Falling Sakura Slash

"Ashwatthama?" Han Jiang muttered, quietly absorbing the detected energy. Crystal +50!

Looking again at the Honkai Beast, it was shaped much like a bear.

It would have been understandable if it were some mutated bear, but if it had to be connected to Ashwatthama, then it merely resembled the Child of the Night or Child of Dawn in size.

Theresa nodded and pointed her spear at the Honkai Beast on the ground. "Ashwatthama appeared once fourteen years ago, but it was completely eliminated back then. I don't know why it has appeared here."

"It may be related to that guy on the seventh floor. When I woke up, I vaguely heard someone's voice," Hiyori said as she floated over.

"Honkai Will!" Han Jiang and the other two spoke at the same time.

Theresa looked at Hiyori warily. "What did she say? Was it a man or a woman? What did she ask you to do?"

As an S-rank Valkyrie, Theresa knew a great deal of information. Schicksal had also discussed the Honkai Will internally, but had reached no conclusion.

When Hiyori died in the Stigmata Space, she had cried out the name Honkai Will. Yae Sakura had also said that she had heard a voice from the unseen. Could Honkai truly possess its own will?

Hiyori shook her head like a rattle drum. "I don't know. I forgot everything she said."

"We should deal with that thing on the seventh floor as soon as possible," Theresa said gravely.

Yae Sakura pointed at Han Jiang. "Mr. Han Jiang's condition..."

Han Jiang lowered his head and glanced at his armor. His body was fine, but the armor was badly damaged and was already affecting his combat power.

If the situation upstairs was like that on the first floor, Han Jiang might not even make it alive to the door leading to the second floor.

"We'll return and regroup first. I'll notify the camp to send more personnel to defend the Tenshukaku," Theresa decided. After thinking for a moment, she continued, "I need to make a trip back to St. Freya High School first. At most, it'll take five days."

The existence within the Tenshukaku had evolved from the power Hiyori had left behind. It was far stronger than the Hiyori who had been suppressed in the Stigmata Space for five hundred years, so they had to treat it with caution.

The Key of Erosion was now only one final step away from completion. Theresa needed to return to St. Freya and finish crafting the Divine Key.

"I wonder about the Tenshukaku..." Theresa said worriedly.

Hiyori bounced in the air. "Big sis, don't worry. The barrier around the Tenshukaku can still hold for three months."

"I'll patrol the surrounding area during this time. I won't let the Honkai Beasts here scatter in large numbers," Yae Sakura promised.

So far, the three of them had only cleared out a small portion of the Honkai Beasts on the first floor. More than half had escaped into the outside world when the barrier was opened.

The three walked out of the Tenshukaku, and Theresa immediately arranged defenses around the area through the communication channel.

The Hyperion had already received the notification and landed at the edge of the crater.

"Inform Himeko that the students' practical combat training isn't suitable to continue," Theresa told Han Jiang after boarding the Hyperion.

Han Jiang nodded and said he would pass the message along.

After the Hyperion took off and departed, Han Jiang received another communication from Theresa.

"You can have Himeko lead the students in clearing out the Honkai Beasts that slipped through the outer perimeter. It'll be a good opportunity to train their teamwork."

Whether Theresa was being absent-minded or simply too tense over the Tenshukaku, she did not contact Himeko directly and instead asked him to relay the message.

"I'd like to ask Mr. Han Jiang for some guidance in swordsmanship. I wonder if Mr. Han Jiang would be interested?" Yae Sakura suddenly asked.

Han Jiang's face reddened slightly. Speaking was an art; she was saying that his strength was too weak.

Han Jiang was not someone who would force himself to act tough for the sake of pride. He immediately replied, "It would be my great honor to receive guidance from Miss Yae Sakura."

Yae Sakura chuckled. "You don't need to use an honorific."

"Oh." Han Jiang said, "Thank you, Yae Sakura."

Yae Sakura's eyelid suddenly twitched, and her crescent-shaped eyes curved into an even deeper smile.

Han Jiang had saved the remnant soul of Yae Rin, and the affection between the two had already reached 80 points, surpassing the level of ordinary friends.

What Yae Sakura meant was that he could call her by her name directly, rather than using her full name.

However, constrained by a girl's modesty, and not understanding Shenzhou customs, Yae Sakura had not presumptuously changed how she addressed Han Jiang.

This simpleton saw Yae Sakura smile and smiled just as happily himself.

The two were smiling happily on the surface. Hiyori did not know what to say, so she started laughing along with them.

"Then it's settled. Starting tomorrow, I'll personally teach you the techniques I created. They can be used as sword techniques or blade techniques." Looking at the blockheaded Han Jiang, Yae Sakura decided to set aside the matter of forms of address for now.

"Alright. I'll go back and repair my armor today. I also need to submit an application to leave the team to Instructor Himeko."

At last, Han Jiang looked at Hiyori. "Coming with me?"

Hiyori hid herself in Yae Sakura's hair, as if Han Jiang would no longer know where she was.

"Since you like Yae Sakura so much, stay here and keep her company. I'll head back to camp first." Han Jiang turned and left.

Yae Sakura had lived alone for five hundred years. It was time she had someone to talk to and ease her loneliness.

Even if Hiyori had said nothing, he had already decided to let her remain by Yae Sakura's side.

With the system's help, Han Jiang had already learned Yae Sakura's Blade Return.

But skills needed constant practice to level up, and practicing on his own according to the experience transmitted by the system would inevitably be slow.

With Yae Sakura's help, Han Jiang's skills would level up as quickly as possible. Only then could he unleash greater power.

It was already afternoon when he returned to camp. Han Jiang changed into his spare armor and made a trip to the camp's repair area.

That evening, he contacted Theresa and informed her that he would be learning swordsmanship from Yae Sakura for some time, so he might not be able to participate in the later team combat exercises arranged by Himeko.

Theresa said it was no problem. She had Himeko arrange for the students to clear out the overlooked Honkai Beasts only because she was worried they would get bored and run around.

What kind of results could such a small number of Honkai Beasts produce in training? Once the matter of the Tenshukaku was resolved, the third phase of team training would be run again from the beginning.

Han Jiang thus received leave, no longer needing to train with the team every day and able to seek out Yae Sakura alone to study swordsmanship.

The place where Han Jiang trained was not far from the Tenshukaku. On one hand, Yae Sakura was worried about whether the barrier was secure.

On the other hand, Han Jiang could learn and kill at the same time. Only real combat could help someone improve faster.

The next morning, Han Jiang followed the route cleared by the Valkyries at the camp and arrived punctually at the place where the two had agreed to meet.

Yae Sakura was a straightforward person. As soon as she saw Han Jiang, she said, "The swordsmanship I use is called Falling Sakura Slash."

"In all these years, aside from myself, you are the first person to learn Falling Sakura Slash."

Han Jiang nodded solemnly. When it came to something like swordsmanship, having someone to guide you and having no one to guide you were completely different states.

Yae Sakura had Hiyori lure over a Honkai Beast first, then personally demonstrated the techniques.

She carefully told Han Jiang the name of every move and stance.

Unlike the system's direct infusion of knowledge, every move and stance Yae Sakura taught had its own name.

Frenzied Flower Bloom, Chaotic Blade, and Sankara were all techniques named by Yae Sakura herself.

These techniques could be used separately or combined together, giving Han Jiang a deeper understanding of Falling Sakura Slash.