Demon Capital Slayer

Chapter 12 Time to wake up from the dream
Am I laughing?

Yu Jian belatedly realized that the corners of his mouth had inadvertently turned up.

Yes, the dream of Asura is pure, turning deceit and treachery into a more direct confrontation with swords.

No need to worry about social niceties, no need to think about polite behavior. The only thing to do is to grip the sword tightly!
Let steel explain everything!
With the blade facing forward and the tip slightly drooping, the rusty katana is raised high above the right shoulder. The swordsman stands with his legs spread apart, like a dragonfly hanging upside down.

This is the 'Dragonfly - Eight Phases', the most famous starting move of the Shigenryu style, known as "like a dragonfly flapping its wings, changing in an instant," and can be freely switched between offense and defense.

At the same time, this is not just the Eight Forms of Dragonfly. Combining the characteristics of the Self-Manifestation Flow's 'Waist Sinking Structure', the sword-wielder bends his hind legs deeply, almost kneeling, and his center of gravity sinks completely. His whole body is like a stone rooted in the earth, showing an unshakable stability.

This allows for the follow-up use of the Self-Manifestation Style technique 'Straight Down,' which utilizes the body's own weight to generate downward pressure, thereby greatly increasing the damage of the first strike. Even if the attack is blocked by the opponent's weapon, it will still be as described in the classics: "The blade falls like a collapsing mountain, shattering the spear shaft in a single blow."

The Manifestation School emphasizes "taking the ultimate meaning of fierceness and non-duality," while the Self-Manifestation School emphasizes "simplifying complexity and directly cleaving through all dharmas."

The latter was originally derived from the former, and Yujian relied on his own talent to integrate the two into one.

To be honest, his movements at that moment weren't very graceful, resembling an old farmer raising a hoe to the ground. But the technique of combining second-rate methods with first-rate ones contained an incredibly terrifying explosive power, instantly coordinating the muscles of the waist, abdomen, back, legs, and hands to exert force together, thus generating a combined force that runs through the entire body.

In other words, it means pouring all the strength of one's body into the blade!
At this moment, only one thought remained in Yu Jian's mind:
A single, decisive blow! It can cut through steel and iron!
Boom! ! !

A thunderclap exploded in the sky, and it felt as if boundless light exploded in Yu Jian's heart as well.

The countless sword techniques memories obtained through the Dream of Asura resurfaced, and many words that were only casually glimpsed returned from oblivion, intertwining and merging into a dazzling beam of light.

His will was more focused than ever before, causing the blade to emit tiny rays of light. The rust on the worn-out weapon fell off like red sand, and cracks appeared from the inside without warning. Just when the entire blade seemed about to collapse, some extremely domineering force forcibly pinched it back together.

That is the will of the swordsman!

The heavily armored demons towering on the bridge seemed to sense a threat, and their gaping maws, covered in sharp teeth, let out a low growl that briefly drowned out the thunder in the sky.

Immediately afterwards, the three abnormally distorted arms brandished three weapons, like three well-coordinated warriors launching an attack from different directions, the cold light instantly enveloping all the vital points of Yujian's body.

Unpleasant memories surfaced, and past defeats reappeared. I vividly remember being stabbed to death seven times by a demon with a spear, slashed thirteen times with a nodachi, cut in half five times with a katana, and having my throat slit eight times. Each memory is clear in my mind, a deep-seated hatred!
This has nothing to do with justice, nothing to do with transactions; it is purely a personal grudge.

The flames of anger are spreading like wildfire.

If the Netherworld is a world of spirit, then emotions are the cries of the soul, and will is the muscles of the soul.

Power, give it forth!!!
The sword, which was about to be wielded by an axe, suddenly swung out with a strike that arrived before the enemy could act.

The blade flashed like clouds breaking through the sun; before the enemy even realized it, their body was already torn apart.

Manifestation of the Profound Truth—Cloud Radiance!

No, it wasn't just Yun Yao; the falling sword echoed the thunder in the sky, and powerful imagery of weather changes was attached to it, transforming into a loud roar that could tear through the clouds and pierce through heaven and earth.

It may be a long time before this sword strike is repeated.

But at this moment, the sword in the boy's hand was like a bolt of lightning from the sky!

The nodachi broke! The spear broke! The katana broke too!
The armored demon felt a long gust of wind blow in from above, but it wasn't wind; it was a sword, a sword that kills and slays demons!
The heavy helmet, made of iron, split in two, splitting the strongest part of the human body—the skull—into two halves, followed by the neck, spine, and entire torso, all covered by shackles.

Blood splattered, like a new moon rising from the spot, its color not moon white but scarlet.

Hot, dark red blood fell like raindrops, and the young swordsman's white robes, soaked in it, quickly became stained crimson, turning his entire body bright red.

For a moment, it was difficult to tell which one was the terrifying demon with two horns.

Ding--

The rusty blade in my hand shattered into pieces; its mission was over.

The demon's massive body remained frozen in place, not collapsing immediately, and it uttered a low murmur.

"So... swift... Vice Commander, is that you?"

"Yes, suppressing deserters... is... the captains' responsibility."

"In the end... it's fine if you carry it out... it's fine..."

What began as a mere black line of slashing gradually grew larger, until the demon's body finally crashed to the ground, and a burst of flames shot into the sky, illuminating the entire bamboo forest.

Enveloped in the raging flames that burned the evil spirits, Yu Jian felt no discomfort whatsoever.

On the contrary, power flowed continuously into the body, and the essence of life began to transform into a more powerful form. There was a slight itch on the forehead, as if something was about to grow, but it was quickly burned away by the flames, turning into pure enhancement without any inclination.

Along with it came a memory, a fragmented yet unforgettable one—neither loyal enough nor rebellious enough, making it laughable.

—Here you go, this is the right hand of the Shinsengumi's Demon Vice-Commander, the golden right hand that even the Oiran Tayu raves about!
—If anything should be buried in the grave, bury this hand. As for me, I will burn with this city, so that my head will not be left to those wild dogs, ahahaha!
—Commander-in-Chief! Deputy Commander! And everyone else! Damn it!!! Sayonara!!!
……

A desolate, mournful howl, like the howl of a wolf, echoed in his ears. The details of the defeated man's life flashed by, leaving only his superb swordsmanship.

Named Tennen Rishin-ryu, it was once contemptuously called peasant swordsmanship, but later it became a renowned rural school.

When Miken opened his eyes, for the first time, he did not end up dying, but woke up from a dream as if he were sleeping normally.

The long-lost feeling of comfort made him stretch, his joints cracking, and he seemed to have grown a little taller.

Sensing the changes within himself, Yu Jian pondered for a moment before doing a handstand to prop himself up. His muscles tightened, revealing clear lines, not exaggeratedly large bulges, but rather groups of spindle-shaped muscles that meshed together precisely.

Every single stroke, every single hair, is specially designed for wielding the sword, presenting an incredibly smooth arc, like a fish swimming in water or a bird flying in the sky.

Slowly retract your left hand, then your right pinky, ring finger, middle finger, and finally your index finger.

Finally, Yu Jian stood firmly on the ground with just his thumb. Even as his body was pulled by gravity, he didn't sway at all, like a long spear driven into the earth, upright and resolute.

They leaped nimbly into the air, then flipped and landed gracefully. Not only did their strength increase dramatically, but they also developed unparalleled physical coordination.

After making a preliminary assessment of his own situation, Yu Jian's eyes revealed a thoughtful expression.

Killing the heavily armored demon did not end the dream of Asura.

He successfully crossed the arched bridge and headed towards the ruined city in the distance, which had been destroyed by fire.

He hadn't gone far when a multitude of brightly colored, fiery red butterflies appeared ahead, fluttering around his sword as if guiding something. This was the first time he had encountered neutral creatures in the Asura's Dream, so the impression was exceptionally clear.

After walking several dozen steps, the fiery red butterflies flew forward and landed in one place. The conspicuous red color made the covered object look like a blazing torch.

As the sword drew two steps closer, the butterflies suddenly scattered, revealing the true form of the object below—a Buddhist shrine, or perhaps a shrine, about two meters high.

The shrine is made entirely of sandalwood, with gold leaf decorations along the edges. The top features a flying eaves structure, resembling a miniature Tang Dynasty palace, and embodies rich elements of Eastern aesthetics.

The shrine is covered with magnificent paintings on all four sides, depicting an ancient story in the form of murals. The technique used is similar to mother-of-pearl inlay, but it involves filling the elytra of the jade beetle (Gembezzard worm) with tiny fragments. Because the color of the jade beetle's elytra is not a pigment color, but a structural color produced by the refraction and superposition of light through its physical structure, the paintings made in this way will not fade even after a long period of time.

The shrine itself is exquisitely beautiful, but what follows is the real highlight.

When the sword reached out and touched that ancient creation—

wake up.

"That's... a campfire?" Yu Jian murmured to himself, his eyes gradually shining.

Now I can finally get a good night's sleep!
Get lost! You're a cheat code with no real skills!
……

A slight upturn of the corners of her mouth, then her expression returned to calm.

Honestly, would I really give up the countless adventures in the dream of Asura?

Don't forget, this is a world where extraordinary powers exist. If we compare extraordinary powers to firearms, you may not use them, but you can't be without them, simply because there are other people in your environment who possess firearms.

Exhaling a long breath, and recalling the memories he had taken from the demon, Miken discovered that the content about swordsmanship inheritance was far richer than that of ordinary ronin, and it even mentioned a concept called 'Yin-gi'.

Judging from the description, it seems to be a special technique specifically designed to deal with non-human beings.

Based on this, many previously illogical moves suddenly become explainable. What was initially thought to be the madman's lack of skill now appears to have a hidden reason.

Thinking of this, Yu Jian felt an urge to immediately go back to sleep and go to the Dream of Asura to find out what was going on.

However, the knocking sound from outside made him abandon the idea.

"..." As the door opened, Aizen Yuriko's smiling face came into view.

Good morning, Yujian.

"?"

Yes, he should go to school now, but he won't be alone anymore.

(End of this chapter)