Demon Hunter and His Cabin
Chapter 826 - 645: Close Quarters Combat

Chapter 826: Chapter 645: Close Quarters Combat

"Plink."

The courtyard gate creaked open, and Sword Master Cold Crow gazed at Kensumi, who was kneeling on the floorboards of the outer corridor.

"Wait outside." He casually instructed, stepping through the accumulating snow into the silent courtyard.

Kensumi did not rise. He didn’t know how to address the man before him, so he simply lowered his head. "I’m ready now. We can begin at any time."

Then he lifted his head and cast a glance at Yuuki Nao.

"Let her descend the mountain. Leave Hankawa."

"Alright." Sword Master Cold Crow responded without hesitation.

Kensumi’s face broke into a relieved smile. Standing up, he walked to Sword Master Cold Crow’s side.

"What should I do?"

"Won’t you bid her farewell?"

Sword Master Cold Crow queried.

Once he grasped the Black Sword, it would signify that Kensumi would gradually lose himself and become a puppet.

"No need."

Kensumi didn’t look back.

"Everything that needed saying has been said."

"Good."

Yuuki Nao’s cheeks twitched slightly, but she said nothing. Kneeling briefly in silence, she then arose and exited the house.

Her entire body glowed with a pure white radiance. Behind her, a pair of delicate wings took shape, and she transformed into a streak of light, departing the courtyard and soaring into the distance.

From beginning to end, Kensumi’s posture remained unmoving. He pressed his lips together, stubbornly staring at the snow-covered ground beneath his feet.

Sword Master Cold Crow exhaled softly, "You possess greater talent than Meiryu, but your heart lacks ruthlessness."

"You’ve lived your entire life for others, with no goals of your own. Isn’t that lamentable?"

"Only the weak pin their hopes on others. You disappoint me."

Kensumi let out a bitter laugh. "From the moment I came to Hankawa, my fate was sealed. Does it matter whether I have goals or not?"

"Let’s begin."

"The waiting days have been too long."

He said no more, falling into silence.

Sword Master Cold Crow extended his right hand, a slight flick of his index finger setting off a stream of light that sped across the small house nestled at Hankawa Mountain Summit. The beam tore through the doorway, streaked across the sky, and landed in the courtyard.

It was a pitch-black sword.

"Take this sword, then release every part of your mind."

Kensumi reached out his pale hand without a hint of hesitation and gripped the hilt. A chilling sensation spread from his palm, burrowing deep into his soul, devouring him entirely.

The scene before him distorted like ink swimming in water. Kensumi felt his perceptions expand and contract, and amid the chaos, strange visions unfolded before his eyes.

Odd cities, peculiar towers, a looming pressure flickering in and out of view, and a massive, power-filled orb.

A dragon!

Kensumi quickly realized that the sights flashing before him belonged to fragments of Sword Master Cold Crow’s memory. Without his knowledge, the fusion had already begun.

Through this process, more and more visions unfolded. The gigantic orb swelled larger, its brilliance gradually stripped away. Concurrently, the image of Sword Master Cold Crow standing across from him grew hazy.

Before consciousness left him, Kensumi seemed to comprehend something. His eyes settled into serenity, exhaling a long breath.

"So that’s how it is."

"My father."

The cold wind swept through the courtyard, stirring up the layers of snow.

This narrow courtyard, once home to months of tranquility, could no longer reclaim its past warmth. Only a solitary figure remained in the empty yard.

Thin, wielding a sword with one hand.

After what felt like an eternity, a tentative voice rang from outside the courtyard gate.

"Father?"

The entrance creaked open, and a towering figure broke the silence as he stepped inside. His gaze fell on the silhouette standing in the yard.

The young face was shrouded in silence, yet the eyes betrayed an ageless depth unbefitting its years.

Pale fingers slowly tightened, a shimmering light flickered across the Black Sword, and gradually, the contours of the face began to shift subtly.

Though it resembled Kensumi’s visage, from certain angles, it seemed to morph into another appearance entirely.

"You’ve succeeded!" Yatagarasu Akiryu exclaimed joyfully.

That unparalleled entity, Sword Master Cold Crow, had broken free from the shackles of mortality, rising once again.

Yatagarasu Akiryu’s heart surged with exhilaration. He knew his father’s strength well; at his peak, virtually no one could stand against him.

Except for the one at the Shrine...

BOOM!

At that moment, fierce sounds of conflict erupted from the foot of the mountain. Thick, cloying bloodlust began wafting upward.

Though the source remained unseen, the sheer presence of this aura unsettled ordinary cultivators, rendering their powers ineffective.

"What’s happening?"

Yatagarasu Akiryu was startled, but Sword Master Cold Crow remained composed. He inhaled deeply, as though parsing the savage bloodlust concealed within the energy.

A hint of doubt played across Sword Master Cold Crow’s face. "An old friend has arrived."

"Old friend?"

Yatagarasu Akiryu’s muscles tensed. Anyone whom Sword Master Cold Crow would deem an old friend was unquestionably aligned with the Extreme Path.

"Who is it?" Yatagarasu Akiryu wondered, his memories scouring through countless battles witnessed alongside his father, yet producing no match for this ferocious aura.

Sword Master Cold Crow offered no reply. Instead, he hefted his sword and strode outside. Behind him, a shadow of a Black Moon emerged, etched onto his bare back.

Within the Black Moon’s contours, a faint image shimmered.

It was a three-legged crow standing sideways.

Its body was so dark that it seemed to melt into the moonlight, save for its eyes that radiated a chilling white gleam.

Simultaneously, Kensumi’s dark pupils vanished, replaced by a startling, ghastly white.