I'm having fun in Tokyo

Despite the vast difference in physique between him and Kashima, he was no ordinary man, but a swordsman who could rival even the most powerful demons. He possessed not only formidable swordsmanship but also an equally powerful physique, making him capable of dealing with such inhuman strength.

Finally, as the swordplay probing ended, the two increased their speed, with flashes of blades, howling winds, and leaping thunder.

Each clash of blades generates a massive shockwave and a resounding clang.

The two figures passed each other, then turned around at the same time.

Morikawa Yu held a katana in each hand, while Tsurumaru and Mikazuki shone brightly as they swept across a semi-circle, drawing in a swirling, rising wind.

Kashima sheathed the divine sword Futsu-no-Mitama at his waist. The thunderous aura around him seemed to calm down considerably, but the surrounding air became incredibly oppressive, completely silent except for the sound of crackling electric arcs.

Chapter 618 If Life Were Only As Beautiful As Our First Meeting (Bonus Chapter by the Helmsman)

Kashima said in a deep voice, "Lord Morikawa."

"The next move I want to use is Urabe's signature technique, 'Ichi no Tachi'."

"This move is a secret technique she created when she embarked on the path of swordsmanship and cultivated her swordsmanship to the pinnacle. It also contains the sword principles she has cultivated throughout her life."

"I have cultivated this technique for 326 years, and finally comprehended its principles and manifested its power."

"Now I present it to Your Excellency."

"Please give me your guidance."

Morikawa Yu's expression darkened slightly, and he nodded gently.

He stood still, sheathing both of his beloved swords, gathering his own sword aura and wind power.

Kashima said he would use "Ichi no Tachi" (One-Sword), and he had also heard the legend of "Ichi no Tachi". It was said to be the secret sword technique of the previous sword saint, Urabe Asataka, which combined mind, skill, and strength to unleash the strongest strike.

Although he didn't know whether the previous sword saint in history was stronger than him, judging from the length of time the other party had been practicing swordsmanship, the other party was probably stronger than him.

After all, he had only recently entered the realm of Sword Saint, while his opponent was a powerful figure who had cultivated swordsmanship for decades and reached the realm of Sword Saint. He had certainly gone further than him in the way of the sword.

Furthermore, Kashima's rating assessment can also tell us something.

Kashima is level 18, two levels higher than him. He still needs some experience to reach level 17 before he can reach level 18.

While it's possible that Kashima reached level 18 only after mastering "Ichi no Tachi," it's not entirely impossible.

Moreover, even without this special skill, Kashima is still a very strong opponent worthy of a fight.

However, he also possesses a supreme swordsmanship technique that combines the sword's momentum with the wind's momentum. Why not give it a try? It would also be a good opportunity to witness the secret technique created by that sword saint when he had cultivated his swordsmanship to its peak.

Morikawa Yu held his twin swords level in front of him, and the wind around him immediately subsided.

Moments later, the wind suddenly surged, in stark contrast to the surrounding air falling into a terrifying stillness.

Kashima nodded to Morikawa Yu as well.

It lowered its body. Although its size was too large, even when it deliberately lowered its body, it was still very imposing. It was as tall as a two-story building, but at least it looked a little shorter than before.

The next moment, the two of them simultaneously drew their swords from their waists and vanished from the spot.

The speed of the Sword Saint and the Ghost God had already exceeded the limits of ordinary people's understanding. They collided the moment they started moving, their blades clashing together.

Kashima swung his katana, and the lightning on the blade changed from bluish-white to a deep purple, with sparks exploding around him.

Morikawa Yu drew his twin swords, and an invisible, intangible yet howling gale swept past him.

In the instant the blades crossed, Morikawa Yu saw what appeared to be a series of purple divine halos behind Kashima, along with countless leaping arcs of electricity, surging toward him.

The sharp winds that surged from the blades of his swords, Tsurumaru and Mikazuki, merged with the sword's momentum, and charged towards Kashima.

Thunder roared, storms raged, and lightning flashed, constantly converging and spreading outwards, destroying the earth and rocks beneath their feet, the surrounding trees, and the distant mountains and forests.

Everything before my eyes was filled with dazzling light.

Between the flickering light and darkness, it seemed as if only black and white remained, along with two figures whose blades clashed amidst the light.

Finally, the blades clashed, and the two figures passed each other.

The dazzling light gradually subsided.

Morikawa Yu took a deep breath, stood where Kashima had just been standing, and turned to look at Kashima.

His face was pale, his hands trembled slightly, and his arms were spasming, almost causing him to drop the knife.

Despite his use of demonic power to create a barrier and the wind to protect himself, Kashima's strike, imbued with terrifying lightning, still shattered his barrier and the wind, tearing open his sleeves and collar, leaving a horrifying purplish-black scorch mark on his chest.

Fortunately, he was physically strong and had a strong recovery ability. The scorch marks had begun to scab over, and the scabs fell off, revealing skin that was as smooth and firm as before.

His internal energy and blood were also affected and are recovering.

Looking at Kashima now, Morikawa Yu suddenly realized that Kashima was also in a bad state.

It stood where it had just stood, its left arm hanging limply, a huge wound on its shoulder, almost entirely connected by skin and flesh.

However, it laughed heartily, completely unconcerned.

"Hahaha, so happy!"

"I have already met your expectations by being able to withstand my attack! So, Lord Morikawa Sword Saint, can you withstand my next strike?"

It paid no attention to the matter of its left arm, and with one hand holding the Futsu-no-Mitama sword, it once again sheathed the Futsu-no-Mitama sword.

Morikawa Yu frowned slightly.

He stared at Kashima, looking at the wound on Kashima's shoulder, and found that the wound on Kashima's shoulder, which he had cut open, showed no signs of healing at all, and was still constantly emitting a bluish-white mist of demonic power.

Kashima seems to possess a divine quality...?

He originally thought that Kashima no longer possessed divinity, because Kashima did not look like someone weakened by divinity; on the contrary, he was quite powerful, much better than the previously weak Daimamaru.

At that time, Ōtamaru had fallen from the level of a demon god to that of a high-ranking great demon, and even then, he was only a relatively ordinary high-ranking great demon.

In comparison, Kashima still possesses the strength of a demon god, and is an extremely powerful being, even stronger than Ootamaru who has now regained his original strength.

However, it seems that Kashima still possesses divinity, otherwise its injuries would not have healed so slowly.

As for Kashima's next strike...

Could it be that it has a sword technique even more powerful than "Ichi no Tachi"?

Its move "Ichi no Tachi" just now broke through his sword momentum, wind momentum, and demonic power barrier, which seriously injured him. It was very powerful, and he really wanted to learn this move.

So it has even stronger sword techniques?

He stared at Kashima, wanting to know what Kashima was planning to do next.

Kashima was also looking at him.

However, Kashima did not take any immediate action. Instead, he remained silent for a while and turned his gaze to the distance.

There, Hanami Yuki, Inaba Tenshi, and Asaka were also engaged in combat.

It glanced at Hanamiyuki, then turned to look further away, at a figure there who was also watching the battle closely—Sakurada Ichiro.

"Taro..."

Kashima looked at Sakurada Ichiro with a nostalgic gaze and a slightly complicated expression.

To be honest, it never expected that it would see Sakurada Ichiro's face again, after all, its best friend had been dead for more than four hundred years, and had died right in front of it.

In fact, the strike it was about to make was also related to the opponent.

If it weren't for Sakurada Ichiro, it wouldn't have even considered using this strike. The reason it could even think of this strike was entirely because of Sakurada Ichiro and the dying wish of the sword saint girl who taught it swordsmanship.

Suddenly, Kashima paused for a moment.

Whether it was a misperception or not, it saw the figure of a white-haired girl appear next to Sakurada Ichiro.

Right next to Sakurada Ichiro was the silhouette of a girl with long white hair.

She was wearing a purple, wide-sleeved kimono, her long white hair simply tied behind her back. She stared at it intently, her chin slightly raised, exuding an air of haughtiness.

Just like the day it first met the other...

"Are you the head of Kashima Shrine, the living sword saint Urabe Asataka?"

The imposing and enormous demon stared at the white-haired girl sitting and drinking in the main square of the shrine, his eyes filled with suspicion.

The girl looked up and glanced at it impatiently: "You want to see me? My name is Urabe Asataka, and who are you? What do you want?"

It inwardly grumbled, not understanding how the legendary human sword saint could be such a beautiful white-haired girl, but still said in a deep voice: "I am a demon from Izumo. I received guidance from Princess Ise-hime, the priestess. I heard that as long as one fights a strong human and understands the human heart, one can remove one's own divinity. Therefore, I have come to find you and hope to fight you."

The white-haired girl stared at it for a while, finished her drink, and then stood up: "Is that so? What a boring request, but I happen to be bored too. If you're looking for death, then I'll keep you company for a while."

It also stood up, ready to take action.

However, before it could even unleash its supernatural power, it discovered that the girl had somehow produced a longsword wreathed in purple lightning and was slashing down at it.

With a single slash, lightning surged forth, as if divine punishment had descended from the heavens, leaving only purple and white lightning in the world.

Its head was severed, and its massive body knelt before the girl. The surging demonic power emanating from it couldn't even stir the kimono on the girl's body.

She sat in front of it, looking at it, tapping its forehead with the divine sword in her hand, her face full of disgust.

"Tsk, you dare to challenge me with this kind of strength?"

"I've really been underestimated."

It pondered for a long time but still couldn't understand what the goddess Ji Wu of that time meant by "human hearts." However, for the first time, it felt that it had a goal to follow and challenge.

Even if the other party is a human that it previously looked down upon.

It made a request to the other party, hoping to follow in their footsteps and cultivate the way of the human sword, in order to understand the nature of the human heart.

The other party agreed.

And so it became the other's disciple, and by following the other, it learned a great deal about the other.

For example, why would the other person have white hair?

"Are you really human? Why is your hair white?" it asked at the time.

The girl replied nonchalantly, "Of course I'm human."

"As for my hair, I guess it's because of the swordsmanship I use. Every time I make a cut with my sword, my hair turns a little whiter, and now it's all white."

"But I think my white hair looks pretty good too, so it's fine as it is."

It nodded at the time, because it thought she looked beautiful with white hair, more beautiful than anyone else.

Chapter 619 Thunderous Blade (Bonus Chapter for the Helmsman)

Although humans look basically the same to monsters and gods, and they can't tell the difference, it still thought she was very beautiful.

Because what monsters and gods see is the color of a person's soul, her soul, which possesses beautiful long white hair, is also a clear, dazzling, and pure white.

Decades passed in this way. It pondered her every word and deed, learned the swordsmanship she taught it, and drove away all those who visited the temple, until one day she called it to her side and looked at the sky with it.

"Kashima, I've figured it out."

"At the pinnacle of swordsmanship, there must be an even higher realm."

It followed her gaze and looked at the sky: "Above the path of the sword, is... the sky?"

It always knew that she was pursuing a realm beyond the Sword Saint, because she had already reached the pinnacle of the Sword Saint, almost reaching the highest level of swordsmanship.

But she did not find that higher realm.

"No." The Sword Saint shook his head: "I don't know either, but I've always thought that there will always be a higher realm beyond the way of the sword."

“Look, the path of the gods includes the supreme gods of Kanto, Kansai, Ise, Izumo, and Shinano, who possess great divine power. Among the yokai, there are also powerful and transcendent yokai from the era of gods, such as the lords of the mountains of Hokuriku and the lords of the mountain plains of Shikoku.”

"Why is it that in the path of humanity, there are no truly powerful individuals who reach the pinnacle?"

It didn't know the answer at the time, but after thinking about it, it still voiced its guess: "As far as I know, although the God-King is powerful, he is not a god, and the demons of the God-Era are not monsters."

"Perhaps the strongest among humans is not even human."

"Isn't even the strongest man human?"

She laughed twice: "It sounds like an insult, but I think you're right. After all, human strength has many limitations, and there are many things that cannot be done. Even the strongest person may no longer be human."

"What level would that be? It's really hard to understand."

She looked at the sky, stretched out her hand, but then put it down.

She is a sword saint, a sword saint who has reached the pinnacle of swordsmanship, the strongest swordsman who has reached the ultimate level of sword sainthood.

In her youth, she traveled extensively, engaging in life-or-death duels with many sword masters and traversing battlefields, slaying countless enemies. She was then ordered by the two supreme deities of Kansai and Kanto to return to the divine palace and remain there for ten years, forbidden from disrupting the order of the hidden world and the present world.