Chapter 84: Dimensional Descent

The monk was not surprised. He simply smiled at himself in resignation. “So that’s how it is. I thought I had performed my part well, but there’s always someone better out there. Who would have thought I’d be seen through so clearly?”

Back when he fought Takeda Tetsu and his companions on the ship, Xiao Kaitian’s divine sense had already sensed someone watching. His spiritual source couldn’t extend very far; he was aware but couldn’t pinpoint the monk’s presence.

Even so, he had caught a trace of the man’s aura. So when the monk appeared, Xiao Kaitian recognized him at once.

“Truly a troublesome opponent,” the monk sighed. “Allow me to introduce myself. I am Mifune Fui, onmyoji of the Medicine King Temple at Mount Takao. A pleasure to meet you.”

“An onmyoji? Not a martial practitioner?” Xiao Kaitian kept his hands in his pockets, scrutinizing Mifune Fui. The fluctuations around this man were powerful—his strength was by no means low.

“There are myriad paths in martial arts, just as in your country—countless techniques and supernatural powers. By the time one reaches our level, there’s little sense in drawing lines between ‘martial’ and ‘non-martial’,” Mifune Fui pressed his palms together in a gesture of devotion, explaining earnestly.

Xiao Kaitian found this amusing. Humanity was a curious thing; people could always justify their actions to themselves. Lighting a cigarette, he asked, “So, what brings you here today? Are you here to kill me?”

Mifune Fui shook his head. “Not to kill you. But for the sake of my path.”

“You destroyed Rokuyo, didn’t you?” Mifune Fui’s face was serene, his eyes lowered in contemplation. “Rokuyo was an entity I left in the mortal world. You destroyed it, and my heart cannot find peace.”

So he’d come for Rokuyo. Xiao Kaitian had nearly forgotten about that minor organization. He replied, “Rokuyo was an assassin group. They came after me first. I destroyed them—so what?”

“That’s not quite right,” Mifune Fui objected. “Martial arts come in many forms. Rokuyo were bounty hunters, not assassins. They are recognized by the world’s governments and cannot simply be erased.”

What nonsense! Xiao Kaitian cursed inwardly. Why should Rokuyo have the right to kill him, but he wasn’t allowed to strike back? He was astonished at the man’s shamelessness. “And that’s your reason?”

“You are not of the martial world, and yet you possess martial power. That makes you an anomaly. Heaven and earth have permitted your existence, so in the same way, bounty hunters and martial artists have their own place in the order,” Mifune Fui continued, confident in his own conviction. To him, Xiao Kaitian was a martial ‘aberration’ who could never comprehend the meaning of martial existence. “Thus, whether bounty hunter or martial practitioner, their existence is also inevitable.”

Xiao Kaitian lost all desire for conversation.

“You do not understand why we martial artists exist, why our governments recognize us, or what our purpose is,” Mifune Fui finally lifted his gaze to meet Xiao Kaitian’s eyes. “What you have done will ultimately not be tolerated by the martial path.”

“My heart tells me that anomalies like you must be removed.”

So after all that talk, it still came down to a fight. Xiao Kaitian sighed. He detested opponents who spouted philosophy and wouldn’t get to the point. He flicked away his cigarette and crushed it underfoot. “With all due respect, your so-called conviction is not worth discussing.”

“Oh? And why is that?”

“Possession of power and the responsibility that comes with it is not a license for your wanton actions,” Xiao Kaitian replied with a smile, cracking his knuckles until they popped. “You think you follow the way of heaven, but your convictions already violate the fundamental laws of the universe.”

“What?” Mifune Fui’s expression changed slightly. Xiao Kaitian’s words shook the very foundation of his beliefs. He drew out his ritual cone and assumed a stance. “You’re just twisting logic to suit yourself!”

Xiao Kaitian’s face grew serious as well. This man’s combat strength reached 384, and as an onmyoji, he was not an opponent who could be defeated by brute force alone.

Mifune Fui’s ritual cone began to spin in midair before his chest, ripples of magical energy radiating outward. With a flick of his hands, two slips of paper flew forth and instantly transformed into a pair of fiery phoenixes, manifesting in the little garden.

“This is my onmyoji art—Flame Phoenix Shikigami. Allow me to warn you, these are genuine fire techniques, flames infused with magical power. Once ignited, not even modern fire extinguishers can put them out.”

“Xiao Kaitian, your code of ethics sounds reasonable, but your reasoning is merely your own delusion.”

“The world’s existence still depends on the inherent laws of heaven. You think you can transcend them? Absurd!”

“If we fight here, this entire complex will be destroyed. Is that the path your sense of justice has chosen?”

A proud smile crept across Mifune Fui’s lips.

He had a point, Xiao Kaitian admitted inwardly. He had no desire to unleash a battle in this residential complex, knowing the devastation it would bring. He felt confident he could win, but as his opponent said, the collateral damage would be too great.

He came from the Central Axis Universe, a world where every species deserved to exist and hope for survival.

He didn’t know the people living here, but he had both a responsibility and an obligation to protect them—not, as Mifune Fui claimed, to place his own convictions or pursuit of enlightenment above all else.

He closed his eyes and took a slow step forward.

“World analysis, begin!”

Instantly, a black sphere expanded from his center, several meters in diameter, engulfing Mifune Fui, whose face was frozen in terror.

Within Xiao Kaitian’s vision, everything inside the sphere dissolved into data.

“Dimensional energy extraction!”

Within the black sphere, countless patterns and symbols flashed by. As Xiao Kaitian uttered the phrase, beams of light were forcibly drawn from Mifune Fui and the two fiery phoenixes beside him, streaming toward Xiao Kaitian.

As the energy was extracted, Mifune Fui’s presence in time and space began to distort, his body growing increasingly insubstantial and faint.

“Dimensional support collapse!”

With a crackling burst, intense arcs of lightning filled the inside of the black sphere. Xiao Kaitian stood at the center, like a master conductor orchestrating the crescendo of his symphony.

At last, the sphere shattered into fragments, and Mifune Fui’s form was stretched and seared like a brand onto the wall of the opposite villa, leaving behind a two-dimensional image.

Without dimensional support, the image could not last long. Mifune Fui’s terrified expression lingered for a moment, then faded away.

Xiao Kaitian took out a red Marlboro, snapped his lighter, and exhaled a stream of smoke. “To die by my ‘dimensional reduction’—you’re the first. Consider yourself honored.”