Between Them, Everyone Was an Enemy

The cherry blossoms are beautiful, but unfortunately, beautiful things always have to wither and fade.

This wasn't Su Qing'an's first time seeing cherry blossoms.

But whenever he sees cherry blossoms, nothing good ever happens.

The cherry blossoms are withering.

The Stigmata Space is also withering.

The brief respite was shattered by the heavy, dark clouds that preceded the storm.

Su Qing'an gazed at the cherry blossom tree's gradually thinning trunk and drooping branches, and said:

"Headmaster Theresa, I'm afraid I'll have to trouble you to take care of Rin from now on."

Theresa nodded solemnly, grasping Rin's hand. The current situation was likely nearing its end.

Wow, that was fast!

They did absolutely nothing.

There's nothing we can do about it; they're playing chess against an invisible opponent, while our only player who can see the board has long since stopped caring about winning or losing.

But if you lose your competitive spirit in a game, how can you possibly win?

Now that player has resigned his piece without hesitation.

Therefore, the remaining losers naturally had to face punishment.

Thick, dark red mist slowly rose from the earth's crust, while villagers armed with weapons and Demonic Beast formed a circle around the cherry blossom grove and advanced forward.

Su Qing'an patted the little girl's head. Although she looked uneasy, she remained well-behaved and didn't make a fuss.

He couldn't help but say comfortingly:

"It's alright, Rin. Just close your eyes like before. I promised your sister I'd take you out to see the cherry blossoms, right? So naturally I have to get you back safely."

"I value promises very much, so Rin doesn't need to worry about me Broken Promise."

[Hahaha, look how ridiculous he is! He's actually thinking about protecting you now. What an incurable idiot!]

[An agreement? How boring. It wouldn't be surprising if someone like him died at any moment because of some so-called agreement.]

Hiyori burst into laughter.

Yae Rin remained silent, she tugged at the boy's sleeve, and extended the little finger of her other hand.

"A promise needs to be made in a formal way, right? Big brother, can we make a pinky promise?"

"OK."

Without hesitation, Su Qing'an extended his thumb and closed the little girl's outstretched fingers.

He thought this would put Rin at ease, but he failed to notice the determination and resolve on the girl's face.

Su Qing'an said:

"It's a promise. I will let Rin see my sister."

Yae Rin nodded emphatically and said:

"It's a promise."

Their fingers intertwined, thumbs touching thumbs to seal their agreement, and the contract was finalized.

Beneath the cherry blossoms, mostly withered, humans and Herrscher made a pact.

Su Qing'an stood up, looking at the approaching crowd and Demonic Beast, and said:

"Rin, close your eyes obediently. Headmaster Theresa, let's go."

The boy's hands gripped the hilt of the knife at his waist.

This is a samurai sword given to me by Yae Sakura before I left.

The quality of the knife was mediocre. Iron smelting technology in this era was far less advanced than that of modern times, especially in this small mountain village.

Such a samurai sword is both sharp and fragile.

If the sword-wielding technique is slightly incorrect, it can easily break.

But in the instant he was about to draw his sword, the boy's eyes were calm as still water, as if the breaking of the sword was nothing to worry about for him.

[Momentum]

The Soul Essence radiated throughout the entire cherry blossom grove at a peculiar wavelength.

The entire arena was momentarily oppressed by an invisible force field.

Just as Gu Long's silent gaze abruptly halted the advance of the encircling enemies.

The Demonic Beast bowed its head, and the villagers stopped in their tracks.

But then, this spectacular scene vanished.

Black and red mist roared out of their bodies, and the mental restraints completely lost their effect.

Yae Sakura lost.

Therefore, Hiyori has a greater advantage, and the power he can use is enough to affect the effect of his [momentum].

The boy looked at the crowds gradually approaching from all directions and sighed.

"It's not that simple after all."

"Headmaster, get ready to run away with Rin. I'll clear the way."

Theresa couldn't help but say with concern:

"Are you alright?"

Su Qing'an didn't turn around; he responded calmly:

"Don't worry, Headmaster."

The boy's composed demeanor gave Theresa some confidence, but at the same time, she felt a pang of displeasure at her own incompetence.

This is indeed the Stigmata Space of Hiimaru and Yae Sakura, but the Stigmata have already taken up residence in her own body. In essence, this is her battle with Hiyori.

She shouldn't be so powerless.

Only...

Theresa grasped the cross hanging from her chest.

I am not entirely helpless against Hiyori.

But, we must reserve it for the most crucial moment...

Su Qing'an, of course, remained calm.

Whether out of his martial spirit or to put the two of them at ease, he absolutely could not show the slightest fear.

So what if the most useful element in your hand, [momentum], is useless?

He still has a sword, and he still has fists.

Su Qing'an was no longer the boy who would flee in panic at the sight of Zombie.

Even when facing life-or-death situations, he can now remain calm and composed.

He drew his sword.

The first strike in a swordsman's Iaido is often the fastest and most powerful strike.

But Su Qing'an is different.

He is very steady.

The arc, power, and speed of each sword strike are reproduced layer by layer as if replicated.

In the repetitive motion of sheathing and drawing the sword, blood radiates a unique brilliance.

The boy did not stop. The number of the enemy was not actually exaggerated. Roughly calculated, the number of Demonic Beast and villagers combined was less than a hundred. In order to form an encirclement, he did not have to deal with many enemies at the same time within ten steps.

Visual estimations of spatial distance and positional calculations flowed clearly in my mind, and finally, intuitive corrections were used to arrive at the optimal solution for leaving and striking the enemy with my sword.

The tough hides and muscles of the Demonic Beast became obstacles to the blades. Even with the simplest and fastest swordsmanship, the material of the blade itself determined that its lifespan on the battlefield would not be long.

After cutting through the Honkai Energy Crystal inside the Demonic Beast's body, the katana was already close to disintegrating.

A mistake was made.

Faced with ancient Honkai Beast rarely mentioned in textbooks, Su Qing'an not only had no way to exploit information asymmetry against them, but also encountered unknown situations.

For example, right now, the deer in front of us, whose head has been cut off, has tendons all over its body that should be crystalline substances formed from Honkai Energy.

Such examples are unlikely to be unique, and it wouldn't be surprising if more and more Demonic Beast like this were to appear in the future.

With a casual swift stroke, Su Qing'an severed the villager's head. Glancing at the fine, spreading cracks on the blade, he knew the easiest part of the battle was over.

In the end, let this knife release a little of its last warmth.

The teacher is right; the destiny of every sword is to be broken on the battlefield.

In that instant, Su Qing'an channeled all his strength into a single, skillful force, which flowed into the blade.

Immediately, he swung his sword.

The knife broke.

Fragments swirled and danced before the boy, each fragment, whether small or large, carrying a heavy force.

The villagers, whose strength had not been significantly enhanced by the Honkai Energy, collapsed to the ground as if hit by bullets.

Its terrifying kinetic energy and sharp, irregular edge made it an excellent concealed weapon.

The boy returned the remaining section of the hilt of the sword to its sheath.

Immediately, he threw a punch.

Su Qing'an's fighting ability is based on the premise of squeezing out the body's potential; otherwise, with the physical qualities of a simple ordinary person, many techniques would be impossible to sustain.

Therefore, his physical strength is depleted very quickly.

But before all their power was exhausted, there were over a hundred Demonic Beast and humans present.

There are no rivals.