"A blade? What blade…"
Su Han looked completely confused.
Yae Miko had mentioned it before as well. That swordsman had an extremely powerful blade.
What exactly was it?
A weapon that could change form and unleash powerful slashes… could it be a Zanpakuto?
After all, that kind of weapon could also transform.
Shikai.
Bankai.
A Zanpakuto could not only change form, but some types also possessed extremely powerful slashing abilities.
Seeing his friend's puzzled expression,
Takano slapped his forehead and suddenly realized.
"You must have forgotten a lot of things, just like the clan leader. It's my fault… how did I forget this?"
"Wait here, I'll go find your blade!"
To prevent his close friend's weapon from being defiled,
Takano had personally sealed it away. If nothing unexpected had happened, it should still be there.
He flew into the air toward the distance, and Su Han quickly followed.
The two soon arrived at a hill in Araumi.
Takano landed and began searching. Soon, he stopped at a depression in the terrain.
"Here?"
Looking at the barren surroundings, Su Han felt something was off.
"Yes. I remember sealing it here. Why isn't it here…"
Takano cast a spell, but there was no response nearby. Clearly, Su Han's weapon had already been taken by someone else.
His expression turned grim, and his fists clenched tightly.
A sense of humiliation surged within the swordmaster.
Five hundred years ago, he had survived.
Now, his close friend's weapon had been stolen. What a disgrace.
"Damn thief! Don't let me find you!"
Takano could not help but roar in anger.
A terrifying aura burst from his body, tearing apart everything nearby.
Su Han was slightly surprised.
Although it had not fully awakened, this was undoubtedly Conqueror's Haki.
This guy was quite strong.
Takano turned around, his face full of guilt.
"I'm sorry. I broke my promise…"
This was not really his fault.
But Takano still believed he had not done well enough.
After all, this was Su Han's weapon.
To a swordmaster, a weapon was life.
And losing one's weapon was like losing an arm.
So Takano felt deeply ashamed.
Seeing this, Su Han smiled. "It's fine. If it's gone, it's gone. Even without a weapon, I'm still a swordmaster. Let's go. Time to train."
Seeing his friend comforting him despite losing his weapon,
Takano said firmly, "No. No matter how long it takes, I will find your weapon."
"Alright. Good luck."
People of Inazuma were generally stubborn.
Su Han was already used to it.
They soon returned to the sparring ground.
Looking at Arataki Itto catching Onikabuto on a tree, Takano asked Su Han, "Is something wrong with the oni of this generation? He's already grown up but still acts like a child."
Takano did not lower his voice, so his words quickly reached Arataki Itto.
The big man jumped down from the tree, looking unconvinced. "Hey, are you looking down on me? Let me tell you, I'm very strong!"
Beside him, Kuki Shinobu quickly reminded, "Boss, show some respect. This is a grand swordmaster."
"Grand swordmaster?" Arataki Itto's eyes lit up. "That title sounds amazing. I want to challenge you. Also, I want to ask, were the oni five hundred years ago very strong?"
Although Arataki Itto was not the brightest, he could still grasp the meaning behind Takano's words.
If this generation was lacking, then the oni of the past must have been powerful.
Takano had no interest in his challenge and said calmly, "Challenge? You're not qualified. As for the strength of the oni, it has never been weak. Whether five hundred years ago or even earlier, the oni have always been a symbol of power."
"Not qualified? I don't accept that. I will challenge you to prove my strength…"
Before Arataki Itto could finish speaking,
a terrifying sword slash tore through the sea, extending hundreds of meters before stopping.
Kuki Shinobu's eyes widened.
Arataki Itto's mouth hung open.
At the mountaintop,
seeing this scene, Yae Miko could not help but murmur, "If our fox clan had always maintained this level of strength, how would those humans dare act so arrogantly…"
Yu Luo gnawed on a pear, mumbling as she chewed, "Don't worry. With us around now, they won't."
She had just learned about Inazuma's current situation.
A group of humans daring to stand over the little foxes, how could that be tolerated?
Of course not.
If not for fear of alerting the enemy, she would have already captured those traitors and flayed them alive.
Offending the fox clan and thinking they could just leave?
How naive.
Five hundred years ago, the fox clan had been the only great clan in Inazuma.
Authority.
Strength.
Loyalty.
All of it was unquestionable.
For a group of humans to try to ride over them was simply courting death.
At the foot of the mountain,
Takano sheathed his blade, his gaze calm as ever.
"Still want to spar?"
Arataki Itto shook his head stiffly. The gap in strength was too large.
It was not that he was afraid.
He swore it.
Seeing the big man finally behave, Takano turned to Su Han. His calm gaze gradually grew heated.
"My old friend, come. I've been waiting a long time. Let's have a proper battle."
Looking at the sea slowly healing itself, Su Han's fighting spirit rose.
"Alright. But this place probably can't withstand our battle."
"It's fine. We'll stop at the right point."
Takano knew that Su Han had not yet returned to his peak strength, so even a spar would not be completely satisfying.
From the start, he had only intended to warm up.
"Then let's begin."
Su Han drew his sword, Haki covering it. Takano did the same.
The same Armament Haki.
Su Han narrowed his eyes and vanished from the spot.
"So fast!"
Arataki Itto shouted.
In an instant, sand and stones flew everywhere.
Su Han and Takano clashed, and the escaping sword energy scattered in all directions.
Boom.
A mountain wall was grazed by a slash, leaving behind a terrifying scar.
The more Takano fought, the more excited he became, just like in the past when he had been constantly beaten.
Wait, Su Han has no weapon now. Could this be my chance to get revenge?
Recalling the days he had been tormented while learning Haki,
a mischievous smile appeared on Takano's face. You bullied me back then, now it's my turn.
He gradually increased his strength, and Su Han slowly fell into a disadvantage.
Half an hour later,
on the mountaintop, Yu Luo spat out a pear core and frowned. "Su Han's strength has dropped this much?"
In her memory, this man had been incredibly powerful. Even while recovering from injuries, he could still overwhelm Takano.
What was going on now? He was already panting after just a short fight.
Yae Miko suddenly remembered Su Han's condition. Her expression changed as she shouted, "Stop, he's injured!"
"Huh? Injured again…"
Hearing this, Takano halted, but his sword energy had already been released.
Not good.
He had not held back just now. What if he injured him?
Seeing the danger, Yae Miko turned into lightning and rushed over.
Yu Luo raised her ritual tool, preparing to summon a shikigami.
At that critical moment,
an extremely terrifying aura erupted from Su Han's body.
The ground sank entirely.
Trees were struck and damaged as if hit by a shockwave.
The weaker members of the Arataki Gang foamed at the mouth and all fainted.
As for the incoming slash, Su Han easily cut it apart.
"I awakened Conqueror's Haki?"
Looking at the scene he had created, Su Han felt surprised.
He recalled what had just happened.
His body and mind had both reached their limits during the spar.
To advance Haki, sparring with strong opponents was the fastest path.
He had wanted to see if he could further strengthen his Armament or Observation Haki.
Unexpectedly, in that desperate situation, he awakened Conqueror's Haki. And it seemed similar to that of the Red-Haired Emperor.
"Hey, Takano! What are you standing there for? Continue!"
Having just obtained Conqueror's Haki, Su Han urgently needed to understand and master it.
There was a flaw in the system. If a skill was self-awakened by Su Han, it could not be strengthened through the system.
But skills enhanced by the system could still be further comprehended.
Faced with Su Han's invitation, the battle-obsessed Takano was naturally willing.
The two clashed once more.
The intensity was even more terrifying than before.
"Heavenward Slash, Flowing Clouds!"
"Sword, First Form!"
Facing the overwhelming cloud-like sword energy, Su Han did not panic. He responded with a single, simple strike.
This strike appeared ordinary, yet it perfectly broke through the opponent's attack.
The moment Su Han shattered the technique, lightning burst from his body. He leaped into the air, and a blazing fire dragon crashed down.
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