Chapter 128: One person operating six flying swords? Impossible! Absolutely impossible!
「 After escorting Master Gongshu to the entrance, he intended to part ways with the group. Although the Artisanship Commission was very dangerous, this was not a reason for him to abandon his duty.
Sushang was about to speak and try to persuade him further, but Xueyi raised a hand and interrupted, saying, "Everyone has their own duty. Let's go."
Just outside the Artisanship Commission gate was the ferry crossing. After completing the escort, Xueyi once again expressed her gratitude to everyone: "Thank you all for the protection along the way. This good deed, I will report to the Ten-Lords Commission. If the opportunity arises, I will certainly repay you."
After Xueyi departed, Sushang also planned to return to the Alchemy Commission to rejoin her team, and she asked about the whereabouts of the two men.
Luocha, being a traveling merchant, naturally followed Sushang. Dan Heng, considering Stelle's current location, decided to travel the rest of the way with them as well.
——
On the other side, in Cloudford, shortly before.
Yanqing was tracking Blade's whereabouts; the records and clues regarding him stopped here.
He found two Cloud Knight soldiers to understand the situation.
When Blade was mentioned, both soldiers looked troubled: "That Blade, after breaking free from the restraints of the Shackling Prison, seems to have disappeared into thin air. Perhaps he is no longer on the Xianzhou?"
"...Or perhaps, Blade never intended to escape at all." Yanqing lowered his gaze slightly, voicing this bolder conjecture.
"Sigh... What foul demons found their way across the stars to wreak havoc on the Luofu?"
Seeing the two men looking worried, Yanqing straightened up confidently: "That's why I'm here — to help the general eliminate those demons."
"Is that so?" The leading Cloud Knight sized him up again, raising an eyebrow slightly: "But I haven't received an order from General Jing Yuan..."
"Uh... this is a secret operation."
"Then, should we send a few extra men to assist the esteemed attendant?" The Cloud Knight's tone seemed quite contemptuous of the young master before him, deliberately emphasizing the words "extra men."
"I appreciate the Captain's kindness. The meaning of 'secret' is that the fewer people who know, the better." Yanqing subtly let out a cold snort. 」
「 .....」
〜Shingeki No Kyojin World〜
Survey Corps Office—
"...The guy is being underestimated."
Captain Levi sneered,
"If we talk purely about swordsmanship, no one in the Cloud Knights can look down on Yanqing, right?"
"As the General's attendant, the Cloud Knight soldiers must certainly be aware of Yanqing's strength."
Erwin's voice was slightly low,
"But investigating a case is different from fighting. The culprit won't obediently step out and duel you. Yanqing's swordsmanship is good, but he might not have experience in investigations."
"To capture an extremely dangerous criminal like Blade, the most logical choice is to establish a search party whose members can compensate for each other's weaknesses. Yanqing, going alone, clearly intends to prove something to the General... Heh, the mindset of a youth, it's understandable."
"Judging by your tone... Erwin, are you hoping Yanqing comes up empty-handed?"
Levi narrowed his eyes.
"...I might not be as interested in the content of the light screen as you imagine. Right now, the Corps has too many things to deal with."
Erwin pulled his gaze away from the light screen, rubbing his temples tiredly:
"Right now, the higher-ups are secretly conducting research on eternal life, which has dumped a lot of trouble onto the Corps. Compared to what is about to happen on the screen, I am more concerned with the Titans outside the Walls and retaking Wall Maria."
"New instructions from above again?"
"Yes, the latest mission is: to acquire the so called 'spinal fluid of twelve additional Pure Titans'."
"Tch... these lunatics."
Levi cursed under his breath.
"Do they even know what they are researching?"
"All research concerning eternal life is secret, and the Corps has no authority to inquire. However, rumors are currently leaking out, pointing to two specific directions, involving both religion and research."
"Religion?"
Levi frowned.
"Is it the Church of the Walls? Are those people getting involved, too?"
"No, supposedly someone proposed imitating the ancestors of the Xianzhou, seeking the blessing of eternal life from the Star God of 『 Abundance 』 beyond the sky. But considering the limited resources within the Walls, they cannot build a ship the size of a planet, so the plan is currently shelved, and they are seeking a shift in a new direction."
"???"
Levi wore a look of confusion.
"As for the second kind... You can guess it without me saying."
Now, rarely, Erwin's tone remained calm:
"I foresee that they are touching upon some kind of taboo... but the specific intelligence is too scarce, and I know nothing. I can only do my best to protect Eren and prevent those nobles from laying hands on him."
—
「 "Hmph, sending extra men... who are they looking down on?" After a cold snort in his heart, Yanqing arrived at the Cloudford and began his independent investigation.
However, after searching for half a day, he couldn't find any more valuable clues, so he had no choice but to head to the dock first to investigate the Starskiff that had been hijacked.
Along the way, Yanqing discovered that the corpses of the Mara-Struck were everywhere, piled up almost blocking the passage. But upon careful examination of the wounds on their bodies, they were definitely not the work of the Cloud Knights.
The only person Yanqing could think of with this kind of strength right now was Blade. With the traces left by his quarry, he felt slightly relieved.
Following the traces upward, Yanqing discovered a group of Mara-Struck surrounding a white-haired woman.
"How are civilians still being attacked? The Cloud Knights here are completely incompetent." Yanqing was burning with impatience, leaping forward. Instantly, six flying swords shot out in unison from behind him. "Hey, big sister, don't panic, I'll save you now!" 」
「 .....」
〜Baki World〜
"Oh? Flying swords? So, the sword actually has this kind of usage?"
Musashi Miyamoto looked at the six precious swords floating beside Yanqing with great interest.
Hundreds of years ago, he single-handedly created the Niten Ichi-ryū, pioneering the fighting style of wielding one long and one short sword, which caused a sensation among the samurai of the time. In his understanding, two swords were the limit of the human body, but how could six flying swords be utilized?
"Musashi Miyamoto, look closely at the hilts of these flying swords."
Kaku Kaioh suddenly spoke up to remind him.
Following the direction indicated by the Kaioh, Musashi Miyamoto then realized that the hilts of the flying swords seemed to conceal some kind of mechanism he couldn't understand. It was precisely through this that the young man could smoothly manipulate the flying swords.
The six flying swords were like six distinctly different peerless swordsmen. The techniques they employed varied, yet they complemented each other, moving freely and retracting effortlessly. In just a flash, three Mara-Struck were instantly struck down on the spot.
Retsu Kaioh, standing nearby, was already trembling all over in shock. His lips quivered for a long time, but he couldn't utter a single word.
"Are these six swords all controlled by Yanqing alone?"
Although Hanayama Kaoru couldn't understand the specific sword techniques, as a fighting expert, he could read the killing intent contained within the swords.
This killing intent clearly originated from a single person.
"...That's impossible."
Retsu Kaioh wiped the sweat from his forehead, his eyes wide:
"Manipulating six flying swords simultaneously to kill enemies in a single moment of distraction, and using six distinctly different sword arts... How is that possible? At that age?"
Only when he saw Yanqing's flying swords return to their scabbards did Musashi Miyamoto reluctantly take his eyes off the light screen.
"Splendid, splendid."
Adopting a more respectful posture, Musashi Miyamoto softly clapped his hands.
—