Chapter 284: Just This Once, Okay

Headquarters of the Wind Capital Sixth Division.

Qin Shengshi fell silent.

As the backbone of the Wind Capital Sixth Division, Chen Yujie's strength was beyond question, yet she had still lost, and to none other than Chu Tianjiao, who until recently had been an ordinary person.

Chu Tianjiao in his current state had undergone who knew what kind of modification, and now possessed a terrifying curse power at the peak of the second Energy Level.

And that sword was also extremely bizarre, as if it were alive. It not only possessed incredibly sharp material quality and immense curse power, but also carried some kind of swordsmanship-related spell within it.

The combined power of man and sword gave Chu Tianjiao strength that was formidable even among those at the peak of the second Energy Level.

Throughout the entire Sixth Division, aside from Wu Nuo and Qin Shengshi, who couldn't deploy herself, there was probably no one else who could easily subdue Chu Tianjiao in this state.

That was how it should have been.

But at this moment.

In the abstract visual perspective constructed through her [Siren's Eye] and her own spell...

That crimson light had also come to a stop.

Almost overlapping perfectly with the curse power reactions of Chen Yujie and Chu Tianjiao.

............

The dark clouds churned, and that damp scent grew increasingly heavy in the night wind, as if a torrential downpour could break loose at any moment.

But at this instant, Chen Yujie, who had been about to lie down and quietly suppress her injuries, suddenly froze.

Tap. Tap. Tap.

That was the sound of high-heeled soles striking the asphalt road.

And just as the footsteps sounded, a figure slowly walked into view at the edge of her vision.

It was a dreamlike girl.

She had a slender, graceful figure, sakura-red hair cascading down to her waist, and beneath her bangs were a pair of eyes of the same color. Her face was clearly cold and almost expressionless, yet she was still more breathtaking than almost anyone she had ever seen, so sweet she looked like an idol adored by millions.

But that black dress and those black high heels gave her an air of indifference and maturity that belied her age.

At the girl's chest, a flawless deep-red gemstone pendant was radiating light.

"...!!"

Chen Yujie's gaze instantly sharpened once more.

- Could she be a girl who wandered in here by mistake?

She forced herself to speak: "Cough... get out of here... it's dangerous here..."

But at the same moment.

Chu Tianjiao's footsteps suddenly stopped.

He slowly raised his head, half of it covered by Bio-Armor, and turned to look at that sakura-red figure.

"...!!"

In that instant.

As if sensing something, Chu Tianjiao, who had clearly been in a dazed and confused state, suddenly began trembling uncontrollably. Flames suddenly ignited in his eyes as well.

He slowly raised the demonic sword covered in silver-gray curse power in his hand, its tip pointing directly at the defenseless girl.

There was an indescribable excitement rippling through his curse power, so strong that even Chen Yujie, kneeling to the side, could feel it, and her face showed astonishment.

"...?!"

- What's going on? Has the challenger been triggered?

And at this moment.

The cherry-haired girl gazed at half of Chu Tianjiao's face and that excited eye, and a look of understanding appeared in her own eyes.

So that's it. No wonder he went missing.

With just a single glance, Lin Guang had already seen through Master Chu's current condition.

He had probably been modified by that mastermind behind the scenes, his body completely remade from the inside out.

He now possessed curse power at the peak of the second Energy Level, a cursed artifact that seemed to possess self-awareness, an unknown memory device, externally injected spells... All of these had been fused together within his body, turning the Master into something like a killing weapon.

It could be said that in the current Wind Capital, this was unquestionably top-tier combat power.

The fact that he could sense Lin Guang's strength was proof of that.

However...

In Lin Guang's eyes, he was no different in essence from an ordinary mortal.

Even without using the Pride Mark, she had full confidence in subduing him with a single move, and could guarantee that she wouldn't harm his life.

On this night when the mastermind was stirring up chaos in Wind Capital, attempting to tear open the boundary between the mundane and the supernatural, she should have resolved the obstacle before her at the fastest speed and rushed to the true final battlefield...

- That was how it should have been.

But at this moment, Lin Guang's sakura-red eyes clearly reflected the flames in Master Chu's eyes.

That was fighting spirit, excitement... and decades-long, unchanging longing.

Even though he had been reduced to a puppet of the sword in his hand, that burning passion in his gaze that still wanted to swing his sword at the peak was gradually shaking her resolve.

[Let me give it everything I have.]

"..."

Lin Guang didn't respond immediately. She looked at the night sky behind him.

Under the canopy of dark clouds, slashes were still engaging in a furious exchange with that opponent like an overwhelming natural disaster, showing no sign of falling behind whatsoever. In fact, they were completely pressing the opponent down.

But that guy seemed completely unaware that he had already fallen into a trap.

...Whatever. He shouldn't die in the short term.

Lin Guang withdrew her gaze, looked back at Master Chu, and seemed to have made a decision.

That man, who was so much like her past self.

Her... Master.

After all...

From now on, she would probably never have another chance to find meaning in crossing swords with Master Chu.

The next moment, she extended her right hand and grasped the empty air.

Crimson particles converged in her palm, and a longsword formed from condensed flames, existing somewhere between the real and the illusory, took shape in the night wind.

The cherry-haired girl gripped the hilt of the flaming longsword with both hands, leveled the blade in front of her, and stepped onto the damp asphalt road with her high heels, producing a soft click.

The corners of her lips curled up slightly into a breathtakingly beautiful faint smile.

"Just this once, okay."

It was clearly nothing more than an ordinary stance, but the moment he saw her movement, Chu Tianjiao's body suddenly stiffened. His turbid eyes widened slightly, as if he were seeing something beyond his comprehension.

And then.

An incredibly intense light burst forth in those eyes.

- That was the signature opening stance of the Wind Capital Youth Palace Sword Hall's swordsmanship.

It was the condensation of everything he had learned in his life. It was his own trademark.

As if responding in kind, Chu Tianjiao no longer assumed the swordsmanship stance that the demonic sword had injected into his consciousness. Instead, he bent his legs slightly and assumed an identical stance.

In that instant, the two of them seemed to be standing once again in the great hall of the Wind Capital Youth Palace Sword Hall.

But this time, he was in the position of the apprentice.

That girl had an undeniably fragile and stunningly beautiful appearance, but the moment she assumed that stance, he felt an overwhelming pressure bearing down on him like a collapsing mountain.

An absolute powerhouse.

Chu Tianjiao's remaining capacity for thought whispered this to himself.

The next instant.

Under Chen Yujie's astonished gaze, both figures vanished simultaneously into the night.

(BGM: aizo)

The silver-gray demonic sword and the flaming longsword collided heavily in midair.

Clang-!

A thunderous roar that shook the ears.

In that instant, scorching sword light erupted alongside endless sparks, illuminating the dim night sky!