Jiang Yu gritted his teeth, veins bulging on his forehead. He poured every bit of his magic into the Kiyotaki Sword without holding back.
Blazing cyan light erupted from the blade. A tidal wave of blue exploded outward from him, forming a flowing blue domain.
Countless water blades swirled within it, wrapped in fierce magic, shooting toward Shi Jin like a storm.
Shi Jin stood at the center of his dark golden barrier, both hands wrapped around the Yama Sword.
The blade hummed, drinking in magic until its dark golden glow turned almost solid.
His swings held no fancy moves. Every dark golden torrent he unleashed smashed precisely into the incoming water blades, thunderous roars splitting the air.
The two domains clashed and crushed against each other. Space between them twisted violently. The air sizzled. The ground split with fine cracks.
The cherry trees of Floating Sakura Island shook wildly from the aftershock. Petals fell like snow — yet the moment they touched the domain edges, they were either shredded by the cyan tide or burned to ash by dark golden magic.
Jiang Yu's breath grew ragged. The glow of his blue domain flickered. Sustaining it at full power was draining him terribly.
But Shi Jin's golden pupils still blazed brightly. Only the back of his sword hand showed faint veins —
in this battle of magic and domain, neither had room to retreat.
Jiang Yu suddenly roared. The water blades in his domain converged into one giant sword of water, carrying world-ending momentum, slashing at Shi Jin.
Shi Jin's eyes sharpened. The dark golden magic on the Yama Sword exploded upward, forming an equally massive blade light to meet it.
The instant before the two forces collided —
a pink sword qi suddenly sliced in from the side, striking perfectly between the water sword and blade light.
Crack!
The twisted space split open.
The dark golden blade and cyan water sword shattered at the same time, dissolving into scattered light.
Both domains receded like tide.
Jiang Na dropped to one knee, exhausted. The Crimson Fall Sword stabbed deep into the earth, holding up her swaying body.
Another trickle of blood spilled from her lips. She was at her limit.
Shi Jin exhaled roughly. The golden light in his pupils faded gradually.
He looked at the kneeling Jiang Na, his eyes completely cold.
His grip on the Yama Sword tightened. The dark golden blade glinted threateningly.
He took one step toward her.
Jiang Yu staggered back two steps. The Kiyotaki Sword slammed into the ground, barely holding him up.
When he saw Shi Jin move, a hoarse scream tore from his throat:
"Don't touch her!"
His voice cracked, raw fear seeping through.
He knew he couldn't stop Shi Jin now. He could only stare at the Yama Sword, veins popping on his hand, desperate to lunge — yet he could barely stand.
Jiang Na watched Shi Jin draw closer. Tears streamed down her face.
No hope remained in her voice, only endless helplessness and sorrow.
"Shi Jin… do you remember?
One day ago, we played under the old cherry tree.
You said you'd been to Floating Sakura Island a long time ago… wearing pink clothes.
I laughed and said the color was too bright…
I still want to see next year's cherry blossoms.
I still want to gather them to make cakes…
Do I… have a chance?"
Shi Jin's steps abruptly froze.
His fingers around the Yama Sword loosened unconsciously.
The dark golden magic condensed on the blade weakened, like a deflating balloon.
But he quickly tightened his grip again. No hesitation. He continued walking toward her.
The wind stopped.
Falling cherry blossoms hung suspended in the air, frozen.
The cold light of the Yama Sword swept over the ground, covering the faint pink glow of the Crimson Fall Sword.
Even the air seemed to solidify.
Jiang Yu pushed off the Kiyotaki Sword, using his last strength to stand.
A faint click came from his knee. His body swayed — but he planted himself firmly in front of Jiang Na.
Blood oozed from his lips. His breath came in ragged gasps.
Yet he held the Kiyotaki Sword straight and level.
Its cyan glow was faint, but it stood as an unyielding line of defense.
He stared deathly at Shi Jin, voice hoarse but desperate and firm:
"Touch her, and you'll have to go through me first."
Shi Jin stopped in front of him.
The Yama Sword whipped up with a sharp wind and crashed directly onto the Kiyotaki Sword.
Clang!
A brutal force jolted up Jiang Yu's arm.
The Kiyotaki Sword was blasted from his grasp, clattering to the ground.
He stumbled back two steps, then steadied himself immediately, eyes still sharp.
Even empty-handed, he would block her.
But Shi Jin gave him no chance.
His eyes turned icy.
The Yama Sword pierced forward through the gap where the Kiyotaki Sword had been knocked away.
Jiang Yu's pupils exploded wide.
The sharpness in them vanished, leaving only hollow emptiness.
His body swayed. He tried to grab Shi Jin's wrist — but his arm fell limp before he could reach.
He collapsed straight in front of Jiang Na, eyes still wide open.
Even in his last moment, he was guarding the sister behind him.
Shi Jin twisted his wrist, pulled the Yama Sword free, and flicked it lightly.
A few droplets of blood fell to the ground, quickly covered by falling cherry petals.
The air filled with a faint iron tang, mixed with the sweet scent of cherry blossoms — eerily incongruous.
Jiang Na stared at her brother's body at her feet. Her mind went completely blank.
Then a hoarse, piercing scream tore from her throat:
"BROTHER!!"
Despair ripped through the silence of Floating Sakura Island.
She held Jiang Yu's body, trembling violently, tears smashing into his pale face.
Suddenly she snapped her head up.
Blazing hatred burned in her eyes. She locked onto Shi Jin and screamed hoarsely:
"I'LL KILL YOU!"
She lunged for the Crimson Fall Sword, snatched the hilt, and stabbed toward Shi Jin with everything she had.
Shi Jin simply sidestepped, easily dodging the hate-filled strike.
In the next breath, he flipped his wrist.
The Yama Sword pierced again —
straight into Jiang Na's chest.
The Crimson Fall Sword clattered to the ground.
Her body went limp, collapsing into Shi Jin's arms.
Her white clothes quickly stained dark red.
Her gaze began to fade, but she forced herself to look at him. Each breath was a struggle, each word draining her last strength:
"Next… year… Floating Sakura Island's… cherry blossoms…
watch them… for me…
okay…?"
Her hand fell limply.
The light in her eyes vanished completely.
She became weightless, like a cherry petal that had lost all strength.
Shi Jin held her body in silence for a few seconds.
Then he looked down at Jiang Yu's body not far away.
At that moment, a violent wind erupted.
Cherry blossoms whirled wildly, covering them, covering Shi Jin's hand on the Yama Sword.
A sharp twist stabbed his chest.
He quickly suppressed his emotions and sheathed the Yama Sword.
He already knew: artifacts without wielders gradually lost power.
He channeled magic. Dark red light poured from his palm.
The Stone Greatsword appeared in his hand in response.
Shi Jin held the greatsword pointing downward, aiming at the two still-glowing artifacts on the ground:
the Crimson Fall Sword and the Kiyotaki Sword.
In the next instant,
the Crimson Fall Sword dissolved into pink magic shards.
The Kiyotaki Sword dissolved into cyan-blue shards.
As if pulled by an invisible thread, they drifted toward the Stone Greatsword, seeping slowly into the blade.
The greatsword trembled slightly.
On its dark red surface, pink cherry blossom patterns and cyan wave patterns gradually emerged, intertwining with strange, powerful beauty.
Shi Jin felt the blade's pulse.
He retracted his magic.
The Stone Greatsword slowly dissolved into stardust and scattered into the wind.
He knelt down and gently laid Jiang Na's body beside Jiang Yu.
Cherry blossoms covered them both like a soft flower blanket.
Shi Jin stared at them.
The wind still blew. Petals still fell.
All was silent.
Shi Jin turned to leave the shrine.
But his steps paused.
He raised a hand to his chest. His fingertips touched cherry petals stuck to his clothes — half-dried, crumbling at the lightest pinch.
The faint thrum of the Stone Greatsword still lingered there.
The shards of the Crimson Fall Sword and Kiyotaki Sword were finally collected.
Soon, he would be able to reconstruct the complete artifact.
But behind this "prize" lay Jiang Yu and Jiang Na at his feet.
And countless names before them.
He lowered his hand, watching the petal dust blow away in the wind.
A quiet sigh drifted in his heart.
How many lives had he personally ended now?
In ten thousand years, to survive, his blade had drunk too much blood — too many to count.
The scent of cherry blossoms in the wind suddenly turned bitter.
He shook off his thoughts and stepped through the shrine gates.
The moment he exited, dark red magic flowed from his palm, snaking up his shoulders, forming a plain, dusty cloak that wrapped around him.
A few damp cherry petals clung to the edge, swaying with his steps — hiding the faint bloodstains, making him look like an ordinary wandering traveler, drawing no attention as he left the island.
Shi Jin walked toward the port of Floating Sakura Island.
Noon sunlight spilled over the sea, glittering. Fishing boats slowly pulled in their nets.
He found an ocean-going speedboat the Human Federation flag, pulled out a Federation ticket, and handed it to the sailor.
The sailor glanced at his plain cloak, then at the Federation emblem on the ticket. No questions. He turned and started the engine.
The boat cut through the glittering waves.
Floating Sakura Island shrank behind him into a blurry pink dot, finally swallowed by the line where sky and sea met.
Shi Jin leaned against the rail. He pulled something from his cloak pocket:
a candy wrapped in cherry-blossom paper.
The one Jiang Na had pressed into his hand two nights before, saying:
"This is Floating Sakura Island's special cherry candy. It's really sweet."
He unwrapped it and put it in his mouth.
Sweetness spread on his tongue, mixing with the salty sea wind — strangely, painfully sour.
Shi Jin stared at the distant blue ocean.
He remembered Jiang Na's smiling eyes when she handed him the candy.
He remembered her weak, fading voice before she died:
"Watch the cherry blossoms for me."
Another quiet sigh.
How many times had he heard such wishes?
In ten thousand years, too many people had left their regrets and hopes with him.
Cherry blossoms bloomed every year.
But the ones who asked… would never return.
The salty sea wind slapped his face.
He held the wrapper. The cherry pattern on it was exactly the same as the one on Jiang Na's clothes.
As he stared, a gust of wind suddenly snatched the wrapper from his fingers.
It fluttered, then landed on the sea, swept away by the waves, drifting farther from the boat —
like a tiny petal, vanishing into the glittering waves.
Shi Jin stared at where it had disappeared for a long, long time.
Finally, he looked away.
Above him, only endless blue sky and churning waves remained.
Accompanying him into the unknown distance.
He lowered his head and pulled a necklace from his collar:
a translucent dark purple crystal, as if holding flowing stardust, surrounded by tiny metal thorns.
He gently closed his hand around it.
Cold seeped into his palm.
He closed his eyes.
Moments later, he opened them again.
The confusion in his gaze was gone, replaced by quiet certainty.
The direction of his next destination was now clear in his senses.