Dragon Raja: Lu Mingfei finds a Freylian

"Please, Principal." Inuyama He slowly squatted down, leaning slightly forward, his right hand resting on the hilt of the "Onimaru Kunitsuna" sword on his left waist, assuming the most classic starting stance for Iaijutsu.

He lowered his head, his gaze seemingly fixed on the patterns on the hilt of the sword, or perhaps lost in deep thought, his voice calm and even, "Take a good look, and wait for the Snake Clan's decision."

The dance floor was deathly silent.

The fierce battle with flashing swords and falling bodies has ended, but the killing intent that permeates the air now is ten times, a hundred times greater than before! This is a refined, pure will that exists solely to destroy the opponent!

The girls involuntarily held their breath, supporting each other as they retreated towards the wall in fear, making as much space as possible for the two people in the center. Even Ryoma Genichiro and Miyamoto Shio, standing by the railing on the third floor, had solemn expressions and tense bodies.

This is the real duel.

Chapter 596 Your instant is not even as fast as Lu Mingfei's time zero!

Even in his previous fit of rage, Inuyama He never truly lost his rationality. He knew Angers all too well, knew just how terrifying that Word of Power called "Time Zero" was. Angers empowered by "Time Zero" could not be defeated simply by numerical superiority.

No matter how sharp the girls' knives are, how exquisite their knife skills are, or how well they coordinate, if in this person's eyes your speed is slowed down by dozens of times, then your deadly move will be as laughable as a baby's unsteady thrashing, full of flaws.

"Time Zero," one of the most mysterious and top-tier abilities in the Word of Power sequence, is known as the "Assassin's Word of Power" and also as the "Paradox of Words of Power." It does not directly accelerate the speed of the caster, but rather distorts the flow of time around the caster.

Within the realm of "Time Zero," everything except the caster—including the opponent's movements, flying bullets, and even falling leaves—has its time flow drastically slowed, as if sinking into a viscous swamp. The caster, however, can move at a normal speed within it.

This means that Angers, empowered by "time zero," can always seize fleeting opportunities, always launch attacks or dodge in gaps that seem unbelievable to his opponents. He is a shadow that moves through the gaps of time, a monster who never makes a mistake in "timing."

For example, when he was driving that violently modified Maserati sports car, he could always seize those tiny gaps of a fraction of a second to complete a thrilling overtake.

A person who never makes a mistake in timing is theoretically invincible.

unless.

The opponent's speed is fast enough to offset or even exceed the relative speed difference caused by "time zero"!

And in this world, there just happens to exist such a power of words—"moment".

"Moment" can simply and directly increase the caster's speed exponentially! Its acceleration effect increases in increments of 2: First-tier Moment, 2x speed; Second-tier Moment, 4x speed; Third-tier Moment, 8x speed; Fourth-tier Moment, 16x speed... and so on. When "Moment" reaches the seventh tier, the speed will reach an astonishing 128 times!

Inuyama He's Word of Power is "Setsuna" (刹那). At his peak, with his seventh-level Setsuna and 128 times faster Iaijutsu (一合斩), he was hailed as the Sword Saint of the Snake Clan. When he swung his sword at lightning speed, his opponents saw only a faint flash of air; the sword was already upon them, yet no trace of it could be seen.

The rank of "momentary speed" is generally considered lower than "time zero" in the Word of Power sequence list. However, the strength of a Word of Power is not absolutely determined by its rank. The realm of divine speed is endless. There is no "absolutely unbreakable" defense in the world; even the most perfect defense can theoretically be broken.

As long as it's fast enough! Faster! Even faster!

Throughout his life, Inuyama He had never truly broken through Angers Time Zero's defense. This had nothing to do with swordsmanship skill, but only with speed; he simply wasn't fast enough!

Interestingly, the person who mastered the use of "moment" in history was Viscount Charlotte of the Secret Society's Elders. He used a specially made six-barreled revolver, firing twelve bullets simultaneously with both hands. There was only one shot, but it created twelve trajectories that covered all blind spots, earning him the nickname "Silver Wing."

It is said that his "moment" can reach a terrifying eighth level—256 times the speed. When Viscount Charlotte swept across Europe as the Silver Wing, Angers was still an ordinary student studying at Cambridge. Viscount Charlotte was one of Angers' teachers, and his profound understanding of the moment greatly helped Angers develop and perfect his use of time zero.

One of the most important reasons Angers took Inuyama He as his student was that Inuyama He possessed Setsuna.

Among known Words of Power, Setsuna is theoretically the only natural enemy or touchstone of Time Zero. Angers needs to use Inuyama He's Setsuna to constantly hone and refine his Time Zero! He will use Inuyama He as the best whetstone!

On the third-floor railing, Miyamoto Shio and Ryoma Genichiro exchanged a deeply solemn, yet fearful, glance. The situation had escalated far beyond their original intentions of negotiation or intimidation, sliding into an unpredictable abyss from which no one could stop it.

At this moment, Inuyama He was like a fully drawn bow, its string creaking, all his energy and spirit focused on the arrow about to be released. No one could dissuade him, no one could stop him.

Angers maintained a relatively relaxed posture, his twin swords hanging naturally at his sides. But the more intense the killing intent that Inuyama He gathered, the clearer the mocking look on his face became, as if he were watching a drama whose ending he already knew.

"Fool!"

Angers suddenly spoke, breaking the suffocating silence. No one expected that he would, at this moment, use such fluent Japanese, like spitting out an invisible weapon, to hurl this word full of contempt at the completely focused Inuyama He.

The moment before the egg's echo had completely faded—

hum!

The clear, resonant sound of swords and blades, like the roar of dragons and the cry of phoenixes, resounded throughout the entire Tamamo-no-Mae without warning!

For a moment, everyone's vision blurred.

It was as if two blurry shadows, beyond the limits of the naked eye, flashed by, intersected, and separated in the ten-meter distance in the center of the dance floor.

Inuyama He and Angers brushed past each other and switched places.

Inuyama He remained in the same position as before drawing his sword, his right hand resting on the hilt of the sword on his left side. "Onimaru Kunitsuna" was still in its sheath, as if he had never drawn his sword at all.

But if a high-speed camera had captured that moment and then played it back in slow motion a thousand times, a truly breathtaking scene would have been revealed:

In that fleeting, electrifying moment when they brushed past each other, Inuyama He had already completed a flawless, meticulously structured, and perfectly precise seven-step Iaijutsu technique—eye contact! breath control! carp-mouth cut! draw! cut! blood vibration! sheathing!

The movements were as fluid as a dance, as fast as a dream!

Sixth-tier instantaneous strike, 64 times the speed of a divine slash!

Sixty-two years ago, the young Inuyama He suffered a crushing defeat at the hands of this man, and he admitted that his talent might not be as good as his opponent's.

But today, he believes he can win! Because this strike, imbued with his entire will, spirit, and even life, has been honed for a full sixty-two years! Sixty-two years is enough to grind a piece of stubborn iron into a peerless sword capable of cutting through a hair! With this strike, time flies like lightning, determined to sever all past humiliations and shadows!

But this is far from the end!

Inuyama He's figure had just passed Angers without pausing or turning around completely. His figure left a faint afterimage in place, while his true form had already transformed into a superimposed shadow that was difficult to detect with the naked eye. He passed Angers a second time at an even faster speed.

Visual inspection! Breathing in and out! A precise cut! Pull out! Cut off! Blood splattering! Sheath the knife!

The second round of Iaijutsu was even faster!

Seventh-tier instantaneous strike, 128 times the speed of a divine slash!

Then came the third round... the fourth round... the fifth round...

Inuyama He's figure seemed to transform into seven or eight phantoms existing simultaneously, flashing, intersecting, and repeating wildly around Angers! Each flash was accompanied by the clear and melodious sound of "Onimaru Kunitsuna" being drawn and sheathed, as well as a violent blade light pouring down on Angers like a cascading galaxy.

The sound of a blade cutting through the air overlapped and accumulated, sounding like a raging torrent roaring and sweeping everything away like a tsunami.

On the ground, the tattered red silk was torn even more shredded by the fierce air currents generated by the clash between the two, transforming into countless red butterflies fluttering in the air. And among these red fragments, the tattoos on the backs of the two seemed to truly come alive.

The yaksha and tiger on Angers' back surged forth from the red background, roaring and pouncing. Enma and demon soldiers on Inuyama He's back also appeared ferociously, brandishing their weapons to meet the attack.

However, Ange, who was at the center of this raging storm of swords, remained completely still.

Without even moving a step or turning around, he simply stood still and, with equally unbelievable speed, swung his twin swords, weaving an impenetrable silver light screen that blocked all of Inuyama He's slashes from every angle.

What's even more shocking is that although he clearly wields the swords with both hands, the "Nagasone Kotetsu" in his left hand is mostly just casually carried on his shoulder or hanging at his side. The sword he actually uses for blocking and counterattacking is mainly the "Ichimonji Norimune" in his right hand.

Every strike he made hit the middle section of the "Onimaru Kunitsuna" blade with perfect precision, the weakest point in terms of power transmission and the most difficult to exert force at the waist.

No matter how perfect Inuyama He's iaido slash was, how tricky the angle was, or how amazing the speed was, at the most critical moment when his old strength was exhausted and his new strength had not yet been generated, he was always hit in the waist by Angers' seemingly casual slash, and his offensive collapsed instantly.

Both sides were moving and clashing at speeds exceeding the limits of human vision, tearing through the air and creating sharp, ear-piercing sonic booms that sounded like ghostly wails. The girls around them could no longer bear it, covering their ears tightly, their faces contorted in pain.

"Too slow! Too slow! Too slow!!"

Angers' voice, surprisingly, rang out clearly amidst the high-speed attack and defense! It wasn't a roar of struggling to hold on, but rather a scathing and reprimanding tone that carried a sense of ease and ruthlessness!

"Is that all you've got?! Ahe!!" he roared as he parried one slash after another, his voice piercing through the sonic booms. "Show me your real skills! Let me see what you've gained in these sixty-two years!!"

Inuyama He's face was hidden in the rapidly moving afterimage, his expression obscured. But his attack quickened slightly with Angers' roar.

Angers unleashed a downward, reverse-sleeve slash, then suddenly shouted sharply, "Ah He! Your speed—"

His voice, like a cold iron spike, pierced Inuyama He's eardrums: "—You're not even as fast as a student named Lu Mingfei in my academy!!"

"Faster! Faster!"

"Let me see if you, you old, dying dog, really have all your teeth out!!"

These words, like the ultimate humiliation and provocation, mixed with all the old and new grudges, completely ignited the last embers of reason deep in Inuyama He's heart, pushing him to the limit of recklessness and burning life itself.

Chapter 597 Sixty Years Ago

What a humiliation!

Inuyama He felt his nerve endings screaming in pain, not from the vicious blow from the back of the knife, but from the venom of humiliation gushing out from the depths of his memory, from a wound that had stretched from sixty years ago to the present and had never truly healed.

This venom seeped into his bones, corroded his dignity, and made him forever a lowly, insignificant shadow before this man named Hilbert Jean Angers.

His mind churned uncontrollably, tearing open and laying bare those images he had tried so hard to seal away and avoid touching.

1946 years.

Eighteen-year-old Inuyama He met Hilbert Jean Angers, who was actually sixty-eight years old but looked no more than forty. Much later, Inuyama He learned of his teacher's true age by chance. At the time, he found it utterly absurd.

This man looked so elegant and refined, so full of energy as if he were in his prime, he was practically like a legendary, immortal vampire! Time had lost its meaning for him.

Inuyama He always resists recalling 1946. It's not a time that can be glossed over with nostalgia or youth.

In 1946, Japan was a nation whose backbone had been shattered by two atomic bombs, a nation where the Emperor announced unconditional surrender in a radio broadcast, and a nation trampled under the iron heel of foreign troops.

The underlying tone of the memory is gray and muddy: streets splattered with mud, wounded soldiers with severed limbs and vacant eyes curled up on the side of the road, and American soldiers driving jeeps that roared and crashed, kicking up dust and unrestrained laughter.

And then there were the women, the women who were casually picked up from the street by drunken American soldiers and stuffed into the back of jeeps like cargo.

Inuyama He can still vividly recall the women being roughly dragged around, their pale, loose, and lifeless thighs exposed beneath the wrinkled, mud-splattered hems of their kimonos, like pieces of dehydrated, rotting flesh.

In spring, the cherry blossoms still bloom carefree, their pink and white petals falling onto the ruins and mud, creating a cruel and ironic beauty.

Eighteen-year-old Inuyama He, wearing creaking wooden clogs, shuffled along in the damp, salty air of Tokyo Harbor. He was a young pimp whose job was simple and lowly: to introduce cheap Japanese prostitutes to the hormone-fueled American sailors anchored in the harbor.

That day, he was eloquently and exaggeratedly boasting to a young sailor with a freckled face and cloudy eyes about the unparalleled beauty of a certain woman, his spittle almost splattering onto the man's face. Just then...

"Waaah!"

A long, high-pitched, and majestic whistle, so powerful it shook the very soul, ripped through the noisy background of the harbor like the roar of a giant beast, making everyone's eardrums buzz.

Inuyama He had spent many days in the port, hearing the whistles of various ships, some sharp and some muffled, but never had a ship's whistle sounded so oppressive, so... proclaiming an undeniable power and presence.

He turned around in surprise and looked in the direction of the sound.

Where the sea meets the sky, a massive, sleek steel behemoth, painted a majestic warship gray, is slowly cleaving through the waves towards Tokyo Harbor. It is an Iowa-class battleship of the United States Navy!

The towering, cliff-like hull resembles a moving skyscraper, and the dark, deep muzzles of the triple-mounted 406mm main guns, like the indifferent eyes of a giant, silently point at this city that once resisted but now grovels.

The ship was enormous, like a floating steel city, exuding the aesthetics and terror of the ultimate weaponry of the industrial age. Inuyama He was momentarily mesmerized. He vaguely felt that this ship, and something it carried, might be the turning point in his insignificant, ant-like life.

He later learned that the battleship, the USS Missouri, carried a US Army lieutenant colonel, a staff officer named Hilbert Jean Angers.

Their first formal meeting took place in a makeshift Japanese-style room near the port, smelling musty and filled with the scent of old tatami mats. Angers was dressed in a crisp, spotless white U.S. Navy summer officer's uniform, wearing white gloves, and toying with a riding crop in his hand.

He glanced only at Inuyama He, who had nervously rolled up his sleeves, revealing the youthful, unpolished tattoos on his arms, and then spoke in English with a British accent, yet cold and devoid of any warmth:

“Children of the Inuyama family? Go back and tell your parents that my name is Angers, Hilbert Jean Angers, a mixed-race person from America. You can choose peace or dignity.”

Peace means submission, offering loyalty and secrets.

Dignity means death, using the blood of the entire clan to paint the final pride.