On second thought, Jingliu's state seemed off from the very beginning.
The killing intent wasn't strong... yet it was incredibly pure.
"But, if a Mara-Struck Jingliu is so dangerous, how did she get out?"
Mitsuri Kanroji asked in confusion.
"Didn't the guards stop her?"
"They probably couldn't stop her at all, right?"
The Serpent Hashira, Obanai, watched the white-haired woman wildly swinging her sword at Jing Yuan on the light screen, with a lingering fear in his heart.
"To be able to suppress a Star God's Emanator to such a degree... breaking out of prison doesn't seem like such an unimaginable feat."
What made the Serpent Hashira curious now was that, although it was clear Jing Yuan was strong, when facing his master, whose swordsmanship was superior... he didn't use any more special techniques.
Is he really an Emanator? Or... is he holding back?
A question mark also formed in Obanai's mind.
—
「 Now——
"Ugh!" Jing Yuan barely blocked the sword energy, but his body was uncontrollably forced back dozens of steps before he could recover.
The sword energy grazed his armor and struck the pavilion behind him, instantly turning the structure to dust.
"Tap... tap..."
Jingliu was expressionless, merely holding her sword as she walked towards him step by step.
Clutching the formation blade in his hand, a trace of sorrow and reluctance flashed in Jing Yuan's eyes.
"Master..."
When he opened his eyes again, Jing Yuan had made up his mind. There was no longer any hesitation or confusion in his golden eyes.
"Farewell... Master. Allow this disciple to repay the grace of your teachings with this one strike!"
A golden spiritual light emerged from Jing Yuan's body, swiftly coalescing into a colossal Divine Lord holding a formation blade. It followed Jing Yuan's movements and also slashed down at Jingliu! 」
「 .....」
〜JoJo's Bizarre Adventure World, Golden Wind Timeline〜
Italy, Naples.
The streets in July were unbearably hot. Under the scorching sun, the tourist city unusually exuded a silent, deathly stillness.
Under the clear blue sky, a drone floated slowly in mid-air, looking like a government filming machine—except that no matter which direction the drone faced, its mounted camera was always aimed at the light screen in the sky.
The letters [ SPW ] were spray-painted on the drone's wings.
And in a nearby mountaintop villa, Giorno Giovanna was putting down his cup of black tea, looking towards the man in blue at the door.
"It's fine, Mista, no need to be so on guard."
As a gang boss, Giorno was just 16 years old. Although his voice was still youthful, it was clear and resonant, making people instinctively trust him.
"In the time it took you to pull that pistol from your boot, you nearly missed the first move of the 'Stand User' from another world."
Giorno switched to a more relaxed tone.
"Good thing I arranged for the drone to record the whole thing. You can watch it with me later."
"Stand User? Does that world really have 'Stands'?"
Mista shoved the pistol back into his boot. He always had great faith in Giorno's words.
"It's hard to explain. You'll just have to see for yourself."
Giorno pointed to the sky with his teaspoon. The battle between Jing Yuan and Jingliu was still ongoing.
The entirely golden Divine Lord was like a god. As it slashed down, the heavens and earth seemed to crack, as if everything would be turned to dust.
"This..."
Mista stared at the sky in disbelief, swallowing hard. Is that a Stand?... If it is, then it's far too astonishing.
Giorno was equally shocked, but his expression was much calmer than Mista's.
"It's like a power-type Stand, but its range is likely much greater than a typical Stand's."
Giorno raised an eyebrow slightly, visually estimated the distance, and gestured with his hands on the table:
"The range of the slash is probably over 100 meters. As for its speed..."
That woman named Jingliu didn't dodge.
Bathed in the divine might of the blade's light, she showed no resistance, nor the madness she had when swinging her sword earlier.
On the contrary, before she vanished into smoke, a faint, almost imperceptible smile seemed to appear on her lips.
Giorno couldn't figure it out either. Was she able to dodge, or unwilling to?
"But rather than guessing if he's a Stand User, I'm more inclined to believe another theory."
Giorno looked at the empty teacup and said in a calm tone: "
Weren't we speculating before that this Jing Yuan is an Emanator of the Hunt? This golden 'Stand' might be a privilege granted to him by the Star Gods of the Hunt."
"A god? That would make sense."
Speaking of gods, Mista couldn't help but show an envious expression.
"But giving a Stand is a bit too generous. I can't imagine what would happen if this guy were pierced by the Arrow."
"But, what a pity—"
Giorno suddenly sighed.
"A pity?"
"Yes, that woman named Jingliu seems to be dead,"
Giorno said with regret.
"Her swordsmanship was marvelous, very much worth studying... although to study it, one would probably have to use a camera and slow down the playback."
"Polnareff was sleeping and missed her duel with Jing Yuan. When I recommended it to him, he didn't believe me at first... I just sent him the drone footage, and now he's completely silent."
—
「 The scene changed. Under a vast, clear sky, it was still the same place where Jing Yuan practiced his swordsmanship.
Only this time, Jing Yuan was no longer a child, but a master. He stood to the side, watching the little boy before him swing a longsword with all his might.
"Nine thousand nine hundred and ninety-eight... nine thousand nine hundred and ninety-nine... ten thousand!"
The little boy was panting, his arms trembling slightly, gasping for breath continuously.
Only then did Jing Yuan slowly say: "As a Cloud Knight, you must not let your weapon leave your hand, nor your form fall apart."
"Yes!"
The little boy responded with a powerful voice, immediately adjusting his posture, ready for the next training session.
But Jing Yuan suddenly smiled: "However, you're still too young. You don't count as a Cloud Knight yet."
The little boy whipped his head around and said seriously,
"I also want to be like the General and become a legend whose name is remembered in Xianzhou!"
Jing Yuan chuckled lightly: "What's so good about that? It's not an easy path to walk."
"But didn't the General also walk this path step by step to get where he is today?"
"..." Jing Yuan just watched him quietly.
The wind passed gently by them, rustling the leaves, seemingly carrying away the sorrow.
After a long while, he finally smiled: "Since you're so spirited, how about we have a practice match?"
"Alright!" The little boy instantly grew excited, quickly assuming his stance.
"I won't go easy on you!" 」
「 .....」
~ Frieren: Beyond Journey's End World ~
"Aah, Frieren, I have a really bad feeling about this!!"
Stark was on the verge of a breakdown:
"This scene looks so familiar! I feel like it'll be Jing Yuan's turn to become Mara-Struck soon, and that boy will have to do it himself—"
"There, there."
Frieren gave Stark a light pat on the head.
"Xianzhou natives live for hundreds of years at a time. Even if the day comes when Jing Yuan really does become Mara-Struck, will you even be alive to see it?!"
—