Chapter 332

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Chapter 332: I Could Have Endured the Darkness

Kamitsumi Shrine.

Swords clashed, and the majestic essence of mountains and water unleashed itself freely.

Kuya swung her sword and thrust towards Hokusinn Kichyō, this strike was also incredibly swift.

In almost an instant, a wound appeared on Hokusinn Kichyō’s shoulder.

She blinked in surprise, then quickly stepped back, clutching the wound on her forearm. Though her bone remained unharmed, a small slice had been made in her muscle, slightly impairing her movements.

This strike was swift, and it was not the technique of Hokusinn Itto-ryu.

The previous strike was a Iai-Giri, completely forsaking defense in favor of an offensive attack, seizing the initiative. It is renowned as the fastest technique in sword-drawing art.

Hokusinn Kichyō’s palm was stained with a bright red color. She casually sliced off a piece of her sleeve and wrapped it around the wound on her forearm.

"I have never seen that sword just now."

"I haven’t been idle for the past twenty years. Even though you may know me mainly for my skills in Hokusinn Itto-ryu, what about other forms of swordsmanship?"

Kuya waved the wooden sword in her hand, as wandering mist curled around her, like a great serpent slithering and releasing its breath.

She asked, "How well do you think you know me?"

Hokusinn Kichyō said, "I am you."

Kuya exclaimed, "You are not me!"

She swung her sword, the chaotic blade appearing as a completely uncontrollable attack. The surrounding water spirits transformed into whips, lashing out wildly in all directions, like a raging dragon bursting forth while countless blades splattered through the air.

Hokusinn Kichyō slightly lowered her body, skilled in the defensive techniques of Hokusinn Itto-ryu. Dealing with this kind of opponent, she had grown somewhat accustomed, thanks to the various demons and monsters that the White Snake God had prepared for her in her imaginative trials.

The battle between the two has already freed itself from the confines of gravity. It started on the ground and gradually escalated to the mid-air. Originally limited to the Kamitsumi Shrine, the combat range suddenly expanded to the entire mountainside after Kuya sliced through the torii gate.

In a mountain path, Kuya suddenly leaped up and swung her sword down. The twenty-step staircase, along with a steep stretch of the road that was over ten meters high, collapsed abruptly. It crumbled like a sliced cake, collapsing into the trench that remained in the middle.

Hokusinn Kichyō was shaken back several tens of meters, her back hitting the trunk of a tree, causing branches to snap off from a tree large enough for three people to hug. However, she only felt as if she had been struck with a stick on her back, without any sense of pain. Her internal organs remained intact, unaffected by the shock.

The actions of both sides had already surpassed the realm of humans, stepping into the realm of supernaturals. In the eyes of the celestial beings, it could be considered as a passable level of skill.

In the same scenario, but with Yun Wuxin present instead, she wouldn’t even grasp the sword handle herself. Instead, she would choose to control the sword with her mind, making her speed faster, her attack range wider, and her attack power stronger. Her sole purpose was to harm and defeat her enemies. In essence, the ultimate direction of her development was similar, emphasizing the abandonment of the usual ways of using conventional weapons and reversing her mindset, no longer attempting to think like a human.

Kuya took the lead and stepped into the extraordinary realm, while Hokusinn Kichyō followed closely, exuding a sense of awe-inspiring power.

Kichyō swung the Nine-Syllable Blade and chopped down a big tree. She landed on the trunk and gracefully leapt off as it collapsed. While jumping, she spun her body like a spinning top. The blade, like a heavy hammer, struck Kuya, causing her to kneel on one knee. All the runes on the Nine-Syllable Blade lit up, releasing a faint misty glow. The weapons clashed, creating sparks that burst into flames.

The ground sank, rocks crumbled, and trees toppled over.

Hokusinn Kichyō said, "What you can do, I can do too. You are me."

Kuya suddenly released her grip and grabbed onto Hokusinn Kichyō’s collar. With a swift motion, she delivered a powerful headbutt.

Bang!

Hokusinn Kichyō’s body tilted backward, and then her collar was grabbed again. Kuya delivered another powerful headbutt, hitting her on the bridge of the nose. Blood gushed out, and the intense pain made tears stream down her face. Her sense of balance and all her senses were affected. Her feet slipped on the sloping path, and she tumbled down the mountain with a rolling sound.

Kuya jumped onto the mountain path and started walking downhill. In less than half a minute, she saw Hokusinn Kichyō coming back along the same path.

She looked down at another version of herself, as if she were standing years ahead, looking back at her past self.

That was her, and yet, it wasn’t her at all.

They existed in two different time periods, two distinct parallel worlds.

Běi Chén Guī Dié said, "You may stay."

Kuya murmured in a deep tone, "Then you should disappear."

Hokusinn Kichyō was puzzled. She asked, "Why? Why must we turn our swords against each other? You are my parallel world counterpart. Whatever happens at this moment in time, it won’t affect you."

Kuya looked down and said, "You won’t understand, because you’re not me. That’s why you’ll never understand how I feel."

Hokusinn Kichyō said again, "Please calm down, I mean no harm to you."

"I don’t need your pity and sympathy!" Kuya roared in frustration.

The red moonlight shone on her face, and her body was covered in scattered bloodstains. The bloodstains on her face reflected a color even brighter than blood itself.

"I don’t want to hear you speak, not even an extra word would make my anger boil even more."

Her palm pressed against her face, breathing quickly, her voice low and deep.

Hokusinn Kichyō opened her mouth, with a sorrowful expression. She longed for another version of herself to reconcile, but Kuya didn’t want to. There was an aura of hostility emanating from her, from the depths of her heart, like an immeasurably deep abyss.

Kuya lowered her hand, and she became calm again. She gazed silently at the red moonlight, reflecting on her thoughts as she spoke.

"Do you want to know what I think deep down inside? Alright, I’ll tell you, but I didn’t really want to tell you in the first place."

She began to talk about the past, sharing the experiences she had gone through.

"Twenty years ago, the sinister plans of the Hundred Demons Party succeeded, and my spirit was swapped."

"Kamitsumiwoikirihime died, but I survived, undergoing a spiritual transmigration and coincidentally becoming a human god… The advantage is that I’m still alive, but the downside is that, at that time, I resembled more of a monster than a human being."

"Shikoku Town was destroyed. I had no choice but to join the Hundred Demons Party, obey their organization, and raise my blade against humans… The truth is, I have done many, many bad things. Although I feel that some people deserve it, there are also many innocent people."

"I caused big floods and submerged many towns. I also tried to secretly warn those people beforehand, like a false act of mercy, but nobody believed me, nobody believed a creature that is half-human, half-snake."

"I also went back to Hokusinn’s house, but by the time I was eligible to return, it had been three years. My father had passed away, and he had found the enemy who had hurt my mother. He wanted to seek revenge but was killed instead. I didn’t even get to attend my father’s funeral or carry his coffin. At that time, Hokusinn’s house had already changed ownership and was controlled by Hokusinn’s enemies. They treated me like a monster and drove me out, almost killing me at the hands of the sword witch in the shrine."

"Everything has changed, and trouble ensued."

"I knew people, my family, all gone, only me left alone in the world, like a lonely demon wandering without a soul, wanting to die but afraid to die, only able to hide in the mountains, not knowing how time passes, looking at the big trees all day, planting some flowers and plants. Oh, how I wish I could become a plant myself, so I could forget all the worries."

Her voice narrated her past with such calmness, as if telling a story that had nothing to do with her. There were no ups and downs in her emotions, no hesitations in her words, but each word felt like a nail pounding into Hokusinn Kichyō’s heart.

Hokusinn Kichyō had imagined such a fate, but she never expected it to come so ruthlessly. Everything she had, including her life, identity, and name, was taken away from her.

This story made her feel uneasy, it stirred something within her, she was touched in a way, but… then she calmed down, even let out a sigh of relief.

"But you certainly can’t understand, nor could you empathize." Kuya said mockingly, "You are not me, and you can never become me."

"I’m sorry…"

"Apologize? What good is an apology?" Kuya chuckled sardonically, self-mockingly. "I could have endured the darkness, if I had never experienced the light."

Hokusinn Kichyō felt her fingertips tremble.

She finally understood what feelings Kuya had towards her. It was a deep-seated annoyance, jealousy, and hatred.

Between them, there was no reconciliation. For Hokusinn Kichyō, a happy convergence of the North Star and the returning butterfly, it was merely an existence – a great mockery.

"You hate me," she said.

"Yes, I feel jealous of you," Kuya said, emphasizing each word. "You are not me, why… why aren’t you me?"