Chapter 2082 - 2080: The Fifteenth Sword (I Hate the Smell of Flowers)

Dead?

Faced with this fact, not only was Yan Shisan dumbfounded, but even Akame was stunned. She had seen Yan Shisan come with a determination to die and challenge the so-called world’s number one swordsman. But what Akame never expected was that he was already dead?

Does that mean the duel won’t happen?

Yan Shisan was obviously very disappointed as well. After leaving Divine Sword Manor, he threw his sword into the lake aboard a boat on Greenwater Lake, clearly having given up martial arts due to losing his opponent.

"Is it over just like that?"

Watching the desolate figure sail away, Akame frowned slightly and asked in a low voice, but Fang Zheng just shook his head.

"Of course not, let’s keep watching."

As he spoke, Fang Zheng snapped his fingers.

In the next moment, the scene changed, and soon the two were on a drifting wooden boat on the river. On the boat sat a hunchbacked old man holding a short knife, concentrating on carving a wooden sword. Akame could immediately tell it was Yan Shisan, but compared to before, he was now a decrepit old man, looking as if he might fall at any moment.

The old man patiently whittled the wooden sword in his hand, then tightly gripped it and slowly stood up.

At that moment, the old man’s hunched body suddenly straightened, as if an unsheathed sword, once again revealing its sharpness!

He raised the wooden sword and lightly thrust it forward.

That was the Thirteen Fatal Swords.

Contrary to its name, from an outward appearance, this Thirteen Fatal Swords wasn’t "fatal" at all. It looked like flowing water, like a gentle breeze. Just watching this sword move made Akame feel as if she were standing on the grassland, facing the gentle breeze, looking at the river ahead, comfortably languid.

Then, Yan Shisan thrust out his thirteenth sword.

At that moment, everything seemed to change.

It was as if the originally radiant sun was suddenly covered by dark clouds, engulfing the entire land in dimness, transforming the gentle breeze into a chilling wind sharp enough to cut skin, inducing fear. Even Akame, at that moment, clenched her teeth tightly, forcing herself to keep watching the swordsmanship of her counterpart.

Her sole comfort was that Yan Shisan’s swordsmanship was not aimed at her, otherwise Akame was unsure if she could withstand these thirteen swords.

But that wasn’t the end.

After the thirteenth sword was thrust out, Yan Shisan’s sword stance suddenly slowed, then thrust out his fourteenth sword.

This sword seemed to pierce through the thick mist, allowing sunlight to shine once again on the grassland.

However, it wasn’t the warm, gentle sunlight, but rather a blood-red sunset. Under this bright, blood-red sunset, the entire grassland looked as if it had just experienced a life-and-death battle, filled with corpses, heavy with an atmosphere of extreme terror and death.

Akame held her breath.

In her previous memory, she had vaguely heard that Yan Shisan’s Thirteen Fatal Swords actually concealed a fourteenth transformation, and it was the fourteenth sword that was the true killing move. Indeed it was so; even though Akame was mentally prepared, when this sword was thrust out, it still made her shiver violently. Fortunately, the two were just observing from afar; if this sword were aimed at her, Akame would likely lose her reason.

However, this move also came to an end, like the blood-red sunset sinking below the horizon, symbolizing an end.

It should have been like this.

But just at that moment, the tip of Yan Shisan’s sword suddenly started to tremble again, and then in the next moment, the furnace he was pointing at abruptly extinguished! Everything was completely frozen at that moment, mountains, flowing water, time, even this flat boat itself, all fell into absolute standstill!

Because they were about to die!

Only absolute death could annihilate everything, just as the sun inevitably sets, bringing darkness to the world. Water runs dry, transformations are exhausted, all things perish, this is the ultimate profound meaning of the Thirteen Fatal Swords, the Fifteenth Sword, the true "Fatal Sword."

At this moment, Akame could no longer bear it; she felt her body turn cold, her blood stopped flowing, even her heartbeat started to slow, as if she was already gravely injured, about to die. Facing death now, she had no resistance left, only despairfully awaiting its arrival.

However......

"Crack!"

Suddenly, the wooden sword broke.

Everything about to step into death suddenly began to flow again, like surviving a disaster, Akame suddenly dropped to her knees, gasping strongly, as if just pulled out from the water, barely avoiding being drowned.

"So, this is the Thirteen Fatal Swords?"

After quite a while, Akame finally recovered and asked in a low voice.

"That’s right, this is the Thirteen Fatal Swords."

Fang Zheng nodded, looking at Akame.

"Now you understand, don’t you? It’s beyond comparison with your Murasame."

"........."

Akame was speechless, just as Fang Zheng said, her Murasame only had an effect upon striking the enemy, but this Thirteen Fatal Swords is different. Akame could be certain, as soon as this Fifteenth Sword is wielded, someone would definitely die. It’s either you or me.

Because with this sword’s emergence, death has been released.

And no one can resist death!

No one!

Not even the Imperial General Esdeath!

There’s no need to focus on whether this sword can kill, because once this sword appears, someone has already died!

It’s that simple; once this sword is unleashed, someone will definitely die.

The process is unnecessary.

When this sword is used, death is certain!

But it was still a bit lacking.

"The wooden sword broke."

Akame, face pale, slowly stood up, looking at the wooden sword in the old man’s hand.

"Indeed, it was just a wooden sword, unable to withstand the power of death."

Fang Zheng nodded, then raised his hand.

"But it doesn’t matter."

Saying this, Fang Zheng snapped his fingers again,

The scene transformed into a maple forest, where Yan Shisan, dressed in black, emerged. The sword in his hand had somehow switched back to the one he originally used. Akame also noticed a man standing opposite Yan Shisan, someone whose sword she recognized, as she had seen it with Yan Shisan before.

"Who is this man?"

Akame asked softly, and Fang Zheng simply watched the scene indifferently.

"That’s the Third Young Master of Divine Sword Manor at Cuiyun Peak and Greenwater Lake, the world’s greatest swordsman, Xiaofeng Xie."

"Isn’t he dead?"

At this moment, Akame couldn’t suppress her astonishment, looking at Fang Zheng, as she had just seen Xiaofeng Xie’s coffin from Yan Shisan’s memories and learned of Xiaofeng Xie’s death, which was why Yan Shisan discarded his own sword. So what was happening now?

"Because he wasn’t really dead; his heart was dead, but he wasn’t."

"...I don’t understand."

"You don’t need to understand; it’s just sentimental, but it’s no longer important."

Fang Zheng folded his arms, watching the scene before him.

"What’s important is that this moment has finally arrived."

".........."

Akame didn’t speak further; she closed her mouth, staring intently at the scene before her. As Fang Zheng said, why the man named Xiaofeng Xie chose to fake his death and appeared here was not important. What mattered was that after so many years, Yan Shisan finally found the opponent he originally wanted to challenge. This duel, delayed for decades, was about to begin.

The two walked side by side through the maple forest, moving forward, then simultaneously struck.

Xiaofeng Xie’s swordsmanship was also quite formidable, but at this moment, Akame only watched Yan Shisan, wanting to see what the Fifteenth Sword of the full Thirteen Fatal Swords looked like when it was fully unleashed.

The Eleventh Sword, the Twelfth Sword, the Thirteenth Sword—finally, Yan Shisan executed the fourteenth transformation of the Thirteen Fatal Swords.

To an average person, just this Fourteenth Sword was lethal.

But his opponent was the world’s greatest swordsman, Xiaofeng Xie.

A sword that lunged like a venomous snake was firmly blocked by Xiaofeng Xie; at this moment, it seemed everything was over. Like the final act of a drama, all that remained was for the curtains to fall to end the performance.

But just then, the sword that had been locked in place began to tremble.

In this moment, everything changed.

Flying leaves scattered in the air, suspended still. At this moment, apart from this sword, there seemed to be no trace of life in the world. Even Xiaofeng Xie’s sword, originally like a swimming dragon, now seemed dead, devoid of any vitality.

The world was dead, his sword was dead, and he would die next.

This is the Fifteenth Sword!

Seeing this sword, Xiaofeng Xie showed a terrified expression. Even though he was the invincible Xiaofeng Xie, and a Supreme Sovereign among swordsmen, in front of death, he felt only fear!

Next, as long as this sword thrust forward, Xiaofeng Xie would surely die!

However, a strange event occured.

Just as Akame thought the battle’s outcome was determined, Yan Shisan suddenly displayed a deeper fear than Xiaofeng Xie, then abruptly turned his blade, slicing it across his own throat.

Then, Yan Shisan fell backward to the ground.

"...Why, why?!"

This moment, Akame could no longer contain her inner shock and surprise, grabbing Fang Zheng.

"Why did he kill himself? He clearly won!"

"That’s right, he won."

Fang Zheng nodded.

"If the Yan Shisan standing here was the one who challenged Xiaofeng Xie years ago, then he would’ve won. Unfortunately, he’s too old now, too old to control this sword."

"But... he could’ve killed Xiaofeng Xie too? Why did he choose to kill himself?"

Akame was completely bewildered, standing there idiotically, looking at Yan Shisan’s corpse, unable to understand why this happened.

"Because he saved Xiaofeng Xie’s life once, and once you’ve saved someone, it’s difficult to kill them later. Hmm... Maybe you don’t understand this concept yet."

Seeing Akame’s puzzled expression, Fang Zheng chuckled.

"That’s the way it is. He couldn’t kill Xiaofeng Xie, nor control the Fifteenth Sword, so there was only one choice... and that was to kill himself."

Saying this, Fang Zheng glanced at Akame.

"You understand now, Akame, the Fifteenth Sword isn’t perfect. Yan Shisan executed the Fifteenth Sword, but couldn’t control it, leaving him only one option to kill himself. If you want to inherit his swordsmanship, you must be prepared to control the Fifteenth Sword—or to be controlled by it."

This is the cost of mastering death.

As night fell, the maple forest gradually disappeared; Fang Zheng stood there, looking at Akame.

"So, Akame, what’s your choice?"

".........."

Hearing Fang Zheng’s question, Akame remained silent for a long time, then raised her head.

"I’ve made my decision."

She stared at Fang Zheng, speaking, and upon hearing Akame’s answer, Fang Zheng smiled mildly.

"Good, it seems you’ve made your choice."