The Shikai Family and the Resonance Family.
Together with the Yozakura Family, the three of them had built Master Swordsman City from nothing.
In the beginning, the city was only a simple settlement with no distinction apart from its reputation as a gathering place for swordsmen.
Worse still, its geography was no help at all—barren, rock-hard soil and a climate unfriendly to farming.
As a result, Master Swordsman City was one of the most wretched cities at the time of its founding.
Very few people were willing to come and join Master Swordsman City in those early days.
In fact, outside observers believed the city would sooner or later be taken over by evil Hunter groups or other criminal organizations lurking for its weaknesses.
But as time passed… an unexpected miracle began to happen in Master Swordsman City.
For some reason, the once-barren, arid city was suddenly filled with abundant life energy.
The soil that had once been hard as stone began to turn fertile, and trees grew thick and healthy.
Even more astonishing… the plants growing in Master Swordsman City offered extraordinary benefits to anyone who consumed them—increasing stamina, speeding up wound healing, even strengthening spiritual ability.
News of this miracle spread quickly, but it also raised deep suspicion.
Many investigators and experts from various kingdoms were sent to look into the strange phenomenon, but all their efforts ended in a dead end.
They could only conclude that a Transcendent being with a certain Talent had blessed Master Swordsman City with its mysterious power.
From that moment on, Master Swordsman City began to draw attention.
Waves of visitors arrived from every direction, bringing prosperity and opportunity.
The Shikai Family and the Resonance Family exploited this momentum perfectly—becoming the backbone of the city's defense and making Master Swordsman City one of the safest places in the region.
And the Yozakura Family?
It was true that the Yozakura Family was fairly well known in certain circles, but… compared to the prestige and influence of the Shikai Family and the Resonance Family, their existence seemed to sink into the shadow of those two great families.
Even more so when people learned that the one leading the Yozakura Family was a young girl named Yozakura Tsubomi, the attitude of disdain only grew stronger.
But contrary to this general perception, the founders of the Shikai Family and the Resonance Family held the opposite view.
In truth… they had long harbored the suspicion that Yozakura Tsubomi was the true cause of Master Swordsman City's fertility and prosperity.
It was just that they had no way to prove that suspicion—until they noticed one disturbing fact…
Yozakura Tsubomi never showed any signs of aging.
While they grew older and drew closer to death, Yozakura Tsubomi still looked the same as she had decades ago—strolling leisurely, smiling gently and waving at the children playing in the streets.
This reality made the two family founders obsessive and they began to lose their sanity.
They tried every means to pressure and force Yozakura Tsubomi into revealing her secret, but all their efforts failed.
Who would have thought that the gentle-looking girl had a Darkness Spirit as a loyal protector?
In the end, the two founders died carrying deep curiosity and resentment, leaving Yozakura Tsubomi still alive and ever youthful.
What they had not expected was that before death came for them, the two old men managed to pass down this obsession and secret information to their descendants.
As a result, all members of the Shikai Family and the Resonance Family knew of the existence of, and the mystery behind, Yozakura Tsubomi.
Unfortunately, as time passed and the power of the two families grew, they could no longer act openly against the Yozakura Family.
The presence of international organizations such as the World Organization meant every aggressive action had to be carefully weighed.
But luck came in the form of a foolish organization called the Black Mamba, which could serve as the perfect scapegoat.
Their plan was simple yet brilliant… use that organization to attack the Yozakura Family first, and then once the attack was over, the two families would step in as "saviors," capturing the attackers while uncovering Yozakura Tsubomi's secret.
This strategy was like killing two birds with one stone!
Their plan looked perfect, without a single gap, but unfortunately...
It would only succeed if their strength was truly adequate to face what was coming.
𝙆𝘼𝘼𝘼𝘽𝙊𝙊𝙊𝙊𝙊𝙊𝙊𝙊𝙈!!
An ear-splitting explosion, like a massive earthquake, shook the whole of Master Swordsman City, which was as vast as a large country.
Residents who had been sleeping soundly woke up in shock at once.
Sturdy houses built with the finest materials collapsed in the blink of an eye.
People who had been enjoying a relaxed evening conversation now wore expressions of fear and horror they could not hide.
From a distance, they witnessed a sight they would never forget for the rest of their lives: a giant dragon—or more precisely a serpent dragon—roaring toward the sky with a power that created deadly shockwaves.
Its size was so colossal that the tallest buildings in Master Swordsman City looked like small toys before it.
An aura so tremendous and terrifying radiated from the creature's body, creating windstorms strong enough to blow away luxurious mansions and destroy all electronic equipment over a very wide radius.
The barrier the Black Mamba had previously created to isolate the Yozakura Family's territory had now shattered to pieces, so people could finally see the true form of the fearsome Demon Dragon Lord.
However, there was still a backup barrier preventing [mana] energy leakage in order to avoid detection by the World Organization's advanced satellites.
It was just that this barrier would not last long, because the Demon Dragon Lord had begun greedily absorbing the extremely abundant pure life energy from the Root!
"What the hell is that thing?!"
"A dragon?! Why is there a dragon that big here?!"
"Quick, contact the two main families! There's a high-level Magical Beast invasion!"
Panic swept through the entire city!
The Hunters rushed and ran in every direction with no clear coordination.
The sound of warning alarms from every corner of Master Swordsman City kept ringing in piercing tones!
They tried to contact the nearest kingdoms or other allied forces to request help, but all communication attempts ended in total failure!
What plunged them deeper into fear was the sight in the night sky—countless dark purple magic circles filled the expanse of the heavens like watching demon eyes!
And from each of those magic circles… emerged Magical Beasts—no, Demonic Beasts in the form of terrifying serpents with glowing red eyes and fangs dripping with venom!
The seemingly endless Demonic Beasts immediately swarmed every corner of Master Swordsman City like a tsunami of darkness!!
𝘽𝙊𝙊𝙈...!! 𝘽𝙊𝙊𝙈...!!
"EMERGENCY! EMERGENCY! CONTACT BOTH RANK SSS HUNTERS NOW—ARRRGGG!"
Several communications operators moved swiftly and desperately, but they were torn apart and annihilated by hundreds of Demonic Beasts before they could finish their emergency calls!
Not stopping there, the control room, the heart of the entire communication and coordination system in Master Swordsman City, was also overrun and razed to the ground!
At that critical moment—
𝙎𝙇𝘼𝙎𝙃...!!
An extraordinarily powerful slash split the entire night sky, creating a terrifying shockwave and lighting up the darkness with a dazzling flash!
Everyone looked up with wide eyes and then their expressions turned hopeful as they realized the two Rank SSS Hunters who were the protectors and pride of their city had finally arrived on the battlefield!
But unlike the optimism of the citizens, the two Rank SSS Hunters now wore gloomy faces with cold sweat pouring down.
As protectors of Master Swordsman City and insiders who knew various political secrets, they were of course aware of the Black Mamba's attack on the Yozakura Family.
But because of their complicated relationship and debts of gratitude to the Shikai Family and the Resonance Family, they had chosen to remain passive and let the scenario unfold.
And as insiders with access to secret information, they also knew the Black Mamba had a Transcendent being under their control.
As experienced Rank SSS Hunters, they still had confidence and belief that they could win that battle.
But... it had never crossed even their darkest nightmares that the being was the legendary Demon Dragon Lord!
Who didn't know the terrifying reputation of the Demon Dragon Lord?
It was a Transcendent being that had even dared to fight three Transcendents and four Rank SSS Hunters at the same time!
Moreover, this bitter reality had to be faced by them as Rank SSS Hunters... though their rank sounded very high and prestigious, they were acutely aware that in a fight against the Demon Dragon Lord, the two of them would surely die in vain!
And even more terrifying, judging from its condition and the aura it emitted, the Demon Dragon Lord had fully recovered from its earlier injuries!
"Damn it! This is why I always wanted to leave this cursed city! Those old bastards made a fatal and unforgivable mistake!"
The first Rank SSS Hunter said with overflowing anger.
Truly, if not for the debt of gratitude binding his heart to the Shikai Family and the Resonance Family, he would never have agreed when the Black Mamba asked permission to enter the territory of Master Swordsman City!
The second Rank SSS Hunter was silent for quite a while, seemingly weighing the situation seriously, then said coldly: "I'm leaving."
"What?! You bastard, you don't want to protect this city and its citizens?!"
"Protect this city? Have you lost your mind?" The second Rank SSS Hunter glanced at him with a piercingly indifferent look.
"In a situation like this, this city won't last more than a few hours. Besides, there's no way we can win against the Demon Dragon Lord."
And more bitterly still... the two of them might bear the grand-sounding title of Rank SSS, but in reality their strength was at most equal to an ordinary Rank SS.
The reason they had been able to reach Rank SSS was thanks to the help and support of the Shikai Family and the Resonance Family—this was the debt of gratitude that had bound them all this time.
"ARGH! DAMN IT! If those old bastards were still alive, I'd kill them with my own hands!"
The first Rank SSS Hunter scratched his head with uncontrollable frustration.
He had been very proud of his strength and reputation all this time, but had to admit his colleague's words were true.
No matter how they fought, no matter what strategy they used, the two of them would surely die in vain!
So with heavy hearts and tormented consciences... the two of them put up only symbolic resistance against the Demonic Beasts for a few minutes, then with deep shame they left the city they had sworn to protect.
How tragic and ironic… the two Rank SSS Hunters who had been idolized and held up as role models by all the citizens of Master Swordsman City now abandoned them at the moment they were needed most.
***
And of course, Lux witnessed all of this dramatic turn of events firsthand from behind the scenes.
Even though he was the one who had planned this whole scenario, he had to admit that watching the destruction with his own eyes gave a very ironic feeling.
But...
"At last this show will reach its climax."
The figure of the Demon Dragon Lord roared with unstoppable ferocity.
Even the pressure and threat it radiated were no less terrifying than during the attack on Cthulhu Island that had shaken the world.
Of course, compared to a being like True Cthulhu, which was Rank Unknown and beyond the normal classification scale, the Demon Dragon Lord's power was still below it.
But a single random attack from this creature was enough to kill a Rank S Hunter instantly and without mercy.
And since the show was about to reach its climax, there was no way the Son of Destiny would just sit idle and do nothing, right?
But to create a more epic and memorable scene, Lux quietly controlled and activated several of his Templates.
With most of the power from his Template collection unleashed, he was very sure that starting today the Yozakura Family would be known as a force that even the World Organization would not dare touch lightly.
As for the worry that this would be hidden by the barrier?
Don't underestimate the ultra-advanced satellites of the World Organization.
In fact… their surveillance satellites were recording the battle in Master Swordsman City in high resolution, but the monitoring staff had not noticed because there was no significant energy leakage.
[𝗗𝗶𝗻𝗴! 𝗧𝗲𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝘂𝗽𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗱𝗲 𝗵𝗮𝘀 𝗯𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝘀𝘂𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗳𝘂𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗰𝗮𝗿𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗱 𝗼𝘂𝘁]
***
"Help! Help us!"
"Waaah! Mama! Where's Mama!"
"Argh! It hurts so much! Someone please HELP ME!"
"..."
The sounds of screams of pain, hopeless weeping, and heartrending pleas for help rose from every corner of the city.
A fierce battle raged between the remaining Hunters and the hordes of Demonic Beasts, but all their resistance looked futile and desperate before an enemy whose numbers were truly beyond the reason of normal humans.
Yet... Chen Ye ignored all of that chaos and suffering.
It wasn't that he didn't care about the fate of the innocent victims, but because his own body could not move at all.
His whole body felt as if it were burning in the fires of hell.
His internal organs felt shattered to pieces like glass struck by a sledgehammer.
It was an extraordinary miracle that he could survive to this point...
Fortunately, the special breathing technique he had so painstakingly learned from Tomioka Giyū managed to suppress most of the tormenting pain.
Even so... just moving his fingertip took tremendous effort.
Where was the Sword King?
Where were the others?
Had they abandoned him to die alone in this place?
That dark thought unconsciously sank his heart into deep despair...
But then he heard a very gentle and soothing voice...
"I'm sorry... you've really suffered, haven't you?"
Huh?
At that moment, he felt his body recovering bit by bit as a very warm and healing flow of energy filled his entire body.
He still couldn't move freely, but he was able to open his eyes slowly...
And there was a familiar figure.
The girl who had previously asked him to devour her in order to save everyone.
Yozakura Tsubomi was carefully laying Chen Ye's wounded head on her lap and then stroking the young man's hair with slow, loving movements.
The girl was clearly gravely injured.
That was evident from the left side of her body, which appeared shattered and blackened and could not regenerate normally as usual.
But that pitiful condition did not diminish her natural beauty at all.
The right side of her body, still intact, grew beautiful cherry blossoms and continued to give off a calming fragrance...
Only then did Chen Ye realize… that moments before he lost consciousness, his body had been protected by someone, and that someone was none other than...
Chen Ye's lips trembled with emotion difficult to express, and he said in a hoarse voice…
"I-I'm sorry... this is all my fault... If only I had followed the plan you suggested..."
"It's not your fault at all... it's my fault for forcing you to do something you didn't want from the bottom of your heart..."
Yozakura Tsubomi kept stroking his hair with great gentleness.
She reached out a finger to lift away the strands of Chen Ye's hair blocking his view of the young man's face.
A beautiful, utterly sincere smile adorned her face even in such a pitiful condition.
Chen Ye's eyes widened with very complex and slightly confused feelings.
With a trembling voice, he asked: "Why...?"
"Hm?"
"Why can you still smile even in a situation like this... why aren't you afraid of facing death... and why...?"
Chen Ye's voice caught more and more and he no longer knew what else to ask.
"You ask why?"
Yozakura Tsubomi looked at the scene before her, filled with chaos and destruction.
Yet the gentle, sincere smile still did not vanish from her beautiful face.
"I don't know... I'd like to know the real reason too... perhaps because I've lived such a very long time?"
"But you're different from me... your life is still very long compared to mine, who am weary of this immortality. Haven't I said this many times?"
The eye on the left side of her body, with its severe burns, looked at him attentively.
"Sooner or later something like this was bound to happen... so never think that all this is your fault."
"..."
Chen Ye fell silent, but his gaze began to blur with tears as he felt Yozakura Tsubomi's ceaseless caresses that always gave him warmth.
"Does it hurt very much?"
"..."
Tears gathered more and more in his eyes and finally... he couldn't hold them back anymore.
The young man, normally resolute and determined, now sobbed on Yozakura Tsubomi's lap, unable to control his emotions.
But Yozakura Tsubomi only looked at him with eyes full of gentleness and affection, then wiped the young man's tears with her beautiful, delicate fingers.
After a long silence...
Chen Ye finally asked in a very weak voice.
"What should we do now...? Wait for death to come for us like this?"
He asked, but his voice sounded very weak and hopeless.
He hated himself greatly for having to admit this, but... he truly wasn't ready and didn't want to die in this place.
So, unconsciously, he asked Yozakura Tsubomi with a faint hope.
"There is another way we might try..."
"A-another way?"
Chen Ye was slightly startled and there was a glimmer of hope in his eyes.
"Yes..." Yozakura Tsubomi nodded slowly.
"The Demon Dragon Lord is currently in the process of absorbing all the life energy from the Root, so he cannot move or attack actively. We still have a chance to attack him so that the absorption process halts... it's just that..."
How could they do it?
The Demon Dragon Lord was surrounded by countless Demonic Beasts like a sea of darkness and right now there was not a single ally who could help them in this impossible mission.
Even approaching him seemed like suicide, let alone attacking him effectively.
Chen Ye fell silent too as he thought about this, but...
"I'll do it."
"..."
Yozakura Tsubomi was silent for a moment and then asked.
"Are you sure? There's no need to force yourself to fight in this condition."
"No, only I can and must do this."
Chen Ye forced his body to stand even though every movement felt like torture.
Honestly, he was truly terrified right now, but when he thought of all the sacrifices Yozakura Tsubomi had made up to this very moment... Chen Ye knew he must not and could not just sit idle.
Besides...
"I can't and won't let you die. No... I will absolutely not let that happen by any means. So please keep supporting me and giving me strength so that I stay brave enough to face anything."
"..."
Those emotional words sounded like a sincere confession of feelings, but Yozakura Tsubomi apparently did not think of it in such a romantic direction.
Instead, the girl simply returned Chen Ye's determined gaze with her beautiful cherry-blossom eyes.
"I see... I understand completely. For the very last time in my long life, I will help you with everything I have. Open your lips..."
Chen Ye was confused by the strange request, but he obeyed without asking much.
Then suddenly he saw Yozakura Tsubomi deliberately cut her finger with a sharp nail, and then slowly let drops of slightly pink-tinged blood fall onto the young man's open lips.
"W-what is this?"
Chen Ye was greatly shocked and stunned as he felt an extraordinary change.
His whole body instantly recovered in the blink of an eye, even healthier than before.
But more than that miraculous healing process... he felt something warm and powerful that seemed to be strengthening the entire core of his being from within!
'What is actually happening to me?'
"𝐁𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐠 - 𝐏𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫 𝐔𝐩 𝐀𝐥𝐥 𝐀𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐬."
"Huh?"
"That is the name of the Blooming you just obtained… When someone drinks my blood, there is a small chance they awaken a unique ability reflecting that individual's personality, beliefs, or deepest nature... that rare ability is called Blooming."
However, the likelihood of someone successfully awakening a Blooming was very low, only about one percent, and the mortality rate was very high because an ordinary human body could not withstand the power of blood containing the essence of pure life…
That was why Yozakura Tsubomi very rarely did this.
Chen Ye was stunned to hear the shocking explanation, but he quickly regained his focus.
Although the fact that Yozakura Tsubomi was able to grant a new Talent to someone else clearly violated every law of common sense he knew, he realized this was not the time to get stuck on theoretical matters.
So...
𝘽𝙊𝙊𝙊𝙊𝙊𝙊𝙈!!
An eye-blinding explosion of mana enveloped Chen Ye's entire body like a raging storm!
Making perfect use of every technique taught by all the Yozakura Family members, Chen Ye's strength soared until it reached Rank A+!
And when his astonishing new Talent—"Blooming - Power Up All Abilities"—was added, Chen Ye's strength immediately rocketed to Rank S+ level!
Feeling the tremendous wave of power flowing through every vein, Chen Ye was frozen in deep shock!
'I-incredible... is this the effect of Blooming?'
But though his heart roared with this new power, Chen Ye understood very well that all this was still not enough to face the threat before him!
But it didn't matter!
He would use all the speed he had to break through the enemy ranks blocking the way!
It turned out that Chen Ye's bold move managed to draw the attention of all the Demonic Beasts in the area, making them swarm toward the two young people ferociously!
But Chen Ye was not afraid at all because... Yozakura Tsubomi was at his side providing support!
"Come at me, all of you!"
Chen Ye shouted in a thunderous voice, full of rage and absolute determination.
His body, enveloped in black flames, blazed even more with a terrifying intensity.
In an instant, his figure shot forward like a meteor crashing to earth!
𝙆𝘼𝘽𝙊𝙊𝙊𝙊𝙈...!!!
The black flames of his Flame of Abyss Talent turned into a horrifying vortex, instantly bombarding and obliterating the approaching Demonic Beasts with devastating power!
But that wasn't enough!
With fluid, calculated movements, Chen Ye swung his sword while using Inaba Tsukuyo's legendary swordsmanship—Yakumaru Jigen-Ryu Style Iai!
With precise swings and lightning speed almost invisible to the eye, his sword mercilessly cut and tore through every Demonic Beast that dared approach him!
But their numbers were too great!
Although Flame of Abyss kept bombarding at full power, these Demonic Beasts had no fear of death at all!
Right at that critical moment, giant roots suddenly grew from the ground and quickly bound the Demonic Beasts surrounding them!
Chen Ye was startled and reflexively looked toward Yozakura Tsubomi, who was helping him from a distance.
Seeing that unexpected support, the black-haired young man quickly smiled with gratitude.
Taking a deep breath to gather his concentration, Chen Ye cleverly used each root Yozakura Tsubomi created as a foothold to avoid direct confrontation with the countless Demonic Beast horde!
𝙒𝙊𝙊𝙎𝙃!
At a speed that normal human eyes could not catch, Chen Ye nimbly shifted positions among the roots growing and stretching out like natural bridges!
Unfortunately, although the roots Yozakura Tsubomi created were quite strong and durable, compared to the true power of the Root they still meant nothing before the rage of the Demonic Beasts.
One by one they brutally destroyed every root in their way and some even began to stare at Yozakura Tsubomi with gazes full of greed before finally charging at her ferociously!
Seeing the situation grow ever more dangerous, Chen Ye began to panic and unconsciously wanted to go back to protect Tsubomi, but—
'Keep going. Don't stop.'
That familiar melodious voice entered his mind gently again.
Chen Ye gritted his teeth in frustration and, with forced determination, kept pushing forward!
But Chen Ye began to feel somewhat desperate because he realized his strength was gradually starting to weaken from overuse!
Even with the iron will given by the Emperor of Sword, he began to be pressed very hard by the unrelenting waves of attacks!
Just as he began to feel his limit, suddenly—
"Look at the struggle of the protagonist, truly touching."
"?!!"
A young man's voice, sounding casual and slightly joking, entered Chen Ye's hearing, making him go wide-eyed with extraordinary shock.
Unconsciously he looked up and then—
—the gloomy night sky was suddenly filled with beautiful lights dazzling to the eyes.
No, they weren't ordinary lights but a series of deadly energy slashes in dazzling blue flashes!
𝙎𝙇𝘼𝙎𝙃! 𝙎𝙇𝘼𝙎𝙃! 𝙎𝙇𝘼𝙎𝙃! 𝘽𝙊𝙊𝙊𝙊𝙊𝙊𝙈...!!!
Terrifying slash after slash, with destructive impact no less than high-power missiles, instantly annihilated and burned away the Demonic Beasts that had surrounded him and made things difficult for Chen Ye!
And the display of power did not end there!
Yozakura Tsubomi, who was about to be torn apart alive by the bloodthirsty pack of Demonic Beasts, now saw all those monsters instantly chopped to pieces by a terrifying, destructively powerful wind tornado!
𝙒𝙊𝙊𝙎𝙃...!! 𝘽𝙊𝙊𝙊𝙊𝙈...!!
At the same time, Yozakura Tsubomi opened her eyes, which had been closed from tension, and found herself in the grasp of a mechanical hand resembling an elegant black mecha.
"Ara~ Are you all right, Miss Tsubomi? You look a bit unwell," asked a girl in a charming, caring voice.
Kirihime Yoruka, the beautiful girl with hair black as night and a pair of enchanting heterochromatic eyes, was operating a sophisticated piece of equipment resembling a blue-black mecha with herself as the main pilot.
But she wasn't the only one who had come!
On the shoulders of the magnificent mecha were several already-familiar figures: Inaba Tsukuyo with a calm yet deadly aura, Tsukuyomi Tsukasa radiating elegance, Tomioka Giyū with a cold, focused gaze, and Aoi Sui with unshakable loyalty.
Of course, among them were also those who appeared in their own spectacular styles.
Like Flashy Flash, who appeared at terrifying speed while slashing Demonic Beasts to pieces in the blink of an eye, Konno Yūki, who appeared with glittering transparent bat wings, Ji Xuanyuan, who appeared while firing a rain of swords formed from various elements, and Xiang Yu, who appeared like a war monster with six sharp mechanical swords slaughtering Demonic Beasts without mercy!
There was also Kurogane Ouma, who appeared like a king of the wind with a tremendous vortex that tore enemies to shreds, along with Kurome and Kokushibo, who unhesitatingly cut through thousands of Demonic Beasts with perfect fighting techniques!
And the most spectacular appearance was that of Restia Ashdoll, who confidently launched high-level Darkness Magic to fire directly at the Demon Dragon Lord, who was absorbing the Root's life force!
𝘽𝙊𝙊𝙊𝙊𝙊𝙊𝙊𝙊𝙈...!!
Of course, the attack was blocked by the Demonic Beasts protecting their master, but everything that happened in the blink of an eye was enough to leave Chen Ye awestruck and amazed.
"Y-you all... are still alive?" Chen Ye asked in a voice trembling with emotion.
"A meaningless question," said Flashy Flash in a flat tone.
"We aren't weak enough to die so easily."
"By the way, if the Family Head is alive and safe, does this mean the original plan we devised earlier failed completely?"
Kurome asked in an indifferent tone, tilting her head innocently.
"Hey! Don't talk like that! We should be happy and grateful that Tsubomi is alive and safe!" Konno Yūki cried loudly and spiritedly.
"An unproductive quarrel. It's better to focus on the fight in front of us," said Tomioka Giyū in a calm but authoritative voice.
"Agreed, since we've come this far and are already in too deep, we must do our best," Tsukuyomi Tsukasa nodded.
Aoi Sui approached Yozakura Tsubomi with careful steps and was about to say something.
"I'm sorry, Family Head, I left yo—"
"It's all right, Sui… I'm fine and not hurt," Tsubomi cut in gently.
"...Understood, but from now on I promise I will never leave you again," said Aoi Sui in a calm tone.
Yozakura Tsubomi smiled warmly at that promise.
She looked at all the Yozakura Family members gathered in the same place without exception—even Cecilus Segmunt, who looked relaxed with a mysterious smile on his face.
"I'm very happy and moved that you all were willing to come for me this far."
"Don't misunderstand. I didn't come specially for you. I only came because I wanted to repay a debt of gratitude I'd been given," said Kurogane Ouma in a cold tone, though there was a hidden tremor of emotion.
Chen Ye, hearing that irritating statement, badly wanted to punch the arrogant man, but held back because of the vast gap in power.
"As dishonest as ever, Ouma," Ji Xuanyuan interjected in a soft yet meaningful voice.
"But regardless of what you say, all of us will say just one thing—this is our duty and responsibility."
On the other side, Inaba Tsukuyo approached Chen Ye with slow steps and simply said.
"Good work, you..." She paused for a moment and then smiled sincerely. "You really have tried hard up to this point."
Chen Ye felt his heart warm and was moved to hear the sincere praise, but then his face turned slightly gloomy as he remembered something.
"Master Inaba, my Master the Sword King—"
"Is this the necklace you mean?" someone cut in.
"...Eh?"
Chen Ye was startled when Kokushibo suddenly held out a necklace with a gem glittering under the moonlight.
Although the color and shape of the necklace had changed drastically from damage, there was no doubt that the precious soul of the Sword King was stored within the gem!
"You foolish disciple! How dare you try to break through alone like that?! That was the most foolish and reckless thing I've ever seen in my life!"
The Sword King immediately manifested in soul form while scolding Chen Ye with a thousand sharp words, but Chen Ye felt only moved and grateful and sincerely thanked Kokushibo.
"What a beautiful and touching reunion, it almost makes me cry, but can we continue this warm conversation later? It seems we still have a big matter to settle first," said Cecilus Segmunt in a casual yet calculating tone.
Upon hearing those words, Chen Ye's body became tense and alert.
Everyone simultaneously looked toward the Demon Dragon Lord, who was still greedily absorbing the power of the "Root."
But more worrying than that was... the fact that all the surviving Black Mamba members had begun to gather around the area, forming a defensive formation to protect their Demon Dragon Lord.
Not only that, two giant Darkness Dragons also appeared fearsomely!
𝗥𝗢𝗔𝗔𝗔𝗔𝗥...!!
That thundering roar shook the entire battlefield down to the bones, but strangely Chen Ye did not feel afraid or daunted but... rather felt thrilled and full of fighting spirit.
Yes... thrilled because this time, the ones who would fight alongside him were the great members of the Yozakura Family!
"Now... since our original plan has failed completely, we must change strategy. The Demon Dragon Lord is unable to attack because he's busy absorbing power and they are surely after our cute Family Head. So the strategy will be divided into two major teams. Some will protect and some will attack with everything."
Well... as for who would protect and who would attack... there was no need to decide or discuss it further because—
They had all already moved on their combat instincts!
Literally, they began to charge through at full power!
One after another, the Yozakura Family members began to rush forward like meteors crashing to earth!
𝘽𝙊𝙊𝙊𝙊𝙊𝙊𝙈...!!
Chen Ye's eyes widened in awe and profound admiration.
For some inexplicable reason, he felt that every member of the Yozakura Family was far stronger than before!
Yes, his feeling was not wrong because—
[𝗗𝗶𝗻𝗴! 𝗧𝗲𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗲『𝗜𝗻𝗮𝗯𝗮 𝗧𝘀𝘂𝗸𝘂𝘆𝗼 — ✯✯』>『𝗜𝗻𝗮𝗯𝗮 𝗧𝘀𝘂𝗸𝘂𝘆𝗼 — ✯✯✯✯』]
[𝗗𝗶𝗻𝗴! 𝗧𝗲𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗲『𝗧𝗼𝗺𝗶𝗼𝗸𝗮 𝗚𝗶𝘆𝘂 — ✯✯✯』>『𝗧𝗼𝗺𝗶𝗼𝗸𝗮 𝗚𝗶𝘆𝘂 ✯✯✯✯』]
[𝗗𝗶𝗻𝗴! 𝗧𝗲𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗲『𝗧𝘀𝘂𝗸𝘂𝘆𝗼𝗺𝗶 𝗧𝘀𝘂𝗸𝗮𝘀𝗮 — ✯✯✯』>『𝗧𝘀𝘂𝗸𝘂𝘆𝗼𝗺𝗶 𝗧𝘀𝘂𝗸𝗮𝘀𝗮 — ✯✯✯✯』]
[𝗗𝗶𝗻𝗴! 𝗧𝗲𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗲『𝗔𝗼𝗶 𝗦𝘂𝗶 — ✯✯』> 『𝗔𝗼𝗶 𝗦𝘂𝗶 — ✯✯✯✯』]
[𝗗𝗶𝗻𝗴! 𝗧𝗲𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗲『𝗞𝗼𝗻𝗻𝗼 𝗬𝘂𝗸𝗶 — ✯✯✯』>『𝗞𝗼𝗻𝗻𝗼 𝗬𝘂𝗸𝗶 — ✯✯✯✯』]
[𝗗𝗶𝗻𝗴! 𝗧𝗲𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗲『𝗞𝗶𝗿𝗶𝗵𝗶𝗺𝗲 𝗬𝗼𝗿𝘂𝗸𝗮 — ✯✯✯』>『𝗞𝗶𝗿𝗶𝗵𝗶𝗺𝗲 𝗬𝗼𝗿𝘂𝗸𝗮 — ✯✯✯✯』]
[𝗗𝗶𝗻𝗴! 𝗧𝗲𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗲『𝗞𝘂𝗿𝗼𝗺𝗲 — ✯✯✯』>『𝗞𝘂𝗿𝗼𝗺𝗲 —✯✯✯✯』]
All of the Character Templates Lux had summoned had been permanently upgraded to a far higher level and because of that, their strength had increased drastically!