V1 Chapter 14: Yae Sword Art—Terrifyingly Potent!

"Who are you?" Princess Seiki demanded, eyeing Yae Sakura, who had suddenly intervened, her wariness palpable.

"A mere half-demon dares to be so insolent!" The earth spider's anger far surpassed Princess Seiki's. The newcomer was treating him like prey.

Though he was no match for Princess Seiki, killing him would still be a challenge for her. Now, this half-demon had appeared out of nowhere with such a bold claim—how could the earth spider not be enraged?

Staring at the fox-eared half-demon before him, the earth spider spat a massive, viscous strand of purple silk coated in a foul-smelling liquid, its toxic aura unmistakable.

"Well~ Let's test my strength against a great yokai!"

Seeing the earth spider's attack, Yae Sakura wasted no time activating her mutated Captain Skill—now more accurately described as a State Skill: Heart of Prajna!

The longer she fought, the more ferocious her attacks would become!

Just as the spider silk was about to touch her, Yae Sakura swiftly teleported out of the way.

Having narrowly dodged the attack, a massive surge of Sword Force erupted from her body, instantly obliterating all the spider silk.

Hit Stream Slash!

-

With the silk destroyed, Yae Sakura locked onto the earth spider's tiger-like head and instantly transformed into a blade of Sword Force, charging forward.

"Falling Cherry Blossoms Slash!"

Appearing directly above the earth spider, she unleashed five waves of Sword Force that tore through its body.

The moment the Sword Force entered the spider, the Sakura Sword Force mark activated!

"Shunmetsu!! Die!"

Without hesitation, she triggered the Sakura mark within the earth spider, unleashing Shunmetsu!

Yae Sakura swiftly retreated a hundred meters from the earth spider's body and turned back to look.

"Damn half-demon..."

The earth spider turned to glare at her, but before it could finish its sentence, the Sakura Sword Force within its body erupted. The colossal yokai exploded in a shower of bloody fragments, raining down across the battlefield.

Yae Sakura used her Spiritual Blade to deflect the incoming debris, staring in disbelief at the carnage.

"This... it's even more powerful than I imagined..."

Even she couldn't help but marvel at the sheer destructive force of her Shunmetsu!

The towering great yokai, seventy to eighty meters tall, had been reduced to head-sized chunks by a single Shunmetsu!

But... after a moment, why hadn't she received the first-kill reward? This was a great yokai, after all!

Her gaze shifted to the other great yokai present: Princess Seiki.

As she prepared to act, the earth spider's scattered remains suddenly began to twitch violently.

"The earth spider possesses the ability to regenerate," Princess Seiki explained, her eyes meeting Yae Sakura's. "Unless its body is completely annihilated, it must be killed dozens of times to truly die."

Princess Seiki harbored a growing apprehension toward this unexpected half-demon miko. While she had been pressing the advantage against the earth spider, it was only a precarious lead.

The earth spider's offensive capabilities weren't particularly strong, but its regenerative abilities and defensive power made it incredibly difficult to kill.

Yet... this suddenly appearing half-demon miko had managed to slay the earth spider with just a few sword strokes.

"Is that so..."

Resurrection...

How truly monstrous...

It was just like a yokai possessed by the Shikon no Tama. Such yokai not only wielded immense, savage power but also the ability to resurrect endlessly—unless the Shikon no Tama was extracted from their bodies.

But this earth spider didn't have the Shikon no Tama, yet it could still resurrect...

As expected, before long, the earth spider fully regenerated, appearing even more monstrous than before.

"I'll kill you!!"

Enraged by its resurrection, the earth spider glared at Yae Sakura, ignoring Princess Seiki, and charged toward her with its massive body.

"If I can kill you once, I can kill you twice! Three times!"

Having already gauged her own strength, Yae Sakura showed no fear of the earth spider.

And so...

Shuryu Slash! Sword Skill: Mad Blossom Burst!!

In a blur of steel, the earth spider was once again dismembered.

A third resurrection...

The earth spider hesitated!

Where did this insane half-demon come from? She's too damn fierce and relentless!

"Hesitation leads to defeat!"

Yae Sakura watched the wavering earth spider, then pulled out her 5-star weapon, the Hand of Tyr, hoisted it onto her shoulder, and charged a devastating blast.

The earth spider, curious about Yae Sakura's intentions, was instantly blown skyward. The massive, seventy-to-eighty-meter-tall arachnid was sent flying through the air...

Bronya's weapons are truly amazing!

"The Yae Sword Art is invincible! Ahahaha..."

"......"

Princess Seiki, who had been observing from the sidelines, suddenly wore a dark, exasperated expression.

"What's wrong? Do you want to experience my Yae Sword Art too?" Yae Sakura abruptly turned toward Princess Seiki, the Hand of Tyr on her shoulder aiming directly at her.

"N-no! No need!" Princess Seiki shook her head vigorously. The Yae Sword Art... was terrifyingly powerful!

"Still... it's time to finish this."

Yae Sakura retracted the Hand of Tyr and drew her Spiritual Blade once more.

"Sakura Scatter!"

Ultimate Skill: Crimson Naraka!

Time seemed to freeze as cherry blossoms blanketed the earth spider.

Then, as the world resumed its flow, the cherry blossoms on the earth spider detonated instantly. Yae Sakura unleashed her full Sword Force, locked onto the spider, and flashed past it!

First flash! Second flash! Third flash! Shunmetsu!

Fourth flash! Fifth flash! Sixth flash! Another Shunmetsu!

Yae Sakura transformed her body into Sword Force, unleashing over a dozen slashes and executing three Shunmetsu! counters.

In the final half-second, she instantly teleported five hundred meters away.

Then... BOOM!

The earth spider's body was obliterated by a dense barrage of Sakura Sword Force, leaving not even a trace of flesh behind!

[First great yokai slain. Crystal reward: 280.]