Suddenly, a shadowy figure dropped from the sky, landing right in front of them. Shawn Young and Rachel Sasaki quickly stepped back, taking up defensive stances. Shawn finally saw clearly—it was a young woman equipped with a single-person flight pack! Her face was covered with black gauze, hiding her features, but her alluring figure made it obvious she was in her prime.
The flight pack was a special military device, typically used only by elite agents in advanced countries. As the masked woman landed, she clapped her hands, and six or seven disc drones circling Shawn Young and Rachel Sasaki spun rapidly, the buzzing growing louder.
Shawn felt as if giant hammers were pounding his body, and something kept tugging at his eyelids, making him want to close them. Strangely, Rachel Sasaki seemed completely unaffected. She let out a surprised cry, raised her hands, and sent two streams of black energy sweeping toward the masked woman.
"Huh?" The masked woman exclaimed, but quickly yanked the control lever on her flight pack. Flames shot out, launching her into the air at a speed that stunned Rachel Sasaki. As the disc drones slowed down, Shawn snapped out of his daze, shouted, and unleashed a barrage of Palm Thunder from his hands.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
A wave of blue lightning swept over, striking the drones directly. They exploded midair, bursting into dazzling sparks and fragments. Shawn felt his head clear and steadied himself. Rachel Sasaki rushed over and said, "Shawn, they're using brainwave disruptors! They're designed to target espers—the deeper your powers, the stronger the effect..."
Shawn quickly asked, "Rachel, why do those brainwave disruptors seem to have no effect on you? Your powers are strong too—how come?"
Rachel Sasaki replied in a low voice, "I've had special training. I know how to counter those disruptors. They're basically infrasonic weapons. If you use true energy to cast a magic barrier and reflect the waves, you can block their frequency. That's what I did, so I was fine."
Shawn suddenly understood. At that moment, the masked woman landed, glaring at the ruined drones Shawn had destroyed. She trembled with rage—those things were expensive. Without hesitation, she drew a mini submachine gun from her waist and aimed it at them.
"Shuiyue, hold your fire! Let me handle this kid!" An old, raspy voice called out from behind, speaking in stiff Mandarin.
Shawn's heart skipped a beat. He spun around and saw an old man dressed in traditional Japanese Sengoku-era samurai armor. His left eye was covered by a black eyepatch—a one-eyed dragon. But his remaining eye glowed deep red. The man was tall and radiated an overwhelming, domineering aura.
The samurai gripped a long, pitch-black sword—Oblivion. The blade was unusually long and completely dark, with a lengthy hilt. Oddly, it reflected no light, and its material was a mystery. Even from afar, Shawn could feel its fierce, domineering energy.
Rachel Sasaki said nervously, "Uh, Shawn, this old guy looks seriously tough, especially that sword—it's radiating pure killing intent! I've never felt such intense murderous energy before!"
The samurai planted himself in front of Shawn, sword pointed to the ground. His one eye flashed with demonic red light as he stared at Shawn and slowly spoke in stiff Mandarin: "This sword is called Oblivion! It's the Oniin Clan's ancestral blade! I am Martin Oniin, head of the Oniin Clan, inheritor of the Divine Mind Single Slash Style!"
"Martin Oniin? That name sounds familiar, like I've heard it somewhere before..." Shawn frowned, trying to recall. Suddenly his heart raced—this was the top Japanese swordmaster, the Sword Demon Martin Oniin, mentioned at the National Paranormal Task Force meeting!
Shawn remembered—in Peshawar, Pakistan, the 'Sakura Evil Blade' Akira Akita was defeated and captured alive by Dragon King! Dragon King once mentioned Martin Oniin was Akira Akita's master!
"You're Martin Oniin? The master of Divine Mind Single Slash Style?" Shawn blurted out in shock.
"That's right, kid. You managed to break free from my soul-seizing technique with your own willpower—impressive!" Martin Oniin sneered.
"Ah! So that vortex earlier was your soul-seizing spell! I didn't expect you to know magic too..." Shawn said, secretly alarmed.
"Heh... All arts share the same roots—martial skills or magic. Once you reach that level, you'll understand. But you probably won't get the chance, kid. Among the younger generation, you're the most powerful I've seen... Looks like they were right to recommend you as my opponent. Now, let me see what your Chinese Taoist arts are made of!" Martin Oniin spread his legs, gripped Oblivion's hilt, and slowly advanced toward Shawn.
A crushing, mountain-like pressure swept over—Shawn had never felt anything so intense. The air was thick with destruction and doom, all centered on Martin Oniin, whose killing intent was unmatched. With every step, those deep red eyes bore into Shawn, sending a chill through his limbs and making his whole body shiver.
...