Chapter 144: Bearing the Responsibility

"That's right, this is justice!", response Chisei Gisei, wielding his sword in tandem. With a sweep of his right-hand divine weapon capable of cleaving everything on Earth, he forced Chisei Chisaki to retreat.

That fatal wound seemed entirely meaningless to him now; a scorpion-like withered bone had somehow pierced deep into his marrow. A ferocious surge of life force erupted violently within his body as massive wings unfurled behind him. Amidst his words, crimson blood jetted outward like swords, while white scales frantically blanketed his form. In this single moment, the fragile mountain boy Chisei Gisei, who longed for a reunion with his elder brother, perished utterly. In his place, Kazama Ruri—a forest demon craving vengeance against his brother—seized total control.

Even one of the two most noble kings among the Dragon race failed to suppress his madness. The withered bone, which at the moment of parasitism should have dragged the White King's bloodline onto the point of no return toward evolving into a newborn White King, was suppressed entirely. The electromagnetic driving force, previously hindered from further advancement due to the constant conflict between his two personalities, surged frantically: thirty thousand, forty thousand, fifty thousand, skyrocketing all the way to one million volts, breaking through with the force of shattered bamboo into the realm of Magnetic Rotation. Violent electric currents raged wildly across every part of his body.

"To strike down a demon that once indulged its desires and slaughtered thousands senselessly—how can that not be justice?", Kazama Ruri laughed wildly. Extraordinary life force erupted within him. The two demon-slaying swords meant to vanquish evil failed to cut down this demon crawled back from hell; instead, they had slain the human who had struggled for so long. "Brother, your justice shall be affirmed by me, by me—the newborn White King! Let us slaughter one another!"

"I have waited for this day for so long, so very long!"

"How long?", suddenly asked a voice that had no business being here. A mighty force descended from the skies. In a single instant, the demon who had just been laughing wildly was pinned beneath a foot with zero capacity for resistance. Liu Tian smiled and asked, "Is it as long as being imprisoned in a dungeon for ten thousand years?"

"And as for me, am I once again courting death?"

The hardened earth was utterly incapable of withstanding what Kazama Ruri could output at this moment. Reflexively, he attempted to unleash the Word of Command originating from the White King, but another voice abruptly interrupted his intent—

"Cancelled.", Lu Mingfei said calmly with a snap of his fingers.

The concentrated elemental energy had only just converged when it was forcefully terminated by another will. This was the very reason Liu Tian brought Lu Mingfei along: as long as he was by his side, no Word of Command need ever hope to take effect.

Meanwhile, Lu Mingfei, standing at the level of 150,000 volts of Magnetic Rotation, no longer resembled his former self, who would be blown away effortlessly in combat without a shred of resistance. Liu Tian was genuinely curious about how those schemers would handle Lu Mingfei once they discovered he could grow at such a terrifying speed.

Simultaneously, Liu Tian applied slight pressure with the foot resting upon Kazama Ruri's skull. Instantly, even the dragonic brain emitted a creaking sound of unbearable strain.

"Quiet down. Don't try any unnecessary tricks while I figure out what to do with you."

Liu Tian spoke. Possessing a realm, power, and technique far superior to his prey, it would have been trivial for him to obliterate the fool beneath his foot before any movement could be made. Yet, he had not yet decided whether to execute him.

The sudden arrival of these malicious guests momentarily stunned Chisei Chisaki, who had been fully prepared for battle. But seeing Chisei Gisei pinned helplessly underfoot, he ultimately refrained from any foolish actions. Raising both hands high, he dropped the Dojigiri and Juzumaru he had been holding onto the ground and executed a standard French military salute.

"Greetings, Exalted Leader of the Heavenly Kingdom. Might I surrender?", asked Chisei Chisaki, instantly recognizing the newcomer and yielding to his innermost desires.

"Let me think about it.", Liu Tian tilted his head, then asked abruptly, "Actually, why were the two of you fighting just now? If you hadn't started fighting, I could have kept watching the show."

"After all, a scene like this is quite rare—a clash of convictions... I told you not to move!" Liu Tian's left foot lifted slightly, then slammed down with crushing weight. A strike at twenty times the speed of sound instantly detonated the air, driving a violent shockwave right through Kazama Ruri, who was still trying to resist. It shattered his spine directly, and the entire Mount Fuji seemed to tremble for a fraction of a second. "Do you wish to die?"

The White King's relics within Kazama Ruri's body churned with frenzied life force, flesh crawling like it possessed a consciousness of its own as it attempted to entwine around Liu Tian's foot. But before it could draw close, it was effortlessly pulverized by flashes of lightning. Yet at this moment, with his spine—the most critical organ for bodily motion—shattered, even Kazama Ruri, forcibly kept from dying, was stripped of all ability to struggle.

"Ah right, there are two more.", Liu Tian raised his head, glancing at Lu Mingfei beside him. "Drag them over."

"Got it!", Lu Mingfei raised a hand. Without the need for incantation, Time Zero—a technique he had long mastered to absolute perfection—unfurled. Even Chisei Chisaki, possessing 130,000 volts of Magnetic Rotation, failed to track his movements. In a blink, Uesugi Erii and Uesugi Ji, who had been painstakingly climbing the lower slopes of the mountain, were effortlessly hauled from the mountainside straight to the peak. A multitude of legendary swords tumbled onto the earth, tossed aside like worthless scrap iron.

Even hailed as a supreme half-breed and an Emperor, Uesugi Ji fared no better in the hands of Lu Mingfei—who, after a year of growth, struggled to realize just how formidable he had become—than an ordinary human stripped of all resistance.

"Heavens—Heavenly Kingdom's Commander, Liu Tian.", though indulgent in casual flings and selling noodles, Uesugi Ji, formerly the shadow emperor who ruled these islands, possessed a firm grasp of international affairs. He instantly recognized the man hailed as the strongest human on the surface and the invincible Magnetic Martial God, instinctively shielding his daughter behind him.

"Meaningless gesture.", Liu Tian raised an eyebrow. "If I want to kill, can you stop me?"

With his words, a single thought sufficed. The previously formless air seemed to solidify into a physical substance in an instant, instantly locking up Uesugi Ji's joints. It was only then that he truly comprehended the sheer gulf between himself and the man before him—a disparity akin to that between gods and mortals.

"I can sense the pain and reluctance within your heart!", Liu Tian suddenly looked toward Chisei Chisaki, asking, "This seems to be the source of your power. Judging from your ability to comprehend the killer whale's battle scars, you're clearly a soft-hearted sentimentalist. So why, then, did you want to kill your younger brother?"

"Because I have read *Tiger Shark*.", knowing that lying was futile under these circumstances, Chisei Chisaki replied. "He who hesitates is lost. Since I had already made up my mind, I had to carry it through to the bitter end. Eight years ago, it was precisely because I failed to be utterly ruthless that so many innocent people died in vain."

"I am the Shadow Emperor, and I must bear the responsibilities of the Shadow Emperor."