Chapter 84 84: Microflow Swordsmanship

— — — — — — BOOM! As they neared the sunflower fields—technically already within the domain of the 'Flower Master of the Four Seasons'—Veyron leapt off Inukimi's back. A brilliant light flared from his fingertips. With a dazzling visual effect, a magic cannon shot straight toward the field. "...Interesting." In an instant, the sunflowers across several miles, which had been facing the sun moments earlier, all turned their heads toward the incoming blast. Beams of golden light gathered, merging into a blazing crimson-gold cannon of their own. It fired upward, meeting Veyron's attack head-on and dispersing it in an instant. The magic cannon that looked so fearsome just a second ago? It popped like a soap bubble the moment it made contact. Countless glittering fragments of light rained down from the sky, falling like golden snow. Veyron raised his hand and caught one. It radiated a warmth, like standing in sunlight. "You know, maybe you should've started with magic cannons instead of swordsmanship." Holding a parasol, Yuuka Kazami spoke up as he stepped into her sunflower field. She didn't ask how many years Veyron had spent training with the sword before they met. But based on how solid his fundamentals were when they fought or sparred, even if he had natural talent with the blade, the amount of time he'd poured into it must've been enormous—especially for a human. Magic cannons, on the other hand... Yuuka was sure he only began studying them seriously after his second visit to the sunflower fields. And yet, the spell he just fired was already impressive enough to surprise even her. When she noticed Veyron's "greeting" magic shot coming at her, she couldn't even tell what its true nature was at first glance. He had already reached this level of control in such a short time? It made her genuinely curious: if Veyron had chosen to focus on magic cannons instead of swordsmanship from the start... just how blindingly brilliant would his spells be now? "I mean, I wanted to... but it's not like I knew how back then," Veyron replied with a shrug, his hand drifting to the hilt of his Bloodwing Blade. "Besides—who says it's just my energy manipulation that's improved?" "Oh?" As soon as the words left his mouth, the air was filled with the sharp cry of Birds. Even miles away, Inukimi felt an overwhelming wave of pressure and wind crash toward her from the sunflower field, accompanied by that piercing sound. Her body had already reached the physical and spiritual peak of a high-class yokai, yet in that moment, she felt completely frozen in place. --- "...You..." Standing in the middle of the flower field, Yuuka wanted to ask if Veyron had somehow stumbled into a pocket dimension where time flowed differently—and trained there for centuries. "This technique I just used... I call it Microflow." "Want to give it a try?" After giving Yuuka a taste of his new close-combat blade technique through their quick exchange—her parasol versus his blade—Veyron casually pulled out a vial of the T-Virus. "I actually came this time to hand this over. Oh—Inukimi, there's one for you too." Inukimi finally reached the edge of the sunflower field, and from afar, she could see Yuuka and Veyron chatting in the middle. Sensing her presence, Veyron turned and waved her over. Transforming from her towering ten-meter-tall yokai beast form into a much smaller, house-dog-sized version of herself, Inukimi tiptoed up to Veyron's side, her every move radiating a kind of practiced obedience, like a pet trying very hard to behave. "Go ahead and take human form," Veyron said casually. "Now that I think about it, I've never actually seen what you look like after transforming." Inukimi nodded and did as he asked. A soft mist gathered around her, swirling briefly before clearing. When the haze faded, a young woman stood before him. Inukimi's human form had long, silver-white hair that shimmered like snow. Two high ponytails were tied behind her head, and her parted bangs revealed a crescent moon-shaped violet mark in the center of her forehead. Her eyes, once crimson in her beast form, now gleamed golden. Delicate violet markings traced both cheeks, mirroring the moon crest, and a touch of matching eyeshadow gave her an elegant, noble air. "Oooh~" Veyron's eyes drifted to the soft, furry mantle draped around her shoulders. "...Didn't you say once that yokai who reach advanced levels can fully take on a human form?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. He realized the "mantle" she wore was actually her tail. "This is a special ability of western Inu-yokai like me," Inukimi explained, gently stroking the fur. "After transforming, we can use our tail as the core and refine our fur into armor—something like this. It's flexible, can change size, and even provides basic offense and defense." "Not bad." Veyron gave her a quick once-over, clearly pleased. "Human body, human face, human speech that I can actually understand... yeah, I'd say you technically qualify as human now." Inukimi blinked, "...Huh?" --- A moment later— After Veyron explained what the two blue vials in his hand actually were—serums capable of unlocking a hidden potential called the "Gene Lock"—the confused look on her face only deepened. Apparently, just reaching the second stage of this Gene Lock could give someone a twelve-fold increase in strength and more than double their speed. And if someone could push it all the way to the fourth stage...? Their power could explode by a factor of at least a hundred. And that was just the start. Enhanced senses, faster regeneration, boosted vitality and immunity—the side benefits weren't as flashy, but any one of them would be considered an amazing gift on its own. Inukimi could sort of understand Veyron wanting to offer this to the Flower Master of the Four Seasons. Even if she didn't fully grasp their friendship, it was clear the two had a pretty solid bond. But she had not expected to be offered a dose herself. "You don't have to overthink it," Veyron said, gesturing for her to hold out her arm. "The main ingredients are rare, sure—but once I had enough for one dose, making a second one wasn't that much harder. So I just asked Eirin to brew another batch while she was at it." Inukimi hesitated for a second, clearly tempted. In the end, she couldn't resist the lure of unlocking her potential. Quietly, she extended her arm toward Veyron. . . .