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Miyabi was certain—Sol was demonstrating the [Edge of Taixuan] for her.
This was one of the purposes he had already mentioned when he called her earlier.
To deal with Ethereals, Sol had countless methods. He didn't need to use sword techniques.
At the very least, this explanation was far more reliable than Harumasa's.
"So that's how it is. Then it all makes sense."
Yanagi nodded, suddenly enlightened.
So, it was for Miyabi's training—that checked out perfectly.
She knew Sol had passed sword arts to Miyabi. Over these past days, Miyabi had skipped multiple important meetings for her cultivation, piled up a mountain of documents to handle later, and left Yanagi endlessly stressed.
Before Sol left on his trip, giving her a final lesson was perfectly reasonable.
But to think what Sol was teaching her… was this level of technique?
Yanagi looked toward the figure ahead, scattering armies with ease, and felt that Miyabi skipping meetings was extremely reasonable.
With a divine art like this in hand—and given Miyabi's dedication—it wouldn't be strange for her to resign and go home to train in seclusion.
Unconsciously, Yanagi's gaze softened. The fact that Miyabi was still functioning normally was already a miracle of self-restraint.
"Boss, have you mastered it yet?"
Soukaku asked curiously, looking at Miyabi.
"I've gained some insight." Miyabi kept her gaze forward. "But I'm still far from that realm."
"Ohh, I can already imagine Boss cutting down Ethereals even faster!"
Soukaku said excitedly.
Far from that realm? That definitely meant she had already learned it!
Boss was amazing—just watching and she already understood!
She looked toward the swirling sword aura ahead, curious how Sol was teaching.
Even if the chaotic scene didn't quite make sense to her eyes, she still felt something strange—like she had somehow become stronger.
Was it an illusion?
"..."
Miyabi watched the countless streaks of sword aura flying through the air, and waves of realization rose within her.
It looked chaotic on the surface, yet every movement was an enactment of the [Edge of Taixuan]'s forms.
Within it were numerous layered variations—together numbering far beyond ten thousand.
Perhaps this was why Sol called it the [Taixuan Form Essence: Myriad Swords Art].
Of course, trying to observe all ten thousand variations at once was impossible—even for her.
But remembering several main branches, memorizing the feeling of the transformations rather than the specific sequences—that she could do.
Once she completed that, she could derive the rest on her own during future training. Everything would flow naturally from there.
One could say this storm of sword aura was an entire encyclopedia of swordsmanship, complete with structure and detail. Anyone with a dedicated heart would gain an immense harvest.
Behind Sol, the four stopped speaking entirely. As they followed him, each absorbed what they could.
Regardless of gender, every one of them gazed at that figure as if entranced.
Unknowingly, time passed swiftly.
No Ethereal remained ahead of Sol, and the sword aura swirling around him gradually dispersed—only the large sword in his right hand still radiated a supernatural glow.
"We've arrived."
Miyabi murmured, full of insight, feeling like she had undergone a lifetime of transformation.
And before them—
Was a colossal etherflower.
It was massive as a mountain, quietly suspended in the air.
Its body gleamed with a textured silver-gray, accented by gentle pink, resembling a giant flower-spirit from afar.
Two hardened giant leaves formed its arms; the enormous floral bud was its core body, and within that bud bloomed a multicolored core of radiant light.
Tendrils of ether danced through the air, arranged in orderly layers—its roots and branches.
Hundreds upon hundreds of Hornets clad in pale armor buzzed around it. Each was the size of a calf, their mandibles glowing with etheric light.
A queen among stars, an alien bloom in dazzling pride.
Even though it was an ultra-large, extremely dangerous Ethereal, no one could deny its beauty.
If the miracles of the Hollows could be attributed to gods, then this creature embodied divine aesthetics.
Graceful in motion, lethal in nature.
This… was Nineveh.
No one knew why it appeared at the outer perimeter of Hollow Zero, only that the moment it arrived, it crowned itself undisputed ruler of the outskirts.
Rumor said many humans admired its appearance so much they even imagined it as their wife.
"So, this is Nineveh. It's been a long time since the last suppression operation that lowered its activity level. It seems to have recovered well."
Miyabi instinctively rested her hand on her blade, though her expression remained calm.
She had once struck Nineveh with a full swing—but it had done virtually no real harm.
"This thing's tough. Not only is it strong by itself, it also has a swarm of fearless underlings." Harumasa pointed at the buzzing Hornets. "Individually, they're nothing. But together, they're like a Defense Corps artillery platoon."
"Indiscriminate fire—shooting everywhere."
He eyed the dense swarm uneasily.
Every glowing mandible represented an ether bomb ready to launch.
"Maybe so. But if there's only one of these things, then today might be its extinction day."
Sol said casually.
But his hands did not idle—his left hand extended behind him toward Miyabi and the others, unleashing surging cold.
The freezing aura twisted through the air, even crystallizing portions of the surrounding ether.
In an instant, an ice hut formed, sealing Hoshimi Miyabi and the other three safely inside.
The four shivered from the sudden drop in temperature.
Even with their physical resistance, this low of a temperature couldn't be ignored.
"Uh, the enemy is over there," Harumasa said awkwardly, pointing at Nineveh's dancing tendrils.
"I know. This is to protect you."
Sol's expression did not change as energy continued pouring into the sword in his right hand.