The apocalypse is coming, but thankfully I have a harem of paper dolls.

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"Watch my movements."

The words had barely left her lips when she slashed downwards with a sudden, sharp movement. The blade sliced ​​through the air with a whistling sound. A lightning-fast flash of light descended from above her head to her waist, the movement executed flawlessly, without the slightest hesitation. The instant the blade stopped, her figure remained as still as a rock, as if she had never moved.

Luo Jiajun stood still, his gaze intense.

The moment Akiyama Rinko demonstrated, countless images seemed to flash through his mind—every subtle movement of the girl, from the force exerted by her toes to the rotation of her wrists, even the rhythm of her breathing, was as if she had demonstrated it to Luo Jiajun hundreds of times, deeply imprinted in Luo Jiajun's memory.

And it wasn't just a matter of seemingly having "seen" it hundreds of times. Correspondingly, Luo Jiajun had gained many insights, as if he had pondered this simple vertical chop movement hundreds of times!

Such an exaggerated learning ability secretly startled Luo Jiajun himself.

The Bible of Kendo—it seems to be far more powerful than he imagined!

Then, Luo Jiajun took a deep breath, drew his half-sword, and stood in a stance mimicking Akiyama Rinko's. He closed his eyes, replaying the scene in his mind—every detail of the girl's movements as she wielded the sword was so clear, so profound.

When Luo Jiajun opened his eyes, his gaze had become focused and sharp. He slowly raised the sword in his hand, his movements mirroring those of Akiyama Rinko perfectly. Then, he brought the sword down with a fierce slash!

"Shh-!"

The sound of the sword cutting through the air was almost identical to that of Akiyama Rinko just now. Although it was his first time "practicing" and there were differences in their physical conditions, Luo Jiajun's movements were not exactly the same as Akiyama Rinko's, but overall, his movements were so smooth that they did not seem like those of a beginner at all, as if he had practiced hundreds of times.

This caused Akiyama Rinko's eyes to widen, a hint of surprise flashing across her face.

She paused for a moment before slowly saying to Luo Jiajun, "Your movements... are very standard."

Luo Jiajun sheathed his sword and laughed, "Perhaps it's because I have a special talent."

As he spoke, Luo Jiajun raised his sword again, concentrated, and slashed vertically once more.

"call--!"

This time, the sound of the blade cutting through the air was even more piercing. From the movement of swinging the sword to the details of exerting force, Luo Jiajun was more skilled than before. He achieved a score of 90 points for the first vertical slash with just two strikes, and the second one soared to 99 points.

Rinko Akiyama stared intently at Jiajun Luo, wanting to ask him if he had truly never practiced swordsmanship. However, as his subordinate, she didn't want to question him, so she remained silent.

Luo Jiajun was secretly amazed by his own incredible learning speed. He truly hadn't expected that just one viewing and one practice session would be enough for his vertical split to reach a level that even Akiyama Rinko deeply appreciated.

This is not something that can be achieved through normal practice a hundred times. In fact, to perfect a basic swordsmanship move, a hundred repetitions are merely a drop in the ocean. Therefore, the "Kendo Bible" ability does not mean that Luo Jiajun's one practice is equivalent to someone else's one hundred.

For example, when a normal person practices a movement, it might be just a repetitive exercise at the level of muscle memory, even if they do it a hundred times. Even if they gain some insight, it's usually just a partial understanding.

Luo Jiajun's practice sessions consist of a hundred muscle memory sessions, plus a hundred comprehensive practice experiences encompassing details of force exertion, movement, sword grip, and even breathing rhythm!

This is the epitome of a world of difference.

"Rinko? Why are you spacing out? Come on, continue teaching me the other moves." Soon, Luo Jiajun called out to Akiyama Rinko, who had fallen silent.

“…Yes.” Rinko Akiyama nodded with a complicated expression.

He then taught Luo Jiajun basic sword techniques such as thrusting, picking, stirring, flicking, and slicing.

Time flew by, swords flashed on the rooftop, and the two figures crossed paths in the wind.

Rinko Akiyama taught Luo Jiajun various basic sword techniques one by one. No matter what kind of basic sword technique it was, Luo Jiajun was able to perfectly replicate her already quite standard movements after only one or two tries, and even be more precise than her in some details.

“It’s incredible…” Rinko Akiyama sheathed her sword, her peach-colored eyes sparkling with amazement. “Your movements are like those of a swordsman who has honed his skills for decades, without a single flaw.”

Luo Jiajun wiped the sweat from his forehead and said half-jokingly, "That's how we geniuses are."

Rinko Akiyama shook her head and said seriously, "No, this can't be explained by talent. No one can achieve such perfection as a beginner who only scratches the surface of each movement."

The underlying meaning of this statement is that Luo Jiajun is by no means a beginner.

Luo Jiajun smiled and shook his head. He didn't argue with Akiyama Rinko about whether he was a beginner or not. Instead, he said to Akiyama Rinko with great interest, "It's no fun to just practice without fighting. How about we have a spar?"

As a swordswoman, Akiyama Rinko was naturally interested in Luo Jiajun's suggestion. However, her subconscious reaction was actually that Luo Jiajun was far too weak compared to her, and sparring would be meaningless.

Despite Luo Jiajun's precise and perfect swordplay, Akiyama Rinko, as an anti-demon ninja, possessed physical abilities far exceeding those of ordinary people. Not to mention, she also possessed spatial superpowers, or perhaps it should be called "space escape techniques."

If she wanted, she could use her physical speed or spatial jump ability to appear behind Luo Jiajun in an instant and kill him before he could react.

However, upon further reflection, she realized that she could suppress her power and not use any special abilities, simply competing with Luo Jiajun in swordsmanship.

Therefore, after a moment's thought, "Demon Slayer Ninja," who was quite confident in his swordsmanship, nodded slightly and said to Luo Jiajun:

"Then, please guide me!"

----------

"Qiang!"

The crisp sound of metal clashing echoed across the rooftop.

Rinko Akiyama moved with lightning speed, her katana drawing a graceful arc as she aimed straight for Luo Jiajun's waist and abdomen. However, Luo Jiajun merely shifted his body slightly, his blade angled, precisely blocking her attack and even using the force to push her back half a step.

"A beautiful counterattack," Rinko Akiyama praised, her fighting spirit growing even stronger.

She quickly swung her sword again, the blade flashing like snow, turning into countless afterimages, attacking Luo Jiajun from all angles.

Faced with this dazzling and overwhelming barrage of attacks, Mei You thought I didn't Lin Kongmei didn't think...

Luo Jiajun's eyes, however, remained unusually calm.

His swordplay consisted of no fancy moves, only the most basic parries, thrusts, and horizontal slashes. Yet, each move perfectly intercepted Akiyama Rinko's attacks, as if he had already seen through all her movements.

"Clang! Clang! Clang—!"

The sounds of metal clashing mingled together as the two clashed at high speed on the rooftop, their swords flashing and evenly matched!

Rinko Akiyama grew increasingly alarmed as the battle progressed.

No matter how many ingenious changes she made in battle, Luo Jiajun could always break through her attacks with the simplest moves. Luo Jiajun's movements seemed extremely simple, yet he always managed to precisely target the weak points in her moves. So, in fact, it was Luo Jiajun who forced her to constantly change her moves in response.

And so, the two went back and forth, one with all sorts of tricks, the other simple and unpretentious.

After dozens more moves, Luo Jiajun finally took a few steps back, panting, and raised his hand to signal a pause.

"Huff...huff...I'm not playing anymore, I give up."

He shook his head with a wry smile and said to Rinko Akiyama, "Your stamina is outrageous; you don't even have to breathe properly."

Rinko Akiyama sheathed her sword and stood there, her chest rising and falling slightly, not from exhaustion, but from shock.

She gazed at Luo Jiajun and slowly shook her head: "No, I was the one who lost, because in terms of swordsmanship alone... in a sense, you have reached a higher level than me."

"Huh?" Luo Jiajun was taken aback.

"Your sword has no superfluous movements; every move is like the 'optimal solution'."

Rinko Akiyama said earnestly, "In the battle just now, although my swordsmanship was varied, your approach... showed me another possibility."

She paused, a glimmer of understanding flashing in her eyes.

"Perhaps, the true way of the sword lies not in fancy techniques, but in the most basic 'perfection'."

"Oh? What do you mean by that?"

At this moment, Luo Jiajun also became interested and wanted to hear what insights Akiyama Rinko had.

When their eyes met, Akiyama Rinko rarely smiled and exclaimed:

"Honestly, your sword is so perfect it's practically a 'bible'!"

"Not only are all the moves clean and crisp, but there are also no superfluous habitual movements."

"Moreover, he can always achieve the greatest effect with the least amount of effort. No matter how fancy the moves are, he can always use only basic sword techniques in actual combat to achieve a textbook-perfect response, just like 'armchair strategist'."

"Rinko, I've learned a lot!"

Having said that, the Demon Ninja, who had always been confident in his swordsmanship, actually bowed his head deeply to Luo Jiajun from the bottom of his heart.

This made Luo Jiajun feel like he was dreaming—it wasn't that he was naive, it was just that Akiyama Rinko's evaluation was too high! She was practically praising him to the heavens!

"Ahem, actually I'm not as good as you make me out to be, Rinko. If you hadn't held back, I'm afraid I would have lost to you long ago." Luo Jiajun smiled and stepped forward to support Akiyama Rinko's arms, speaking modestly.

As their bodies touched, Akiyama Rinko looked up and saw a bead of sweat slide down the boy's handsome nose. A strange flutter suddenly gripped her heart, like an ancient bell that had been silent for many years being suddenly struck. The contract she had accepted since childhood had sealed away such emotions for too long, so long that she had never even known what this so-called flutter was like.

But at this moment, looking at the young man before her whose swordsmanship impressed her and whose smile was as warm as the spring sun, she couldn't calm the pounding in her chest.

"You...you're too modest." The girl hurriedly turned her face away, her fallen hair covering her burning ears. "We were just having a swordsmanship contest. In that respect, I was indeed inferior. I need to learn more from you in the future."

Seeing that Akiyama Rinko suddenly became shy and overly concerned about hierarchy.

Luo Jiajun shook his head and smiled. His hands, which had been resting lightly on her forearm, quickly changed to taking one of her hands and gently holding it.

"Rinko, I'm really happy that you're willing to practice swordsmanship and spar with me, but I don't like what you just said."

Luo Jiajun leaned forward, staring intently at the girl's profile and evasive eyes, and said gently, "From now on, don't use 'you' anymore, and don't act like a subordinate. We're about the same age, maybe I'm a few years older than you, but we should be companions and friends."

As he spoke, smelling the scent of the girl's sweat and looking at her delicate and flawless face, Luo Jiajun boldly reached out and gently stroked her cheek.

"Ah!" the girl gasped softly, then retreated like a startled kitten. "My lord... no, Xiao Luo, I..."

Seeing that the girl wasn't angry about his actions, Luo Jiajun knew it was time to strike while the iron was hot. So he stepped forward and took the girl's soft hand again, saying gently, "Alright, Rin, do we really have to be so distant?"

"No, Xiao Luo, I..."

"If that's not the case, then what are you still hesitating about?"

As he spoke, Luo Jiajun reached out and helped Akiyama Rinko tidy up her hair, which had become messy after their earlier sparring session.

"Mmm..." The girl unconsciously twisted her body, her heart pounding so hard it felt like it was about to burst out of her throat.

This feeling, so unfamiliar to her, was so strange that it made her very uncomfortable, yet she didn't find it repulsive; in fact, she felt inexplicably...excited.

"Oh, right, there's one more thing I must tell Rinko."

Luo Jiajun smiled, speaking completely and sincerely to the girl:

"Rinko, you are so beautiful."

"Ah! I..." Akiyama Rinko involuntarily stepped back again, her pretty face completely flushed with embarrassment. At this moment, her lips moved slightly, as if she wanted to say something, but she didn't know how to respond to Luo Jiajun, so she could only nervously clutch the hem of her skirt.

In fact, she had been praised for her beauty quite a bit. From childhood to adulthood, whether in her clan or at the Five Carts Academy, which specialized in training demon ninjas, she had countless admirers. But those praises and adulations were like the wind blowing across a stone statue, never stirring even the slightest ripple in her heart.

Because she was completely indifferent to any man, she couldn't even understand why love could exist between men and women; she was practically frigid, cold to the extreme. But now, facing Luo Jiajun, she seemed to have rediscovered some lost, sealed-away emotions; her long-cold and dormant heart was regaining its warmth.

At this moment, Rinko Akiyama was watching as she took another step back.

Luo Jiajun didn't get any closer to her, but he still reached out his hand to her. "Come on, Rin, we should go down now. We've worked up a sweat, so let's take a shower and then rest."

Rinko Akiyama lowered her eyes and stared at the hand with its distinct knuckles for a long time before finally carefully extending her snow-white, delicate hand.

When her hand was enveloped and held in Luo Jiajun's warm palm, she could clearly feel something that had been frozen for a long time was quietly melting...

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The last rays of the setting sun slanted into the room through the gaps in the curtains, casting long, narrow streaks of light on the floor.

As Luo Jiajun and Qiushan Linzi came down from the rooftop and opened the door, Achina was standing by the bed in the master bedroom, busy with something.

Luo Jiajun walked into the bedroom and casually placed the weapon in the corner of the wall near the bedroom door.

Upon discovering that Achina was still wearing the same long dress that was partially torn and stained, with no signs of water on her body, Luo Jiajun raised an eyebrow and whispered, "Didn't you take a shower?"

"Hmm~ I've decided to thoroughly inspect this house before taking a shower."

Achina turned her head, her gaze sliding from Luo Jiajun to Akiyama Rinko's face, her red lips slightly upturned: "It looks like this is the residence of a single young woman—I found a lot of women's clothing in the master bedroom closet, and there are no traces of male life in the house."

As she spoke, she pulled out a few more items of clothing from the closet and spread them on the bed: lace lingerie, a business suit, pantyhose and stockings, casual t-shirts...

The variety of clothes suggested that the original female owner of the house was a young woman who cared about her appearance. Among them, a few clean pairs of stockings caught Luo Jiajun's eye a few more times.

At this moment, Archina took out a khaki coat from the wardrobe and held it up in front of her to compare it—this coat was the right size for a woman who was about 1.7 meters tall, and when worn normally, the hem should cover her calves.

But at this moment, the coat was gently lifted by Archina's fingers and placed in front of her for comparison; the hem of the coat only barely covered half of her thighs.

"Hmm...it's a bit small, but it's still wearable," she said helplessly.

Standing at three meters tall, she simply couldn't find clothes that fit unless they were custom-made. Like now, a loose coat that would normally cover a woman's calves looked like a "short skirt" on her.

Luo Jiajun leaned against the wall and couldn't help but sigh, "With your height, even if you emptied the entire mall, you probably wouldn't find many clothes you could wear."

Archina glanced at Luo Jiajun and said leisurely, "Then I won't wear it?"

Upon hearing this, Luo Jiajun immediately straightened up and looked solemn: "That won't do!"

Feeling the possessiveness emanating from the man, Achina couldn't help but smile, feeling a sense of satisfaction.

At this moment, remembering that Rinko was right next to him, Luo Jiajun coughed lightly and quickly changed the subject, saying to Archina, "Now that you've found a change of clothes, go take a shower if you want."

"What?" Archina draped her coat over her arm, raising an eyebrow at Luo Jiajun. "You're urging me to take a shower, could it be—you want to shower together?"

Her voice was low, carrying a subtle provocation. Her amber eyes, like those of a female beast, stared directly at Luo Jiajun, as if she were truly waiting for his response.

Luo Jiajun didn't respond, casually wiping the sweat from the side of his neck. The previous battle and the training on the rooftop had made him sweat quite a bit, and the vest under his jacket was slightly sticking to his back.