Demon Capital Slayer

Chapter 37 Sad Little Arrow
As expected, it turned out like this...

Although surprised by the other party's statement, Yujian was not too surprised.

The situation changed too quickly. He and Yurika had originally planned to divide their tasks: he would be responsible for fighting, while Yurika would investigate the Blue King's true intentions, and then they would discuss how to deal with it.

But at this moment, the Blue King's performance clearly indicates that he has achieved some goals ahead of schedule. Could it be that he doesn't need all of the King's blood, but only five-sevenths of it, to open the path to the mortal world?

What will he do next? Will he really sacrifice himself? Don't be ridiculous...

No longer wanting to entangle with the Green King, this monster representing sloth had little initiative, and even its treants lacked aggression. Once Yujian confirmed this, he immediately stopped attacking and attempted to retreat.

The result was incredibly smooth; the tree people simply gathered silently around the Green King, allowing it to devour them to heal its injuries.

These guys are such lazy dogs...

Meanwhile, the carriages hidden in the Blue King's army were also forcibly separated from the formation under the escort of the White Warriors.

The creatures in the painting are not real humans, but their thoughts are simpler than those of many humans. The residents of White City who pledged allegiance to her out of gratitude and Lily's personal charm were not just the thirteen White Knights who first appeared, but a total of one hundred and eight!

After merging with the Blue King and his army, he was surrounded by his subordinates. Heaven knows how Aizen Yurika managed to hide this armed force.

However, Yu Jian had expected that such a wise and intelligent woman would have some ingenious strategy, but he was surprised to find that she simply broke the deadlock with brute force.

When the 108 white knights charged out, the ice-blue army formation was directly pierced through. Those frozen armors could not stop the tall warriors wielding heavy weapons at all. Even though the latter had no skills, they were dented and deformed by sheer numbers.

In a sense, Lily Fragrance and Sword Mastery once again coincided. The former used the tactic of concealing troops, while the latter was eager to break through the realm of swordsmanship. This could probably be called a tacit understanding.

The three forces began to confront each other in pairs, and the battlefield fell into an eerie silence.

It didn't last long before the Blue King and the Green King clashed, or more accurately, the former launched a strong attack on the latter.

Countless icy armored figures strode towards the moving forest of treants, where two different colors collided and intertwined.

"Yujian, are you alright?"

Lily's voice came from inside the carriage.

She lifted the curtain and cast a concerned glance at Yu Jian.

At this moment, the boy's body was covered with scratches and abrasions. Although he was not seriously injured, he looked quite disheveled.

However, after exchanging glances with Yurika, Mitsurugi suddenly breathed a sigh of relief. Perhaps because he had experienced too many battles, even though they had only been separated for a short time, it felt like a long time had passed.

"It doesn't matter."

Yujian wanted to smile, but found that his facial muscles were terribly stiff. Not only his face, but every muscle in his body was stiff and no one was able to take a break.

A hand pressed on his shoulder, and the slight squeeze almost made him jump up on the spot.

"Don't move. I've read books on pediatric massage; it's useful."

Yurika pressed her hand on Miken's shoulder but found she couldn't squeeze it, so she switched to her elbow and used her body weight to push down, forcibly kneading the stiff muscles.

The movement was indeed correct, but Yu Jian's entire body became even more stiff.

Too soft, no, too sore!

Yujian's face nearly twitched. By the way, why would Yurika go to see a pediatric massage therapist?
“Oh, when I used to volunteer at the orphanage, some of the children would run around too much during the day and then turn into little crybabies at night.” After saying that, Yuriko smiled and looked at Mikasa.

"I suppose a wise ruler wouldn't turn into a crybaby?"

"No." Yu Jian gritted his teeth and squeezed out a sentence.

What else could I say? I could only rely on my willpower to endure it!

After a satisfying close-quarters battle, Lily wiped the sweat from her brow and stood up with her hands on her hips, completely satisfied.

Yu Jian slumped to the ground, his face blank and utterly bewildered. He seemed to have turned ashen, yet a smile remained on his face.

The muscles are no longer stiff, but other things seem to have broken down too.

Meanwhile, the Blue King's army and the Green King's treant legion were locked in a fierce battle.
The treants could easily crush the ice armor under the Blue King's command, but the latter seemed to keep charging at the former endlessly. Yu Jian suspected that the Blue King had done something to the remnants of the destroyed country, which was why his army had increased to such a number in such a short time.

Conversely, the resilient tree-people are also exceptionally difficult to kill, resulting in a strange stalemate on the battlefield.

Now, the White Warriors that Aizen Yurika had quietly built up have unexpectedly become a factor in determining the outcome of the battle.

"The development of the situation, well, is not unexpected."

Yurika murmured to herself. Behind her, in the carriage, sat Isshiki Akane, fast asleep. Although Akane knew that the Blue King wasn't her real father, human emotions were far more complex than that. Yurika must have gone through a lot of persuasion to bring her out.

"No, I was just advising you to rest for a while, senior." Aizen Yurika smiled as she looked at Miken.

The latter opened his mouth slightly, then consciously shut it.

Leaning against the wheels, although his muscles were no longer stiff, Yujian really wanted to lie down. The continuous battles were exhausting, but he couldn't show weakness now.

So he had no choice but to force himself to stay awake through conversation.

"Uncle, no, what does the Blue King want to do?"

"The time was too short, probably because the creatures in the painting are naturally limited; there are always those who are unwilling to submit to fate." Lily's words were pointed.

"In any case, we are not completely without leverage now."

Possessing a piece of the king's blood at least provides a possibility for negotiation.

Then, Yu Jian and the others saw the Blue King take out a black lacquered box containing five portions of royal blood, including the portion from his own heart, yet he showed no signs of dying.

Clearly, the Blue King had been hiding something from the beginning. The vanished Azure King and that royal blood had long been his possessions, and even the identity of the Blue King...

Yu Jian was unsure what would happen next, so he could only remain on high alert. "You're overthinking it."

Ignoring the two legions locked in combat behind him, the Blue King rode his elk alone toward them.

His attitude hadn't changed much, only showing signs of fatigue.

"I will keep my promise and send you all back to the present world, but I will need that paintbrush."

Yujian and Yurika exchanged a glance, and the latter threw the paintbrush at him without hesitation.

Ultimately, this pen cannot affect the few people from the present world, and at the same time...

The Blue King was somewhat surprised to see this, but he did nothing unnecessary. He simply picked up his painting tools, dipped them in the King's blood, and drew a circle in the air.

"I want you to hand over that royal blood to me. Once you return to the mortal world, it will be nothing but paint."

Yu Jian did not answer immediately, but looked at the circle that the Blue King had drawn out of thin air. Inside the geometric pattern outlined with the king's blood, the scene in the painting studio actually appeared.

The other party kept their word and indeed used the blood of the king to open the path to the present world.

"I'll go first." Lily stepped off the train and walked through the crowd toward the roundabout, her steps steady and without the slightest hesitation.

Just as Yu Jian was about to stop her, she raised her hand to stop him.

Then, he saw Lily put her hands behind her back and make the gestures of scissors, rock, paper, rock in succession.

Although there was no verbal communication, Yu Jian immediately understood what the other person meant.

In silence, Lily Fragrance walked to Blue King's side.

"Sir, I'm sorry to have troubled you during this time." The girl bowed slightly in a very polite manner, but Mikasa noticed a detail: she did not continue to address him as Mr. Isshiki.

"No, that's not true. It's truly admirable that a girl your age could prepare such a move so quietly," King Lan said with a smile.

Lily smiled but didn't reply. She simply stepped across the glowing ring outlined with the blood of a king.

Then, her figure appeared in that studio in reality.

Aside from a slight sway when she first entered, Aizen Yurika seemed unharmed. Only her gorgeous twelve-layered kimono was gone, leaving her in her ordinary sailor uniform.

Lily spun around once to show Mitsurugi that she was unharmed, then quickly walked to the window to confirm whether she had truly returned to the real world.

"Be cautious," Blue King shook his head and sighed.

“Ah, that’s always been her way,” Yu Jian casually remarked.

"Young man, marrying a woman who's too smart will make things very difficult after marriage," Lan Wang suddenly said.
"Even the most beautiful woman in the world is no exception."

"Huh?" Yu Jian was taken aback, his expression faltering for a moment before quickly returning to its indifferent state.

"Hahaha." Blue King burst into laughter.

"How about considering my daughter? She has a great talent for painting, is very cute, and has a very innocent mind."

Yu Jian's expression crumbled again, staring dumbfounded at the completely unguarded figure of the Blue King.

Then, he noticed that Yuri was looking at him through the portal to reality, with a mysterious smile that was both captivating and unsettling.

The girl raised her hand and made gestures in the order of forward motion to prove that she had not been switched or that it was not an illusion created by magic.

Blue King couldn't help but turn around and glance at Yu Jian, with an expression that said, "See what I just said?"

After this process, it can be basically confirmed that Yurika has indeed returned safely to the real world, and it seems that Mitsurugi and the others no longer need to continue fighting.

Even the White Knights beside them nodded and waved goodbye.

Mitsurugi looked at them with a complicated expression, then took Isshiki Akane out of the carriage and stepped closer to the Blue King.

"Please take good care of Xixi for me." Lan Wang's expression was equally complicated.

"Isshiki-senpai is much stronger than you think," Miken said in a deep voice.

"Yes, Sisi is a good child. If... if only I were her father..."

Blue King looked sadly at the sky, where lightning kept flashing, as if foreshadowing some kind of strange change that was about to happen to the entire world in the painting.

At that moment, Mitsurugi felt a tremor in his arms; Isshiki Akane had woken up.

"Senior, if there's anything you want to say, this is your last chance."

"..." Akane Isshiki stood up straight and turned to look at the Blue King, whose face was full of expectation.

"Please..." the girl choked up, unable to speak fluently.

Lan Wang didn't urge him, but waited patiently.

Akane clenched her fists, her face flushed red, and shouted with all her might:
"Please give me back my father!"

Blue King was instantly stunned, as if pierced by an arrow to the heart.

Yu Jian laughed instead, a wide, undisguised smile spreading across his face.

Yes.

No matter how loving, friendly, or caring one is.

The Blue King is ultimately an ordinary monster born from devouring a single shade of blue.

He is not Akane Isshiki's father!
(End of this chapter)