Holding the bow in his left hand, Bai Luo did not draw an arrow with his right.
Watching the Divine Kamujima Cannons' muzzles glow once more, he raised his right hand and gently extended it.
Crimson light coiled together, ultimately forming a bizarrely shaped longsword. The sword exuded an ancient aura, its blade twisted like a drill in a spiral.
Pale red lightning crackled around the blade as Bai Luo lifted it and nocked it onto his bow.
Taking a deep breath, he drew the bowstring with flawless form.
The red lightning that had only surrounded the spiral sword now began enveloping his entire body.
BOOM—
Those who had fainted near Bai Luo during Erquan Yingyue were sent flying by a shockwave. Azure energy intertwined with the red lightning, coiling around his bow.
The crimson lightning grew fiercer, starkly contrasting the violet bolts of the Divine Kamujima Cannons.
Seeing the ship bathed in red light, the officer sensed disaster and immediately ordered all Narukami Island Cannons to fire simultaneously.
"Hah!"
As the cannons unleashed their barrage, Bai Luo released his grip.
In an instant, the red light vanished. A deep blue arrow, faster than the cannon fire, tore through the air with a sonic boom, churning up waves several meters high as it streaked toward Tatarasuna.
BOOM—
The arrow's sheer force obliterated the cannonballs mid-flight, leaving no trace of their earlier menace.
The arrow struck a dock near Tatarasuna—where three Divine Kamujima Cannons happened to be stationed.
Silence.
Then—
A shockwave erupted from the impact point.
Ships, cargo, planks...
Everything within range was shattered. One vessel was even hurled sideways, beaching itself crookedly on the shore.
A mushroom cloud surged skyward. As seawater rushed in, the entire dock—including two cannons—was wiped off the map.
The gaping crater and scattered wreckage
Now, only three Divine Kamujima Cannons remained in Tatarasuna.
The bow dissipated, and Bai Luo's attire reverted to his Battousai garb.
The trial card had a time limit, and he'd nearly exhausted its power for that single shot.
"And that was just an Elemental Skill... If I could've used the Burst, I might've really stood a chance against a god. Pity it's just a trial card."
Firing that shot didn't fatigue him—the card's power had borne the brunt.
Yet even this wasn't the technique's full might.
Surveying the devastation, Bai Luo marveled.
Now I've got terrain-altering attacks too.
That arrow had indeed cowed the Shogunate.
Not just them—the refugees aboard were equally awestruck.
In their minds, only deities could reshape the land.
Take Musoujin Gorge—the Raiden Shogun's blade-strike still scarred the earth centuries later.
Could this red-clad ronin be...?
CREAK—
Before anyone could process it, the ferry groaned ominously.
Already riddled with holes from sabotage and cannonfire, the ship had clung to life by a thread.
Bai Luo's arrow had stunned the Shogunate into ceasing fire, but—
It didn't matter anymore.
The ship was doomed.
"Repair the ship!"
Some finally snapped to action, rushing belowdecks to patch leaks.
But the moment they touched the electrified water—
ZAP.
Convulsing, they collapsed into the sea.
The cannons had charged the water with lethal currents.
No one could enter.
In other words... Bai Luo's arrow had only delayed the inevitable.
"O god! Save us! We'll worship you!"
"Lord Battousai! One more strike! We beg you!"
Bai Luo had become the ship's messiah. Some, witnessing that arrow, now saw him as divine.
He could only offer a bitter smile.
He was out of options.
In despair, some leaped into the sea.
Better a quick death than lingering agony.
Electrified water crept across the deck, claiming more lives.
Gritting his teeth, Bai Luo hacked off a large plank, rigging it with mast ropes into a makeshift raft.
He herded survivors onto it, but it could only hold a few dozen.
Amid this despair, the Tatarigami's power resurged.
Not just the madmen—even the seemingly sane descended into frenzy.
Blood seeped from their pores, mingling with the violet-tinged seawater, painting a ghastly scene.
Of everyone present, only Bai Luo and Tatyana remained unaffected.
Was the Tatarigami evil?
Not inherently.
Like Havria's death-throes, a god's demise inevitably warps their surroundings—beyond their control.
But this distortion spells doom for mortals.
Avoidance would suffice, if not for one fact:
Somewhere along the way, humans learned to weaponize this corruption.
And when mortals wield power not meant for them...
Catastrophe follows.
"Sigh."
A single exhale.
Suddenly—snowfall.
In this unseasonable flurry, the sea itself turned white.
The blizzard's embrace contained the Tatarigami's spread, pinning it to a confined area.
Those writhing in agony now wore serene smiles.
Frost coated their faces, yet they curled up as if cradled by a mother, drifting into eternal sleep.
"Her Majesty the Tsaritsa!"
Tatyana dropped to her knees on the ice, bowing deeply—not to Bai Luo, but to the spectral figure hovering behind him.
Every Harbinger bore the Tsaritsa's authority, but for her to manifest here...
Tatyana never imagined the god who would never love again, who could never be loved again, would perform a miracle for mortals, on foreign soil.