I am a female swordsman.

Snapped!

The full-force strike was blocked by the menacing kagune, and the rifle shattered into countless unimaginable fragments in an instant.

The next moment, Huang Quan felt as if she had been hit across the waist by a train engine. The extremely strong force sent her flying, curled up like a shrimp. With a clatter, she flew an unknown distance, crashing into countless things. The burning pain all over her body forced Huang Quan to gasp for breath.

When she realized she had stopped, all she could see was darkness!

The impact shattered the 19th-layer glass wall. Half of Huang Quan's body remained outside the glass wall, while the other half was deeply embedded and penetrated through it. The hard, thick glass wall showed visible spiderweb-like cracks radiating outwards from Huang Quan. This exaggerated collapse rendered everyone speechless.

The [Sword Demon] is capable of fighting on equal terms with SS-rank ghouls.

She couldn't even withstand a single blow, and was nearly sent flying out of the 19th-floor lobby by [Eto]. While there were many factors at play, such as Yomi's recent fierce battle with an SS-rank ghoul, the result was still quite frightening.

"Gurgle!"

Someone swallowed hard, the sound clearly audible in the deathly silence.

"Hey, Huang Quan, if you don't get up, your companions will all be killed." Having somehow appeared on the glass wall, lying in an ambiguous position at the gaping hole Huang Quan had smashed through, Aite spoke in an unusually innocent yet cruel tone.

"Ho...!"

Warm blood was constantly flowing out of the body.

Huang Quan's fingers trembled, the indescribable pain robbing her of the right to speak. On one hand, there was the excruciating physical torment, and on the other hand, there was the gradual descent into darkness and silence in her mind. Even she, known as the "Sword Demon," was powerless to resist when death approached.

The feeling was like falling deeper and deeper into darkness.

"So fragile?"

Aite looked down and saw Huang Quan's beautiful head, her silver hair fluttering in the wind, her vibrant crimson pupils slowly dissipating. It seemed she hadn't survived the darkest hour before dawn, her indomitable spirit crushed by a powerful force.

Noticing that Huang Quan's voice was gradually fading, Aite, who was lying on top of Huang Quan, quickly lost interest.

She had been full of expectations.

After all, they are pure-blooded humans, possessing swordsmanship hailed by the CCG as capable of slaying demons and gods. According to Jason's own account, the Sword Demon likely wields a powerful force entirely different from that of ghouls. Perhaps by borrowing this power, they can shatter this twisted birdcage and add fuel to the fire for the future throne.

However, it's incredibly regrettable...

Even though the Sword Demon was almost dead, it still hadn't shown its power.

She jumped off Yomi and was about to turn around and deal with Marude's group. Suddenly, Eto instinctively stopped in her tracks. Realizing something was wrong, she slowly turned around.

It's so quiet!

The night sky outside was covered with dark clouds, and one would expect a howling wind to rush in through the broken glass, but instead, there was complete silence. A silence so profound it was almost unsettling, devoid of any ripples in the air. The figure, seemingly already dead, still lay there, but a faint, icy flame-like light flickered inconspicuously in its left hand.

So brief, so faint, so insignificant.

Yet she possesses unparalleled beauty!

The faint blue light emanating from the bracelet's gems gently called out, and Huang Quan's left hand visibly transformed into a bewitching, blood-red demonic claw, only to immediately revert to the slender, beautiful form of a swordsman wielding a sword.

It was as if something was using her left hand as a battlefield, fighting and strangling each other back and forth, each biting the other tightly and refusing to yield or retreat! Her left hand switched between two states several times, one bright red and one ordinary. In the unseen link, the [Panming Sword], which had been thrown far away, seemed to be drawn by something, emitting a series of crisp, sharp sounds!

"How could such a thing happen?"

Aite glanced at the distant, trembling sword, then at the lifeless, death-like sword demon, Huang Quan. Suddenly, she recalled a detail easily overlooked in Jason's narration.

Just before he was about to die, the devil with the sword crawled back from hell!

'Could it be...?'

While Ete was still recounting Jason's account, Sato, who had also noticed the strange phenomenon, looked at the dying, silent Yomi, then at her trembling beloved sword, and made a bold decision. Taking advantage of everyone's inattention, he ran to the sword and seized it.

"Third-class in the Underworld!!"

With a roar that seemed to contain all his might, Sato Nidou hurled his longsword high into the air toward Yomi! His intuition told him that Yomi needed this sword at this moment!

The moment he threw the sword, Sato staggered and fell to his knees, completely out of control.

A still-beating heart appeared in Yoshimura Aite's hand.

Sato's glasses shattered, his eyes still filled with a yearning for the underworld. He must live on, live on more usefully than this useless person like me!! ...Third-class underworld!

Chapter 103 Warm-up

Thump! Thump...!

'Where is this sound, like the beating of war drums, coming from? Ah… it's my heart. Why can my heart make such a loud sound? …No, I'm about to die, isn't I? This feeling… this sensation of energy transfer throughout my body, have I turned into a monster?'

'Wait, why do I feel like a monster? And this memory... the Empire, Bilmark... the transfer experiment failed, destroying everything...'

'...Gathering under the guise of a reunion, plotting a scheme...The secret was leaked, leading to an imperial siege, beheadings that formed a mound of skulls...I fought the Imperial Sword Saint, Barn, and only I managed to escape...Hate! Hate for my own incompetence...!'

'No! This isn't my memory!!'

Clang!

The familiar, crisp sound of a sword's cry brought a glimmer of hope to Huang Quan, whose mind was in complete chaos. It felt like he had intuitively grasped one end of a tangled mess and managed to untangle it.

The power that carries the legacy of the Sword Sect's will carries an indescribable desolation, sorrow, and an unwavering belief that will not waver even in the face of death. It does not deliberately influence or erode the Yellow Springs, but merely whispers fragments of the past in a mournful and desolate tone. When the will of the Yellow Springs returns, these fragments automatically disintegrate and shatter.

Without leaving a trace.

"Whoosh, whoosh!"

He naturally opened his mouth and gasped for breath, and Huang Quan's hazy vision gradually became clearer.

The first thing to notice was her left hand. The sapphire bracelet that had been pressed tightly against her wrist was now emitting a ghostly blue light, with some unrestrained, transferred energy radiating outwards, tracing patterns resembling flames or fluid in the dim light. Her abnormally reddened left hand gripped her sword tightly, while the ground…

It was a chaotic barrage of sword marks that filled every inch of space!

Looking out, the 19th-floor hall radiates outwards from the foot of the Yellow Springs. The most outrageous sword mark almost slices the 19th-floor hall in half! The ceiling and floor are pierced by the thick sword mark, penetrating countless floors both upwards and downwards!

And the 19th floor exterior, which was still intact before, is even worse.

It was completely shattered and destroyed. The outer glass walls and shelves were all smashed to pieces, and a biting wind rushed into the 19th floor. It was a scene straight out of a battlefield ravaged by demons and monsters, which made Huang Quan break out in a cold sweat. Although she was in a semi-conscious state, she still had a vague sense of her surroundings.

"What incredible power, Yomi."

Standing at the other end of the destroyed hall, Aite spoke in a complex yet subtly excited voice. She was still wrapped in bandages, but her red robe was gone.

………………

Rewind to three minutes ago

"Well……"

His raised left hand steadily caught the familiar sword, its roar echoing through the hall like a tiger's cry or a dragon's roar, a triumphant song from the depths of despair. The high-frequency, roaring sword cry was comparable to a heavy-duty weapon, sweeping through every crevice with overwhelming force, such extreme killing intent cleansing everything!

The nightmarish, destructive sword energy instantly overwhelmed the ghouls and white doves' will to resist.

There's no need to urge either side to evacuate at full speed!

In this situation, should we just stay here and wait to die?!

Only Ato, a member of the Aogiri Tree, remained on the 19th floor to face the Sword Demon she had awakened. A sword light, born of a raging storm, swept over Ato's petite body with the power to slay demons and gods. Yomi, his lifeless eyes wide, charged towards Ato with pure swordsman's instincts honed through countless trials!

The two monsters were locked in a fierce battle!

The entire 19th floor was torn apart, the battle even extending to the outer walls of the building. The [Sword Demon], wielding a steel-slicing sword that cut through the wind, swept across the sky with a fierce and domineering aura, like a mad hunter from Norse mythology, silencing all things and forcing them to submit. Meanwhile, [Eto], revealing its distorted kagune, was like a giant wolf breaking free of its shackles, Fenrir devouring the world, its exaggeratedly large jaws tearing at the endless raging storm!

An extremely exaggerated battle!

Yoshimura Eto's twisted kagune was torn apart by the sword light, and the cold, domineering light pierced through the entire floor.

The incredibly sturdy kagune showed signs of crumbling under the [Sword Demon's] sword. Knowing just how resilient her kagune was, Eto was both amazed and incredibly excited. It was like a mythical power being bestowed upon a pure human—the perfect starting point!

The magnificent throne forged will one day welcome the King of Cinder to the throne and burn this twisted world to ashes!

Jason is not exaggerating!

In fact, Jason is far from qualified to confront the terrifying power contained within the body of Sword Demon Huang Quan.

The battle between the two ended in a draw. [Eto] did not reveal his most powerful Kakuja side, while Yomi stopped fighting after the explosive burst of energy transfer breakthrough subsided and his consciousness gradually returned. Driven by instinct, Yomi unintentionally touched upon a deeper level of energy transfer application.

It's the [Demon Contractor]! This power that Huang Quan had been unable to use before has finally broken through at the brink of life and death! And the power of the [Sword Master] seems to have played a significant role in this!

I didn't even have time to figure out the more specific details about the Yellow Springs.

The bright red left hand resembled the claws of some kind of demon, with its bone structure and nails appearing far more grotesque than those of an ordinary person. It also had hooks and barbs resembling keratin on its surface. If an ordinary person saw such a hand, they would probably have nightmares.

The Demon Hand of the Demon Slayer!

This also symbolizes the bond between the [Demon Contractor] and the Demon. Although [Puno] still has not acknowledged Huang Quan, Huang Quan, having gained the approval of [Tamos], has finally taken the first step in transferring and transforming energy.

Its power is beyond doubt.

Even under purely instinctive control, fighting against the unfathomable Eto before one's eyes could create a scene akin to a natural disaster.

Control yourself; don't become a slave to power, a contractor.

'Um? '

"If you continue using it, he'll lose control. I'm not your babysitter." Tamos's deep, powerful voice held a meaning that left Huang Quan pondering deeply. She calmly withdrew the energy transfer from her left hand—no, at this moment, it would be more accurate to describe it as blood-like magical energy.

The bright red left hand began to fade, and the twisted claws gradually returned to human form.

Huang Quan stared blankly at Aite in the distance. The killing intent that had been there when they first met was gone. Instead, Aite seemed to be expressing regret that he couldn't wait to see Huang Quan sooner.

"...Huang Quan, you're growing even faster than he said. How about it, interested in warming up for the throne? As a human, only you have the qualifications to become the [King] of humanity!"

he?

Huang Quan keenly noticed the "him" that Aite mentioned. Who could this "him" be?

Author's Note:

P.S.: Happy New Year! I'm going out in the cold today, hope I don't catch a cold lol

Chapter 104 King and Hero

As the transferred power within his body gradually subsided, Huang Quan quickly grasped his current situation after his will returned.

It seems that the battle between himself and Ete has spread too far.

As a result, only she and Eto remain on the now ruined 19th floor; the other two factions have retreated. Given this situation, Yomi feels she has more than accomplished Mado's mission, at least ensuring the safe evacuation of Marude and the others. Yomi is somewhat unmoved by Eto's invitation.

However, Huang Quan was still interested in hearing about the "throne" and "him" that Aite mentioned.

Neither side seems to have the will to continue fighting at this point...

"throne?"