Thinking about past, present, and future…
Reminiscing on old days and reliving traumas…
Contemplating conviction and the chosen Path…
And failing to hide all these deep within one's heart…
—was a crime punishable by death in the presence of Kai D. Stormborn!
Anger boiled as it rose on Mang Jian's face, taking the shape of a frown as he realized Red had invaded his mind, reading the thoughts lingering on the surface.
A blob of blackness appeared in his consciousness, blocking all thoughts, memories, and emotions behind Null.
But it was all too little too late.
Yellow Crystals had already bobbed up and down within his blind eyes.
There was a reason Kai hadn't attacked the moment he had learned about Mang Jian from Betty Shaw, instead entertaining the little display of might.
As the blade of Null in the Blind Executioner's hand twisted senses in its surroundings, Kai's long red hair flapped, beastly roars instilling a dread in the Boggarts around him.
"Sento…" the Demon King grinned, stepping forward. The pool of blood under his feet followed him, as if it were a part of his existence. "… I should have realized sooner. Your Initiation Mission wasn't in Bleach Bubble, but… in Mortal Kombat, wasn't it, Mang Jian? You have the Inheritance of Kenshi Takahashi from Mortal Kombat Bubble…"
Kenshi Takahashi was a blind swordsman with the abilities of telekinesis and psychokinesis from the Mortal Kombat Bubble. In the main storyline, he wielded an ancestral sword called Sento that contained the spirits of warrior kings from his line. But the prime reason behind his legacy wasn't his swordsmanship alone, but his senses, especially his sight, that was spiritual in nature, letting him visualize a soul directly.
With this information at hand, Kai had enough to throw himself into the fight now.
Two guardless hilts bubbled out of the pool of blood, landing in Kai's hand. When he pulled them out, they took the shape of two huge black and white swords — Supreme Kanshou and Limitless Bakuya Overedge!
Kai had unlocked the Heroic Item Skill — Yin-Yang Annihilation. However, that was when he had the Standalone Title Hero in full active mode. After the death of the Servants, the Standalone Title had become inaccessible, graying out in his Stats.
Without the Hero's effect of ignoring the Requirements of a Heroic Item, Kai couldn't use Kanshou and Bakuya Overedge's Skill.
The pair of swords needed him to be at the 3rd Threshold, which was impossible for Kai, even with the piled-up Buffs.
The 1st Threshold meant 20 Points, and the 2nd Threshold equated to 50 Points, each in all the Active Attributes.
3rd Threshold, however, demanded 100 Points in each Attribute!
Even if Kai had the means to raise his Stats to that level, he would have never in his wildest dreams considered doing so.
Such a blatant raising of one's Stats to meet the 3rd Threshold with Buffs wouldn't come along with the qualitative change.
Kai had already poured Attribute Points into his Stats that were over 100% of his Set Quota.
Now, with even more Buffs active, he was barely keeping himself together with Biokinesis.
For the first time in Kai's life, he didn't want the System to award him anymore Attribute Points, at least not without the option to keep them unassigned.
Still, despite all that, he had become strong enough to barely wield the Released form of Kanshou and Bakuya Overedge without using Selfless Breathing — as sticks.
"That's quite a Multiverse Interdependency you got there," Kai praised, lifting the swords. "How…"
Squelch!
The Ad Infinitum's processors were thrown into a heated chaos.
Lucky Intuitions skipped several steps, stumbling down.
From the corner of his eye, Kai saw… his left hand.
A clean, black cut had separated it from his shoulder, Mang Jian passing by, flicking the blade of Null.
And only then the Warnings came rushing in, delayed by a fraction of a second.
CRACKKKK!
Thick, yellow-colored bolts of lightning thundered around Kai, as if his body was reacting to the threat by itself. In his vision, Mang Jian's body displayed micro-movements as his Advanced Observation Haki finally sent the pictures of the near future. Simultaneously, a Lucky Intuition announced Mang Jian's attack, asking him to defend his left side.
But it was all too little too late.
From Concepts to perceivable body movements, Kai felt… delayed.
"What is the meaning of using a power…" Mang Jian said, standing next to Kai, "… if that power is not yours…"
ROAR!
Gyarados' humongous head appeared out of the pool of blood, its open, fanged mouth carrying a golden sun in it.
With a growling rage, it opened its mouth wider, aiming to fire the Hyper Beam on Mang Jian at point-blank range.
However, before the beast could have done so, its eyes lost focus.
Simultaneously, a thin black line appeared on its head, making it explode in a mass of blood, painting Kai's face red.
With a hiss, the left hand that hung midair suddenly moved.
Its speed was so high, powered by the full brunt of Kai's Telekinesis Ability, that it almost sliced the space in half, the monstrous sword creating a vacuum as it went for Mang Jian's neck.
To Kai's utter surprise, not only the sword missed the target, but…
… it landed on his own neck, beheading him in one strike.
The world rolled before Kai's eyes, along with his head, before coming to a rest in the pool of blood by his feet, Mang Jian standing at his original place afar.
"You know what your problem is…" the Blind Executioner said. "You have too much of everything, Red. Reality Marble. Zanpakuto. Heroic Items. Summons. Ridiculous Buffs. Hakis…
"I… only have my sword."
BOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!
Mang Jian lifted his left hand at the back of his head, Sento blocking the Supreme Kanshou and Limitless Bakuya Overedge.
Far, in front of him, where Kai's body parts were lying, the mutilated scene melted into the pool of blood as if it were a mirage.
Slowly, Mang Jian looked over his shoulder and found the Demon King glaring at him.
"Your Intent is strong…" the Blind Executioner smiled. "But… that's exactly what I cut…"
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