Chapter 301: I Challenge Rank 1, Minamoto Shizuka! Why Is He Truly “che”!
Huh?
Looking at me now?
Kitada Kei opened his mouth with a complicated expression, raised his finger toward Lili Zi who was still lying on the ground, then shook his head.
——At a time like this, instead of caring about his girlfriend, coming to see an irrelevant person like me, is that really okay?
Without a word, Kitada Kei looked again at the girl whose face was as pale as paper.
Tokugawa Ririko.
Just now, did she reach the final stage of Clear Sword Heart and arrive at the “Other Shore” of everything?
The so-called “crossing the sea of suffering to reach the Other Shore” is actually something that can be achieved with just one battle?
Even more unexpectedly, Shangshan Che actually beat Tokugawa Ririko, who had reached the Other Shore with her Sword Heart, leaving her utterly powerless to fight back…
Seeing Kitada Kei’s gesture, Shangshan Che immediately understood that he meant “now is not the time.”
Not the time to clash.
I see, he wants to wait until the end, until all the other battles are over, then make his grand entrance.
Shangshan Che looked at Kitada Kei, then at Minamoto Shizuka who was also staring intently at Lili Zi.
Fine.
Completely understandable.
Let the folks behind fight first; otherwise, if the main event ends before the Seed Battle is even halfway done, the ratings and live stream concurrent viewers will plummet.
But in reality, the two were not on the same wavelength at all.
Shangshan Che cut off the spiritual power infusion to the Flame Armor and the Five Thunder Technique that had been destroying his body tissues, maintaining only the minimal Qi Circulation, and let out a sigh of relief as if a burden had been lifted.
Perfect, he could take a break too, and discuss the breakthrough experience with Lili Zi while he’s at it.
After all, during the battle just now, Lili Zi had just broken through and was beaten by him before she could even show her full strength.
Because Shangshan Che had a premonition at the time that if he let Lili Zi recover in one breath, the one in trouble would probably be him.
Facts proved that even super geniuses breaking through mid-battle aren’t always effective.
It still depends on whether the opponent gives the opportunity.
Retracting the battle intent from his gaze, Shangshan Che’s thoughts turned to Lili Zi’s breakthrough.
Speaking of which, Clear Sword Heart… If she breaks through further on top of Clear Sword Heart, wouldn’t her state of mind be on the same level as Master Huijue?
In contrast, his own state of mind.
Although his foundation is solid, he’s just one suitable “Heart Embryo” away from immediately breaking through to the peak of Unity of Man and Sword stage.
But the key is, Heart Embryo is something tinged with mysticism.
Shangshan Che recalled what Okabe Motonobu said to him that night,
“Witness…”
If Lili Zi could single-handedly take down everyone including him in this Seed Battle and claim first place, maybe his Heart Embryo would form too.
It’s just a pity that she’s still two steps short right now.
Shangshan Che turned around, only then noticing that the one treating Lili Zi was actually Nanjo Emi.
“Eh? Sister Nanjo, why the sudden interest in coming down to guest as a nursemaid?”
Nanjo Emi, who had been healing on the spot for nearly thirty seconds, darkened her face and replied irritably, “Because I’m the first on the Candidate physician list.”
Candidate list?
Shangshan Che looked up at the massive Healing Spell that was slowly dissipating.
Then, he looked down at Lili Zi, whose complexion was not only gradually returning to normal but whose foundation seemed even more solid.
The meticulous Shangshan Che savored the spiritual power fluctuations again, then pointed with one hand,
“Sister Nanjo, why do I feel like your skills are even better than the official physicians’? It takes three or four of them together to heal as fast as you.”
“Illusion.”
Nanjo Emi answered instantly without thinking.
Shangshan Che got it right away.
If he kept going, Nanjo Emi’s workload would probably increase again.
After dragging out an “Oh” sound, Shangshan Che looked again at Lili Zi, whose face was visibly turning rosy at a speed the naked eye could see.
This health bar is probably going to be full soon.
Lili Zi was beaten that badly by him just now and could still recover perfectly—Ghost God… is really impressive.
Seeing Shangshan Che staring at Lili Zi again, Two-Foot Adult hurried over at a small run, afraid that “mad” Che Adult would continue beating the latter.
No matter what, the Great Demon King had helped her and Che Adult a lot, and even cooked every day!
She couldn’t let her suffer anymore!
Two-Foot Adult’s single-threaded thinking churned furiously!
But just as she was about to arrive, Lili Zi, who now had enough strength to sit up on the ground, looked up at Shangshan Che and suddenly spoke,
“Shangshan Jun.”
“I’m listening.”
In the Seed Battle, Shangshan Che removed the Red Hannya Mask for the first time, meeting her gaze.
The Evil Spirit did not look at the defeated one in the physician’s arms, but Shangshan Che looked at Tokugawa Ririko.
His eyes were filled with admiration.
Likewise, there was no blame in Lili Zi’s eyes for his heavy-handedness just now, nor any other superfluous emotions.
“This is the second time I’ve said this sentence; maybe you didn’t hear it the first time…”
The girl placed her index finger to her lips, her smile clear and pure,
“But it doesn’t matter.”
Under the silent gaze of millions, Lili Zi looked at Shangshan Che, as if earnestly trying to knock on the door of his heart, and said with utmost pleasantness,
“—It’s really great to live in the same era as you.”
“Mm.”
Shangshan Che nodded, answering sincerely,
“I feel the same.”
Two-Foot Adult, who had just run up behind him: …
Nanjo Emi, who was continuing the treatment: …
Ye Chun, eating at the family dinner table and nearly snapping her chopsticks: …
Minamoto Shizuka, Kitada Kei, and countless audience members force-fed a mouthful of sudden dog food: …
“Clap clap!”
Only Kaga Kiyomitsu, still not sheathed, made clapping sound effects to congratulate them.
Kaga Kiyomitsu thought cheerfully: “The Great Demon King suddenly looks better and kinder in my eyes—hmm… she’s reasonably compatible with Master, barely acceptable!”
But soon, it pondered again,
“Still, she has to pass my serious test!”
After clapping for a good while longer, Kaga Kiyomitsu oddly spun around, noticing that it seemed like the whole world was the only one clapping.
Huh, weird?
Isn’t this supposed to be a good thing?
A good thing… right?
In the audience seats interwoven with silence and commotion, Okabe Motonobu was completely stunned.
That face.
That person.
That sword.
It’s Che.
Until this moment, even if Okabe Motonobu didn’t dare believe it or didn’t want to believe it, she had no choice but to accept…
That the Shangshan Che before her eyes was truly Che.
The Great Onmyoji, Che, that she had seen.
After an extremely brief daze, a basket of emotions—doubt, anger, confusion, and more—surged into Okabe Motonobu’s eyes.
Why?
Why… it’s really him.
The one whom both she and Lord had placed high hopes on, only to be disappointed.
Che.
“Who’s looking at me?”
On the arena, Shangshan Che turned his head strangely, sensing himself locked by a gaze filled with unusually intense emotions.
But after searching for a good while, he couldn’t find the owner of that gaze amid the sea of people.
Because Okabe Motonobu was wearing sunglasses.
At this time, Hozoin Inrai, tasting the milk candy shared by Chisa, turned his head thoughtfully toward Okabe Motonobu and asked,
“Ogasawara Big Sister, what’s wrong?”
This sentence was like a bucket of icy water in the depths of winter poured over Okabe Motonobu’s head, snapping her back to basic sanity.
After a long silence, Okabe Motonobu replied in a calm tone,
“Nothing.”
At this point, Okabe Motonobu suddenly closed her eyes.
She… lost composure.
She had nearly failed Lord’s expectations.
—Like hell it’s nothing.
This rollercoaster of emotional fluctuations was completely treating the little monk like he was blind and deaf.
Hozoin Inrai scoffed inwardly.
But he glanced at the excited and innocent Chisa beside him, hesitated, and kept his mouth shut.
It would be better if an unrelated normal audience member or someone with self-protection ability was sitting next to him.
A few seconds later, Okabe Motonobu added an explanation,
“I just thought that Shangshan Che looked a bit like an old acquaintance… but upon closer look, I realized I saw wrong by mistake.”
Okabe Motonobu clenched her fists tightly, yet controlled her strength with all her might to keep her fingernails from breaking the skin.
…
“All healed, what next?”
Nanjo Emi patted Lili Zi all over to confirm, then pointed at Shangshan Che,
“If you’re not fighting, get off quickly and stop occupying public resources.”
Shangshan Che nodded,
“Sister Nanjo is right; stealing too much spotlight isn’t good.”
With that, he looked again at Saito Ryuichi, who hadn’t made a single move from start to finish and whom no one dared challenge anymore.
The latter remained expressionless, thinking to himself.
“That glance from Shangshan Che means he doesn’t want me dragging it out anymore.”
No need to antagonize Shangshan Che—that had been certain even before the Seed Battle started.
Now, he was even more an ally the Saito Family needed to pull in by any means.
Saito Ryuichi scanned the surroundings again, seeing only familiar faces whose backgrounds he knew inside out.
About time.
Aside from Minamoto Shizuka and Kitada Kei, he had gathered pretty much all the information he needed.
Anyway, he couldn’t beat Minamoto Shizuka, so Shangshan Che could test Kitada Kei’s strength for him first.
The key is Lili Zi.
Saito Ryuichi’s expression darkened slightly.
Tokugawa Ririko—he had analyzed her pretty thoroughly before, with a win rate of seventy to eighty percent.
But in the blink of an eye, she reached the “Other Shore” of Clear Sword Heart with just one battle, and lost without even showing her full power.
How absurd, utterly absurd!
The family records had some mentions of this realm, saying that those who could send a Sword Heart to this place were without exception renowned Great Swordsmen in history.
Though Saito Ryuichi knew nothing about kendo, he still knew that Minamoto Family’s eldest daughter Gen Shinsui had reached this step too.
Yeah, that Gen Shinsui who, passing high above in the unseen heavens, casually swung her sword qi to effortlessly slaughter a city full of demons and splashed him with blood.
Recalling the shock of that day, Saito Ryuichi still found it hard to imagine facing a monster of that level soon.
Thinking of this, Saito Ryuichi grew even more puzzled.
—What kind of trash are running the Tokugawa family to let a monster like this slip away, even kicking her out themselves.
If it were him, he’d be serving tea, showing care, giving massages—barely keeping up…
After inwardly cursing the Tokugawa old fogeys for their inaction and shortsightedness, Saito Ryuichi pondered how to face Tokugawa Ririko.
Whatever, play it by ear.
Saito Ryuichi stood up, issuing the first challenge of this Seed Battle.
“I challenge rank twelve, Yan Liu.”
Anyway, pick the soft persimmons first.
“—What a pity.”
Minamoto Shizuka withdrew her peripheral gaze from Lili Zi, who sat in the TOP4 seat with a pensive expression, brainstorming.
Tokugawa Ririko actually used up that upward challenge opportunity—truly a pity.
Because she hadn’t clashed with a second swordsman whose state of mind had reached such a level.
Power and such were secondary.
Only clashing with a swordsman truly surpassing oneself on the path of the “sword” could yield gains unmatched by any other battle.
Amid her regretful sigh, Saito Ryuichi, loaded with intel and armed with four or five strategies, carved his way up like chopping vegetables and took the TOP5 seat.
Then, he was inexplicably beheaded by Lili Zi, whom even Kaga Kiyomitsu hadn’t taken.
Yes, inexplicably.
Not only did Shangshan Che not understand, even Minamoto Shizuka and Kitada Kei, with their superb sword techniques, subconsciously narrowed their eyes in confusion.
Even Saito Ryuichi, who had just entered the arena planning a safe long-distance strategy, didn’t know how he died.
He only felt a flash of brightness before his eyes, then darkness, then brightness again.
When Saito Ryuichi opened his eyes, he saw Nanjo Emi’s face.
He hesitated, then spoke,
“Nanjō Great Officer, please have the medical staff wait off-arena first…”
Who knew Nanjo Emi would tell him,
“The battle is already over.”
She spread her hands helplessly: “You lost, Saito Competitor.”
“I… lost?”
The head of the Saito Family looked down, flexing his intact ten fingers and the spiritual power shields on them.
Lost?
Saito Ryuichi felt the surging spiritual power in his body and the dense array of dormant Spell Patterns inscribed on his skin.
The battle shouldn’t have even started yet, right?
“Yeah, beheaded by Lili Zi.” Nanjo Emi thumbed toward the girl in the distance who attracted all eyes just by standing.
In the absurdly unacceptable shock, Saito Ryuichi, who hadn’t unleashed a single move, took a deep breath, nodded, and said politely,
“I understand, thank you Nanjō Great Officer for clarifying.”
“No problem. Actually, Saito, your preparations were already very thorough; it’s just that Lili Zi doesn’t play by the rules at all.”
Nanjo Emi comforted him a couple more times.
But the more she comforted, the greater Saito Ryuichi’s sense of defeat grew.
He could actually accept losing.
Losing by a narrow margin after a fierce battle was fine, dying to a new move was fine, even turning into one of those “demons shattered by Gen Shinsui’s single sword” that day was acceptable.
But losing while still thinking nothing had begun—what was that?
Teleported back to the TOP5 seat, Saito Ryuichi fell silent.
Perhaps from now on, he needed to learn some Onmyōdō about the deceased and souls.
At least, before completely dying, figure out how he died.
Dying without understanding is too frustrating.
Higher up in the seats, after withdrawing his gaze from the arena, Kitada Kei looked down and shamefully discovered a trace of relief in his heart.
He gripped the hilt at his waist in horror, then glanced to both sides.
Yet he saw that both Shangshan Che and Minamoto Shizuka had subtle expressions of regret and pity.
These not-so-obvious expressions formed a stark contrast in Kitada Kei’s eyes with his own thoughts.
He closed his eyes silently, engraving this shameful relief firmly in his daily self-reflection, then slowly excising it bit by bit.
Kitada Kei sighed.
I see.
I’m still far from it.
So, it’s only natural that I can’t beat those two.
Still, I should try.
Without trying, how can one know the result?
In the silence of the lower-ranked competitors eyeing each other warily, the second-place Kitada Kei suddenly spoke,
“I challenge rank one, Minamoto Shizuka.”
One stone stirs a thousand waves.
Shangshan Che jerked his head up, completely unprepared for such a turbulent development.
A bit short today, but I’ll make up the word count over the next few days, everyone rest assured orz
