You see, Shi Hui's driving was incredibly professional, experienced, and skilled.
Even Klippah's Star Wall couldn't stop the Astral Express produced by Akivili, and the Antimatter Legion was shattered by the Astral Express. What could a small beast do to stop it?
I thought it was a speed bump! We're all living with all our might. I've used all my strength, so why are you still alive? Go tell that to my Astral Express!
Unfortunately, what Shi Hui was driving this time wasn't a train car, but a landing pod configured for the Astral Express, and its strength was limited.
So at this moment, that landing pod was already pulverized, leaving only a twisted wreckage on the ground.
And in the center of this wreckage, Takemikazuchi roared in pain.
Its entire right shoulder had been gouged open by the landing pod, leaving an irregular, large hole. Dark blood mixed with shattered armor gushed out.
That right arm, capable of condensing lightning, now hung limply.
Seeing the beast's pitiful state, Shi Hui couldn't help but mock, "Oh, cosplaying Yang Guo, are we!"
Although it was a beast, it still possessed human-like understanding.
"Roar—!!!"
Takemikazuchi clearly understood Shi Hui's taunt, and a furious roar burst from its giant mouth.
It raised its only remaining left arm, fingers splayed, and aimed it at Shi Hui. Purple lightning began to condense, and the air became distorted, emitting a piercing shriek.
Shi Hui's pupils contracted, and his body instantly tensed.
He tried to muster his remaining strength to dodge, but his body was as powerless as an incompetent husband.
In the nick of time, a bone-chilling cold swept across the entire battlefield.
The temperature plummeted instantly, and tiny ice crystals drifted down.
A clear, cold female voice rang out.
"A single slash in an instant, all phenomena without form."
The moment the voice fell, a ice-blue saber light suddenly flared.
If Takemikazuchi had been at its peak, it would naturally have easily detected this attack and even been able to summon lightning to shatter it.
However, at this moment, it was severely wounded, and the intense pain and blood loss made its reactions sluggish.
It wanted to dodge, but its body was delayed by the excruciating pain; it wanted to block, but its left arm was condensing lightning and couldn't return to defend in time.
"Pfft—"
A sound like thin ice cracking echoed, and the ice-blue saber light pierced through its brow.
A straight ice-blue line traversed its massive body, and Takemikazuchi's body collapsed with a crash.
Purple ice crystal fragments poured down and crumbled, piling up into a small mountain.
Above the small mountain of ice crystals, a purple crystal quietly floated in the air—Takemikazuchi's energy core.
The thunderclouds raging in the sky also began to dissipate.
From the dust and mist, a figure slowly emerged.
It was a tall, elegant woman, with long, cherry-pink hair cascading like a waterfall, gently swaying in the breeze.
She wore an ancient and pristine off-shoulder miko outfit, with a white juban, scarlet hakama, and over it a chihaya embroidered with delicate snowflake patterns, revealing graceful lines of her shoulders and neck, her skin appearing even fairer against the surrounding ice crystals.
Her teal eyes looked exceptionally clear.
She held an ice-blue long saber in her hand, its blade slender and flowing, which was now slowly returning to its equally ice-blue scabbard at her waist.
She walked across the frost-covered scorched earth, directly towards Shi Hui and the purple-haired girl.
The purple-haired girl's body involuntarily tensed the moment the cherry-haired miko appeared, especially after seeing the ice-blue long saber at the miko's waist.
Her violet eyes stared intently at the miko not far away, her gaze filled with undisguised wariness.
Seeing this, the cherry-haired miko stopped a few steps away from the two. Her gaze swept over Shi Hui, then landed on the purple-haired girl.
The miko secured the long saber she had just sheathed and offered a faint smile to the purple-haired girl.
That clear, cold voice rang out again, distinctly reaching the ears of the purple-haired girl and Shi Hui.
"There's no need for mercy towards enemies; that is cruelty to oneself."
"But you must recognize who the true enemy is."
These words caused ripples in the purple-haired girl's eyes, and the wariness in her gaze gradually gave way to a certain pain.
She opened her mouth, seemingly wanting to retort, but in the end, she couldn't utter a single word.
Shi Hui, standing by, took all of this in.
"Indeed, we should all recognize who the true enemy is."
Hearing this agreement, the cherry-haired miko's gaze shifted from the purple-haired girl to Shi Hui.
"Thank you for your assistance, Your Excellency." The miko's thanks were incredibly brief.
Shi Hui: "Miko sister, how should I address you?"
"Sakura."
Shi Hui then looked at the wary purple-haired girl beside him, offering a warm smile.
"My name is Shi Hui, and yours?"
"Raiden Wangchuan... No, Raiden Mei, just call me Mei." The purple-haired girl replied.
"Sure enough, it's this generation's Gatekeeper of Wangchuan..." Sakura, at the side, murmured unconsciously.
Although Sakura's voice was very soft, the surroundings were too quiet, so Shi Hui and Mei both heard her clearly.
"Raiden Mei, my name is Raiden Mei, Gatekeeper of Wangchuan... that has nothing to do with me!" The girl denied.
