Inside the Beast Fighting Arena, the already dim sky had now turned completely dark.
It wasnât because night had fallen, but because the sky was so densely packed with black blade-shadows that they blotted out the light.
A piercing slicing sound filled every inch of spaceâthe mournful cry of air being torn asunder.
On the edge of the arena, the expressions of Shen Yixuan and the others turned grim.
Even though they had retreated to the farthest corner of the Energy Shield and had combined their strength to erect a defensive barrier, they could still feel an all-pervasive, sharp aura relentlessly slicing at their shield.
CRACKLE, CRACKLE.
Sparks continuously erupted from their barrier!
The aftershocks alone were this powerful!
Shen Yixuan was horrified.
âThis is a Sword Domain? And itâs just a Pseudo-Sword Domain? Itâs already this terrifying!â
âThen the pressure Gu Yuexi is enduring at the heart of the storm... just how terrifying must it be?!â
"Brother Lin, if only you were here."
"I hope Sister Gu can hold on!"
...
ăIn the eye of the storm.ă
Yamamoto Ichimoku watched the white-clad young woman across from him, who merely held her sword hilt, yet hesitated to draw the blade. The corner of his mouth curved into an arc of extreme confidenceâone might even call it disdain.
At this very moment, within a hundred-meter radius, he was the absolute master.
Every wisp of wind, every speck of dust, was his sword.
Gu Yuexi was strong, but he was stronger!
His gaze fell upon the sheathed longsword in Gu Yuexiâs hand. It looked plain, even ancient, and his disdain only deepened.
âA sword?â
âYou think youâre worthy of using a sword before the Divine Dao School?â
The divine light in Yamamoto Ichimokuâs eyes suddenly focused. The hand gripping his Black Blade tensed with force!
"Divine Dao Secret Technique: Dark Realm Slash!"
ZINGâ!!!
With one last, clear ring, the Black Blade in his hand was completely unsheathed!
In that instant, the entire Pseudo-Sword Domain seemed to come alive.
The blade-shadows, which had been drifting aimlessly, were like soldiers hearing their generalâs command. They instantly turned their sharp edges and converged into a black torrent of steel, sweeping toward Gu Yuexi with a terrifying power that could annihilate everything in its path!
Unavoidable!
Unblockable!
It was a checkmateâa single, fatal blow!
Just at this critical moment, Gu Yuexi, who had been standing perfectly still, finally moved.
Her movements were slow, so slow they seemed almost eerie.
Her right hand gripped the seemingly ordinary hilt so tightly that blue veins bulged on the back of her jade-like hand from the sheer force.
It was as if she werenât holding a sword, but a colossal mountain.
Finally!
An extremely faint sound, like a scraping from the nine heavens, was heard.
The Ancient Sword had loosened.
ZING~!
The blade... was drawn by a sliver.
Just a sliver.
About two centimeters.
BOOMâ!!!
The very instant those two centimeters of the blade were exposed to the air, a snow-white sword light, impossible to describe with words, suddenly erupted in the center of the Beast Fighting Arena!
This light was too bright! Too pure!
It was like the first ray of light at the dawn of creation, carrying with it a supreme will to purify all and sever all!
Black blade-shadows?
A Pseudo-Sword Domain?
Before this snow-white sword light, they were like leftover snow under a scorching sun. Without even a chance to resist, they instantly melted away!
The once-roaring black storm vanished completely in that single moment.
Not only that.
After annihilating all the blade-shadows, the sword light did not stop. It carried its remaining power and slammed viciously into the surrounding Energy Shield!
VMMMMMM!!!
The shield, which was said to be able to withstand a full-force attack from a Peak of Eighth-Grade expert, began to vibrate violently, like a pane of glass that had suffered a heavy blow!
CRACK! CRACK!
A web of shocking cracks instantly spread across the entire hemispherical shield!
"This is bad!!!"
High in the air, Chief Referee Pierceâs expression changed drastically.
With no time to think, he frantically formed hand seals, pouring the immense Energy from his body into the core of the Array to stabilize the shield, which was on the verge of shattering.
...
ăInside the arena.ă
The light faded.
Gu Yuexi still stood in the same spot, maintaining her grip on the sword.
She had already pushed the Ancient Sword back into its Sword Scabbard, as if it had never been drawn at all.
And across from her.
Yamamoto Ichimoku remained frozen in his slashing posture, completely motionless like a statue.
The arrogant and disdainful look of someone certain of victory was still plastered on his face.
The frozen expression made him look utterly ridiculous.
"How... How is this possible..."
A few faint, gurgling sounds escaped from Yamamoto Ichimokuâs throat.
His eyes, once filled with killing intent and confidence, were now nothing but ashen and bewildered.
He didnât understand.
He truly didnât understand.
Why had his Sword Domain shattered when that woman had only drawn a tiny bit of her sword?
Why did the Shindo School Swordsmanship he was so proud of seem as laughable as a childâs toy in the face of that white light?
CRACK.
A crisp snap broke the dead silence.
The famed Black Blade in Yamamoto Ichimokuâs hand broke cleanly at the hilt. The severed blade fell to the ground with a mournful clang.
Immediately after.
SQUELCH! SQUELCH! SQUELCH! SQUELCH! SQUELCH!
Five bloodlines, as fine as silk threads, suddenly appeared on Yamamoto Ichimokuâs body.
From his head, down his torso, and to his limbs.
The next second.
SPLAT.
Yamamoto Ichimokuâs body, like a set of building blocks, slid apart neatly along those five bloodlines, collapsing into five chunks of flesh on the ground.
Blood instantly stained the ground red.
The strongest Sword Dao genius of this generation from Sakura Country, the man with the so-called "Innate Sword Bone," Yamamoto Ichimoku.
Dead.
Not even a complete corpse was left behind.
The entire arena erupted.
It was an explosion after a period of extreme tension; everyoneâs minds simply shut down.
One second?
No, not even one second!
From the moment Gu Yuexi began to draw her sword to Yamamoto Ichimoku falling into pieces, it all happened too fastâso fast that many peopleâs retinas hadnât even had time to register the image.
"I donât believe it... I donât believe it! This is an illusion!"
In the Sakura Countryâs rest area, the Voldemort Witch team leader, who had been shrieking madly just moments before, now looked like a duck with its neck being squeezed.
Her harsh, ugly face was twisted beyond recognition by extreme terror.
âThat was a Pseudo-Sword Domain!â
âThat was the super genius their Sakura Country had poured all its resources into cultivating!â
âGone... just like that?â
âHe didnât even touch the hem of that Great Xia womanâs clothes?â
The female team leader shrieked hysterically, her nails digging deep into her own flesh.
...
ăInside the arena.ă
Gu Yuexi took a deep breath, calming the surging Qi Blood within her body.
She didnât look at the pile of dismembered flesh on the ground. Instead, she slowly lifted her foot.
Her pristine white boots stepped onto the blood-soaked ground with a soft squelch.
That sound seemed to stomp right on the hearts of the remaining members of the Sakura Country team.
"You are next."
Those three words again!
It had become a nightmare for the contestants from Sakura Country!
With every Sakura Country contestant she killed, Gu Yuexi took another step forward!
Now, she had taken a full three steps... and was nearly upon the Sakura Countryâs formation!
An unparalleled aura, like that of an ancient Empress, washed over the few remaining Sakura Country contestants in tangible waves, one after another, battering their already shattered courage.
"Donât... Donât come any closer!"
There were three of them left.
One of them, a small, scrawny man, watched Gu Yuexi approach. His psychological defenses finally crumbled completely.
"I give up! I surrender, I unconditionally surrender!"
The manâs legs gave out and he collapsed to his knees. But suddenly!
SQUELCHâ!!!
The gruesome sound of a blade plunging into flesh echoed without any warning.
The surrendering man, kneeling on the ground, fell silent.
He looked down at his chest in disbelief.
A blood-drenched hand had pierced through his back, and in its grip... was a faintly beating heart.
"You..."
He struggled to turn his head and look behind him.
The one who had attacked was not Gu Yuexi.
It was his own teammate standing behind himâthe Sakura Country contestant with the perpetually grim face, whose name was Sato!
"Useless."
A sick fanaticism twisted Satoâs face as he coldly stared at his former teammate.
"A warrior of the Great Sakura Empire only dies in battle. They do not surrender."
"Since you donât dare to fight, then... offer your life for the empire!"
Before he finished speaking, Sato squeezed his hand violently.
SQUISH!
The heart was instantly crushed!
The surrendering manâs eyes bulged as he limply collapsed.
"AH!!"
The other remaining Sakura Country contestant saw this, screamed in terror, and turned to run.
But Sato was faster.
SWISH!
A cold glint of light flashed.
The contestantâs head flew straight into the air, and blood gushed out like a fountain.
And as the body fell, Sato struck again, repeating the same move with extreme cruelty, digging out his heart as well.
In just a few short seconds.
Two of the three remaining members of the Sakura Country team were dead.
And it was by their own teammateâs hand!
The entire audience was stunned speechless.
âAre these Sakura Country people... all fucking lunatics?!â