Chapter 383: Musashi vs. Yagyu
The demon castle, wreathed in eerie black energy, sprouted long, black thorns—like plant roots—twisting as if trying to anchor themselves into the soil of this world. Under the erosion of the black energy, apart from the tenshukaku (main keep) at the very top of Tochi Castle, which remained largely intact, the outer walls had begun to be corrupted by the black mist into something else entirely. Even the basic outline of the castle was undergoing a transformation.
"Detesting the Defiled World" (Enri-Edo) is a term from Japanese Buddhism. "Detesting the Defiled World, longing for the Pure Land" (Enri-Edo, Gongu-Jodo) is the most common motto of the Jodo sect, one of the denominations of Japanese Buddhism, which promotes the idea of detesting this life, believing in Buddhism, and striving for rebirth in the Pure Land.
"Detest" means to loathe and want to stay away from; its opposite is to love and pursue.
The "Defiled World" refers to the three realms and six paths filled with suffering; as long as one exists, one cannot avoid the endless, painful cycles of reincarnation, whether in life or death. The "Pure Land," conversely, is a realm that transcends the six paths and is free from all suffering.
Just as the Hossō sect founded by Master Xuanzang promoted the concept of "Representation-Only" (Yui-shiki) and pioneered the theory of the Alaya-vijnana, the Jodo sect pursues the detachment from the defiled world and the yearning for the Pure Land.
"Detest the defiled world of cruel suffering, and yearn for the Pure Land of the supreme realm."
The demon castle currently erected in Shimosa Province is the extreme manifestation of the former, existing like a source of contagion. Once this demon castle fully takes root and merges with this world, it will never be able to recover, turning into a hell consisting only of pain and cruelty.
It is a true hell, where even the Heroic Spirit Sabers intend to kill all of humanity to prevent them from remaining here to suffer.
The sorcerer Amakusa Shirou stood atop the demon castle, overlooking the outside world, a grim smile on his face. The demon castle had manifested, overlapping bit by bit with Tochi Castle; in a little while, it would become a true demon castle.
By then, all of humanity would begin to reincarnate into mindless monsters, turning their gaze toward every living thing around them. Parents would bite their children, children would kill their parents, their bodies acting against their will, committing massacres indiscriminately, their hearts howling in despair.
This was the sorcerer Amakusa Shirou's revenge on the Tokugawa Shogunate. From the rulers of the Tokugawa family and their kin to the samurai who pledged loyalty to the Tokugawa, and
even the common people who supplied soldiers and paid war taxes to the Tokugawa—these were all Amakusa Shirou's mortal enemies, all targets of his revenge.
But... perhaps this side of him was simply a more human reaction. The Heroic Spirit Amakusa Shirou was instead a saint transcending humanity. However, someone with his experiences could never remain normal.
Yes, the Amakusa Shirou here was insane; he was an existence different from the saintly Amakusa Shirou in Chaldea. The Heroic Spirit Amakusa Shirou had let go of all hatred; even if misunderstood and isolated by all, he still single-mindedly wanted to make the world better and save mankind.
But the Amakusa Shirou here was blinded by hatred, a man who had already gone mad. When the Shimabara Rebellion occurred and the tens of thousands of commoners who trusted him were massacred in the city, his fate was sealed—there was no escape for him.
There is no way to soothe the resentment of an Avenger. Once resentment takes hold, one day humanity will be extinguished by that hatred, turning into a demon that knows only revenge and feels resentment toward everything.
Hatred, endless hatred. Even if the Tokugawa family and the original Matsudaira family were wiped out, even if the entire island nation sank, there was no way to appease his anger. Because beyond this world, there were many, many other worlds destined for the same result. In other parallel worlds, his compatriots would still be slaughtered one by one.
Therefore, only by destroying all worlds, along with the timeline—or rather, the entire history of humanity—could it be considered finished.
Amakusa Shirou laughed wildly in the attic of the demon castle, his crimson eyes filled with nothing but hysterical madness.
The thorny tentacles around the "Detest the Defiled World" demon castle were restless. Time for the humans of this world was running out.
...
"Don't push! Don't push! Let the women and children go first! Don't worry, we have reliable bodyguards here, everyone can evacuate safely, so just follow the people in front."
On the street, the fox-spirit dancer was shouting at the crowd. Having mastered advanced transformation arts, playing the roles of tour guide, doctor, nurse, and rescue worker was no problem for her at all.
The silver-haired little girl stood high on a rooftop, holding her precious bow. Relying on her immense magical energy as a goddess-fusion, she continuously released freezing air, creating ice walls on both sides of the fleeing people. From time to time, she would raise her bow, directly shooting down the bird monsters attacking from the air.
The surrounding monsters continued to pour out endlessly. However, the multi-headed snake monsters and giant horned ogres that were not transformed from humans had ceased their aggression, standing at the gaps in the ice walls, swallowing or smashing away any other monsters trying to pass through.
The most terrifying monsters had, for some unknown reason, become a barrier, buying time for the people fleeing inside the town.
Princess Kiyohime, having received proper treatment from the fox-doctor and being bandaged up, was now helping the fox-spirit dancer; as the princess of Shimosa, this was her duty.
Meanwhile, Gudako and Musashi, who had defeated the blocking Caster, Ashiya Dōman, and entered the "Detest the Defiled World" castle, also sensed that something had changed on the outside battlefield—that something important had happened in places they were unaware of.
The Fūma Kotarō who had previously intruded and the other female ninja had turned and left after defeating Ashiya Dōman. However, with Shirou's repeated assurances, although Musashi and Gudako were curious, they no longer dwelled on it.
Just as Musashi was about to lift her leg to step onto the first step of the stairs to go up:
A black shadow appeared behind her.
Musashi sensed the murderous intent from behind—this was Presence Concealment of an extremely high level.
He was a top-tier onmyōji capable of clashing with Abe no Seimei, an onmyōji whom even Tamamo-no-Mae found troublesome. Facing the Heian period, rife with demons, assassinations, curses, and conspiracies, the fact that he was exiled to the countryside instead of executed after failing to curse the ruler and being exposed fully demonstrated his strength.
It was not impossible for Dōman to have mastered Presence Concealment of this level.
Musashi, who had been approached by the Caster without realizing it, was too late to dodge. She could only gamble, slashing backward with all the speed she could muster.
Musashi, still a mortal human in body, would never be able to fight again if struck in a vital spot by the Caster, even if she survived.
It all happened in an instant! On the stairs, one of the Heroic Spirit Sabers—the Saber "Supreme Heaven," the swordsman who wrapped himself tightly in a cloak—descended silently, then swung a blade at the Caster.
"Ugh..." Before the claws could touch Musashi, Ashiya Dōman was utterly decapitated.
The blow was extremely clean and swift, striking a fatal blow at the weakest point of his defense. With one strike, even a Heroic Spirit had no power to resist.
The cloaked man looked coldly at the unwilling Ashiya Dōman and said, "Ugly, truly repulsive. You possess a handsome exterior, but it was merely formed to cover up your utter ugliness. Disappear, don't obstruct my duel."
"A companion... he killed his own companion?" Gudako said in surprise.
"No, a Heroic Spirit Saber isn't the kind of thing that gets along in friendship," Shirou said, looking at the swordsman on the stairs.
"Companion? I have never had the slightest thought of acknowledging others as my companions. My battle needs no unnecessary interlopers!" The black-robed swordsman turned to look at the pink-haired woman nearby and said coldly: "Shinmen Musashi! You have finally arrived; you kept me waiting! I was worried you might be late or that you wouldn't make it before this world was destroyed. But fortunately, you are finally here!"
"Your sword is truly formidable. Swinging with all your heart and soul, seeking perfection in every detail, dismembering the human body with the greatest efficiency."
"Oh? Have you already understood my sword? You are correct. In the end, I am merely a man-slayer. My sword style is neither Buddhist nor Heavenly; it is, through and through, a demonic sword of killing." The man in the cloak spoke in a deep voice.
Musashi looked calmly at the cloaked swordsman before her and said: "Ah, I was suspicious the first time I saw you. But after that, you didn't strike before me again. However, that strike just now—slaying the Caster—confirmed it. Right, Old Master Tajima? It would be no surprise even if you did something like this."
The man tore off his cloak and threw it away, revealing his true face: "Hmm. My name is Yagyu Tajima-no-Kami Munenori. I have abandoned my status and become a Sword-Demon."
Gudako looked at the man opposite, shocked, and called out: "What! Grandpa Yagyu! Shouldn't you be..."
The man opposite said unhurriedly: "Ah, people all say Lord Yagyu Tajima-no-Kami is the savior who came from Kyoto to Shimosa Province to subdue the demons, but the truth is exactly the opposite."
He was indeed Yagyu Tajima-no-Kami Munenori, who led troops to Shimosa Province to subjugate the demons, hailed as a master of the sword and the greatest Saber of Edo.
"Musashi, first, I must thank you," Yagyu Tajima-no-Kami said, looking at the young female swordsman.
Several generations of the Yagyu family were samurai serving the Tokugawa. His father, Yagyu Muneyoshi, had made a name for himself with his exceptional swordsmanship, branching off from the ancient Shinkage-ryū to innovate and create the "Yagyu Shinkage-ryū."
As a top-tier swordsman, he was recruited by the Tokugawa family, becoming the Shogun's bodyguard and teacher of military strategy and swordsmanship. He had inherited his father's
position and had served two generations of the Tokugawa Shogunate's Great Shogun in his lifetime.
However, unlike his father, who was obsessed with the way of the sword, he possessed intelligence and strategy that surpassed the average person in addition to his martial prowess.
Just like his cold, ruthless, yet efficient killing sword style, his schemes were also designed to achieve his goals in the most efficient way—with absolute rationality, discarding any superfluous burdens to ensure everything went flawlessly.
Therefore, he helped the Tokugawa family devise strategies and made many contributions. As a result, he gained the trust of Iemitsu, was constantly rewarded with the title of "Tajima-no-Kami," saw his territory continuously increase, and eventually became the daimyō of the Yagyu Domain. He became a minister capable of establishing his own domain, once standing on equal footing with powerful daimyō like the Satsuma and Chōshū domains.
But to attain all this, he had never lived as a pure swordsman; instead, he became a politician who had to deal with officials, clashing openly in conversation while plotting all sorts of schemes in the shadows.
"I inherited the Yagyu Shinkage-ryū sword school from my father and served as the Shogun's martial arts teacher. People called me the sword-matchless, the number one Saber of Edo, but no one knew the truth. Actually, I had always merely treated the sword in my hand as a tool for upward mobility.
What is the way of the sword? It is just the art of killing people; I had never felt the joy of the sword. It was precisely because of the sword stroke you made when you suddenly intruded that I was awakened."
"It turns out the way of the sword is so interesting—the profound and subtle interplay where blades cross, that feeling in the instant between life and death. The clash where both the spirit and state of mind of oneself and one's opponent reach a state of harmony and unity."
The stern, unsmiling old man revealed a hint of a smile at this moment, then continued:
"So when the sorcerer appeared from the darkness and told me that a woman claiming to be Musashi would visit this world again, I had only one choice... and that was to cross swords with you again, Musashi!"
"Old man, you say that, but it's really quite frightening. After all, I had to run for my life to escape during our last duel," Musashi said with an excited smile.
"Now, I am no longer Tajima-no-Kami. What remains in this world is merely a Sword-Demon. Let us decide the outcome! Between your sword and mine, which is truly the strongest! I have lived until now, transforming into a Sword-Demon, just to determine this one thing!" Yagyu Tajima-no-Kami said.
Indeed, the man opposite had fallen into a Heroic Spirit Saber despite being human, causing rivers of blood to flow in this world, piling up the bones of tens or hundreds of thousands, and even attempting to destroy all of humanity.
Compared to those Heroic Spirits who had no choice, his was a voluntary decision. This was unforgivable; no matter what, it could not be forgiven.
Musashi knew very well that the old man opposite was no longer human; he was a fanatical, depraved demon. But Musashi, also a swordsman, understood his feelings. Her heart was racing, her blood boiling. Even the Myōjin-kiri she held seemed to sense something, trembling slightly.
Yes, she too was excited. Her heart as a swordsman also craved this duel of blades.
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