Chapter 1 An Ominous Premonition

The rustling sound of the bamboo sea never ceased, the wind and snow blowing like the continuous sound of ocean waves.

No one spoke, everyone nervously watching the astonishing spectacle before them.

Scythe Death God, six-armed flame-haired Rakshasa, and the phantom of a hundred-eyed centipede demon conjured from the demon blade...

Although Suren didn't know what had happened before, he could tell that Chitiao trusted the Miko named Kamifuku. To help Chitiao subdue the demon blade safely, he didn't care about anything else and decisively used the second stage of the Reaper's talent to suppress the demonic energy.

Fortunately, after the sword intent and demonic energy stalemated for a while, the red glow in Chitiao's eyes gradually faded.

Suren breathed a sigh of relief.

Finally, all the red in Chitiao's eyes receded, and her gaze returned to clarity. The long sword in her hand also changed from a ferocious, eye-filled state back to its pure white appearance.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk..."

Chitiao clicked her tongue in wonder, performed a beautiful sword flourish, and then sheathed the long sword, still remarking, "What a peerless blade. That 'Kikumon Shingu Ichimori' ranks twelfth, and compared to this one, which ranks third, the difference is truly not small."

Suren watched her completely restrain her aura before asking, "Did you subdue it?"

"Not yet."

Chitiao raised her eyebrows, glanced at Suren, seemingly a little helpless, and said, "The hundred-eyed demon spirit sealed in this demon blade was scared by you just now, that's why it temporarily yielded. Subduing it won't be easy."

"..."

Hearing this, Suren frowned slightly, hesitating whether to offer a few more words of advice.

This demon blade felt like a ticking time bomb, not knowing when it would explode.

But Chitiao had an indifferent expression and casually tucked the sword into her belt, looking very satisfied.

She looked at Suren beside her, and without any restraint, put her arm around his shoulder, laughing, "I really like your gift."

Seeing her expression, Suren knew he couldn't dissuade her, so he shrugged and said, "As long as you like it."

He had already made up his mind that he had to pay close attention to this gambling addict's condition recently to prevent her from being tricked by the demon blade.

.......

The people in the distance, seeing that Chitiao was safe and sound, walked over.

Luo Luota ran over excitedly, calling out, "Teacher!"

Although this girl was not old, she was also a very skilled swordsman. Her gaze was similarly drawn to the "Onimaru Hyakumei Sozasamune" at Chitiao's waist, and she couldn't take her eyes off it. "Teacher, should I hold the sword for you?"

She wanted to touch it, but Chitiao slapped her hand away. "You can't touch this sword with your current level."

Luo Luota pouted, her little face full of regret, "Oh."

At this time, Kamifuku also walked over, patting her chest with a relieved expression, and exhaled, "Miss Chitiao, what you did just now was too risky."

She was still a little afraid, and naturally saw that the demonic energy on the sword lingered. "This demon blade holds countless souls of those who died by its edge. Even if the high monks of Sensō-ji chanted sutras for years, they couldn't purify it. Wearing it now, it may bring you..."

Before she could finish speaking, Miko also saw Chitiao's determination as a swordsman, and swallowed the rest of her words.

She thought about it, then removed a red string from the handle of the Kagura bell in her hand, tied it to the tail end of the demon sword's hilt, and tied a very beautiful knot.

Suren identified it, and the red string was actually a Shinto magical artifact, the [Amaterasu Shrine Rope], which had the effect of warding off evil spirits and subduing demons. And the effect was not weak, comparable to alchemical items, and considered top-grade. This gift was not light.

With this rope, the demon spirit sealed in the sword would be much more restricted if it wanted to cause trouble.

A fluttering red rope adorned the pure white sword body, and the evil aura instantly restrained, making it look even more beautiful. Chitiao also liked this new style very much, and said to Kamifuku, "Thank you, Miss Miko."

"You're welcome."

Miko nodded, revealing the gentle side of a woman, and didn't plan to continue her previous male disguise.

Then, she turned her gaze to Suren, curiously asking, "Mr. Suren, may I ask where you got this demon blade from?"

Her gaze towards Suren now was completely different from before. Seeing the phantom of the Lord of the Underworld, she also knew that this man was no ordinary person.

"It's a long story..."

Suren was also very puzzled by his experience in the Swordsmith Village, and thought that this Miss Miko was a Shinto Miko from the Yamikoku, so she might know more information.

He then told the situation, "I went to the 'Swordsmith Village' before, and then a strange thing happened..."

As he spoke, the surrounding people listening to the bizarre experience were all filled with disbelief.

Chitiao asked in surprise, "You saw a destroyed village, and the people inside were still alive?"

After all, she knew that Suren had the talent of the All-Knowing Eye, so it was impossible for him to be deceived by illusions.

Therefore, the situation was even more strange.

If it weren't for the ninja disguised as a guide, it could really be said that "a monster was causing trouble," and no one could find any flaws.

But the appearance of that ninja clearly indicated that it was a deliberately set trap.

Someone was artificially controlling the anomaly in the Swordsmith Village.

Even Kamifuku was puzzled after listening to the story.

She pondered for a moment before saying, "This demon sword has been enshrined in the Swordsmith Village's shrine for a hundred years, and few people know about it. But a year ago, the Swordsmith Village was suddenly destroyed in a strange fire, and all the villagers died. The 'Onimaru Hyakumei Sozasamune' also disappeared. It is said that a monster was causing trouble, but the information I received pointed to the involvement of the Black Dragon Society behind it."

As a royal princess, she naturally knew some secret information.

Hearing this, Chitiao's beautiful eyebrows furrowed, "Are you saying that the mastermind is also the Black Dragon Society?"

"Yes."

Miko nodded, "Mr. Suren said that the person is proficient in ninjutsu and controlling ghosts, so he should be from the Koga Ninja Clan. There are a large number of ninja masters in the Black Dragon Society. They are loyal to the Takeda Shogunate."

Suren heard the word "also" and seemed to have guessed what Chitiao and the others had experienced.

The Black Dragon Society was the largest organization in Yamikoku, a bit like a black gang, and also a semi-official intelligence agency. The organization was mainly active in Edo, and its members were mixed, including ronin, ninjas, martial artists, merchants, and various Jianghu performers.

It was said that its behind-the-scenes manipulator was the Shogun of the Bakufu, Takeda Nobunaga (the alias of the Rune Old Man).

But connecting it like this, the logic also made sense. The people of the King of the North Sea wanted to come to collect taxes and declare sovereignty, and the most affected were the rulers of Yamikoku: the Kamifuku Imperial Family, and the powerful Shogun.

Sending people to intercept and kill had a motive.

But Suren had no interest in power struggles. He was more curious about what happened during that "disappeared year" and directly asked, "Miss Miko, do you know why I saw the destroyed Swordsmith Village? Moreover, I'm sure that what I saw were living people."

Hearing this, puzzlement also appeared between Miko's brows. After thinking for a while, she said, "I'm not quite sure what that situation is. However, in Yamikoku, there is a legend that the heavenly god 'Tsukuyomi' has the ability to create real illusions. It is said that under that kind of illusion, everything is exactly the same as the real world..."

Illusion?

Suren frowned upon hearing this and looked up at the sky.

This answer didn't solve his confusion.

He had the All-Knowing Eye, so unless this illusion was so high that it exceeded the scope of cognition, it was impossible not to see any signs of it.

Moreover, this was just a "legend," so the chances of it being reliable were not high.

He had previously studied some of the customs of Yamikoku and knew that the people here worshiped a large number of gods, said to be hundreds of thousands.

Among them, the most famous was the sun goddess "Amaterasu"; and the moon god "Tsukuyomi", also known as "Tsukuyomi-no-Mikoto," the god who ruled the night.

But these were all myths and legends, from an era too far away to be verified.

At least the nature god worshiped by the Daru tribe still existed. The various gods of this Yamikoku were just stories to be listened to.

Miko probably saw Suren's thoughts and said with a pious expression, "To be honest, I am the hereditary Miko of the Suga Shrine lineage. Although Shinto is now declining, the gods truly exist. Mr. Suren, the situation you described can only be explained in this way most reasonably."

"Mm."

Suren didn't say much upon hearing this. Although he was an alchemist, he also respected other people's faith in gods.

Chitiao, who was at the side, didn't know what she was thinking and said with a solemn expression, "Now that you mention it, I'm reminded of some details of the previous assassination."

After a pause, she said, "Before, when we went to assassinate Takeda Nobunaga, could the sudden changes that occurred be the same method? Otherwise, how could Miss Miko have no information at all?"

Hearing this, Miko also seemed to have realized something and said with a solemn expression, "Before, I always thought that Takeda was the biggest enemy. Now it seems that there is someone hiding very deeply behind him. Otherwise, our assassination operation, which was so well prepared, shouldn't have failed..."

The assassination operation failed very strangely.

Until now, no one had figured out where the problem lay.

.......

Suren listened to the simple analysis and review of the two, and roughly understood what they had done before.

Yamikoku was still nominally ruled by the "Kamifuku Clan" of the divinely appointed imperial family.

However, the actual power was controlled by the Shogun of the Bakufu, Takeda Nobunaga, and most of the daimyo also obeyed the Bakufu.

The imperial power existed in name only.

Moreover, Suren also heard that there were some issues of faith involved, which seemed to be shaking the foundation of the Yamikoku's divinely appointed imperial power.

Therefore, the imperial family wanted to regain power.

However, the Shogun of the Bakufu held great power, and it was impossible to overthrow him through normal means.

The only way was assassination.

Kamifuku, the royal princess, had been secretly preparing for many years, planning to solve the Takeda Bakufu through assassination.

Then, this time, she secretly recruited a group of experts to carry out an ambush in the Edo residence.

But unexpectedly, the foolproof assassination plan failed due to some "strange change."

It was so strange that Chitiao didn't even understand how they had failed.

From Miko's mouth, Suren also learned about the "Rune Old Man's" experience after defecting from the Luying Empire to Yamikoku. This guy was indeed capable. In just twenty years, he had climbed from a small son-in-law to his current position, second only to one person.

He thought that this guy should be the final Boss, but an assassination revealed that there were hidden secrets behind the scenes.

The more the situation was reviewed, the clearer it became. After all, Miko understood the situation in Yamikoku, and she suddenly said, "I've thought of someone!"

Chitiao obviously knew some inside information and guessed, "Are you talking about... Mite Yoru Hime?"

"Yes!"

Miko nodded, "That woman appeared after Takeda became famous, and many powerful figures in the country are obsessed with her beauty. Now that I think about it, it seems that the two have no connection, but they seem to have countless connections. There must be an external force behind Takeda being able to become the Shogun so smoothly!"

"..."

Suren was a little confused as he listened.

The legendary "most beautiful princess in the world"?

What did a geisha have to do with political power?

Did this seem like a plot about beauty ruining the country again?

Although Suren didn't know what was going on, he knew that the "Rune Old Man" had defected with a very powerful cursed object.

Could there be any connection between them?

Miko seemed to have grasped a key point and said with certainty, "Yes! If we can escape this time, the next time we go to Edo, we must investigate the origins of that woman."

......

Seeing the few people talking and not showing any intention of leaving the bamboo forest, one of Miko's guards suddenly returned, "Um... Princess, shouldn't we leave now? After nightfall, the [Oni Samurai] should appear."

Hearing this, Miko glanced at Chitiao, and then turned her gaze to Suren, the meaning of her question was obvious.

She now knew that the strength of this "reinforcement" was beyond common sense.

Now she had no way to get rid of the pursuers, so she could only rely on the two people in front of her.

Chitiao also knew the current situation and asked Suren, "Are you confident?"

Suren responded with an easygoing expression, "I've made some preparations, so I'm somewhat confident. However, I haven't seen the [Oni Samurai] with my own eyes, so I don't know if the methods I've prepared will really work."

He wasn't 100% sure if he could win.

But he was pretty confident that he could escape and save his life.

So there was no urgency.

"Then let's try it. Anyway, if we continue to escape like this, we'll be stopped sooner or later."

Hearing this, Chitiao didn't say much and casually sat on the ground, breathing a sigh of relief, "I haven't rested for almost three days and three nights, so now is a good time to rest."

Then, she looked at Suren and said nonchalantly, "I'm counting on you later."

"I'll do my best."

Suren responded with a wry smile.

But since he was here to help, he naturally had to do his best.

Seeing Chitiao's expression, Kamifuku breathed a slight sigh of relief. She seemed very polite at all times and bowed, "Mr. Suren, I'm sorry for the trouble."

Suren was still a little unaccustomed to this kind of etiquette and quickly said, "You don't have to be so polite."

At this time, Chitiao seemed to have thought of something and took out a pottery pot and a scroll from the cloth bag behind her, saying to Suren, "Oh yeah, this is something for you."

"For me?"

Suren felt a little surprised as he looked at the dark pottery pot, which identification revealed to be a [Soul Sealing Jar].

"Yes!"

Chitiao had a lazy expression, "Didn't you say you wanted the inheritance of the 'Rune Warlock'? That scroll is it. And the pottery pot seals the soul of 'Demon Sword' Aki. That guy's rune attainments are not weak, so I think you'll need it. Thanks to Miss Miko's help, you have to thank her."

"Ah...?"

Suren was incredulous as he listened to these words and looked at the two items in his hand.

The biggest purpose of his trip to Yamikoku was to find the "Rune Warlock" inheritance and then refine the [Imitation Primal Rune] to advance to the fourth rank.

But now he had gotten it so easily?

This gave him an unreal feeling like he was dreaming.

Miko, who was at the side, had high EQ and seemed to have guessed something from the look in his eyes. She interjected appropriately, "When Takeda first arrived in Kamakura, in order to gain the trust of the daimyo Hosokawa, he handed over the inherited secret methods he had brought. Later, the Hosokawa clan offered them to the imperial family, which is the one in front of you now. This is the exchange condition that Miss Chitiao agreed to for our employment. She also took a great risk for this."

So, Chitiao went to assassinate the Rune Old Man to get this exchange condition?

Hearing this, Suren finally understood that Chitiao had unknowingly done so much for him.

Before, the most reliable way for him to obtain the "Rune Warlock" inheritance was to come to Yamikoku and target the "Rune Old Man." But a sixth-order professional was not so easy to kill, especially since he was a Shogun holding military power.

Even a second before this conversation, Suren had not thought of any way to obtain the inheritance other than summoning his senior sister to help.

But now, the secret method had miraculously fallen into his hands.

Chitiao, who looked like a carefree big sister on the surface, was actually very meticulous.

Even if he had the secret method, he would need extremely high talent to learn and master it.

She had also thoughtfully left the soul of "Demon Sword" Aki.

Suren didn't act pretentious and smiled, raising his eyebrows, "Thanks, Chitiao-jie."

The relationship between the two was already very familiar, and they hadn't reached the point where they would be overly polite when giving gifts.

Just like how he would generously give Chitiao a priceless demon blade.

Chitiao was taking a nap with her eyes closed and didn't look straight at him, acting indifferent, "It's not as complicated as you think. I came to Yamikoku to ask the legendary 'Sword Saint' Akutagawa Ryunosuke for the true meaning of swordsmanship. Your business was just a side job..."

Suren smiled.

He knew very well that the danger of this trip to Edo was not as light as Chitiao had portrayed it.

.......

Not long after, night fell, and the sky was completely dark.

The few people rested in the bamboo forest. Tonight, the moonlight was very good, and the pure white moonlight shone down on the earth.

Suren meditated with a normal expression, Chitiao next to him was still sleeping soundly, and Luo Luota, who was holding the sword, had a very nervous expression on her little face.

Not far away, the seriousness in the eyes of Miko and her ninja guards had never disappeared, and they were constantly paying attention to the surroundings of the bamboo forest.

After all, the pursuers were coming for them.

Suddenly, a black crow on a bamboo branch "cawed" once.

Hearing the movement, Suren suddenly opened his eyes, looked at the dark depths of the bamboo forest, and said in a low voice, "They're here!"