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ArabicHonkai Star Rail: My Chat Group is Full of Broken Timelines — Chapter 36
Chapter 37: Three Strikes to Shatter a Spirit; Grandmaster, I’m One of Your Own!
“Grandmaster! I’m not Great-Uncle! I’m not Jing Yuan! Stop trying to kill me!”
Kazuki’s back slammed hard against a cargo container, the metal surface coated in a thin, slick layer of ice. The dull thud reverberated through the narrow alley, shaking loose a cascade of frost from the container’s walls. The ice shards shattered like fine crystal as they struck his shoulders.
The formation blade in his hand, the Stone Fire Dream Body, emitted a low, resonant hum. A delicate layer of white frost had already crept up from where his weapon met Jingliu’s moonlit longsword, the insidious chill climbing the steel until even the hilt felt like a block of ice.
The web of his thumb was numb from the repeated impacts, and a deep, sour ache radiated up his arm, making his very bones throb in protest. He gritted his teeth, his knuckles white as he clutched the hilt, and stared into Jingliu’s pupils, which were glowing an ever-deepening shade of crimson. A prickling tension crawled up his scalp.
Jingliu’s form was a phantom, as swift and silent as a moonlit shadow gliding across a frozen pond. The flutter of her long sleeves stirred a biting wind that cut to the bone.
In her grasp, the moonlit longsword became a whirlwind of silver arcs, each one carrying a chill that threatened to freeze the marrow. The sound of her blade slicing through the air was a sharp, piercing shriek.
The abandoned cargo containers lining the alley had long been torn to shreds by her sword qi. Twisted metal fragments, mingled with glittering ice crystals, blanketed the ground in a treacherous layer that crunched underfoot, threatening to give way at any moment.
A dazzling golden light erupted from the Stone Fire Dream Body in Kazuki’s hands—the power that Jing Yuan had sealed within the blade was struggling to resist the onslaught. The golden radiance clashed violently with the silver-white sword qi, kicking up waves of concussive force that sent ice shards and metal debris flying in every direction.
But Jingliu’s sword was simply too fast. It was so fast that Kazuki could only react on pure instinct, swinging his own blade to parry without a single moment to consider technique or form.
A blur of sword light grazed his shoulder. The resulting gust of wind instantly flash-froze the fabric of his clothes, the biting cold stinging his skin beneath.
Just as he managed to block a vicious diagonal slash with the back of his blade, the metal floor beneath his feet finally gave way under the pressure of the sword qi. A spiderweb of ice patterns spread out from the soles of his boots, accompanied by a constant, unnerving cracking sound.
He was fighting a desperate, losing battle, his appearance utterly disheveled. Strands of hair, plastered to his forehead by cold sweat, stuck to his cheeks in a cold, itchy mess.
Yet, even amidst the chaos, Kazuki felt a flicker of something strange—Jingliu’s strikes, while seemingly lethal, always seemed to shift their trajectory an inch away from his vital points. It was as if she were deliberately guiding his movements, or perhaps patiently polishing a piece of raw, unrefined jade.
The thought was obliterated in the next second as an even sharper wave of sword qi struck. The golden barrier around his blade trembled violently, and Kazuki was sent staggering back. His lower back collided with the sharp corner of a protruding container, making him grimace in pain and nearly lose his grip on his weapon.
‘Is she really succumbing to the Mara, or is she just messing with me?’Kazuki’s mind raced, his chest tight with a frustrated, fiery anxiety. Just then, out of the corner of his eye, he spotted the Jade Abacus hanging at his waist.’Desperate times call for desperate measures!’
A spark of inspiration lit up in Kazuki’s eyes. His left hand shot to his waist, his fingers fumbling urgently with the Jade Abacus. While channeling his internal energy to push the power of the Stone Fire Dream Body to its absolute limit, he found what he was looking for.
“Lightning Lord!” he growled, his voice raspy with exertion.
In an instant, a blinding golden light erupted from the blade, coalescing behind him into a towering, golden-armored Might-Spirit that stood several meters tall. Clad in resplendent armor and wielding a colossal formation blade, it was the manifestation of Jing Yuan’s authority as one of the Seven Arbiter-Generals of the Xianzhou Alliance—the Lord-at-Arms of the Shenxiao Thunder Mansion, Director-General of Thunder and Lightning, Chaser of Demons and Sweeper of Vices.
The moment the Might-Spirit appeared, golden lightning crackled and swirled around its form. A low, rumbling thunder echoed through the alley, making the very air vibrate with oppressive heat.
Although Kazuki’s version was a mere imitation, borrowing Jing Yuan’s power, it was more than enough to buy him the time he desperately needed.
Jingliu’s gaze fell upon the golden avatar. A flicker of some complex, unreadable emotion crossed her face, yet she showed no sign of retreating.
With a flick of her wrist, the frost condensed on her moonlit longsword scattered into a shower of cold stars. She pushed off the ground, her body launching toward the Might-Spirit like an arrow loosed from a bow, her sword light pouring down like a torrential waterfall.
“CLANG—!”
The Might-Spirit swung its massive blade to parry. Golden lightning collided with silver-white sword qi, erupting in a blinding flash that bleached the alley of all color.
A deafening roar followed, and the resulting shockwave threw Kazuki back several steps. He braced himself against a container, his eyes fixed on the scene. The Might-Spirit’s lightning-wreathed blade had firmly blocked Jingliu’s longsword. Golden electricity and silver frost intertwined, creating a fantastical, shimmering wall of light in mid-air.
Jingliu’s assault was ferocious, but for the moment, she couldn’t break through the Might-Spirit’s defense. This brief respite was the exact opportunity Kazuki had been waiting for.
He hurriedly fumbled with the Jade Abacus, his fingertips sliding over holographic file names until he finally landed on one labeled “Bailu.” “Found it!” Overjoyed, he slammed the projection button.
“Grandmaster, look who this is!” Kazuki shouted.
The Jade Abacus’s holographic projector activated instantly. A soft beam of light cast an image onto the flat side of a nearby container, clearly displaying a video of Bailu chasing her own tail in circles.
In the footage, the little Vidyadhara girl ran like a clumsy, energetic kitten, spinning until she grew dizzy and wobbled on her feet. Finally, she stopped, huffed with her hands on her hips, and stomped her foot at her own misbehaving tail, her aggrieved yet adorable expression radiating innocent vitality.
Almost the instant the image appeared, Jingliu’s movements came to a dead stop.
Her moonlit longsword hung suspended in mid-air. Her gaze was completely fixed on the projection. The crimson glow in her eyes faded at a visible rate, the red receding like a dying ember, as if some long-forgotten heartstring had been gently plucked.
The sword had stopped.
In that fleeting gap, Kazuki lunged for the ground, snatching the black gauze blindfold Jingliu had discarded earlier. He scrambled past the Might-Spirit’s colossal form and rushed toward her. His movements weren’t graceful—they were clumsy, bordering on frantic—but they carried the unyielding desperation of someone who had burned all their bridges.
“Grandmaster, excuse my rudeness!”
Before Jingliu could fully process the situation, Kazuki was in front of her. He raised his hands and firmly, but gently, tied the black gauze over her eyes.
The soft fabric blocked her vision, carrying a familiar, cold fragrance. Like a gentle barrier, it completely isolated her from the surging malevolence that had consumed her.
Jingliu’s attacks ceased entirely.
Her hand, still holding the sword, slowly lowered. The blade dissolved into motes of starlight, vanishing into the air.
After a long moment of stillness, she raised a hand to untie the black gauze. When she lowered it, her eyes had regained their former clarity. Her ruby-like pupils reflected the video still playing on the container wall, where Bailu was now squatting on the ground, curiously poking the fluffy tip of her tail with a finger, looking impossibly endearing.
“You… are quite good,” Jingliu said, turning to look at the panting, exhausted Kazuki. Her tone was laced with a trace of almost imperceptible praise. “Better than your Great-Uncle was, back in his day.”
Kazuki was stunned for a moment. Before he could formulate a response, he saw Jingliu’s gaze fall back to the video. Her voice softened considerably, tinged with a cautious, hesitant inquiry. “How… has she been lately?”
“Bailu… she’s doing alright,” Kazuki managed between breaths. “But if you, Grandmaster, used the effort you spent trying to slice me up on those Dragon-Master geezers instead, she’d probably be doing even better. They keep her cooped up and grounded a lot, but Great-Uncle looks after her. He sneaks her out for treats all the time.”
“I see…” Jingliu nodded slowly. It was unclear what, exactly, she was agreeing to—whether she was acknowledging Jing Yuan’s quiet care, or perhaps mentally plotting the assassination of the Dragon Masters.
Just then, the rhythmic sound of armored footsteps echoed from the end of the alley, mixed with the shouts of Cloud Knights. “Who is in there? Respond if you can hear us!”
Clearly, the commotion from their battle had been too loud to ignore, alerting the patrols in the settlement.
Jingliu’s gaze sharpened instantly. Her seclusion here could not be discovered.
“The fight just now has likely drawn attention,” she said, her tone reverting to its usual cold detachment as she glanced at Kazuki. “You have connections. Handle it yourself. I’m leaving.”
Before she even finished speaking, her figure dissolved into a faint stream of light, melting into the deep shadows of the alley and vanishing without a trace, leaving only a lingering hint of cold fragrance in her wake.
Kazuki didn’t even have time to react before the figures of several Cloud Knights appeared at the alley entrance.
The leading lieutenant took one look at him, then at the frost-covered ground, the shattered containers, and the still-glowing Stone Fire Dream Body in his hand. The officer’s brow furrowed in suspicion. “Who was fighting here?”
Kazuki looked from the lieutenant’s wary gaze to the now-empty depths of the alley. He sighed in helpless defeat, voluntarily raising his hands in a gesture of surrender. He forced a smile that looked more like a grimace.
“Um… Officer, I can explain. It’s not what you think…”
Inside, however, he was wailing. ‘Grandmaster, oh Grandmaster, you just up and leave me to clean up this mess? I can’t exactly tell them I was having a friendly spar with the legendary Sword Champion from eight hundred years ago, can I? How in the world am I supposed to spin this lie?!’