Rusty Sister Vortex Slash

"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh..." Tracing a counterclockwise semicircle, the dead iron straight sword seemed caught in a vortex, guided by an invisible hand along an uncanny arc as it slashed toward Shao Xuan's back. A dead iron straight sword could certainly be thrown. Hurled with the force of bodily source energy, the concept was similar to a throwing knife. However, once released, its power diminished compared to being held in hand—growing weaker over distance, dropping in speed, and becoming easier to dodge. Furthermore, in battles between Azure and the Great Spikes, humans rarely if ever possessed the luxury of a single lethal blow. When wielding a dead iron war blade, an ordinary soldier still needed to repeatedly strike the armor-breached spot more than once to inflict sufficient, effective damage—let alone throwing it. Besides, Azure didn't have so many dead iron blades to throw around. As for other cold weapons, bowstrings were an issue; crossbows did not derive their power from the human body; swords were viable, but against Great Spikes, thrusting was of relatively little use; and as for traditional spears and hammers, even the spear shafts had to be forged from dead iron to hold up on the battlefield, which was far too costly and impractical for widespread adoption. And so, over Azure's century-long history, the blade was ultimately chosen as the standard-issue weapon. Of course, a small number of specialized weapons still existed alongside it. For instance, the opening javelin salvos used by a certain dead-iron-rich Nordic nation; or the custom weapons requested by top combatants upon earning merit: spears, extra-long two-handed greatswords, massive cleavers, heavy broadswords... even giant warhammers. "Whoa!" The ensuing gasp in the simulated combat arena came almost entirely from the recruits. What made Han Qingyu's throw on the stage so unusual was its suddenness and stealth: it had been executed in the middle of his inverted-V charge, and the trajectory it was guided along also defied common sense. Right now, that blade was already perilously close to Shao Xuan's back... and what was more, it was a real blade. *But that's Shao Xuan,* the veterans thought. Even if it hit... Well, if it did hit, it would be downright humiliating. *Thank goodness it's Captain Shao,* Qin Guowen thought at the edge of the arena. *Holy crap, thank god I was smart earlier. If I'd gone up there, this hit definitely would've landed... As for Captain Shao, the gap between them is simply too immense. He can crush him purely through the density and control of his source energy.* This was also the first time since stepping onto the stage that Shao Xuan displayed the expression, state of mind, and reflexes of actual combat. *Clang!* This time, gone was his previous leisurely stroll. Shao Xuan twisted his body like lightning, twisting so violently that the air cracked with a sonic pop. Rapidly spinning around while swinging his sword, he knocked the flying blade away at the very last moment. *Clatter, clang.* The iron blade hit the ground, vibrating with a metallic ring. "The trajectory, speed, and power of that thrown blade..." Shao Xuan paused, recalling the strike. *Man, I almost capsized in a drainage ditch.* Exhaling a breath at the thought, he turned back around. Looking at Han Qingyu, he smiled and said, "It would be even better if it made no sound." Han Qingyu: "Yeah." "Shall I teach you?" "Okay... thank you." The two shut off their devices, sheathed their swords, and huddled together to chat right there on the spot. Meanwhile, up in the stands, someone among the spectators suddenly slapped their thigh in regret. "Aw, man, that surprise attack really went to waste... If I were Han Qingyu, I'd keep it hidden and save it for an ambush later." "Hide it?" a veteran with formidable combat prowess spoke up. "No need to hide it, and it wouldn't stay hidden long anyway. Combat techniques dull if you don't use them, and once they dull, they're useless. Combat power is never cultivated by hiding it away... A blade has an edge; it's not meant to be hidden." Schooled out of nowhere over a casual remark, the recruit gave a low "Oh" and shut his mouth, feeling somewhat aggrieved. "And don't go thinking you can defend against this move just because you've seen it," the veteran continued. "Source energy control has never been about fixed moves; it's about the control itself... Right now he can make the blade move like this, but next time he can make it move along an entirely different trajectory... and next time, that blade might not make a sound at all." The recruits nodded. Most of them had taken *Violating Physics* after entering the armor-wearing phase, so they usually didn't question the myriad extraordinary feats that source energy could produce. Only after that veteran sat back down did someone ask in a low voice, "Who was that?" "What, you don't know? That's Lei Guan, captain of Regional Squad 869, which ranked third overall last year... 869 is only a few steps away from being an Eraser squad, and that guy is famous for nurturing newcomers. He treasures talent like his own life... He's probably heartbroken and hurting right now." Just as the veteran finished speaking: "Besides, who knows what else he might be hiding? With that potential, if only he could come to my squad... Sigh." Sure enough, Lei Guan was still pondering it after sitting down, inadvertently muttering out loud. ... Up on the stage, Shao Xuan had finished explaining the basic knack of silent control to Han Qingyu. That was all he could teach; the rest would depend on Han Qingyu's own exploration and mastery. "By the way, within five years, I plan to apply for an assassination mission against Ye Jian..." Shao Xuan abruptly changed the subject. As Captain of the Golden Eraser, he possessed a requisite pride and restraint, and he dared not make casual promises. Shao Xuan could only drop hints, and worried that Han Qingyu wouldn't catch on, he immediately added, "I wonder how much you'll grow in five years." He was hinting that Han Qingyu might take over the Golden Eraser in the future—a naked temptation. Yet at this moment, Han Qingyu's attention was completely captivated by the name "Ye Jian." His expression and eyes filled with bewilderment as he asked, "An A+ killing an S-grade?!" Meeting his gaze, Shao Xuan smiled faintly. "Why not?" The words carried no impassioned fervor, nor any grand defiance of death; it was simply a desire to try, the power to fight for it—something he had always wanted to do, so he would go do it. Han Qingyu stared blankly for a moment without making a sound. "Since he's the shame of the Ninth Army... it's up to us Erasers to wipe it clean." In that moment, an old Eraser spoke to a young Eraser. Han Qingyu couldn't find a reply to that. The conversation over, he gathered his things and began walking down from the stage. He had barely taken two steps down the stairs when he suddenly heard Shao Xuan call out behind him. "By the way, that move just now... the curve... what's it called?" Shao Xuan asked with great interest. Many others were just as intrigued as he was. Once Shao Xuan asked, the entire venue waited together for the answer. Han Qingyu looked back at him. "Rusty Sister Vortex Slash." Without the slightest hint of chuunibyou or embarrassment, he spoke that completely baffling name in a calm, matter-of-fact tone, as casually as if he were talking about beef noodles and roujiamo at the cafeteria. This was certainly not because Han Qingyu was particularly chuuni himself, but because he had already gotten used to it. In that strike just now, the source energy had circulated in the form of a vortex. This vortex control of source energy originated from Shen Yixiu's technique for drawing water to bathe, which she had taught to Han Qingyu before he refined it for combat. During those ten-odd days in the medical station, a certain dense-as-dead-iron guy hadn't spared a single day to look at the pretty nurse big sisters, focusing entirely on practicing this. Once he achieved results and demonstrated it to the others, Wen Jifei had come up with the name on the spot... It sounded a bit odd at first, but after calling it that for a few days, everyone grew accustomed to it. Yet Shao Xuan and the others present had no idea about any of that. Hearing the name *Xiu-mei*, Captain Shao took it as the homophone for a girl's name. "Sister Xiu? A girl?" Captain Shao reasoned it out his own way, and then, smiling teasingly like an ordinary comrade ready to chat about girls, said, "Kid, you don't really know how to sweet-talk girls, do you? Even if it really is vortex manipulation, since you named it after a girl, you can't make it so plain... You have to make it more romantic." "..." "For example, call it Sister Xiu's Dimple Slash... how nice would that be?"