Chapter 304: The Super-Spatial Fortress

July 1999.

22:15.

On this day, every person on Earth saw that “thing” in the sky.

…

Above the Pacific.

Rei of the Nanto Suichō Ken,

looked over his shoulder—

There were countless people, countless fist warriors.

The people of Nanto, without realizing it, had been drawn to a certain man, drawn by the possibilities within him, gathering unconsciously from every corner of the world, finally following the youngest heir of the Hokuto lineage, named Ken Shi Lang, as they embraced the destiny bestowed upon them by heaven and burned their lives—

“Martyr,” “Righteousness,” “Benevolence,” “Demon,” “Emperor.”

They arrived here, and on this night willingly offered all their strength; the earth, sky, and stars trembled violently because of their courage.

Yet even they, under such a catastrophe, were merely ordinary mortals, willingly welcoming death.

The crystal prism fell,

the world lost its color.

But even if some things could never be achieved, they would never close their eyes until the end—that was the courage to protect.

Before all plunged into darkness and death, at the final moment, the four heirs of Hokuto, like lightning slicing through a dark world, shattered the hopeless future.

Awe, shock, trembling, emotion…

All who witnessed the battle—the fist warriors with exceptional dynamic vision—felt profound admiration for those four men; their powerful stances were like radiant stars descending from heaven, and no one in this century could resist such beauty…

Laughter, cries, survivors shuddered as they watched the heirs of Hokuto Shinken descend from the sky.

When they were about to celebrate the saviors’ victory with wild jubilation—

every thought, every word, halted in an instant; blinding light descended upon the earth.

The next second, Rei lifted his head.

Not just him—all the fist warriors now gazed upward, hearts pounding, eyes straining.

For deep within the infinite heavens, the sky suddenly shattered like a mirror, accompanied by a man’s wild laughter and rolling thunder from the distant horizon, a colossal city rose, piercing heaven and earth.

Like a phantom bursting from another dimension, a floating city filled the entire field of vision, emerging from nothingness; hurricane-force winds tore across the sea, raising super tsunamis dozens of meters high.

It was a supermassive alchemical device, as if it had shattered the sky itself.

—Original World Destruction Device

—“Tifoj Shato”!

Crossed worlds to arrive!

In 199x, humanity had forgotten what love was—

—But this day would come, as they marched upon nuclear flames!! Fighting to the very end!

All that remained was to call out love, to make everyone remember this innate, strongest emotion!

“Shi, music!”

Jia Ji snapped his fingers. How could he call for love at the center of the world without a stage worthy of their performance?

Not the Tokyo Dome, not the Budokan, not any other venue—this debut battle, perhaps their final aria, demanded a stage befitting them.

He smiled at his brothers, their faces filled with astonishment, “I didn’t come back this late on purpose!”

“World-Class Stage Device—‘Chao Shikong Yaosai,’ deploy!”

The city Carol called Tifoj Shato would bear a different name under his command.

To reach every soul on this planet during this communication blackout, what else could possibly carry the “Song of Annihilation” except Tifoj Shato?

As for how he managed to snap his fingers and transport an alchemical device from another world, another dimension, to this place—that requires mentioning one person—

“Master!”

A girl’s clear voice called from afar.

Her face, adorable as a small animal, beamed with inner joy; her eyes shone with unwavering light, her light brown tousled short hair fluttered, and a long red pendant at her chest radiated immense power…

—“Warrior Princess·Lihua Xiang”!

A slender girl clad in white-gold battle armor, her shoulders bearing a stage as massive as a mountain, flew toward them at hundreds to thousands of meters per second from the distant horizon.

The disparity in scale was like an ant carrying a million-ton skyscraper.

Merely by moving, the air turned into raging waves; the trail she left behind stretched across the endless sea like a long, pale dragon—mirroring Moses’ parting of the sea.

All the fist warriors stood dumbfounded, utterly unable to comprehend the situation; the shock defied description.

Why had a floating city suddenly appeared?

Why was someone carrying this colossal city through the sky?

Why… was it a girl clad in battle armor?

One glance told them: this thing, this girl, did not belong to this world.

The colossal city, capable of dimming heaven and earth, moved visibly from the distant sky toward them; strangely, the accompanying tsunamis and hurricanes, which should have ravaged everything and caused countless deaths,

faced “Hokuto.”

The closer they drew to the brothers, the weaker the “natural disasters” became, until, mere steps from the four brothers’ feet, they vanished entirely, leaving only faint ripples.

“Well done!”

Jia Ji beamed as he saw Xiang arrive.

The energetic girl swung her arms, hurling the magnificent city above her head, then blushed shyly; her gaze fell upon the three towering, powerfully built men beside Jia Ji—each distinct in style, all immensely strong—and, as if realizing, she bowed politely to them.

“Uncle Rao, Uncle Tuoqi, Uncle Ken Shi Lang—hello! I’m Lihua Xiang, please guide me!”

The mountain-like fortress floated silently above her head, seemingly unaffected by normal gravity.

The girl, seemingly thirteen or fourteen, with a slightly foolish charm, scratched the back of her head, her expression expectant—every gesture felt strangely familiar.

Rao’s expression remained unchanged; Ken Shi Lang, barely an adult, was suddenly called “Uncle,” and his stoic face broke into a subtle smile as he reached out to pat the girl’s head.

Tuoqi glanced at his younger brother, wondering what he had done these past years.

“Ahem!”

Jia Ji cleared his throat, then scratched the back of his own head—exactly like Lihua Xiang.

“Didn’t I say? Our world can now receive people from other dimensions!”

(End of Chapter)