Chapter 245: A Foxian Tale of the Haunted 『 Part Twenty 』
「 The voice of Apyra finally rose with excitement: "Young man, the one who taught you the sword has arrived. Under his tutelage, you never knew defeat, yet recently you suffered the first major setback of your life. Your confidence in your swordsmanship, once unshakeable, now teeters on the brink of collapse."
Like the whisper of a devil, the Heliobus's voice struck like a war hammer, relentlessly dismantling Yanqing's psychological defenses: "You worry that the General is disappointed in you. You worry that you cannot become the person the General hopes you will be."
"Come, show him the techniques I have taught you. He will surely be delighted to see your progress. Tell him that with this next strike, you will secure victory for the Xianzhou!"
"Yanqing will not draw his sword to prove anything to me. I have faith in him." Jing Yuan's tone was as calm as still water. "This faith is not that he will always emerge victorious… but that one day he will break free from the shackles of victory and defeat, and realize the true reason he wields his blade—whether for joy, for saving lives, or for vanquishing enemies…"
"This reason must be found by him alone; no one can teach it to him. Now is the moment he takes that step."
The General's words instantly cleared the haze from Yanqing's eyes. "General, I…"
"Break free from victory and defeat?" Apyra sneered with disdain. "That is merely a pretext to comfort the dead and the defeated! Think of your crushing defeat at the Scalegorge Waterscape! Think of the feeling of hovering on the edge of death."
"If the Stellaron Hunter's blade had pierced your body, then you wouldn't even be standing here contemplating the meaning of winning or losing."
Apyra roared, his voice almost a command: "Now is the moment to surpass yourself, to shatter all chains. Draw your sword against your teacher—against the General who seeks to trap you!"
Yanqing walked up to Jing Yuan and spoke with hesitation, "General… please allow me… to demonstrate my swordsmanship. I hereby challenge you…"
Jing Yuan did not answer, but simply looked at him quietly, smiling gently.
Yanqing paused. He slowly closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and opened them again as if he had made up his mind. He turned around, looking up at the sword formation, and pointed his blade directly at the thousands of sword glimmers floating in the sky: "…Sensei Apyra, I hereby challenge this sword formation, and I challenge you!" 」
「 .....」
〜Genshin Impact World〜
Teyvat, Inazuma—
As twilight began to stain the sky, the silhouette of Tenshukaku appeared exceptionally majestic amidst the sunset glow. Yet, what drew the eye even more was the great battle about to unfold upon the sky-screen.
"Phew… Fortunately, General Jing Yuan stepped in."
Inside a tea room, Thoma sat in seiza to the side. Seeing the ever-calm, gentle smile on the General's face, Thoma let out a long sigh of relief, his tense body finally relaxing after a long while.
"He truly is a General who puts one at ease."
Watching the steam curl up from her teacup, Ayaka sighed softly.
"Possessing overwhelming power, yet choosing the gentlest methods to resolve problems, and always managing to secure the best possible outcome."
Thoma refilled her cup with hot water, the sound gurgling like a small brook.
"Indeed. This General Jing Yuan reminds me of Lord Ayato—both are the type who seem casual on the surface but are actually deeply thoughtful and thorough."
"Brother…"
The corners of Ayaka's lips lifted slightly. She unfurled her folding fan, half-hiding her face.
"Indeed, Brother is like the General; both are more adept at maneuvering with strategy. However, General Jing Yuan's martial prowess is undoubtedly top-tier, even when looking across the entire Xianzhou."
"True. The General does not blindly trust Yanqing; he has absolute confidence in his own judgment and ability. Even if the worst were to happen, he has the power to control the situation, just like right now—"
Before Thoma could finish, faint flames began to drift out from the sword formation in the sky, eventually coalescing into a body identical to Yanqing's.
"Milady, they're about to fight!"
"Ah… Thoma! The Kamera…! Quickly…"
Ayaka, rarely flustered, scrambled. For this outing, she had intended to find a quiet place to record Yanqing's sword forms. The Kamisato Art of the Inazuma Shogunate had been passed down for centuries without change; she and her brother hoped to use this opportunity to borrow swordsmanship from a foreign land to refine and improve it.
—
「 "You have truly wasted my painstaking efforts, brat. Your potential was limitless. It is a pity you harbor too many meaningless thoughts."
The reason Apyra revealed himself was that during the possession, he had become intimately familiar with Yanqing's techniques. He was confident he could use Yanqing's own image and moves to teach him one final lesson.
Apyra prioritized a style of heartless swordsmanship, confident that his moves were far superior in power to Yanqing's. Yet, under the General's guidance to "conceal form and restrain intent," Yanqing clashed with Apyra with spirited agility, ultimately triumphing over him by a single move.
Having been defeated by such a junior, Apyra's Dao-heart was shattered, and he willingly allowed himself to be collected into the gourd by Huohuo.
Yanqing finally snapped out of it completely. Looking at the General, he scratched his head in embarrassment: "General…"
Jing Yuan quickly cut him off: "I am getting old. Do me a favor and spare me the sentimental speeches."
Things had finally settled down smoothly. After bidding farewell to the master and disciple, the group began searching for their next target. However, during their review of the events, Huohuo began to doubt herself again. After all, without Tail, she was just an ordinary person in the Ten-Lords Commission, and she didn't know how long she could hold on.
During this time, she had been looking for clues about Tail, but after searching for so long with no results, she couldn't help but feel anxious.
After a whole day of work, Sushang was exhausted, and everyone dispersed to rest. But early the next morning, a message from Guinaifen instantly woke Stelle from his daze.
"Bad news! Huohuo is missing!" 」
「 .....」
〜DanMachi World〜
"Huh? Missing? Huohuo?"
Hestia's eyes went wide.
"Is there another Heliobus possessing her?! Could it be… She has news about Tail?"
"Goddess, it might not be Tail,"
Bell said, resting his chin in his hand thoughtfully.
"It's also possible that a Heliobus noticed the sadness in Huohuo and wanted to feed on it, possessing her. After all, without Tail, there is no possessing spirit in her body, which gives other Heliobi an opportunity…"
"Is there a possibility that Tail found Huohuo himself?"
Hestia spread her hands.
"Heliobi are immortal and indestructible anyway. Lord Tail definitely hasn't dissipated. Maybe he's rested enough and actively sought out Huohuo?"
"But would he go so far as to not even send a reply?"
Bell looked down, pondering.
"I remember that messages cannot be sent out from Fyxestroll Garden… If Huohuo hasn't replied to their messages, it means she is either trapped in a Heliobus illusion or physically inside Fyxestroll Garden."
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