I became the Lord of the Eternal World in Tokyo.

Having been beheaded by different people and with different blades so many times, one more time won't make a difference.

On the contrary, Ririko's knife was fast and sharp, so it didn't cause as much pain.

If it were a ronin wandering freely in Edo Castle, Uesugi Tetsu would probably really have bared his teeth in disgust.

In the corner of the arena, the two-foot-tall man, who had just taken out the colored ball, huddled in place, terrified by the terrifying commotion he had just witnessed.

Fortunately, Ririko has some conscience; she promised not to be affected and she wasn't.

Thinking of this, the two-foot-tall man, who hadn't taken his eyes off Uesugi Tetsuya even for a second since the start of the match, was slightly taken aback.

Is it unfair to Ririko that I'm standing here looking at Lord Che?

After all, the other party returned Xiao Jia, so now he's empty-handed and hasn't taken anything...

No, no!

The two-foot-tall man quickly shook his head inwardly.

—I am originally Lord Che's shikigami, and Ririko said before that Xiaojia is Lord Che's shikigami, so it's okay to borrow him!

Logically speaking, it's perfectly acceptable for me to stand here and help Lord Che with my gaze!

That’s right!

The two-foot-tall man convinced himself with sophistry.

Ririko didn't notice the inconspicuous Erchi-sama in the corner.

She only glanced at the subtle interaction between Uesugi Tetsu and Kaga Kiyomitsu, and she already knew that the other party understood what her consciousness slash was all about.

Using the same trick on him twice is already the most I've ever done.

Ririko took a deep breath.

Thus, the sword heart suspended in mid-air seemed to be thrown into flammable firewood, and suddenly burst into a radiant light.

Then, it slowly descended towards her on the ring.

"Kenshin, has he moved?"

Sensing the distance between Ririko and Kenshin, Uesugi Tetsu glanced at them out of the corner of his eye and nodded thoughtfully.

What interrupted his thoughts was the excruciating pain that surged through his entire body.

—Is the Sword of No-Knowledge following the Three-Stage Strike?

Although Uesugi Tetsuya and Ririko's Mumeiken (mysterious sword) did not follow the same path, he could still sense that the other's skills were far superior to his own.

Even these mass-produced Unknown Swords released by the Sword Domain are no exception.

"It's just a pity that it's too soft."

Kaga Kiyomitsu immediately raised his hand, forcefully deflecting the invisible blade that had suddenly appeared in a blind spot that should not have been there in his vision.

Uesugi Tetsu reached out again from the lightning and thunder, and grabbed another invisible blade that appeared out of thin air and attacked from the left.

Then, countless swords of ignorance fell down.

The Unknown Sword, which should have easily ended the life of a sword master with each strike, could only struggle to shatter the bright flame armor and the circulation of qi.

Then, it landed on Uesugi Tetsu's body, outlining the shape of the Thunder Bone.

Blood and flesh flew everywhere, but the demon's expression remained unchanged.

Suddenly, Uesugi Tetsu felt his hand go empty, and Ririko's figure disappeared before Kaga Kiyomitsu turned around.

Only her words fell slowly.

"You're getting stronger despite such a serious injury. As expected of Uesugi-kun."

—The effect of the pale and frenzied is truly remarkable.

Even though Uesugi Tetsuya isn't using the Lin technique now, his physique and willpower are still stronger than when he used it, not to mention his inhuman speed of injury recovery.

Uesugi Tetsuya, moving his left hand which had already healed, stood on the blood-soaked ground.

"Don't say I didn't give you a chance, if you have any other tricks up your sleeve..."

The surge of energy that soared to the heavens silenced Uesugi Tetsuya, who instead gripped Kaga Kiyomitsu's hands tightly.

rumble……

His blood and energy surged like a rainbow, causing the entire arena to tremble slightly.

Following closely behind was a tangible essence of energy descending from the sword's core and erupting from the girl's eyes.

Lili Zi has completely unlocked the Spirit Condensation Technique.

Kenshin fell even faster.

Uesugi Tetsu knew that she was about to get serious.

This is different from the previous state where it was just a normal burst of Qi and blood.

This time, Ririko is going to put all her eggs in one basket, just like Kitamura Yoyu.

But unlike the latter, Ririko has more "bargains".

Too much!

Under this suffocating pressure of energy and spirit, no one, except for ghosts and gods, can remain completely unaffected.

The entire venue transformed into a library once again, with countless gazes fixed on Ririko, who was seemingly holding something in her hand.

All gazes, all attention, were transformed into kindling and poured into the sword's heart.

Crackling...

The fire burned ever brighter.

In the silence, Uesugi Tetsu could see Ririko's chest bulge slightly.

In the next instant, the invisible sword split into two, one of which blocked Uesugi Tetsuya's nameless sword, and the other split into two that shattered all obstacles in its path.

The final strike came straight at Uesugi Tetsuya's heart!

The Secret Technique of Natural Mind-Flow: The Nameless Three-Stage Thrust!

The zero-delay generated protective shield of the "Lin" technique was torn apart, flesh that was far tougher than steel was pierced, and the Thunder Bone that had grown abnormally to the heart and become a protective mirror was also shattered.

But until the very end, Ririko never felt the sensation of a water sphere being pierced by the tip of her blade.

Instead, it was as if the sword had struck some sticky mud, negating the final force of the strike.

But he should have already exhausted all his defensive measures...

Ririko looked up, slightly puzzled, and met a pair of eyes that couldn't hide their delight.

"Tiger and Leopard Thunder Sound, transporting Qi and blood."

Amidst the low rumble of thunder, Uesugi Tetsu, his face paler than an A4 sheet of paper, chuckled hoarsely, placing his free left hand on the girl's pale shoulder.

"Have you forgotten what you taught me?"

In the girl's complex gaze, the demon laughed lightly and heartily.

"Ririko... I won."

Having caught his breath, Uesugi Tetsuya was about to use his limp left hand to twist Ririko's neck.

But before anyone knew it, the sword heart that had been floating in the sky had quietly settled on top of Ririko's head.

Then, it slid into her body as smoothly as water.

At that moment, Uesugi Tetsu realized it.

The girl before me has changed in some way.

"Break through the desperate situation, and then turn defeat into victory...that's how it should be."

Uesugi Tetsu changed his palm into a fist, no longer pursuing a fatal blow, but instead giving his opponent no time to realize the transformation was complete, and slammed down with a heavy punch!

Kaga Kiyomitsu's blade fell along with his master's fist.

"This is the Ririko I know!"

……

In the quiet and invisible world of swords.

Tokugawa Ryuji murmured unconsciously.

"Little sister, is this... a swordsmanship that has reached the other shore?"

"The other side?" Tokugawa Motoyasu, whose eyes were squinting from sleep, perked up a little. "Ryuji, can you tell this old man about it?"

Hearing the aged voice beside him, Tokugawa Ryuji realized that he had inadvertently blurted out his true feelings.

My little sister is really something...

She managed to reach the "other side" amidst a battle that everyone was watching closely.

Indeed, his future is limitless.

Tokugawa Ryuji sighed inwardly and explained briefly, "Great-grandfather, after Kenshin Tsushin, there are three chasms: 'Recognizing Me,' 'Tsushin,' and 'The Other Shore.'"

"Most people, after forging their sword heart, stop at the stage of recognizing me for the rest of their lives. I previously thought that my little sister was here as well."

Tokugawa Ryuji wanted to circle around two different contexts, but after thinking about it, he gave up.

"But just now, I discovered that my little sister had reached the final destination."

"—In our generation, this is a place that only Yuan Xinshui and I have ever reached."

The drowsy Tokugawa Motoyasu suddenly opened his eyes wide, straightened his back, and a sharp glint shot out from his cloudy pupils.

The head of the Tokugawa family nodded with satisfaction.

"it is good!"

In the audience, Hozoin Inari muttered rapidly, his mouth agape.

"Unity with nature? A state of no thought or desire? She actually... has already opened that door?!"

"Could it be that falling in love can really help one become stronger in cultivation?"

Beside the ring, Nanjo Manami, who had come off the field as a substitute doctor, was deep in thought, biting on an unlit cigarette.

She also had some knowledge of kendo, so she remembered it fairly clearly.

Based on the information, Tokugawa Ririko was stuck at the point of "man and sword as one" for a very long time, but soon after she got closer to Uesugi Tetsu, she broke through to the point of "sword heart enlightenment".

That's because Kondo Tomoya thought Ririko was a promising talent.

But that was only a few months ago?

She actually walked from the starting point of Sword Heart Clarity to the end!

It's important to understand that every step taken after achieving Sword Heart Clarity is hundreds, or even thousands, of times more difficult than the mental cultivation before that!

Nanjo Manami silently gazed at the universally despised demon on the arena.

"A method of cultivating love, huh? That's interesting."

Thousands of miles away, Yuan Xinshui's gaze was fixed on Lilizi's face.

I want to go to the event.

Nearby, Kyuuketsuin Kinze, who had just discovered that the handle hadn't gotten wet, asked Genkokoro if she had secretly poured out all the barley tea she had prepared earlier.

After receiving a positive response, he refilled her glass.

pat.

The solid voice abruptly drew Yuan Xinshui's gaze away.

She glanced at the teacup filled with barley tea, then at Kujouin Jin.

But don't speak.

The latter, while reversing the flow for himself, spoke as he did so.

“Sister Xinshui, I know you’ve always been a fan of good tea, but this isn’t actually that bad.”

The last few drops of barley tea were evenly distributed so that the water level in both teacups was the same.

Kyujou-in Jin said,