Chapter 135: Cherry Blossom Blizzard
Saki Jingūji, she is not a brave warrior.
She had never put herself in this position before.
If she carefully looked back on her past life, she simply followed a regular routine.
Discovered to have a special power, she became a sword witch. She went to the shrine for training, successfully completed her apprenticeship, and graduated. She was then recommended to go to the sacred shrine due to her exceptional abilities, and as a result, she became a sword witch.
To say that she shed a lot of sweat and put in a lot of effort along this path would be a lie.
Just like some people who happily read romance novels every day, they always manage to effortlessly be at the top of the class during exams.
Talent is very important.
But the talent doesn't correspond to the freedom of choice.
When someone has this special ability, whether or not they choose to use it may not be entirely up to them.
The surrounding environment sweeps you forward, and you're unsure if it's right or if it's good. But you can't speak up about it, because as a child, the power of choice is not in your hands. You can only obey the guidance of elders and the advice of adults. Even if you occasionally want to rebel, you quickly hit a wall and lose the courage to explore, ending up back in your comfort zone. Unable to find a more suitable path, you settle for a half-hearted compromise, only to realize later on...
It's not that I chose my current situation, but rather the surroundings shaped who I am now.
Jingūji became a sword witch by chance, like the pieces of a puzzle falling into place. The environment she found herself in was such that it gradually led her to this role.
Generally speaking, it is never so easy to become a sword witch. It requires some degree of initiation and ultimately going through a process to become a sword witch.
But she had yet to experience this initiation, or rather, now was the moment when she would undergo the ceremony.
Being a sword witch is not an ordinary job. To embrace it, one cannot carry half-hearted convictions. Any trace of fear will inevitably become a major flaw within oneself, leading to irreparable consequences.
The Ming Country's Crimson Robed Guards, the Night's Watch of the Alliance, and the Judiciary of the Teaching Nation - different names, but carrying the same significance.
Now she realized this, and little by little, she was overwhelmed by the weight of it all, a weight she had never experienced before.
Feeling too overwhelmed, she wanted to cover her face and run away.
The difference between a hero and a coward is just a single thought.
Saki Jingūji thought about many, many things.
She first felt sadness, a very strong sadness. Whether they stayed or left, it seemed like death was an unavoidable fate for the sword witches.
Immediately after, she felt confused. She questioned whether her choices were right, whether she had the courage to stay and face death. She also wondered if the sword witches' deaths here had any value at all.
She gently touched the innermost depths of her own vulnerability, and she truly felt the weight of life.
If she died here, it would simply mean the end of her life.
Who would remember meaningless acts of bravery and sacrifice?
Who would believe that dying here is the right and peaceful way to go?
However, they felt hopeless and had to accept this outcome.
Because they were sword witches, this kind of outcome was unavoidable. And because they were sword witches, even if it meant only one person could survive, they were willing to sacrifice themselves and find comfort in knowing that their deaths were not completely meaningless.
This shouldn't have happened.
It shouldn't be like this!
In the end, Saki Jingūji opened her eyes and what she felt inside was not sadness or pity, but anger.
She suddenly realized something in that moment.
Turns out, she had a choice all along.
Why did I have to make a decision? Choices are something we create for ourselves!
Everyone wiped their eyes and looked carefully at me!
I'll go out right now and defeat them completely! Then I'll take everyone and leave this place alive!
At that moment, everything suddenly made sense.
She took a step towards the outside of the shrine, with her back turned to the sword witches, her voice filled with mocking.
"Dream on!"
Jingūji kicked open the door, drawing out a sharp blade. With a swift and powerful swing, she sent a flurry of snow flying through the air, staining the blade with fresh blood. In the next moment, the blade bloomed with the color of cherry blossoms.
The cherry-colored petals drifted slowly from her sword, as if a magical kami fubuki (神ふぶき) had been released.
This was not the power of a charm, but rather something that came from deep inside her heart - a gentle breath of her soul, like the peaceful sigh of a fairy.
Fairy Principle,Blossom of Life Taker.
It had never felt so effortless before, the first time she felt as if lifting weights was easy. No need for careful control, just swinging the sword with her heart's desire, it became unstoppable. Each falling cherry blossom was like an extension of her hands and feet, an extension of her senses.
That's how it should be.
She felt as if she heard a voice whispering softly in her ear.
The whispering sound transformed from being casual to becoming clear and graceful.
Saki Jingūji knew that it was the voice of that fox.
No matter how much she had pleaded, her fox had refused to respond. But just when she had completely given up relying on it, the fox finally gave her an answer.
Her understanding of it became even deeper. At first, it was like reading a book, but now she was able to delve into its way of thinking.
The immortal fox despises the weak.
The most profound lesson that it carried with it throughout its long life, perhaps, was the bitterness of its own weakness, stemming from a painful loss in its childhood.
It would not listen to pleas, nor would it sympathize with the pleading of the humble, even if she was itself.
When she became angry, she unsheathed her sword, showed her sharp fangs, and instead of being frightened, the immortal fox burst into joyful laughter. This was exactly what it had hoped to see.
To describe its thoughts in just a single sentence, nothing could be more fitting than...
Let's fight!
Let's fight to the end!
"It suits my liking..."
"Sakura, let's fall (桜よ、散りましょう)!"
The Fairy Principle was activated, and her condition instantly returned to its peak, even surpassing previous limits. Compared to Bai Wei forcibly activating the Fairy Principle, she was now able to have some control over the Blossom of Life Taker, with a visible increase in strength.
Outside the shrine, there were over a hundred cannibals wandering around. It seemed quite exaggerated for a hundred people to gather against one person, but in reality, because they could only attack one at a time, she could handle no more than ten of them simultaneously.
Facing many with few, it's like breaking down a big challenge into smaller parts.
Jingūji held the sheath of her sword in her left hand. She gently tapped on the railing to attract the attention of more cannibals. Suddenly, a cannibal that had climbed onto the rooftop leapt down, attempting to launch an attack from behind at the vulnerable spot on her neck. However, she swiftly raised the sheath and struck his abdomen with it.
With a sudden burst of strength, she flipped the cannibal over, slamming it onto the ground. Then, she swiftly stepped on its head with her sports shoes - once, twice, three times - crunching sounds filled the air... The demon's neck was brutally crushed into two pieces!
She kicked the cannibal's corpse, which weighed at least a hundred kilograms, causing it to soar over a meter high and crash into the group of other cannibals. In a nimble motion, she took a step back towards the entrance, then crouched down and swiftly swung her sword sideways. Three evil demons were instantly cut in half at the waist, with blood splattering out. She quickly covered it with her sleeve, only getting her forearm dirty.
Then, she dashed into the crowd with a swift movement. She learned this move from Yagyū Simozi. Entering the group of cannibals, her actions became reckless and impulsive, as she was bound by the movements of the cannibals. Several sword witches hurriedly tried to chase after her to save her, but before they could take a few steps, they witnessed several heads and severed arms flying out and landing on the ground.
Jinguji spun, jumped, and swung her sword in the midst of the demon crowd. Her swordplay was more like a dance than wielding a blade. Her moves were swift, as if stepping to a beat. It wasn't the sacred dance taught to shrine maidens, but a more agile and flexible dance, like ballet or a black swan. She stood on tiptoe, gracefully moving across the stage, her body spinning and causing the blade to rotate. The withering Blossom of Life Taker stayed close behind on the blade, like a shadow.
It turns out she didn't make a mistake in judgment, but did it on purpose.
Blossom of Life Taker, a type of Heroic Spirit Principle, was able to continually swing her sword. Each attack she made had a wide-ranging effect, as the direction of her blade determined where the cherry blossom fragments would fall. It appeared to be sword energy, but it was actually an unstoppable machine gun. The cherry blossoms were beautifully captivating, but in the wake of this withering Blossom of Life Taker, it was akin to a swarm of piranhas, leaving nothing but stripped flesh and bones behind.
The sword witches in the shrine were left in awe. While ordinary sword witches possessed exceptional abilities, they couldn't reach this level. To be able to single-handedly take on hundreds of adversaries made them a hero among swordsmen. It was clear that someone with this level of power could not be an ordinary sword witch.
But this was cause for celebration. If Jingūji was so strong, it meant that they still had a glimmer of hope remaining.
"But..." whispered a sword witch quietly, "What a beautiful sight."
Ignoring the scattered body parts and blood on the ground, the view was indeed very beautiful.
Unfortunately, due to the gloomy weather, the moonlight couldn't be seen. Otherwise, with sword dancing under the moon and cherry blossoms falling, it would have been a truly mesmerizing scene.
Jingūji's fierce battle lasted for nearly thirty minutes. When she finally thrust her blade through the last demon's head, there wasn't a single intact body left in the area. She killed them efficiently, and it was strange that not a single one of those demons backed away.
She was feeling quite tired and wanted to rest her knees and catch her breath. But she quickly controlled her expression, not allowing her exhaustion to show.
Clap, clap, clap... Suddenly, applause broke out.
