Yukinoshita's private kendo dojo was located in the deepest part of the mansion.
This place was a renowned training ground throughout Tokyo.
However, at this moment, Yukino Shita Chizuru, standing in the center of the dojo, was in a state of turmoil.
She held a bamboo sword in her hand, her posture as standard as a textbook, and each swing carried a sharp whooshing sound.
But her mind simply couldn't concentrate.
The image of that man... "Buzz—"
The trajectory of the bamboo sword became slightly erratic.
Her movements suddenly froze, and a hint of vexation and self-loathing appeared on her beautiful face.
She yearned for a stronger'sheath,' for an existence that could control her.
Yet, she also enjoyed the process of gradually pushing Makoto-kun to become stronger.
Just as her mind was in turmoil.
The dojo's large door was slowly and silently pulled open.
There was not a sound, yet an invisible domain seemed to instantly envelop the entire dojo.
Yukino Shita Chizuru's body stiffened, and she subconsciously turned her head.
She saw Lu Cheng leisurely strolling in.
He didn't look like an uninvited guest; instead, he seemed like an old acquaintance, with a natural composure... "Mr. Lu!"
The bamboo sword in Yukino Shita Chizuru's hand almost slipped, and she subconsciously bowed to Mr. Lu.
Mr. Lu didn't even glance at her.
His gaze fell directly on the row of true famous blades on the sword rack by the wall.
He casually drew one out; its scabbard was ancient, clearly an heirloom.
"Clang—"
With a soft clang, the blade unsheathed half an inch, and the chilling glint instantly lowered the temperature of the entire dojo by several degrees.
Lu Cheng merely weighed it casually, then sheathed the sword back, letting out a slight sigh.
"The sword is a good sword."
He finally turned his head, his gaze falling on Yukino Shita Chizuru, a faint smile playing on his lips.
"Unfortunately, the person holding the sword has an unsettled heart."
This sentence filled Yukino Shita Chizuru with dread.
How... how could he know?!
"A Demon Blade that yearns to be wielded by the strongest, yet is always bound, must be very painful, right?"
Lu Cheng's voice was soft, yet it mercilessly exposed her inner self.
Before Chizuru could react, Lu Cheng extended his hand, giving her an irresistible command.
"Draw your sword."
"Strike your strongest blow at me."
"Let me see just how much you are capable of."
Yukino Shita Chizuru's body trembled violently upon hearing this.
Draw her sword?
Strike her strongest blow at him?
What a strange request; she had never truly used her real power before!
However, the Demon Blade's essence within her was emitting an unprecedented, extremely excited hum!
It was an instinctive urge upon encountering a powerful enemy!
Ultimately, this craving from her soul overwhelmed everything.
"Clang—!"
A mournful sword cry echoed throughout the entire dojo!
In Yukino Shita Chizuru's hand, it was no longer a bamboo sword, but an eerie katana, entirely black, with red patterns formed by resentment coiling around its blade!
Demon Blade Muramasa!
The moment she drew her sword, a terrifying demonic aura surged skyward, dyeing the entire dojo with an ominous blood-red hue!
"Haaah—!"
Yukino Shita Chizuru let out a delicate cry, pouring all her emotions into this single strike!
She unleashed her strongest and purest strike at Lu Cheng since her birth!
Where the blade passed, space seemed to tear apart, and even light was swallowed by that resentment!
Facing this terrifying slash, capable of splitting a skyscraper in half, Lu Cheng didn't even bat an eyelid.
He merely slowly extended his right hand.
Then, just as the blade was about to touch his body.
He casually clamped the blade of the Demon Blade Muramasa between his index and middle fingers!
Time seemed to stand still at this moment.
That violent demonic aura, that sharpness capable of cutting through anything, was instantly swallowed clean, as if by a black hole, the moment it touched his fingertips.
"Ho... how is that possible?!"
Yukino Shita Chizuru couldn't believe what had happened... Then, like a dance at a banquet, a force surged from Lu Cheng's fingertips, fiercely entering the Demon Blade's essence!
This power was not destructive; instead, it was soothing, nourishing, and dominating the demonic energy within her in an inconceivable way!
If the previous encounter at the banquet was simply being conquered.
Then now, after the collision of a full-power strike, this feeling made her feel even more... a release of body and mind!
She could no longer grip the hilt; all the strength in her body seemed to be drained.
"Clang!"
The sword in her hand fell onto the cold floor, reverting to its bamboo sword form.
And she herself, completely limp, her pretty face flushed, succumbed to that irresistible gravitational pull, kneeling at Lu Cheng's feet.
She looked up, her eyes now filled only with fanaticism and surrender.
Lu Cheng slowly bent down and picked up the bamboo sword from the floor.
His slender fingers gently caressed the blade, as if savoring the previous strike.
Then, he walked back to Yukino Shita Chizuru and offered the hilt back to her.
His voice, like a devil's whisper, echoed directly in the depths of her soul.
"Now, do you understand?"
"Who can truly wield you."
Yukino Shita Chizuru's body trembled violently at these words.
She extended her trembling hands, wanting to take it... However, just as her fingertips were about to touch the hilt!
"Boom—!"
The dojo's large door was kicked open from the outside in an extremely brutal manner!
Wood splinters flew!
"This is Amaterasu Group business!"
A cold and fierce roar came from the doorway!
Kamiya Makoto stood there, behind him, Ise Ryuichi, arms crossed and a look of arrogance, along with two Amaterasu Group members in black combat suits!
This was his pledge of allegiance!
The first step to gaining power and proving his worth.
It was also Ise Ryuichi's first test for him... to make him personally subdue this Demon Blade...
All of this was, of course, also part of Lu Cheng's plan.
However, the moment his gaze clearly saw the scene inside the dojo.
His face instantly froze.
What did he see?
The man he swore to trample underfoot was offering a sword in a condescending manner.
And the powerful Demon Blade, the girl he admired and longed for.
Was kneeling at that man's feet in a humble posture!
There was no trace of coerced pain on her face; instead... it carried a pathological flush and... satisfaction?!
Kamiya Makoto's mind buzzed, instantly going blank.
All the lines he had prepared, all the harsh words, were stuck in his throat, not a single word able to escape.
Lu Cheng looked at these uninvited guests.
He didn't even straighten up, still maintaining that condescending posture.
He smiled.
It was a smile mixed with pleasure, pity, and... endless amusement.