Chapter 209: Clouds Leave No Trace 『 Part Eight 』
Tsukishiro Yanagi didn't pay much attention to him. After all, Chief Miyabi, in order to focus on Jingliu's training, had handed over the vast majority of Section 6's meeting reports and other documents to her.
At this moment, Hoshimi Miyabi was staring intently at the light screen, the fingers of her left hand—her sword hand—twitching slightly.
"Chief Miyabi, can you really see the movements of these two clearly?"
Harumasa couldn't help but be a little curious. Watching the battle between Blade and Jingliu, he only felt like he was witnessing a clash of deities. One moment they were fighting on the ground, the next in the sky, and then smashing back down to the earth… Let alone keeping up with the battle, most of the time, he couldn't even see the people clearly.
Hoshimi Miyabi shook her head.
"I can't see clearly, but I don't need to see every single movement perfectly. Swordsmanship lies mostly in the variations of the wrist and footwork; one only needs to pay close attention to the changes in these two areas."
"Changes in the wrist… isn't that even harder?"
Hoshimi Miyabi suddenly pulled out a small video recorder.
"I've recorded the whole process with this. I can slow it down a hundred times to study it carefully."
—
「 Blade's body was pierced through by Jingliu's sword, plummeting straight down from the high sky. His bones made the cracking sounds of being overwhelmed by the wind pressure, like a star that had burned out, finally smashing ruthlessly into the ground.
"Such a… familiar sensation…"
"…It feels like returning to the first day you taught me swordsmanship."
Memories surged like blood, intense pain overlapping with the past. Back then, his chest had been pierced by the Shard Sword, yet he had stood up shakily from the ground, returning from death time and time again.
"You held the sword Yingxing forged for you… thrusting, cutting, piercing, over and over again…"
"Those sword techniques that once descended upon enemies are now carved into this hateful shell, and I can only watch my own flesh and blood constantly twitching, healing, restoring… as if asking… 'Why? Why did you commit such a sin with Imbibitor Lunae?'"
"I know you don't expect an answer from me, so I asked the question myself. That is the question I have asked myself thousands of times, yet have no answer for—"
"Why... why is it that only the abominations can return time and time again...? Why does someone like her have to be buried, burned to ash, and eventually forgotten...? Why!?"
The past of the High-Cloud Quintet was vivid in his mind, but all of it was left behind in that barren tomb along with him and the sword, sealed by Jingliu's heart-piercing strike.
Only in the death that was fleeting as a dream would he not feel such pain… just like the days when they raised their cups and drank deeply. 」
「 .....」
〜DanMachi World〜
In the basement of the church, Hestia's cheeks puffed up in anger.
"I also think this is very unfair! Why are those malicious creations favored instead?"
"Perhaps this is the price one must pay for following The Hunt?"
Bell gently held the Goddess's trembling hand. The glow of the candlelight danced in his eyes, making his gaze flicker between bright and dim.
"If this price isn't paid, the fate awaiting the Xianzhou would only be worse."
Recalling the early history of the Xianzhou that Jing Yuan spoke of, if it weren't for following The Hunt, the Xianzhou would likely have fallen into the abyss amidst internal trouble and foreign aggression long ago.
"But, Goddess. It is precisely because life only happens once… that the will passed down by predecessors like Baiheng and Caiyi at the cost of their lives is caught and cherished so deeply by the living."
"Look, hasn't Miss Jingliu caught Baiheng's will now, and begun to fulfill the promise she made back then?"
—
「 "—Hah." Blade snapped his eyes open and sat up abruptly, his chest heaving rapidly. It took a while for those cold, stiff muscles to gradually regain their vitality.
Looking down at the completely healed wound on his chest, not even leaving a scar… Blade clicked his tongue in dissatisfaction: "Tsk."
On the other side, Jingliu looked at Dan Heng and asked about his future plans. Dan Heng simply stated calmly that he would return to the Express and continue traveling with March, Stelle, and the others.
"The Express cannot carry you forever. Your friends all harbor their own heavy thoughts, just as we once did."
"When I fled the Luofu back then, I thought about giving up revenge and leaving everything behind. But as the years grew, it became clearer and clearer, almost becoming an old friend accompanying me day and night, whispering in my ear at every moment."
"Everything I did while falling into Mara is also deeply rooted in my memory, impossible to shake off. In the end, I decided to face it." Jingliu slowly turned around and sighed, "When I witness the fall of The 『 Abundance 』, perhaps both you and Yingxing will find true release. Goodbye, Imbibitor Lunae." 」
「 .....」
〜KonoSuba: God's Blessing on This Wonderful World〜
"Hey, hey! Don't say such ominous things! The Astral Express crew is nothing like the High-Cloud Quintet!"
Inside the tavern, Megumin voiced her complaint with dissatisfaction.
"Where are these 'heavy thoughts'? March 7th just wants to find her past, and Stelle… although I don't get what she's thinking, apart from rummaging through trash cans, she definitely doesn't have any hidden agenda! And! Dan Heng's past has been successfully dealt with. Himeko and Mr. Welt don't look like they have heavy thoughts either, do they?"
"Uh… Megumin, adults often have many more worries than teenagers. After all, the adult world is very complicated."
Yunyun, standing aside, offered comfort.
"However, I also feel that Miss Jingliu's statement was a bit arbitrary… The Astral Express crew and the High-Cloud Quintet indeed cannot be lumped together. If I had to say, the High-Cloud Quintet is more like a 'legend burdened by fate,' while the Express are 'travelers writing the future.'"
"Right, right! The relationships are vastly different, too! On the Express, Ms. Himeko and Mr. Welt are like the parents! The members of the Express crew are like family! Family and best friends… there's still a big difference!"
—
「 After bidding farewell to Yanqing and Jing Yuan, Dan Heng came before Blade. At this moment, Blade's tone was filled with frustration and disappointment: "Her sword couldn't do it either. She still couldn't do it."
He turned back to look coldly at Dan Heng. "Then, the two of us can only continue this chase. This is the price you and I must pay."
Dan Heng replied, refusing to show weakness, "…I will accompany you to the end."
"In Elio's script, you are temporarily necessary to remain alive. And I don't mind dragging out the process of revenge for a very long time; perhaps that will be more interesting."
After speaking, Blade left the Scalegorge Waterscape. At the same time, Dan Heng received messages from the Astral Express family, all concerned about where he had gone.
Seeing all this, Dan Heng felt a warmth in his heart.
/Dan Heng: "I just met some old friends."
/March 7th: "Hehe, then we're relieved. By the way, remember to come back to the Express early. Ms. Himeko said she made coffee for us." 」
「 .....」
( Translator-kun: There was another theory that Himeko was a former Ten Stonehearts 'Agate,' that why the reason 'Agate' was MIA in the Myriad Celestia Trailer: Stoneheart's Oath Ring: Both Ends of the Scale.
Every planet the Nameless have visited since Himeko became navigator has been influenced by the IPC. And don't forget on Amphoreus, guess who Himeko suggested to lead the cosmic alliance? Hint 'IPC'. But the Elephant in the room is 'How she repaired the Astral Express, she must need tons of resources, right?' and guess which faction has enough of those resources? But is A THEORY, GAME THEORY ദ്ദി(˵ •̀ ᴗ - ˵ ) ✧ )