"Mm!"
"Yes! It will disappear soon."
Konata smiled and clenched his right hand hard. The space around his right hand rippled, and then layers of space, like a cage, confined the Seven Stars Sword in the air.
Then...
*Crack, crack, crack!!*
The sound of breaking objects, piercingly loud in the small space, continuously emanated from the blade of the Seven Stars Sword.
Just then, the Seven Stars Sword suddenly emitted a green light, as if something inside was about to awaken.
Konata's eyes flashed with a cold glint as he looked at the green light.
He didn't want this thing to wake up!
So—
"Just die then!"
With a thought, greater pressure was instantly applied to the Seven Stars Sword, causing the space around it to twist and collapse, directly crushing the Seven Stars Sword into fragments.
"Ah~"
At that moment, whether it was an illusion or not, a cold, hoarse scream, like that of a demon, echoed in the hearts of all three people present.
Konata's eyes flashed red as he looked at the energy cluster that had been completely ground into powder, leaving only a trace of green, vibrant energy. He activated his Observation Haki to its fullest, and his spirit also projected outwards, scanning this energy cluster.
Only when he detected no residual emotions or any other aura did he relax.
"This world is indeed not as simple as it appears on the surface!"
"Alright."
Konata raised his head, looking at Saka and Maya, who were watching him with concern. A smile appeared on his lips, and he said, "Now, this Seven Stars Sword is completely gone."
As he spoke, he lowered his head and blew on the energy cluster in his hand.
He blew away the dust floating on the energy, then grabbed the energy with his hand, turned, stepped forward, and pressed it directly onto Saka's chest.
As soon as the energy cluster entered Saka's body, a whirlwind suddenly stirred around him, forcing Maya to let go of Saka and retreat a few steps, her gaze filled with tension.
"Don't worry! Although I don't know what this energy is, judging by the life aura it emits, it's more than enough to heal Saka's injuries."
At some point, Konata had appeared silently by the wall behind Maya. He was leaning against the wall, holding his wine gourd, drinking, looking relaxed.
Seeing that Saka was indeed healing his wounds under the green energy, as Konata had said, and his breathing had stabilized, Maya finally breathed a sigh of relief. She then turned and bowed deeply to Konata.
"Thank you!"
"Kon..."
This was the first time they had met. Although Konata and Saka were close, she still didn't know how to address Konata.
"Haha!!"
Konata put down his gourd and smiled at the maiden, who looked even more beautiful under the glow of the green light. "Since you saved Saka, and I can see that you have feelings for each other, I'll call you sister-in-law. I hope you don't mind. As for me,"
"Mm... you can call me Konata, just like Saka!"
Speaking of which, Konata seemed to have thought of something, and the smile on his lips grew wider. He looked at Maya and continued, "Of course, you can also call me brother."
"Hahahahaha!!"
"Mm!"
Maya looked up at Konata, who was laughing freely. Her tension seemed to disappear with his laughter, and a gentle smile appeared on her face. "I'll still call you Konata!"
"Never mind, incidentally, you."
Konata waved his hand dismissively and took another drink from his wine gourd.
Seeing that Saka would not recover anytime soon, Maya seemed to think of something. The relief she had just felt was replaced by renewed anxiety. She looked at Konata and said anxiously, "Um, Konata, although it's not good to say this on our first meeting, please, for Saka's sake, save our village!"
"Don't worry!"
A red glint flashed in Konata's eyes. He swallowed the wine in his mouth and then looked down at Maya, smiling. "You don't think I came alone, do you?"
"Huh?"
Seeing Maya's confused expression, Konata put down his wine gourd and continued, "Before we came here, my companions went to your village. Those pirates are all dead now."
"All dead?"
"Yes!"
Konata stood up, revealed a row of white teeth, and smiled, "Just like those pirates earlier, they're all dead, not a single one left."
"Uh..."
Maya looked at Konata and inexplicably felt a chill.
However, when she thought that Konata and his companions were Saka's friends, and seemed to be from the same place, and even grew up together, she concluded that such people couldn't be bad.
With this thought, the chill in her heart vanished, and a smile returned to her face.
"Mm..."
Seeing that Maya was not scared, Konata suddenly lost interest. He relaxed his body, leaned against the wall, and pouted.
Just then, the green light beside them gradually dimmed and then completely disappeared, instantly attracting the attention of Konata and Maya.
Saka stood in place. The dense wounds on his body were now completely invisible. Even his previously drooping right arm now seemed to have support and strength, no longer hanging limply.
*Crack, crack, crack!!*
At that moment, a sound like cracking beans, like the friction of bones, suddenly erupted from Saka's body.
Then...
The silent Saka suddenly opened his eyes, a green light flashing within them, illuminating the entire room like a spotlight. The green light then disappeared, and his eyes regained their human emotions. He transformed from a lifeless figure into someone full of life.
"Saka."
Seeing Saka fully recovered, extreme joy flashed in Maya's eyes. She slowly approached Saka, looked at his right hand, and reached out, wanting to hold it, but afraid that it was all an illusion.
No one knew how much pain Saka had endured from losing his right arm. She had been by his side for these past few months, and she had seen him sitting alone by the cliff, silently weeping many times.
For a swordsman whose entire life had been dedicated to his sword, to suddenly lose the hand that wielded it, the pain was probably only truly understood by himself and those equally devoted to the sword.
This was also why Konata, upon finding Saka, had risked using the power within the Seven Stars Sword to allow Saka to wield a sword again.
Although he had lost his right hand, he still had his left. However, the muscle memory of practicing with his right hand for nearly ten years was etched into his bones, and it was not something that could be easily dismissed by simply saying he had a left hand.
Saka looked at the person before him, a trace of tenderness in his eyes.
During these most painful months, it was this maiden who had soothed the wounds in his heart with her gentleness. From then on, he vowed to protect this kind and gentle maiden for the rest of his life.
This incident had strengthened his desire for power.
He truly couldn't imagine what he would have become without Konata's appearance.
Thinking of this, a hint of fear appeared in his eyes.
"How long are you two going to stand there?"
"Alright, let's go! Ah Hua and three others, and Gu Yina are waiting for you outside!"
"Mm!"
Saka snapped back to reality. He and Maya exchanged a look, and both smiled.
He extended his right hand and tightly grasped Maya's hand, smiling without saying a word. He then turned to Konata and said with mock annoyance, "Hurry, hurry! What's the rush? Can't you see I just got better?"
Maya looked at Saka, tears welling up in her eyes. Then, her other hand also grasped Saka's right hand, holding it tightly, as if afraid...
Afraid that Saka's right hand, which he had finally regained its strength, would suddenly disappear again.
However, the warmth emanating from Saka's hand, and the ease he exhibited, which she hadn't seen in the months she had known him, all clearly told her.
This was all real.
So, as she walked towards the exit with Saka, her gaze towards Konata was filled with deep gratitude.