Solar Blood Masters (153)

Chapter 153 - Painted Damage

From the depths of the Manga Globe…

Lord Lingshi stumbled out, covered in blood! Deep gashes marred his shell, and his bamboo grove was a mangled mess.

At first, everyone thought Lingshi had killed Gastaroid.

Raphael’s heart sank, ‘Where’s Gastaroid?’

“That damn Bull Mountain Demon! He managed to overpower my ‘Absolute World Dominion’… He truly is a freak of nature,” Lingshi coughed blood. “However… I’ve won this round.”

He grinned sinisterly. He then commanded the Manga Globe to move. “Out of bounds!”

The globe, still radiating a chaotic mix of energies, floated towards the edge of the stage.

Just as it reached the boundary…

BOOM!

It shattered!

And Gastaroid burst forth, roaring in triumph!

“Muwahahaha! Finally FREE! Now I’LL show you what TRUE power is, turtle! I’m going to rip your pathetic shell apart and use it as a TOILET BOWL!”

He saw the smirk on Lingshi’s face.

And then…

He looked down.

His jaw dropped.

He was hovering… out of bounds!

“WHAT?! No…!”

“Gastaroid has been eliminated!” Muburt’s announcement had the crowd erupting.

“He’s OUT?!”

“That turtle… he TRICKED him!”

“What a coward!”

“Brilliant strategy!”

Gastaroid’s fury knew no bounds. He’d been outsmarted! Humiliated!

“BASTARD!” He roared and rushed back towards the stage, eager to wipe that smug grin from Lingshi's face.

But Lala Zhen materialized before him, and his massive mandibles clicked menacingly.

BAM!

He slammed Gastaroid backwards with an casual, yet powerful motion that even the Bull Mountain Demon couldn’t withstand. Gastaroid was sent flying back towards the Black Wind platform.

“Should you violate the rules again, Bull Mountain Demon, I will execute you on the spot. Is that clear?” Lala Zhen glared at Gastaroid, daring him to challenge his authority.

Reluctantly, Gastaroid calmed his rage. He glared at Lingshi with an intensity that could melt even the coldest ice. “This isn’t over, turtle! One day… I WILL have my revenge!”

Raphael was stunned.

“Gastaroid… is eliminated?” He couldn’t believe it.

“How… can this be, Big Brother…?” Lu Jade trembled. Their strongest teammate was gone.

Lu Ruby, seeing their despair, began laughing mockingly. “Fuhuhuhahaha! What’s wrong, losers? Did you truly think you could win without your meat shield? Now you’re going to meet the same fate as Gastaroid! Prepare to DIE!”

She coughed, blood trickled down her chin, then she began slithering toward Lingshi.

“Shut up, you!” Raphael glared at her, then blasted her with ‘Helios Stream’. She screamed in pain as she was sent flying towards the edge of the stage and landed heavily. She lay there in a broken mess.

Lu Ignis fury ignited, “Lingshi! KILL that bull! NOW! Don’t even give him a chance to yield!”

Feeling pressured, Lingshi nodded. His gaze hardened as he turned towards Raphael. “Sorry, little bull. You had potential, but I have to erase you, right now. Emperor’s orders.”

He summoned his ‘World Canvas’. The Lucid Dream paintbrush materialized in his hand.

Raphael panicked. This was bad! Very bad! He tossed Thienika, Lu Jade, and Qi Fenwei aside.

“Get back! NOW!”

He then charged Lingshi.

“I can’t let him paint me out of existence! I have to destroy that canvas before he can STROKE!”

He activated ‘Shadow Teleportation’ to close the distance, those hooves hitting the air frantically as he moved to intercept, but Lingshi was faster. He dipped ‘Lucid Dream’ into a pool of white ink.

“Nihilistic Stroke!”

He swiped the brush across Raphael’s painted figure on his canvas.

And Raphael vanished!

Lu Ignis laughed triumphantly. “YES! That bull… he’s FINALLY gone! Hahaha!”

Lu Jade screamed in agony, “Big Brother!”

“Huh!” Thienika's grip tightened on her staff and it snapped!

Qi Fenwei drew Archon. She stood defiant and prepared to fight to the last breath

Lu Ruby whose body was still aching from Qi Fenwei’s attack, laughed mockingly.

“What are you going to do, bird? Fight me? Fight Lord Lingshi? You’re both WEAK! Pathetic! You should just… give up. Save yourselves the humiliation.” She coughed, blood splattered the ground, and she slithered over to Lingshi.

“Princess?”

Lingshi noticed Lu Ruby’s wounds. He extended a hand, “Here, let me patch you up.”

His ‘World Canvas’ shifted, depicting Lu Ruby’s injuries. He began painting, erasing the wounds one by one. Her mangled flesh mended. Her broken bones reconnected. Her scales glistened with a healthy, crimson glow.

But…

The scar across her face remained.

Her left eye was still gone. The socket, a hollow void.

“What…?!” Both Lingshi and Lu Ruby stared at the canvas in disbelief. His ‘Nihilistic Strokes’… they couldn't heal the scar?

Lu Ruby turned to Qi Fenwei. Her remaining eye blazed with fury.

“You! Damn BIRD! This is YOUR FAULT! You and that CRESCENT… thing…!”

She began to sob uncontrollably.

“Master Lingshi… Please… fix my face! I haven’t been MARRIED yet! No suitor would want a bride so… so… UGLY!”

Tears came rushing and mingling with the blood still oozing from her empty eye socket.

Lingshi reassured her, “Don’t worry, Princess Ruby. I’ll try my best. After we win the Great Divine Tribulation.”

He patted her gently. Yet her cries were still audible.

“Hmmm… now then…”

Lingshi dipped his brush into a pool of green ink that radiated vitality and with a swift, decisive stroke across his painted form, erased the wounds marring his shell. In reality, the deep gashes vanished, his bamboo grove revitalized, its leaves rustling softly in the arena’s artificial breeze. He was fully healed. His ancient eyes had renewed their luster.

He turned his gaze towards Qi Fenwei and the others. He addressed her with a calm authority, “Princess Qi Fenwei… Since you are Emperor Qi Hawk’s daughter, I am willing to let you off easy. Yield, or disqualify yourself. The choice is yours.”

“Don’t listen to HIM!” Lu Ruby hissed in fury. “KILL her, Master Lingshi! Erase her from existence! Along with that pathetic brother of mine and that withered old tree! They deserve to DIE!” Her words were like venomous whispers, fueling Lingshi's resolve.

However, Qi Fenwei remained defiant. She stabbed Archon into the ground and used it as a support. Her body was still weakened from the earlier battle. She glared at Lingshi and spoke in a tone as sharp as her blades, “I will NOT yield.”

“Well said.” Thienika stood beside Qi Fenwei. She placed a reassuring hand on the princess’s shoulder as a silent acknowledgment of their shared defiance. She was about to unleash her full might upon Lingshi, to avenge her grandson’s supposed demise, when…

BOOM!

A colossal explosion rocked the arena. Three Bull Demon Pillars, radiating an infernal glow, materialized where Raphael had vanished. They spun rapidly, creating a vortex of chaotic energy.

Gastaroid’s eyes widened. “Those pillars… They’re MINE!”

Within the heart of the vortex, Raphael’s form began to materialize. The pillars shrunk, converging towards his face, and with a soft click, transformed back into a nose ring. He stood there, fully restored, his golden hide glowed, and his blood-red eyes blazed with renewed vigor.

The crowd erupted.

“The bull! He’s back!”

“How…?”

“He was erased! I saw it!”

“Those pillars! They’re Gastaroid’s! What’s going on?!”

…

On the Emperor’s platform, a wave of shock and disbelief washed over them.

Lu Ignis’s jaw dropped. “That… That’s impossible! He was erased! How…?”

Silk Yune’s icy gaze narrowed. “Those pillars… They defied Lingshi’s ‘Nihilistic Stroke’? But how?”

Even Anakin Vader seemed, “Intriguing.”

“Boboboboho!” Julian Ringtail burst out laughing. “That bull! He’s full of surprises! This is getting better and better!”

Qi Hawk, however, remained impassive. Yet, within his heart, a flicker of pride had his feathers rustling.

…

“How… is that possible?” Lingshi stared at Raphael, dumbfounded. “Those pillars… they were Gastaroid’s, weren’t they? When did that bull get them?”

He glanced at Gastaroid, who simply glared back with a smug snort, as if to say, “Screw you!”

Lu Ruby’s single eye widened in shock. “That bull… He’s still alive? But… Master Lingshi… didn’t you erase him from existence?”

“Hmph, it doesn’t matter if I can’t erase him. That bull’s fate is sealed.” With a swift stroke, Lingshi painted a black ‘X’ across Raphael’s figure on his canvas.

“Inkblade Stroke!”

A wave of dark energy materialized above Raphael, poised to slice him in four pieces.

But…

Thienika was faster.

“Royal Guard!”

BOOM!

Her renewed staff slammed against the air and an invisible force rippled outward that froze the ‘Inkblade Stroke’ in mid-air.

Raphael didn’t hesitate. He dashed towards Lingshi while yelling,

“Sapphire Spring Dragon - ARISE!”

And the ground beneath Lingshi transformed! The earth crumbled, revealing a swirling spring of blue blood. From its depths, a silver fin emerged.

And then…

BOOM!

The Sapphire Spring Blood Dragon burst forth! It coiled around Lingshi’s massive form.

“Hmmm, a dragon?” Lingshi was startled. But only for a split second. He calmly dipped his brush into a pool of white ink.

"Nihilistic Stroke!" With a swift motion, he erased the dragon from his canvas.

And the dragon vanished from reality.

“Pathetic. Did you truly think that flimsy worm could defeat me, bull? You’re a fool.” He scoffed.

But as he spoke, a shadow loomed over him. He looked up.

Raphael was descending from the sky with the Heavenly Sky Hammer gripped tightly in his hands. Rai Shen Long coiled around its shaft, crackling with golden lightning.

“Hyunda Smash!”

This wasn't simply a smash.

Raphael had infused the hammer with ‘Gold Press’, amplifying its gravitational force, and ‘Midas Touch’, ready to turn his opponent into a golden statue.

He moved with a speed that defied logic, a speed Lingshi couldn’t even capture on his canvas.

“Damn!”

Before Lingshi could react…

BOOM!

The hammer slammed into the platform where he’d been moments before! The impact was devastating. The stage cracked, sending a monstrous shockwave that threw Lu Ruby backwards, forcing her to shield her one good eye, before collapsing into a heap of scales.

“Big Brother! BEHIND you!” Lu Jade’s warning had Raphael whirling around just as Lingshi materialized above.

Lingshi’s canvas shifted, depicting the ‘Heavenly Sky Hammer’. With a swift stroke of white ink, he erased the hammer. Then, he painted a series of black chains around Raphael's limbs. They materialized instantly, binding him.

Next, he drew 57 bamboo spears, each tipped with a razor-sharp point, aimed at Raphael’s heart, and then he sent them raining down.

Raphael glared up at the descending spear-rain.

“Abyss Nylon!”

From his wings, a torrent of crimson-black threads laced with blue streaks exploded upwards. They wrapped around the spears, deflecting their deadly trajectory.

“Nihilistic Stroke!”

Lingshi tried to erase the Abyss Nylon, but it was useless, for those threads, were as much part of Raphael’s being as those stolen essences within, a truth he couldn’t comprehend, not yet.

“How… troublesome. Those damn Bull Demon Pillars… Even though I defeated Gastaroid, I still have to face a part of him in this battle.”

“GRAAAH! You can HAVE these BACK!”

Raphael shouted and with a powerful heave, flung the Abyss Nylon-wrapped spears back at Lingshi. While soaring above, his hooves had barely grazed the ground, and his intention wasn’t simply to injure. No, he was buying time, for he couldn't allow Lingshi to set his sights on his companions and use ‘Nihilistic Stroke’ to erase them.

“You think too highly of yourself, bull. Even though I can't erase you, I can still paint your… damage.”

Lingshi captured Raphael’s image on his World Canvas. He painted a series of swords, each one piercing Raphael’s body at various points. And like magic, Raphael coughed blood as those wounds materialized. He collapsed with swords protruding from his chest, his back, his legs. He was bleeding profusely.

“Grandson!” Thienika rushed towards him but her powers were useless. She couldn't redirect or negate those wounds. All she could do was help remove the swords.

“Grandma, DON’T! Stay away from me. It’s ME he wants.”

“Are you worried about him erasing me? Don’t worry, he CAN’T.”

“Really? But… how?” Raphael was baffled.

Lingshi paused mid-stroke. “That woman… I can’t erase her? Hmmm…” He decided to test it out. He began painting Thienika’s form, but his brush faltered. It couldn't capture her essence. It was as if she were… immune to his art.

Sensing Lingshi’s intent, Raphael quickly shifted and positioned Thienika behind him. And in doing so, he discovered something about Lingshi's ability.

A small Shadow Bat, hovering above Lingshi unnoticed, observed the World Canvas. Its vision was linked to Raphael’s. And what it saw, shocked Raphael. Only his figure, and the background scenery were depicted on the canvas. Thienika, hidden behind him, was out of view.

‘So his canvas has a limited perspective? He can only paint over, or alter what is captured by his canvas. He can’t snap an image of me and use it as a future reference to paint my demise. No, he can only paint in real time. Which means…’ A sinister grin spread across Raphael’s muzzle. ‘…I can use this to my advantage.’

“Shadow Bats, roll OUT!” His voice boomed deeper than Optimus Prime’s.

Hundreds of Shadow Bats erupted from his wings, surrounding Lingshi like a dark cloud. They swarmed his canvas, obscuring him from view.

“Grandma, stick close to me, together we can defeat him.” Raphael then vanished into the shadow swarm.

“Damn these bats! Such a nuisance!”

Lingshi tried to erase the bats from his canvas, but they kept reappearing, each one a part of Raphael's essence. His canvas was now populated by blackness; he couldn't accurately pinpoint Raphael.

He began making random strokes with red ink. Slashes materialized, cutting through the bats.

SLASH! SLASH! SLASH!

“Oh my GOD! So many slashes!” Lu Jade screamed while coiling himself around Qi Fenwei.

“Get OFF me, snake!” She shoved him aside and glared upwards. But during her momentary distraction…

WHAM!

Lu Ruby attacked!

“You… BITCH! You’re going to pay for DESTROYING my EYE!”

Lu Ruby’s tail slammed into Qi Fenwei’s side.

“ARGH!” She stumbled.

Lu Ruby pressed her advantage. She unleashed a flurry of blows, each one aimed at Qi Fenwei’s head.

But…

“Limiter… OFF!”

Lu Jade expanded to his massive form.

He scooped up Qi Fenwei with his tail, then summoned his ‘Willowing Hands’. They grasped Lu Ruby and slammed her face-first into the ground.

BOOM!

Simultaneously, he fired a Solar Beam from his Jade Sun Cycle, blasting Lu Ruby closer to the edge of the stage.

“You are WEAK, sister!”

His words, laced with an anger she hadn’t heard before, enraged Lu Ruby.

“You…! Calling me weak?!” She glared at Lu Jade, a mere Saint Ruler. She was about to unleash her wrath, when she noticed Qi Fenwei standing upon Lu Jade’s head.

Qi Fenwei grinned. Those feathers were still ruffled from Lu Ruby’s earlier thrashing, but her Solar Essence surged.

She then drew an arc in the air with Lullaby.

Dozens of Lullaby duplicates materialized.

And with a swift flick of her wrist…

…she sent them raining down on Lu Ruby!

“Whisper – Thousandth Blinding Flash!”

WHOOSH! WHOOSH! WHOOSH!

Lu Ruby hissed and slithered frantically while twisting and turning her body to avoid the incoming barrage. The platform beneath her was peppered with holes. She didn’t know how much longer she could evade for.

“Damn you, QI FENWEI!”