Chapter 35

[Second Profession: Battousai Successfully Activated]

[Passive Skill Acquired: Battousai]

[Skill Acquired: Earth Dragon Flash]

[Skill Acquired: Twin Dragon Flash/Dragon's Roar Flash]

[Skill Acquired: Dragon Hammer Flash/Dragon Soar Flash]

[Elemental Burst Acquired: Nine-Headed Dragon Flash/Heavenly Soaring Dragon Flash]

It might have been an illusion, but everyone still watching Bai Luo felt that his aura had changed.

If before he was agile and elusive, now... he was like a sheathed blade.

Moreover, he gave off a stronger sense of being an Inazuman.

"Do you dare to take a strike from me?"

The hand gripping the broken blade trembled uncontrollably, much like the young man who had stood in this position earlier, foolishly attempting to withstand the Musou no Hitotachi.

But his trembling hand wasn't due to fear.

He was suppressing a certain power.

The energy that had flowed through him for a full thirty seconds when he unlocked the Battousai profession was now on the verge of breaking free.

If he didn't release this power soon, he felt like he would explode.

"I'll give you one chance to draw your blade."

The Raiden Shogun, who had already raised her blade, slowly lowered it.

She didn't assume a defensive stance.

To her, mortal blades couldn't harm her in the slightest.

Moreover, all sword techniques in Inazuma originated from her.

Why would she need to defend against her own techniques?

"Thank you."

Bai Luo's left hand, holding the sword, slowly moved behind him, while his right hand rose to the front.

"Battoujutsu?"

The Raiden Shogun immediately recognized it as the most common Battoujutsu in Inazuma.

But what happened next left her puzzled.

Because Bai Luo's body sank lower and lower, almost touching the ground.

In an instant, the last bit of sharpness in Bai Luo's aura was compressed into the broken blade in his hand.

To everyone watching, he was just an ordinary young man.

Perhaps even a rookie from the Tenryou Commission could beat him up.

But no one dared to underestimate him.

Some who understood swordsmanship even showed expressions of astonishment.

"This... this isn't Inazuma's Battoujutsu!"

Kamisato Ayato, gripping his Haran Geppaku Futsu, showed a rare expression of disbelief.

After the Shogun passed down her sword techniques, various schools in Inazuma had indeed developed their own styles.

Even he and his sister, both inheritors of the Kamisato style, had slight differences in their Battoujutsu.

But at their core, these techniques all originated from the Shogun herself and hadn't changed much.

The Battoujutsu Bai Luo was using now, while similar to the Shogun's, was entirely different.

This was unprecedented in Inazuma.

If this Battoujutsu was impressive enough, he could even establish his own school in Inazuma without any issues.

He might even be worthy of being called a master.

Facing this unknown Battoujutsu, the Raiden Shogun set aside her earlier disdain and slowly raised her Musou Isshin, preparing to take it seriously.

Regardless of its power, Bai Luo's mastery of swordsmanship was enough to earn her respect.

But as she raised her blade halfway, a look of shock crossed her face.

Because... she couldn't move.

"Hiten Mitsurugi-ryu: Nine-Headed Dragon Flash!"

As Bai Luo's voice rang out, he moved.

All sword techniques in the world are derived from the nine basic directions of sword strikes.

This Nine-Headed Dragon Flash was a rapid succession of these nine strikes.

In an instant, Bai Luo passed by the Raiden Shogun.

Nine sword flashes landed on the Shogun simultaneously, drawing blood.

"The Shogun... was injured?"

Kujou Sara's hand, pulling the bowstring, trembled slightly, her face showing an expression as if she had seen Arataki Itto.

The Raiden Shogun was a god!

Since she had begun serving the Shogun, she had never seen her sustain even a scratch.

Yet this daring criminal, who had challenged the Shogun, had actually wounded her.

Compared to Kujou Sara, the Raiden Shogun was even more puzzled.

Because Bai Luo's strikes had completely ignored her defenses, bypassing her clothing and directly affecting her body.

In simple terms, none of her defensive measures had stopped those nine strikes.

She had endured those nine slashes with her bare body.

The most bizarre part was the moment before Bai Luo drew his blade.

If she had been able to raise her Musou Isshin, she might have been able to block his attack.

But somehow, he had used an unknown method to immobilize her for a full second.

A second was enough time to do many things.

Aside from during the Archon War, this was the first time in centuries she had encountered such a situation.

Combined with that strange elemental energy that allowed him to become invincible...

Was this man... also a remnant of that era?

Regardless of how shocked everyone present was, Bai Luo, having released the energy within him, had cooled down from his earlier fervor.

He knew that by seizing the Vision, he had become a target.

Now, with his sword technique wounding the Raiden Shogun, he was sure that once everyone recovered, they would make him pay dearly.

"Clang—"

The broken blade returned to its sheath with a sharp sound.

Bai Luo was already fast, but after sheathing the blade, his speed increased even further.

Clad in a red kimono, he transformed into a red lightning bolt, rushing to Kamisato Ayato's side.

Whether intentional or not, the spot where Kamisato Ayato and Kaedehara Kazuha were facing off happened to be near a high wall.

After forcing Ayato back with a single strike, he grabbed the bewildered Kaedehara Kazuha and, in a few steps, scaled the high wall of the arena, leaping off the cliff on the other side.

These actions were executed seamlessly, leaving even the Raiden Shogun herself momentarily stunned.

She had subconsciously assumed Bai Luo was from her era and expected him to strike again, preparing herself for battle.

But instead, he had simply fled.

"After them!"

The soldiers in the arena, recovering from their shock, immediately rushed toward the cliff where Bai Luo and Kaedehara Kazuha had jumped.

But beyond the cliff, there was only mist and a few soaring eagles. The two were nowhere to be seen.

"Cough... my apologies, Shogun."

Kamisato Ayato, using his Haran Geppaku Futsu to support himself, smiled bitterly and offered his apology.

The strike Bai Luo had used to push him back hadn't been particularly forceful.

But Ayato, who had intended to let Kaedehara Kazuha escape, hadn't put up any defense.

The strike had landed squarely on his chest.

If Bai Luo hadn't held back, he might have needed a Teyvat-style omelet to save him.

"You did well. Go back and rest. I'll have the Tenryou Commission add those two to the Vision Hunt Decree. The next time we meet... it will be my turn to strike."

Feeling the pain from her wounds, the Raiden Shogun turned and walked back into Tenshukaku.

How many years had it been... since she had been in such a sorry state?

No matter. Next time, she wouldn't let him escape so easily.