The Buddhas who began to flee, relieved that Thor hadn't noticed them and that lin didn't seem to care about them, believing they could escape alive, suddenly heard a series of loud crashes in the air. An invisible wall surrounded them completely.
"Damn it! What is this!?"
"Let's join forces and blast it open!"
"Stop! That's the Crystal Wall! It reflects attacks!"
"lin's giving us no way out—let's go back and kill him!"
"But… we can't beat him…"
"It's over… we're finished…"
So, driven by rage, turned back, ready to die together with lin; so just floated there, eyes hollow; others, refusing to believe it, struck the Crystal Wall directly—only for their attacks to rebound, leaving them half-dead and injuring those nearby; while a few, true to their nature, stayed still, waiting to see the outco. If lin fell, they'd strike; if he remained as terrifying as ever, they'd kneel without hesitation.
"Heh, it seems there are still a few brave ones among you bald monks." lin smiled at the few Buddhas charging toward him. For once, there was no disdain in his gaze.
But that was all. He wouldn't spare them because of it. "That courage deserves recognition… but to challenge is like a mayfly trying to shake a great tree."
As his voice fell, countless sword beams flashed across the sky, each precisely bisecting a Buddha—body and soul alike erased in an instant.
"Spare… spare us…"
"I… I can guide you…"
"I can too! I know where the Buddha is hiding!"
"Just… please, spare our lives…"
The majority of the Buddhas who had stayed back as fence-sitters instantly dropped to their knees when they saw lin destroy the defiant ones in seconds. Their pleas for rcy poured out like a rapid-fire chant.
"If the ancient founders of your faith could see what you've beco, I wonder how they'd feel." lin once again felt disgust at the shalessness of these monks—utterly devoid of pride or dignity. Their kneeling and begging were so swift and synchronized it was as if they had rehearsed it countless tis.
His mockery stirred no reaction among them. He had hoped to find at least one Buddha with so semblance of integrity, but sadly, the pride and courage that once defined their order had long vanished.
"Have you really abandoned even your last shred of dignity?"
Seeing that lin simply stood before them without striking imdiately, the Buddhas thought their begging was working. A few of the closest even began to crawl forward, hoping to clutch his leg for rcy.
"Shing—"
Before they could approach, a flash of light swept by. Their heads separated from their bodies, spinning through the air before crumbling into dust.
Their final sight in life was their own decapitated bodies—and in that mont, they realized lin had never changed. He was still the sa as ever.
"Ah… ah…"
"Run! Run!"
Terrified, the surviving Buddhas scattered in all directions, completely abandoning any will to fight. lin's opinion of them fell yet another notch lower.
No matter how fast they ran, they couldn't escape the God-Slaying Slash. Many lost consciousness the instant they turned; others managed only a few steps before eting the sa fate.
Watching the massacre—Buddhas slaughtered like livestock—the people aboard the helicarrier felt no joy or relief. What filled their hearts was fear. lin was not their savior; he was a terrifying monster.
Fury and Coulson were the most shaken. They had interacted with lin the most, and though he had shown a ruthless side before, it had always been limited—re warnings, not true malice. They had subconsciously believed he was approachable and even generous.
They had read reports about Three Mile Island and his battle against Ares, about Atlantis and his clash with Poseidon, but none of those could compare to witnessing it firsthand.
This ti, they saw it with their own eyes.
This—this was what it ant to be a god. The thought took root in their hearts: divine power was as terrifying as a prison without walls.
We can't treat him the sa way anymore. Until we're absolutely certain we can handle him, we must never anger him, Fury thought grimly.
Thor landed beside lin, lightning flickering around him, and punched him lightly on the shoulder with a grin. "Well done, lin. That's what the Earth Father God should look like."
"They've lost their faith and hearts. Killing them is easier than slaughtering chickens," lin said coldly, sheathing his sword.
"Yeah… thinking of what the old Buddhist order once was—well, never mind that. Aren't you going to help over there?" Thor pointed toward the distant battlefield where Aiolia, Milo, Upali, and the massive Arhat were still fighting.
"No need. They can handle it." lin's icy expression finally softened slightly as he looked toward Aiolia and Milo.
The battle wasn't over yet—but its outco was clear.
The colossal Arhat fighting Aiolia was dimming fast, his golden light nearly gone. His regeneration had slowed to a third of its original pace. The eighteen monks forming the formation bore no visible wounds, but blood trickled from their lips, their faces pale and weak. A few were losing focus entirely, on the brink of collapse.
The newly regenerated arms struck again, swinging from both sides to trap Aiolia.
But it was futile.
"Lightning Plasma!"
Thousands of thunderbolts rged into twin golden beams, piercing the Arhat's arms once more and blasting them apart.
"It's useless. Your formation does combine your Cosmo into one, giving you great power, but with that massive body and such poor speed and defense—you'll never touch ."
Surrounded by starlight, Aiolia's white cape fluttered, his golden armor blazing like a mighty lion standing between heaven and earth.
The eighteen monks said nothing, burning what little Cosmo they had left to keep the formation from collapsing.
"Let's end this. I can't keep my lord waiting."
In a flash, Aiolia appeared before the giant Arhat before its arms could reform.
"Extre Lightning Fang!"
A thunderclap roared. Aiolia beca a streak of lightning, piercing straight through the Arhat's chest and appearing behind it.
At first, it seed unhurt—its chest still glowed with golden light, not even scorched. But then—
The half-regrown arms crumbled again, the disintegration spreading through its body. Looking closely, one could see countless bolts of lightning raging inside, tearing it apart from within like the fangs of a lion devouring its prey.
Upali sat cross-legged in the air, chanting sutras with fierce focus. The Buddha light behind his head shone so brightly it was painful to look at, and rays of divine energy took form—so as swords, so as fists, so as palms—swarming toward Milo.
"Scarlet Storm!"
A crimson tornado spun upward, shredding everything in its path. No matter the angle or number of Upali's attacks, the storm crushed them all into pure energy and scattered them into the air.
Yet Upali refused to give up. His face grew paler, sweat streaming down his brow, but his chanting never stopped. He was burning his Cosmo desperately, betting that Milo's Scarlet Storm would collapse first. A young Gold Saint couldn't possibly outlast him—so he thought.
He was wrong.
The Buddha light vanished. The chant stopped. His mouth hung open, but his throat couldn't move. Upali stared in disbelief at Milo.
"Scarlet Mind Wave. You can't move your body anymore," Milo said with a cold smile.
Upali tried to burn his Cosmo again, even his life force, but he couldn't break free from the Scarlet Mind Wave. His horrified eyes demanded an explanation. "How… how is this possible!?"
"Just because you've lived longer doesn't an your Cosmo is stronger, bald one. Now… it's ti to repent."
He raised his right hand, his crimson fingernail gleaming like the stinger of a scorpion—sharp, deadly, dripping with imagined venom.
"Scarlet Needle!"
Three red stingers shot out like teors, piercing Upali's body—not in fatal spots, but enough to cause unbearable pain. Blood gushed freely as his face twitched between pale and flushed, veins bulging, eyes bloodshot.
"Do you repent, monk?" Milo asked.
Upali said nothing, only glaring fiercely.
"I see. Scarlet Needle!"
Four more shots pierced him, and blood spurted out again. The pain nearly made him faint.
"Scarlet Needle…"
Fourteen needles in total. Fourteen wounds. That was the rcy of the Scorpio Gold Saint—he didn't kill instantly, but let his enemies suffer in agony and repentance before death.
"Kill… kill… kill…"
"Oh? Still able to speak?" Milo smirked. In truth, he had released the Scarlet Mind Wave after the eighth strike—Upali was too weak even to lift a finger.
"Kill… …"
"Is that so? Your confession's over then?"
"Kill… kill …!"
"Scarlet Needle."
The final strike pierced Upali's brow, ending his life completely.
"Well now, seems there are a few monks worth hunting after all."
Knowing the Buddhists had sided with the Underworld and could revive after death, Milo didn't leave imdiately. He waited a while, confirming that Upali didn't return to life, before speaking those words.
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