Chapter 380: Demon Castle Onie Jodo
Today was a rare beautiful day, with a refreshing breeze blowing across a deep blue sky where a white sea of clouds slowly drifted.
With their heavy labors behind them, the young girls fast asleep inside the thatched hut within the village had not yet awakened at this time.
Within her dreams, the pink-haired young girl was dreaming a dream where she held a precious sword and was continuously delivering strikes. Even while asleep, she had not forgotten to practice.
In order to surpass the blade of "unparalleled" and reach the realm of emptiness, she had already given up far, far too much.
It was precisely because she harbored such a lofty goal that, in order to realize that matter, she would pay everything she possessed. If this world did not have it, she would cross over to another world, seemingly without end.
She possessed both desires for monetary and material wealth, as well as some unshakeable persistences. For the sake of victory or defeat, she could use any means necessary, and sometimes she would not have any hesitation when it came to running away. Yet, she also possessed the dignity of a swordsman, and would absolutely never let those villains off. Miyamoto Musashi was just such a person. As a world-drifter, she would not and could not stay in the same place forever, and would not even leave behind the slightest trace.
The Flower of Tengen, in order to reach the realm of emptiness, thus proceeded to different worlds, drifting continuously. Until she found the perfect answer.
Inside the dreamscape, Musashi was within a castle. As if possessed by a Martial God, she easily dealt with the Heroic Spirits, and then strode forward, about to ascend that glittering, precious throne...
"Musashi..." Right at this moment, a calling voice came from above.
The pink-haired woman lifted her head, only to see a pair of giant hands resting upon the castle walls, and then a gargantuan creature appeared outside. It was a familiar but vastly enlarged female, whose demonic eyes saw that her strike had missed, yet still considered that to be fortunate—
"Musashi, get out of bed." Gudako sat upon the pink-haired young girl's body, tugging at Musashi's collar with both hands as she shouted.
The pink-haired young girl opened her eyes. "Aah... so it was a dream."
"What's wrong, Musashi-chan?" Gudako looked down at the woman beneath her in confusion.
Musashi spoke with a laugh: "No, it's nothing, ahaha. Just had a very strange dream, that's all. Though that giant in the dream unexpectedly seemed quite fitting for you, Gudako..."
"Mh-hm?" Gudako tilted her head in confusion.
At this time, the door was opened once more, and little Atsu spoke up: "Good morning, Samurai Sister Musashi, Chaldea Sister. It's about time to get out of bed, you know. Could you please help watch over Tasuke for a bit? Atsu needs to prepare breakfast together with Grandpa."
"Good morning, little Atsu. Sure thing," Musashi promised with a smile. She turned her head again, looking up at Gudako above her and saying, "Alright, Gudako, stop pressing down on me. Let's hurry up and go down to eat breakfast."
"Yep!" Gudako agreed readily, leaping up from Musashi's body.
Thus, Musashi and Gudako picked up Tasuke, watching Atsu and Shirou make breakfast together.
Before long, the food was served on the table. After a hard and tense day, being able to eat these dishes was also immensely blissful. Having taken this into consideration, Shirou had also put forth twelve tenths of his skill, causing the young girls to reveal entranced expressions.
After eating breakfast, the group spoke about today's plan.
"Well then, today Musashi and Gudako, you two enter the city first. I will go meet up with Illya first, and after that I'll go with you to deal with the remaining monsters," Shirou said.
"Alright." Musashi and Gudako nodded their heads.
"Grandpa, what about Atsu and Tasuke?" the little girl asked in confusion, and the infant she was holding also opened his eyes wide.
"No need to ask, you two stay behind to watch the house," Shirou replied.
"Eh, but Atsu and Tasuke are clearly perfectly fine," the little girl said in dissatisfaction.
"That really is the case, but you won't be so lucky next time. Don't tell me you want to be kidnapped again and have everyone go over to rescue you? This time you stay obediently in the village," Shirou said in a tone that brooked no refusal.
"Yes..." Atsu could only let her small head droop, answering obediently.
"Yeah, let's settle everything this time. Only two Heroic Spirits are left!" Musashi said, her fighting spirit fully stoked.
"Mmh! As long as we defeat them, this world should be able to return to normal!" Gudako also balled her hands into fists and said.
Looking at the excited duo, Shirou calmly reminded them: "No, it's still better to be careful. Illya is still out investigating the issue of the Yamata no Orochi. My plan to head over and link up with her first to see what the situation is is precisely because of this."
"Rest assured, Senior Shirou! Once we defeat the Heroic Spirits, we will come help you too," Gudako thumped her chest, guaranteeing as she spoke.
"If only things would go that smoothly," Shirou lamented.
Inside a Warring States-style castle city, at this moment it appeared completely different from its name, looking vibrant and extraordinarily bustling. People had all come out to move about in the marketplace, and the shops on both sides of the street were calling out to hawk their goods.
There were old men sitting leisurely on chairs in tea houses, sizing up the passing crowds.
Virtuous wives were selecting good fabrics inside textile shops, pondering about making a set of new kimonos for their family members.
On the streets, there were also mischievous children chasing one another, only stopping when they saw the spinning, colorful small pinwheels along the way, or when the tea pastry shops were selling candy apples and skewers of multi-colored dango.
A thick fragrance wafted from some shops; this was the highly popular dish of deep-fried tofu, though the most fashionable snack and side dish for alcohol still belonged to edamame.
From time to time on the streets, there would also be artists performing conjuring tricks, or beautiful dancing girls singing and dancing. Whenever there was a splendid performance, it would draw wave after wave of enthusiastic applause.
Everywhere was a scene of thriving prosperity.
This was the final few years of the late Warring States period, the era when the third Shogun of the Shogunate, Tokugawa Iemitsu, ruled the nation of Wa. This place was named Shimousa Province, but in reality, it was the product of an anomaly that had occurred, differing from the correct history. In the original world of Shirou and Gudako, this area should actually have been the region of Kazusa.
The beginning of everything started from the moment that Sorcerer arrived in this world.
In order to seek revenge, the Sorcerer drifted within endless parallel worlds. However, the timeline had already been fixed; whether it was the rise of the Tokugawa clan or the annihilation of the Christian believers in the Shimabara Rebellion, nothing could be changed.
The Sorcerer raged, resented, and howled hysterically, yet he could not alter this fact.
Right at this moment, a massive dark shadow appeared before him.
That was the noble personage who called himself Satan Lucifer. Possessing certain methods, he informed the Sorcerer how he could achieve his revenge.
Yes, if history had already been fixed by the timeline, then destroying the world along with the timeline would do it.
The Sorcerer accepted Satan's blessing and, under Satan's guidance, arrived in this world to begin laying his pieces. He wanted to summon the castle city of the demonic realm into this world. Then, using this demon castle, he would ram into Chaldea, destroying countless parallel worlds and various timelines one by one, until the collapse of the Human Order.
At this moment inside Toke Castle, the Sorcerer, who had been concealing his tracks all along, made an unprecedented appearance on the main street.
He gazed at the surrounding scenery, the neat architecture of the shopping streets, the crowds coming and going, as well as the houses not far away and the castle lord's mansion, revealing a cruel and twisted smile.
"The deaths of the Black Rope Hell and the Great Crush Hell were not in vain. At the very least, they bought us sufficient preparation time. With no obstructive fellows in the city, now, take action! Caster!!"
The Onmyouji beside him bowed with a smile and complied: "As you command, Lord Master. With the aid of Lord Satan's power, let hell manifest in this place! Sink, sink away, O object that illuminates the earth..."
Caster's name was Ashiya Douman, the top Onmyouji of the Heian period who was the only one capable of contending with Abe no Seimei. However, in stories, he mostly acted as the mastermind behind the scenes, a villainous character who would place curses to harm people, yet was always thwarted by Seimei.
Abe no Seimei, who was described as a dark-style handsome guy by a certain fox dancing girl, naturally would not let this opponent off. In the end, Douman's outcome was defeat and banishment to Harima Province in the east, thoroughly establishing Abe no Seimei's reputation. In later folk generations, there was even the saying, "One may not know Minamoto no Yoshitsune, but one must know Lord Seimei."
To put it in Huaxia terms, it was roughly equivalent to "One may not know Huo Qubing, but one must know Zhuge Liang."
And although Ashiya Douman had suffered defeat, as an evil Onmyouji publicly recognized as capable of resisting Seimei, his strength was naturally not to be underestimated either. He and the Sorcerer both seemed to have obtained terrifying power from a mysterious existence code-named "Satan" within a certain world.
At this time, the Sorcerer also opened his mouth to chant: "O darkness, come forth. Swallow all living things in the world. With the souls of the Heroic Spirits who died in regret, and the冤魂 (vengeful spirits) of the commoners who have already been slaughtered, the living sacrifices agreed upon between us and Satan Lucifer have been fulfilled, have been filled to capacity. Manifest! Our Holy Grail, our Onie Jodo (Land of Impure Relinquishment)!"
"Its true name is—the majesty that leads the mountain of corpses and sea of blood, the magnificent Castle of Onie Jodo!!!"
Following the incantations of Ashiya Douman and the Sorcerer, an anomaly occurred in the heaven and earth of this world. An area similar to a Reality Marble became solid ground under the immense magical energy, and this world was forcibly linked together with the demonic realm.
Above the deep blue sky, the brilliant sun that hung high suddenly vanished without a trace at this instant. The canopy of heaven was covered by a layer of blackness, followed by the appearance of a blood moon. Under the illumination of that eerie red light, in the place where Toke Castle originally stood, a red and black demon castle suddenly descended. Long, black thorny vines were also erected around its perimeter, twisting about exactly like living creatures.
Opening his crimson eyes wide, the Sorcerer laughed loudly and shouted: "Wahahahaha! My life's sorrowful wish can finally be realized! I shall rely on this Castle of Onie Jodo to appease the resentment accumulated over long years of traveling through countless worlds! I want to destroy all worlds! First are the citizens inside this city who obey the Tokugawa!"
"Waaah!!" A succession of tragic shrieks rang out within the city.
"What's going on? Your bo... body?"
"Waaah, my head! My hands!"
The residents inside the original castle city shrieked repeatedly as anomalies began to occur. On the heads and bodies of a portion of the public who possessed aptitude, bulging lumps appeared, continuously swelling up like balloons until finally, with a bang, they burst apart.
Revealing visages resembling monsters. Their nails and teeth became sharp and long, and the transformed people ultimately no longer held human shape, opening their fangs and sharp claws to spring directly at the people beside them.
Neighbors? Friends? Family? None of it was factored into consideration anymore, and language was no longer mutually understood.
"Roar roar aaah!!!" They were no longer human, but the new residents within this world of hell, biting through the throats of their kin without the slightest hesitation.
This was a forced transformation that even Heroic Spirits would find difficult to resist. Ordinary humans with zero Magic Resistance could not even put up a fight before their bodies and souls were forcibly transformed and replaced.
Under the illumination of the blood moon, within the pitch-black hell, living humans were turned into black monsters. At this very moment, inside this city, it had turned into a true hell.
Thump, thump, thump! Hurried footsteps resounded on the wooden floorboards.
Over at the castle lord's mansion, a servant came running in with great haste, speaking loudly.
"Princess! Princess! This is bad! An anomaly has occurred. Let's escape quickly!"
"No, this is a castle city ruled by my family, so naturally I will not abandon the people and escape on my own. Besides, the entire city has turned into this, so where could we possibly escape to?" the young girl dressed in a splendid kimono said faintly as she gazed at the red moon outside.
"Oh ho, well that saves me some trouble then." At this moment, Yagyu Tajima-no-kami walked inside from outside the door in an unhurried manner.
"Lord Yagyu! Please halt! Even if you are an illustrious, tremendous figure of renown! You cannot carelessly step into our Princess's bedchamber! You should know this most basic etiquette!" the servant shouted loudly.
With his right hand resting upon his sword hilt, Yagyu Tajima-no-kami continued to walk inside and said: "Well, normally it indeed should be so. However, I no longer have need for those external things now. I merely wish to use my blade to engage in a duel and slaughter to my heart's content with an opponent, that's all."
"Impertinent fellow! Even if you are the great swordmaster of the Shinkage-ryu! I shall protect my master's dignity with my life!" Furious, the servant stood up, drawing his blade to block Yagyu Tajima-no-kami's forward path.
Slash!
Without even seeing how the blade was drawn, the servant merely felt a sharp pain across his throat.
"Ugh, gurgle..." The servant clutched his throat in disbelief, yet blood still spurted uncontrollably from there.
"So, you were a spy from the very beginning, which explains why the armies that came from outside to render assistance have all gone missing without a trace. Is this how you serve the Shogun?! How you show loyalty to the Matsudaira clan?!" Kiyohime looked at Yagyu Tajima-no-kami, interrogating him with a severe reprimand.
"Those fellows were simply too weak, that's all. If one wishes to walk upon the path of the sword, one must make the resolve to become a demon. This old man did indeed once pledge loyalty to the Matsudaira clan, and also exerted himself to the point of spilling his brains for the Shogun, establishing meritorious deeds. That is why the Shogun bestowed upon me a high position such as Tajima-no-kami."
"But now, I have resolved to pursue that ultimate swordsmanship in the capacity of a sword demon, so I no longer have the leisure to attend to those mundane worldly matters. Well then, would the Princess please come with this old man to meet a certain person," Yagyu Tajima-no-kami said calmly.
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