Demon Capital Slayer

Chapter 44 Seeds of Ember
"That doesn't make sense," Yu Jian glanced at the ceiling without saying a word.

The ceiling painting, which served as the starting point and foundation of the world depicted in the painting, has long since disappeared, while the new painting created by Akane Isshiki reveals a completely different and vibrant color.

Mitsurugi remembers that Akane Isshiki initially used his hair color as a reference to draw the shadow of the sky, thus successfully connecting with the world in the painting, which then triggered the sudden adventure in the painting.

At that time, the background of the painting was a strange night sky composed of a mixture of various colors, with only a single pure white cloud hanging down in the middle.

The painting has now completely changed. It is still filled with a variety of chaotic colors, but there is a clear dividing line. The dark colors sink downwards and transform into a pitch-black dragon, while the light colors rise upwards and become... me?

Yujian's pupils dilated in shock, feeling extremely embarrassed, like being seen cosplaying in private by an acquaintance, and immediately wanting to turn that acquaintance into a friend.

Wait, I can't breathe fire, so why would I have this idea?
The figure in the painting is none other than Yu Jian, clad in the majestic armor of the Seven Virtues of the Holy White Oath.

However, the magnificent armor, also known as 'Pure White Virtue', has been stained with dark red in the painting, and two blood-red rays of light shoot out from its back, like a pair of outstretched crimson wings that echo the red blade in its hand, 'Extinguishing Three Thousand Void,' making it seem as if it is a flame warrior emerging from the fire.

The hero held his left hand out to his chest, his palm cradling a small, dying ember, while his right hand gripped a crimson blade and thrust it down into the black dragon's throat.

Blood gushed from the giant beast's wound, spreading outwards like vines, connecting the two severed parts into one.

The only pure white color preserved in the painting is the pure white sun in the sky, which is burning with a ring of golden flames.

The unique composition makes the sun appear to float behind the image of the sword-wielding deity, much like the halo behind the head of a deity in a mural symbolizing their holiness and wisdom.

Now, a halo of light hangs behind the head of the portrait of Yujian, although theoretically it should be the sun, but they look exactly the same.

Following traditional naming conventions, this painting could probably be called "Slaying the Dragon with a Sword," or—

Xiao Ming's Dragon Slayer Picture.

Incidentally, this name has been written by Isshiki Akane in the corner of the artwork, along with her autograph.

"puff."

A soft laugh came from behind him. Yu Jian turned around sharply and saw Bai He Xiang covering her mouth and turning her back to him.

"..."

Watching her slightly swaying shoulders, Yu Jian felt a sudden sense of powerlessness.

Forget it, now's not the time to worry about that. Focusing on his sixth sense, he searched for the aura of the world within the painting, and discovered that the aura actually emanated from the embers held aloft by the left hand of the portrait…

Further in, the sword then "saw" a small courtyard.

The ancient city in the painting, which originally consisted of seven colorful kingdoms, has been completely destroyed. However, this antique and exceptionally elegant oriental courtyard has been preserved, just as if the entire tree had been burned by flames, leaving only a small maple leaf intact, which is unbelievable.

White walls and red tiles, maple leaves fluttering in the setting sun.

Like a wisp of candlelight, small yet still burning.

The red maple leaves were the first impression that Yujian had of this courtyard.

In the very center of the courtyard was a dry landscape garden, and on the white sand and stones lay the gauntlets that Mitsurugi looked quite familiar to him; they were the last fragments left behind by the Pure White Virtue Armor.

The gauntlets are shaped like three pairs of wings that fold inward to form arm armor, with a gemstone in the center that shimmers with a deep color that contrasts with the pure white armor, and faint flame-like ripples appear to flash across them.

In addition, the remaining third of the broken sword lay beside the gauntlet.

The broken sword and the gauntlet complemented each other perfectly, as if they had been deliberately placed there.

The information conveyed by Yujian's sixth sense told him that although these two items were severely damaged, they were like a spark, just like this small courtyard. As long as enough firewood was added, they could be reborn in a new form.

The sword that slays the evil dragon and the armor stained with the dragon's blood—these two elements alone are enough to prove their boundless potential. The reborn sword and armor will inevitably become even more powerful.

But there's something strange about this feeling of déjà vu...

"What exactly is the eternal world?" he couldn't help but exclaim.

Incidentally, he also looked at the Isshiki family father and daughter with the same eyes one would use to look at gods.

When the father waved his hand and carved out the entire country, the daughter, though not quite as extravagant, still managed to carve out a small courtyard from the collapsing kingdom.

What exactly do you people do?

An artist?
What a joke!
"Ahem, I know you probably have a lot of questions to ask." Isshiki Ran coughed lightly.

"But please let me make a phone call first."

The second floor of the studio, being a workspace, naturally wouldn't have a telephone.

So, the group went back downstairs. Although it was cluttered with miscellaneous items, at least there was a sofa to sit on. A telephone and a coffee machine, among other small household appliances, were also installed on the sideboard against the wall.

During the journey, Yu Jian checked his phone and discovered that only a few hours had passed since he entered the mortal world. This was far from the time he felt in his body, which made him even more curious about the operating rules of the mortal world.

But the moment he collapsed onto the sofa, exhaustion swept over every part of Yu Jian's body, and he realized that his body and mind were beyond their limits.

This is the kind of thing that could cause sudden death...

His eyelids drooped, and he could vaguely hear Yurika and Akane talking nearby, while the great painter's voice came from a short distance away on the phone. Unexpectedly, he was speaking elegant Chinese.

Although it was somewhat impolite to do so, Yujian couldn't help but prick up his ears, but as he listened, his eyelids began to droop, and he eventually fell asleep.

"Hey, Lao Wu, it's me, Yi Se Lan."

"Yeah, it's nothing. I just got a little lost on the path of life."

"I know a month is a long time, but this was a real emergency."

"Thank you, no need to send anyone over. No, no, no, it's really nothing. There's no need to put pressure on the Metropolitan Police Department. I'm safe now."

"Well, I'll tell you the details later. There's something urgent."

"Find out what's going on with Genta Kobayashi. He really screwed me over this time."

"Yes, that's the young painter who's recently made a name for himself."

"What?! Dead?! Really? How did he die?"

"A car accident? Is it confirmed to be a regular car accident?"

"Damn it, this is a real problem."

"Yes, it's related to that guy. He brought me something really... weird, which caused a lot of trouble."

"It's not that kind of thing, Lao Wu. You know me. I'm an upright person. I would never touch that kind of thing."

"What do you mean I'm definitely messing around again? Don't you know me? We're dear friends and family who have spent three wonderful years under the same roof."

"You bastard! If you curse me again, I'm hanging up."

"My goodness, my goodness, stop cursing, brother, stop cursing."

"It's my own recklessness that caused this trouble, so I booked a plane ticket to come to you right now."

"There's something else. It seems that Sisi's talent has awakened. Okay, I'll bring her along to meet Master this time."

"By the way, do you have any fellow villagers with the surname Yujian?"

"Which two characters? The '御' in '御驾亲征' (the emperor personally led the expedition), and the '剑' in '投剑化龙' (to throw a sword and transform it into a dragon). You taught me all my Chinese, I wouldn't make a mistake."

"I'm sure, it's that surname. What's wrong?"

"Where else could I have heard that from? My daughter's classmate."

"You really don't recognize me? Okay, I guess I'm mistaken."

"Anyway, thanks a lot. Um, it'll be my treat next time, you can order as many drinks as you want... Don't go too far, you rascal!"

The blue expression on Yi Se Lan's face changed like a cultural relic of Sichuan, while Yu Jian's consciousness had long since sunk into a dream.

He was so exhausted that, despite being very concerned about what had happened to Lily's hand, he couldn't help but fall asleep as soon as he sat down on the sofa.

My body gradually slumped, but someone caught me at the last moment, and I felt as if my head was resting on something soft.

Before he could think further, the sweet dream had completely captured Yujian.

Aizen Yurika leaned down to let Mitsurugi rest his head on her lap, looked down at his still furrowed brows even in his sleep, and a look of nostalgia appeared on her face.

Her earlier movement caused something to slip out of her collar—a toy ring hanging from her necklace.

The design is rather childish, with a large, obviously fake transparent diamond fixed on a silver-white plastic ring setting. Under the light, it reflects clear water ripples caused by outdated injection molding technology. Two very small names can be vaguely seen on the front, and the childish pen marks seem to be from a child's hand.

A cheap plastic toy ornament, completely out of place with the beauty of lilies.

However, a child from ten years ago would immediately recognize this as a commemorative collectible released for the 30th anniversary of Ring Candy. A whole container of candy might have contained only one such rare item, not meant to be eaten but collected, making it an extremely rare item that exists only in urban legends.

"What? Such a grown-up, but when he's asleep, he acts like a child."

Yurika couldn't help but laugh as she fiddled with Mikasa's pure white bangs.

It wasn't the polite and friendly, gentle smile that she usually wore on her face, the kind that made people subconsciously relax.

Instead, it was a slightly playful smile, like a cat teasing a mouse, a smile that could easily be called a mischievous grin.

But it was incredibly genuine, a genuine sincerity that no acting technique could imitate.

"I remember the last time we were this close was when we were in kindergarten."

"You've completely forgotten about them."

"What a wicked but wise ruler."

(End of this chapter)