Chapter 1 Sullen's Decision

Sullen left Cast Sword Village amidst the heavy snow, encountering no further incidents along the way.

The Mountain Hidden Country did indeed have monsters, but not so many that one could bump into them at every turn like before.

With the plot foiled and the Ninth Fleet's vanguard scattered, the crisis had naturally abated.

Sullen traveled dozens of *li* by night, killing a few unfortunate wild beasts along the way. He then found a cave to spend the night.

The next morning, he changed into a Mountain Hidden Country ronin outfit and left Izumo territory, heading towards Aka Rice.

Chitose said she had encountered some trouble, and he needed to go there.

Although the Mountain Hidden Country was poor, the various *han* did have cart roads, even if the road conditions were poor and the roads were muddy with snow, carts could still pass. Naturally, motorcycles could pass as well.

The two *han* were hundreds of kilometers apart, and walking on foot was naturally too slow. Sullen took out the mechanical parts he had been preparing from his storage space and assembled a steam off-road motorcycle, then sped along the road. Where there were roads, he rode the motorcycle; where there were villages, he avoided them as much as possible, using the Eight-Armed Spider Spear to climb over mountains.

Finally, in the afternoon of the next day, he arrived at the agreed place, the bamboo forest of the Flowing Cloud Village in Aka Rice.

......

At the same time, a few people were hurrying along, looking rather disheveled.

The leader was Chitose, and beside her was a handsome, white-faced man in a samurai outfit. If Sullen were here, he would naturally recognize this as the man he had seen outside the Naganoya Geisha House. Behind the two were Lollota, carrying a sword, and several masked black-clad ninja.

The group had varying degrees of injuries, and the bloodstains on their clothes were both new and old. They seemed to have experienced several major battles without having time to treat their wounds, and had been fleeing in a panic. Especially Chitose, who had several wounds on her body with congealed blood scabs, but even more strangely, her hands were covered with mysterious sealing runes. The runes shimmered faintly, like rusted machinery, making her limbs unusually stiff.

Seeing that the sky was about to darken, the faces of the group became more and more solemn.

It was as if some terrifying thing would descend after the night enveloped the earth.

The white-faced man looked worried and said apologetically, "Chitose-sama, I'm sorry, the failure of this operation is due to my insufficient intelligence, which has implicated you. The 'Oni Samurai' is impossible to kill. If we continue like this, I'm afraid we will all be annihilated. They are coming for me, there's no need for you to continue with me..."

Even in such a desperate situation, Chitose's heroic face did not show the slightest fear. Hearing these words, she shook her head and said firmly, "Since I have accepted the commission, I will naturally keep my promise to protect you to the end."

The white-faced man's face showed a hint of femininity when he was anxious, and he said, "No, what I mean is, the commission ends here. Since it was our intelligence that was wrong, Chitose-sama has not violated the contract, there is no need to accompany us into danger..."

Hearing these words, Chitose looked at the bamboo forest in the distance and said, "The situation is not that bad yet, my reinforcements should have arrived."

"Reinforcements?"

Hearing these words, the white-faced man looked surprised: "But... the *daimyo* of Aka Rice, Uesugi Sagara, is also a member of the shogunate. He should have received the order and is mobilizing samurai to encircle us. Even if there are reinforcements, coming here now will probably be very bad..."

This was the Mountain Hidden Country, and now all the *han* had received orders to encircle them. No matter how many reinforcements came, it would be useless.

Chitose didn't argue, thinking of something, "Let's try. That guy is very powerful. As long as he can solve the Oni Samurai, the problem won't be too big."

Having said that, the white-faced man didn't insist any further.

The group ran closer to the bamboo forest, and soon saw a ronin wearing a *douli* (conical hat) waiting on the road in the distance.

Everyone's faces instantly tensed up, and the ninja guards drew their swords.

However, Chitose recognized the person at a glance, walked over, and the solemn expression on her face relaxed slightly, as she greeted him, "You've arrived."

The *douli* ronin was naturally Sullen.

He looked at the disheveled appearance of the group and raised an eyebrow, "Chitose-nee, am I late?"

Chitose smiled, "Right on time."

Lollota behind her looked at Sullen, although she didn't recognize his disguised appearance. But hearing this voice, she guessed that this person was Mr. Sullen, who had helped them kill One-Eyed Sork in Snowstorm City!

Lollota thought of his actions at sea, when he single-handedly manipulated a puppet army to fight against thousands of people, and her little face immediately lit up: "We're saved!"

Because they were quite familiar, she wasn't reserved and greeted him, "Mr. Sullen!"

Sullen smiled, walked over and patted her head, "Lollota, long time no see."

Hearing the conversation of the group, the white-faced man, who was protected by four ninja, was stunned. This was the reinforcement that Chitose-sama was talking about?

She glanced around the bamboo forest, but didn't see anyone else.

Only one person?

This was the reinforcement?

But, he didn't seem very strong.

Sullen naturally recognized the people in front of him from the Soul Fire. They were the same ones he had seen in the Naganoya Geisha House, who were assassinating Oni-Ken Aki with Chitose.

Seeing the Twelve Supreme Craftsman Swords "Chrysanthemum Crest Shinto One Guard" that Lollota was holding, he knew that the assassination had been successful.

Thinking about the trouble Chitose had mentioned, they had failed to assassinate the Rune Old Man...

The course of events was roughly clear.

First kill the son, then kill the father, this was to exterminate the entire family of the Mountain Hidden Shogunate General.

Although he didn't know why they were doing this.

But, the assassination had failed, and the situation seemed to be not so good.

Chitose's Soul Fire was stronger than before, she should have advanced to Tier 5. But her aura was very strange, and looking at her hands covered with runes, Sullen frowned and asked, "Chitose-nee, what's wrong with your hands?"

"A small problem."

Chitose still had a carefree, nonchalant expression, "When I was assassinating the Rune Old Man, I was ambushed by his sealing runes. The meridians in my hands are restricted, and dark spirit power cannot flow, so I can't use them for a while. But it's not a big problem, it won't endanger my life."

After a pause, she glanced at Sullen again and asked without any pretense, "Sullen kid, can you solve it? Otherwise, it might be a bit troublesome when it gets dark."

A stream of light flashed in Sullen's left eye as he looked at the mysterious runes on Chitose's arms. He looked like he was looking at lines of data code, rapidly disassembling and analyzing them in his brain, trying to find the correct way to break them.

After a while, he gave up and said in a solemn tone, "The structure of this sealing rune is a bit troublesome. It looks like a 'Sixfold Rune Chain Transformation' anti-magic rune language. The caster has set multiple traps, and forcibly breaking it will hurt you. I can see some clues, but it may take a lot of time to break it."

Rune sealing techniques were a bit like encryption locks, and only specific encryption methods could open the "locks." If violent and incorrect opening methods were used, it would often lock or injure the person being sealed.

Hearing this, Chitose raised her eyebrows and said with a slightly solemn tone, "This is a bit troublesome. If the seal can't be broken, my strength will be greatly restricted. When the Oni Samurai comes out later, I'm afraid I can only rely on you."

Sullen looked at the sky. The winter sun always set early, and it was already getting dark. Only the horizon still had some light, "Chitose-nee, what's the deal with the Oni Samurai you mentioned? What tier are they?"

"About Tier 3 or 4, but the trouble is... they can't be killed."

Chitose thought for a moment and said.

Recalling the dangers along the way, she added, "It's a kind of hellish monster, a bit like a ghost type, and only appears at night. The small monsters are okay, although they can't be killed, they aren't too much of a threat. The most troublesome one is a Greater Demon wearing general's armor, with very strong demonic power. That armor is resistant to swords and blades, and even if the main body is killed, it will revive infinitely after death..."

"I see..."

Sullen listened to Chitose's introduction and had a general idea of the Oni Samurai.

It sounded like a suit of armor possessed by a *yokai* that ignored physical damage, was immune to most magical damage, and would revive even after being killed.

At this time, the white-faced man who had been observing Sullen suddenly interjected, "Esteemed Sir, I also know some information about this *yokai*..."

She had been listening to their conversation the whole time, and knew that this person was a reinforcement that Chitose-sama trusted very much.

Although she was surprised that Sullen was alone, his composure showed that he was very strong.

She felt that it was necessary to tell all the information she knew so that everyone could face it together.

Sullen glanced sideways, as he had been busy worrying about Chitose and didn't know who the others were.

Chitose looked over and introduced, "This is Miko-sama. Hmm... her identity is a bit special."

Special?

Miko-sama?

This was a woman?

No wonder he felt that the white-faced man's demeanor was slightly effeminate.

However, for some reason, Sullen thought it was better that she was a woman.

After all, since digesting the "X Serum" and having a charm value of over ten points, he hadn't met anyone whose looks surpassed his own.

Before, he thought this pretty boy was still worth competing with,

But now that he heard it was a woman,

His mood suddenly improved.

Sullen heard the hesitation in Chitose's words, and could see that the other party's identity was indeed very special.

Chitose didn't say much, and instead directly introduced Sullen's identity, "This is my friend, Sullen."

Hearing Chitose's introduction, this Miko-sama immediately bowed ninety degrees, performing the very distinctive greeting of the Mountain Hidden Country.

Hesitating for a moment, she felt it would be impolite to hide anything in this situation, so she introduced herself, "My name is Kamufuku Miko. Sullen-sama, I am very happy to meet you."

Hearing this, Sullen suddenly understood.

Kamufuku Clan?

If he remembered correctly, there was only one place in the Mountain Hidden Country with that surname.

That was the royal family of the Mountain Hidden Country in Edo.

This person was a member of the royal family?

Kamufuku Miko was not surprised that someone would show such an expression upon hearing her name. She said, "I'm sorry, Sullen-sama, there is no time for a detailed explanation now. The Oni Samurai should be appearing soon..."

As soon as Sullen heard this name, and considering the situation in the Mountain Hidden Country, he guessed why they were assassinating the "Mountain Hidden Old Man" who was the Shogunate General.

He didn't ask any further questions, nodded, and said, "Okay, Miko-sama, please tell me about the situation with the Oni Samurai."

Kamufuku Miko explained in detail, "That armor is the 'Iron Red Scale Painted Five-Piece Cuirass' from the Warring States period two hundred years ago, one of the strongest samurai armors of the time. It was once the armor of the Warring States General Oda Nobukatsu, but he was killed by a traitor in the Honnoji Incident. His resentment never dissipated, and it condensed in the armor and became a Greater Demon. Those Oni Samurai are all the resentment of his generals..."

The Mountain Hidden Country was famous for its swords, and its armor was equally excellent.

However, because the manufacturing process of this armor was complicated and the production was very small, and there were still weak gaps for swordsmen to strike through, it was only suitable for *kenjutsu* samurai, and was far less defensively comprehensive than the Roulan full-body knight heavy armor.

Therefore, the armor of the Mountain Hidden Country was not very famous outside.

The Oni Samurai was a *yokai* wearing armor?

No, it should be the spirit of the armor.

Sullen listened to this information and had a rough idea of how to deal with it.

He suddenly thought of the *yokai* blade "Onimaru Hyakume Zongzheng" that he had just obtained.

He had originally intended to give it to Chitose as a gift, so he took it out.

"Oh right, Chitose-nee, I found a famous sword, do you think it's usable?"

As he said this, Sullen took out the long sword wrapped in the tattered *kesa* (Buddhist robe).

Hearing this, Chitose didn't seem to care whether the sword was famous or not, and was more concerned about the gesture. She raised an eyebrow and smiled, "Oh, Sullen kid, is this a gift for me?"

"Yeah."

Sullen nodded with a calm smile.

He opened the *kesa*, revealing the snow-white scabbard, and said solemnly, "This sword is a bit evil. Be careful, see if you can use it."

Chitose hadn't realized how special this sword was yet, but hearing Sullen's tone, she became serious and casually asked, "What sword is it that you value so much?"

The *yokai* blade was very quiet, revealing its true appearance little by little.

Just then, Kamufuku Miko, who was on the side, recognized the exposed hilt. Disregarding her manners, she exclaimed, "This is... the *yokai* blade Zongzheng?"

Others might not recognize it, but how could she, a princess of the Mountain Hidden royal family, not know it?

As soon as she said this, her face changed drastically, and the four ninja around her retreated a large distance, looking as if they were facing a great enemy.

"A *yokai* blade?"

Hearing the name, Chitose was surprised, but more than that, she was expectant and excited: "Is this the legendary famous sword 'Onimaru Hyakume Zongzheng'?"

"Yes."

Sullen looked at her expression, shrugged, and didn't forget to warn her, "That's why I said it's very evil."

"Where did you find this, kid?"

As soon as Chitose heard that it was indeed this famous sword, her eyes immediately gleamed with a dark green light.

This was the ultimate treasure that all swordsmen in the world dreamed of!

As soon as the *kesa* was removed, she just looked at the scabbard and exclaimed excitedly, "A good sword!"

How could a swordsman resist the temptation of a famous sword, let alone the third-ranked peerless sword?

"It's a long story, I'll explain it to you later when I have time. This sword..."

Sullen was very familiar with Chitose's personality, and he had seen her expression of gleaming eyes at the gambling table, she was obviously hooked.

He was about to warn her again about the evil of this sword, but someone spoke up first.

"Chitose-sama, be careful! Don't touch this sword!"

Kamufuku Miko on the side suddenly interrupted, warning with a solemn expression.

Although she didn't know why this *yokai* blade was in Sullen's hands, no one could control this sword.

She thought that Sullen and Chitose didn't know the horror of this sword, and quickly said, "This sword is sealed with the Greater Demon Hyakume Oni King. It is said to have become a hellish demonic weapon, and all its owners have died a violent death and caused endless killings... Legend has it that no living person can control it!"

Someone had said what he wanted to say for him, and Sullen saved some breath, agreeing, "Miko-sama is right."

He also raised his eyebrows, looked at Chitose and said, "So, Chitose-nee, see if you can not use it. If you can't, just leave it with me for the time being..."

"Hmm. I can already feel the demonic aura."

The excitement in Chitose's eyes faded away, replaced by an extremely solemn expression, as if she was facing a very sacred choice.

A good sword chooses its master.

Likewise, a good swordsman will choose a sword that suits them.

Looking at this sword, Chitose really couldn't take her eyes off it.

She listened to Sullen's warning, but still took a deep breath, reached out her hand, and wanted to grasp this *yokai* blade.

Sullen was still not at ease and asked, "Are you confident?"

"Yes! But I might also die."

Chitose's expression was calm, as if she had prepared to face death in an instant, and said with an extremely firm tone, "I will not regret it. This is an awareness that a swordsman has from the moment they pick up a sword."

Saying that, she looked at Sullen, her crystal eyes gleaming, and nodded slightly: "In any case, thank you for the gift."

"..."

Sullen didn't say anything more.

He knew Chitose's personality very well, once she made a decision, she would definitely do it.

Mr. Mirror had once commented that Chitose was able to go so far on the path of swordsmanship was directly related to this attitude of hers.

However, since the thing was his gift and he was still by her side, how could Sullen allow his gambling addict *nee* to be in danger?

Silk threads had quietly covered Chitose's whole body. If anything happened, he could control her immediately.

As for mental distortion or something, Sullen had enough experience to deal with it.

If something really happened, he would first cut off the nerves' control over the body, tie her up, and then take her to the Daru tribe's holy land to ask Yuta for help.

Sullen was almost completely confident.

......

Kamufuku Miko on the side didn't know any of this. She watched Chitose planning to draw out their Mountain Hidden forbidden "yokai" blade, and anxiously wanted to dissuade her.

But just then, a phantom of a Rakshasa woman with flaming, upright hair suddenly rose from Chitose's body, her whole body steaming with blood.

Looking again, her entire aura suddenly became unattainable.

Her Rakshasa aura actually echoed the demonic aura on the sword, as if people were seeing two raging flames.

"From now on, I will be your master, is that okay..."

Chitose took the "Onimaru Hyakume Zongzheng" and muttered to herself.

Like an old friend she hadn't seen for many years, she gently stroked the blade with a look of fascination.

With a "clang" sound, the blade was drawn, and *yokai* energy soared into the sky.

Sullen frowned as he watched, and his hands and ten fingers trembled slightly, already prepared.

He had personally experienced the strangeness of this *yokai* blade before, and knew that now was the most dangerous moment.

At this moment, Chitose's aura was colliding violently with the *yokai* blade, like taming a fiery horse. The red light in her eyes had already lit up, and the Rakshasa phantom behind her was becoming more and more solid.

The Rakshasa woman had obtained a hellish sword, as if the gates of hell had been opened, and she saw endless hellish scenes in her eyes.

Sullen's forehead was instantly covered with cold sweat.

At this moment, Chitose, holding the *yokai* blade, gave him a more and more unfamiliar feeling, like a human but not a human, closer to a ghost or god...

If it wasn't for the persistence in her eyes that was still firm, Sullen would have unhesitatingly controlled her, returning the sword to its sheath.

......

The soaring *yokai* energy made people's scalps tingle, and Chitose's super oppressive aura, which was already at the Grand Swordsman realm, made Sullen, the third party, feel even more out of place, as if he was swaying in a sword qi storm, ready to be squeezed out at any time.

It was just at the moment when the *yokai* blade was drawn that Kamufuku Miko and the ninja guards had retreated tens of meters, with extremely solemn expressions. Lollota was also pulled far away by the silk threads.

Only Sullen didn't retreat half a step, concentrating on observing Chitose's condition.

Kamufuku Miko saw that the situation seemed to be developing in an uncontrollable direction, and gritted her silver teeth, took out a string of golden bells, and a dignified aura suddenly rose from her body. It was another indescribable feeling originating from a high-level deity. It looked like she was ready to stop Chitose from going mad if something went wrong.

"Kagura bells? Shinto priestess?"

Sullen's peripheral vision happened to see this scene, and he vaguely guessed the occupation of this Miko, and was a little surprised.

But at this moment, he couldn't care about anything else.

He knew that Chitose was at a critical moment in taming this *yokai* blade, and there could be no mistakes now, and he couldn't retreat. But under the double suppression of tier and realm, Sullen was also struggling.

The most dangerous thing was that he also saw the firmness in Chitose's eyes beginning to waver.

Chitose used her sword intent and qi to suppress this *yokai* blade, but the Hyakume Oni King sealed in the blade didn't seem willing to be controlled, and the struggle was becoming more and more fierce.

The auras of both sides were released higher and higher.

Before, because they were familiar, she had never released this killing intent to Sullen.

Now, directly resisting this aura, the sword intent pressed down so hard that all the hairs on Sullen's body stood on end.

Sullen, the third party, was like a leaf boat floating in a stormy sea, tossed by the surrounding wind and waves that threatened to capsize him at any time.

But at the same time, that monstrous *yokai* energy also provoked the violence in his heart, and a red light flashed in his eyes.

In the next instant, a phantom of a Grim Reaper holding a black scythe suddenly rose behind Sullen.

Talent Manifestation, the pressure suddenly disappeared for the most part, and the aura in the field instantly became a three-legged stand.

Sullen looked at the ferocious blood eyes that had opened on the blade of the *yokai* blade, and a fierce thought almost gnashing his teeth emerged in his heart: "This broken blade... if it really hurts Chitose-nee, I will melt you!"

The *yokai* blade had a spirit, as if it had sensed that crazy will to be destroyed, and the *yokai* energy suddenly restrained itself.

Chitose's right hand holding the sword finally stopped shaking so much, and she switched to holding the hilt with both hands. The Rakshasa woman phantom behind her slowly condensed an evil long sword in her hand.

The storm was about to calm.

......

"Lord of the Underworld, Rakshasa God General..."

At the same time, Kamufuku Miko, who was not far away holding the Kagura bells, was stunned. She looked incredulously at the scene of the two people and a sword clashing with their auras. Her crystal eyes trembled: "He... they..."

No wonder she was regarded as a reinforcement by Chitose-nee, so it turned out that this Mr. Sullen was so strong!

(ps. Lord of the Underworld ≈ Mountain Hidden Country Shinto system's name for the Grim Reaper)