At this moment, in the front section of the train—
Several children sat upright in the narrow aisle. Before them, a grotesque human hand lay palm-down on the floor. The back of the hand was split open, a mouth growing from it, and the characters for "dream" were written across the hand and fingers.
The ugly hand spoke through its mouth:
"Listen carefully. If you want to have pleasant dreams, then do exactly as I tell you later."
Just as the children were about to respond, a terrified voice suddenly rang out behind them.
"Wait, miss! You can't go any further!"
The voice trembled, as if gripped by fear.
Yuko ignored the conductor's attempt to stop her, pushed open the carriage door, swept her gaze across the panicked children, and locked onto the strange human hand on the floor.
A clone?
Seeing there was no stopping her, the conductor collapsed to his knees in despair, his voice shaking as he spoke to the hand.
"I'm terribly sorry. I tried my best to stop her, but she's carrying a sword…"
"Please—no matter what—don't take away my chance to see my wife and daughter."
The hand replied lightly, generously,
"Don't worry. I'm quite reasonable."
"You've done well enough."
The conductor sagged in relief, murmuring numbly,
"Thank you… thank you…"
Yuko frowned slightly, her right hand resting on the hilt of her Nichirin Blade as she walked toward the hand.
The hand jerked upright, its mouth aiming straight at Yuko.
"Now then—go to asleep."
A strange ripple spread outward from its mouth, an invisible wave surging straight toward Yuko's face.
Yuko paused mid-step. Her body merely swayed slightly before she continued forward.
"How is this possible?"
The hand gaped in disbelief, unable to comprehend why its Blood Demon Art had failed.
"Go to asleep!"
It retreated as waves continued to radiate from its mouth.
"Go to asleep!"
Wave after wave crashed against Yuko's mind, yet she didn't slow down even a single step.
Shing—
The sound of a blade sliding along the inside of its scabbard rang through the carriage like a death knell.
"Damn it!" the hand shouted in frustration.
"You! Stop her!"
"If you don't, I won't let you have good dreams anymore!"
At those words, the children—who had stepped back in fear as Yuko slowly drew her blade—gritted their teeth and rushed forward, trying to tackle her to the ground.
Their strength was clearly insufficient.
Even so, they clenched their teeth, forced down their fear, and grabbed onto Yuko, blocking her in the aisle.
They're being controlled?
Yuko scanned them, only to find their eyes clear and lucid, without a trace of confusion or dullness.
These children were fully conscious.
Combined with what the demon had just said, Yuko quickly pieced together the situation.
She casually knocked out the conductor who rushed up from behind, her expression tightening.
"Idiots! No matter how beautiful a dream is, it's still fake. People have to face reality."
A little girl looked up at her with tears in her eyes and shouted,
"What do you know?!"
"How could someone like you ever understand our pain?!"
This won't work. I can't reason with them.
Yuko's brows knit tightly as she looked up at the hand ahead, her pupils contracting slightly.
Taking advantage of Yuko being held back, the hand had somehow leapt high into the air.
It was right in front of her.
The mouth on the back of the hand opened wide.
"Blood Demon Art: Whispers of Ordained Unconscious Mesmerism!"
"Go to asleep!"
A wave several times stronger than before exploded outward, shaking the air itself as it surged toward Yuko's face.
Yuko's clear eyes instantly went unfocused. The powerful impact even forced her head slightly backward.
Seeing Yuko's stiffened body, the hand landed on a nearby table.
"Well now… what terrifying mental strength."
"To be able to resist…"
"Ah!"
The children clinging to Yuko suddenly cried out in shock.
Yuko shoved them away with her left hand, while her right hand raised the Nichirin Blade high overhead.
"Impossible!"
The hand gaped, utterly unable to understand what was happening.
Yuko had no intention of wasting time on a mere clone. Like a streak of black light, her pitch-black blade slashed down toward the hand.
Just as the blade came within inches—about to split it in two—a childish voice sounded behind her without any warning at all.
"Wait, Yuko!"
Who?!
Yuko's heart suddenly tightened, her pulse spiking.
At the same time, a faint pulling force tugged at her from behind. She instinctively turned her head.
Her crimson eyes shrank sharply as her entire body froze in place.
A child dressed in black-and-white training clothes stood in the train aisle, frowning slightly as he tugged at the hem of her clothing.
Forgotten memories burst forth like a spring.
Michi… katsu…
Had she been hit? When?
In a daze, the brightly lit carriage vanished in an instant. Only the child before her emitted a faint glow as the surroundings twisted and warped.
At some point, her line of sight had lowered to the child's level.
At some point, the crisp chirping of birds reached her ears.
Yuko came back to her senses and looked around—she was now standing in a wide courtyard.
Michikatsu, still a child, patted her on the shoulder.
"Yuko, what are you spacing out for?"
"Yoriichi is ready," he said, pointing behind her.
Yoriichi?
Yuko turned around to see a child with a strange mark on his forehead, standing opposite her with a bamboo sword in hand.
When he saw her look over, a small smile curved his lips.
"Yuko, be careful. I'm coming."
Before Yuko could make sense of the situation, Yoriichi rushed at her with the bamboo sword.
Instinctively, Yuko swung her own bamboo sword to block. The swords touched and separated instantly as Yoriichi twisted his body, changing his angle of attack.
Yuko stepped back half a pace, pressed down with her wrist, and in a single motion knocked Yoriichi's bamboo sword flying.
Yoriichi rubbed his wrist and smiled.
"Yuko, you're amazing."
Michikatsu hurried over from behind and patted her shoulder.
"Of course she is. Yuko is our little sister."
"So amazing, Yuko. You defeated me—and even Yoriichi couldn't beat you."
Yuko's expression turned complicated.
This is… my dream?
Seeing the two of them again filled Yuko with complex emotions. Of course, what she couldn't deny was that she felt more happiness than anything else at seeing them again.
Even Michikatsu—who would later become a demon—elicited not a shred of hatred from her heart at this moment.
But…
What is this nonsense?
Yoriichi had been incredibly fast—faster than adults who had trained in martial arts for years. Back then, she would never have been able to defeat him.
Yet just now, she had beaten him with ease.
And Michikatsu would never have been so magnanimous as to praise her like that.
He would've turned sour with jealousy.
Most importantly—who the hell is slandering her?
She never had any obsession with competing or proving herself, okay?
This dream made it seem like she desperately wanted to punch Yoriichi and kick Michikatsu.
Is that reasonable?
It's pure slander!
At the end of the day, this wasn't even a dream she wanted to have.
Yuko's expression darkened further and further…
Suddenly, a gentle voice rang out.
"Everyone, come over and have something to eat."
Yuko stiffened, her breathing quickening slightly as she turned her head rigidly.
A woman dressed in an elegant kimono sat at the edge of the corridor, smiling at them.
Yuko's crimson dual pupils slowly merged.
"Akeno…"
Michikatsu flicked her forehead affectionately.
"Idiot. You should call her Mother."
---
Currently at chapter 519 for advance chapters
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