The bright crimson sword wave flew past, and the gale it stirred up parted the sea of black fire.
The sharp sword tore through the black curtain, and the demon king hidden within revealed its world-destroying form to the hero from afar. It was surrounded by ominous flames, and the flashing black and red light served as its best backdrop and foil...
The five-meter-tall giant armor slowly turned around. The black flames gradually receded into the armor, filling the void within.
As the flames were gradually drawn into the armor, the originally fragile-looking armor gained a sense of power out of thin air.
Ming Yu looked at the ancient-looking armor before him. Red metal plates formed the main body of the armor, the black tachi was completely embedded in the armor's abdomen, and there were ghost-like spikes on the shoulders. The oni-shaped faceplate was also ferocious, with purple flames burning in its eyes. The flickering purple flames were quite terrifying.
"Where is Hiyokumaru!?" Ming Yu asked in a deep voice. His right hand held the spirit blade low, yet it carried a sharp aura.
Although they hadn't known each other for long, he was very fond of this somewhat shy little fox.
When there was no fighting, the little fox would habitually sit on his shoulder, her four tails swaying gently. The fluffy tails would lightly brush against his face, a little itchy, yet it strangely calmed one's heart.
Only when he lost the little fox did Ming Yu realize that he had long since gotten used to having that clingy little fox by his side.
More self-blame and guilt welled up in his heart, and Ming Yu's determination to defeat this armor grew even stronger.
At this moment, the first thing on Ming Yu's mind was no longer any Divine Key, but to rescue the little fox and atone for his mistake. Only by doing so could he alleviate his guilty conscience.
Faced with Ming Yu's question, the red armor paused, seemingly having difficulty understanding his meaning.
But it didn't dwell on the problem. With a flip of its right hand, a five-meter-long tachi appeared out of thin air. The blade was wreathed in roaring, light purple flames, or rather, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say the entire sword was made of flames.
With a swing of the purple flame tachi, a massive sword wave shot toward Ming Yu.
Ming Yu's brow twitched, but he didn't dodge. In his perception, the target of this attack was not him.
Sure enough, the sword wave passed straight over Ming Yu's position and crashed into the wall behind him, tearing a large hole in the Tenshukaku with destructive force.
If one looked through that hole to the outside of the Tenshukaku, one would find that the weather in the Stigmata Space was extremely gloomy, with large patches of dark clouds gathered above the Tenshukaku. The space further away had long since shattered, and sky-high tornadoes were raging everywhere, threatening to sweep the remaining space into chaos.
"Humans, hypocritical, die!" A muffled roar came from within the armor, filled with endless resentment.
Higokumaru, no, this should be Jizo Mitama. The Herrscher personality Higokumaru had already disappeared the moment it was made into a Divine Key, leaving only those remnants of resentment. These remnants had long lost the ability to take over Theresa's body, but they were still making a final struggle in this Stigmata Space, using Hiyokumaru's body, refusing to completely submit to MEI.
As expected of the Herrscher of Corruption, even at this stage, it still had to make this final stand, to carry out the mission that originated from the Honkai.
"It seems I'll only get to see the person I want to see after I defeat you," Ming Yu murmured, his eyes lowered, his gaze falling upon Sakura Fubuki.
Slowly raising the weapon in his hand, Ming Yu stared at Jizo Mitama in front of him and said to Theresa, "Principal, you better hide well. I might not be able to look after you from now on."
"Who needs you to look after them!" Theresa stomped her foot heavily, a little displeased, but still said, "You're the one who needs to be careful. This opponent is different from the previous ones."
"I know," Ming Yu replied casually, then turned and charged toward the massive, crimson demon armor.
Hearing Ming Yu's perfunctory reply, Theresa opened her mouth, wanting to say something, but ultimately didn't, sighing slightly, "This guy~"
As sharp as the Principal was, she naturally felt the almost overflowing self-blame and guilt that Ming Yu was not even trying to hide. But in Theresa's view, it was completely unnecessary. When Hiyokumaru undertook this task, there was always a chance of failure, and that couldn't be blamed on anyone.
The world is inherently unpredictable, and human strength has its limits. Even someone as powerful as her couldn't have everything go smoothly; she could only do her best. The self-blame Ming Yu carried was far beyond what was warranted. Was he still too young, after all?
Jizo Mitama was somewhat surprised to see Ming Yu take the initiative to attack. The purple flames in its eyes flickered, and it gripped its tachi with both hands, slashing down fiercely at the charging Ming Yu.
Although the purple flame tachi was huge, its slashing speed was not slow. Before the blade even arrived, the strong wind it generated had already reached him, blowing away the stray hairs on Ming Yu's forehead and revealing a pair of determined black eyes.
Stomping his left foot heavily, Ming Yu's body quickly dodged to the right, avoiding the blow.
The purple flame tachi struck the spot where Ming Yu had just been, leaving a gash over two meters long on the floor.
Ming Yu noticed the sword mark, his expression changing slightly. With that kind of power, he definitely wouldn't come out on top in a head-on clash.
Although he was anxious, Ming Yu understood the terror of his enemy. If he had encountered an Emperor-class enemy outside the Stigmata Space, he would absolutely have no thoughts of fighting back; even escaping would be an incredibly difficult task.
But in this Stigmata Space, with the Sakura of the Far Shore and Sakura Fubuki, he might just have a sliver of a chance to win. He had a premonition that there was still unknown power hidden within the Sakura of the Far Shore, and he had yet to unleash the true power of this "soul." If he could completely release the power within it, he could definitely match the current Jizo Mitama.
Pushing aside his distracting thoughts, Ming Yu looked at the "giant" that was now within reach and couldn't help but take a deep breath.
Looking at Jizo Mitama up close, Ming Yu felt its power even more keenly. The crimson metal plates were incredibly thick, and the raging purple flames were not simple either; just looking at them made one feel the danger within.
Taking advantage of the moment before Jizo Mitama could retract its sword, Ming Yu stomped his left foot, and his body shot up.
After the System's modifications and Honkai Energy's enhancement, Ming Yu's body had far surpassed that of an ordinary person. This leap was over four meters high. But compared to Jizo Mitama's size, it was still slightly insufficient.
Pupils constricting, Ming Yu quickly scanned his surroundings into his mind. He pushed off a nearby pillar with his right foot, and after a brief moment of charging up power, his body rose another section, bringing him above Jizo Mitama.
A stern glint flashed in his eyes. Ming Yu spun his body, gripping the spirit blade with both hands, and using the momentum of the spin, he fiercely slashed down on Jizo Mitama's left shoulder.
"Tsk~"
Sparks flew. Sakura Fubuki's momentum did not diminish as it slashed all the way to Jizo Mitama's right chest.
Although the red demon armor's defense was formidable, Sakura Fubuki was no ordinary blade. It still left a wound that nearly penetrated halfway through its body.
In pain, Jizo Mitama let out a great roar, and the flames within its body flickered.
It was angry!