The instant Yamagaki Kirihara saw Chen Xiao, his pupils shrank violently.
Just hours ago, he had personally swept through the Star-Moon Base's warehouses—only to find them completely emptied. By all logic, the Mad Ghost Butcher, who had stripped Dachang bare, should have already vanished from the city.
So why was he here?
And why was he standing beside An Xinning?
"Yamagaki-kun, what's wrong?"Araki noticed his abnormal reaction and frowned. "Even if he is the Mad Ghost Butcher, we have two Divine General–level combatants here. What are you afraid of?"
Araki let out a cold laugh, one hand resting casually on the hilt of his katana.
He had heard the rumors—Chen Xiao's brutality, his massacres—but rumors were rumors.No matter how fierce one man was, could he really crush Sakura Country's elite Awakened team?
An Xinning's voice cut through the tension like a blade.
"You hide on Huaxia's land," she said coldly, "using civilians as experimental materials—reviving those long-condemned, inhuman experiments. You're not human. You're beasts."
Her fists clenched so hard her military uniform trembled.The image of scorched feet, the iron-sheet house—everything burned into her mind.
Araki sneered, malice flashing in his eyes.
"Beasts?" he said mockingly."Decades ago, our predecessors used Huaxia people as guinea pigs without hesitation. Now it's the apocalypse—why shouldn't we do the same?"
He licked his lips.
"The screams—especially from women and children—are the most beautiful music there is."
The moment the last word fell—
A blinding blue light exploded from Chen Xiao's palm.
Araki's scalp went numb.
His SSS-rank magic talent — [Deer God Alert] had never failed him.It granted instant premonitions of fatal danger, allowing him to dodge sniper fire at point-blank range.
He twisted his body with everything he had.
But it was still too late.
BOOM!
The shockwave slammed into him like a speeding train. Araki was hurled backward, crashing through rows of theater seats before smashing into the marble wall.
Blood sprayed from his mouth.
His chest convulsed violently.
This was the first time he had been injured since awakening.
"W-what… what kind of power is this?!"Araki stared at Chen Xiao in horror, his voice shaking.
Chen Xiao didn't answer.
He raised his hand casually.
The [Nine Cauldron Seal] descended.
Invisible pressure crashed down like a god's decree.
"W-what's happening?!""My body— I can't move!""My talent— it won't activate!""It's sealed?!"
Panic erupted.
Every Sakura Country Awakened One felt as if iron shackles had locked around their bodies. Their energy channels were completely severed. No resistance. No escape.
The seal allowed no negotiation.
Yamagaki and Araki exchanged a desperate look.
They had to flee—now.
Araki roared, forcing his strength outward, veins bulging.Yamagaki opened a shadowy portal behind him.
Chen Xiao merely smiled.
He tapped the Mountain and River Map at his waist.
A colossal stone mountain manifested out of thin air—
And slammed shut the portal completely.
"Blocked…""We're trapped…!"
Yamagaki's face turned deathly pale.
He had heard stories of Chen Xiao's power.But this—
This was suffocating.
Like standing before a natural disaster that could not be resisted.
Giant hands of condensed water surged out from the Mountain and River Map, each one gripping a Sakura Country Awakened by the throat.
They struggled wildly.
But without their talents, they were no stronger than ordinary people.
Useless.
An Xinning let out a silent breath.
Even the Gate-Carrying Divine General would have struggled against this lineup.
Chen Xiao had crushed them in seconds.
He walked up to Araki and seized his jaw, fingers tightening like steel.
"You said your predecessors used Huaxia people as experiments," Chen Xiao said softly."So you think you can do the same?"
He leaned closer, smiling.
"You also said screams are beautiful."
A sharp twist—
Crack.
Araki's teeth shattered, blood pouring from his mouth as a muffled scream escaped.
Chen Xiao's voice echoed through the theater, colder than ice.
"You like that iron-sheet house so much?"
"I'll lock all of you inside."
"The one who survives the longest gets a reward."
He paused.
"I'll carve their flesh off piece by piece."
"Slowly."
"So you can enjoy every scream."
Araki's body went limp.
His eyes stared at Chen Xiao in absolute terror.
This wasn't just the Mad Ghost Butcher.
This was a devil.
The remaining Sakura Country Awakened Ones screamed, begged, and wailed.
Chen Xiao didn't even glance at them.
With a casual wave of his hand, the giant water hands dragged them toward the iron-sheet house—
Their cries echoing through the empty theater like a death knell.