Chapter 123

Blood-red soul fire flickered within hollow, pitch-black eye sockets, a lacquered golden crown perched atop the skull of the Jukusa Night-Walking Master.

After its initial frenzy, it seemed to have calmed somewhat, no longer recklessly charging headlong, yet its mouth kept muttering "Kill you."

After a brief passage of time, that deep, water-like resentment finally spread throughout the entire Jukusai Ryōiki, causing Uesugi Toru's ankles to go slightly numb.

He lowered his head and saw his own face in the dark water.

Uesugi Toru temporarily suppressed the battle intent churning in his heart, once again sidestepped the falling cherry blossom petals, retreated dozens of meters between breaths, and measured the approximate range of the "Jukusai Ryōiki" midway.

Thirty meters!

The Jukusai Ryōiki was a circle with a radius of thirty meters—among them were at least cherry blossom petals that triggered an instant-death effect upon touching ten times, and a deep resentment that continuously weakened anyone who remained within it.

—So, was long-range combat the other side's weakness?

In a flash, the fearsome white Hannya transformed into a four-tailed fox with a captivating appearance.

Uesugi Toru raised his fingertip.

An extremely simple five-pointed star lit up, and a deep-red fireball the size of a fist shot toward the Jukusa Night-Walking Master with a hiss.

Neither the expected evasion nor a direct hit from the explosion occurred.

A wide six-fold screen surrounded the Jukusa Night-Walking Master's side; with just a slight movement, it swallowed every fireball flying from afar.

"Ordinary Yin-Yang Technique can't hurt this guy... To settle this in one blow, only close-quarters combat!"

The white Hannya gripped Kaga Kiyomitsu once more, finally stopping the Jade Heart Technique it had been maintaining within its body.

In an instant, surging and violent Jing Shen burst forth from all around Uesugi Toru.

Everything around became crystal clear, and he could even feel that the Jukusa Night-Walking Master's movements had slowed by at least three-tenths.

Uesugi Toru raised Kaga Kiyomitsu upward and assumed a flawless Three-Stage Thrust Stance.

Turbulent Corona Qi surged into his flesh and four extremities with a clatter, then instantly transformed into a trickle, carefully filling every nerve ending at the tips of his limbs.

He lightly tapped the ground with his toes.

Terrifying spiderweb cracks spread across the Hongan-ji's Broad Square due to the reaction force; at the ends of the spiderwebs, chunks of old blue stone were shaken into the air.

Before the blue stones flying into midair could fall, the culprit behind all this had already become a phantom impossible for the naked eye to catch, and without hesitation stepped within thirty meters of the Jukusa Night-Walking Master.

"Inhale—exhale—"

Uesugi Toru exhaled; fine electric arcs crackled and exploded with a breathing sound like a small hurricane, and the speed that had already reached its limit broke through once more.

Corona Breathing Method·Form Five!

A pale torrent slammed into the Jukusai Ryōiki flowing with cherry blossom petals and resentment, tearing the pitch-black water of resentment apart from the edges and cleanly dividing it into two.

The blood-red soul fire in the Jukusa Night-Walking Master's eye sockets flickered slightly, capturing Uesugi Toru's position through the Jukusai Ryōiki without the slightest error.

"Die—!"

It roared in anger, raising its long tachi dripping with blood-colored qi, and at the exact moment Uesugi Toru attacked, it slashed down at his neck!

Another opponent drew his bow and nocked an arrow; in a moment ordinary people couldn't react to, he drew a white bone arrow laden with resentment into a full-moon shape and shot it out with a boom.

Besides this, giant hands still played mournful Japanese music, attempting thereby to disrupt Uesugi Toru's perception and spirit; giant hands tipped golden goblets, adding poison and tears to the water of resentment beneath their feet.

In that instant, the white Hannya raised its eyes, burning hot yet icy cold.

Kaga Kiyomitsu, wrapped in pale color, thrust straight upward, erupting with immense force to deflect the tachi falling from above by a hair's breadth to his side.

In the hair's breadth of that moment, Uesugi Toru drew back Kaga Kiyomitsu, splitting the splashing water of resentment and the white bone arrow aimed at his heart into two halves without any obstruction.

The arrow passed through the hair strands fluttering at Uesugi Toru's temples and vanished into the night sky with faint starlight in an instant.

It wasn't over yet.

The Jukusa Night-Walking Master seemed to sense something, wanting to retract its other giant arms while calling the six-fold screen to its side.

But Uesugi Toru was far faster than it.

The blade tip of Kaga Kiyomitsu drew an almost pure-white arc of light; before the phantoms of the first two strikes had vanished and the aftershocks had not yet spread, it turned direction a third time, almost impossibly slashing out a third strike diagonally.

Tennen Rishin-ryu·Three-Stage Thrust!

The golden goblet fell with a clatter into the water of resentment that had already submerged his ankles, losing its original wondrous luster and becoming an ordinary cup, making no more sound.

Following closely, a giant arm, outwardly fresh but inwardly rotted and suppurating, slowly separated from its body at the root, turning into a pool of pus amidst the Jukusa Night-Walking Master's furious roar.

The break point was smooth as a mirror, without a single bump or wrinkle, as if born that way.

"You! Deserving of ten thousand deaths!"

The soul fire in the Jukusa Night-Walking Master's eye sockets surged violently; its voice hoarse, it declared word by word.

Within the Jukusai Ryōiki, the number of cherry blossom petals suddenly increased; the petals originally drifting in midair fell downward as if pulled by several times gravity.

Seeing this, Uesugi Toru decisively turned and retreated, with no thought of comparing whose was stronger—the number of cherry blossom petals or his own reaction.

The Jukusa Night-Walking Master stared fixedly at him; the ornate crown atop its head suddenly flashed, and vast spirit power surged and ebbed.

"Come out!"

It spoke hoarsely.

Thus, one after another, translucent phantoms stained with black-red appeared behind the Jukusa Night-Walking Master.

Attendants wearing straw hats stood up one by one and stepped onto Hina horse wooden carts fitted with ox-cart wheel hubs.

The Left and Right Ministers and the Yuedui appeared again; the former stood expressionless before the Jukusa Night-Walking Master, while the latter played Japanese music as usual, refreshing the spirits of all the Humanoid Figures.

Also, one after another, Ryōdai Mirrors rotated and rose, their surfaces smooth as water yet reflecting nothing, replacing the six-fold screen.

The Jukusa Night-Walking Master then loosened its five fingers, discarding instruments and bows, drew an uchigatana and short swords and various other melee weapons from somewhere, holding them in its palms, all aimed at Uesugi Toru not far away.

"Is this because I'm on cooldown for Shaking Bell?"

Uesugi Toru sneered: "But unfortunately, summoning so many retainers without reservation before me—do you have enough spirit power left?"

He transformed into a tall, handsome four-tailed fox, gazing at the numerous black-red phantoms; the spirit power, already recovered to more than half by Spirit Control Technique's whale-sucking and sea-absorbing, immediately bottomed out again.

But the effect brought was also immediate!

Soul Seal!

Several imperceptible soul threads spanned the distance of space, tightly connecting those two ministers on the left and right, as well as the attendants, to the hobbyhorses beneath their feet and to Uesugi Toru.

Therefore, in a flash, the two ministers originally guarding before the Ten-Hina Night Procession Master silently looked at each other, and without prior agreement retreated several steps, raising swords and bows toward the giant humanoid figure that had summoned them forth.

Those hobbyhorses also neighed one after another, rearing their hooves to throw the attendants off their backs, then brought their hooves down heavily, stepping one foot after another until all the attendants who still had not understood what had happened were trampled into mud.

The Ten-Hina Night Procession Master gaped its mouth wide, looking around in puzzlement, unable to figure out why the humanoid figures it had personally summoned had suddenly turned on each other.

Uesugi Toru clapped his hands, whereupon the two ministers left the range of the Jukusai Ryōiki in two or three moves.

One drew a bow and nocked an arrow aiming at the Ten-Hina Night Procession Master; the other held a tachi, standing shoulder to shoulder with Uesugi Toru.

Thus, the situation reversed once again.

Uesugi Toru sensed the aura of the two and thought to himself: "These two ministers are considerably stronger than when they existed independently before fusion."

The four-tailed fox grinned at the Ten-Hina Night Procession Master, whose expression was gradually collapsing, and made a V-sign: "How does it feel to be owned? Novel, isn't it?"

Although the Ten-Hina Night Procession Master did not understand the meaning of "owned," it clearly saw with absolute certainty that the two ministers who had appeared only because it summoned them were now at the enemy's side.

It raised all five of its remaining arms together, lifting swords, and let out a skyward howl as it charged wildly forward,

"I will cut you piece by piece, slash you apart, torture you! Let you never be reborn for all eternity!"

Uesugi Toru composed his expression and issued a command through the Soul Seal,

"Left Minister, shoot."

Whoosh whoosh whoosh!

Without need for sound to travel through air, the instant Uesugi Toru's thought arose the Left Minister fired three arrows in rapid succession at extreme speed, two at the chest and one at the head, streaking toward the Ten-Hina Night Procession Master.

Bang bang bang!

Unfortunately, the constantly rotating Ryōdai Mirror precisely blocked the arrows' trajectory, reflecting them back at the Left Minister himself at a near-perfect angle without losing speed.

Uesugi Toru, once again transformed into White Prajñā, severed the three arrows and narrowed his eyes: "Compared to the screen that absorbed ranged attacks before, it has now become a mirror that can perfectly reflect ranged attacks?"

"Left Minister, go attack the other lackeys."

After a brief respite, the Solar Corona Qi within Uesugi Toru, which had been considerably consumed by the earlier outburst, filled up once more.

He lifted Kaga Kiyomitsu, this time assuming a perfectly balanced, upright and proper middle-guard stance: "Right Minister, we're up!"

The Right Minister, silent as gold, closely followed behind Uesugi Toru, stepping one foot into the Jukusai Ryōiki which held strong corrosiveness for it.

"Die!"

The Ten-Hina Night Procession Master looked down from above at Uesugi Toru and the Right Minister, whose heights did not even reach half of its own, and its great tachi over three meters long swung down like a falling star.

"Too slow."

Uesugi Toru crouched, letting the great tachi whistle past overhead.

He had just intended to continue closing in, but suddenly his body shook and he froze in place.

Cold killing intent spread from his crown to his whole body; the surrounding resentment water instantly boiled as if a catalyst had been added.

Only now did Uesugi Toru react — the purpose of that great tachi's slash was not to wound him, but to conceal the movement of the cherry blossom petals falling above the blade.

But even though his mind already understood what had happened, it was to no avail; those cherry blossom petals seemed to possess a special mana, nailing Uesugi Toru firmly in place, unable to move a muscle.

"Hee hee! Die for me!"

The Ten-Hina Night Procession Master laughed distortedly; the uchigatana held in another giant arm thrust straight in, simple and brutal.

That uchigatana engraved with a petal mark instantly enlarged in Uesugi Toru's pupils.

He had long since seen its trajectory clearly, yet could not dodge at all.

At the critical moment, Uesugi Toru heard the sound of a blade falling into water, then felt someone shove him hard, pushing him out of the Jukusai Ryōiki.

The ever-silent Right Minister wordlessly looked at the airborne Uesugi Toru face to face.

The next moment, the uchigatana wrapped in tremendous force pierced through it, tearing it into two halves; while its body still flew in midair it transformed into light points and dispersed completely.

Not far away, Uesugi Toru, who had been hard-controlled by the cherry blossom petals until now, finally recovered the ability to move.

He spat a mouthful of saliva and said with incomparable calm: "Earlier I nearly truly mistook you for a mindless yokai that had lost its reason; that was my mistake."

— Right Minister, your death will not be in vain.

Uesugi Toru exhaled, walking step by step toward the Ten-Hina Night Procession Master, whose face had already shed all anger, replaced by utter indifference and coldness.

The stone slabs underfoot shattered inch by inch; the masked Ghost God and the sword in hand became a blurred white line stabbing into the domain filled with falling cherry blossoms.

Uchigatana, great tachi, and the longest naginata whistled past Uesugi Toru's surroundings or overhead in succession; after that, the cherry blossom petals that had already come within a hair's breadth were burned to exhaustion by small fireballs soaring skyward.

— I also absolutely cannot fall in the same place a second time!

Uesugi Toru crushed the resentment water that had unknowingly reached his calves, pupils contracting to pinpoint size, and with a leap stepped onto the blade of the wakizashi slashing toward him.

Dragonfly skimming the water!

An extremely subtle force erupted from the soles of Uesugi Toru's feet.

He actually used this short wakizashi that flashed past in an instant as a platform, exerted force a second time, vaulted over the Ryōdai Mirror shielding the Ten-Hina Night Procession Master's legs and abdomen, and landed before its ferocious visage.

The results of the cultivation days tormented by Shizuku manifested at this moment.

"You—"

The Ten-Hina Night Procession Master completely could not understand why such a situation would occur, and was momentarily rendered speechless.

At this time its old strength was spent, new strength not yet born.

Originally this would at most cost the price of one shattered Ryōdai Mirror… but who could have imagined this thing, whether human or yokai, could actually do something like this.

"Hello, then goodbye."

White Prajñā grinned at it, raising Kaga Kiyomitsu high; a pale hue dripped from its clear, cold blade.

Then, a full-power downward swing!

This is the sword tendon upright and centered, perfectly balanced —

Tang Bamboo Momentum!

The Solar Corona Qi that had waited for a long time erupted entirely in this instant, squeezed until not a single thread remained; the Essence-Spirit condensed and gathered into a single line by the Unshinjutsu clung to the blade, descending together with the clear, cold blade light.

The Ten Hina Night Walker suddenly opened its mouth, a streak of crimson light shooting from deep within its dark throat, piercing Uesugi Toru's chest and bringing out shattered blood and bone.

Yet this could not alter Kaga Kiyomitsu's downward trajectory in the slightest.

The Separation Blade that had once slain the Eight Sufferings severed the golden crown, split open the hardest humanoid crown, cut through the rotting flesh and bone within, and severed the humanoid soul condensed inside, cutting through all its resentment and wishes—

Finally, splitting the Ten Hina Night Walker in two!

The naginata that had long been sneaking up behind Uesugi Toru severed his two feet, but it was already too late.

Biting down on Kaga Kiyomitsu's blade with his teeth, then pushing himself down with both hands, Uesugi Toru quietly watched the gigantic Ten Hina Night Walker before him slowly sway and fall.

Amidst the rising dust, the severed humanoid twitched and murmured.

"Yazi... I'm sorry..."

"We can finally keep you company..."

In a daze, Uesugi Toru heard the apologetic voices of those fifteen humanoids.

But when he came back to his senses, all he saw was the Ten Hina Night Walker turned into a puddle of rotting blood and mud.

Uesugi Toru just stared at the Ten Hina Night Walker's corpse for a while, before realizing his chest was empty, the breath he drew leaking out with a puff.

His original feet were both severed at the last moment and thrown to one side.

"Hiss..."

Fortunately, Uesugi Toru was currently maintaining the White Hannya Incarnation, and these two grave injuries brought him a physical gain of twenty-odd points at once.

As a result, Uesugi Toru's Physical Attribute leapt to a terrifying 94 points, with his bodily strength and recovery ability greatly enhanced, and in an instant the fresh blood about to gush forth was staunched.

Otherwise, with just these two major wounds, within half a minute Uesugi Toru would have bled out into a dried corpse.

"Dead and still spouting two death rattles."

Uesugi Toru winced in pain, his brow twitching, and he tossed the Kaga Kiyomitsu, trembling with gluttonous satisfaction, to one side, crawling toward his feet with both hands.

After sitting down, he picked up the two cleanly severed feet and began placing them against the break at the ankles.

Fortunately, the Ten Hina Night Walker was powerful enough, and the naginata it drew was sharp enough; otherwise, Uesugi Toru's two feet would either have cuts as smooth as the moon's surface, or simply explode into blood mist.

Either way, it would probably take a Great Onmyoji coming to perform Yin-Yang Technique for his feet to grow back.

The warm touch and the numbing sharp pain erupted at the break on his ankles, Uesugi Toru's forehead bulging with veins as he waved his hand to summon the Two-Foot Adult.

"Po! Toru-sama! How did you get a big hole in your chest?!"

The originally listless Two-Foot Adult changed color the moment she appeared, a flash of fear crossing her exquisite small face, but the next moment she gritted her teeth and stood before Uesugi Toru's expression, showing fierce eyes.

Uesugi Toru smiled at the sight, pulling her into his arms: "Don't be afraid, the enemy is dead; let me hold you and recover for a while."

Two-Foot Adult blinked, and upon seeing the Ten Hina Night Walker's already softened enormous corpse not far away, she swallowed hard with difficulty, said nothing more, and simply embraced Uesugi Toru.

With the added recovery effect of Two-Foot Adult, Uesugi Toru only then felt his injuries beginning to gradually mend little by little.

He slowly exhaled a breath laced with blood mist, silently inspecting the prompts popping up one after another—

【You killed the Ten Hina Night Walker (Three-Star) (Defective), gained 499 Soul Ash!】

【You killed the Emperor Humanoid (Two-Star Half), gained 99 Soul Ash!】

【You used Kaga Kiyomitsu: Blade of Parting to slay the Ten Hina Night Walker (Three-Star)!】

【Your Kaga Kiyomitsu: Blade of Parting's quality is rising to Epic Level...】

A defective Three-Star still counts as Three-Star, no problem.

At least Kaga Kiyomitsu's Epic Ascension Task is done, and there's no need to bother Nanjo Sister anymore.

Uesugi Toru glanced at Kaga Kiyomitsu lying on the ground trembling so hard it was nearly standing up, shook his head, and continued looking down.

【Your skill, Corona Breathing Technique proficiency +200!】

【Your skill, Tennen Rishin-ryu proficiency +200!】

【Your skill, Five Thunder Technique: Kiai proficiency +100!】

The proficiency of the three skills increased quite well, considered to have reduced several days of bitter cultivation time.

Uesugi Toru pondered—this was still because the Ten Hina Night Walker was not skilled in swordsmanship; if the opponent were replaced by the wax figures of Edo Castle, this battle might perhaps increase Tennen Rishin-ryu proficiency by seven or eight hundred points.

However, if the opponent were replaced by that Oni Samurai, presumably he probably couldn't win either.

No longer indulging in fantasy, Uesugi Toru looked at the last two pieces of equipment dropped by the Ten Hina Night Walker.

【You obtained, Blood-Stained Broken Hina Crown!】

Uesugi Toru silently took it out, examining the head crown in his hand that was exactly like the crown originally atop the Ten Hina Night Walker's head, but already more than half broken and stained with viscous fresh blood, its color faded.

【Blood-Stained Broken Hina Crown】

【Quality: Superior Quality】

【Effect: When the Hina Crown is worn on the head, it fixedly summons 5 Hina Dolls. The higher the user's will and Spirit Technique Attribute, the stronger the summoned Hina Dolls. Can only be used once every two natural days.】

【—The exquisite head crown once worn by the Ten Hina Night Walker, but after a miserable battle it was already shattered beyond recognition.】

A summoning-type equipment exactly like the Komainu Bell.

Only difference is, the bell requires Charm and Spirit Technique Attribute, while this Hina Crown requires Will and Spirit Technique Attribute.

And there is no random number, but fixedly summons 5 Hina Dolls—this made Uesugi Toru, this African, feel quite friendly.

As for the limit of only being usable once every two days... for equipment of merely Superior Quality, don't ask for too much.

Under Two-Foot Adult's curious gaze, Uesugi Toru put away the head crown, and turned to look at what should be the second greatest harvest of this battle.

【You obtained, Pure White Hina Garment!】

Uesugi Toru gazed at the four characters surrounded by dazzling purple light, and took out this piece of equipment.

Ah?

Uesugi Toru was stunned for a moment, hurriedly lifting this all-white kimono high, not letting his blood stain it.

He repeatedly examined this kimono from top to bottom, which had not a speck of color other than white, showing a puzzled expression.

This... this isn't the "Pure White Wedding Kimono"?

The so-called Pure White Wedding Kimono is the pure white kimono a bride wears in a traditional Japanese wedding; putting it on means drinking sake with the groom in the ceremony before the kami to complete the Three Offerings Ceremony, symbolizing the completion of the wedding.

But why would killing the Ten Hina Night Walker Lord drop this kind of equipment?

Uesugi Toru handed the equipment to the Adult, whose face had inexplicably turned red, and he himself began to check the equipment's attributes.

【Pure White Doll】

【Quality: Epic】

【Effect One: Pure Glazed Glass. When the wearer suffers fatal damage, a "Pure Glazed Glass Light Shield" lasting 10 seconds is deployed; while the Pure Glazed Glass Light Shield is active, the wearer is immune to all curses, poison, and mental attack effects.】

【Effect Two: Pure White Light. The wearer's Physical Strength and Spirit Power recovery speed +100%. When "Pure Glazed Glass" is triggered, the wearer's injury recovery speed is additionally increased by 500% for the next three minutes.】

【Effect Three: Entanglement. The Pure White Doll will be extremely difficult to pierce with swords or blades, and is immune to most water and fire corrosion.】

【Restriction One: Can only be equipped by females.】

【Restriction Two: The Pure White Doll will produce "Compatibility" for the wearer; the higher the Compatibility, the stronger all effects of the Pure White Doll. When Compatibility reaches 100%, a Hidden Effect will be triggered.】

【——Under the Sakura Tree, the girl's voice is cheerful and noisy, a summer the dolls can never return to.】

An epic piece of equipment combining defense and recovery.

Originally quite good.

Uesugi Toru's mouth twitched slightly——but why must this thing only be worn by women?

Although the real-world use of the Pure White Wedding Kimono is quite reasonable, once it becomes equipment and still retains this tradition, isn't it a bit narrow-minded?

He looked at the Adult, who was staring blankly at the Pure White Doll with her head lowered, thinking this epic equipment was too cheap for her.

Shizuku wouldn't mind, but making a Swordsman wear such clumsy, loose clothing was simply a burden.

Nanjo Sister's words aside, not to mention that ordinary epic equipment probably wouldn't be very effective for her, just the headline "Ai wears the Pure White Wedding Kimono" would be enough to explode with millions in popularity, so there was no need.

Tsk, actually, slightly changing one's personality when drawing the Three-Tailed Fox Incarnation wasn't an unacceptable consequence either……the beauty of strength is far more beautiful than male or female.

As for whether the Pure White Doll recognizes the Four-Tailed Fox Incarnation "Thousand Faces" talent effect, Uesugi Toru thought it probably didn't.

Because Thousand Faces counts at most as a Disguise, not a fundamental change.

Uesugi Toru grabbed the Pure White Doll and said to the Adult: "If you have time later, try it on and see if it fits."

"Mm……po? po."

The Adult tightly intertwined her Hand Palms and responded in a voice as faint as a mosquito's hum.

Uesugi Toru didn't think much of it; at this moment all his attention was on enduring the intense pain in his Ankle and Chest, where would he have the energy to mind this and that?

Just like that, holding the Adult, not long after feeling his injuries recover to a certain limit, Uesugi Toru transformed back into human form.

……

About half an hour later, a grand and blazing Buddha Light tore through the Night Sky, and from hundreds of meters above, the corpse of the Ten Hina Night Walker Lord fell straight down, instantly burning most of it away.

Kongou.

But without lowering his head, Huijue already understood everything.

Wearing a Robe, yet still hanging those strange earrings, necklaces, and pendants, the monk converged his anger and bowed deeply to Uesugi Toru sitting not far away.

"Benefactor Uesugi lent a hand in the critical moment; Huijue is deeply grateful."

"It's not really about saving or not saving; I was willing to fight this Demon partly for my own reasons." Uesugi Toru pointed to his not-yet-healed legs, "But my legs are broken and it's inconvenient to move, so I can't check on the condition of the others at Hongan-ji."

Huijue sat up and said no more words of thanks.

He closed his eyes for a moment, then opened them; the muscle contours on his body like coiling dragons slowly contracted, and he obviously sighed in relief: "Fortunately, everyone just passed out in a Coma and came to no harm; later we can cleanse them with Foyin."

Uesugi Toru smiled: "That's good."

He and the various Masters of Hongan-ji could be considered to have met once; being able to learn they were safe was naturally best.

"Then Benefactor Uesugi, it seems your injuries are more serious now."

Huijue strode toward Uesugi Toru, scaring the Adult into shrinking into a ball——that majestic appearance of the wrathful visage just now almost made the Adult think she was going to meet her end here.

Uesugi Toru noticed this phenomenon and flicked the Adult's forehead: "What are you afraid of? After your memorial tablet is enshrined in the Buddhist temple, if you round it off, aren't you more or less a female Bodhisattva?"

These words left the Adult stunned one moment and blank the next; she thought about it and realized it seemed to make sense.

Thus the Adult's inner panic vanished instantly, and the stray Buddha Light above her head increased a bit.

She jumped down from Uesugi Toru's arms, pressed her Hand Palms together toward Huijue, who had already walked up, and performed a salute.

Huijue stared at the Adult, who looked like a porcelain doll, naturally sensed the bits of Buddhist Sect incense emanating from her, and immediately understood this was Uesugi Toru's Shikigami.

The monk scratched his head, finally pressed his Hand Palms together, revealed a kind smile, and likewise performed a salute: "I have met the little lay Buddhist."

popo!

The Adult won a great victory!

After seeing that the Buddhist Master, who had been so terrifyingly imposing just now, actually obediently performed a salute to her, the girl put her Hand Palms on her waist, stood to the side, and showed Uesugi Toru a victorious smile.

Huijue lowered his head and saw Uesugi Toru's miserable injuries; after thinking for a moment, he said seriously: "These injuries cannot be delayed; if they become infected, it won't be good."

"Benefactor Uesugi, let me take you to the Hospital first."

"——That's not necessary, Buddhist Master Huijue. The seeds of the Special Affairs Division are naturally the responsibility of the Special Affairs Division."

The smell of Alcohol mixed with Mint tobacco came.

Rituna Minami, who had landed behind Huijue at some point, lowered her head, sized up Uesugi Toru's body, and raised an eyebrow: "How did you make yourself like this? Didn't I say you could come find me if you encountered problems?"

After a moment of Silence, Rituna Minami furrowed her brow: "Afraid of disturbing me?"

"No."

Uesugi Toru pointed to Kaga Kiyomitsu, who was already standing in the earth fissure in the distance, in the posture of a sword in a stone, and pushed the blame onto the Uchigatana that could not speak: "It said it wanted to slaughter and fight powerful Demons, so I granted its wish."

Kaga Kiyomitsu trembled, strongly protesting!

——It would never do such a despicable thing against its Owner's will!

But this appearance looked like agreement to the other two, so Rituna Minami sighed: "Then let it go this time; an ambulance will arrive shortly, and I'll accompany you to the Hospital later."

Rituna Minami then looked at Huijue, who stood silently to the side: "Buddhist Master Huijue, go attend to your own affairs first."

"Then I wish Benefactor Uesugi all the best; this poor monk will take his leave first."

Huijue pressed his palms together in prayer and bowed solemnly once more, then hurried toward another side hall.

But after he had walked far away, the monk scratched his bald head again.

Generally speaking, would a superior of the Special Affairs Division care for a subordinate this much?

—The ambulance arrived before long.

Uesugi Toru was lifted onto the ambulance, while Minami Rituna once again grabbed Kaga Kiyomitsu and stayed beside him.

Inside the ambulance, Minami Rituna, cradling the buzzing, trembling Kaga Kiyomitsu, said flatly: "I will use the Water Clock Path Yin-Yang Technique to temporarily solidify your physical state, so you can just sleep with peace of mind."

Hearing this, Uesugi Toru gave her a thumbs up, and could no longer hold up his drowsy eyelids after pulling an all-nighter; he closed his eyes and fell asleep on the stretcher in an instant.

"Just like a child, really doesn't let one rest easy……"

……

When Uesugi Toru woke again, he stared blankly for a long while.

Because right in front of his nose tip, a fresh button still trailing thread had appeared.

And after that, two mounds like mutton-fat jade, smooth and slick, northern hemispheres were squeezed tightly together by a white shirt, a black tie having inadvertently slid between them, half-filling that deep, vast snow mountain, faintly visible.

(End of Chapter)