"Balance Breaker..."
As soon as Georg uttered the words, his body was consumed by a thick purple mist. In an instant, he vanished completely, as if he had merged with the very domain created by [Dimension Lost]. But in truth, he had gone to Zhuge Liang's side to proceed with their plans.
Kazuya remained still, hands in his pockets, as his [Clairvoyance] activated. In seconds, he understood every detail of Georg's power. Without wasting time, he transmitted all the information through the mental connection with his maids, calmly explaining what they should do.
While doing so, he raised his gaze to Cao Cao with a disdainful smile.
"Really, I must have been quite idle these past few days for even trash like you to think you have the guts to fight me alone... Are you sure that little boy should've left you to face me by yourself?"
The words cut through the air like an invisible blade. Cao Cao's eyes widened, surprised for a moment, but soon his face twisted with rage.
"You... bastard!"
Cao Cao charged with everything he had, the [True Longinus] tracing a brilliant arc that sliced through the air with a sharp sound. The impact on the ground created a crater beside Kazuya, but he didn't move an inch from his spot. When the spear pierced the space where his shoulder had been, he simply leaned back, dodging as if he were taking a casual stroll.
"Fast, but not fast enough..." Kazuya murmured with an amused smile.
Cao Cao spun the spear horizontally, trying to hit him with the shaft, but Kazuya ducked and, in an almost lazy motion, delivered a sharp punch to the boy's stomach. The impact was so strong that the air escaped Cao Cao's lungs in a single groan. He was thrown backward but drove the spear into the ground to stay on his feet.
"Don't mess with me!" Cao Cao roared, launching into another high-speed attack. He vanished in the blink of an eye and reappeared behind Kazuya, the tip of the [True Longinus] aiming for his enemy's heart. But when he thought he had struck, he felt only the wind.
Kazuya was already to the side, his hand firmly gripping Cao Cao's wrist. Before the boy could react, a direct punch exploded against his jaw, lifting him off the ground. Cao Cao's vision spun, and in the next instant, Kazuya was already above him.
"Want to try again?"
Kazuya's fist came down on Cao Cao's face like a hammer. He was slammed into the ground, which shattered with the impact. Pain throbbed through his entire body, but he staggered to his feet, spitting blood and using the spear for support.
"You... won't beat me with that," Cao Cao growled, charging again. He unleashed an intense aura of holy power through the [True Longinus], the spear's blade glowing as if it could pierce the heavens.
"You're really trying to hit me with that?" Kazuya taunted. He dodged every strike with minimal movements: a step to the side, a slight lean back, a twist of his torso. Each of Cao Cao's attacks passed within millimeters of his body, but none even grazed his clothes.
Kazuya then grabbed the shaft of the [True Longinus] mid-motion, spun his body, and hurled Cao Cao against a concrete wall. The boy crashed through the structure with a boom, disappearing for a moment in a cloud of dust.
"You're tough, I'll give you that," Kazuya said, walking calmly toward the hole in the wall. "But in the end... you're not even close."
Cao Cao emerged from the dust with a shout, charging again. But as he raised the spear, Kazuya was already in front of him. He deflected the strike with the palm of his hand and delivered a cross punch that made Cao Cao's body spin in the air. Before he could fall, Kazuya grabbed his head with one hand and slammed him into the ground again.
"It's getting hard to even stay entertained," he commented, stepping on Cao Cao's chest to keep him pinned.
Cao Cao struggled, rage and frustration etched on his bloodied face. The [True Longinus] still glowed, but he had no space or reaction time to use it.
"I expected more from the self-proclaimed hero of humanity..." Kazuya said, pressing his foot harder against the boy's chest. "Or was all that just hype?"
Cao Cao roared, trying to muster the strength to break free, but Kazuya simply lifted him by the collar with one hand and threw him again, this time into the cracked ground. The sound of the impact echoed through the domain created by Georg.
Kazuya stretched, as if bored.
"Going to keep trying?" he asked, a cold smile on his lips.
Cao Cao spat blood and rose slowly, his eyes now far more focused. The rage that had consumed him before gave way to a calmer, more calculating gaze. He took a deep breath, tasting the metallic tang in his mouth.
"I let my anger control me... that's the only explanation."
The [True Longinus] glowed brightly in his hands, emanating a holy aura that seemed to grow in sync with his determination. He assumed a combat stance, feet firmly planted, and magical energy began to flow through his entire body.
It wasn't a refined technique. Just a brute method of physical enhancement, blending the natural strength of the human body with magical energy to produce superhuman attributes. But it was enough. He had trained this method countless times precisely to compensate for his physical fragility compared to the supernatural beings he faced.
"You won't humiliate me again," he said quietly, more to himself than to Kazuya.
Kazuya, in turn, raised an eyebrow, the mocking smile still on his face. "Look at that... seems like you've finally woken up."
Saying this, he couldn't help but glance at the [True Longinus], feeling a certain interest in it.
In terms of appearance, it had golden metal decorations in the shape of arrowheads, spiraling in a double-helix pattern. The decorations ended at the top of the spear's shaft, which featured a white circle, completely empty, with a cross filling it but not entirely. There was a small silver stub with four protrusions, two on the left and two on the right. The spear's tip was silver, and, like the shaft, it was longer than other types of spears.
That was the greatest "bug" in God's Sacred Gear system. Even among all Sacred Gears, the one in Cao Cao's hands was unique, even among the Longinus said to kill gods.
It was the holy spear blessed by the blood of Jesus Christ, the very son of God, making it the holiest weapon in existence, a sacred relic of faith and worship comparable only to the Holy Grail and the Holy Cross.
It was the spear that represented the "hopes and glory of humanity," not unlike the holy sword of the planet, Excalibur—a light that purified all evil and healed all who believed in it.
Even among the powerful Longinus, it was the strongest, the first and ultimate among them, the Sacred Gear that named the class.
It was the ultimate holy spear for exterminating evil.
Cao Cao charged.
This time, Kazuya noticed the difference immediately. Cao Cao moved like a blur, the [True Longinus] slicing through the air at a perfect angle. He was no longer attacking blindly; every step, every movement, was precise.
Kazuya dodged by tilting his body, but the holy blade passed so close it nearly touched his clothes.
Cao Cao didn't waste time and shifted the spear's stance, swinging the shaft to try hitting Kazuya from the side. The impact cut through the air with force, but Kazuya leaped back, hands still in his pockets as if he were merely observing.
"You're keeping up... impressive..." Kazuya said.
"I don't need your approval!" Cao Cao roared, charging again. He focused even more magical energy into his body, veins pulsing in his arms and legs. The next attack was faster. The spear came from below, aiming to cleave Kazuya in half.
Kazuya dodged by a hair and tried to counter with a punch to the stomach, but Cao Cao masterfully spun the [True Longinus], blocking the blow with the shaft and seizing the moment to attempt piercing his shoulder.
The spear's tip gleamed inches from Kazuya's skin.
"Almost..." Kazuya said, moving to the side at the last moment. He grabbed the spear's shaft again, but Cao Cao reacted differently this time: he unleashed a surge of holy energy through the weapon, forcing Kazuya to let go.
Kazuya stepped back, shaking his hand to ease the tingling from the surge.
"Interesting," he said, his smile widening. "You're starting to entertain me."
"I'll kill you... no matter what it takes!" Cao Cao charged again, his entire body enhanced, the [True Longinus] seeming like an extension of his will.
Suddenly, the spear began to grow. First doubling in size, then tripling. In seconds, it was larger than any building in the city. But Cao Cao didn't stop there. He increased it further, until the [True Longinus] became a colossus over five hundred meters long and as thick as a skyscraper, a true mountain of holy steel.
The ground shook violently, as if an earthquake had struck the entire dimension. The mere act of the spear touching the ground created massive fissures that spread in all directions.
This was one of the abilities of the [True Longinus], which could change size and thickness at the user's will without altering its weight for them.
Kazuya took a step back, the smile still on his face, but now without the exaggerated mocking tone from before.
Despite its absurd size, Cao Cao wielded it with ease, as if it were as light as a training staff. He raised the gigantic spear above his head, its shadow covering the entire battlefield.
"Let's see you dodge this!"
Cao Cao brought the [True Longinus] down in a devastating strike. The impact created a crater that swallowed half the surrounding area, as if a bomb had gone off. The sound was deafening, and the shockwave swept away everything in its path, destroying the landscape.
Kazuya leaped to the side at the last moment, but the ground where he had stood was pulverized. He landed in the air, supported by his own manipulation of magical energy, and shot toward Cao Cao like a human missile.
He struck the boy's chest with a punch so powerful that the air exploded around them, creating a gust. Cao Cao was thrown back but drove the now-shrunk [True Longinus] into the ground to stop his momentum. In an instant, he spun the spear, which returned to its colossal size, swinging it horizontally to crush Kazuya like a fly.
Kazuya raised his hand and caught the shaft. The impact made the entire dimension tremble. Cracks appeared in the space around them, as if the domain were about to collapse under the immense pressure.
"You're really giving it your all," Kazuya said, his muscles tensing for a moment. He pushed the spear aside with a sharp motion, enough to force Cao Cao back.
Cao Cao didn't retreat. He shrank the [True Longinus] back to its normal size in an instant, using the shift in weight to gain speed. He appeared at Kazuya's side, the spear's tip aiming for his head.
Kazuya dodged by tilting his neck and delivered a kick in the air, the force creating a shockwave that lifted the boy off the ground. But Cao Cao reacted quickly, altering the spear's size again to hundreds of meters, using the kinetic force to knock Kazuya down from above.
The impact was monstrous. The entire area exploded into rubble, the ground sinking dozens of meters. An entire chunk of the dimension seemed to have been torn away.
But Kazuya emerged unscathed, walking through the dust. He raised his hand, dispersing it all with a gesture. "You're reminding me why I enjoy fights like this..."
Cao Cao roared and raised the [True Longinus] again, this time throwing it like a javelin. The giant weapon crossed the distance in a second, destroying everything in its path.
Kazuya raised his hand and stopped the spear with a single motion, energy exploding around it. He spun his body and returned the weapon with the same force, the spear flying back toward Cao Cao like a missile.
Cao Cao shrank the [True Longinus] at the last moment, catching it in the air and shooting upward, meeting Kazuya in midair. The two collided in an explosion so massive that the entire island—or rather, the distorted copy of Urakyoto—began to crumble.
Waves of energy tore through the space, as if each of their blows could destroy the world around them.
And Kazuya, even in this scenario, seemed to be enjoying himself more with every second.
The two pulled back.
Cao Cao staggered, wiping blood with the back of his hand and raising the [True Longinus]. The spear glowed on its own, as if saying, "I'm here."
Kazuya approached silently, an aura of enhancement enveloping his body like a blue veil. In a blink, he vanished from his spot.
The first blow was a direct punch to the stomach. The second, a cross to the temple. The third, a kick that doubled the distance and sent Cao Cao crashing through columns that crumbled like sand. Before the boy hit the ground, Kazuya was already above him, hammering down with his fist. The crater opened in stone petals.
The [True Longinus] glowed and moved on its own. The shaft intercepted Kazuya's final blow with a clean sound, a holy barrier expanding for an instant. Cao Cao used the moment to spin, the spear's tip seeking Kazuya's neck. He dodged by a hair, the blade grazing as it sang through the air.
Kazuya landed lightly, not a speck of dust on his clothes.
Blue sparks appeared at his fingertips, dancing like live wires. It was subtle at first: separate charges, gradients forming in space. Then the vectors aligned. A column of electromagnetic force surged and pierced the dimension's horizon like a white streak. The beam sliced through an entire promontory—the "city" collapsed, suspended blocks turning to vapor under instant compression and heating. Where there was rock, a smooth, geometric absence remained, as if someone had erased a line on paper.
Cao Cao charged along the edge of the newly created void, his feet scraping sparks. He changed his rhythm: short steps, quick pivots, full-body leverage. The spear came straight; Kazuya leaned. It came curved; Kazuya stepped on the shaft and pushed back. It came with multiple thrusts; Kazuya read them all and broke their timing with a knee to the chin. Cao Cao's mouth filled with iron.
The spear reacted again. A holy dome snapped into place, repelling a punch that would've crushed his sternum. The counterattack was immediate: a thrust without trace, the tip bending the space around it. Kazuya twisted his torso, felt the cold of the holy light graze his clothes, and responded with a backfist that warped the air. Cao Cao flew like a projectile but landed on his feet, still gripping tight.
Lightning rolled down Kazuya's arms, flowing like thin rivers. He pointed two fingers and fired an invisible line that only revealed itself on impact: the buildings behind Cao Cao were sliced by induction, a blade of currents that melted metal and cracked stone with dry snaps. A white flash cut the sky; the sound came later, delayed.
Cao Cao spun the [True Longinus] and drove its tip into the beam, as if pinning the light itself. The weapon absorbed the impact and returned only a roar. Kazuya was in front of him before the echo faded, shoulder to chin, hand on collar, throw, knee strike. The sequence was clean, no waste. Each contact sank the ground centimeters.
All that remained was a ruined city surrounded by mountains, likely something to do with Georg.
Cao Cao laughed low, hoarse, more defiance than joy. The [True Longinus] rose on its own and parried Kazuya's boot, the friction spitting sparks. Cao Cao slid under the leg and attempted an upward slash that would've split anything. Kazuya planted his foot, rotated his hip, and crushed Cao Cao's forearm with his elbow. Pain. The spear vibrated to absorb it.
Kazuya opened his hand to the void. The fields collapsed around a point to Cao Cao's left, pulling him for an instant like an invisible tide, and in the same beat, a direct surge came from the right. The boy crossed the spear at the last microsecond; the holy aura screamed, splitting and reforming. Still, he was thrown sideways, rolling down a slope that hadn't existed a second before.
When he stopped, Kazuya was already waiting. Punch to the stomach. Hook to the liver. Palm to the face. The dimension flickered with each blow, lines of force redrawing the map, vectors rewriting the terrain. The ground turned into suspended mosaics; towers became fine dust that fell silently.
Cao Cao gritted his teeth and tried pure hand-to-hand, ignoring the pain. He surprised Kazuya for a moment with the shift: elbow, shoulder, knee, and the spear flowing between joints like liquid, the guard impeccable. A touch grazed Kazuya's cheek. Just one. He blinked, almost laughed, and the pressure rose another notch.
The atmosphere crackled. Charges migrated to where Kazuya wanted them, as if the world obeyed a gesture. An arc crossed the distance and bit the ground behind Cao Cao; the induced currents made the ground swell and then collapse, a clean, circular "sinkhole."
A mountain was flattened.
The [True Longinus], stubborn, kept its master alive. It intercepted impossible angles, opened rifts of light to contain blows, rebuilt defenses in the next instant. But Cao Cao's body was failing. His arm trembled, his breath wheezed, his vision wavered.
Kazuya stopped in front of him, a few steps away. The wind that didn't exist stirred his white hair. He tilted his head, serene, and advanced.
The scene was a ruined city surrounded by mountains. The wind ran through broken alleys and buildings open to the sky.
Cao Cao stopped, panting. His face swollen, blood on his lips, his entire body begging to collapse. He raised the spear and, with rage, shouted:
[Balance Breaker: Polar Night Longinus Chakravartin.]
Seven orbs the size of bowling balls appeared around him. Identical. No clues. They floated like cold suns in the air.
Kazuya said nothing. Magical enhancement flowed through his body in an almost invisible glow. His right hand rose; small arcs of electricity danced between his fingers.
The orbs moved first. One touched a concrete block, and it rose as if gravity had been turned off, [Hatsutei Ratana], the Elephant Treasure, granting Cao Cao the ability to fly and levitate any object or person it touched. The debris became an aerial flood, covering Kazuya in a storm of levitated stones.
Another orb unleashed a spiraling whirlwind, swallowing the beam Kazuya fired and spitting it back kilometers away, [Mala Ratana], the Pearl Treasure, which absorbed any attack aimed at Cao Cao and released it elsewhere. The mountain to the east was sliced in a straight line, vitrified from top to base, like glass thrown into a furnace.
Kazuya took a step, and the air snapped. The magnetic field bent to his will; charges were separated, aligned, and compressed. A white thread cut through the ruins, thin and absolute. Humanoid soldiers sprouted in its path—[Kahabetei Ratana], the Proprietor Treasure, capable of creating soldiers and illusory copies of Cao Cao. They were carbonized in the next flash.
Phantoms of Cao Cao multiplied among the broken columns; Kazuya ignored them all. He didn't need to search for the real one.
Cao Cao vanished and reappeared behind him—[Atsusa Ratana], the Horse Treasure, allowing him to teleport himself or others, the spear's tip coming to pierce his back. The [True Longinus] guided its master's hand a centimeter beyond what his body could manage. Kazuya twisted his torso, his heel scraped the ground, and the blow passed like a comet. In response, Kazuya's fist plunged into the guard, dry, burying Cao Cao in pavement that couldn't withstand it and collapsed.
The orbs danced again. One grazed Kazuya's arm, [Chatsuka Ratana], the Wheel Treasure, which could instantly destroy weapons, and the exposed rebar around snapped and broke, like a steel dandelion blown away.
Cao Cao's spear gained a rawer, hungrier glow. He clenched his teeth, limiting the use of the Seven Treasures for a moment; the [True Longinus] itself roared as more power was poured into it, the side of the abyss.
Kazuya raised his hand again. The beam was no longer a single line: it was dozens, then hundreds, threads that joined and parted like a web of lightning. The air couldn't withstand it and broke down dielectrically; plasma channels rose and fell among the artificial clouds of the dimension. The surrounding mountains began to lose their crests, carved by invisible cuts. The rock caught fire from within as millions of amperes were induced in the bedrock, and resistive heat made entire plates crack and turn to dust. The "sea" beyond the city receded in a wall before boiling and exploding in jets, as if the tide obeyed giant magnets.
Cao Cao charged through the hurricane. The [True Longinus] placed itself between him and destruction, opening holy domes that were born and died in the same second. One orb pulled Kazuya a few centimeters upward, trying to open his guard, [Hatsutei Ratana], another caught a bolt and hurled it against his flank, [Mala Ratana].
Kazuya absorbed the change like water down a slope: palm forward, shoulder low, knee to the sternum. Cao Cao flew, reappeared above [Atsusa Ratana], and fell with the spear like a hammer. The impact carved a straight scar through the city and buried buildings up to their windows.
Kazuya responded with a long, needle-thin projection. Currents took the easiest path through anything metal, tracing subway lines, pipelines, and skyscraper frameworks like maps, and then the maps turned to vapor. Each myriad of arcs generated magnetohydrodynamic shockwaves that pushed the atmosphere in blades. When the pressure front passed, what remained was a void in the terrain's design.
An entire plateau, from the valley to the mountain range on the other side, was erased. There was no single crater; there was distributed absence, as if an eraser had swept in a wide band. The ground vitrified into smooth, curved tracks; where the energy lingered longer, the rock turned to black foam.
Above, the false ionosphere glowed and then darkened, as if an aurora had been switched on and off.
Cao Cao breathed once, twice. The [True Longinus] chimed, loyal, drawing the last line between him and nothingness. Kazuya stopped a few steps away. His white hair fell over his eyes; thin lightning ran across his skin and vanished.
He raised the [True Longinus], and the seven orbs of his [Polar Night Longinus Chakravartin] floated faster around him, as if responding to their master's rage.
"You son of a bitch!"
The orbs spread out in formation. The first, [Hatsutei Ratana], lifted massive debris and even mountain fragments, hurling them at Kazuya like meteors. Another, [Kahabetei Ratana], created dozens of humanoid soldiers that advanced in unison, followed by illusory copies of Cao Cao that tried to confuse the senses.
Kazuya sighed.
He was having fun using the electromagnetic control he had for various things. Electricity gathered around him in an instant. He advanced, and every bolt that formed around him simply vaporized everything: stones, soldiers, and phantoms were disintegrated effortlessly. He passed through the swarm of illusions like they were mist.
Cao Cao appeared behind him using [Atsusa Ratana], teleporting and aiming a deadly strike at Kazuya's spine with the spear. But Kazuya turned his body and grabbed the shaft with one hand, magnetic force flowing through the metal, locking the [True Longinus] for an instant.
A magnetic shock ran through the spear.
Boom!
The impact opened fissures in the ground for kilometers, the force of the magnetic field's compression expanding like an underground detonation. Nearby mountains cracked and collapsed. Even so, the [True Longinus] held on its own, shielding Cao Cao from the worst.
He roared and retreated, releasing another orb: [Mala Ratana] absorbed one of Kazuya's discharges, teleporting the energy upward, where it was unleashed against him. The flash lit the sky like a star being born. Kazuya dodged by a hair, but the shockwave tore off the facades of several ruined buildings around. Fragments of the old city were pulverized in the air.
Kazuya unleashed more of his magical energy, and the entire atmosphere seemed to compress. The magnetic fields around were manipulated with deadly precision; particles in the air ionized in a snap. A bolt of electricity crossed the dimension, so concentrated it evaporated underground water along its path. The resulting pressure created a wave that erased kilometers of terrain. Craters and depressions merged into a colossal scar. The equivalent of a country was simply subtracted from the map.
Cao Cao used [Chatsuka Ratana] to try to destroy the technique, but the orb failed. Kazuya's power was far greater than what the Wheel Treasure could negate. He then activated [Balinayaka Ratana], the General Treasure, unleashing a massive blast of holy energy through the [True Longinus].
The flash pierced the night, colliding directly with Kazuya's electromagnetic attack.
Boom!
The impact generated a colossal explosion. Kazuya's energy distorted space for microseconds, creating a gravitational instability akin to a spacetime shift. The ground vanished beneath them, and the resulting heat waves melted even the toughest stone. Entire regions were vitrified; a shining desert emerged where valleys and mountains once stood.
Cao Cao, even protected by the [True Longinus], was thrown back. His body slid through the ruins as he spat blood, but he still tried to stand.
The Balance Breaker was at its limit, the orbs flickering and dissolving into the air.
Kazuya walked slowly toward him, glowing with an intense blue hue. Small arcs ran across the ground where his feet touched, incinerating any remaining fragments of the city.
But Cao Cao still held the spear. He still tried to stand, even when his body no longer responded.
"No... no, NO! I AM THE STRONGEST! I AM THE CHOSEN ONE!" He growled, raising the [True Longinus] one last time, even as his hands trembled.
Cao Cao, battered and nearly out of strength, raised the [True Longinus] with both hands. The light that emerged from the spear was unnaturally bright, as if reality itself were being rejected. He closed his eyes and chanted, his voice steady, overflowing with faith and desperation.
"O Spear. The true Holy Spear that pierces God."
"Draw in the ambition of the King of Domination sleeping within me and pierce the gap between blessing and destruction."
"You. Proclaim the will and become a brilliance."
The tip of the [True Longinus] exploded in pure holy energy, so dense that the space around it seemed to buckle under the pressure. The light was no longer just radiation: it became a beam of compressed holy particles, each carrying enough energy to vaporize a mountain. The air itself was ionized in microseconds, generating a potential difference so high that the dimension's gravitational vectors began to waver, distorting the perception of distance.
The [True Idea], the spear's miracle, had been activated. It was no longer Cao Cao's power but that of the God of the Bible, channeled through the holy spear, capable of performing miracles. And this time, luck blessed him with the miracle of an attack so absolute it could destroy the entire world in a single instant, the ultimate attack of the ancient Biblical God!
Meanwhile, Kazuya stood still, eyes closed, feeling the indescribable pressure of the light before him. Then, he began to murmur, at high speed, as if each word were a blade cutting the air.
"I am not the invincible swordsman, [Jūbei]."
"I am not the one praised as a master of espionage, [Hanzō]."
"I am not the renowned conjurer [Abe-no-Seimei]."
"Why, of all people, was I, a blacksmith, summoned?"
"For failing to foresee this, this is your defeat."
"Once seeking the ultimate blade. A blade of steel that cuts neither flesh, nor bone, nor life."
"What I seek is the cleansing of resentment."
"The severance of bonds, fate, and destiny. That is, to be free from Karma."
"Upon arrival, there are countless tools.
Carved into more than a thousand blades, forming a pile of swords."
"This is the place where all paths converge."
"This is the place where all desires flow."
"This is the place where all deaths await."
"My entire life was for this single strike."
"The heart of the blade is right here!"
The dimension lost its color. Everything turned white for an instant before transforming into a vast desert filled with countless broken swords, consumed in fire.
At the center of it all, a perfectly forged katana appeared in Kazuya's hands.
The dimension returned to normal.
Kazuya raised the sword above his head. The air around it seemed to unravel, as if the blade's edge were cutting not just space but the very concept of reality. He said, in a calm voice:
"Take this… This is my Tsumukari Muramasa!"
Everything happened in a second.
The beam of holy energy from the [True Longinus] crossed the space, unleashing pressure so intense that the air was completely expelled around it, creating an instant vacuum. The attack's energy, so dense, generated gravitational shockwaves on a local scale, small distortions in the dimension's fabric that threatened to implode reality. The holy particles traveled at the speed of light, carrying the divine signature of the God of the Bible himself.
But when the beam touched Kazuya's blade, the impossible happened.
The [Tsumukari Muramasa]'s cut traced a perfect line, splitting the attack into two exact halves. The blade had sliced through the holy energy as if cutting silk, not only negating its force but destroying its very existence. The sword didn't cut just matter or energy—it cut causality, the concept that allowed the attack to exist.
The beam dissipated as if it had never been fired.
Kazuya spun his body, and the strike continued forward, reaching Cao Cao. The vertical line passed through the center of his body, from head to abdomen. There was no resistance.
The [Tsumukari Muramasa] glowed at the end of the cut. A transcendental weapon, forged from the fusion of over a thousand blades, the sword that severed bonds, fate, and karma itself.
The dimension created by Georg was torn in two, the space destabilizing and collapsing. In the instant everything threatened to crumble, Kazuya opened his left hand, and a stream of golden energy spread: the [Innovate Clear] expanded, taking control of the [Dimension Lost] and stabilizing it.
Suddenly, Georg, who had used all his strength to wield his Sacred Gear one last time, was expelled from his own dimension, gravely wounded, his body covered in blood. Coughing, he reached out toward Cao Cao.
"C… Cao Cao…!"
But it was too late. Cao Cao, split into two halves, fell slowly.
"Nooooooooooo!"
The cry of pain and despair echoed through the dimension, reverberating until it was swallowed by silence.
Ignoring the boy, Kazuya watched the two pieces of Cao Cao's body fall to the ground, a heavy silence enveloping the newly stabilized dimension. For a moment, only the distant sound of the wind echoed among the ruins. He calmly raised the [Tsumukari Muramasa], and with a slight flick of his wrist, the blade dematerialized into a shower of ethereal fragments that dissolved into the air.
His eyes turned to Georg, who was kneeling a few meters away, struggling to stay upright. His body trembled, and blood streamed in thick rivulets from the corners of his mouth.
"Looks like they've finished everything too..."
_______________
(A/N: Yes, I know Cao Cao can use avatars with the same power as his, but let's say it's a Subspecies~)
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