Chapter 602: Heaven Collapsing and Earth Splitting

"No way, can this thing even be called a sword?"

Looking at the thick, sturdy, and clearly hard heavy mace slung over the Oiran's shoulder, even Dorothy in her Fairy King state was deeply shocked. She couldn't help but ask, looking somewhat bewildered.

Although the Eastern Witches had always been vague about the distinction between blades and swords—claiming it was swordsmanship while actually using katanas and the like—no matter how one looked at it, a mace definitely didn't fall under the category of blades or swords. It should be classified as a blunt weapon.

However, regarding her confusion, Oiran Ibuki had no intention of answering.

The Oiran was still strictly adhering to the rules of the Oiran Welcoming Banquet. Although she had moved and was about to give a guest a sound thrashing, as long as she didn't speak, it wouldn't count as a violation.

After all, the rules of the Oiran Welcoming Banquet only stated that she could not eat, drink, or converse with guests; it didn't say she couldn't fight.

Even though she didn't speak, she cast a disdainful glance at this ignorant little witch, whose mouth was agape in surprise over such a minor display. Her charming eyes clearly expressed one meaning:

"Are you the swordsmith or am I? How can blades and swords be such unchanging things? If I say a mace is a sword, then it is a sword. In the entire Eastern Island, no one understands swordsmithing better than I do."

The Home Witch, with her exceptionally high Inspiration attribute, easily read the Oiran's gaze. After a brief silence, she shrugged, feeling relieved.

Fine, you're the professional at swordsmithing, so whatever you say goes.

Dorothy didn't dwell too much on such a trivial issue. After all, the atmosphere had already been built up to this point; it was impossible to just say they wouldn't fight.

So...

"Since the Oiran has accepted the challenge, let's set some rules for the duel. After all, this is a banquet; if we make too much of a scene and disturb the other guests, that wouldn't be very elegant. How about we have a 'civilized fight' with less commotion? We'll focus on swordsmanship and avoid using too much Mana. Let's set the upper limit for Mana output at 50,000 Total Mana, how about that?"

The Home Witch proposed.

As she spoke, she maintained a calm expression, as if to say, "I'm doing this entirely to save face for you, the host."

Well, this was the Pleasure District's Yūya, after all, and there were many guests on the first and second floors. If the two of them really went all out, let alone this Yūya, the entire street or even the whole Eastern Island might suffer.

So, she definitely wasn't scared of getting beaten up—absolutely not. The Fairy King fears nothing.

Therefore, after the Home Witch's main consciousness finished speaking, she handed control of the body back to her Zhai Wuhun, which caused the Wuhun avatar to protest slightly.

However, upon hearing this proposal, the Oiran Ibuki snapped her fingers. Suddenly, the Home Witch, who was standing in the center of the stage, felt the world spin; she felt the entire room rotating and shaking.

No, this wasn't just a feeling; the entire banquet hall was actually shaking.

She saw the shoji doors and walls surrounding the Japanese-style tatami banquet hall moving and shifting. The entire house seemed to have transformed into a giant Rubik's Cube, deforming and rotating.

When everything finally settled, Dorothy found herself in a massive arena surrounded by countless Japanese-style wooden houses. Across the arena, the Oiran was watching her with a smile.

As for the original guests, they were now scattered across the countless Japanese-style private rooms surrounding the arena. Some were in strange positions: some were hanging upside down from the ceiling, some were sitting on top of the ceiling, and others were standing vertically at ninety degrees against the walls.

It was as if the order of direction and gravity had been completely scrambled in this space.

(Refer to the layout of the place where Muzan cross-dresses in *Demon Slayer*; it seems to be called the Infinity Castle.)

"You've got to be kidding me. Isn't this the Pleasure District? Why is there such a high-end arena here? Do some guests like to fight while fighting? What kind of weird XP is that?"

Dorothy was a bit dumbfounded. No matter how she thought about it, a gentle place like the Pleasure District didn't match a bloody facility like an arena. But after thinking about it carefully, the Home Witch had to admit that this was truly very "witchy."

It seemed that although the customs and habits of the Eastern Island were quite Oriental, the spiritual core was still very much that of a witch.

"Fine, if it's not going to be civilized, then so be it. Who's afraid of whom?"

The Home Witch clicked her tongue in dissatisfaction. It was a pity; it seemed that a sound beating today was unavoidable. Getting beaten up really hurts, you know.

But it wasn't a big problem. Since the Fairy King was the one fighting, she would be the one to bear the pain.

Dorothy silently transferred all the pain perception of her body to her Zhai Wuhun.

Well, Little Four, you are the Unyielding Wuhun, the best of the best. Keep it up; the organization won't forget your contribution today.

However, to the Home Witch's surprise, after the Oiran adjusted the arena settings, she unexpectedly discovered that the duel rules had indeed been modified to a maximum Mana output limit of 50,000 Total Mana.

"Ah, this..."

The Home Witch scratched her head, looking at the Oiran with some confusion. When she saw the joyful smile on Ibuki's face, she realized she had been teased.

This evil Oiran had released the arena and made such a big scene just to scare her.

Suddenly, while the Home Witch felt relieved, she also felt a chill of anger. What has this world come to? Why are there so many bad women...

Oh, wait, I seem to be quite a scumbag myself. Never mind then.

Seeing the health bars of both sides appear above the arena, with a five-second countdown between them, Dorothy shook her head and stopped thinking about it.

She glanced at the health bars and frowned.

She discovered that their health bars were identical, both at around 80,000 HP.

This was clearly abnormal. Normally, the calculation rule for virtual health in the arena is based on the contestant's Physique attribute and Mana amount.

1 Total Mana is roughly equivalent to 1,000 HP, and the Physique attribute multiplier follows the traditional rate: E=1, D=2, C=4, B=8, A=16, S=32...

Dorothy's Mana is 50,000 Total Mana, and her Physique is A, which is a 16x multiplier, totaling around 80,000 HP.

But the Oiran opposite her is a Grand Witch. Even if the arena stipulated that both sides have similar Mana output, a Grand Witch's six-dimensional attributes should normally be around SS. Therefore, with equal Mana, the opponent's health bar should normally be four times that of the Home Witch.

So, without a doubt, the opponent was holding back—no, she was "releasing the sea" (going extremely easy).

However, the Home Witch wasn't ungrateful enough to think that the opponent looked down on her for not using her true strength. After all, one must have self-awareness; how could a little witch like her demand that a Grand Witch go all out against her?

On the contrary, Dorothy's favorability toward the Oiran increased quite a bit. After all, the opponent's restraint could be considered a form of kindness. Any big sister who could maintain kindness despite the taunts of the Fairy King's foul mouth was definitely a good person.

"Dream One-Heart Style Inheritor, Dorothy, reporting for duty."

She thought for a moment and, following the example of the previous Eastern Witches, reported her lineage and name before assuming a combat stance.

However, at the audience table, the future Miss Shenwu, who had originally been uninterested in matchmaking and was focused on slacking off and eating, was stunned when she heard this familiar school name. She looked up in surprise at the arena.

Dream One-Heart Style? Isn't this the swordsmanship school of Lord Joker? What is the relationship between this Dorothy and Lord Joker?

Miss Hei Wuchang's gaze became sharp.

"Hundred Ghosts One-Blade Style Inheritor, Ibuki Iblu Yongyi, reporting for duty."

The Oiran opposite her looked at the unruly little one who had suddenly become so well-behaved. She shook her head. She should have reported her lineage too, but due to the banquet rules, it wasn't convenient to speak. She simply waved her mace, and a line of text was carved into the empty ground before her by seemingly chaotic sword Qi.

Afterwards, she looked at the little one with interest, waiting for her to make the first move.

Although she had indeed been slightly rattled by the little one's foul mouth earlier, she wasn't about to seriously hold a grudge against a little witch whose age wasn't even a fraction of her own. She had come down this time with the idea of teaching the brat a lesson.

Alright, no more excuses; in truth, her hands were just itching. After all, it had been a long time since she had fought anyone.

Most Eastern evil witches are naturally combative; their desire and fanaticism for battle are no less than those of the Dragon Witches. But as an Oiran, Ibuki hadn't fought anyone in a long time.

For one, it was to maintain the Oiran's demeanor; for another, there was no one left in this Pleasure District who could stir her fighting spirit.

But this wasn't necessarily a bad thing. Although not fighting for a long time felt like abstinence for a succubus to an evil witch, she always felt a fire burning in her heart. The longer she didn't fight, the more fiercely this evil fire burned.

But this was exactly what Ibuki wanted. She wished that the fire in her heart could burn even more fiercely. Although an excessive evil fire could harm the body, that wasn't important; what was important was that this raging evil fire could also amplify the power of an evil witch.

She longed for the day when her flames could overturn this decaying Eastern Island and burn this disgusting place to ashes.

And now, that day was approaching; the day when she could vent her fire to her heart's content was not far off.

Because of this, she hadn't been as abstinent as before recently and could indulge herself appropriately. Anyway, beating up a brat wouldn't waste much of her fire.

Or rather, the brat's foul mouth earlier had made the evil fire in her heart burn even more fiercely. She would use the brat's screams to vent this extra fire.

The evil Oiran smiled as she sized up the little witch opposite her, thinking about how she should break her bones one by one later and how she should listen to her wails.

Brats are the most annoying.

After all, for a witch working in the Pleasure District, children were not something beautiful; she really didn't like them.

"Hey, Auntie, your look always makes me feel weird. It reminds me of a certain Evil Dragon friend. I think you might be a bit sick, just like her. But it doesn't matter; my friend's illness was cured by me. Now, I'll help you vent your fire, Auntie. Venting fire, I'm a professional."

Dorothy shivered. The Oiran's look reminded her of Senior Miya, or more accurately, that mother-tyrannosaurus in the Mana Web duel, which then reminded her of those days when she turned into Dorothy-chan every day.

The Oiran's look now was just like Senior Miya's back then, when her violent dragon nature couldn't be released and she was full of fire—it was an extreme hunger that made her want to strip the bones and suck the marrow of anyone she saw.

If it were anyone else, they might have panicked, but the Home Witch—especially the Fairy King Home Witch—wasn't panicked at all; she even felt a little nostalgic. After all, although she was beaten every day during that time, it was also the period when she grew the fastest.

And now, the Senior Miya-brand training accelerator was outdated; this Oiran-brand accelerator looked very easy to use.

For a moment, the Fairy King's eyes also became scorching hot.

Come on, don't pity me just because I'm a little witch; let the storm come more fiercely.

The Unyielding Ruined Wuhun revealed a defiant, ferocious grin. She gripped the demon blade in her hand and liberated the power of the Red Shadow, word by word.

"Red Shadow Evil Dragon sleeping in the depths of the blood sea, awaken. The time for the gluttonous feast has arrived."

And so, a dragon's roar came from nowhere. In the Home Witch's hand, the already enchanting scarlet blade suddenly appeared with flowing, water-like patterns. The water rippled, and finally, the blood sea surged. A crimson evil dragon with the elegant divinity of a divine dragon flew out from the blood sea in the blade, then crawled up along the hilt, slowly climbed over Dorothy's right arm, sank into her upper body, and wrapped around it, finally turning into an enchanting blood-colored dragon tattoo.

With this, the already delinquent-looking Dorothy became even more of a delinquent, gaining a full-sleeve tattoo—a dragon over the shoulder. However, the Home Witch didn't care about this.

At this moment, her state was excellent. The talent blessing from the demon blade was added to her, making her feel so high she couldn't stop.

Normally, a Demon Blade Wielder's first liberation would only have one talent, but Red Shadow was a bit special; she had two.

【Nine Blades Thirteen Styles (SSR): This is the origin of all Eastern swordsmanship and the foundation of everything. People are often obsessed with the splendor of secret swords, forgetting that the earth beneath their feet is the source of power. But you are different; the earth protects you who are down-to-earth. The power of all your swordsmanship is greatly increased, the precision of your swordsmanship is greatly increased, and your comprehension of secret sword mysteries is greatly increased.】

【Demon Blade Red Shadow (SSR): As a demon blade forged from a corner of the Abyss Blood Sea, Red Shadow possesses a portion of the power of the Abyss Blood Sea. The wielder will also receive the blessing of the Abyss Evil Witch's power, and all your attributes will be greatly enhanced.】

At this moment, as a crash-course Sword God, Dorothy's lacking foundation in swordsmanship, honed over a hundred years, received the blessing of Red Shadow's century-old sword-polishing skills. The originally seemingly magnificent skyscraper now had a sufficiently solid foundation and became incomparably stable.

Similarly, the power that originally belonged to the devil flowed through her body along the dragon tattoo on her skin, allowing her Dragon Witch body to once again receive the blessing of devil power. Most importantly, she was the Second-Generation Demon King recognized by Lord Demon King herself.

Although that title was more like a joke, as the current Lord of the Abyss, the joke also represented recognition; that status was real and undeniable.

So...

Crack, crack...

Accompanied by the bursting sound of flesh and bone growing rapidly, Dorothy soon grew into an evil witch no shorter than the Oiran opposite her.

The newborn Ghost King raised her head. On top of her head, the crimson ghost horns, resembling deer antlers, were very eye-catching. She stretched her body, and behind her, a circle composed of countless blood-colored diamond crystals floated, just like the halo behind a god or Buddha.

This was the blessing of the Blood Sea.

However, the Home Witch didn't care about these changes on her body. She just picked up the long tachi in her hand, which had changed to a size that fit perfectly, then glanced at the enemy opposite her, and then slashed calmly.

Under this slash, one of the blood-colored diamond crystals behind her shattered, turning into boundless blood-evil Qi. This blood-evil Qi was carried by the sword Qi and rushed toward the Oiran opposite.

And Ibuki Iblu Yongyi became serious at this moment.

She had to admit that she had misjudged this time. This was no brat; this was likely a true dragon pretending to be a pig to eat the tiger.

In the Oiran's vision, what was rushing toward her wasn't sword Qi at all; the entire world in front of her was shrouded in boundless blood color. In the surging blood sea on the ground, a blood-colored giant raised its sword and slashed toward her. The mountain-like sword edge, carrying countless scarlet lightning bolts, slowly pressed down, bringing a terrifying pressure like the collapse of heaven.

"Damn, No-Thought No-Mind, One-Blade Severance, this is the realm of the Sword God."

The Oiran was so surprised that she didn't even care about the rule that she couldn't speak. She directly cursed with an evil witch profanity.

But she wasn't too panicked. After all, who isn't a Sword God?

And so, the rugged yet beautiful single-horned evil witch even had the heart to take out a wine gourd, take a few big gulps of fine wine, and then stride forward—one step, two steps, three steps...

With every step forward, the aura on the Oiran's body became stronger, and the single horn on her head became even more crimson.

And after three steps, just as that heaven-collapsing sword was about to strike her, a massive evil witch phantom rose from the ground behind Ibuki Iblu Yongyi. The phantom synchronized with her movements, and both of them swung the ferocious iron rod in their hands with all their might.

"Ghost King Mystery, Three Steps Burning Heaven."

And so, infinite earth fire erupted with this strike, flames soaring into the sky, turning the surroundings into a hellish scene, and blocking the blood-colored lightning that accompanied the heaven-punishing sword strike.

This was heaven's thunder hooking with earth's fire; the two were indistinguishable for a time.

And when the heaven-collapsing sword collided with the earth-splitting rod, there was an explosion, and then all things fell silent...

... The two are locked in a struggle... ===== CHAPTER 603 =====