I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

Qingdeng chuckled softly a few times.

"From the moment I grasped the sword, the line between life and death became blurred."

"I just want to fight, and keep getting stronger!"

"I won't think about anything else."

Kawakami Hikosai fell silent.

He narrowed his eyes and stared intently at Qing Deng.

His sharp, deep gaze seemed to see right through Qingdeng's soul.

"...I don't like being called 'the man-slayer'."

He suddenly changed the subject to a topic completely unrelated to the conversation they had just had.

However, Qingdeng did not interrupt him, but listened quietly.

"I merely killed some despicable officials; why am I called a 'human killer'?"

"I have always believed that the only person throughout history who is qualified to be called a 'Man Slayer' is the 'Eternal Sword Saint' Ogata Itsusei."

"But now... I have to change my mind."

At this point, Kawakami Gensai's expression suddenly changed, becoming extremely solemn.

"Tachibana Aoto, you're quite the killer too...!"

Seito found Kawakami Gensai's words, which sounded like both praise and sarcasm, utterly worthless.

"Stop talking nonsense."

With a snap, he forcefully steadied the Vairocana in his palm.

"Let's keep fighting!"

"I can't wait to chop your head off."

If you don't see eye to eye, even half a sentence is too much.

Seeing that Qingdeng had no desire to talk to him, Kawakami Gensai said no more.

He silently gripped the sword at his waist, resembling a predatory beast poised to pounce on its prey.

The standoff between the two men plunged the surrounding area into complete silence.

Under the pressure of the tense atmosphere, Yoshimura Torataro and others watching from the sidelines held their breath and dared not even breathe loudly.

Qing Deng didn't like being called 'Qing Deng the Man-Slayer'.

In modern terms, "human killer" means a serial killer, and it is not a positive term.

Although countless people have died by his blade, he simply enjoys the process of fighting and does not like killing.

But... never mind, whatever.

Call him a killer, an executioner, a serial killer... let others call him whatever they want!

No matter what others call me, what I must do remains the same—grip my sword with all my might! Enjoy the battle with all my heart! Become stronger with all my might!

Injuries, disabilities, life, death—all those chaotic thoughts that might get in the way of me were swept into the corners of my mind.

Once you're in battle, the only real feeling is the solid sensation in your palm when you grip the sword!

I'll pour everything into the sword!

Betting...everything...

Suddenly, Qingdeng saw an indescribable change occur in the world before him.

First, the surroundings became extremely quiet.

The sound of the wind in the sky, the chirping of insects in the distance, the shouts of battle below the castle tower... all sounds disappeared, and even the sound of one's own breathing could not be heard.

Immediately afterwards, Qing Deng saw strange "air currents" emanating from his opponent.

Qingdeng was all too familiar with this kind of "airflow".

Qing Deng had seen this "airflow" in many previous battles.

However, compared to before, this time the "airflow" has become more vivid and concrete.

This "airflow" seems to have its own life.

It is rising and falling, undulating in a specific rhythm... just like breathing!

Furthermore, Qing Deng's sense of unease went far beyond this.

Besides his vision and hearing, his other senses also showed changes, large or small.

The most important thing is the sense of time.

Time seemed to stand still as far as the eye could see.

The feel of my palm also became very strange.

He felt as if he were holding a knife, yet also as if he were holding nothing at all.

No...that's not right!

That's more like it—he felt himself becoming one with Vairocana in his palm!

Qingdeng was so engrossed in his own strange transformation that he could not extricate himself.

Little did he know that Kawakami Gensai, sitting opposite him, was staring wide-eyed in astonishment.

The moment Qingdeng saw the "airflow," he clearly sensed that Qingdeng's temperament had changed again!

If Qingdeng just changed from "soft white clouds" to "deep dark clouds".

So now he has become... nothing at all.

That's right.

It was completely empty!

I can't feel anything.

It's like becoming one with the air!

Despite not being able to sense anything, Kawakami Gensai instinctively felt that the Qing Deng he was in was extremely dangerous!

Although Yoshimura Torataro and the others, who were not far away, could not directly perceive the drastic changes in Aoto like Kawakami Gensai, they saw a scene that left them deeply astonished.

They saw that Qing Deng, who had been so spirited just moments before, now seemed like a completely different person.

He became dazed, his eyes unfocused, like a sleepwalker.

A drop of saliva trickled down the corner of his mouth.

But he seemed to have lost consciousness, not wiping his mouth, letting the drop of saliva drip onto the ground.

His eyes remained fixed on Kawakami Gensai across from him.

The stance he was in, positioned in the middle section, remained firmly in place.

—What should we do? Should we take the initiative and launch an attack?

The sudden and strange changes in Qing Deng made Kawakami Gensai hesitate.

He probably never expected that—at the very moment he hesitated, Qing Deng's view would change again.

He noticed that the "airflow" around the other person trembled unnaturally a few times.

Even though he didn't really understand the true nature of this "airflow," a strong thought suddenly arose in Qing Deng's mind: forward, swing the sword!

Driven by this thought, his body moved like a puppet on strings, his limbs and bones moving uncontrollably!

Take big strides forward.

At the same time, his will was transmitted into the blade in his palm!

Qingdeng's movement speed can no longer be described simply as "fast" or "slow".

In the blink of an eye... it really was in the blink of an eye, Qing Deng appeared in front of He Shang Yanzhai!

Looking at Qing Deng who had "teleported" to his side, Kawakami Gensai's mind was in a state of extreme confusion.

In that instant, he felt an indescribable, terrifying monster rushing toward him with overwhelming force!

The instant he regained his senses, a bewitching purple light filled his vision and swept across—

chap!

With a sound like tearing cloth, a large, fine human head flew into the air—Kawakami Gensai remained in the iaido stance, not even having time to draw his sword.

His head flew to its highest point in the air, then traced a beautiful arc before falling to Qingdeng's feet.

Even as his head was severed, his eyes remained wide open, filled with disbelief.

Qing Deng's attack was nothing out of the ordinary.

Simply shorten the distance, get closer to the enemy, and then slash horizontally to take their life.

It was just a very ordinary slash, without any fancy details.

That's it!

At the exact moment that Aoto beheaded Kawakami Gensai, a cold, mechanical female voice arrived as expected:

[Ding! Talent detected]

Successfully copied the talent: "Prophecy +9"

[Talent Description: Possesses an exceptionally strong ability to sense impending danger. The level of perception increases with the severity of the danger. However, this ability will not trigger for people or objects that the individual does not perceive as a threat.]

Another max-level talent with a +9 rating.

However, considering Kawakami Gensai's personal strength, it is not surprising that he possesses a max-level talent.

He has an extremely strong ability to sense impending danger... Qing Deng finally understood why Kawakami Gensai's reaction speed was so fast.

Having acquired another quite useful talent, Qing Deng should be extremely excited.

However, he has no time to worry about those things right now.

The moment after the head of Kawakami Gensai was severed, the strange "airflow" and the indescribable eerie state vanished as suddenly as the tide receded.