Chapter 356

The essence of enlightenment is the repetition of forgetfulness and internalization.

It’s not as if a flash of enlightenment suddenly lights up a bulb in your head.

What could be the reason that the word ‘procrastination’ can be forgotten by tomorrow, but the word ‘apple’ can never be forgotten?

It’s because the pure form that the word contains is vividly engraved in the brain.

In Zen Buddhism, they designated it as ‘don-o-jeom-su,’ preaching the importance of temporary enlightenment and repetitive practice.

After listening to the virtues of her ancestors and enduring a month of Spartan training, warm spring finally arrived for Katsuhata Emika.

“Um… since when?”

A flower bloomed from the tip of Emika’s sword.

The pink leaf sprouted after enduring a long winter.

Not sure if it will fly away, or if it will extinguish if grabbed, Emika cautiously brought the sword forward.

Her eyes observing the flickering aura sparkled in the shape of cherry blossoms.

“It’s okay. It won’t disappear that easily.”

I stepped closer and reassured her.

“Is this really my aura?”

When Emika asked with wide eyes, I nodded in response.

“Actually, the signs were there all along. It’s just that today is the day you realized it.”

Just as enlightenment is a continuous process, external manifestation was not clearly distinguished either.

The aura might be visible only to oneself, only to others, or could be felt even if it can’t be seen.

But visual information always brings a strong conviction to humans.

“Finally, you did it. Congratulations.”

“Uugh…! Aaaah! Namya, I did it!”

Emika hugged me tightly and shook me around wildly.

“Okay, I get it, so let me go—”

“Whoa, whoa! Aura! It’s aura! I can bring out my aura now! Master! I did it!”

“Ugh.”

I thought I might get dizzy.

Even the usually stoic Emika seemed unable to contain her joy today.

She dashed outside barefoot to call the Katsuhata School people.

“Ow, ow!”

She felt the pain of stepping on the reflexology path but still couldn’t stop smiling. It must be that good.

“Is that true? You achieved external manifestation?”

“You’re not mistaking it for Namya, are you?”

Before long, people in white uniforms, including seniors, flocked to the training hall.

“Yes! It was definitely my aura! Pink… I saw pink cherry blossom petals with my own eyes!”

Emika answered confidently.

The master was absent due to work, and her teacher Koizumi Yoshihiro entered slowly while leaning on a staff made of cane.

“Don’t think you can fool me like last time or you’ll be in big trouble.”

“I’m serious… please believe me, Master!”

It seemed Emika was misunderstood as having pretended to be ill to avoid my lesson.

I climbed onto an appropriate rock to watch Emika’s demonstration.

“Then I will begin.”

Emika closed her eyes and performed a sword dance.

Connecting heaven and earth with human and sword.

She raised the sword high, nearly touching the sun.

Thin threads flowed out from her aura heart and spread around, gently rippling.

Emika’s aura, blooming for the first time after drawing energy from the sky and nutrients from the earth.

“Wow!”

“Is that cherry blossoms?”

Bright pink aura petals melted upon touching the cold metal.

The silver-white blade gradually became tinted with the colors of spring.

“It feels like I’ve become a celestial being!”

Every martial art of the Katsuhata School has its roots in Taoist thought.

The fact that such immense praise came from the master made Emika smile brightly.

That was when it happened.

“Hmm? The young lady’s sword…?”

The blossoms, unaware of moderation, bloom extravagantly and scatter.

The sword gradually changed from crimson to a bright red rose color.

I observed the scene with interest.

In Emika’s inner world, petals that fall do not become fertilizer.

“Instead, they seem to transform into thermal energy.”

Wooo—

Flame flowers burst forth and flames slowly subsided.

Thus was born a red lightsaber of unknown boundaries.

As the remnants of the aura flickered into embers, the green grass below turned black.

Koizumi Yoshihiro yelled at the atrocious act of environmental destruction.

“Emika, what on earth is going on!”

“Huh? Why are you—whoa, what is this!”

Upon opening her eyes, Emika witnessed the blazing lightsaber, dropping the sword from her hands.

Fortunately, since it was a sword made of aura, it didn’t catch fire, but the lightsaber left a gray soot in its shape.

“That’s strange. I thought a lightsaber should appear, but what’s with the sudden appearance of flower petals?”

After that, Emika tried external manifestation several times, but the result was always the same.

Each time, the cherry blossoms served as the ignition source and perished gloriously in flames.

I waved my hand to call Emika.

“Emika, try pulling an aura sword from your palm. Just imagine stretching out some dough you’re holding in your hand.”

Emika pulled out a red aura with her empty other hand.

It was not just a thread but a sword that had taken shape from the beginning.

“That’s not magic… How could this be aura?”

“Want to try using Adela too? I’ll substitute for the Demon Lord’s horn.”

“Now? Here?”

“It should be shown while everyone is gathered together. What else would your sister go through all this trouble for?”

[Simple Casting: Demon’s Horn]

A pair of blunt dark blue horns sprouted from between Emika’s neatly arranged hair.

“Um, Namya, doing all this is a bit…”

Emika stammered.

In her pristine white uniform, with a red lightsaber in each hand, and even horns of a demon on her head.

She looked like she had just jumped out of a Japanese anime.

Emika quickly drew a magic circle.

Perhaps due to embarrassment, her hand movements were quite hasty as she drew the circuit formula.

[Casting: Adela]

She launched gears at a scarecrow, fixing the target in place.

Vroooom—!

The red lightsaber pierced through the rotating magic circle.

The lethal blade carved into the magic circle consecutively.

As the maki echoed, the magic circle was also dyed red.

[Unique Magic – アデラ]

[10 Attacks]

[Blast]

Kugaku—!

Unique Magic Adela transmits physical shocks in superposition.

But what if the physical shocks stem from the maki?

According to the Clemens Theorem, the wavelength of the maki can be expressed as the product of mana and aura, maintaining the initial characteristics of the aura.

If the aura explodes, the unique magic will explode as well, and if the aura has ultra-low temperature properties, the unique magic will freeze the enemy solid.

“Wow! That’s an unbelievable power.”

Explosions reaching 5000 degrees in equivalent temperature occurred in succession.

The scarecrow, treated with barrier mana, was shattered beyond recognition.

“Hah… Hah…”

Emika was panting.

It wasn’t because it was tiring.

“You seem quite shocked by the power.”

After casting the unique magic, the lightsaber vanished immediately.

Maintaining external manifestation for long was still difficult.

Wiping the cold sweat flowing down, Emika reflected on the experience.

“Together with the sword, it’s swordsmanship, and with swordsmanship, it’s the sword. I think I finally understand what Namya meant by that.”

“Really? What do you think it means?”

“If something like this isn’t swordsmanship, it would be such a waste, and if this isn’t a sword, it would be so disappointing, right?”

With Emika rephrasing that, I raised the corners of my mouth.

“You’re right, Katsuhata Emika.”

—

[Katsuhata School Returns from Training in Korea | Katsuhata Emika Joins National Exchange Team]

[Is the greatest swordsman of ages, Kamiizumi Nobutsuna reincarnated? Katsuhata Emika succeeded in external manifestation of aura.]

[Photo News) Oni族美少女 stole the hearts of fans (+21)]

The people of Japan focused on Emika.

The girl, who had been considered Japan’s greatest prodigy, had faced great frustration on the world stage.

Except for a few trolls, most hoped that Emika would rise like a shōnen manga cliché, overcoming struggles and later repay them significantly.

“Still, why Korea? Has the Katsuhata School abandoned its pride?”

However, the height Emika reached was enough to put an end to numerous controversies.

“So we’ll be able to see a beautiful girl with oni horns in a white uniform wielding a lightsaber from ‘Star Wars’ at Tokyo Stadium next month?”

Just about to curse, they swallowed it back.

With a month left until the national exchange, the Katsuhata School concluded all training and appeared publicly for interviews.

“Our goal is obviously victory. I haven’t thought about anything else. I’ll show you all clearly why Japan is the best in the world at the national exchange.”

Emika’s statement instilled pride in the Japanese who had been mocked by the world.

When asked whom she wanted to compete against most, Emika smiled shyly.

“I’m not sure this year, but I hope to fight Noname at next year’s exchange in Paris, France. I believe everyone who has seen her brilliantly shining talent will share my sentiments.”

Emika’s impromptu shout-out led to thousands of articles being written globally.

The most excited were the Korean netizens.

—

[Let’s meet when we turn 10! The sensational interview of Japan’s genius swordswoman!]

“Look at this kid. Does she really think she can overpower me just because she has a few years on me?”

I watched the news indifferently while combing the hair of Adella, who had just gotten out of the bath.

She swallowed a boiled egg whole, without even cutting it in half.

“Yum, yum. It’s all because this idiot sister of mine hasn’t had her head cracked. Isn’t she going to back out after saying that?”

“Come on, get that tail out of the way. Do you have to keep interrupting with your aura?”

“I’m comfortable this way! I’ve lived my whole life with a tail; wouldn’t it be strange to not have one?”

“Your whole life? You’ve only remembered a few months’ worth.”

“For me, that’s my whole life! And what’s so special about external manifestation? This is such an easy thing.”

Adella began juggling with her tail.

Yeah, what can you do in this unfair world?

“Alright, let’s go now.”

“But that manager, he’s a normal person, right?”

“Oh, he said to wait in front of the underground parking lot. He’ll send a car.”

“Just to be sure, he’s not some creep who gets excited when he sees cat ears or wants to lick a tail or something, right?”

“Why do you ask that?”

“I just want to be sure. That dude’s nickname is strange, no, very strange!”

I hadn’t forgotten my promise with the manager Eborum to let Adella meet in person.

If possible, I hoped he would also reduce the debt by about 50 million won while he was at it.