"What? Life?"

The crowd erupted upon hearing the last two words from Shrine Priestess Mizukawa!

"Mizukawa-sama, what do you mean? What do you mean by offering our lives?"

"Mizukawa-sama, you must be joking..."

A clamor arose from the crowd.

Shrine Priestess Mizukawa said nothing, only narrowed her alluring eyes and smiled at them.

The noise from the crowd lessened, until it disappeared completely.

And a terrifying sense of crisis spread among them.

"Run!"

Someone finally shouted.

Then the crowd completely broke, scattering in all directions!

Believing in you, providing for you, that was no problem... but wanting our lives, that was going too far!

"Hehe, as expected, selfish and cunning humans will only revere a god when it protects and blesses them, isn't that right?"

"Now that the great god merely wants your lives, you can't accept it?"

Shrine Priestess Mizukawa said softly.

"Damn it, easy for you to say! What's the point of believing in anything if I'm dead? I don't have time for your nonsense, get out of my way!"

A man, hearing her words, rudely pushed Shrine Priestess Mizukawa aside and strode away.

She wasn't angry; after all, who would be angry at a dying person?

"Foolish humans, you don't actually think you can escape, do you? Hehehe..."

In the chaos, no one paid attention to Shrine Priestess Mizukawa's maniacal laughter.

"Whoo--"

The sound of a train whistle echoed in the air once again.

Chen Xiao was speechless. Why did the sound change back again?

Of course, the sound wasn't the important thing.

The important thing was that, after its cry, Inu-shougu Dai-禦神 (Great Divine General Dog) opened its bloody maw.

A gust of wind swept over the ground, blowing all the Japanese people into the sky.

Then, like dumplings being dropped into boiling water, they plunged into the Great Divine General Dog's body.

*Crack—*

It bit down, blood splattering, limbs flying.

It tilted its head back and swallowed.

With just one bite, dozens of lives were lost in its maw!

The Great Divine General Dog feasted, enjoying itself immensely, the blood staining its jaws crimson.

And this was Shrine Priestess Mizukawa's purpose for gathering these Japanese people here.

Cannon fodder?

No, they didn't even qualify as cannon fodder!

They were just dog food.

The Great Divine General Dog devoured thousands of Japanese people with the speed and ferocity of a storm.

With the sacrifice complete, the Great Divine General Dog licked its lips contentedly.

"Whoo--"

Roaring towards the heavens, the Great Divine General Dog evolved once again.

The fur on its body turned a deeper black-purple, crackling with dazzling arcs of lightning!

A smug smile appeared on Shrine Priestess Mizukawa's face. "As expected of the Great Divine General Dog in its complete form, truly terrifying!"

In her opinion, the battle was already over.

The aura of the Great Divine General Dog completely overwhelmed Chen Xiao!

Within that chaotic aura, Chen Xiao was like a lone boat in a raging storm, tossed about by the wind and waves!

"Pig from China, you dare to offend this deity, unforgivable!"

The Great Divine General Dog glared fiercely at Chen Xiao and licked its lips.

Clearly, in its eyes, Chen Xiao was also a delicious treat!

"Hmm, not bad, its power has increased more than a hundredfold in just a few minutes. It actually has some potential!"

Chen Xiao said with a smile, acting like a seasoned critic.

"Hmph, you shouldn't have given me so much time. Now that I have reached my complete form, killing you will be as easy as crushing an ant. You have no chance left!"

The Great Divine General Dog's voice was filled with arrogance.

With the situation settled, it was no longer in a hurry to attack.

It wanted Chen Xiao to taste fear and regret before tearing him apart!

As it turned out, it was mistaken.

Fear? Regret? Those didn't exist!

"Hehe, do you know why I gave you so much time?"

Chen Xiao suddenly asked with a smile.

"Why else? Because you are a foolish and ignorant human, completely unaware of how powerful I would become!"

Hearing the dog's words, Chen Xiao burst out laughing.

"Powerful? You think this is powerful?"

"Fine, today I will show you what true power is!"

As his voice fell, Chen Xiao unleashed his full power!

That earth-shattering aura instantly soared into the sky, reaching the clouds!

His aura filled the space between heaven and earth.

Compared to him, the Great Divine General Dog was nothing more than a firefly!

"How dare the light of a firefly compete with the brilliance of the sun!"

Although the Great Divine General Dog's strength had increased a hundredfold, going from one to one hundred was still just one hundred.

But Chen Xiao was at least ten thousand!

"What? This is impossible! How can you, a mere human, be so powerful?"

The Great Divine General Dog said in disbelief.

Shrine Priestess Mizukawa, on the ground, also revealed a look of disbelief.

Her assessment of Chen Xiao's strength was based on his battle with Kōgentera.

But she didn't know that Chen Xiao had suppressed his strength to an extremely low level during that fight.

The reason was simple: if Chen Xiao unleashed his full power, the destructive force would be too great.

He only wanted to kill people, not harm the innocent, like the flowers and plants on the ground.

"Stupid dog, let me show you my true strength!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Chen Xiao regretted it.

Referring to himself as "Your daddy" in front of a dog was, from a biological point of view, somewhat like cursing himself!

Never mind the details. The Yitian Sword in Chen Xiao's hand trembled uncontrollably, emitting a buzzing sound!

That was the Yitian Sword's own battle intent, not something Chen Xiao had forced upon it!

"Stupid dog, prepare to die!"

Chen Xiao became one with his sword and unleashed a strike!

A soaring sword Qi (energy), like a shooting star, pierced through the Great Divine General Dog's body.

"Whoo--"

The sound of a train whistle rang out again.

But this time, it was mixed with many painful tones.

Bang--BOOM!!!

The Great Divine General Dog's body exploded instantly!

Flames blazed, reflecting off the dark clouds, making it seem as if the sky had been set ablaze!

The poor Great Divine General Dog had finally transformed into its complete form.

But it only lasted for three seconds before being killed by Chen Xiao in a single move!

After the flames dissipated, the dark clouds in the sky also scattered.

Blinding sunlight once again shone upon the earth.

The demonic aura that had surrounded the Kitahama Shrine had completely disappeared.

Just then, Chen Xiao suddenly noticed a point of light floating in the sky.

And that location was exactly where the dog had been killed.

Chen Xiao flapped his wings and flew towards the light.

The source of the light was a bead the size of a baby's fist.

The bead wasn't round or even a regular shape.

But it shone brightly, emitting a holy light.

Chen Xiao's eyes narrowed slightly. "This is... a relic?"