The fight stopped for a split second. Karni could not help but stare in disbelief at himself. Shi Zan was experiencing an equal level of disbelief directed toward Karni.
Karni had greatly underestimated the ability of his Royal Paw Pad to bounce things off. One's bloodline did not simply manage to resist the influence of bloodlines like the Golden Dragon King. Karni's Martial Soul was not that simple. In bodily defence, pandas and bears had often been known as champions of it among Martial Souls. And that did not even take account of Karni's training with Hu Jie.
As if to break the silence, Shi Zan and Karni heard over the dedicated radio Karni had on him. "Backline team, this is Yellow Two speaking. You follow my command now. I am near your position. Prepare to intercept the police chief."
"Well now. Seems like Lanyue is finished." Shi Zan spoke. His Soul Rings shone in the next instance.
The needles flew again, this time mixed with multiple spikes, just to push Karni back. But Karni now had renewed confidence in his defence. He was also aware of the potential danger of the Silent Scale now. The flow of his defence became smoother. His paws were far more active than before. A needle that he couldn't cover? He could just smack it away! It could not penetrate his panda paws even when he struck them head on. Furthermore, Shi Zan seemed to be getting desperate after what Siduo had said.
However, Karni couldn't exactly push back either. He Shifted, and the needles flew in all directions until Shi Zan detected him. The man was using terrifying amounts of Soul Power, but he could also last longer than Karni at least five times over. Then that sixth Soul Ring shone, and another piece of danger was felt. Corruption. Corruption of the very soul.
Karni quickly affected Mirage Bestowal, still active from before, making it appear as if the man's son was close by. The attacks slowed for a bit, but Shi Zan quickly saw through it. He looked to his actual son, nodding for him to go away. His eyes were saying that he was in the way.
The son ran, and Karni did not dare to Shift him closer as defence. That would not sit right with him. The young man was still a civilian. And who knew whether Shi Zan would think it was an illusion.
Fine. Karni cursed, his Mirage Bestowal shining again, more intensely. Time for utter confusion. Hundreds of "real" Karni's appeared around, and the needles exploded in kind. They went through the illusions, but it was a good distraction.
Then the mecha suddenly moved and attacked with that giant sword. The sword was actually both a sword and a sheathe. Karni had yet to have the strength to truly wield the size of such a sword with his body. So, the Guardian was stuck into it, attached to it, and the skills transferred to the bigger size. It was not the best solution, as the skills weakened due to the greater surface area, but it was an equally mighty alternative due to the added weight.
Normal Karnis still attacked the man, but the mecha moved as well. Shi Zan was confused for a bit. Everything looked so real.
However, Karni needed to be fast. He was using a lot of Spiritual Power for this. He was lucky that he had the time to even completely latch onto Shi Zan's mind. It was hard to do that when the opponent had the Avatar activated at Karni's current level.
The giant sword swung, making a great crevasse into the ground. It hit, but the man was only hurt. Karni did not plan to catch this man alive, he put his genuine effort into that hit. He was an Evil Soul Master. The sect was also unlikely to get anything out him.
Yet, Karni only injured him in that moment, and he saw the man looking at him directly. He figured Karni out. He was experienced. And that Two-Word Battle Armour. It was odd. The increase of power that it gave Shi Zan wasn't much greater than a One-Word Battle Armour, however, its defence and abilities were at the proper Two-Word level. It clicked for Karni then. It was an incompatible Two-Word Battle Armour.
However, he did not have the time to consider the implications. All of Shi Zan's Stonefish skills barraged Karni. Corrupted Tiny Cyan Spikes, big Spikes, invisible scales, boosted by the Avatar and the Battle Armour. At the same time, the man hardened his skin and lunched himself directly at Karni.
Karni swung, but he was slow. He had to lift the sword before he could truly attack, and as his swing started, Shi Zan had already reach him directly at the cockpit of the Mecha.
"Dammit." Karni complained, eye to eye with Shi Zan, Cyan Blue eyes looking at Karni's Golden ones. Both flowing with their Martial Souls. Shi Zan and Karni were not only both in the cockpit, but Karni's Battle Armour took the brunt of the attack.
Karni lunched himself with Flight into the River into Shi Zan, hitting him with the Royal Paw Pad. They crashed into the ground. Karni needed to attack as soon as possible. He didn't have the time to go back into the Mecha. His Spiritual Power was already half empty.
Karni was quick. He jumped to the handle of the Mecha Greatsword and unsheathed the Guardian in an instant. Karni landed on Shi Zan's leg before the man could get up. He cracked Shi Zan's Battle Armour but could not pierce it. In one smooth downwards motion, he slashed at Shi Zan with the Guardian. A singular, smooth motion.
Soul Rings of Shi Zan's shone; full defence activated. Stonefish could only defend now. It was lucky to have exquisite defensive capabilities together with that Two-Word Battle Armour.
Sound and Space mixed together and then crashed. The soundwaves travelled through the Battle Armour, into Shi Zan, and into the ground, reforming the surroundings as if they were the waves of the water. Sound completely changed their shape.
But Karni felt a golden shine beneath the sword, a spreading, light shine of the future. He Shifted away. An explosion of Toxins, but not of spikes… a whole cloud was released into the air. Karni's face fell. That was not good. That was not good at all. Airborne toxins?
He dialled Black One without hesitation. "Bring the detoxification team, quickly. We have airborne toxins of the Stonefish." It was all he could say, before his face dropped further. "Also. Shi Zan, the Evil Soul Master, has just broken through Soul Douluo realm."
He saw the eighth Soul Ring rising. That was a scenario he did not account for at all. What the fuck was up with Evil Soul Masters breaking through in front of him?! He had faced two. And both of them broke through?
Back to the mecha. Forget about attacking, he needed to survive!
Out of the toxic cloud, the man burst out, gasses of toxins bursting out of him. His sixth Soul Ring was shining as well. The corruption effect was mixed into the airborne toxins. This could be disastrous. "Sisi!"
"Busy." He received back. Sounds of intense fighting heard, as well as wind. She looked to be chasing. Fuck. He looked at the reports. Dammit. A bunch of Mechas from Karni's squad that Siduo took over were down. Tan Lanyue was nearing the northern line of defence around the park. There was no chance for backup.
He sat into the mecha, enabling the max air conditioning of the cockpit. Air blew out of the broken cockpit window. Toxins would come through, but it should be in small enough quantities that Karni could hold for a while. He burst back toward Shi Zan. This disaster needed to be killed yesterday!
He reached Shi Zan and slammed his feet into the ground. Lotuses sprouted in the surroundings, putting on pressure. He made his mecha's leg especially suitable to transferring Soul Power, which was the only thing he needed to sprout Lotuses. As long as his Soul Power could smoothly reach the ground, the Blooming Loti could activate. It was the one Soul Ring of the Royal Bamboo Panda he could use through the mecha.
The giant sword descended upon the misty toxins Shi Zan surrounded himself in. That eighth Soul Ring was genuinely terrifying. Despite setting the Mecha to intense air conditioning, he didn't dare breathe.
He closed in and slashed. The man took the giant sword head on. Becoming a Soul Douluo made his other skills stronger as well. His Two-Word Battle Armour also hadn't been broken through yet. The crack at the chest was the biggest one.
The mist dispersed due to the fast swing, which was not good, if the mist spread too far into the air, it would become uncontainable. If that weren't enough, the air corroded his mecha as well! Sure, it would take a long time to fully break anything because it was a Black Mecha, but the fact it could even affect it at all was already terrifying! What would this airborne toxins do to the lungs?
Karni exerted all of the thrusters. The mecha moved to the side. He let go of the Mirage Bestowal, at this point it was just inefficient. And he recognised the face on that man. Arrogance. Karni could not escape. He now had only one option, stall until Black One can reach here. Black One was not close, he was in the forest, watching out for reinforcements, just in case. It was a different Black One than the one he knew from Star Luo Empire, obviously. The number they were assigned was assigned per mission. It's why Karni was Yellow One right now.
He swung the giant sword, Guardian inserted back in it. The Mecha turned to the side with the sword's weight, but it was calculated. He couldn't let that mist spread any more. He had to contain it.
The swing missed the man, but it moved the mists. Karni also got an idea. The man was overconfident now. In his eyes, he had won already. Time to apply that control Karni had honed over the years. He needed to constrain the movements of both the man and the mist.
Sound smashed around, the mecha moved, executing the Drunken Ghost Dance near perfection. The Sound never hit, but it echoed. The toxic mists made the sound travel with greater ease.
He stepped down with force, spinning the mecha with the help of the thrusters. More Blooming Loti sprouted. Their Spiritual Pressure helped making the mist heavier. It was harder to move around, but also easier to control.
But then the needles hit the cockpit. Then a spike, and another. He let the needles hit the mecha. It didn't matter anymore. Inside the cockpit, he bounced off any needles that came close to key areas. The rest, Karni's Battle Armour took the full force of.
He was on a timer here. He did not have the time to protect every little thing. He needed to contain the man. Contain the toxins. He could not afford to call for backup either. That would only bring casualties. This man was too dangerous.
He swung the sword from one side to the other and spun the body of the mecha with it. The air was pushed. It flowed. It was guided. The speed and the size of the sword affected it greatly. Then he moved in front of Shi Zan, beside him, and behind him, but he always missed. Karni only focused on constraining the man.
Shi Zan was oddly immobile. His walk was slow. It finally clicked for Karni. The man might have become a Soul Douluo, but Karni's Sound still affected him from the hit. No wonder he was so passive. A breakthrough regenerated the Soul Power, but it did not heal the body.
Karni sped up. Even if the opponent was passive, his toxins were not. Those were aggressive.
Karni circled, over and over, constraining the very air. The Loti provided the constant pressure, but he also constantly had to resummon them, because they were dying off due to the toxic mist.
There were hundreds of needles on the mecha. His Battle Armour's joints had started rotting. The system of the Mecha had started beeping. The toxins had breached the energy cables around the cockpit.
Yet the giant sword continued swinging. The Mecha's weight leaned from left to right, from low to high, never stopping.
A continuous, constant movement. A giant sword the shape of a shield was not meant for piercing.
It was meant for slashing.
Its purpose was to move.
And to never stop moving.
Its size? An advantage!
Its weight? An advantage!
Let the sword guide you. Let the sword, its size, its weight, its flow, all of it guide you. Karni focused. He felt a feeling he hadn't in a long time. A rhythmic heart he focused on.
He brought out the Quivering Silver Feathers. Constrain. Space was not just for cutting. That's not what the feathers were for, even if they excelled at it when Hop helped him.
The feathers affected that tone of sound which moved the space itself. Just like the weight of the Guardian guided Karni, so too did he have to guide the space.
Constraining air? No! Constrain the very space! Lock it up!
The giant sword danced, and the feathers on it with him, as if moving with the wind, then against the wind. Pushing space to huddle up around the mists like a dome.
Disordered Spiral Resonance through the Greatsword. An odd sensation. Every third swing, an affect appeared.
All of a sudden, at just the 9th swing, the needles slowed mid-flight. They hit the space as if hitting water. A concentrated release toward them. Like raindrops, the needles stopped and fell. It wasn't a wall of space, but the space there was heavy and thick. Like a giant sponge. Just like Karni's own body.
He saw the man's expression change once more, this time into that of helplessness. He still had not removed the sound from him.
But Karni kept moving. He was understanding it. The sound, the flow of air, the flow of space, the flow of the Greatsword. This was how it was to swing the sword as part of oneself. The beautiful feeling he felt when he first started swinging it.
A constant movement.
Agility, despite the size.
The thrusters pushed, bringing the momentum forward, the giant mecha leaned, the sword shone in multitude of colours. White, Grey and Yellow. Still Entropy. A secret suction appeared, as if taking in all of that space that had gathered, just like Disordered Spiral Resonance. Now, at the 18th spin. The effects circled around him.
And then the Still Harmony, connected with his Spiritual Power, that black and white world… did not appear. Karni focused in on himself. He closed his eyes. He needed to sense himself, he needed to sense the mecha, and he needed to sense the giant sword. The surroundings were pitch black, but inside, his body was rich with the Soundwaves.
A slow, yet terrifyingly slash came from the side, in a moment that seemed almost frozen. In that moment, Karni felt it, the Greatsword Intent. He comprehended the consciousness of the weapon. He opened his eyes.
And his face got warped, because through those forces of space, through the mist, approached Shi Zan's son, crying out.
But Karni already slashed with the mecha. And the most he could do, the most he could try, was to change the Sound's meaning.
A bright radiance attacked the whole area, enveloping the father and son in it. All of the Sound disappeared from the surroundings. The mists were now the colour of Still Entropy: White, Grey and Yellow; instead of cyan.
Karni stayed in the mecha, not daring to go out until the mists were cleared, but not daring to go away until he knew what the result was either.
The colours disappeared, slowly revealing what was hidden in the mists. The father was shaking over his son's body, which was also shaking. The son was alive.
Shi Zan turned toward Karni, filled with absolute hatred. "You!" He jumped out, for whatever reason, the attack seemed to have not affected him at all. And whatever Sound limited him before, the spiritual shock of the situation seemed to have awoken him.
He crashed into the mecha, but a deep blue light intercepted at that moment. Lightning, not exactly the typical colour of lightning. Bluer than it should be.
Shi Zan looked up, face heavy. Face filled with hatred. But also, terrifying rationale. He knew there was no escape. "If you do not let me leave, I will start slaughtering the citizens. I will fight to my death, and my mists will spread with extreme prejudice."
The Black member that appeared stood there, his expression unreadable. "Okay, leave."
"Wait, I can still-"
"Now!" The man shouted over Karni. Karni was not controlling the sound of the surroundings right now. "Or I start slaughtering."
"Leave." The Black Agent nodded.
Shi Zan took his shaking son and started running. Karni soon heard the order over the dedicated radio. The AR Glasses were also ringing in his pocket. This meant the higher ups heard the order to back off as well.
"Black One, his son will die if I don't help. He's a civilian." Karni's tone was neutral.
"Even if you can save him, that man has lost all rationale. We cannot do anything. It's a shame."
"I know, I know." Karni sighed. "Another needless death."
Karni heard the order go out to all the members to leave the man pass and the explanation why. He put his face into the palm of his hands inside the mecha. Thankfully he couldn't be seen. His face was twisted and filled with terror… He should have released the full attack. Then at least, the son would have had a quick death. But now… until the kid died, it would be one of the most torturous things one could experience.
The Holy Ghost Church had one Sound based Soul Master that Karni was aware of, but even if their comprehension was better than Karni's, the quality of their sound had no way to compete with his own. That was under the assumption they wanted to help in the first place. Shi Zan's son would die no matter what.
Worse than that, he could actually sense where Shi Zan was going. Or, not Shi Zan, but the son. There was a trace of Karni's intent on it. Mix of his comprehension of Sound and now his Greatsword together left a trace he could feel. The fact there was no trace on Shi Zan himself told Karni one thing: his son likely jumped in front of his father, and all of the sound got absorbed by a civilian.
Black One stared at Karni. He could imagine the boy's feelings. "Come. Let the cleaning crew deal with these. Tang Sect are masters of poisons and toxins. We should not have trouble to clean this out. You'll need to detoxify yourself as well. But before then, let's go to the interrogation."
"Interrogation?"
… … …
Karni and Siduo watched behind a one-way mirror. Siduo ended up catching the police chief, Tan Lanyue.
Tan Lanyue was troublesome to catch. She only cared about escaping. Siduo attacked constantly, but Tan Lanyue did not stop the mecha a bit. She even sacrificed her own hand in an attempt to flee.
All the while she was running, she also used her scales to shoot them out of the cockpit of the mecha. Siduo was forced to dodge as her motorbike did not have the best defence. She finished many mechas that helped chase this way.
But when the team over at the northern border of the park joined, they managed to finally catch her with a lot of trouble. At least some good news.
Siduo and Karni were not the ones interrogating. From all the intel, it was Tan Lanyue who truly had connections with the Evil Soul Masters, despite not being one herself. That was lucky. The fact they could even be in this interrogation and listening was a privilege.
But the interrogation was not going well. Tan Lanyue stayed silent throughout. The interrogator decided to touch the sore spots.
"If you had never interacted with them, your son would not have had such a fate. Did you know your son had interactions with them himself? You cannot get your revenge fully, but you might as well redeem him."
"Redeem him?" She finally spoke. Her voice was filled with spite. "He didn't need redeeming. You pretend you're so righteous. But my son was not an evil Soul Master. He did not kill people, yet he still died by one of your members. Members that you even put in position of command?"
The interrogator turned to look toward the mirror with a defeated face. That seemed to only push her farther away.
"Oh? Val Karniii, Wu Siduooo, are you two behind there?" She laughed like a crazy person. She was familiar with such mirrors as the police chief.
Karni sent a message to the interrogator through the AR Glasses.
The interrogator nodded. "Shi Zan had a Two-Word Battle Armour, unlike before. Did you give it to him?"
"I suppose I did. It was a gift you see, for me. From my friends."
"The Holy Ghost Church?"
"Mm. Indeed. I can tell you that much. They gifted it to me, but I didn't use it, because my own Two-Word armour was almost completed. You know who I was saving it for? My son."
The interrogated sighed again. She only revealed that information to spite them. "So you gave it to Shi Zan and-"
"Because you fucks, in your self-righteous assholes decided to go after me. Now that cheating fuck took even my last memory of my son."
"Your son may not have killed people himself, but he drove people to their deaths. He drove people to kill other people. He may not have deserved death, but he deserved to be locked up for life. You on the other hand, you've made multiple people 'disappear'. You might as well have become an Evil Soul Master in spirit. A cold-blooded killer."
The woman laughed yet again, her hair covering her face. "You're right. I killed them all. I started with that little detective. Her screams filled up the emptiness I felt after losing my son! Then I just couldn't stop myself anymore. But you're right! You're right! I can tell you about what happened to them after. Their spirits will never rest! You see, right here, in-"
Karni felt a sense of doom. He activated his abilities, his Sound used in a split second. Golden explosion in his eyes and ears. "Defensive abilities now!" He shouted in everyone's mind.
His panda activated, he hugged Siduo, he enveloped them in a lotus. Siduo reacted as well, lights going off everywhere. The interrogator was quick as well.
"-under the b-" Tan Lanyue suddenly started growing, glowing a deep purple red. Then she exploded.
The whole room came crashing down, even some of the surrounding areas. The Lotus was utterly shattered, Karni and Siduo's defences joint barely helped at all. They only mitigated the explosion.
They came out of the rubble, thankfully the sect was well built. Only this part collapsed, everything else was held together.
The interrogator walked out, his face ugly. Nine Soul Rings shining. Nine, yet he was still bloodied. "Damn it, they even put it on someone who isn't in their faction. Kids! Are you alright?" He went up to Siduo and Karni. They were quite injured, but they could heal.
"Let's get you to the medical room."
… … …
Karni sat in front of a grave. Fresh flowers decorated it. Flowers he brought. It was Grandma Ying's grave. He hadn't visited it in a while. His arm was in a cast. The one that took most of the brunt. It was broken, but because of his defensive capabilities, it would only need three more days to heal up.
A person walked up to him. She was on crutches. "How you doing?"
"Yo, Sisi. Need help?"
"Nah. It's only one leg." Siduo broke a leg in the explosion as well. Just like him, she shouldn't need long to recover.
"Mm." He said, staying silent.
She sat down next to him with some trouble, and paid respects to Grandma Ying.
"I killed two people who bothered her and her son." He nodded toward Grandma Ying's grave. "Except I don't even remember the name of the second person."
"You're not sure he's dead yet though, right?"
Karni sighed. "I lost any feeling of the intent that was attached on him. He's dead."
Siduo stayed silent for a second. "You don't know that for sure though, right?"
"I tested it out on your dad after the explosion. I can still feel it on him, no weaker than yesterday. The one on Shi Zan's son wasn't any weaker either, it just… died out."
"Maybe a master took it out?" Siduo offered. It had been a few days since the whole incident.
He gave her a look.
She sighed. "You're right. He is most likely dead."
Karni nodded, in thought. "But you know… I somehow don't feel a lot of guilt. I feel bad for the guy, but… Somehow, I can only think that I should have at least given him a quicker death. I would have done that attack fully if I could go back."
Siduo smiled. "That's not what you would have said the last time we fought in this city."
Karni couldn't help but chuckle a little. He felt like this world twisted him a little. "And who would have thought that the woman would have gone out like that. I honestly think she knew what would happen. She was grinning widely even as she started to implode."
"That woman was twisted. She dealt with the Evil Soul Masters after all. Though we should stay wary of that Stonefish dude. He will want to take revenge eventually."
"I know." Karni said and stood up. He helped Siduo up with his good arm. He turned to Grandma Ying's grave. "I still do not kill with ease." He said to both Grandma Ying and Siduo. "Because I know when I should do it now. Thank you." He bowed to Grandma Ying, then hugged Siduo.
But it was all so odd. Despite deciding when his killing blows were lethal now, in his life, he had so far killed three people, and all of them were killed by accident. Grandma Ying's son, Tan Lanyue's son and now Shi Zan's son. Thinking about it, he only killed sons as well, but he hadn't managed to kill the people he tried to. Two Evil Soul Masters had escaped him. It was just… a bit frustrating.
Siduo looked at him, her eyes loving. She could read his expression. "You know, my dad had this idea the other day. I think it's good to relax for a bit."
… … …
"Please!" Shi Zan screamed in front of a wooden door in the middle of nowhere. "Please! I will join you if I have to!"
The door opened. Finally! He'd been knocking for ten minutes. "Shi Zan. What would actually make you want to join us. Last time you said you prefer to be free. You even bragged how your Martial Soul isn't really evil." The man's voice was condescending.
"If you save him! If you do, I will do anything!"
The man finally noticed the one in Shi Zan's arms, Shi Zan's son. He was shaking. The man at the door said flatly. "He's dead."
"No! He's still moving! Help him!"
"His soul is gone. For a few days already, based on his condition. Accept it." He turned and closed the door. Since the one Shi Zan wanted him to save was dead, there was no need for them to interact anymore.
Shi Zan stayed in front of the wooden door for a while. He stood still, while his son continued to shake. Even in death, the Sound did not leave the corpse.
He hated it. He hated that teen for killing his son. Val Karni. Val Karni was his name! He will remember it. Both of his sons were dead, but he could care less about the other one. The dragon boy was a mistake. But this one inherited his powers. He had his mother's character. He was kind to a fault to people he cared about. If not for that half-brother, if not for Tan Lanyue… How did this all happen?
He stood there for hours, looking at his son. "You are a stupid, stupid son." He held his still shaking face. "Why did you have to jump in front of me? I would have been fine." He broke down and fell on his knees.
He cried for an hour before the tears dried out. He had no more tears to let out. He stood back up in an almost robotic manner and knocked.
The door opened. "You haven't left." The man said.
"I want to join. Under one condition."
The man looked surprised. "Do say."
"Help me kill Val Karni of Shrek."