Demon Capital Slayer

Chapter 25 Moonlit Banquet
This sword is less of a weapon and more of a ritual object used in sacrifices.

Its entire body is covered with bluish-gold rust. The hilt is still intact, but the blade is severely damaged, with only a section about four fingers wide remaining. There is also a small L-shaped branch attached to the side.

The remaining part of the ancient sword looks like a lightning-shaped short sword similar to the character ㄣ. One can imagine that its complete appearance must have been quite peculiar, roughly resembling an ordinary long sword with an unknown number of L-shaped branches on both sides.

For some reason, Yu Jian sensed a sword within his body. Where did such an ancient object come from? Does it have any connection to his memories from this life?
The answer to the question was unclear, but his intuition told him that the dream of Shura was inextricably linked to it, and even his extraordinary talent in swordsmanship was affected by it.

Yu Jian began to try to touch the ancient sword, but then realized that his body did not exist in the darkness, and his five senses had completely disappeared, with only his consciousness still thinking.

So it's not about seeing, not about touching, but about thinking...

The moment the idea was conceived, a change ensued.

Starting from the hilt of the sword, countless golden rays of light transformed into straight lines that extended upwards from the edge of the broken sword, outlining a vast tree-like network resembling a circuit board in the darkness. Its end disappeared into an unknown, distant place, where only a few glimmers of light could be seen.

A distant chime came from the depths of darkness, as if from a bottomless abyss, yet it did not inspire fear, only an unprecedented tranquility.

For no apparent reason, Yu Jian suddenly realized that it was the voice of the Netherworld.

Suddenly opening his eyes, the boy returned from his meditation.

The sun had set sometime earlier, and the White Castle keep, illuminated by candlelight, resembled the silhouette of a mountain. Various celebratory sounds could be heard emanating from within, as if a celebration was taking place.

The icy blue army that had come from afar still stood in place. At this moment, the area where they were located had been submerged by the night, like a huge iceberg submerged in the sea, quiet and heavy.

Rising from the massive headless corpse of the Red King, Yujian carefully examined the changes within himself.

His physical abilities did not develop by leaps and bounds, but he acquired new techniques related to the 'Natural Mind-Soul Flow' in swordsmanship. The biggest change was in his sixth sense, which was beyond the five senses. This special perception became extremely sharp, and he could even detect abnormalities within a certain range around him with his eyes closed.

For example, right now, Yujian can clearly perceive the special features of the pale katana in his hand.

The essence of painting tools resonates with the special world within the painting, and by chance, they become unique items capable of forcibly erasing what exists within the painting. There seems to be a deeper concept yet to be explored.

Presumably, the paintbrush in Lily's hand was the same.

Furthermore, Yu Jian's greatest improvement this time lies in his swordsmanship. He has grasped the method of infusing his own will into the sword, and he may only be one step away from truly stepping into the extraordinary realm.

At least, one can clearly understand the difference between the two.

The current level of sword mastery allows one to channel their will into the sword, thus influencing objects it touches. However, maintaining this level requires intense concentration, essentially a high-intensity anaerobic exercise for the mind, making it difficult to sustain for long.

Even if it's only activated for a moment, it's enough to forcefully cut through steel with a plastic ruler.

If we were to give this realm or state a name, 'Slaying Iron' would undoubtedly be the most suitable.

As for the true realm of transcendence, it is probably about allowing one's will to extend outward along the sword, thereby breaking through the boundaries between spirit and matter and forming a substantial influence over a wider range.

If swordsmanship is like this, I wonder what other supernatural powers would manifest.

I can't wait...

Having just experienced a life-or-death situation, it's hard to say whether Yu Jian is in good mental condition.

On the other side, seeing Miken stand up, several residents of White City who had been waiting nearby immediately came over.

"Swordsman, squeak, are you alright? Miss Aizen asked us to wait here for your orders, squeak squeak."

The residents of White City, who looked like balls of yarn, made sounds mixed with 'squeaks,' which sounded a bit like small animals.

"Swordsman?" Yujian was taken aback, then realized that this was being addressed, shook his head and didn't delve into it further.

"Thank you for your trouble. Please take me to see Lily Fragrance."

"You're too kind! It's our honor! Squeak!"

The group lit torches and walked back to White City along the still un-cleaned streets.

Passing through the city gate, they found themselves in the midst of a celebration, with crowds of vendors and various performances everywhere. The sights along the way gradually helped Miken understand why Yurika had said that the creatures in the paintings were merely 'echoes'.

While the vendors and performers may seem legitimate at first glance, a closer look reveals a certain ambiguity.

Just like an artist who has never seen an elephant, the elephant he tries to draw based solely on other people's descriptions may be technically and aesthetically sound, but someone who has actually seen an elephant can immediately see the flaws.

After all, a real elephant can't have its trunk on its rear end, even if it looks like a tail.

Shaking his head, he didn't linger in the cheerful atmosphere and flew straight towards the top floor of the castle tower on his sword. The guide stopped on the lower level, gave a slight bow, and respectfully withdrew.

Yu Jian nodded slightly in return, and the other party immediately showed a happy expression, just like a subject who had received the approval of his lord.

But would real humans feel genuine joy over such a small thing?

Yu Jian remained silent and walked alone to the top floor of the castle tower.

A small banquet is being held here, with only three participants. Two of them are Aizen Yurika and Isshiki Akane, who are dressed in gorgeous costumes, and the other is the Blue King, who has changed out of his armor.

"Oh, our Sword Saint has awakened." The Blue King raised his golden wine cup to him.

Yu Jian paused, then the figure behind another low table drew all his attention.

The girl's original pure white dress had been transformed into a radiant color, a twelve-layered violet robe with varying shades, like clouds shifting in the twilight, gradually changing from deep dark blue to lilac.

Under the bright moonlight, it was impossible to tell whether the moonlight gilded the gorgeous dress or the dress itself shone with light, just like a seamless feather robe that had fallen to earth, making the girl look like a celestial princess who had been banished to the mortal world.

"..." If it weren't for the fact that the other person was still wearing those black-rimmed glasses, the fluffy braid that stretched down to her waist, and the folding fan that she always held in her hand like her true self, Yuuka would hardly have recognized Aizen Yurika at this moment.

Beside her, Isshiki Akane had also changed into a similar gorgeous dress, with several shades of red from the sunset tinged on it, but she was like the starlight around a jade plate, completely overshadowed by the former's brilliance.

"Are you stunned? I'm just a painter, and I'm fairly confident in my skills." Lan Wang leaned closer to him, his smile revealing the knowing wisdom of someone who's been there.

"Hmm." Yu Jian nodded subconsciously.

Men of different ages but similar mental ages quickly formed a friendship.

Of course, Yuken was also puzzled, as Yurika would never easily reveal her trump card given her style of doing things.

But after a moment's thought, he understood. The existence of the paintbrush had already been exposed during the siege, so revealing it now would only show more sincerity, most likely indicating an intention to join forces with the other side to find a way out.

Seeing the change in his expression, Aizen Yurika shook her head with amusement, and then took the initiative to introduce the two of them.

“Miken-kun, this is Mr. Isshiki Ran, the father of Isshiki Akane-senpai. He just told us a lot about the Kingdom of Colors. To be honest, the current situation is not optimistic.”

At this moment, Akane Isshiki sat down next to her father, looking somewhat reserved yet very close, as if afraid that he would disappear again. However, Mitsurugi felt that she looked a little strange, as if she was worried about something.

"Don't worry, in my heart, Sisi is the cutest." The Blue King, or rather, the One-Colored Blue, declared righteously:

Akane blushed and tugged at her father's clothes, glancing at Mitsurugi occasionally before looking away again, appearing much more lively than when they first met.

After some banter, Yujian and Isshiki sat facing each other, and the middle-aged painter poured him a full glass of wine.

"Oh my, that was a truly magnificent sword strike! Even watching it from afar made my blood boil. If you don't mind, I'd like to have it painted; I'm sure it would be a very impressive work."

Akane tugged at her father's clothes from behind, and he paused, his expression turning strange as he looked at Mitsurugi.

"Sisi wants to draw too? Oh dear, this is really a dilemma."

"..." Akane's cheeks turned bright red, and she repeatedly punched her father's belly with her elbow, but she did not deny what she said.

"There's no need for drinking; I'm not even twenty yet."

Yu Jian shook his head. Local laws prohibited drinking alcohol before the age of twenty. Of course, his reasons for refusing were not that simple.

"It's nothing, it's just a local specialty that looks, smells, and tastes like wine," Isshiki Ran said with a smile.

"There's no need to worry about being unable to leave like Izanami, who consumed the water and food of the underworld."

With a meaningful gesture, Yi Se Lan raised his hand, revealing a variety of strange foods on the table. They looked like paintings, yet they exuded the sweet aroma that real food should have.

Then, he solemnly took out a lacquer box from his bosom.

"Actually, I have already found a way back."

Upon opening the lid, golden light shone through, revealing a pool of luminous, transparent liquid, as clear as a spring.

"This is the blood of the king; by using it to draw the path, one can return to the present world."

(End of this chapter)