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Akira Akita's body landed heavily on the ground, a cruel smile spreading across his face. He was about to rush upstairs and slaughter Han Feng and everyone else who had been alerted, wiping out all witnesses, when suddenly a thunderous roar exploded behind him—"BOOM—!"
Akira Akita instinctively spun around and saw Shawn Young not far away, both hands raised. Four bolts of lightning, each a different color but equally dazzling, shot through the air, aiming straight for him. Akira immediately flicked his wrist, and "Cloudcutter" sliced through the air, meeting the incoming lightning—"CRACK—CRACK—CRACK—CRACK—" The four colored bolts were split apart by the blade. Shawn's powerful Daoist spell, the "Quadra Thunder Curse," was directly cut down by Cloudcutter.
Shawn was shocked—he finally realized Akira Akita was the most terrifying opponent he'd ever faced. Suddenly, Fiona Tang, lying on the ground, convulsed violently—"WAA—" she spat out a mouthful of thick, black blood. Her pretty face turned deathly pale, barely clinging to life.
"Ah—Fiona—are you okay? You have to hold on! I—I’ll think of something to save you!" Shawn quickly bent down and scooped Fiona into his arms. He planned to avoid Akira Akita’s deadly blade for now—this guy was way too strong, and with his current abilities, Shawn knew he didn’t stand much chance!
"Heh heh—Kid, you think I’ll just let you walk away? Dream on! Listen up, everyone in this market who isn’t one of mine, including those in the warehouse, must die!" Akira Akita sneered, then waved his hands. Instantly, about twenty men appeared behind him, all dressed in black with masks like terrorists. They moved like ghosts in the darkness, each holding a P5 submachine gun. Akira Akita pointed toward the warehouse and ordered in Japanese, "The targets are inside. Clear them out!"
"Hai!" the group responded in Japanese, ignoring Shawn. They quickly spread out and charged into the warehouse. Almost immediately, they clashed with the "Dragon God" Special Ops team stationed inside. Gunfire erupted, bullets streaking through the night like fiery locusts.
Akira Akita turned to Shawn and sneered, "Heh heh—Kid, didn’t expect you’d have some tricks up your sleeve. It’s been ages since I’ve had such an interesting opponent. This time, you’d better give me a good fight!"
"Fight your ass! What the hell did you hit her with?!" Shawn yelled at Akira Akita. As he held the barely conscious Fiona Tang, he pressed her pulse point, trying to channel his internal energy into her heart meridian. But halfway through, he was blocked by a chaotic, icy-cold force, causing his energy to scatter wildly and making it impossible to help Fiona. The rampant energy inside her triggered a violent coughing fit.
"Oh! Oh! That’s a little treat I gave this lovely lady—called 'Mystic Yin Powder.' When it hits a woman, it’s especially... stimulating! Heh heh—give it a bit, and she’ll be burning up with desire, totally wild! First, I’ll use you to christen my blade, then I’ll have my fun with her! When I’m done, she’ll die from the Yin draining away—soon enough, she’ll join you underground! Why do you think they call me Akira Akita? I’m way more twisted than your average psycho! Hahaha—" Akira Akita cackled wickedly.
"Bastard! Go to hell—" Shawn roared, raising his right hand, ready to unleash another thunder spell to strike first. But Akira Akita gripped Cloudcutter's hilt, spun it, and shouted, "Mindblade Technique!"—"WHOOSH—" A razor-sharp blade of icy energy shot straight for Shawn's throat. His protective aura was shredded layer by layer by the deadly force, and in an instant, the chilling aura was right at his throat. Shawn felt his body go stiff, his limbs suddenly cold—a sensation like staring death in the face!
In that life-or-death moment, "CLANG! CLANG!" Two flashes of cold light collided, the clear ring of steel-on-steel echoing through the air.
Akira Akita suddenly felt Cloudcutter's fierce attack pulled aside by a mysterious force, his assault forcefully broken. With no choice, he had to stop.
He looked up and saw a figure appear before him. Akira stopped to take a closer look—a Chinese elder dressed entirely in white, with white hair, beard, and eyebrows. The old man exuded an immortal aura, holding a sword with an ancient, unadorned blade and a tassel hanging from its hilt.
Most remarkable of all, Shawn could feel it—this elder’s presence stirred the air like a hidden dragon erupting from the sea, overwhelming and wild. The natural pressure he radiated was stronger than anyone Shawn had ever met! Akira Akita felt it too, struggling to breathe under the intense aura. The force even roused Fiona Tang in Shawn’s arms; she opened her eyes, saw the elder, and exclaimed, "Dragon King! You—you finally made it!" Relief flooded her, and she fainted in Shawn’s arms.
Suppressing his shock, Akira Akita raised Cloudcutter and said to the elder, "Uh—old geezer, who are you? Stay out of this!"
The elder in white replied to Akira Akita, "Hmph—Kid, your Mindblade Technique shows you’ve learned a thing or two from Master Shade. And with Cloudcutter in your hand, you must be Akira Akita, Master Shade’s prized disciple, right? So, did that old fox never teach you to show some respect to your elders?"