"Click!" A barely perceptible sound of a blade being drawn rang out as Kazuha pulled out his sword, facing the raging Electro element.
The element surrounding Kazuha seemed to solidify, moving like sharp blades.
"Hiss!" Countless small wounds began to appear on his body, hands, and face, with blood seeping out.
But before the blood could even flow, it evaporated due to the immense elemental power.
"Hahaha!" Kazuha felt his mouth and nasal cavity filled with the taste of blood, but he had no regrets or pain.
Facing the Musou no Hitotachi directly, the exhilaration of fulfilling his wish had long since overshadowed the agony of a thousand cuts!
"What? I can't see clearly anymore. Am I going to die?" Everything in Kazuha's eyes became incredibly slow, filled with crimson.
Was this a life review?
In a daze, a silver light suddenly flashed!
The dazzling yet not sharp sword light pierced through the crimson, something even the Musou no Hitotachi's Electro light had failed to do.
"Clang—" A piercing clang immediately pulled Kazuha back from the brink of death.
All the pressure, all the pain, vanished!
"Sen…pai…?" Kazuha saw Yu Jin standing in front of him, somewhat disbelieving, because Yu Jin had already changed his appearance, but Kazuha still recognized him.
"Kid, watch!" Yu Jin turned his head to look at the stunned Raiden Shogun.
"Hiss—, Boom!" The power of fire transferred to the broken katana. The already scratched blade of the katana began to melt, as if it could break at any moment.
Small light and heat emerged from the blade, bringing Kazuha endless warmth. All his wounds were soothed, and all his fatigue was relieved.
"What is the pinnacle of martial arts!!!"
Yu Jin roared, exerting force with both hands.
Iaijutsu, horizontal slash!
"Bang!" Thunder always accompanies dark clouds, but the sun's radiance always arrives as expected after the darkness!
The dark clouds dispersed, and faint light covered the ground.
On the Training Field, the lightning dissipated into nothingness, scattering on the ground. Only the stunned Raiden Shogun remained, along with Yu Jin, who still held his drawing stance.
"Kid, is this senior's strength good enough?" Standing up, sheathing his sword, and patting his head, all in one fluid motion.
Kazuha looked at Yu Jin, who wasn't much taller than him but still stubbornly patted his head, and said with a slight tremble, "Senior, what…what was that?"
"Iaijutsu? Isn't that something all you samurai must learn?" Yu Jin retracted his hand from Kazuha's head and said with a smile.
"Iaijutsu? How is that possible!" Kazuha's pupils contracted to pinpricks. He looked around.
Everyone was in shock—the Shogun, the Guuji, the Tri-Commission… This wasn't a dream; Iaijutsu could block the Musou no Hitotachi!
"Heh heh, go chat with your friends. Next up is a spar between us old-timers." Yu Jin looked at Kazuha, whose lips were moving but couldn't say anything, and pushed him out of the Training Field.
"Was that truly Iaijutsu?" The Raiden Shogun looked intently at Yu Jin. Besides eternity, she also yearned for martial arts.
"Indeed, it was." Yu Jin nodded. That was indeed Iaijutsu, and the power of fire merely enhanced his strength to the same level as the Raiden Shogun's just now.
"If possible, I don't want to fight with the Shogun." Yu Jin looked at the woman before him. He found her very troublesome, much more so than Venti.
"Do you think that's possible?" The Raiden Shogun held her katana and said to Yu Jin.
The puppet had a new desire.
"Is that so? How…troublesome." Yu Jin only now realized how much he disliked fighting.
His heart sank into the darkest abyss, where savagery, cruelty, indifference… all the darkness he brought from two worlds resided. Some of it belonged to others, and some to himself.
Sins never dissipate; once they happen, they happen. Those who atone believe they have achieved purity, unaware that all burdens are borne by someone else.
Not long ago, he had cast his killing techniques into it. Because he felt they wouldn't be needed here.
"It's uncomfortable." Yu Jin opened his eyes again, his heart filled with endless brutality. Correspondingly, he saw everything.
How would the Raiden Shogun draw her sword? What would her next move be? How much stamina did she have left?
All of this, his past self, who had fought to the death for ten thousand years, told his current self.
"Hurry up, I'm very uncomfortable." Yu Jin forced a smile. Was he really in so much pain before?
I could have endured the darkness, if I had never seen the light.
Unfortunately, this saying did not apply to Yu Jin.
Yu Jin was an immortal; he couldn't die. But each time he was killed, he would forget something. He had once been killed until he became a living corpse.
The kind of living corpse that only had instincts and nothing else.
In his daze, he met Solaire, his sun.
My first sight was light, so in my vision, I can no longer see darkness!
"Boom!" The Raiden Shogun stepped forward, just as Yu Jin had expected.
"Haha, a very good stride." Considering the Raiden Shogun's identity, Yu Jin only said it in her mind.
"But don't you think your steps are a bit too wide?" Yu Jin also moved to meet her, but his steps were tight and continuous, forcing the Raiden Shogun to be somewhat unsteady.
But under Yu Jin's deliberate concealment, neither of them could tell who was winning or losing.
Yu Jin came to Inazuma and broke two rules: one was illegal entry, and the other was disrupting the Duel in front of the Emperor .
He was a rule-abiding person. The Raiden Shogun loved martial arts, so he would offer some guidance as compensation.
"Clang!" Neither of them used any divine power, simply competing in martial arts.
After separating again, the Raiden Shogun quickly rushed forward once more. This time, however, her steps were much more refined.
"Very talented, but this time it's an issue with drawing the sword." Yu Jin saw the Raiden Shogun swing her sword. He tilted his blade slightly and met her.
"Swish!" With another soft sound, their blades separated at an impossibly wide angle.
Why impossible? Because Yu Jin deliberately cooperated to preserve the Raiden Shogun's dignity.
He could see that the people of Inazuma's admiration for the Raiden Shogun bordered on obsession. If her dignity were completely shattered, it would likely cause major problems.
"Your strength is too great; it seems you've become somewhat careless with technique. You can make more changes, just like me."
Yu Jin swung his blade. The Raiden Shogun understood immediately, mimicking Yu Jin's previous move to meet the blade.
Sure enough, Yu Jin felt a great force from the blade, and his hand was directly knocked back at a wide angle.
Yu Jin nodded. Talented people learn quickly.
"The force, timing, and speed of your attacks are nearly perfect. However, there's one thing I need to mention."
Yu Jin paused, then preemptively met the Raiden Shogun's attack, as if he could see the future.
Though he truly could, in fact.
"Your heart is too calm; everything seems predetermined. A true master, once they understand your routine, can do as I do."
Upon hearing Yu Jin's words, the Raiden Shogun, uncharacteristically, showed no change and continued to swing her sword.
She hoped Yu Jin would skip this topic.
Yu Jin shook his head, leaped back, raised his sword, and gathered momentum.
An extremely heavy aura began to accumulate. At this moment, Yu Jin's body seemed to contain infinite power. The sword carried the weight of a world!
"The Musou no Hitotachi is your pride. This move of mine, the Ichimonji, is also my pride. If you want to see it, pay close attention, as I will rarely be in this state again."
Yu Jin said, then stepped forward and swung his sword!
"Pfft—" The shimmering purple katana instantly pierced Yu Jin's chest.
Yu Jin's hands were still in the posture of having just swung his sword. He looked down and saw that the Raiden Shogun—no, it should be Raiden Ei—was radiating immense power.
He saw the power of a god in this world.
"Senior!" Kazuha saw Yu Jin fighting fiercely with the Raiden Shogun just a moment ago, but in an instant, he was in mortal danger again, and he cried out in worry.
"Run!!!" The moment Yu Jin was pierced, he knew he was no match for Raiden Ei in his current state, at least not in his normal state.
So he immediately reverted to his unreliable self, and with a large hole in his chest, he grabbed Kazuha and Kazuha, one on each side, and fled.
"Put them on the wanted list!" Raiden Ei watched their fleeing figures, not bothering to pursue, but simply commanded softly.
"Yes!"
The purple light in the puppet's eyes faded. The Shogun regained control of her body and looked at the place where Yu Jin had left, remaining silent for a long time.
"I will definitely be back!!!"
Yu Jin's loud shout followed.
Yae Miko looked at the Shogun beside her.
Can puppets also smile?
After thinking about it, it's better to read these two chapters together.