Chapter 155: Attribute Explosion, Shinken Shiai Second Match! (6k)

There was no footstep sound, no breathing sound, not even the sound of air being torn by a solid body moving at high speed.

Utterly silent.

In but an instant, the slender silver light blooming from Akatsuki Ran's hand had already reached Uesugi Toru's near side.

Yet viewed from outside the arena, Akatsuki Ran could still be seen standing at the center of the arena's sandy ground, having not moved at all.

This eerie phenomenon left many spectators with shallow combat experience dumbfounded in their seats, momentarily unsure where to look.

But even though Uesugi Toru had not yet turned his head, the "Mirror of the Mind" in his heart reflected with perfect clarity the trajectory of that strike—plain as water yet brimming with murderous intent.

Uesugi Toru did not waste time turning his gaze.

He held his breath and focused his spirit, causing the scorching Corona Qi to erupt at the ends of his hands, then flipped his wrist, laying the tip of his plain spear horizontally across the inevitable path of this suddenly arriving extreme-speed thrust.

Screech!

Iron and bone collided at a single point; after a moment of silence, the violent ringing transformed into visible sound waves that boomed outward in all directions.

Feeling the heavy pressure transmitted from the spear shaft to his arm, Uesugi Toru plucked his heartstring with an unchanged complexion.

The Two-Shaku Adult behind him immediately raised both hands to form a gun shape.

Accompanied by popopo sounds, a string of gray-white pellets bypassed Uesugi Toru and shot forward toward him.

Clang! Clang!

But in the moment before those gray-white pellets arrived, the true form of the silver-white stream of light—that short, pure-white bone dagger—flipped and danced at nearly zero distance, once again consecutively striking the same point on the head of the plain spear.

Bang!

In Uesugi Toru's slightly surprised perception, the upper right corner of the head of the Special Affairs Division standard plain spear in his hand shattered with a boom, turning into sharp fragments that flew in all directions.

He tilted his head slightly to dodge the fragments, letting them embed deeply into the arena's stone wall, and gazed at Akatsuki Ran's figure gradually solidifying under the lamp light.

Why would Akatsuki Ran rather risk being hit by the pellets fired by the Two-Shaku Adult to stay in place for one more moment?

But Akatsuki Ran told Uesugi Toru through actual action—

Far from it!

Between her flying black and white hair, Akatsuki Ran exaggeratedly curled the corners of her mouth, aiming the short dagger of only two-plus inches at Uesugi Toru's neck.

Under Uesugi Toru's gaze, that dagger, at least over a meter away from his body, suddenly stretched without any warning!

Neither was there the slightest spiritual power fluctuation, nor any trace of breathing technique aura flowing.

The cold touch grazed Uesugi Toru's skin by a hair's breadth, slicing off a few strands of hair at his temple.

The next moment, pellets attacking from all directions exploded, turning into a huge viscous white net falling down, covering every direction Akatsuki Ran might escape without any blind spot.

The already half-shattered plain spear simultaneously spun, crashing down from above.

Bang!

Yellow sand flew up amidst the explosion, kicking up a hazy murky smoke and dust.

But Uesugi Toru's hand felt not the slightest sensation of striking a solid object.

Escaped?

When?

Uesugi Toru waved his hand to disperse the smoke and dust before his eyes, and saw before him a slowly dissipating shadow.

He pondered slightly, then looked toward the center of the arena.

"Phew, phew, almost got smashed."

There, Akatsuki Ran had a full rosy complexion, happily patting her chest, showing a look completely different from before the fight began.

She was savoring the pleasure brought by the instant of life and death.

"A phantom that swaps positions..."

Uesugi Toru let go, letting the damaged plain spear fall to the ground.

Then spiritual power surged in his palm, using it as a disguise to draw a new plain spear from his Storage Backpack, aiming it at Akatsuki Ran from afar.

At this time, Kujou Rōya, seated at the highest place, began to slowly read the rules.

"For this Shinken Shiai, my Oboro Moon Hall faces the Special Affairs Division; my side has sent three people, namely..."

On the Notary Seat, Kujou Shinya frowned and spoke: "Striking before the host and Referee read the rules has already violated the rules, hasn't it?"

"This is a Shinken Shiai, Lord Kujou."

Kujou Rōya did not get angry at being interrupted; she still kept her eyes closed, her tone casual,

"Since both sides already knew before stepping onto the stage that this is a match requiring one to stake their lives, then when both competitors stand in the arena, the match has already begun."

"—If not so, it would be irresponsible toward one's own life."

Kujou Shinya said coldly: "That is sophistry. Rules are rules; once set, how can they be broken at will!"

"I have no objection."

In the exact center of the Notary Seat, Tokugawa Hoshi's gaze repeatedly sized up Uesugi Toru inside the arena.

She turned her head and lightly clicked her tongue: "Since it's been said to be a Shinken Shiai, after stepping onto the stage one can no longer naively entrust one's life to those outside."

Kujou Shinya narrowed his eyes and looked toward Huijue on the other side.

Huijue, who was holding three smooth round sariras in his hand, smiled cheerfully.

Seeing that Uesugi Toru had long been prepared, he nodded: "Since the Shinken Shiai has already begun, then we outsiders shouldn't interrupt anymore, right?"

"Two against one, Lord Kujou."

Kujou Rōya said calmly; after saying this, she simply closed her mouth, swallowing back the opening remarks she should have spoken.

—On the stage, this time Uesugi Toru took the initiative to attack.

—Corona Breathing Technique·Form Five!

Accompanied by a substantive pure-white Qi Coating surging out, Uesugi Toru's figure crossed over ten-plus meters in the blink of an eye to reach the center of the arena.

The plain spear over two meters long suddenly shot forward like a great dragon, thrusting toward Akatsuki Ran's chest.

The scorching heat wave struck first, burning Akatsuki Ran's skin.

Her pupils contracted slightly, her entire body bending at an unnatural angle like rubber toward the other side, exactly clearing a hollow for the white spear to pass through.

Uesugi Toru did not hesitate to release the white spear, stepping forward and gathering surging internal Qi on the surface of his fist, landing a heavy uppercut on Akatsuki Ran's abdomen.

This time, a solid sensation came from the fist's edge.

The sound of breaking ribs rang out, and blood immediately dyed Uesugi Toru's arm red.

"Cough……"

Akatsuki Ran couldn't help but cough up a large mouthful of blood, yet the pleasure on her complexion did not diminish but increased, a rich redness spreading from her cheek to the root of her ear, the color becoming ever more vivid.

"Got you~"

Two powerful thighs wrapped in a connected bodysuit coiled around Uesugi Toru's arm like thick pythons, Akatsuki Ran smiled slightly at him, then was about to exert force in midair to snap this arm.

Uesugi Toru likewise curled the corners of his mouth.

Within half a breath, his entire body bloomed with blue-purple lightning, letting these winding lightning snakes drill into Akatsuki Ran's body in an instant, paralyzing all her muscles.

Five Thunder Method: Kiai!

Uesugi Toru and her physical quality difference had not reached a qualitative distinction, so without affecting his own movement, this abruptly appearing lightning could only paralyze Akatsuki Ran for an instant.

But an instant was enough!

He slammed the stiffened and trembling Akatsuki Ran onto the sandy ground, causing her to cough up another large mouthful of scalding fresh blood.

Uesugi Toru raised his hand, the white spear appeared, but in the instant it fell, Akatsuki Ran's figure once again turned into shadow and vanished.

But this time the situation was already different.

The Adult Two Shaku, long waiting in midair, waved his finger, letting dozens of gray-white bullets fall like iron rain.

Even though Akatsuki Ran immediately reacted to dodge, she was still pierced through the body by several gray-white bullets.

Uesugi Toru turned around, deep breathing twisting waist and hips in one fluid motion, throwing the white spear like a javelin.

The white spear carried a pure white heat wave forward, and in the blink of an eye pierced Akatsuki Ran's abdomen from behind, nailing her firmly into the sandy ground.

Crackling fresh blood mixed with pale bone stubble poured out of Akatsuki Ran's mouth as if money were no object.

She collapsed to the ground as if drained of strength, her eyes rolling white, her toes still twitching.

The surrounding audience stands fell silent at once upon seeing this scene.

No one could have imagined that the first round of the Shinken Shiai would end like this.

One side was Akatsuki Ran, second disciple of Oboro Moon Hall with countless combat achievements, the other was some guy named Uesugi who had been unknown until now.

Originally, most people thought the battle situation would undoubtedly tilt to one side.

Now, the battle situation indeed tilted to one side.

But it tilted to the other side.

This was an ending none of the audience had expected.

Uesugi Toru picked up the white spear from the ground—he only had three white spears of this length in total, so he had not yet reached the point of being able to discard them at will.

Uesugi Toru narrowed his eyes, not relaxing the slightest bit of vigilance.

——He always felt that Akatsuki Ran had lost too fast and too easily.

——From the start of the battle until now, besides revealing the ability to swap places with shadows and extend bone daggers, she had not shown anything belonging to Oboro Moon Hall…

Just as Uesugi Toru was thinking this, he suddenly heard Akatsuki Ran's voice drifting lightly from all directions.

"Got, you, ~"

A massive shadow like the abyssal maw of some giant beast rose from beneath the arena floor, swallowing Uesugi Toru, who walked right into the center of the shadow, in an instant.

On the sandy ground, Akatsuki Ran, pierced through the abdomen by the white spear, turned with difficulty, yanked out the white spear, then gently pressed down the pale bone blade that popped from her joints.

She chuckled softly: "boom~"

Within the viscous shadow, hundreds or thousands of nearly identical bone thorns, differing only in color, shot out, sweeping toward Uesugi Toru at the very center like a wave.

In the audience stand not far away, Hattori Ayako, who had originally been showing delight, froze, slightly flustered, wanting to run to Nanjo Ai's motionless front to beg for help for him.

Shizuku placed her hand on her shoulder, her voice very calm,

"He hasn't drawn his sword yet."

As if responding to Shizuku's words.

The next instant, straight paleness from the center severed the writhing viscous darkness in one stroke!

Separation Sorrow Domain devoured the endless darkness at extreme speed.

Uesugi Toru, with only a shallow blood hole added at his neck, walked out slowly, staring at Akatsuki Ran sighing not far away, and slowly sheathed Kaga Kiyomitsu.

"I didn't expect this move wouldn't work on you either, Uesugi-kun." Akatsuki Ran covered her abdomen and stood up, nodding cheerfully at him, "So it seems, I've lost, huh."

Uesugi Toru remained indifferent, merely walking toward her silently.

——The Shinken Shiai differs from ordinary matches; even if one side fails to kill the other for various reasons, at least one side must be deprived of basic mobility

So verbal surrender doesn't count.

Unless Akatsuki Ran withdraws from this circular arena—the scope of the Shinken Shiai—on her own right now.

Seeing Uesugi Toru actually walk slowly to her front, within reach of her, who was inconvenienced in movement.

Akatsuki Ran exhaled softly, staring fixedly at him and said, "Uesugi-kun, you're really confident."

Uesugi Toru clenched his fist, raising the operational efficiency of the Corona Breathing Technique to the maximum, letting a dull roar like a V8 motor sound from within his body.

He said lightly,

"Just holding back some strength, wanting to win more beautifully."

"Beautifully, huh."

Akatsuki Ran laughed, bone thorns mixed with shadow extending from the soles of her feet, drilling through the sandy ground and suddenly shooting out behind Uesugi Toru toward his heart.

Crackle!

The bone thorn shattered.

Descending from the sky, the two-shaku adult holding a gray-white shield said sternly: "I will protect Adult Toru's back!"

But at the same time, Akatsuki Ran had once again transformed into a phantom and attacked Uesugi Toru.

In an instant, thousands of silver-white streaks of light, both real and illusory, rose up.

Uesugi Toru raised his eyes indifferently and thrust the hand wrapped in Qi Coating and lightning straight forward!

Ignoring the attacks that tore his flesh, he grabbed Akatsuki Ran's throat in one go.

Then he slammed her down!

"Mmgh—"

For a moment, Akatsuki Ran felt the whole world dim.

But her palm still gripped the bone dagger tightly, using it to pierce Uesugi Toru's arm.

The fine bone matter on those bone daggers had not yet spread and proliferated wildly inside Uesugi Toru's body as before, before being completely reduced to ash by the quietly flowing lightning.

Next, Uesugi Toru delivered another merciless heavy punch to Akatsuki Ran's abdominal wound, tearing open her wound that was nearly filled with gray-white bone matter, along with her liver beside it.

A sickly flush immediately rose from her neck to Akatsuki Ran's cheeks.

Her tender tongue lolled out lightly, her mouth corners split, and she couldn't help but reveal a smile of extreme pleasure.

"Uesugi-kun…"

She murmured dazedly while vomiting blood: "I think… I've started to like you…"

Uesugi Toru pretended not to see, merely throwing a punch and a kick, striking Akatsuki Ran, whom he held by the neck, until she completely lost the ability to stand and resist.

After ten seconds like a sudden storm, Uesugi Toru threw Akatsuki Ran, who had completely lost consciousness like a pool of rotten mud, onto the sandy ground.

Then he drew Kaga Kiyomitsu and lightly traced the blade across the tiny, barely noticeable wound on his fingertip that had just appeared.

Separation Sorrow Domain swallowed part of his flesh and several undispersed deadly toxins, then was taken back into Kaga Kiyomitsu's body surface by the very sharp Kaga Kiyomitsu.

"Well done, Xiao Jia."

After patting Kaga Kiyomitsu's sword hilt and sheathing it, Uesugi Toru silently looked at Akatsuki Ran on the ground, whose only sign of life was the slight rise and fall of her chest.

—Perhaps, including her "death," everything was to deliver this toxin into his body at his most relaxed moment.

Gazing at this flushed, sweaty, disheveled face, Uesugi Toru finally couldn't help but praise his opponent just now,

"A truly qualified assassin, beyond qualification."

If not for Separation Sorrow Domain and Kaga Kiyomitsu, which had developed a bit of spiritual wisdom, Uesugi Toru might really have fallen here.

After all, poison is sometimes a very unreasonable existence.

But Akatsuki Ran's move also reminded Uesugi Toru that he still lacked complete resistance to "toxins."

—Later, if Soul Ash is abundant, perhaps Katsumi can be summoned to buy some items to make up for this.

When Uesugi Toru's thoughts ended, he found the surroundings still silent.

He raised his head somewhat doubtfully: "No one will announce the victory of the first match?"

On the Notary Seat, Tokugawa Hoshi, who had been staring at him without blinking, clicked her tongue, turned her head, and saw a scene that made her even more dissatisfied.

—As the Dojo Master of Oboro Moon Hall and Akatsuki Ran's teacher, Kujou Rōya was actually just sitting in the main seat and dozing off.

And seemed to have entered deep sleep, unaware of anything happening in the arena.

Tokugawa Hoshi snapped her fingers, flicked a Qi Sword onto Kujou Rōya's body, and only then did the latter wake as if from a dream and open his mouth to announce,

"First match, Special Affairs Division's Uesugi Toru wins."

As soon as these words were spoken, Kujou Shinya, also sitting on the Notary Seat, stepped out and jumped directly into the arena, taking the dying Akatsuki Ran backstage for emergency treatment.

The surrounding audience remained very quiet, at most some friends whispering to each other.

On one hand, they were shaken by this very short but extremely intense Shinken Shiai that reversed again and again.

On the other hand, it was because of Uesugi Toru, covered in scales wounds yet still expressionless on the arena.

No one thought Uesugi Toru looked disheveled in this state; instead, they felt an unusual… dignity and kingly way from these fragmented scars.

For a long time, until Uesugi Toru sat by the arena and began pouring Awakening Spirit Mist into his mouth, did the arena recover its lively and noisy atmosphere—

"Could it be… this Special Affairs Division newcomer Uesugi Toru really will win, this aura is too overbearing!"

A local dojo master educated by Oboro Moon Hall shook his head: "No no no, just winning against Akatsuki Ran left him gasping for breath, let alone Crow Takes Time Rain and that terrifying woman surnamed Kiba behind her."

"Getting this far is already the limit."

A Three-Star Onmyoji calmly evaluated: "Just defeating Akatsuki Ran, I could do it too!"

"You're right, but the Pure White Wedding Kimono little shikigami is cute and handsome, a battle full of harvest! A photobook can already be made!"

"Remember to pay the copyright fee for the one in front, otherwise be careful that Uesugi Toru will smash you into a boneless soft shrimp one punch at a time."

"Then I'll give him a collector's edition first!"

After the discussion voices weakened slightly, a little novice monk wearing a robe proposed loudly with a slightly nervous expression,

"—This Uesugi-kun enduring the first match is already no easy feat; henceforth even if defeated by two or three moves, please everyone show mercy and continue watching with the mindset of 'no loss'."

Many audience members thought for a moment after hearing, and after savoring the interlocking slaughter just now, replied in unison,

"That should be so."

—Withdrawing his gaze from Huiming Junior Disciple acting as a water army in the audience stands, Huijue casually asked the person beside him,

"Tokugawa Benefactor, do you also know Uesugi Benefactor?"

"Hmph."

Tokugawa Hoshi said displeased: "This brat, after the Shinken Shiai ends I'll beat him up good."

Huijue, hearing this, not only did not stop him, but curiously leaned over, even stopping polishing the sarira in his hand: "Oh, Tokugawa Benefactor, why is that?"

Tokugawa Hoshi did not answer again—family matters are not convenient to spread outside, let alone sitting beside her is just a strange monk met once.

Huijue, seeing her like this, rolled his eyes and then asked,

"——Could it be because of Benefactor Tokugawa Ririko?"

Hearing Ririko, Tokugawa Hoshi's body straightened up, and she asked seriously: "Hikaku-sensei, do you know Little Sister?"

"Naturally I know her." Hikaku laughed, "I've met both of them."

Tokugawa Hoshi: "Both of them!?"

Hikaku nodded: "Yes, although I've only met them once, it is truly startling that Benefactor Tokugawa Ririko can possess such mental cultivation at this age."

Tokugawa Hoshi couldn't help but smile upon hearing this, the corners of her mouth nearly splitting up to the heavens,

"This is natural! After all, she's my family's Little Sister!"

Once Ririko was mentioned, Tokugawa Hoshi couldn't stop her chatterbox.

She chattered on and on to the bald donkey beside her whom she had just met not long ago and originally had no intention of speaking with again, about matters concerning Ririko.

Every line and between the lines revealed her love for Ririko,

"My family's Little Sister comprehended Sword Heart Penetration at merely eighteen years old; in the future she will definitely surpass us, beat that damn Sword Saint until flowers fall and water flows, and become the number one Sword Saint under heaven!"

——Ririko's sincerity, effort, love, and purity towards Swordsmanship, she had watched it all since she was very, very small.

And since that time Tokugawa Hoshi firmly believed that what Ririko lacked was merely a single opportunity.

——Now, the opportunity has already come when Little Sister was not in her eyes, and Little Sister also perfectly grasped it.

Therefore.

Tokugawa Hoshi crossed her arms: "How could my family's Little Sister be worthy of a pretty boy like Uesugi Toru!"

She commented: "Although he looks not bad, and his muscles barely pass, this brat is slick-tongued; heaven knows what strange method he used to deceive my family's single-mindedly cultivating Little Sister into his hands!"

Tokugawa Hoshi ground her teeth viciously: "Unworthy, completely unworthy!"

Hikaku at the side held back laughter; he felt Tokugawa Hoshi just lacked saying "Little Sister, don't go!" for everything to be perfect.

……

Underground Arena backstage.

"Useless Senior Sister."

Crow Takes Time Rain stood on the back of a crow with huge purple pupils, looking down from above at Akatsuki Ran who was being treated by Kujou Shinya, his tone indifferent.

Words aside, he still scanned Akatsuki Ran's whole body up and down several times with extreme seriousness, and only after confirming she had no life-threatening danger did he silently breathe a sigh of relief in his heart.

Crow Takes Time Rain turned around and left without a word.

A few seconds later, a sky-covering flock of crows surged out from the passage and rose up, blocking out all light in the Underground Arena.

(End of Chapter)