Demon Capital Slayer

Chapter 26 Dawn Breaks the Kingdom
"So, what's the price?"

Yu Jian leaned forward slightly, his eyes meeting the other's.

"The price, huh?" Isshiki Ran sighed as she looked at the young man before her.

When I was young, I wasn't so clear-headed. Even when I heard about a way to return to the real world, my first reaction wasn't elation or excitement. Instead, I was most concerned about the potential risks involved.

"The entire Kingdom of Colors should have seven kings. To collect enough royal blood to open the path, we need to kill all the kings."

"This is the price," said Isshiki Ran, emphasizing each word.

The middle-aged man in front of me didn't look dignified at all; in fact, he had a bit of a belly due to middle-aged weight gain.

But when he said those words, the gentleness that belonged to his father figure quickly faded away, replaced by the solemnity that was unparalleled for a king.

"Are you included too?" Yu Jian asked.

“All the color kings are included.” The Blue King nodded in affirmation without the slightest hesitation.

"Ah!" Akane screamed and immediately grabbed her father's hand. Her communication difficulties left her speechless, and she could only let fear and anxiety rage in her heart.

"Sisi, it's alright. As long as you can go back, this is an acceptable price." King Lan looked at his daughter with kindness.

“I used to be so obsessed with painting that I owed you and your mother so much. It wasn’t until she passed away that I realized how much of a jerk I was. This time, let me be willful one more time. Let’s pretend that Dad has turned back into that damn, worthless old jerk.”

"No!" Akane cried out like a child.

Lily silently stepped forward and pulled her apart, giving the two men enough space to talk.

"I'm sorry, you must have found this amusing." Blue King bowed slightly.

"It's alright." Yu Jian waved his hand, his gaze still fixed on her.

Why do you say you are only a part of the monochromatic blue?

"Well, that's because the other parts of the blue have been devoured by the other six kings. No, they are no longer kings, but have degenerated into uncontrollable, bleak tyrants," the Blue King calmly stated the shocking truth.

"..." Yu Jian couldn't help but widen his eyes slightly, and his hand subconsciously rested on the hilt of the sword.

"Don't be nervous, this is a long story, give me some time." King Lan raised his hand and gestured, then began to tell the truth.

It turns out that in order to create the most impactful paintings, Isshiki Ran used self-suggestion to generate seven strong emotions, and his personality also quietly changed in the process.

In fact, that special pigment is not simply a response to emotions, but more like a two-way resonance or connection. When seven strong emotions cause the pigment to produce seven extreme colors, seven sub-personalities are also born.

When the blue sub-personality paints with seven colors, it quietly grows stronger and exerts influence secretly through the inseparable link between the two.

Perhaps even the people behind the paints never imagined this change.

When the blue of the One Color drew the general outline of the Kingdom of Colors, this resonant connection was activated to its extreme, and the Eternal World descended. In the process, the true blue of the One Color split into seven portions of royal blood, which were obtained by the color kings who ruled different regions.

"But the king of White City did not appear." Yujian immediately realized the mistake.

"Because this place is an unfinished territory, it is called the Void Country. The Blue King who should have ruled this area did not have time to be born. Instead, the true blue color split into seven parts first."

"So, one-seventh of the King's Blood is missing?"

"Yes, that's a problem, but first... judging by the time, it should be about right," Blue King suddenly said.
Then, he got up and looked towards the northeast, where a large red light suddenly appeared, followed by a deafening roar as if the sky were falling and the earth were splitting apart.

For a moment, the jubilant residents of White City looked at each other in bewilderment, while Yu Jian, high above, saw it clearly. He remembered that it was the direction he had come from, and also the direction from which the Red King's army had first appeared.

"Is that the Red King's kingdom?"

Yu Jian already knew the answer to this question.

"Yes, their king is dead. The king's blood is a special pigment stored in the king's heart, and it is also the cornerstone that supports the kingdom of color."

"When a king of color dies, his kingdom will also collapse, just like before, turning into the Ruins of the White Abyss that no one can enter."

Blue King touched the lacquer box containing the King's Blood, and ripples spread out inside. The golden light gradually turned red, and as the ripples subsided, it turned back into a golden, transparent liquid.

"There are still five colors left, but we must move quickly. As one of the creators, I can feel the distance between the entire kingdom and reality constantly widening. If we drag this out too long, you may never be able to go back."

"In fact, so much time has passed since the initial anomaly, this country should have long been disconnected from reality." "If it weren't for the special blood connection between Sisi and me, plus the fact that she seems to have some hidden special talents, it would have been almost impossible for her to enter through the original entrance."

With only the two of them present, Lan Wang directly revealed the cruel truth.

Yu Jian held his breath until he felt a slight coolness from the hilt of the sword. Only then did he break free from his various emotions and refocus his attention on the key point of the matter.

"By combining the strength of two kingdoms, can we defeat them one by one before the other kingdoms can react?" Yu Jian asked bluntly.
"It's possible in the early stages, but in the end we'll definitely face a combined force from multiple kingdoms. Although they look different from humans, they still possess the same animalistic survival instincts," the Blue King said frankly.
"I understand." Yu Jian nodded, closed his eyes, and fell into thought.

Lan Wang stopped speaking and stared at the silent young man in front of him, a hint of fear and emotion appearing on his face.

When Yujian reopened his eyes, the first thing he said was:
"We'll set off at dawn and conquer one country first."

"...Huh?" Blue King was stunned, then felt as if ice had brushed against his back, the chill causing his muscles to tense up involuntarily.

In the boy's eyes, which were as green as a lake, there was no fluctuation. It was as if he was not discussing a cruel act of destroying a country with someone, but rather explaining something that had to be done, regardless of the difficulty.

"What an extraordinary young man," Lan Wang murmured to himself.

The joyous banquet ended in silence.

When the sun rose the next day, an army appeared before Yujian.

Clad entirely in heavy white armor, each over two meters tall, and armed with thick iron bars covered in spikes or long-handled battle axes, they resembled a terrifying horde of legendary demons.

Exhausted, Yurika smiled at Mitsurugi, behind whom was Isshiki Akane, completely collapsed. Akane seemed to have cried all night; her nose and eyes were red and swollen, but she was clearly not just focused on crying.

"Time is limited, so this is all for now. In fact, there are many more residents who are willing to become warriors, and they all want to repay your kindness."

In other words, these exaggeratedly large warriors were all residents of White City last night? And those cute creatures that look like balls of yarn?

Miken hesitated, already guessing what Aizen Yurika and Isshiki Akane had done.

Akane Isshiki was the lead artist, with Yurika assisting from the side. They used the magical power of their paintbrushes to transform the residents of White Castle into forms more suitable for battle.

This was clearly not without cost; the two men were deathly pale, as if they had just recovered from a serious illness.

Aizen Yurika was still able to stand and say a few words to herself, while Isshiki Akane had completely collapsed, with only her index finger barely able to move, as she scribbled a few words on the ground.

Junior... Good luck...

The last stroke is crooked and elongated, resembling the handwriting used to identify the murderer at a crime scene.

"You've grown up, Sisi."

The Blue King stroked his beard, summoned a carriage, and tenderly picked up his daughter and carried her into the carriage. Along the way, Akane tightly gripped his sleeve, as if letting go would mean losing her completely.

But the Blue King did not stop there and soon returned to the side of the sword.

"The nearest kingdom is my Blue Kingdom, and the Purple Kingdom is right behind it. I have already cut off all communication channels, so they should not know about the situation here yet."

"Young man, it's time to set off."

Without giving a clear answer, Yu Jian turned to face the silent White Knight.

He slowly raised the broken blade, Extinction of Three Thousand Void, high in his hand, and then pulled it out bit by bit in the sunlight.

The blade reflected a bright light, illuminating the fighting spirit in the soldiers' hearts.

"Fight, and then win."

The sound of the sword was not loud, but it reached everyone's ears in an instant.

After a brief silence, the heavily armored white warriors roared in unison.

"victory!"

"victory!"

"victory!!!"

(End of this chapter)