He's in Marvel, working behind the scenes.

However, the scene he had imagined did not appear. Akaza abandoned the power he had painstakingly saved and stepped aside.

At his feet lay a series of bullet holes.

It's Tony.

Despite the tinnitus and excruciating pain, he had Jarvis control the armor to unleash a barrage of fire on Akaza, determined to stop him from pursuing the Flame Pillar.

He succeeded, but he also attracted hatred to himself.

Akaza hates the weak... but even he himself doesn't know that the reason he hates the weak is not because he despises or looks down on them, but because of his experiences in life, which made him believe that the weak will not fight others in a fair fight, but will only resort to despicable and vicious tricks behind the scenes.

Tony's previous tricks and his current sneak attack have both ignited Akaza's hostility and murderous intent towards the weak.

In an instant, a terrifying and overwhelming killing intent erupted, engulfing Tony like a vast ocean of blood.

"Spell Deployment - Destruction Kill - Compass Needle!"

Akaza stomped his foot and unleashed that compass-like divine technique once more, pulling his arms back like a fully drawn bowstring, "Destruction Kill - Final Style - Blue-Eye Chaotic Remnant Light!"

The taut string snapped open, and Akaza swung his arms, launching hundreds of invisible missiles in an instant, centered on himself. The missiles were incredibly fast and powerful, like miniature missiles, locking down the space within tens of meters of Tony.

Faced with this all-around attack, Tony immediately activated his propulsion system and flew backward, turning around mid-flight to escape into the distance.

Jarvis instantly calculated the speed difference between the missile and the armor, and concluded that the missile would be hit in two seconds. He took control of the armor and ejected Tony within the critical time, using the armor as a shield to intercept him in mid-air.

"BOOM BOOM BOOM!!!"

Explosions and shocks continued to occur, causing the ground to shake.

While everyone was still captivated by the shocking attack, the man stood up again.

"The opportunity that Mr. Stark secured for me..."

Kyojuro's left eye is blind, and his left frontal bone is also shattered.

Despite the excruciating pain and the fact that even getting up was difficult, he stood up, gripped the knife with both hands, placed it on his shoulders, and assumed a slashing stance. He inhaled and exhaled scorching air, chanting, "Burning heart, surpassing limits..."

The rhythm of breathing, the special energy inhaled, is powered by the heart, spreads throughout the body, and unleashes latent power.

"Secret Technique - Ninth Form: Purgatory!"

Like a rocket booster being activated, raging flames suddenly rose up, engulfing the entire body, like a roaring fire dragon charging towards Akaza.

Such a huge commotion drew everyone's attention back to the scene.

"Anjuro!"

Akaza was surprised, delighted, and furious all at once.

What amazes me is that Kyojuro could still unleash such tremendous power despite suffering such severe injuries; what pleases me is that my opponent is so strong, and it is truly exhilarating to fight him, while also allowing me to break through my limits and improve further; what angers me is that my opponent is so insensitive, attacking me from behind while I am dealing with a despicable person.

Regardless of his emotions, as a martial artist pursuing the highest realm of martial arts, Akaza's body made a move ultimately driven by desire when faced with such an attack that exceeded his limits.

"Destruction Kill - Annihilation Style!"

The power that gathers spirit, courage, strength, ghostly energy, and blood demon magic into one body bursts out with a fierce wave of energy. It is monotonous and pure, yet so powerful that even the air trembles.

The Fiery Dragon Sword Qi collided with the Tide Fist Intent, unleashing a tremendous shock that shook the earth.

The two, each unleashing their unique skills, did not stop, and before the aftershocks had subsided, they charged into the fray to engage in a final battle.

Kyojuro knew that Akaza's martial arts level was close to the highest realm, and it would be difficult to achieve such a small target as severing his neck. Therefore, he set his sights on the body, preparing to cut open a large area of ​​his body to prolong his self-healing time.

However, none of these plans came to fruition.

Just as they were charging toward each other and about to collide, two Quinjet fighters suddenly appeared above them, their rotary cannons roaring and firing.

With a caliber of 36mm and a rate of fire of 3000 rounds per second, this is a large weapon originally intended to deal with tanks, warships, and even other fighter jets, capable of tearing these steel weapons into scrap metal.

When used on Akaza, the bullets instantly rained down on his head.

Despite possessing a compass for evasion, it was still unable to avoid this attack that left no gaps, and was instantly riddled with holes.

Despite his body being riddled with holes and even his head being blown apart, Akaza did not die.

The bullet had just pierced his body, leaving a huge hole, when his body immediately regenerated. Less than a second later, it was torn apart again, and he regenerated again... In the end, his self-healing speed could not keep up with the destructive speed of the machine gun. Finally, before the ammunition belt ran out, his body was torn into several pieces and scattered all over the ground.

This scene was so sudden that it stunned everyone.

"OK, all done!"

Just then, Fury's voice, sounding as if he had breathed a sigh of relief, came from the plane, and everyone finally came to their senses.

It turned out that the bureau chief's reinforcements had arrived.

Coulson relaxed and couldn't help but tease, "Director Fury, are you even timing your rescues perfectly?"

"But it was timely, wasn't it?"

"Indeed..."

"careful!"

Before he could finish speaking, Kyojuro shouted anxiously.

what happened?

Haven't we already won?

Everyone looked in astonishment at the sound, only to see a blurry figure darting into the crowd.

The crowd scattered, raising their guns to aim at the afterimage that had fallen into the crowd—it was Akaza, who had disappeared from the chest down, leaving only the upper part.

He was on the back of a special forces soldier, tearing off a piece of flesh from the back of the soldier's neck.

"shot!"

The special forces soldiers hesitated, worried about accidentally injuring their comrades, but Coulson made a decisive order.

He knew that his colleague was beyond saving, and that hesitation would put others in danger as well.

Upon hearing Coulson's order, the others no longer hesitated and were about to pull the trigger to fire, but it was too late.

Swallowing fresh human flesh and blood, Akaza's remains grew back like freshly bought toothpaste with a squeeze.

He grabbed the person in his hand and threw him away.

Immediately afterwards, he leaped up, like a tiger among sheep, ready to unleash a massacre.

Kyojuro charged forward, dragging his mangled body, and stood in front of Akaza.

"Go away!"

Akaza no longer had any desire to fight against the strong. He only wanted to tear these despicable people to shreds, and then take Tamayo back to report. He raised his fist and unleashed the ultimate annihilation technique.

Akaza had by this time recovered to his pre-battle peak condition, while Kyojuro was like a candle flickering in the wind.

Faced with such a powerful ultimate move, he was powerless to resist.

But he still stood like a mountain blocking Akaza's path.

"I am Kyojuro Rengoku, the Flame Pillar. I will fulfill my duty as a Pillar and protect everyone!"

Kyojuro shouted loudly, with an indomitable spirit, and with all the remaining life and belief in his body, he unleashed his final strike.

Chapter Eighty-Nine: The Curtain Falls

This sword strike was unprecedentedly brutal, yet also incredibly insignificant.

Although this was a blow that Kyojuro risked his life and will, and he could ignore the clarity brought about by the physical injury, the functional decline caused by the injury would not be changed by his will.

Compared to the ultimate attack unleashed by the Upper Moon Demon, who had returned to his full strength, it was far too insignificant.

"puff!"

With a silent thud, Akaza's fist pierced through Kyojuro's abdomen, while his raised sword remained above his head, not yet falling.

His injuries, already severe, worsened, causing Kyojuro's consciousness to become blurred.

In a daze, he heard the exclamations of the people around him and saw their blurry figures, who wanted to rescue him but were afraid of hurting him.

Then, he saw the past...

Some say that the reason people see a revolving lantern before they die is because the body's protective mechanism is at work. It wants the body's owner to find a way to break through the current predicament and save themselves by looking at the experiences of their past life.

And now, Kyojuro's life has begun a revolving door.

He felt as if he had returned to his childhood, to the age when he was still nestled in his mother's arms, listening to her teachings...

Kyojuro's mother was a frail and sickly woman, yet she was also resolute and sensible. Even though she was bedridden for many years, she never forgot her duty to educate her children.

Facing Kyojuro, who was born with exceptional swordsmanship and was superior to others, his mother, who was worried that he would be taken advantage of and go astray, asked him this question when she knew that her days were numbered.

Do you know why you were born stronger than others?

"It's to help those who are weaker than you."

"A person who is born with extraordinary talents must make good use of those talents for the sake of the world and for others."

"Using the abilities bestowed upon us by God to wantonly harm others or enrich ourselves is not allowed."

"Helping the weak anytime, anywhere is your duty as a born strong person, a responsibility you must take on and a mission you must carry out throughout your life."

"You must remember this!"

The Rengoku family is a prestigious clan that has borne the responsibility of being the Flame Pillar for generations. His mother's question and answer to Kyojuro on her deathbed left a lasting impression on him and made him live by it for the rest of his life.

At that moment, his consciousness became much clearer.

He saw people who, fearing they might get hurt themselves, had abandoned their weapons and were trying to rush in to help...

No, they'll all die if they charge in!

For some reason, the power that had disappeared has returned.

"Aaaaaah!!!!!"

Kyojuro roared and swung his blade, slashing it viciously into Akaza's neck.

However, severely wounded, he no longer had the strength to sever Akaza's head with one stroke, barely managing to bring the back of the blade level with the skin of Akaza's neck.

"Anjuro!"

Akaza stared at Kyojuro in shock, unable to comprehend how he could unleash such a powerful attack in this state.