Chapter 141: Chapter One Hundred And Forty One

Shuna adjusted her breathing slowly while tightening her grip around the hilt of her blade. The one edged blade was shorter than Benimaru’s katana but nearly half as wide as Shion’s massive odachi.

Across from her, Shion rolled her shoulders once before grinning widely. "That was much faster." she admitted.

The training field behind the mansion was mostly empty this early in the morning. Only a few distant guards and servants moved around the edges while the cold breeze passed quietly through the trees surrounding the area.

Shuna didn’t answer immediately. Instead, she lowered herself into stance again. "...Again." she said calmly.

Shion blinked once before laughing loudly. "Seriously? We’ve been at this for almost two hours already."

"...Again."

The smile slowly faded from Shion’s face. Then her expression sharpened slightly. "Alright then."

The instant those words left her mouth, Shuna moved.

Her body shot forward much faster than before while magicules flowed cleanly around her movements. The blade in her hand swung toward Shion’s side with precise timing.

Shion blocked it casually. But her eyes widened slightly afterward, as she had to support the sword with her second hand.

The second strike came immediately after the first.

Then the third.

Shuna’s attacks flowed smoothly now. She was putting everything she had learnt from Hakurou into this dance. Haze Style.

Shion stepped backward while deflecting another slash. "Oi oi..." she muttered. "You’re getting scary."

Shuna’s expression remained calm. But internally... she was frustrated.

Too slow.

Too weak.

Too fragile.

That was all she remembered feeling during the invasion.

She remembered lying there helplessly while Rimuru suffered.

Remembered her subordinates dying beside her.

Remembered becoming nothing more than a burden.

And then afterward... Rimuru had descended into hell itself to bring them back.

That thought still hurt.

Shuna suddenly released a burst of magicules through her blade.

The slash exploded outward.

Shion blocked it directly this time, but the impact still forced her back several steps.

Shuna lowered her blade slowly while catching her breath.

The field became quiet. Then Shion scratched her cheek awkwardly. "You know..." she started carefully. "You don’t gotta push yourself this hard."

"Yes I do." Shuna answered immediately.

There wasn’t even hesitation.

Shion fell silent.

Shuna looked down slightly at her own hands. "...I hated that feeling." she admitted quietly.

"The feeling of being unable to do anything." Her voice remained calm. But Shion still heard the emotion beneath it.

"If Lord Rimuru had arrived even slightly later..." Shuna continued softly. "Everything would have been destroyed."

Shion’s expression darkened slightly. Because she understood that feeling too.

"...Lady Sally defeated me with one attack." Shuna said suddenly. But her face showed no hatred.

Only thoughtfulness.

"She completely overwhelmed me." Shuna admitted. "And honestly..." Her fingers tightened slightly around her sword. "...I’m grateful for it."

Shion stared at her like she’d gone insane. "...Huh?"

Shuna smiled faintly. "She showed me how complacent I’d become." The pink-haired kijin slowly looked toward the sky above Tempest.

"I had somehow convinced myself that support magic was enough. A force of habit from when I was just the ogre princess. Letting, Benimaru, Soei, Hakurou, and you handle most of the violence. I thought it was enough. We’d all gotten stronger, it should have been enough."

"But it wasn’t. And I was so foolish for thinking that. My resolve was so easy to pierce with a single blade."

Her eyes sharpened slightly now. "I want to stand beside him properly. I am Oni now, I have no more excuses."

The quiet conviction in her voice made even Shion straighten slightly.

Then suddenly, "SHUNAAAAAA!"

The pink-haired kijin sighed immediately.

A second later, Benimaru landed nearby with Soei silently appearing behind him moments afterward.

"You’re overtraining again." Benimaru frowned.

"And you’re being noisy again, brother." Shuna replied calmly. "You will not stop me."

Benimaru twitched slightly. Soei looked between them before speaking quietly. "Lord Rimuru was asking about you."

Shuna blinked once. "Me? But I was with him last night. We spoke of my training and how he would assist me."

Benimaru folded his arms. "He’s worried."

That made Shuna pause briefly. "...I see."

"Ah, young master." Hakurou’s voice informed them of his arrival. "And Lady Shuna. It warms my heart to see the both of you training so early."

"Ah, no Hakurou, we were just..." Benimaru began to say but Hakurou’s eyes seemed to smile.

"You two were about to spar yes?" Hakurou’s eye smile grew even further. "Go ahead, and pay no heed to this old man. I would like to see how far young Shuna has come in the past month."

"This old man." Benimaru growled under his breath. "...Why am I suddenly involved in this?"

"Because you are Lady Shuna’s older brother." Hakurou replied smoothly. "Surely you should encourage her growth personally."

"That old man just wants entertainment." Benimaru muttered under his breath.

Hakurou’s smile widened slightly.

Shuna meanwhile calmly returned her blade to stance. "If you are unwilling, brother, I can simply continue training with Shion."

The moment those words left her mouth, Benimaru immediately frowned. "...Oi."

Shion grinned maliciously from the side. "What? Scared your little sister’s gonna surpass you?"

"That’s not happening." The answer came instantly.

Shuna’s eyes narrowed slightly.

Benimaru slowly stepped forward before unsheathing his katana in one smooth motion.

The air shifted immediately.

Unlike Shion’s overwhelming brute force, Benimaru’s presence felt sharp. Refined and violent in a controlled manner.

A general standing at the peak of Tempest’s military. "Just don’t complain afterward." Benimaru warned.

Shuna lowered herself slightly. "I could say the same to you, brother."

Then she vanished.

Benimaru smiled slightly as Shuna suddenly appeared directly beside him far faster than before.

Their blades collided instantly.

CLANG.

A burst of magicules exploded outward from the impact.

Benimaru blocked the strike easily enough, but his expression sharpened immediately afterward.

He suddenly felt very sick. His strength leaving like water leaving a glass cup.

Thin strands of purple holy energy suddenly wrapped around his sword like threads.

"...Oh?" Benimaru muttered.

Hakurou however nodded approvingly.

"Excellent."

Shuna pressed forward again. Mist-like magicules spread across the field while multiple afterimages suddenly appeared around Benimaru from different angles.

Haze Style. Combined with illusion magic.

Benimaru clicked his tongue softly. "...You’re seriously mixing swordsmanship with casting now."

The false images attacked simultaneously.

Benimaru swung and black flames erupted outward violently and erased most of the illusions instantly.

But not all.

The real Shuna suddenly emerged from directly above him. Magic circles unfolded beneath her feet.

"Disintegration."

Benimaru’s eyes widened.

A concentrated beam of holy magic shot downward instantly.

BOOM.

The training ground exploded.

Dust scattered outward violently across the field while nearby guards panicked immediately.

"Why are you trying to kill me, sister?" Benimaru laughed from the top of a nearby tree. He had dodged the attack.

"You should really take this more seriously brother." Shuna pouted. "Here I am trying my hardest to grow stronger, and test myself, and you’re playing around."

Benimaru frowned for a moment. Even though she’d said it with a pout on her face, he could feel the frustration in her voice.

"My apologies, sister. I will take this more seriously from here on out." Then he vanished before his final words had even left his mouth.

The pressure behind the movement alone made the air tremble slightly.

Shuna barely managed to react in time before his blade struck downward toward her shoulder.

CLANG.

She blocked it. But the sheer force behind the attack sent shockwaves across the field.

Shuna’s feet dug deeply into the ground beneath her.

Their blades blurred repeatedly now.

With both fighters using Haze style at such speeds, all everyone could see were dozens of blades clashing thousands of times in different locations every second for several seconds.

Benimaru’s expression slowly sharpened as the exchanges continued. At first, he had intended to simply pressure Shuna enough to satisfy her. But now?

Now he was genuinely focused.

CLANG.

CLANG.

CLANG.

Their blades collided repeatedly while waves of magicules tore across the training grounds.

Shuna twisted beneath one strike before immediately retaliating with three consecutive slashes aimed toward Benimaru’s ribs, shoulder, and neck.

Each strike carried holy energy layered carefully beneath the blade itself.

Not enough to injure him seriously. But enough to disrupt the flow of magicules within his body every single time he blocked.

"...Annoying." Benimaru muttered.

Shuna immediately stepped backward. Magic circles unfolded around her instantly.

Benimaru’s eyes narrowed.

Threads, no, barriers.

Dozens of thin filament shaped barriers spread invisibly through the battlefield like a spiderweb. Now every time he swung his sword, he had to avoid hitting any of the barriers.

Even if he cut through them, it would still affect his strikes and either slow him down or throw him off. He couldn’t even burn them, because they were apparently made with holy magic, making them highly resistant against magicules.

That Shuna was pulling something like this off, multitasking to this degree.

It had to be her unique skill [Analyzer.]

After Rimuru’s evolution to Demon Lord, each and everyone of them had received gifts, many in the form of new skills. Benimaru himself had received his first Unique Skill.

Shuna was continuously studying the flow of Benimaru’s movements, predicting the smallest shifts in muscle tension and magicule circulation.

Combined with illusion magic, holy barriers and Haze Style...

It made her incredibly difficult to fight. But not impossible. Benimaru vanished suddenly. A sonic boom erupted behind Shuna.

Her body twisted immediately on instinct.

CLANG.

The impact nearly shattered the ground beneath her feet.

Shuna grimaced slightly.

Too heavy.

Even while holding back, Benimaru’s physical strength completely surpassed hers.

Benimaru pressed harder now.

His blade blurred downward repeatedly while black flames exploded across each strike.

Shuna’s body moved almost elegantly between the attacks.

She redirected one strike.

Dodged another.

Blocked the third.

Then suddenly, blood splattered lightly across the field.

A large cut appeared across Shuna’s shoulder.

In the past, they would have considered it a serious injury.

Shuna however barely reacted. The wound began healing almost immediately.

Benimaru noticed it instantly. "...Still creepy seeing that." he muttered.

Soul Memory. Or Spiritual Body Reconstruction.

Ever since Rimuru resurrected her afyer his Demon Lord evolution, Shuna’s soul had permanently memorized the state of her body.

As long as her soul remained intact, her body would continuously restore itself to its remembered condition.

A pseudo-immortality.

It was the only reason Benimaru had finally stopped opposing her close combat training so heavily.

Because unlike before... Shuna was no longer fragile.

And her Analyzer skill made spiritual attacks far less effective against her as well.

She was becoming incredibly difficult to kill altogether.

Shuna raised her blade again calmly despite the injury already vanishing. "...Again." she said.

Benimaru stared at her for a moment before suddenly laughing under his breath.

"You really changed after dying once."

"...Yes." Shuna admitted quietly.

"Sir Benimaru, I’ve just received word." Soei suddenly said. "Lady Kaede is on her way to Tempest."

Benimaru raised a brow before turning toward Shion. "Shion, did Lord Rimuru mention anything about this?"

Shion shook her head. "No. He didn’t say anything about Lady Kaede visiting."

Benimaru nodded slowly. "In that case, inform Lord Rimuru immediately. Soei, I’ll go personally to receive Lady Kaede. Is there anything else?"

Soei gave a small nod. "She’s traveling slowly. Most likely to ensure Tempest is aware of her arrival beforehand. She also has an entourage accompanying her."

His eyes narrowed slightly. "Shifu is with them."

Benimaru paused briefly before nodding again. "Understood."

He then turned toward Shuna. "Apologies, sister. We’ll have to continue this another time."

Shuna smiled softly while returning her blade to its sheath. "Of course. There’s no need to worry about me." She adjusted her sleeves calmly. "I’ll go attend to Lord Rimuru instead."

The moment she turned and began walking back toward the mansion, Benimaru instinctively opened his mouth to stop her.

But no words came out.

In the end, he simply sighed quietly.

Hakurou quietly observed him from the side. "Does it still trouble you, young master?" the old swordsman asked after noticing the tension in Benimaru’s clenched fist.

"...It’s barely been a month." Benimaru exhaled slowly before relaxing his hand. "I honestly don’t know what I expected." His gaze shifted toward the distant city walls. "But Lady Kaede showing up now..."

His expression hardened slightly.

There was still a burning anger inside him directed toward the newest Demon Lord and ruler of Dhistav.

Lady Sally.

Logically, Benimaru understood the situation better than most. He knew Sally had intentionally preserved Shuna’s soul. He knew that without that decision, Rimuru’s resurrection would likely have been impossible from the start.

But emotion was not always logical.

The image of Shuna collapsed in front of him still remained burned into his memory.

And every time he remembered it, rage followed immediately afterward.

He feared the day he and Sally would finally stand face to face.

Lady Kaede however complicated things further.

Maple Tree had been one of Tempest’s closest allies almost from the very beginning. Rimuru trusted Kaede deeply.

But Kaede herself was incredibly close to Sally.

And Benimaru could already feel his emotions beginning to cloud his judgment regarding the situation.

What troubled him most however... was Shuna.

He genuinely didn’t know how his sister would react upon seeing someone so closely tied to the person responsible for her death.