Demon Capital Slayer

Chapter 31 Severing the Lingering Heart
Nonsense...

Does this make no sense...?

Yu Jian stared blankly at the corpse of the Purple King, his last words reminding him of many things, and his thoughts were in turmoil.

At the same time, the thick fog that had enveloped the entire kingdom dissipated with the passing of the tyrannical ruler who had ruled the land, and the strangely shaped soldiers withered and crumbled.

Heavy footsteps came from behind him. Yu Jian's expression changed slightly. Before the others reached the top floor, he bent down and picked up the paintbrush from the ground.

The paintbrush left behind by the Purple King was only a dozen centimeters long, and could be easily hidden in a sleeve.

Pulling out the weapon that had been plunged into the heart of the Purple King, the color on his body quickly faded, and he soon turned into a gray-white stone statue, just like the Red King before him, with the eerie smile on his face that was both mad and relieved before his death still intact.

Yu Jian suddenly paused, seeing a transparent liquid shimmering with golden light flowing from the wound of the Purple King, which was the King's Blood that the Blue King had previously displayed.

At that very moment, the Dream of Asura showed signs of activation. His first reaction was naturally to stop it. The Blood of the King was a key item for leaving this mortal world, and it could not be wasted casually.

Then, Yujian discovered that he could control this power.

The feeling was magical, like an invisible hand appearing out of thin air, its five fingers deftly holding a lighter, ready to ignite the souls of the defeated and extract the sacrifices needed to strengthen itself.

This is a sacrifice, and the one who receives the sacrifice is none other than Yujianming himself.

The boy fell silent, standing among the many corpses, lost in thought.

The White Warriors were the first to arrive at the top floor. Seeing Mitsurugi standing alone, they did not approach him but silently lined up in rows, forming a defensive formation at the stairwell entrance to block the only passage to and from the top floor of the castle tower.

Subsequently, the others also arrived at the castle tower.

"Hey buddy, are you alright? Are you hurt?"

Fully armed, Blue King strode forward, speaking words of concern while holding a familiar black lacquered box in his hands.

The white warriors reached out to stop him until the sword turned around and looked in their direction.

"I'm fine," Yu Jian replied simply, waving his hand to signal the White Warriors to let him pass, while also making way for the corpse of the Purple King.

As expected, the Blue King nodded and immediately stepped forward, bringing the lacquer box close to the Purple King's wound. The King's blood, emitting a faint golden light, flowed into it automatically, merging with the other portion that had been placed there earlier.

"That makes two portions."

"It's time to leave. This country will probably collapse eventually."

Yu Jian said in a deep voice, his tone slightly hoarse, but his gaze was sharper than ever before, though he completely concealed it with his lowered eyelids.

After that, Yujian didn't exchange many words with the Blue King, and turned to leave the castle tower with a blank expression. Behind him, the Blue King also showed no interest in talking, only staring down at the King's Blood contained in the box, his eyes not looking anywhere else.

"Yujian, are you alright?"

Just as he left the castle tower, Mitsurugi saw Aizen Yurika walking briskly towards him. Not far behind her was a carriage, and Isshiki Akane-senpai was peeking out of the window.

"Are you injured?"

Seeing that Yujian did not reply, Baihexiang's smile disappeared and she immediately stepped forward to examine him carefully until he reacted and took her hand.

"I'm fine," Yu Jian said in a deep voice.

Suddenly remembering that she still had paint in her hand, she tried to let go, but Lily Fragrance grabbed her hand tightly instead.

"Your body isn't injured, but what about your spirit?" Aizen Yurika looked intently into Mitsurugi's eyes.

"Is it really okay?"

Yu Jian paused for a moment and did not answer her question immediately.

At this moment, although the surrounding corpses were broken and scattered, no longer whole, the streets were still filled with the smell of paint and turpentine, which was particularly pungent when mixed together.

This creates a contrast, making the laurel scent emanating from the lily stand out even more.

The scent is not strong; the faint aroma of grass and trees brings a sense of peace and tranquility, and it is usually quite unremarkable.

But at this moment, the fragrance of laurel was like a stream of light descending from the moonlit night sky, making those who were used to it suddenly realize that it had always existed in the world.

Yu Jian's shoulders suddenly slumped down, and he looked extremely tired.

"Indeed, I'm a little tired."

Lily didn't speak, but simply held his hand, transferring her warmth to him. Killing is a very difficult thing.

It's not just about the body, but also about the mind, and the wear and tear on the level of humanity.

When a living being can easily destroy another life, it becomes difficult to accept its existence. This is often the beginning of arrogance, and may also be the start of distortion.

Miken thought he was already used to killing, but looking into Aizen Yurika's eyes and feeling the warmth from his palm, he had an urge to confide in her, and even wanted to shout.

He even felt that it was because he had been too nosy that the entire Cat's Paw Society had fallen into the world crisis again.

But the scent of lilies brought Mikasa a sense of relief.

Finally, the boy smiled.

"We will go back."

The sound of pen nib scratching paper came from not far away. Looking up, you can see Isshiki Akane staring intently at you, her face expressionless as her hands kept moving. She even nodded to the two of them to keep the action, saying she would be done soon.

Then, a swishing sound came from the other side, as Isshiki Ran, who had changed out of her armor, was doing the same thing.

"Never mind me, do whatever you want, I'm just going to draw a picture."

The atmosphere became strange, but Yuuka and Mikami couldn't help but laugh.

Isshiki Ran immediately slapped his thigh and lamented that he had missed a great opportunity, while his daughter Isshiki Akane happily ran over and showed everyone the sketch she had just drawn.

In the middle of a desolate and empty street, a boy and a girl look at each other, their hands clasped together, and paint that looks like blood flows between them. This paint becomes the most eye-catching color in the entire composition, and it also makes the surrounding apocalyptic scene of destruction highlight the beauty of the characters and their intense emotions.

Although it is just a sketch drawn with a pencil, the desolate and lonely yet warm atmosphere is clearly evident and full of artistic sense.

Yu Jian glanced at it, then turned to look to the side, his face suspiciously flushing slightly.

"Wow, Isshiki-senpai is amazing," Yurika exclaimed without reservation.

"Yes... I... I want to say thank you... I'll draw for you again, and I will in the future too."

Shy Akane Isshiki experienced a severe communication breakdown, but she successfully conveyed her gratitude to the two of them.

Then, Yujian realized a problem.

"Isshiki-senpai, where did you get the pencil?"

“Oh, there are many over there.” Akane Isshiki pointed to the street corner.

The bodies of the Purple Kingdom's veiled dancers, which once lay there, are now dried and broken into purple fragments, bearing no resemblance to their former lively and dangerous appearance.

"Can I take a look?" Yu Jian felt like something was off.

Upon hearing his words, Akane obediently opened her hand, revealing a thin stick resembling a dry paint stick lying quietly in her palm.

Perhaps, these were once the fingers of a dancer in a light gauze dress.

Before Mitsurugi and Yurika could say anything, Isshiki Ran, who had been watching the fun from the sidelines, could no longer laugh.

Just moments ago, he was basking in the glory of his beloved daughter's talent. Now, this somewhat overweight middle-aged painter let out a shrill scream like a kettle boiling over, rushed over, snatched the pieces of the corpse, and tossed them far away like a baseball.

Before Akane burst into tears, he quickly placed a normal pencil into his daughter's hand.

As the King of Colors, it's quite simple for him to have his artisans make pencils; at most, they just don't have the magical ability to bring art supplies from reality.

However, the remains of the creatures in the painting and their blood can actually be used as materials for painting...

Yu Jian's heart stirred, as if he had thought of something.

The group did not linger for long, and the army soon set off again.

Behind him, the Purple Kingdom began to crumble and sink like dominoes falling. For some unknown reason, this collapse was faster and more violent than the one caused by the death of the Red King.

Not long after, a deep depression and a large blank space were left in the original place, which was the end of the Kingdom of Color - the Ruins of White Abyss.

The kingdom of color is born from painting, and after death, it returns to a blank sheet of paper.

In a sense, this is also a cycle.

(End of this chapter)