Beginning with the Ubume Bird

Chapter 53: Battle of Life and Death

“Bang!”

While everyone was distracted by the soldier’s silhouette, Li Yan pulled the trigger without hesitation. The bullet shot right through the neck of the soldier in red armour.

“Nanako!” Kobayakawa exclaimed in shock and anger as he watched him fall to the ground.

“Charge!” Li Yan yelled as he tossed his empty handgun aside and sprung forward, armed with his Ring of Dragon sword.

“Attack!” bellowed Kobayakawa with blood-shot eyes as he pulled out his Samurai sword and charged at Li Yan.

Deng Tianxiong mustered all of his energy and charged forward too, amputating the arms of a Japanese soldier with a bad shoulder.

A Chinese soldier screamed as he pulled out his dagger and swung it in the air. As if with eyes in the back of his head, Deng Tianxiong ducked aside with a twist of his ankle, and the knife came flying by him to block the two Samurai swords coming at him.

Deng Tianxiong reached for the dagger and sliced through the torso of the two Japanese soldiers. The whole process went smoothly, and the teamwork between him and the Chinese soldier saved both their lives.

Samurai swords still gleaming, the two Japanese soldiers had dull expressions; one even smirked lightly.

…

At the other end of the battlefield, Li Yan and Kobayakawa were charging towards each other.

When Li Yan’s Ring of Dragon sword and Kobayakawa’s Samurai sword made contact, Kobayakawa was completely taken aback by Li Yan’s power.

Damn! This Chinese is strong!

The tall, skinny Chinese man standing before him was charismatic, with his brows furrowed deeply. The force from his sword was overwhelming.

The Ring of Dragon and Samurai swords clashed loudly multiple times; in two breaths, Kobayakawa was already in the less advantageous position.

Could this man have been a Chinese General instead of a mere soldier?

Drops of sweat formed on Kobayakawa’s forehead, but he was not exactly anxious. Although he didn’t know why he had suddenly lost contact with Nanako, it was not the only spirit he had reared. The use of black magic and spirits definitely helped in times of war.

With a smirk, Kobayakawa challenged, “Come on!”

Li Yan immediately spotted the change in his demeanor. As Kobayakawa pulled out his Samurai sword, Li Yan turned towards Deng Tianxiong and furrowed his brows deeply, “Tianxiong, let go!”

As he spoke, Kobayakawa flashed his sword and lunged for Deng Tianxiong.

“Damn it!” Kobayakawa cursed in anger. He felt belittled by Li Yan’s actions.

He gripped his sword tightly and raised it to the left. Four infant spirits appeared as black matter from behind Kobayakawa. Though invisible to the naked eye, one could definitely sense the change in Kobayakawa’s aura and presence.

“You’ll regret this!”

The black infant spirits wailed in unison, and Kobayakawa’s sword turned black in a moment. The sword came at him at the speed of light, three times faster than when Li Yan had used the Hooked Star skill.

As Li Yan twisted his body in the air, the cold, shrill wails could still be heard as his vision became suddenly clearer.

He turned his head to the right and bent his body left. He switched the Ring of Dragon sword from his right to his left as he flipped over and stabbed Kobayakawa, catching him off guard.

Duelling Swords Origin Stance, Twenty-Fourth Form, First Twist of a Dragon.

He fell into the trap!

When Kobayakawa figured that he had fallen into Li Yan’s trap it felt like a bucket of cold water on his morale. It was too late for him to pull out his sword again. The Ring of Dragon sword was already right in his face!

Suspended in the moment between life and death, Kobayakawa spoke in tongues to an unusual tune.

The curse of reared spirits: Shift.

The sword pierced through Nanako, the female ghost, instead of Kobayakawa.

Kobayakawa landed by a wall, puking mouthfuls of blood. He let out a beastly growl and charged forward with newfound strength and vigor.

Kill the spirit bearer before killing the spirit!

Li Yan let go of his sword and charged towards Kobayakawa, ignoring the trembling Nanako in front of him.

…

Deng Tianxiong stiffened, his Goosefeather sword just inches away from the enemy’s calf.

On his right, another Japanese soldier swung his Samurai sword across Deng Tianxiong’s torso, as another stabbed him through the wrist.

The Japanese who had been shot in the shoulder was leaning against two fellow men and holding an Odachi in his right hand. The three of them charged forward and injured yet another Chinese soldier.

“Tianxiong, let go!”

Deng Tianxiong had initially wanted to go for the counterattack, but he suddenly heard Li Yan calling out to him, sending shivers down his back. He obeyed and let go of his sword as he twisted his body and tossed himself into a corner by the wall where Blind Diao and the injured soldiers had been hiding, suffering a few scratches on his fingers and chest.

Deng Tianxiong was demoralized; he had not expected the Japanese to be so swift.

Just then, the three Japanese soldiers went into a triangular formation and shared glances with one another.

The Spirit of Kai!

The Japanese who had forced him to abandon his weapon earlier had picked up his Goosefeather sword. He now held it in his left hand, with his Samurai sword in his right, smirking. Deng Tianxiong flicked his finger at the crowd from behind the wall.

At that moment, a bunch of Chinese soldiers swarmed at them in an ambush.

“Stay back, Blind Diao!” Deng Tianxiong yelled to no avail. He snatched Blind Diao’s dagger and charged forward, howling.

…

Kobayakawa was blinded for a moment. He pulled out a small onigiri from his sleeve and gobbled it down as he waited for the pain in his head to subside. When he lifted his head again, the Ring of Dragon sword was dangerously close to him.

With a tilt of his head, Kobayakawa avoided a sword, which was stabbed into a piece of wood instead. Just as he picked up his Samurai sword, the Ring of Dragon sliced across his neck.

“Tell your men to hold fire,” said Li Yan, coldly.

Kobayakawa licked his lips and mumbled, “Luck has protected me, my spirits are still alive… I’ve caught a big fish.”

“Fuck you,” Li Yan cursed as he stabbed Kobayakawa in his shoulder.

Kobayakawa turned pale as black smoke puffed out of his nostrils. Li Yan ducked away from the smoke as the Ring of Dragon sword bloomed like a white lily, its daggers clanking loudly, and stabbed Kobayakawa through his legs, chest, and throat.

The red glow around Kobayakawa deepened.

Nanako was groaning in pain as black smoke fumed from her body.

When the Ring of Dragon had stabbed Kobayakawa his neck, Li Yan decisively slashed his finger on the blade and let his blood drip onto Kobayakawa.

Dipped in Blood!

Kobayakawa, the Japanese soldiers, Deng Tianxiong, the rest of the Chinese soldiers, and Li Yan were all agitated and ready to kill.

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Interpreter Song hid in the corner, his throat dry and scratchy and his fists clenched tight. He watched as blood splattered and limbs flew but never mustered up enough courage to fight as he held onto a wooden board.

A sigh came from the empty house. It sounded like a female.

Suddenly, Kobayakawa grabbed his face as black liquids spilled from his orifices.

“Kill me, General!”

With a swift slash of the Ring of Dragon sword, the man was beheaded.