"Principal, the alchemical bomb is ready! You all hurry back!"
Chu Zihang stood high on top of a crane, the rain drenching his hair, sticking it to his face. His golden eyes, bright and piercing, shone even in the dark of night.
Caesar was beside him, his left hand gripping a Desert Eagle, his right holding the black blade, Dictator. He fought fiercely, slashing at the corpse guardians that tried to approach. His body was soaked through, but he couldn't tell whether it was rainwater, his own blood, or a mix of both.
Hilbert, holding a folding knife, charged into the crowd of corpse guardians, aiming to reach Uesugi Koeru's side.
However, after the long battle, his strength was nearing its limit. Even with his Time Zero Word Soul, he could only watch as that figure grew further away.
"Dammit, Koeru, hurry back!" Hilbert shouted.
"Do you know, Hilbert?"
Koeru stood shirtless, steam rising from his body. The glow of his blade remained sharp and brutal.
"Someone once told me that fate can't be changed. I thought I didn't believe in fate, but in the end, I couldn't avoid it." With every swing of his sword, another corpse guardian fell. The pile of bones around him was nearly impossible to count. "So, I hate you, Hilbert. I hate you for bringing me here."
"Come back, Koeru!" Hilbert desperately tried to get closer, but he could feel his strength fading. He could only keep calling through the headset. "The alchemical bomb is ready. As soon as you come back, we'll detonate it and kill all these monsters!"
"It's too late, Hilbert."
Koeru gasped for breath, his twin blades shattered, standing firm in place, staring at the corpse guardians still pouring in from all directions.
"Besides, one alchemical bomb won't cover such a large area. Many of the corpse guardians will still escape. You should know that, right?"
Hilbert fell silent. He knew Koeru was right.
An alchemical sulfur bomb could kill most of the corpse guardians, but a significant number would survive.
"I'll use the Black Sun to draw all the corpse guardians together," Koeru said flatly. "Only I can do this. You staying here is useless, so hurry and leave."
"Come back, Koeru! Don't you want to see your son and daughter again?!"
Hilbert was almost at his limit, kneeling on the ground. The corpse guardians beside him were opening their mouths to bite, but were hit by a bullet that pierced their skulls.
It was Caesar, providing support from above. Alchemical bullets were fired, pushing back the surrounding corpse guardians, but it was only temporary.
At some point, a large number of Ghost-toothed Dragons surrounded Uesugi Koeru. The dark sea surface shimmered with silver-blue light, as countless small fish leapt from the waves, devouring his body.
But in his dragonbone state, Koeru's bloodline was almost that of a pure dragon, his bones strong enough that even the Ghost-toothed Dragons couldn't bite through them.
"Hilbert, protect this world for me."
Koeru spoke softly, his eyes filled with determination. "Watch carefully, this is the... strongest Black Sun!"
The dark corona of the sun burst forth in a dazzling display, reflecting on the silver-blue sea and among the countless howling corpse guardians.
It was like a black hole, its Schwarzschild radius swallowing light. Slowly rotating at first, like a giant millstone, it suddenly began to accelerate.
The sea was tossed into waves, and the air was filled with a deafening grinding sound. Hundreds of tons of seawater, along with countless monsters, were shattered by the Black Sun's light.
Koeru remained calm, his eyes lowered, like a glowing Buddha from myth.
"Though the world may be against me, I will go forward."
Alone, Koeru stepped into the raging waves, his two large swords spinning like a windmill.
The blades struck the surface of the water, sending waves splashing. The Ghost-toothed Dragons hidden beneath the surface were sucked into the vortex and shredded to pieces, their silver blood mixing with the water.
Occasionally, a corpse guardian or Ghost-toothed Dragon would escape the maelstrom, only to be turned to ash by the Black Sun's intense heat.
With a single slash, the sea was parted.
At this moment, Koeru truly lived up to the title of the strongest hybrid. With the force of his blade's wind, he could split the sea.
Despite being in the water, no seawater touched him within a ten-meter radius; even the incoming water was evaporated or absorbed by the Black Sun.
"Fate? Fate!" Koeru laughed loudly, his voice overpowering the roaring waves.
He drew his last two Tang-style swords, stepping forward through the crashing waves, charging toward the corpse guardians and Ghost-toothed Dragons deeper in the sea for a final, desperate battle!
Behind him was the sea, dyed silver-blue, with countless corpse guardians reduced to ash and bones. No guardian or dragon could come close. His wild laughter echoed clearly over the raging waves, and his golden eyes glowed with the power of molten lava.
Hilbert's eyes sparkled with a glistening light, noticed by Caesar and Chu Zihang beside him. They suddenly realized that even the principal could grow old. He wasn't always carefree.
The roar of a helicopter echoed, signaling the arrival of the rescue team.
"Principal, we should go." Chu Zihang said with difficulty.
More and more corpse guards and ghost-toothed dragons were dragged toward the Black Sun by its powerful gravitational pull, surrounding Uesugi Koeru. The area around him was filled with a dense, swirling black tide, almost hiding his figure.
Hilbert was helped by Caesar, and together with Chu Zihang, they boarded the helicopter, squinting in the fierce wind, looking for old friends under the Black Sun.
Life lasts fifty years, and the past seems like a fleeting dream. Is there anyone in this world who can live forever?
Suddenly, Uesugi Koeru thought of this song, a death poem sung by the Warring States warlord Oda Nobunaga before the Battle of Okehazama. It was supposed to be a farewell poem.
Now, it seemed quite fitting for his identity, as the Shadow Emperor of a generation, who was about to be buried here.
Unfortunately, he hadn't...
Uesugi Koeru seemed to stand at the edge of the sea, plunging two Tang-style swords into the ground, both hands gripping the hilts.
His body slowly turned into a skeleton, with small fish-like snakes wriggling out of him. His human form was rapidly deteriorating, but he still stood tall and unyielding.
At this moment, the refined sulfur bomb exploded!
The elven sulfur bomb detonated precisely. Unlike ordinary bombs that create towering blasts, its flames were mixed with heavy refined sulfur powder.
The explosion's fire was only a few meters high but spread quickly like a crimson tide, clinging to the surface of the Sea Fire artificial island.
Just before his death, Uesugi Koeru's mind suddenly flashed with the image of that black-haired youth.
"Drink it before you die."
Fate seemed truly unchangeable, even though he knew the outcome in advance.
Who exactly was that black-haired boy? What was his goal? And what was this bottle of blood?
Countless questions surged in his mind, but at this moment, he was too weak to think any longer. After all, death was inevitable. Why not use this life to exchange for a glimmer of hope?
Uesugi Koeru struggled to lift his eyelids. With a trembling, skeletal hand that had been gnawed at, he gripped the bottle of thick, pale golden blood serum. He tilted his head back, pressing it against his lips, and forcefully crushed it.
"I've paid the price."
The thick, pale golden blood surged into Uesugi Koeru's mouth. He silently closed his eyes and whispered in a voice only he could hear, "Hope... you won't break your promise."
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