National Guardian's Gone and We're Done

Goto Taiji was completely dumbfounded, so terrified his heart nearly burst and his soul threatened to flee his body.

In the depths of his heart,

Amaterasu was a deity a thousand times more powerful and infinitely more revered than the vast heavens and earth!

She was the spiritual pillar of the White-Red Empire, piously worshipped and revered by generations of its people.

She was like a brilliant sun hanging high in the ninth heaven, one that would never fall, forever illuminating all of creation.

So sacred, she was beyond the slightest blasphemy or violation.

But now, reality had struck him like a resounding slap across the face.

Before that Chu He, Amaterasu was as fragile as an ant, unable to withstand even two of his moves.

The brilliant, dazzling golden light that surrounded her, once capable of dispelling all the world’s darkness,

now seemed to have been mercilessly torn asunder and scattered by a sudden, violent squall,

vanishing without a trace in the blink of an eye,

leaving behind nothing but a deathly gloom.

Her feathered robe, a symbol of her supreme status, embroidered with mysterious Runes and exquisite patterns,

was now in complete disarray. Its fine silk threads were snapped and broken,

the intricate and magnificent embroidery was torn to shreds, and its hem drooped limply,

covered in dust and glaring bloodstains. She was a wretched sight, utterly devoid of her former divine majesty.

Ordinarily, with a mere lift of her hand, Amaterasu could command the elements, control life and death, and receive the adoration and worship of millions.

Her majestic figure was seared into the heart of every citizen of the White-Red Empire.

But now, she lay paralyzed on the cold, hard ground like an injured, dying stray dog, whimpering helplessly.

She was curled into a ball of agony, her hands clamped to her chest like vices,

as glaringly red blood gushed uncontrollably from the corners of her mouth.

Goto Taiji’s eyes bulged like saucers as he stared, transfixed, at the nightmarish scene before him.

A deafening BOOM echoed in his mind.

It felt as if the heavens were collapsing and the earth was splitting apart; his entire world had caved in.

The supreme, rock-solid faith in his heart instantly disintegrated, shattering into countless pieces,

left to be scattered by the ruthless winds of despair.

His body began to tremble uncontrollably. He muttered in a dry, hoarse voice, ”Could it be... Could this Chu He be so monstrously powerful? If even Deities can’t stop him, then... then isn’t our entire White-Red Empire next to suffer?”

At this thought, Goto Taiji’s vision went black. Despair washed over him like a tidal wave, drowning him completely and shrouding his entire being in shadow.

He had been kneeling piously and properly, but his legs instantly turned to jelly.

THUD. He collapsed, plopping right onto the ground. Beads of cold sweat, large as soybeans, rolled profusely down his forehead and cheeks, drenching his clothes in an instant and leaving his back ice-cold.

As for the family—Zheng Bolan, Zheng Xuezhen, Zheng Qifeng, and Xiang Xiufang—

they were all so shocked their jaws nearly hit the floor. The looks of astonishment on their faces were frozen in place,

solidifying into bizarre masks as their eyes, wide and round enough to pop from their sockets, remained fixed on Chu He.

Chu He stood there quietly. There was no dazzling, ostentatious aura flashing around him to display his status as a powerful expert,

none of the brilliant radiance common to peerless masters that could illuminate the night sky.

However, the aura he emanated was like a tangible superstorm—

a surging, overwhelming force that suffocated everyone around him,

completely eclipsing Amaterasu’s insufferable arrogance and utterly shrouding her light.

With just two seemingly casual movements,

the great Amaterasu—who had been radiating sheer dominance from the moment she appeared, her every move displaying world-destroying power—

was beaten black and blue, left lying in a bloody heap on the ground like a pile of sludge, completely powerless to retaliate.

The family clearly saw Amaterasu struggle futilely on the ground several times,

her fingers clawing into the dirt,

vainly attempting to use her last ounce of strength to get back on her feet.

But her legs were as heavy as lead, limp and powerless.

Each attempt only brought on more violent tremors, and it was clear her body would not obey her will. In despair, she finally gave up.

Zheng Bolan’s scalp tingled with lingering fear. ’I must have been out of my mind,’ he thought.

’To think I actually tried to hit on Chu He’s woman. If that’s not courting death, what is?’

Thinking back on it now, he felt as if a cold, slimy viper was slithering up his spine,

sending a chill all the way to his scalp and covering his body in goosebumps.

He was secretly grateful. ’Thank goodness Lord Chu He is magnanimous and didn’t stoop to my level.’

’If it had been one of those other arrogant, prideful bigwigs,’

’the kind who seeks revenge for the slightest offense, a transgression like that would have earned me a slap that turned me to dust,’

’I would have vanished from this world completely, reduced to nothing but motes of dust, without even a complete corpse left behind.’

Zheng Xuezhen, meanwhile, was beet-red with embarrassment, wishing she could find a crack in the ground to crawl into.

She remembered how, back on the streets of Chiyoda City, she had been completely clueless,

and had even sharply reprimanded Chu He.

Now, knowing he was actually the number one expert on Blue Star, the National Guardian War God of the Great Xia Empire, she was overcome with endless regret.

She felt a wave of dizziness wash over her. Her mind went blank, leaving nothing but boundless remorse and self-reproach.