The shuttle in the second dimension

　"Me?" Pointing at himself, Lin Xuan shook his head. "No, my situation is a little special. Well, I have done what I should do. From now on, your path depends on yourself." While standing up, Lin Xuan took out something like a syringe from his pocket and threw it to Kurogane Ikki.

　"Wait a few minutes before using it again. Although it's said to have no side effects, the interval is too short and it's not good for your health."

　"Thank you." Without asking Lin Xuan what the medicine was, Kurogane Ikki put the medicine away.

　"Try to become stronger, Ikki, otherwise when the competition comes, you will really have no hope at all." Turning his head slightly and glancing at Kurogane Ikki behind him, Lin Xuan grinned and smiled.

　"I will. Even if the hope is slim, I won't give up." Kurogane Ikki said fearlessly, clenching his fists.

　"Really? Then I'm looking forward to it." As he said that, Lin Xuan raised his leg and was about to leave. However, before leaving, Lin Xuan stopped and asked Kurogane Ikki with his back turned.

　"Hey - Ikki, are you angry about me planning all this on my own initiative?"

　"Angry? To say I'm not would be a lie. The unknown enemy, the powerlessness of not being able to control my own life and death, and the complex feelings after learning the truth all make me feel very uncomfortable. However, I also understand why you did this. If you didn't do this, you couldn't truly force me to break through the limits between life and death and step into that (hx) realm. Honestly, after listening to your explanation, I don't have much resentment in my heart. On the contrary, I want to thank you very much. If it weren't for you, I don't know when I would have reached this point. Thank you."

　"Hmph." With a light snort, Lin Xuan walked away.

　In the end, Kurogane Ikki did not ask Lin Xuan why he could use two different spiritual outfits, because he knew that everyone had their own secrets.

Chapter 173 Battle

　"Demon~~~" Lin Xuan muttered to himself as he walked on the deserted streets.

　In his mind now, the scene of Kurogane Ikki breaking through the shackles of fate and stepping into the realm of demons kept replaying.

　Because he didn't experience it himself, he couldn't feel it as deeply as Kurogane Ikki, but even so, he deeply understood the difference between those who truly entered the realm of demons and those fake ones.

　Initially, after the demon mass production plan he brought back was implemented, he had observed the experimental process and had a certain understanding of how those fakes created through special means reached the pseudo-demon realm. Initially, because there were no real objects to compare, although Lin Xuan knew that the fakes would be very different from the real ones, but after actually comparing them, Lin Xuan realized that he had underestimated the real ones.

　Compared to the real things that have reached their limits, the fake things that have only barely reached their limits through drugs, after squeezing and wasting a lot of their potential, can really be said to be worlds apart.

　"Although it was only a moment, the look of breaking free from the shackles of fate was really shocking. Now that we have seen the birth of the demon, it's time to do some serious business." As he spoke, Lin Xuan raised his head slightly.

　Right in front of him was the gate of Akatsuki Academy's headquarters.

　Of course, the business that Lin Xuan was talking about was not coming to [Akatsuki Academy] to handle official business, but to find someone, someone who was staying here temporarily.

　Just as he walked to the room where the man was, before Lin Xuan knocked on the door, the door was already opened. From it, a pure white woman who looked like a Valkyrie walked out and looked at Lin Xuan calmly.

　"After the [Seven Star Sword Dance Festival] ends, on the third day, we will risk our lives and have a real showdown. You or I can choose the venue." Without any opening remarks or preparation, Lin Xuan went straight to the point and stated the purpose of his visit.

　Lin Xuan's words did not surprise the woman in pure white, as if she had already known the purpose of Lin Xuan's visit today.

　"After the Seven Star Sword Dance Festival is over, tell me the time and place." After saying that, the pure white woman returned to the room, as if she didn't care about the matter at all.

　But Lin Xuan, who knew the woman's character well, knew that she was not indifferent to the duel he mentioned. On the contrary, she was extremely concerned about it. She turned and left, only to go back and start adjusting her state so that she could be in the best condition to fight Lin Xuan when the duel day came.

　~.q

　The pure white woman was none other than the [World's Strongest Swordsman] - [Winged] Edwards.

　After Edelweiss returned to his room, Lin Xuan also left.

　Even Lin Xuan was not sure whether he could defeat Edward. If he could use other powers, then Lin Xuan would have at least an 80% chance of winning. But if he only relied on his swordsmanship, then Lin Xuan was not sure whether he could defeat Edward. And it just so happened that the battle between Lin Xuan and Edward was a competition between swordsmanship and knife skills. Although Edward did not object to him using other powers, he did not want to do so.

　For this day, he had put in a lot of effort and experienced countless battles, all in order to hone his swordsmanship so that he could defeat the [Strongest Swordsman].

　Before leaving [Akatsuki Academy], Lin Xuan met Sarah who was looking for inspiration. When she saw Lin Xuan, Sarah's confused eyes suddenly lit up, and she ran towards Lin Xuan regardless of her fragile body.

　"Stop." Before Sarah could speak, Lin Xuan stopped her.

　"I know what you want to do. I can agree to it, but I have one condition."

　"What conditions!?" Sarah's eyes brightened after hearing Lin Xuan agree.

　"Get first place in area C. As long as you can do this, I will cooperate with you and be your model." As he said that, Lin Xuan suddenly summoned his inherent spiritual outfit.

　"I remember that your paintings can reproduce other swordsmen. In that case, I will increase your chances of winning. I will display my swordsmanship in front of you so that you can reproduce my existence more easily. This condition is not excessive, right?" Lin Xuan asked with a smile, raising his eyebrows.

　"Hmm..." After thinking for a while with her chin on her hand, Sarah agreed reluctantly. After all, according to her idea, if Lin Xuan had just agreed to her directly, there wouldn't have to be so much trouble.

　"Let's go to the training ground then."

　……

　After parting with Sarah, Lin Xuan left Akatsuki Academy. As he walked out of the gate, he looked up at the dark night sky and said to himself, "It seems that after the Seven Star Sword Dance Festival, I need to spend two days to adjust my condition so that I can devote myself to this battle wholeheartedly. Although I don't have confidence, but-"

　"—I'm looking forward to it."

　-

　The next day

　Because Stella took on four opponents alone and ended the entire B zone competition in one game, the Seven Star Sword Dance Festival made adjustments to the competition schedule. The second and third rounds, which were originally scheduled to be held over two days, were scheduled on the same day 447. This caused many players to complain. After all, after playing a game in the morning, they still had to drag their tired bodies and minds to prepare for the afternoon game, which was indeed not conducive to the players' performance.

　However, for the strong players, this has no effect. For example, Wang Ma easily resolved the battle, but his opponent was not so comfortable and almost died. Although he did not violate the rules, his behavior was still condemned by the audience. Of course, he himself did not care about those condemnations at all.

　Because the B zone competition had already ended early, the second round of the C zone competition started directly after the second round of the A zone competition. The first match was between Sarah Bradley and the [Ganlang Academy] Kurashiki Kōto who had been defeated by Lin Xuan (this plot was mentioned earlier, but I just skipped it).

　Looking at Sarah coming out, Lin Xuan in the audience couldn't help but think of what happened last night.

　Last night, when facing Sarah's reappearance of herself, Lin Xuan was still very satisfied. Although Sarah had not yet reached the point where she could perfectly reproduce her own strength, it was also very good.

　Therefore, he was quite interested in Sarah's game today. There were not many opportunities to sit in the audience and watch "his own" game.

Chapter 174

　As the match signal blared (hx), the first match of the second round in Zone C officially kicked off. /Zhizhan Chong/

　As soon as the game started, Kurashiki Kōto immediately took action. He rushed towards Sarah quickly like a giant python locking onto its prey.

　"Snake Bone Double Blades!"

　From the start, Kurashiki Kōto didn't seem ready to give Sarah a chance to shine, launching a swift attack. His sword-shaped spiritual weapon suddenly extended, slashing in an arc like a whip, aiming for Sarah's head. If Sarah couldn't dodge in time, she wouldn't just lose the match; she could even lose her life.

　But Sarah, who was able to become a member of [Akatsuki Academy], was no simple person at all. She quickly waved her spiritual outfit [Pen of Demiog] and quickly drew a huge piece of marble in front of her to block Kurashiki Kōto's attack.

　After all, the marble was a hastily drawn thing, and it disappeared after blocking Kurashiki's attack. However, the time spent was enough for Sarah to draw other things.

　【Fantasy Caricature】——Dead Squad

　I saw dozens of undead holding Thompsons appear from behind the disappearing huge marble.

　“Wha-what!? Isn’t contestant Sarah’s ability the concept of manipulating colors? It was already surprising that she could draw a stone before, but this time it’s even more surprising, she can actually materialize her own drawing!! Isn’t this sword-cutting skill amazing? This is the first time contestant Sarah has demonstrated her hidden tricks!!” The announcer expressed his own opinion on the undead squad drawn by Sarah.

　The audience who saw all this also exclaimed (hx).

　But after the exclamation, there was a burst of gunfire, and dozens of Thompson submachine guns were seen firing continuously at the Kurashiki Tibetans.

　Facing the bullets fired from dozens of submachine guns, Kurashiki Kōto seemed not to see them. He did not choose to dodge but continued to move forward. The result of this was that the submachine gun bullets quickly fell on him. Just when everyone couldn't bear to see him being shot into a hornet's nest and tried to look away, the submachine gun bullets slid through Kurashiki Kōto's body and continued to shoot towards the back.

　This amazing scene caused cheers and attention from the audience, but not many people could understand it. Lin Xuan and Ikki Kurogane who came out of the waiting room were the ones who could understand it.

　?

　When those bullets hit Kurashiki Kōto, he relied on his super-fast reflexes and the secret technique called [Perfect] to neutralize the force of those bullets. This was something that only Kurashiki Kōto, who possessed super-fast reflexes, could do. Ordinary people had no way of neutralizing such a large number of bullets.

　"How boring." Bathed in the rain of bullets, Kurashiki Kōto walked towards the undead. At the same time, he waved the inherent spiritual equipment in his hands and destroyed all the dozens of undead.

　But when the undead disappeared, a figure appeared next to Sarah again, a figure that shocked Kurashiki Kōren and the audience.

　【Fantasy satirical painting】——Lin Xuan.

　"What is that?! How come contestant Lin Xuan is on the field?!" The announcer exclaimed when he saw 'Lin Xuan' on the field.

　"I didn't expect that she could actually use [Fantasy Caricature] to recreate other swordsmen." Looking at Sarah on the field, the commentator gasped.

　It wasn't just the two of them who lost their composure. Many of the audience members in the venue were so frightened by this unbelievable scene that they froze in place.

　Even Kurashiki Kōto stopped in astonishment.

　Looking at the familiar face in front of him, Kurashiki Kōto recalled the scene when he was easily defeated by the opponent. He recalled the feeling of powerlessness at the hands of the opponent. He had never felt so clearly how weak he was. After that, he trained hard and even went to find Ayatsuji Kaito, who he had defeated before, to become stronger. He learned the "Perfect Clothes" from him.

　"I didn't expect to meet that guy so early. Although he is a fake, but--" Kurashiki Kōto said with a little excitement, grinning slightly. But before he finished speaking, he felt a bit of chill rushing to his forehead.

　boom--

　Before the audience knew what was happening, Kurashiki Kōto had already been knocked away, and where he was originally standing, an expressionless 'Lin Xuan' was standing there quietly holding [Destroy].

　"Bastard!!!" After landing, Kurashiki Zangren climbed up a little embarrassedly. He stared at Lin Xuan. Although they had just come into contact, he could clearly feel the gap between him and Lin Xuan. But he still didn't want to give up. He was unwilling to give up just like that. He was unwilling to be defeated by this fake thing in front of him before seeing the real thing.

　But fate turned a blind eye to Kurashiki Kōto's unwillingness. Lin Xuan, with an expressionless face, appeared in front of Kurashiki Kōto, and the [Destruction] in his hand turned into a dark light.

　In an instant, wounds began to appear one after another on Kurashiki Kurato's body, crisscrossing his body.

　"Puff--" Scarlet blood overflowed from his mouth, and Kurashiki Zangren looked blankly at the empty space in front of him. From beginning to end, he did not see Lin Xuan's movements clearly. At this point, he once again understood how huge the gap between him and that (hx) person was.

　boom--

　His body fell heavily to the ground and Kurashiki Kōto lost his last consciousness.

　The match concluded, and the announcer announced the result. However, the audience, which should have been cheering, was instead filled with clamor and confusion. This wasn't due to surprise or Lin Xuan's easy victory over Kurashiki Kōto, but rather to the overwhelming strength Sarah displayed. There was no way around it; the power she displayed was truly terrifying. She could single-handedly defeat an army of thousands, and that wasn't an exaggeration at all.

　While the announcer and commentator were discussing Sarah, Lin Xuan stood up and walked towards the waiting room reserved for the players. To be honest, with Ikki Kurogane's current strength, ordinary opponents could not be his match at all, so Lin Xuan did not stay to watch.

　Sure enough, after waiting in the waiting room for a while, Lin Xuan heard the news from outside that Kurogane Ikki had advanced.

　"Next, it's my game."

Chapter 175

　The first match of the second round of Zone D began amid the cheers of the audience.

　Looking at the opponent in front of him, Lin Xuan pursed his lips helplessly.

　"I didn't expect to meet you in the second round, Shizuku."

　That's right, Lin Xuan's opponent in this game is none other than Kurogane Zhushiku. Although when he saw the initial schedule, he knew that with Zhushiku's strength, it was certain that he and her would meet in the game.

　"Although I know I am no match for you, I am still very happy to be able to compete with you on the same stage." As she spoke, Zhu Shizuku's face (hx) gradually became serious, and the [Xiao Shiyu] in her hand was gradually covered with a layer of magical light.

　"Please go all out. At least let me understand how big the gap is between you and me."

　"Okay." Looking at Zhu Shizu's serious look, Lin Xuan, who originally wanted to take this opportunity to see how strong Zhu Shizu was, gave up his original idea.

　"Since you said so, I can't refuse." As he spoke, the magic power in Lin Xuan's body began to boil, constantly activating his body and strengthening his physical fitness.

　"Then——" As soon as the words fell, Lin Xuan disappeared.

　Zhu Shizu knew she was no match for Lin Xuan. From the outset, she hadn't planned on winning. She simply wanted to unleash her full potential, to clearly understand the gap between them. Therefore, from the outset, Zhu Shizu had vaporized her body before it could be used up.