Chapter 545 Bloodline Suppression
Under the dim night, the clouds gradually thickened, and a light mist enveloped Liudong Temple on the outskirts of the city. The invisible barrier was emitting huge fluctuations in magic power.
In front of the mountain gate of Ryudou Temple, a blue-haired man holding a samurai sword was confronting six people below.
The slightly cold night wind blew through the stone steps and picked up the fallen leaves on the ground.
When it touched the sharp samurai sword, the fallen leaf was quietly split into two halves...
As the fallen leaves fell to the ground, Saber tightened her grip on the sword in her hand and said calmly: "May I ask, which servant are you?"
"I am Assassin..."
Smiling words came from above. The blue-haired man held a samurai sword and said with a smile: "Of course, you can also call me Sasaki Kojiro."
"..."
Saber was slightly stunned when she heard this. She didn't expect that she would learn the other party's real name through a simple inquiry.
Emiya Shirou and Tohsaka Rin behind him were even more stunned, because they knew very well what this name represented.
The legendary swordsman Sasaki Kojiro, an ancient swordsman whose true identity is unknown, is described as the rival, or old enemy, of the famous folk swordsman of the Two-Sword Style - Miyamoto Musashi.
He is able to freely wield the five-foot-long sword called "Wukanzhao" and is one of the synonyms of neon sword skills.
As a legendary figure widely circulated among neon folk, Sasaki Kojiro's reputation in Fuyuki City is no less than that of foreign heroes such as King Arthur. Coupled with the popularity bonus of the main body, his abilities have been greatly enhanced.
"Strength C, durability E, magic power E, luck A, agility...A+!"
Tohsaka Rin's eyes lit up with blue light, and he said in shock: "Are you kidding? This guy's agility is actually better than Lancer's!"
Sasaki Kojiro did not pay attention to Tohsaka Rin's prying eyes, but chuckled and said: "Your Excellency seems to be surprised... No, as far as I know, no matter what era it is, it is normal to state your name before fighting. Let’s do it!”
That's true, but now it's the Holy Grail War!
Hiding your real name and information is the most important thing, right?
The corner of Saber's mouth twitched slightly, and she glanced at the silent Hong A and Lu Bu with a hint of interest on his face. He gritted his teeth, looked at Sasaki Kojiro above and said:
"What you said is absolutely true. Since you took the initiative to give your name, as a knight, I should return the favor. After that, please get out of the way and don't hinder our progress."
As she spoke, Saber said in a serious tone: "My name is——"
"It doesn't matter." Sasaki Kojiro interrupted her words with a chuckle, his right hand gently resting on the handle of the knife, "Since it's a dilemma, forget it. If you want to know the enemy, this knife is enough!"
Before he finished speaking, the long sword rang softly and came out of its sheath.
The swordsman on the stone steps drew out his samurai sword, threw away the purple bamboo scabbard in his hand, then turned the tip of the sword and pointed it at the blond girl in silver armor below.
"So, today's opponent has been determined to be you, right?"
"..."
Saber glanced at Lu Bu, who was holding his arms beside him. Seeing that he had no reaction, she nodded and said, "Yes, I will be your opponent today!"
"very good."
Sasaki Kojiro chuckled, and his figure suddenly disappeared like a gust of wind.
The next moment, the sharp long knife and the invisible sword collided up and down, and hot sparks burst out.
Saber gritted her teeth and suddenly burst out with far stronger power than her opponent, trying to block the katana in front of her.
Sensing Saber's unusual sword response, a trace of disappointment flashed across Sasaki Kojiro's eyes.
He originally thought that as a heroic spirit who came with the rank of swordsman, the girl in front of him would have as superb sword skills as him, but who knew that the other party actually used the crudest sword moves on the battlefield.
Although it is open and closed, and has a wide range of uses, in this samurai duel that moves so close to each other...
"Completely on the level of a third-rate swordsman, right?"
Sasaki Kojiro was extremely disappointed.
After all, shouldn’t we have hope in Western swordsmanship...
While sighing, the katana in the swordsman's hand suddenly shook strangely, deflecting the blade before the opponent's power fully exploded. The sharp tip drew an elegant arc and flashed past the side of the sword, making the handle invisible. The sword struck the air completely.
"……What?!"
Saber's pupils shrank, and her strong fighting consciousness made her stop her strength in time, and raised the invisible sword upwards before it hit the ground.
"Qiang——"
The swords collided, and the katana that was slashing at the girl's neck was bounced away with great force.
Sasaki Kojiro's expression did not change at all. He turned his hands holding the handle of the sword slightly, and turned the blade strangely. Using the power of the opponent's blocking, he slashed diagonally again with an even faster force.
"Qiang! Qiang! Qiang!"
In an instant, the sound of swords clashing echoed fiercely on the stone steps.
Emiya Shirou stared blankly at the two men fighting fiercely above him, then he came back to his senses and murmured to himself in shock: "I... is actually the legendary swordsman, Sasaki Kojiro!!"
"..."
Tohsaka Rin and Tong Shen looked at the guy whose reaction was delayed speechlessly.
Hong A took a step forward and said calmly: "Okay, leave this to Saber, we..."
Before he finished speaking, the two people who were fighting fiercely on the stone steps separated instantly, going up and down, confronting each other.
Sasaki Kojiro held a katana and looked at Saber calmly, while Saber held the invisible sword and frowned, looking like she had a headache.
"Wonderful, really wonderful."
Sasaki Kojiro chuckled and said: "I have been able to cut off your head at least seven times just now, but you are still safe and sound. It seems that Western swordsmanship also has its merits..."
Saber frowned slightly and was about to respond when she suddenly heard heroic laughter coming from behind her.
"Not bad, not bad." Lu Bu strode out, looked at Sasaki Kojiro above and said with a smile, "I thought that in this small place, barbarians would not be able to produce many characters, but I didn't expect that there are actually people who are able to gain access to the swordsmanship!"
"However, blindly pursuing skills is ultimately biased. The road to the future will not be far..."
As he said that, Lu Bu glanced at Saber beside him and said with a faint smile: "Step back, girl, this guy is not the type for you. You should let someone tell him what true majestic sword skills are!"
"..."
Saber frowned tightly, with a hint of anger in her eyes.
Lu Bu raised the corners of his mouth slightly, raised his right hand, and the black and red airflow condensed into a dark eight-sided Han sword in his palm. His whole body was filled with surging fighting spirit. He stood on the stone steps, overlooking the girl and said:
"...Or do you plan to come together?"
Seeing the atmosphere becoming tense, Emiya Shirou quickly shouted: "Saber, it's important to save people!"
Saber fell silent, hesitated, and then lowered the invisible sword in her hand.
Lu Bu glanced at Shirou Emiya with some dissatisfaction, and then turned his attention to Sasaki Kojiro above the stone steps.
"Come on, let me see your strength!"
"..."
Sasaki Kojiro held the handle of the knife with trembling fingers.
From the moment Lu Bu walked out, his eyes had been locked on this tall and heroic young man. His dark blue eyes were full of indescribable excitement, reverence, enthusiasm, and indescribable expectations. .
As the legendary rival of Miyamoto Musashi, Sasaki Kojiro was a figure in Japan's Warring States Period.
In this era, the Central Plains continent across the coast was in the late Ming Dynasty. Various versions of "The Romance of the Three Kingdoms" had become popular all over the country and even spread along the shipping routes to the island countries opposite.
However, due to the classical Chinese language, only the upper class nobles of the island country at that time included the Romance of the Three Kingdoms in their reading lists.
Although Sasaki Kojiro is known as a swordsman in the world, he was actually a son of a wealthy noble family. Naturally, he had read many versions of "The Romance of the Three Kingdoms" at that time.
Therefore, even for a legendary figure like him, Lu Bu is also a legendary existence!
At this moment, hearing Lu Bu's proud words and the contemptuous barbarian name just now, Sasaki Kojiro not only didn't feel angry, but felt it was natural.
This includes both the ancient Celestial Dynasty’s suppression of the bloodline of its vassal states and his stereotype of Lu Bu——
Since he is the unparalleled Lu Bu, he should be so arrogant that he regards the world's heroes as nothing!
Sasaki suppressed the trembling excitement in his heart and slowly said: "Since the general invited me, how dare I disobey!"
Seeing that Lu Bu and Sasaki Kojiro were about to start a battle, Hong A turned to look at everyone and said, "Let's go, I'll leave this place to Rider..."
"Wait a minute!" Lu Bu held the Eight-sided Han Sword, turned his back to everyone, and said with a chuckle, "You guys will stay here for now, let me have a cup of tea, and see how I can behead him!"
Before he finished speaking, Lu Bu stepped forward and slashed with the eight-sided Han sword in the most upright and peaceful way.
A smile appeared on Sasaki Kojiro's face, he held the katana in both hands and faced the Han sword slashed by Lu Bu.
"General, be careful, I am not——"
Before he finished speaking, Sasaki Kojiro's pupils shrank. The trembling power contained in his katana was actually completely dissolved by the eight-sided Han sword in a more subtle way, and then followed the original trajectory without any stagnation. The ground slashed.
"Pfft——"
The Eight-faced Han Sword split the katana's block and left a bloodstain on Sasaki Kojiro's body in the most upright way.
Sasaki Kojiro covered his arms and took two steps back, suddenly raised his head, and looked at Lu Bu in disbelief.
Lu Bu waved the Han sword lightly in his hand, spreading a line of blood on the ground, and said with a faint smile: "If it is a straight-forward killing move on the battlefield, maybe I can fight with someone for a few rounds..."
"But these ghostly tricks of yours are as vulnerable to a certain family as a chicken or a dog!"
"Come on, kid, let a certain family show you what the magnificent sword skills of the Central Plains are!"
Sasaki Kojiro's expression changed, but he soon regained his composure and stared at Lu Bu even more feverishly.
"...I have learned a lesson. If this is the case, then I must be serious - General, be careful!"
Sasaki Kojiro shouted, changed his stance, raised his katana above his head with both hands, and slashed it towards Lu Bu with the force of splitting Huashan.