Chapter 48: Echoes of a God-Slayer

Lin Yu wanted to say something to her, but her movements were swift.

She snatched Nagare-zakura and charged back without a backward glance.

“Damn it! Damn it! Damn it!”

He flared up instinctively.

He wasn’t in the best physical shape.

Carrying a girl on his back for so long had left him panting and exhausted.

Now, the girl he had risked his life to bring out had just run back, leaving him alone on the spot, gasping for air.

‘Who do these people think they are? Superheroes? Every single one of them acts like they have to sacrifice themselves for the greater good.’

The built-up emotions finally erupted, and he roared in his mind.

Their opponent was a God.

They would die, wouldn’t they?

Even they shouldn’t be able to handle something of that level.

What was the point of going back just to throw their lives away?

‘No, definitely not. Their lives are definitely not meaningless!’

X’s words suddenly surfaced in his mind.

He looked in the direction Kobayashi Mirai had gone.

The girl moved fast; in his line of sight, she was already nothing more than a blurred, colorful dot formed by her hair.

After a moment of silence, the girl’s silhouette vanished from his gaze as she rushed toward the so-called God again, long blade in hand.

What a determined back she had, just like when Tang Rou saved them that time.

“No. 2, can you kill that so-called Susanoo?”

he suddenly muttered to himself.

“Oh, you’ve finally come around?”

“Yeah. Regardless of whether that’s a God or whatever the hell it is, help me kill it. Save X and Kobayashi Mirai.”

“That means after this transaction, I’ll have one-fourth of the body’s control.”

Perhaps killing a God would release something even more terrifying, but who cared?

He was fed up with this feeling.

Tang Rou had given her life to save him, so now he wanted to avenge her.

But X shouldn’t have to die, and Kobayashi Mirai shouldn’t have to die either.

No. 2 wanted him.

For the sake of some damn God-Slaying and the School…

X had already been…

“This is my hometown. If my master found out that not only did I fail to protect the shrine, but I also chose to run away while my whole home was being destroyed, he’d strike my palms after I go to hell.”

Nagare-zakura drew an arc in her hand, clashing against the long blade held by the monster.

This blade…

The twin blades slashed through the air, creating an intense clink.

Cracks appeared on Nagare-zakura’s blade.

This forged weapon was no match for the weapon of a God—the legendary Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi.

X and Kobayashi Mirai had both fallen.

With just an instant of contact, and unlike Lin Yu’s Vitality, the two of them began to wither visibly before the naked eye.

He picked up the damaged long blade named Nagare-zakura from the ground.

In the next moment, the broken blade actually began to repair itself automatically.

Another replica appeared in his hand as well.

Susanoo seemed to have noticed the strange boy in front of it.

Without hesitation, it gripped the Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi and slashed forward rapidly.

He looked at the long sword in the monster’s hand and couldn’t help but marvel.

‘Truly a fine sword.’

‘Are you looking for me?’

“Hey, hey, hey. If I don’t protect you, what are you going to do if you get stabbed to death by one of those dusty-looking branches?”

Realizing the concern in her words was too obvious, Xiǎoyè suddenly felt a bit shy and quickly changed her tune.

“Besides, it’s really dark. It’s scary if you leave me all alone in a pitch-black house.”

Mu Chengfeng didn’t speak.

Xiǎoyè grew anxious and walked toward him with a hint of anger.

Due to her height, her hands could only reach Mu Chengfeng’s shoulders.

Mu Chengfeng stared blankly at her, letting the girl pound on his shoulders with her fists.

It was truly strange.

To think there was someone in the world who could get lost within a 1-kilometer radius, yet would search for him aimlessly in the middle of the night in an unfamiliar city, worrying that he might be stabbed to death by some “dusty branches.”

As she kept hitting him, Xiǎoyè suddenly froze.

A drop of warm liquid fell on her hand.

“Ah! You… why are you crying?”

Mu Chengfeng didn’t speak; he just shook his head.

“Did I hit you too hard?”

Xiǎoyè seemed worried.

She tried hitting her own shoulder with the same force to check, then said,

“Or is it because that branch hurt you? If it hurts, you have to say something. I can pat your head to make it better.”

“Pat my head?”

Mu Chengfeng finally spoke.

“Yeah! Back when I used to be in pain, my brothers and sisters would hold me and gently pat my head. It always made me feel much better.”

“No, I’m fine.”

Xiǎoyè dazed for a moment, then grabbed the hem of his clothes.

“Agh, I’ve been looking for you for so long, I’m exhausted. Let’s go back and sleep. My brother said if you don’t sleep at night…”

Xiǎoyè’s voice gradually grew quieter.

Mu Chengfeng felt a weight pressing against him.

He looked down.

Xiǎoyè had leaned against him and fallen asleep again.

Mu Chengfeng suddenly felt very sad.

Why did it have to be him paired with Xiǎoyè?

If it had been anyone else with her, it would have been better.

Whether it was Kobayashi Mirai, Lin Yu, or Alexander, they would have definitely helped Xiǎoyè hide this secret.

Even if Xiǎoyè really was a monster, they would have protected her without hesitation.

This kind of irrational loyalty was so foolish yet so beautiful—so beautiful that he envied it.

“Because I’m just an ordinary person.”

“Does that have anything to do with being an ordinary person?”

“As an ordinary person, when a beautiful and rich Sakura Girl with high combat power who drives a luxury convertible confesses to me… instead of asking why I agreed, you should ask if I had any reason to refuse. Besides, according to the club activity rules, I didn’t even have the right to refuse.”

“So you’re really going to defect to the enemy side now?”

“If something this good—the kind that only happens in power-fantasy novels or Japanese anime, like a windfall from heaven—happened to you, would you refuse?”

“Fine,” Li Hao sighed deeply.

“I wouldn’t.”

“Aren’t you curious why?”

“I already asked. If Vigus’s translation was correct, her answer was because I was the first person to refuse her club invitation.”

“What kind of reason is that!”

“I could have refused her, too.”

“Then go tell her yourself. She probably hasn’t developed a grudge yet.”

“Anything else?”

“Not much. She wanted me to download Line so it’s easier to contact her, though I haven’t registered yet. Also, I have to bring her breakfast tomorrow and go to class with her.”

“To be honest, we weren’t listening to the lecture at all. She took me to watch a Japanese anime.”

“What anime?”

“I don’t know. There were no English subtitles.”

“I helped her carry her sword. That thing is pretty heavy. After carrying it for a day, I feel like it must be exhausting for her to carry it normally.”

“Well, that’s a real weapon, after all.”

“Did you take her out to eat?”

“I didn’t treat her; we just ate together. Plus, she sent me the money for breakfast. It seems she even added a delivery fee…”

“No way. It’s one thing to take money from your girlfriend for breakfast, but you actually accepted a delivery fee?”

“I don’t really care about the money, and treating her isn’t a big deal. But since she drives a convertible supercar, she probably doesn’t miss that little bit of money.”

“Since she gave it to me, there was no need to send it back.”

“Maybe.”

“You’re lucky.”

Living, I shall return; dead, I shall long for you forever.

But forever…

Kyoto University is very hard to get into.

My master…

A very simple Japanese-style house.

“Do you hate your master?”

“No.”

My master…

That is the determination one must have from the very beginning of becoming a Ghost Slayer.

Weren’t those so-called Ghosts originally human too?

They had their own families and friends.

As…

“Rules? Aren’t rules just like an iPod? Whoever made the rules should be the one to keep them.”

“There are still seven days left. We can have some fun. None of you want to go back to class, right?”

“Zoro, huh?”

“I knew it.”

The two most famous things in Japan…

Dyeing hair…

“It’s not like I’ve only dyed it in gradients, but solid colors are too monotonous.”

After my master passed away…

He is…

Tokyo Tower.

The first thing I did after my master passed away was go and dye my hair.

Because my master never let me…

This is my…

The wooden sword hacks and slashes…

To hell I go.

Kyoto University is very hard to get into.

My master…

A very simple Japanese-style house.

“Do you hate your master?”

“No.”

My master…

That is the determination one must have from the very beginning of becoming a Ghost Slayer.

Weren’t those so-called Ghosts originally human too?

They had their own families and friends.

As…

“Rules? Aren’t rules just like an iPod? Whoever made the rules should be the one to keep them.”

“There are still seven days left. We can have some fun. None of you want to go back to class, right?”

“Zoro, huh?”

“I knew it.”

The two most famous things in Japan…

Dyeing hair…

“It’s not like I’ve only dyed it in gradients, but solid colors are too monotonous.”

After my master passed away…

He is…

Tokyo Tower.

The first thing I did after my master passed away was go and dye my hair.

Because my master never let me…