vncnus Chapter 8 The Flower of War
Chapter 8 The Flower of War
"I have already..."
Unohana's hand touched her cheek, and the wound on her face caused by the sword energy immediately healed without leaving a scar.
As the green light flashed in her hand, her body seemed to tremble uncontrollably with excitement.
Then, she raised her head, looked at Li Lin and suppressed her desire, and said, "It's been a long time since I've seen a strong person like you! Well then, tell me my name first."
She held the knife horizontally in front of her, her aura growing increasingly terrifying, before revealing her name.
"Eight thousand flowers of Mao."
As for the name...
Li Lin, of course, wouldn't reveal his real name. Holding the knife in one hand, he looked at Unohana with a calm gaze and said:
"Tsugikuni Yoriichi".
"But I don't want to fight you; I'm just looking for someone."
"Defeat me, and then you can do whatever you want with me!" A smile appeared on Unohana's face, and she moved again the next moment!
Without warning, without gathering power, and without even revealing killing intent—the strangely curved Zanpakuto had already sliced through the air, stabbing towards Li Lin's throat at an almost impossible angle.
fast.
It was faster than anything could happen, faster than the wind could be cut off.
Li Lin's hand gripped the hilt of the knife in the same instant. His movement didn't seem fast, even carrying a certain unhurried rhythm, but the trajectory of the blade as it left its sheath blocked all paths of attack.
Clang!
The first clash of the two blades produced a crisp sound, like ice cracking.
The two separated immediately upon contact, each taking a half-step back.
Blade light exploded within a small space! The two men's arms became afterimages, the blades colliding, bouncing, and colliding again at a speed imperceptible to the naked eye! Each clash sent up tiny sparks that sizzled softly as they fell into the pool of blood.
The more the flower of the rabbit is cut, the faster it gets.
She had lived too long and killed too many people; swordsmanship was ingrained in her very bones.
Over the centuries, she challenged various schools of swordsmanship and experienced all kinds of blades before she proclaimed herself "Yachiryū," meaning she had mastered the swordsmanship of eight thousand schools!
This first strike is the ultimate technique of a master of a certain school three hundred years ago; the next strike is a killing move she created on the battlefield; and the third strike is a slashing technique she comprehended by observing the flowing water of a waterfall!
One slash after another, the sword's path flowing unpredictably, effortlessly employing the essence of various schools, like a thousand flowers blooming, dazzling and mesmerizing!
But Li Lin accepted them all!
His swordsmanship has no particular school or lineage, yet it is terrifyingly precise!
Every parry he made was precisely at the point where Unohana was exerting her power, and every counterattack forced her to change her moves, as if he had already seen through all the principles of swordsmanship and all the changes!
"Yoichi Tsugikuni! Very good!"
During the fierce battle, Unohana's cheeks, arms, chest, abdomen, and calves were covered with the same small wounds as before, but she was not angry. Instead, stimulated by the pain, she swung her sword faster and more fiercely!
The originally unpredictable and ever-changing sword techniques suddenly became more restrained, transforming into the simplest and most direct three-stage slash: an upper cleave, a middle thrust, and a lower sweep.
Each strike was as heavy as a mountain and as fast as lightning!
At this point, she stopped using various sword techniques. At this level of speed, all that mattered was who was faster and stronger!
In battles of this caliber, unnecessary variations become a burden.
Seeing Unohana's relentless attacks, Li Lin's pupils contracted in that instant, and then, in the brief lull between Unohana's attacks, he unleashed a straight, powerful strike!
It has no curves, no detours, it's just a line.
But wherever this line passed, Unohana's slash was actually cut in half!
It wasn't a parry; Li Lin's strike severed Unohana's sword momentum!
Ueno Hana's pupils suddenly contracted.
This was the first time she had retreated; her toes touched the ground, and her body floated back three zhang like a falling leaf.
Where the blade had passed, the broken wall silently split open with a smooth cut, the beams and pillars fell in two, and before the dust had even settled, Li Lin had already caught up.
Their speed increased.
So fast that the figures blurred, so fast that the flashes of blades formed a silver net!
The sound of metal clashing changed from a clear, resonant tone to a sharp, ringing sound, and finally transformed into a high-frequency vibration that was almost like a buzzing sound!
For the first time, Unohana's breathing became disordered.
From the moment she was forced back, the pressure on her increased. She tried to regulate her breathing, but in the face of this rapid and relentless barrage of attacks, beads of sweat involuntarily appeared on her forehead.
Finally, after Unohana crushed the last intact stone slab in the vicinity, she gripped the knife with both hands and raised it above her head!
All the skills, all the variations, all the accumulated killings, are condensed into this one strike!
But as soon as she landed, Li Lin caught up with her. Just as Unohana raised her sword above her head, he swung his sword upwards!
Clang!
After a crisp clash, Li Lin's upward slash directly knocked away Unohana's Zanpakuto. The killing blade that had accompanied Unohana for hundreds of years spun a few times in the air before falling to the ground and embedding itself in a pool of blood.
The knife being knocked away foreshadowed Unohana's defeat; he stared blankly at the man before him—
His blade was pointed at Unohana's throat, but he didn't pierce it; however, it rendered Unohana completely immobile.
"I lost..."
Unohana's eyes looked somewhat vacant.
She actually lost...
She lost to the man in front of her named Yoriichi Tsugikuni...
"I've said it before, I have no intention of fighting you."
Li Lin then sheathed his sword and said softly, "You are very strong, but your killing intent is too strong. A sword controlled by killing intent cannot become the strongest."
The blade in front of her was withdrawn, but Unohana remained motionless.
She simply looked at Li Lin, her eyes showing no frustration at defeat, only a kind of fervor, as if she had finally met her match, finally met the man who could defeat her!
"Too eager to kill?"
Unohana couldn't help but laugh and said, "Your sword doesn't contain any killing intent, otherwise you would have killed me before the 337th strike."
"Your heart has dulled your blade, but alas, even this dulled blade cannot cut through me..."
She slightly raised her head and looked at the sky: "Kill me. Once you have the will to kill, your blade will become sharper, and you will become stronger."
The thought that her death would bring forth an even more powerful sword demon made Unohana feel that she could die without regret.
But since Li Lin had already put away his knife, why would he easily draw it again?
He shook his head and said, "I told you, I'm not here to kill anyone, I'm here to find someone."
"My enemy is not you, but a far more evil being, so I will not kill you."
As he spoke, he moved forward, stepping over Unohana's body.
Seeing this, Unohana quickly said, "Wait! You're not allowed to leave!"
Li Lin paused for a moment, but continued forward.
Unohana was in a hurry. She first ran a few steps forward to retrieve her knife, then turned around and ran towards Li Lin.
"I want to challenge you again!"