Chapter 157 Departure

An intense aura erupted from his body, and the earth, unable to bear the immense pressure, began to fracture. With a deafening boom, the cracked ground instantly disintegrated. Du Bin leaped up to meet the charge, their fists colliding and sending out a massive shockwave that rippled outward. Unable to withstand the impact, Oda Sakurako was almost blown away, saving herself only by clinging desperately to a tree trunk.

Countless arcs of lightning resonated across from him. Moving at matching speeds, every punch they threw erupted with boundless lightning. In a split second, the sky burst into a blinding display of thunderous explosions. Du Bin’s hands unleashed fan-shaped arcs of lightning, while his opponent used the surrounding trees as cover to dodge. Explosions rang out continuously, leaving charred marks everywhere as numerous trees caught fire.

"Not bad, not bad." Holding his blade high toward the heavens, Akaya channeled a bolt of lightning into the weapon. The formidable lightning formed a giant sword phantom, which he then slashed downward, bringing the hundred-meter sword Qi crashing down in tandem with his movement.

Facing this ferocious sword Qi, Du Bin finally felt things were getting interesting. Clenching his hands tightly, he conjured five green lightning orbs before him, with a current of electricity linking each sphere directly. The five orbs then channeled all their energy into the center, shooting out a surging, terrifying laser beam. The green lightning instantly twisted into a spiral shape. At first, the two forces were evenly matched in the collision, but after a few minutes of a stalemate, the sword Qi was blasted to smithereens by the laser wave, which charged straight toward Akaya.

"Bastard," Akaya muttered under his breath. Pouring every ounce of his strength into his fist, he let out a roar and punched forward. The lightning wave was deflected straight up into the sky, scattering into starlight. His fist was charred completely black, the pain causing it to tremble involuntarily. "What a formidable superpower. This strength is truly extraordinary."

Du Bin was somewhat surprised by Akaya's strength. To think he could shatter such a powerful lightning attack with a single punch—the God of Assassins truly lived up to his title and possessed genuine prowess. It seemed he would have to resort to divine power to settle this. Though he was reluctant to expose his abilities so soon, resolving the matter with mere lightning would require paying a certain price, making the trade-off hardly worth it—especially when he was in such a rush to return to his homeland.

The divine seed within Du Bin’s mind burst open, and his eyes turned golden. The original lightning power was completely replaced by a blazing golden radiance. The moment this energy manifested, the earth beneath them seemed to tremble slightly. Watching him, Oda Sakurako realized that the power displayed by this enigmatic man far surpassed her own. She was immensely grateful she hadn't done anything rash; had she provoked him, her current power would have left her utterly defeated.

"I never expected to encounter a superpower user wielding such formidable divine power today." Akaya was shaken. This very divine power was the sacred light they had spent centuries searching for to combat the dark forces of the Naraku clan. Now, he was finally seeing it with his own eyes. Ever since authorities wielding dark powers seized control of the world, those possessing the light had been relentlessly hunted down, leaving anyone with genuine divine power too terrified to ever manifest openly.

Though he coveted the power, the thought of recruiting Du Bin crossed his mind. "My friend, since you possess divine power, why not join our Allied Forces? As long as you are willing, a position right beneath the Four Heavenly Kings could be yours."

Hearing that tone made Du Bin feel a pang of regret. If word of this got out, wouldn't he simply repeat Le'er's fate of being hunted down? Besides, this power seemed to pose a threat to the Naraku clan as well, meaning this man had to be eliminated. To think he had stumbled into such trouble mere days after arriving; if he handled this poorly, he could die in this world at any moment.

Du Bin leaped high into mid-air, countless arcs of lightning radiating from his body. Initially, he had only considered feigning interest in the recruitment to lure Akaya into his base, but realizing his opponent had seen through his intentions, he dropped all pretense. Channeling his power to the absolute maximum, he soared into the sky, fully determined to claim the divine power.

A massive divine hammer materialized in Du Bin’s hands. Accompanied by holy lightning, he plummeted from the sky, smashing down toward Akaya. The collision of the two forces triggered an explosion dozens of meters high. As the smoke cleared, countless lingering sparks of electricity flickered across a hundred-meter radius. Du Bin stood at the center of a massive crater; Akaya had been completely obliterated. Du Bin swiftly reverted to his ordinary lightning mode.

Approaching Oda Sakurako, he saw the look of terror on her face—she was clearly afraid he would silence her to protect his secret. "Let's go."

Guided by her, they safely reached the port. The two of them remained silent throughout the journey. He had saved her life; if she truly exposed his secrets to the Shogunate, there was nothing he could do beyond embarking on a fugitive's life. As for killing a woman, he simply couldn't bring himself to do it.

Right as he was about to board the ship, she finally mustered the courage to speak. "I won't tell anyone about what happened today."

"Thank you."

"The one who should be saying thank you is me. Here, take this; keep it so you can contact me anytime." Oda Sakurako offered him a specialized departmental phone with both hands. He initially wanted to refuse, but after a moment's thought, he accepted it. "Alright, farewell."

"Wait." Oda Sakurako lowered her head, looking somewhat embarrassed as she gave in to her inner impulse. Before he could react, she threw her arms around him, raised her head, and pressed a deep kiss to his lips. Du Bin froze. A girl's unique, subtle fragrance rushed into his senses. What was happening? His mind went completely blank, leaving him aware only of a cargo ship's distant foghorn.

"I'll come find you in Huaxia before long. Have a safe journey." Reluctantly pulling away, her cheeks burning bright red, she stammered out the words and sprinted off, leaving behind a bewildered Du Bin who unconsciously licked the lingering trace of fragrance from his lips. He chuckled. To think that upon arriving in this unfamiliar world, he would be aggressively kissed by such a bold beauty. The feeling was rather peculiar.

Hugging her burning cheeks around a corner, she stood flushed with bashfulness, her heart pounding wildly. What on earth was she doing? *Oh, Oda Sakurako, you absolute fool! You acted so aggressively for the very first time—couldn't you have played it a little more reserved? How mortifying!* At the same time, she couldn't help but wonder how Du Bin had reacted. When she peeked out to look, he had already boarded the cargo ship.

All the formalities had been handled by Oda Sakurako. Du Bin turned and walked onto the vessel, gazing out over the vast expanse of the ocean. The sky was slowly brightening, though it remained blanketed in a layer of ash, as if some unknown factor had stripped the heavens of their natural blue.

A figure landed gracefully before Oda Sakurako, dropping to one knee. "Milady, you certainly know how to cause worry. If not for that man, you would have been captured by them. However, since he possesses divine power, is it really wise to just let him leave?"

"Don't worry. I trust that he won't help those people go against the Naraku clan. Go handle the battlefield; ensure no one else finds out about this," she said calmly, discarding the demeanor of a shy young woman.

"Hehe, Milady, was your mission today really supposed to be capturing the fugitive wanted by the military district? Somehow, it feels more like you chased your target right into an entangling romance."

"Mind your own business." Oda Sakurako burst into a chuckle. The description was actually quite fitting. With acknowledgment of her orders, her subordinate departed. It was time for her to return and make her report—she figured she was in for another scolding. Watching the distant vessel vanish into the sea mists, she reluctantly turned and left the port.