Chapter 151: If Someone Can Master It Just by Watching, How Can We Even Compete?
["Blade clashed fiercely with Yanqing, glancing at Dan Heng, who was merely parrying lightly nearby, and sneered coldly, 'What's the matter? Can't bring yourself to go all out against this kid?'"]
["Dan Heng's brows furrowed as he pondered, 'I don't know how March and the others are faring… I need to end this quickly.'"]
["A glint of determination flashed in his eyes—"]
["With a slight lift of the Abyssal Pearl in his hand, countless torrents surged toward Yanqing, engulfing the young swordsman in a deluge. 'Celestial Flood Surge!'"]
["Dan Heng had underestimated Yanqing's skill. In an instant, the boy shifted through several positions, his sword guarding every critical point flawlessly, sustaining minimal injuries. Yet Yanqing realized that if this stalemate continued, the situation would turn heavily against him."]
["'You two are indeed troublesome. Looks like if I want to take you down, I'll have to use that move!'"]
["With that, he leaped into the air, his longsword slashing as a massive wave of frigid sword aura coalesced behind him, crashing toward the two with unparalleled might!"]
["'That sword… it looks awfully familiar,' Blade's voice dripped with murderous intent. 'Did that woman teach you? Then you're as good as dead!'"]
——
Demon Slayer World
"Tch, this kid…"
Watching Yanqing unleash a sword technique he had mastered on the screen, Sanemi Shinazugawa was thoroughly rattled.
After witnessing Jingliu's divine swordsmanship through the Celestial Screen, several Hashira had been secretly training together in the mountains late at night, attempting to replicate that sword strike of hers.
To this end, they had even enlisted the help of the Swordsmith Village to forge a new batch of blades, crafted to match the light sword Jingliu wielded in the footage.
To master that one strike, they had altered their long-practiced grips on their swords and adjusted their Breathing Techniques… Yet, even so, only the most gifted among them, Muichiro Tokito, had made any progress.
His current strike carried four or five parts of Jingliu's elegance, though its power was leagues behind hers. Still, this promising start had given the other Hashira some confidence.
…With relentless practice, perhaps in three to five years, they might reach a respectable level of mastery, or even make significant strides.
At least, that's what Sanemi Shinazugawa had thought moments ago.
But now, seeing Yanqing's sword strike…
"This kid's been busy chasing Blade's trail these past few days, constantly on the move, without any dedicated practice, right?" Sanemi couldn't hold back. "These Xianzhou folks are just too much! Living long is one thing, but having this kind of talent?!"
The level he had hoped to reach after three to five years of effort, Yanqing had casually achieved in just two evenings. And the power of that single strike… Sanemi feared he might never reach it in his lifetime.
"Sanemi, calm down," the deep, steady voice of the Stone Hashira rang out behind him. "Yanqing's talent may be exceptional, but the enemies he faces are far more formidable than ours."
"Demons die when you cut off their heads—but have you seen those Abundance monstrosities? Even with their heads severed, their skin keeps wriggling."
"Yanqing's starting point may be higher than ours, but his endpoint is also far more distant."
The Stone Hashira paused before continuing, "All we need to do is find Muzan's whereabouts and kill him to resolve everything. But Yanqing and his allies aim for the Aeon of Abundance… Their endpoint is far more unattainable than ours."
["'We can't drag this out any longer…'"]
["'I'm sorry. I didn't want to escalate things, but I have no choice now… Forgive me.'"]
["Though reluctant, Dan Heng pushed the power of the Abyssal Pearl to its maximum. In an instant, several water dragons coiled around him, poised to strike."]
["'Coiling Brilliance Leap!'"]
["With a gesture of Dan Heng's fingers, a cyan water dragon soared into the sky, shattering Yanqing's protective flying swords in an instant. The overwhelming force of the water crashed heavily onto Yanqing!"]
["A deafening boom echoed as rocks scattered, and a crater the size of a meteor impact was gouged into the ground."]
["'Cough, cough…' Yanqing wiped the blood trickling from the corner of his mouth. The force of that strike was like a ten-thousand-ton starship colliding head-on. Even with his all-out defense at the last moment, he was still badly injured."]
["'I can… still fight,' Yanqing grunted, leaning on his sword and kneeling on one knee, barely able to continue."]
["'Alright, everyone, listen to me: stop this,' Kafka finally spoke, intervening as the situation reached a tipping point."]
["Her words sent a jolt through Dan Heng, Blade, and Yanqing, their bodies instinctively obeying Kafka's command."]
In Fontaine, inside the Opéra Épique, the audience watching the Celestial Screen began to murmur among themselves.
"Kafka's Word of Command even works on Dan Heng in his Vidyadhara Dragon form. That ability is just too overpowered…"
"And it seems Blade's Mara-struck state was dispelled too."
"But notice, Kafka's Word of Command hinges on 'listen to me.' What if the target is deaf? Wouldn't her ability be useless then?"
"Hey, you're a genius! But… why would Kafka use her Word of Command on a deaf person?"
"…Good point."
Listening to the chatter behind her, Furina nudged Neuvillette, who she had finally caught on a rare day off. "Neuvillette, Dan Heng is a Vidyadhara, and you're the Hydro Dragon. You should be stronger than him, right?"
At that, Navia, sitting nearby, subtly leaned in to eavesdrop.
"…Lady Furina," Neuvillette sighed in exasperation, "where does this sudden need for comparison come from?"
"Haha… I've been reading some Inazuman light novels lately," Furina said, her heterochromatic blue eyes sparkling with curiosity. "Comparing the power levels of characters from different works is a hot topic these days. So, I'm really curious…"
"There's a universal solution to such questions," Clorinde interjected from Neuvillette's side. "Comparing character strength is meaningless. Why don't the authors of the works fight it out? Whoever wins, their protagonist is stronger."
"But they'd better not fight in Fontaine, or they'll end up comparing strength with the Duke in Meropide."
——
["'Well, Blade, are you satisfied?' Kafka asked with a light chuckle."]
["'Huff… huff…' Blade's heavy breathing gradually calmed as the Mara-struck emotions subsided."]
["Dan Heng shot him a glance, uninterested in engaging further. But Kafka… his brows furrowed as he demanded, 'What did you just do?'"]
["'Just a little preparation to welcome a very important guest,' Kafka said with a smile. 'We can't let the great General of the Luofu see you and Blade making a fool of yourselves, can we?'"]
["'Hahaha.'"]
["Before her words faded, a familiar, cheerful laugh rang out nearby."]
["Jing Yuan appeared seemingly out of nowhere. With a soft chuckle, he stepped in front of Yanqing, subtly shielding him."]