down together, made Taisai Seikun slightly startled. But in the next second, the surprise on his face was completely replaced by joy.
"[EXTINCTION MALEFIC STAR]!"
"[RED]!"
A point-blank Cursed Technique Reversal, Red, traded attack range for power. Red light flashed, and the portion of Taisai Seikun's body above the chest was instantly erased by Red.
At the same time, the speeding Extinction Malefic Stars pierced through Xu Fu's body one after another. Only the particle of light aimed at her head had its direction changed by the attraction of Xu Fu's technique Blue and failed to hit.
Was the head Xu Fu's weak point? Of course not. It was simply because Xu Fu did not want the face of the cutest girl in the whole world to be disfigured.
With her body pierced through, Xu Fu naturally could not continue holding Taisai Seikun's waist in a scissor lock.
While Taisai Seikun was still in the middle of recovering, Mahoraga suddenly appeared behind him. Its enormous fist smashed down with a roar, creating a huge crater in the ground while embedding Taisai Seikun's body into the earth.
Ora ora ora ora ora ora—!!
As if Star Platinum had possessed it, Mahoraga swung out countless fist shadows with both hands, pounding Taisai Seikun into the earth without pause, as if it would not stop until its opponent had been turned into a mosaic of gore.
The ground cracked and sank. Shockwaves leaking from the fissures blew chunks of stone off the surface.
Mahoraga brought down another punch, but an accident occurred as it withdrew its fist.
A hand clamped down on its fist like pincers. Taisai Seikun pulled himself out of the ground and narrowed his eyes slightly, staring at Mahoraga with a savage, cruel sneer on his face.
"You were... having quite a lot of fun beating me just now, weren't you?"
Taisai Seikun and Mahoraga's hands trembled slightly as they contested strength, but soon, that contest had a winner. Taisai Seikun forcibly snapped Mahoraga's arm.
Just as Ace believed Super Beasts had no sense of pain, Xu Fu felt Mahoraga probably had no sense of pain either. A broken arm could not make Mahoraga submit at all. It immediately swung its other hand, shaking the air with a punch.
Taisai Seikun bent at the waist and avoided the punch aimed at his head, then fired back with a straight punch of his own. His fist rubbed against the air, striking Mahoraga's chin like a cannonball.
Mahoraga's head was knocked sharply upward by the blow, making one worry that its neck might be torn apart and its head sent flying.
Taisai Seikun tapped the ground with his toe, his figure leaping like a swallow as he avoided Xu Fu's horizontal kick, which tore through the air like a battle-axe. He landed lightly on Mahoraga's shoulder, and Xu Fu stepped onto Mahoraga's arm and pursued him upward.
Xu Fu's jab was blocked by Taisai Seikun's raised hand.
Taisai Seikun was just about to kick when Xu Fu kicked his lower leg and forced it back.
"DRAGON CLAW! SCORPION STYLE! MELON-BREAKING FIST! HURRICANE KICK! TWIN WINDS PIERCE THE EARS! SOARING FLYING KICK! JACKAL CATCHES RABBIT! TWO DRAGONS PLAY WITH A PEARL! MOUNT TAI CRUSHES THE PEAK! MONKEY GOES WILD! BEAR PAW STRIKE! SHARK EATS FISH! CUNNING RABBIT STRIKES! SICKLE SWEEPS THE FLOOR! MOUSE STEALS CHEESE! WATER BUFFALO HITS MOUSE! ONE TIGER KILLS TWO SHEEP! GIANT AXE CHOPS BIG TREE! FLYING ELEPHANT STOMPS MOUSE! HORSETAIL SWATS FLY! TIGER CLAW EATS PUDDING!"
"TORNADO DESTROYS PARKING LOT!"
No basic attacks, and no cooldowns. This was the strength of Black Tiger Afu.
Fine. In truth, Xu Fu was just shouting whatever came to mind in high spirits. Her kicks and punches, reinforced by the Golden Light Mantra, forced Taisai Seikun to spend several more pieces of Seer Flesh, while Taisai Seikun's fists still could not pierce that thin layer of golden light.
"TYRANNOSAURUS FLAPS ITS WINGS!"
Another move struck out. Since he could not break through that protective golden light, Taisai Seikun decided to avoid her edge for the moment. While dodging Xu Fu's relentless, tide-like assault, he jumped down from Mahoraga's shoulder.
He grabbed the tail behind Mahoraga's head, spun once, and kicked Xu Fu off Mahoraga's shoulder. Then, using the centrifugal force of the spin, he flung Mahoraga high into the air and smashed it hard into the ground.
BOOM!
Another Mahoraga-shaped crater appeared in the earth.
"Hey! Get up already. You're not that easy to beat, are you? Stand up and keep slugging it out with me!"
The more Taisai Seikun fought, the more carried away he became. The more he fought, the more satisfying it felt. He could not wait to urge his enemy to stand and continue.
At that moment, something changed.
Da Liuren foresaw something utterly inauspicious, something terrifying beyond measure, causing Taisai Seikun to look up at the sky.
...
F Park, Kubizuka Daimyojin, National Route 1, T Tunnel, and A Dam.
At Kyoto's five nodes, black, ominous power abruptly erupted.
Thousand-Soul Kegon Self-Slaughtering Child, Sainou Sarashira, High Priest of the Evil Sutra, Taira no Masakado, and The Black Asura of the Eclipse.
Five "Graduates" released their hatred and evil aura into the human world without reservation.
The spiritual energy flowing through the leyline was cut off. The spiritual energy drifting through the air was frantically sucked in, forming black whirlpools. Black evil aura surged into the sky, intertwining and spreading over all of Kyoto.
"So this is your plan? What a grand move. In order to deal with me, you don't care how many sacrifices you have to make?"
Taisai Seikun did not rush to attack, but smiled as he looked at Xu Fu.
"Indeed, with this great formation in place, I can no longer use the spiritual energy in Kyoto's leyline to replenish the Seer Flesh I consume. You've successfully won yourselves a slim chance of victory. But the evil aura of those five evil spirits will continue cursing this land. Who knows how many people will die because of it..."
"Heh. Do you think we're the sort of people who act without considering the consequences?"
Xu Fu brought her hands together, forming the Enmaten hand sign once again.
"[DOMAIN EXPANSION]—"