Has It Begun? It's Already Over

Strange.

The atmosphere at the scene was extremely strange.

A clash between masters should not have looked this unfathomable. They were just staring each other down, their auras colliding like lightning and flint, as though thunder and flames truly intertwined between them. But at its core, it was still just you glare at me, I glare at you—childish playacting.

Even the dust had been pushed away.

Rope finally understood. The reason Hoshino could wear white stockings without getting them dirty was her strength, not because she lived a pampered life.

She had not misjudged her.

After all, strength and wealth were linked to some extent.

Someone that powerful had to be rich, right?

Rope had finally escaped the ever-present lock of murderous intent and quietly hid to one side, not even daring to poke her head out.

The moment she slipped into a corner, she was caught.

"Hmm?"

A tower-like figure pinned her down and expertly covered her mouth, stopping Rope from letting out a startled sound in the night overflowing with killing intent, as though doing so would ruin the nature of this fight.

Rope struggled to raise her head.

Algae-green hair, nearly two meters tall, and the unmistakable oni horns atop her head.

"O-Oni Sis?"

Rope knew Hoshiguma.

A Lungmen urban legend, Hoshiguma had once run with gangs, even becoming something like their spiritual leader. Though she had never ridden around on a motorcycle blowing up the streets like a biker delinquent, she had still been a renowned figure.

And someone like that had joined the Guard Department and become a superintendent.

There was an indescribable place in Rope's heart that no one could touch. Deep down, she actually regarded Hoshiguma as a spiritual role model.

She hoped that one day, she too could walk beneath the sunlight.

"Shh..."

Unlike her burly and somewhat stern appearance, Hoshiguma was very refined and easygoing.

She whispered, "It wasn't easy getting that girl to take things seriously. I haven't seen her truly burn like this in a long time. Don't be tactless and go ruin this peace."

So you were the one behind this!

This burly woman, with recklessness practically written across her face, actually had a belly full of bad ideas too.

"By the way, you're the one who escaped from prison, right? It's only natural that I arrest you, so don't look so unhappy."

"Who told me to have such rotten luck today?"

Hoshiguma had clearly meant it as a joke, but Rope's words came from the heart. Hoshiguma immediately realized the hurtful part of what she had said and closed her mouth in confusion.

I'm supposed to be a police officer, aren't I?

Forget it. Everyone had their own way of living. Miss Rope was at least someone who yearned for the light. A careless remark from her might have shoved Rope a step toward darkness, so it was better to say less.

Even so, Hoshiguma had no intention of apologizing.

She patted Rope on the shoulder, hoping she could feel her blazing warmth.

But Rope only grimaced in pain.

Hoshiguma turned her gaze forward. On that lightning-fast battlefield, the war between swordswomen was on the verge of breaking out, its victor to be decided in a flash.

Hoshiguma began to imagine it.

If a cherry blossom petal were to fall between the two of them now, its silent landing might become the horn that sounded the start of war. The shrine maiden would slice the petal in two with her blade, and rounded light would scatter freely like drifting snow, filling Old Ch'en's vision with blade light.

Just thinking about it was thrilling.

Hoshiguma did not care whether Old Ch'en would get hurt.

Even having such a thought arise by accident made Hoshiguma scoff from the bottom of her heart.

Because that was simply impossible.

Silence. Unreasonable silence.

Hoshino was not, after all, a proper swordsmanship shrine maiden. She did not have that kind of composure.

But even Yae Sakura herself should have grown impatient after such a prolonged stalemate.

It was not time yet.

She had not inherited the shrine maiden's memories. She was merely [using] this body like a Kamen Rider transforming. However, the swordsmanship she had inherited from Yae Sakura had not been diminished in the slightest, appearing whole and complete in Hoshino's mind.

Otherwise, a shut-in girl like her could never have held her ground.

Yae Sakura's swordsmanship was entirely her own style, emphasizing freedom and following one's heart. It could not be predicted in advance.

Because there were no set moves to begin with.

Her technique was nothing more than seeing through an enemy's weakness, then striking that weakness in a storm of blows. As for how she struck, or from which direction she launched her attack, it depended entirely on her mood at the time. It could neither be predicted nor defended against, like this boundless wind.

Hoshino stared at Ch'en, waiting for her to make the first cut.

She waited and waited.

Yet Ch'en's attack never came.

Hoshino had been watching her the entire time. Within those crimson pupils, Hoshino saw the same intention as her own. Ch'en was still a mature and steady woman. Though she looked fierce, she was actually focused on probing her opponent and showed no intention of taking a life.

What should she do?

She was still a newbie who had never seen many grand scenes. Faced with a situation like this, she had no idea what to do.

If this went on too long, it would be easy to betray her nerves.

Hoshino began to think.

When playing a game, if one's fingers stayed off the screen for too long and the character could not move for a long time, a voice line would always remind the player.

Stop slacking off.

Then what was Yae Sakura's anti-slacking voice line?

Hoshino was an old mobile game player. With a little thought, she recalled the answer. After pondering it over and looking at the aggressive little dragon girl before her, the chilling aura around her suddenly withdrew, leaving her calm and composed.

"Not planning to move forward?" Hoshino asked.

"?"

The speaker had no such intention, but the listener took it to heart.

The instant Hoshino said those words, Ch'en's pupils visibly contracted, and her perfectly composed aura showed a hint of disorder.

"Are you telling me how to do my job?"

Miss Ch'en had clearly misunderstood, thinking Hoshino was mocking her.

She was not.

Though Hoshino had no idea where this misunderstanding had come from, she was thoroughly confused. Still, this was exactly what she wanted. Hoshino lowered one arm into the stance for an unsheathing slash. Every movement came naturally, and with every gesture, wind and thunder seemed to circulate soundlessly around her.

[Scatter]

The blade remained obediently pressed against the outside of her thigh, its tip tilted upward, utterly still, as though it had never been swung.

Hoshino was a little confused too.

A dark red glow suddenly flared ahead. She looked forward and saw the burning light streak across the sky like a meteor, shining brightly before swiftly going out. It lasted only an instant, almost as though it were Hoshino's illusion, but the high temperature did not lie. An unsettling heat filled the air.

She thought for a moment, then quickly understood.

The instant the thought of [making a move] surfaced in her mind, everything had already been completed.

Drawing the blade and sheathing it had both happened in that brief instant.

Clearly, Ch'en had counterattacked as well.

As for the result...

Hoshino's body swayed slightly.

Clang.

The weapon in her hand suddenly became much lighter. Looking down, she saw that the longsword had broken into two pieces. The smooth cross-section was covered in patterns of high-temperature oxidation. The flames had burned for only an instant, but their shadow had been permanently branded upon it, proclaiming Chi Xiao's majestic might.

The Lungmen Guard Department's swords were way too shoddy, weren't they?