Even angels spoke with him as an equal.
One could imagine the White Emperor's strength.
It was a pity their nation had no ability user of such power; otherwise, they wouldn't have been reduced to staking their lives like this.
At that thought, they couldn't help but sigh.
Yamata-no-Orochi in the sea was formidable, yes—but the mutated giant octopus that struck Haicheng was no weaker. Judging from the video, its flesh was monstrous, and it wielded a darkness-type power. Even besieged by the Dragon Emperor, the Ice Emperor, and the Flame Emperor, it held out for a long time.
Compared to that foe, this Orochi that dared remain only offshore was indeed a rung lower—more than one.
For now, they could only pin their hopes on the girl of the Shenying family, praying she could rely on the divine artifact to cut the monster down. Otherwise…
At the very moment they were weighing their options—
In the deepest reaches of the island nation, a girl in a samurai jacket sat cross-legged, a blade laid across her knees.
Anyone who had watched Akame ga Kill! would have cried out the weapon's name on sight—Murasame, the One-Cut Killer.
A single cut from this blade, and curse-poison spreads from the wound, bringing swift death. No antidote exists.
When Brandon White manifested this Teigu, he had considered its one-hit kill property: so long as the enemy's combat strength hadn't surpassed a certain threshold and they lacked strong toxin resistance, it could indeed function as a guaranteed kill.
But if that were all, this Teigu would be useful only in low-level combat. So Brandon endowed it with growth.
As its wielder's power rose, the curse-poison contained within would grow more potent as well.
How far this Teigu could go would still depend on the wielder.
Clearly, the one chosen by Murasame was no ordinary person.
The girl's eyes opened. There was little emotion there—only a cool calm—but when she looked at Murasame, a faint light flickered in her gaze.
"The world has changed. An age of chaos has arrived.
"And we lack the strength to resist its perils."
"Were it not for your appearance, I might already be dead."
Shenying Ming stroked the blade in her hands, her tone complicated.
During the last tide of sea beasts, she had faced a great number of them alone. Her ability merely strengthened the sword she held—sharpening its edge. Combined with the sword arts she had trained in since childhood, few mutated beasts could match her in single combat.
But that ability made her suited to one-on-one duels; if enemies came in numbers, even if each was weak, there was only one road left—death.
Thus, during that last beast tide, beset by several mutated sea beasts at once, there had been almost no chance she would live.
Just when she had resolved to take down a few more before she fell, this blade appeared before her.
One-Cut Killer: Murasame.
Struck by this blade, the curse-poison seeps from the wound—and death follows swiftly.
Paired with her ability to further hone the edge, and given that those particular beasts were not strong, she scarcely needed to exert herself; with the lightest touch, the enemy died at once.
Because of that, she could conserve far more energy in battle, cut down more beasts, and hold out until her teammates arrived.
"In this world there is no 'if.' It chose you because you were the one to be chosen."
At some point, a shrine maiden had appeared beside Shenying Ming. The girl's voice was cool as she spoke.
"You don't understand, Ling.
"This is a gift from a god."
Shenying Ming's voice softened.
Murasame was no ordinary weapon. It possessed a simple spiritual intelligence; as its master, she could even exchange brief impressions with it.
Most of the time her calls sank like stones into water, but sometimes, there was an answer.
From it, she had learned certain things.
Murasame was forged by a god—a special weapon called a Teigu. Teigu had a peculiar wisdom and could actively choose a compatible master.
They had been created to augment human strength—so that people would possess the power to resist mutated creatures.
As for the number of Teigu—forty-eight.
The god had created forty-eight Teigu.
And not only Teigu—other things as well.
"A god? Do such beings truly exist in this world?"
"Even as a shrine maiden, I can no longer bring myself to believe."
"If they existed, why did they not save us in our times of peril? If they existed, why turn a blind eye to the deaths of so many? If they existed, why never answer our prayers?"
"So-called gods are nothing but our own fantasies about power. There are no gods in this world."
Ling's calm voice held a thread of ice.
Once, she too had believed. But since the resurgence of spiritual energy—catastrophe upon catastrophe before her eyes, even Yamata-no-Orochi appearing—and still no god was seen.
There were no gods in this world. But she, in the future, would become one.
"The god I speak of is not a figure of myth and legend, but a real god."
"You only blame the gods for not appearing when people are in danger—but did you ever consider that, to a god, mutated beasts and humans might be equals?"
Shenying Ming rose, limpid eyes turning toward the east.
"Come, Ling. Let's create a myth of our own."
"Let's cut it down."
"Through resonance with a weapon, she can sense you, Lord God."
"This girl is quite gifted."
Angel Zhixin watched Shenying Ming on a hovering screen, interest in her tone.
"In a given era, special prodigies will always appear."
"Her talent for abilities is not strong—so naturally, she excels elsewhere."
Brandon White's voice was mild.
Every nation possessed its own national fortune. When calamity descended, it always favored certain people—and they, in turn, set the capsized right and held up the collapsing beams.
So it had been for Huaxia of old; so it was now for every country.
That Huaxia had produced Skyler Quinn, Firewing, Chris Frost, Charles Longfellow, Ethan Yates, William Mecham—so many first-sequence talents—was likewise the manifestation of fortune.
A heritage of millennia—even if it slept for a time—upon waking would erupt all the more fiercely.
Huaxia's national fortune had not weakened for its sleep; it had grown stronger.
Given the island nation's modern development, its national fortune was hardly meager. Thus, in this age of revived spiritual energy, it too had birthed many prodigies—some who could stand shoulder to shoulder with Huaxia's first sequence.
Shenying Ming was one among them. Yet her ability was not mighty. What made her truly strong was the capacity to resonate with weapons—and thus climb ever higher on the Way of the Sword.
(End of this chapter)