'No…'
The gigantic centipede slashed off about 10 people right on the spot where it was standing, spinning its many katanas like a tornado. The white shelves were showered with blood now, and the screams of the people rushing out were ear-bleeding.
"Finally…. Power. I will become an eternal entity. And you shall see my wrath! Citizens of Xin!" The centipede's voice echoed in the store.
However, the spirit was suddenly caught off guard when a little girl walked towards him instead of running from him.
"Hm? You should be running away from me." The centipede moved forth, the little Momo which it emerged from, wrapped around its lower body. The centipede could see it now. The aura arising from the small child. She was a cultivator.
"Monster!" Shinro Qiqi yelled out, focusing her aura to her hand and forming a blue spirit blade within her grasp.
"Don't you dare step forward!" Qiqi pointed her weapon at the centipede's head.
"OH? What can you do…? A mere child? You cannot defeat the Shogun of Hundred Blades!"
Qiqi was shocked to hear this, not because she was familiar with the name. But the name was frightening enough for her.
"I… I've never heard of you before! But that aura tells me you're bad news…. Spirit!"
"ARGH!? NEVER HEARD OF ME? WELL, THEN CHILD! LET ME SHOW YOU MY FULL POWER!!"
The aura within the Centipede grew stronger and stronger; his mere presence made Qiqi fall to her knees.
'The pressure he's emitting… What is this power? I – I can't even stand.' Qiqi was being thrust against the floor by the immense aura being emitted by this being. This power was something she had never experienced before. Even among the few 'S-Rankers', she had seen, there was nothing like this.
The only thing that held Qiqi on her knees without flattening to the ground was the barrier she was keeping on hold to escape the pure pressure.
"My C-Rank skills are nothing against him…. I'm gonna die."
Qiqi's eyes filled with tears.
"RARGHHH!" The dark aura coming from the Shogun of Hundred Blades was overflowing, and Qiqi's barrier was going to shatter any second.
'Oh please… save me. I don't wanna die–'
BAM!
The overflowing dark aura created an enormous explosion of mana from the Shogun Centipede.
Moments later, the smoke cleared away from the mess of human bodies, broken shelves, and food cans piled up on the floor. With her forehead covered with blood, Qiqi was lying on an enormous shelf flattening her leg.
Glagh! She coughed out a handful of blood.
The Shogun Centipede had finally calmed its immense flow of aura, but the killing intent within its eyes was still there. The crimson eyes darted towards Shinro Qiqi, who was attempting to push away the shelf which has fallen on her leg.
"Evil monster, what are you?" she wailed.
"Me? I already told you, little girl. I'm the Shogun of Hundred Blades. And… I will be the one to make this city fall. This city and its ace."
'Ace? What… is he talking about?' Qiqi was confused.
"Now… girl. Let me put your soul in my collection –"
Ting! The automatic doors of the superstore opened up.
The Centipede was surprised along with Qiqi. 'Huh… is my life saved?' Qiqi thought. 'A cultivator came… but – even then… Can they withstand this monster?'
The Centipede turned its fiendish gaze towards the intruder.
A young boy was standing at the door, gazing at the gigantic spirit. And… of course, it was Ling Tao.
"Ew… it's a centipede." Ling Tao winced upon seeing this distasteful sight. Then, he looked at the shelf which had the special chapter of Sword King Liu. And gladly, it was unharmed because it was at the very corner of the building.
"God… what a disgusting form to take… insects."
Ling walked to the shelf and picked one book up.
The Shogun Centipede was observing this man, shocked by his actions. Even though it saw who he was, there was no fear within the boy. The boy picked up the special chapter and pushed it inside his sweater and turned around.
The Centipede was gazing at him.
"OI!" The creature roared out furiously. "Where do you think you're going –" the young boy, after picking up the magazine, walked straight up to the centipede.
At that moment when the Shogun Centipede was disturbed, Shinro Qiqi quickly slipped off from under the shelf and stood up limping.
'Why isn't the cultivator attacking?' she asked herself as she gaped over the centipede to see who it was. And the image that greeted her was an old classmate who was idiotically scratching his head in front of the spirit uttering "God, this place is a mess."
Then, Ling spotted Qiqi behind the centipede. "OH! QIQI! You… You are still here?"
"YOU IDIOT! WHAT ARE YOU DOING!? RUN AWAY FROM HERE! BRING A CULTIVATOR!" She cried out as tears flowed down her cheeks.
Ling Tao went silent. Then, he raised his hand.
The Centipede was confused. "Oh, you know the boy? Well then… watch me tear your friend apart before your–"
SPLAT!
The middle part of the centipede's body disappeared into thin air. Blood splattered all over the floor as the evil spirit fell to its death, ripped in halves.
And, for the first time in her life… Qiqi saw a white aura arising from a human being. "Wha…" she was speechless. There was even a barrier in front of her to seize the blood from splattering all over her.
Qiqi was out of breath and out of energy. Her vision was failing her and she dropped to the ground.
"Qiqi!? Are you alright!?" Ling cried out, rushing towards her.
Nee Naw Nee Naw!
Outside, Ling heard the horns of the recovery unit. They were coming, finally.
"Oh… they're here. You'll be okay Qiqi."
He raised the girl and placed her on a shelf so the blood on the floor won't get to her dress.
Then, Ling Tao casually strolled out of the superstore as the Recovery Unit halted the ambulances outside the store.
"Ling…" Qiqi murmured one last time before she fell unconscious entirely.
///Author's Note///
[Arc 1: PAIN IN THE ASS]
Arc one, chapter three is finished folks! Hope you enjoy it!! Give up your goddamn power stones if you need more daily content! And leave a review and a comment, thank you. Makes my day.