As Zoro approached, memories flooded through Flame Silence's mind like a torrential wave.
He remembered childhood, how his peers had ostracized him for his obsession with swordplay, calling him a freak. The isolation had been suffocating, but he hadn't faced it alone. His younger sister, Naomi, had stood beside him through every cruel word and dismissive glance.
With her companionship, the criticisms of others felt like distant thunder, present but powerless to hurt him.
His exceptional talent in swordsmanship naturally drew his parents' attention. As descendants of a long-established family, the Yan clan possessed treasures passed down through countless generations: a pair of divine swords.
Drifting Ice and Blazing Fire.
These twin blades, one crystalline blue, the other burning crimson, were bequeathed to him and Naomi respectively. For a time, peaceful days stretched ahead as the siblings grew and trained together.
However, despite its prestigious heritage, the Yan clan had long since declined. No powerful cultivators had emerged in generations, leaving them vulnerable. A man is innocent, but possessing a treasure invites calamity.
The clan's accumulated wealth inevitably attracted predatory eyes.
On what should have been an ordinary day, disaster struck without warning.
Masked bandits raided the Yan clan's ancestral compound. Blazing flames consumed everything while the anguished screams of his family members echoed through the night, each cry a blade through Flame Silence's heart.
After hiding his sister in a secret chamber, he gripped Blazing Fire with trembling hands, steel resolving to fight the invaders to his last breath.
But when he burst through the door, the sight that greeted him shattered his world completely.
His parents lay motionless in pools of their own blood, lifeless eyes staring at nothing. A bandit stood over their corpses, sneering with casual cruelty.
"Oh, there's still one little bastard alive!"
Even after achieving cultivation, those words haunted him like a recurring nightmare.
Young Flame Silence had witnessed this scene, and volcanic rage consumed his rational mind. He charged the bandits with Blazing Fire raised high, determined to avenge his family or die trying.
Unfortunately, his meager cultivation proved utterly inadequate. A single contemptuous blow sent Blazing Fire spinning from his grasp, the divine sword clattering across the bloodstained floor.
He collapsed, watching helplessly as a gleaming blade descended toward his heart. Eyes squeezed shut, he waited for death's embrace.
But the expected agony never came. Instead, he heard the heavy thud of something falling before him.
Opening his eyes, the scene rendered him speechless with horror.
Naomi had thrown herself between the sword and her brother, crimson spreading across her chest like spilled ink on silk.
Gazing at his dying sister, Flame Silence's world plunged into absolute darkness. He crawled to her body with trembling limbs, cradling her against his chest as tears carved tracks through the grime on his face.
"What useless divine swords!" His voice cracked into a hysterical roar that echoed through the burning compound. "They can't protect anything!"
The criminals watched the siblings' tragedy unfold with cruel amusement, oblivious to the red and blue blades trembling ominously on the blood-soaked ground.
Just as the bandit leader prepared to end Flame Silence's suffering...
When consciousness returned, he found himself standing in a sea of blood and dismembered corpses. The masked raiders lay scattered around him like broken dolls, their bodies torn apart by some terrible force.
He stared numbly at the red and blue swords clutched in his hands, unable to comprehend what had transpired during his blackout.
A profound sense of emptiness overcame him, and he collapsed into the pool of blood that had once been his enemies.
Am I going to die?
Perhaps that would be for the best.
As his consciousness faded, a shrill cry pierced the air above, followed by a voice mixing anger with surprise, "Brother Yan!"
When Flame Silence awakened, he found himself resting in a quiet bedroom filled with the gentle fragrance of incense that helped calm his shattered nerves.
The door opened to admit a young man he'd never seen before. "You're awake?"
Instinctively, Flame Silence huddled in the corner of the bed, every muscle tense with wariness.
Seeing his defensive posture, the stranger explained his identity with a complicated expression.
The young man was Hebi, a close friend of his father. He had come that day at his father's behest to escort Flame Silence to the Shuiyue Sword Sect.
Unfortunately, he had arrived too late. When he reached the Yan clan compound, only Flame Silence remained alive among the ashes and blood.
After delivering this explanation, Hebi departed, instructing him to rest well before their journey began.
Flame Silence listened to everything in silence, his peripheral vision catching sight of the red and blue swords resting in their sheaths on the nearby table.
He rose silently, gathered the weapons in his arms, and retreated back to the corner of the bed.
I'm the only one left.
Just as this devastating realization settled over him, he felt phantom arms embrace him from behind, cold yet paradoxically warm.
At that moment, a gentle female voice whispered in his ear, "Don't be afraid, brother. I will always be with you."
From that day forward, Yagi of the Yan family vanished forever, leaving only [Crazy Sword·Flame Silence] of the Shuiyue Sword Sect.
The memory ended abruptly. Flame Silence drew a deep breath, tightening his grip on both divine swords. "This time, I will not lose."
"Xiaoxue," he whispered softly.
A cold hand settled over his left hand. "I'm here, brother."
His gaze fixed sternly on the azure tiger manifestation now bearing down upon him.
"Clang!"
"Hiss!"
Five weapons collided in a shower of sparks, generating sharp sword waves that shattered the surrounding pavement like glass.
"His strength has increased dramatically," Flame Silence observed through gritted teeth.
After such an extended battle, he could naturally sense the drastic transformation in Zoro's weapons. Where he had previously been able to break those three blades easily with his Ice and Fire Divine Swords, now they resisted with supernatural durability.
Moreover, it wasn't merely the weapons that had changed. As the green-haired swordsman's hands gradually became coated in a pitch-black substance, his physical strength had also increased exponentially.
This is truly troublesome, Flame Silence thought as his twin swords danced in defensive patterns.
"Ding, ding, ding!"
The rhythmic sound of clashing steel rang across the battlefield like a deadly percussion.
Zoro frowned slightly, noting that the young man with twin swords had also grown significantly stronger compared to their previous encounters.
"Swish!"
A blinding flash erupted between them, and a massive slashing wave instantly bisected a nearby villa.
Zoro used this momentary distraction to leap far backward, putting distance between himself and his opponent.
But as he landed and took his stance, his eyes widened in surprise.
In his field of vision, Flame Silence's right hand still gripped the fiery red sword as before. However, the crystalline blue blade was now held by a translucent female figure floating ethereally behind him.
[Remnant Soul Guarding the Heart].
The green-haired swordsman raised an eyebrow at this unexpected development. What kind of Devil Fruit power is this?
Even Brook can't manifest souls like this, Zoro mused, thinking of the skeletal musician who had consumed the Revive-Revive Fruit aboard their ship.
If Brook possessed such abilities, wouldn't he be able to summon the entire crew of his previous vessel, all the companions who had perished in that long-ago tragedy?
Dismissing these chaotic thoughts, the green-haired swordsman took a deep breath and charged forward once more.
Seeing the three swords approaching again, Flame Silence's expression remained perfectly composed. He simply ducked low, reversing his grip to block Zoro's assault with practiced ease.
Simultaneously, the spectral figure behind him, clutching Drifting Ice, lunged at Zoro with supernatural grace.
Anticipating this two-pronged attack, Zoro deflected with his swords and retreated, though he didn't create significant distance. "You call this a two-sword style?"
"Three Sword Style: Tornado!"
Overwhelming sword pressure instantly formed a devastating whirlwind. The powerful technique tore through the air with visible force, creating a cyclone of cutting wind.
"Swish!"
The already fractured ground was chopped into countless fragments like delicate tofu.
Caught off guard by the technique's range and power, Flame Silence suffered several deep gashes across his chest. Crimson stained his robes as he retreated hastily.
But the green-haired figure had already broken through his own tornado, lunging forward with demonic intensity.
"Three Sword Style: Oni Giri!"
Zoro's eyes flashed with a bloodthirsty crimson glow, resembling a vengeful Asura descending from the heavens.
Flame Silence's face darkened with determination. "Flame Dance!"
A brilliant sword technique erupted around him, swirling crimson flames illuminating the pitch-black night sky like a miniature sun. Massive flaming sword energy swept recklessly in all directions, turning the battlefield into an inferno.
"Swish!"
Zoro's slashing wave managed only to partially deflect the flaming assault, but it provided enough time for him to adjust his position. He rolled away, ignoring the blood trickling from his abdomen, his expression grave as he studied the sword-wielding youth.
Such a formidable opponent.
Even in the vast world of the Grand Line, this young man would have earned recognition as a renowned swordsman.
The thunderous clash between the two combatants naturally attracted the attention of every Lore Cardian present.
Kavach raised his eyebrows, never having expected the green-haired card to battle his ace to such an extent. After all, he had invested considerable effort and rare red materials into crafting [Crazy Sword: Flame Silence].
"Tsk," he scoffed, observing Zoro's wounds. "Even if he blocks it once, what difference does it make?"
In his assessment, Zoro's defeat remained inevitable.
Meanwhile, Tiger Slayer faced an increasingly precarious situation. The melee fighter possessed no means to penetrate magical defenses and would eventually be worn down by sustained ranged attacks.
Fortunately, as long as Flame Silence could resolve his battle quickly, the overall outcome would remain unchanged.
Kavach's thoughts mirrored those of Godfrey.
The Director of Public Security for the Donglai Association, a spy planted by the Crimson Oath Society within the organization, had experienced a emotional rollercoaster in the span of minutes.
He had initially considered Frieren's elimination of Nangong Ce a positive development, but now the situation had taken a sharp turn for the worse. In moments, the balance of power seemed to be tipping back toward Kavach.
Glancing at the silent Magnus in the distance, anxiety gnawed at him. Master, won't you give the order to retreat?
Are we truly going to fight to the death?
This seemed completely unnecessary to him. Ultimately, no fundamental conflict existed between the Crimson Oath Society and the Association. Continuing this battle served no one's interests.
Unfortunately, he remained bound by the Society's commands. No matter how illogical the situation appeared, without Azrael's explicit order to retreat, he couldn't even flee.
Furthermore, no possibility of reconciliation existed between Azrael and Kavach. The two sides had already committed to a life-or-death struggle.
Standing amid the ruins, Zoro drew a deep breath.
His optimal strategy now involved stalling until Frieren could eliminate Tiger Slayer and provide support. However, this operation was fundamentally an assassination mission.
Despite lasting less than half an hour since the initial attack, that represented more than enough time for the Donglai Cardian Master Association to mobilize additional reinforcements.
While Emerald-ranked Lore Cardians could crush anything Donglai possessed, Gold-ranked ones certainly could not.
Time was running out.
"One strike."
"I'll crush you!"
The green-haired swordsman's aura gradually intensified, crimson light gleaming in his eyes like an Asura descending upon the mortal realm.
The next moment, he launched himself at Flame Silence like a human cannonball.
"Nine mountains and eight seas form one world. Gathering a thousand worlds creates a 'small thousand worlds.'"
Flame Silence startled. He's doing it again!
Just like before, the bizarre three-sword swordsman insisted on announcing his technique names before executing them.
He couldn't fathom the purpose behind this practice. It served no tactical advantage beyond informing his opponent of incoming attacks.
Only two types of warriors would behave this way: someone suffering from chunibyo delusions or someone possessing absolute confidence in their overwhelming strength.
"This world multiplied by three, the selfless one continues."
However, sensing Zoro's exponentially growing momentum, Flame Silence's expression turned deadly serious.
Does calling out move names actually increase their power?
And isn't that name ridiculously long?
"Three Sword Style Secret Technique:"
"Ichidai Sanzen Daisen Sekai!"
At that moment, every expression among the Lore Cardians and summoned cards belonging to the Association changed dramatically.