Cursed Blade

"Woman, what a beautiful creature!"

"Idiot, that's a demon! Run!"

"What's there to fear from a demon? It's not like the boss hasn't slain demons before. Such a pretty demon, wouldn't it be fun to play with?"

"Go tell the boss, a beautiful demon in a shrine maiden's outfit is coming this way."

The bandits, who were busy with their frantic looting and arson, watched as a beast-eared girl in a shrine maiden's outfit, holding a strange katana, walked toward them.

Instead of feeling fear, they grew excited.

Except for the one bandit who went to report the news, the others grabbed their weapons and approached the beautiful beast-eared girl.

This band of robbers boasted a force of over a hundred men. Relying on a leader who possessed the strength to slay demons, they had ransacked village after village, and even small towns, across several neighboring countries.

They were lawless, and none of the local lords could do anything about them.

It wasn't that these bandits were stronger than the lords; rather, they hit and ran, moving on immediately after looting a village.

Coupled with the fact that the gang was relatively powerful, the lords had no way to wipe them out.

Besides... spending military resources to clear out bandits did not align with the lords' interests.

"Charge, catch her..."

Following their leader and having seen him slay "terrifying and horrific" "powerful demons" with a single strike, the bandits' egos had inflated.

They believed that a demon's strength was nothing more than that.

Blinded by beauty and desire, they gripped their weapons and charged straight at the beast-eared shrine maiden.

"Overestimating yourselves..."

Watching the bandits charge in an attempt to capture her, the beast-eared shrine maiden wore a bloodthirsty smile and raised her katana with both hands.

"Slash!"

There was no sword aura, just a standard iaijutsu strike!

The first bandit to charge in was split symmetrically from head to toe.

The bandit's blood splattered onto the shrine maiden's face. Far from feeling disgusted, the smile on her face became even more morbid.

Yes! That's it... that's the feeling. I really am a pervert...

The beast-eared shrine maiden's eyes turned crimson, and she licked the blood away as she charged at the remaining bandits.

She didn't use any sword aura, just simple swordsmanship.

There were no complex sword techniques like those found in the lands of Shenzhou.

Most Eastern sword arts were similar to how the samurai were portrayed in "Sekiro"... draw the blade! Sheathe the blade!

Simple, direct.

Pursuing a fatal blow with a single strike, pursuing extreme speed, and eschewing any flashy movements.

Cleave! Hack! Stab! Parry!

"Monster..."

"She's a monster! Run..."

Watching the beast-eared shrine maiden in the midst of her slaughter, the surviving bandits couldn't take it anymore. They turned and fled, even tossing aside their weapons for fear of not being fast enough.

However, the moment they turned to run, the katana in the shrine maiden's hand pierced through their bodies.

"Big... big sister, are you... alright?"

Watching the morbid Yae Sakura, Higokumaru finally couldn't hold back her worry.

"..."

Yae Sakura turned to look at Higokumaru, giving her a fright.

Yae Sakura's eyes... were crimson.

"Oh no, a pseudo-Herrscher... Big sister, you can't get lost in the slaughter, or you'll become a pseudo-Herrscher again. Wake up!"

Higokumaru hurriedly flew to Yae Sakura's side and shook her body.

"Higokumaru, what are you doing..."

Because of Higokumaru's actions, the crimson hue in Yae Sakura's eyes faded, and she hurriedly pushed her away.

"Big sister, you're okay? That's great!"

"What do you mean I'm okay? Honestly."

"Boss, that's her..."

Just then, the bandit who had gone to report the news returned with a man who looked like a samurai.

The man had a scar about a foot long over his right eye, looking like a centipede—a terrifying sight. In his hand, he held a strange katana, and just in front of the hilt... there seemed to be a strange eye.

"Cursed blade..."

No wonder there was demonic energy; it was coming from this blade. This was a cursed blade.

"Donkey demon? Did you kill them all?" The bandit leader looked at the corpses of his men beside Yae Sakura, his expression turning gloomy.

He gripped his katana, the veins on his arm bulging, and his eyes turned bright red.

"So... what if I did?"

Stepping over the bandits' corpses, Yae Sakura walked slowly toward the leader, a look of disdain on her face.

It was just a cursed blade with evil power.

"What if? I'm going to slaughter you!"

The bandit leader gripped the cursed blade with both hands and charged forward immediately.

Since obtaining this cursed blade, the leader had used it to slay countless demons; even the most terrifying ones had been cut down in a single strike.

Not to mention this demon, who looked no different from a human.

She probably wasn't even as strong as those "terrifying" looking demons, right?

"Boss, don't just kill her! It's our first time meeting such a beautiful demon. Why not cut off her arms? Whether we keep her for ourselves or sell her to the nobles, it'll be a great deal!"

The bandit lackey behind him watched the leader charge and hurriedly offered a reminder.

The demons they had encountered in the past were all very hideous; this was the first time they had seen one so beautiful.

"..."

The bandit leader didn't respond, but the target he locked onto shifted slightly—no longer Yae Sakura's head, but her arms.

"Do you... want to spar?"

Looking at the bandit holding the cursed blade, Yae Sakura suddenly didn't want to kill him in one strike.

Iaijutsu!

As the bandit approached, Yae Sakura, holding her blade with one hand, slashed out.

"Clang!"

However... the bandit, who had been attacking, instantly shifted to a parry. The Void Blade and the cursed blade collided, emitting a sound like striking iron.

Missing the first strike, she immediately retracted her katana, adjusted her stance, and drew again!

"Clang, clang, clang..."

Every attack was blocked, and despite taking so many strikes from the Void Blade, the cursed blade in the bandit's hand remained completely intact.

That's not right! The cursed blade is the real master...

After clashing several times, Yae Sakura finally realized something was wrong!

It looked like the bandit was fighting with the cursed blade, but in reality, the cursed blade was controlling the bandit.

No matter what move she used, the cursed blade could instantly change the bandit's posture to parry; otherwise... a human could not possibly possess such reaction speed.