Vmmm!

With the clear ring of steel, the whole span blazed gold, while countless Sword Aura blades floated like lanterns in a festival sky.

“Myriad Swords Unleashed!”

I moved first. As my Sword Domain unfurled, I packed Sword Aura and fired a high-tier technique.

From earlier strikes, Guanling was speed-born. Waiting meant death. I gripped the reins of this fight.

The hovering blades pivoted in neat order, every tip leveled at Guanling.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

They streaked at her in a meteor storm, all angles at once, leaving not a single gap.

“Wh—at… s—o… m—any… s—words…”

She reacted fast, blood-red claws flashing to parry Myriad Swords Unleashed. Space was tight, so only thousands flew.

Some she swatted away, but the rest landed true, piercing clean.

Seconds passed. When the barrage stopped, she was a bristling hedgehog, swords jutting from every limb.

Pain twisted her pale face. Strange—dead flesh, yet it managed a grimace.

“Haa… this should do, right?”

I let the Sword Domain dissolve and wiped sweat from my brow. Save strength whenever you can.

I haven’t even seen Sakurazuki’s shadow. I can’t waste stamina here.

“Uu… uu… hurts… angry…”

Her voice was always a rasp. In pain, it scoured the air harsher, and spiderweb cracks spread along floor and walls.

I threw up a sheath of Sword Aura, muffling the sound before it burrowed in. Without it, I’d be ringing for hours.

After a moment—

Rip… ssssh…

She stopped keening and started yanking swords from her flesh, one by one. Dark red blood streamed with every pull.

Soon she was drenched scarlet, and a gleaming pool crawled toward my boots. The stink was thick and metallic.

Her presence swelled, colder, more baleful. Instinct screamed not to let this brew.

End her body in one strike.

“Explosive Absolute Sword Array!”

I funneled Sword Aura into the ground. It rose and ringed her, sealing every path of escape.

Dozens of Sword Aura blades bloomed, circling her in a halo. Tips fixed on target—then drove in.

“Ah…!!”

Another scream, raw and ugly. The scene turned R-rated fast, gore painting the air. End it. I might puke.

“Destruction Invisible Sword!”

A colossal, formless blade fell, wide as a shadow with no edge, and the Array’s spears struck in tandem.

Boom!!!

Two techniques slammed the whole second floor. This ruin must be strange timber; it shuddered but didn’t collapse.

A few doors and windows dropped. That was all.

About ten seconds later, the smoke thinned. Guanling was gone, and even the blood had vanished.

Looked like a clean wipe. I scanned again, found nothing off, and finally exhaled.

Tiring. Stamina barely dipped, but my mind felt sandbagged.

I rested fifteen minutes. When a sliver of strength returned, I stood and brushed dust from my pants.

If I linger, who knows what else spawns. Third floor, now.

Tap-tap-tap…

The third floor sprawled wider than the second, with fewer rooms and a suffocating hush.

The lights were dimmer than downstairs, flickering every two or three seconds. Uu… this is creepy.

Zombies on the first and second. So up here… ghosts? Undead?

I joked to myself to keep calm, even though I was alone.

“Correct. The third floor really has ghosts and undead. Also, zombies are spirit-type too. Don’t split them apart.”

A hollow voice came from nowhere, and my heart jumped. Huh? No emotion in it at all.

Could it be…

“Are you Sakurazuki?” I asked, keeping it polite.

“Who knows? Hope you have fun.”

The voice faded. Just like FrostyLily Dream—never giving me a chance to ask more. Annoying.

Forget it. I’ll find Sakurazuki sooner or later. First, check this floor.

Ghosts or undead means no rotting flesh, no corpse-stench. Should be less scary… probably.

I wandered, eyes picking at every corner. If she’s not here, she’s on the fourth.

This wreck only has four floors. No rooftop.

The open halls checked out—nothing weird. Then the rooms; looked like only two or three up here.

Creeeak—

The first door swung, and a wave of dust slapped my face. I coughed, blinking grit.

Dark inside. I shaped a ring of light with Sword Aura and washed the room bright.

Hmm, nothing… Wait.

Something half-transparent hung in front of me. Longish hair, pretty features, eyes rolled white.

White clothes. No feet. Floating in air.

A ghost. Honestly not that scary. Compared to the zombies below, she’s almost cute.

Alright, first room’s normal. On to the second.

I started to close the door when the ghostly beauty pressed a hand against it, eyes wet.

“Please don’t ignore me!”

…

I let go of the door without a word and turned for the next room. She grabbed my shoulder.

“I said, don’t ignore me!”

“I saw nothing. I heard nothing…”

I muttered and tried to keep walking. Couldn’t. Her grip bit deep, strong as iron.

“Don’t ignore me! I’m begging you!”

Her voice softened into pity, and guilt nipped at me. I sighed and said, helpless,

“Could you let go… I’m not great with ghosts…”

“No. I’ve been alone so long. Finally, a cute child wanders in. How could I let you go?

Heh-heh-heh. Be a good boy and become my food.”

“Eh—eh?!”

I whipped around. The pitiful act was gone, fangs bared and claws out.

Damn. She played sweet to drop my guard.