Chapter 129

Something was about to awaken in the vast Broad Square of the Walker Gathering.

Uesugi Toru's scalp tingled faintly; even without seeing or hearing anything, his intuition — or rather, his instinct as a living creature — was warning him just like this.

Was it because the fluctuation of Spirit Power he had just channeled into the Assembly Token had transmitted outward?

Or was it because his arrival had disrupted some rules that already existed within the Walker Gathering?

Forget it; none of that matters temporarily.

What matters now is to quickly find the Shrine and light it up.

Uesugi Toru breathed with some difficulty; as time trickled by bit by bit, he could distinctly feel his neck growing tighter and tighter.

— Mere signs of awakening could leave him breathless; if it fully awakened, how would he cope?

Uesugi Toru's pupils rapidly scanned every inch of wall and ground within his vision, yet he could only see one dim, dilapidated Shrine after another.

Even when he touched them with his fingers, there was absolutely no effect.

"So this is the so-called 【Fortune】 from the Divination Sticks tube?"

As if some shackle had been broken through, a suffocating aura spread from the center of the Broad Square; Uesugi Toru's whole body trembled violently, pressed down by that terrifying aura until he knelt on the ground.

Boom!

Uesugi Toru's knees hit the ground, crushing the stone bricks beneath his feet until they cracked and lifted inch by inch.

Then, through the dust and smoke, he saw a corner of a dark Shrine poking out from the fractured stone seams.

Uesugi Toru's face twitched slightly; the Corona Qi within him roared, and he touched the corner of the Shrine right before him with his fingers at the fastest speed.

【You have lit the lost Walker Gathering's Shrine.】

The thick aura of death abruptly halted behind Uesugi Toru; that originally suffocating pressure also vanished without a trace in an instant.

The moment the Shrine was lit, the entire Walker Gathering instantly returned to the tranquility and dead silence it had when he first entered.

Uesugi Toru lay on the ground panting heavily for several breaths; his brow twitched fiercely, and he finally understood the meaning of 【Fortune】 on the Omikuji.

— It doesn't matter if you can't find the Shrine; the Shrine will deliver itself to you.

"So if I had entered after drawing a 【Matsuri】 Omikuji, would something big happen…"

Uesugi Toru had an inexplicable feeling — perhaps dying inside the Walker Gathering would not be without cost like dying normally in Chang Shi.

Although it was a baffling premonition, it had never appeared before he entered the Walker Gathering.

Click.

Uesugi Toru's pupils shrank slightly.

Footsteps?

How could it be footsteps?

Someone came behind him?

But how could there be anyone in the empty Walker Gathering…

Uesugi Toru froze for a moment, then reacted.

— It's that thing that awakened.

But don't be nervous.

Uesugi Toru stared at the glowing Shrine in the stone seam, cupping it carefully in both hands and lifting it out.

— Since the blood-colored prompt no longer appeared after lighting the Shrine, and the death premonition in his heart had all dispersed, that meant no problem would arise.

Uesugi Toru held his breath, and just like that, hugging the Shrine, he turned to look behind.

"Huh?"

He hadn't expected what was behind him to be not some limb-twisted Yokai monster, and even less had he expected the true identity of the existence that had just emitted such terrifying pressure to actually be…

A little girl?

In Uesugi Toru's sight, a white-haired girl draped in a snow-white hooded robe, not even half his height, hung her head woodenly, who knew what she was thinking.

If one looked a little more closely, one would discover that writhing crimson Curse Scripts crawled all over the girl's exposed skin.

Those Curse Scripts flowed and surged on the girl's body as if alive, ferocious and terrifying.

Perhaps because she was bathed in the Shrine's faint light, or perhaps because quite some time had passed, the girl's wooden expression slowly faded; her originally dead-still eyes finally became lively.

She raised her head, staring fixedly at Uesugi Toru — accurately speaking, at the Shrine in Uesugi Toru's arms and the Walking Token Arrow at his waist.

Uesugi Toru stood in place, daring not to make a sound or move rashly.

Although that trace of aura capable of crushing a person to death was gone, his intuition was absolutely certain the white-haired girl before him was the source of those auras.

The girl, perhaps merely "Its" flesh and appearance.

After a long time, a faint light lit up in the girl's eyes.

She spoke somewhat haltingly and hoarsely: "Chang… Chang Shi Walk… Walker, hel… hello."

"I, I am… Magatsuhi."

The instant he heard these three words, Uesugi Toru forgot to breathe, and then he could see a pitch-black display pop up above the girl's head.

— 【Magatsuhi (???)】.

Uesugi Toru's mind frantically typed question marks, but on the surface he replied expressionlessly: "Hello."

"Right now… what… what year is it?"

After merely two sentences, Magatsuhi's language ability seemed to have recovered considerably.

Uesugi Toru thought for a moment and said first: "2024 AD."

As for what AD is, and how many years the previous historical eras correspond to respectively, he planned to explain little by little.

Unexpectedly, Magatsuhi seemed to be familiar with the Gregorian calendar.

"2024."

Magatsuhi murmured the number once, silently lowering her eyes.

So it turns out that much time has already passed.

"Long time no see, Constant World Walker. Hello."

The Calamity God bowed slightly to him, performing a salute: "My apologies just now; in the long slumber, my self and awareness were nearly worn away to nothingness..."

She reached out her hand, picking up the shrine from Uesugi Toru's arms,

"Fortunately you lit the shrine in time, which called me back at the critical moment; if it had been even a moment later, perhaps the concept of 'Calamity God' would have transformed into nothingness from then on."

No wonder the prompt told me to hurry and light the shrine.

The corner of Uesugi Toru's mouth twitched slightly; if this Calamity God with three question marks above her head went insane, then this Walker Gathering map would be equivalent to ruined.

"Constant World Walker, please follow me."

The Calamity God held the shrine with both hands, walking toward the long stairs: "I imagine you have many doubts in your heart right now; let us speak as we walk for the rest."

Uesugi Toru followed behind her.

After a brief silence, the Calamity God slowly spoke: "The Walker Gathering is a special space where numerous Walkers and Constant World Walkers gather to communicate, temporarily rest, or receive the edicts of the great Lord of the Eternal World."

"And my mission is to accurately and truthfully convey that Adult's commands to the Walkers, manage the order of the Walker Gathering, and simultaneously protect this place from external force influence and destruction."

"Of course, these are all matters from a very, very long time ago."

The Calamity God sighed softly: "Ever since that Adult abruptly disappeared, the death and injury rate of Walkers multiplied by several orders of magnitude at once, and fewer and fewer Walkers could enter the Walker Gathering."

"Until the Present World and Eternal World separated, and no one could enter anymore."

"Since then, you are the first Constant World Walker to enter here, and perhaps also the last."

Her voice was clear, cold, and calm, her tone without the slightest fluctuation, as if she were merely an uninvolved bystander.

The Calamity God asked: "So if you don't mind, Constant World Walker, could you tell me your given name and surname?"

Uesugi Toru answered truthfully.

"Uesugi... Toru, is it. I've remembered it."

Following behind the Calamity God for a long time, the two passed several hundred steps and arrived at the wide circular plaza at the very bottom.

The plaza was empty and spacious, though at the edges there were passages leading to unknown places.

The Calamity God placed Uesugi Toru's shrine on a pillar beside a small blood-colored altar, she said faintly: "Before I die, your shrine will not suffer any damage."

Uesugi Toru opened his mouth, having many miscellaneous questions he wanted to ask.

But in the end he still said first: "Thank you."

The Calamity God shook her head, spreading her small jade-white hands.

The next moment, a faintly flashing white light passed above her palm, and a bone key fell into the Calamity God's hand.

"This is the History Key."

The Calamity God extended her hand toward him, handing over that bone key: "Before that Adult disappeared, they once instructed me to hand this History Key to 'the first Constant World Walker seen after the long slumber'."

She released her hand, letting the History Key fall into Uesugi Toru's hand,

"It seems it is you."

A prompt popped up—

【You have obtained the History Key (Special Item)!】

Uesugi Toru saw that the four characters "History Key" bore the same vivid red luster as the Mythic Material Dissociated Love, so he took a deep breath, his hand holding the key trembling slightly.

【History Key (Special Item)】

【Effect: After use, will enter the era designated by the History Key.】

【——???.】

【Note 1: Usable only in the Eternal World.】

【Note 2: Temporarily unusable.】

But unfortunately, the History Key's usage method and effects are both somewhat unclear yet seemingly impressive.

Seeing him like this, the Calamity God added: "No need to be nervous; this 'History Key' isn't anything particularly precious; in the past many Constant World Walkers have used it more than once."

A Mythic Item that isn't particularly precious?

Uesugi Toru silently nodded, put the History Key into his Storage Backpack, then saw the small Calamity God before him reveal an apologetic expression,

"Walker Uesugi, aside from being able to personally deliver this History Key into your hands, I can no longer provide you with any more help."

The Calamity God looked toward this plaza, and the countless shattered shrines beside the tiers of stairs, lowering her eyes in disappointment,

"Right now I have great difficulty even maintaining my own existence, so I have no strength to spare to grant even basic blessings to you; I'm sorry."

"Calamity God, there is no need for self-reproach."

Uesugi Toru shook his head: "If not for your existence, perhaps the Walker Gathering would have disappeared long ago."

"Thank you."

The Calamity God pursed her lips, sat on the small blood-colored altar, and the crimson incantations on her skin lit up with a terrifying glow.

A feeling far more dreadful than that previous aura slowly emanated from her body, making the hair on Uesugi Toru's whole body stand on end.

If he stayed any longer, something ominous would definitely happen.

"Constant World Walker Uesugi, if there is nothing else, please return. For at least seven days, please do not enter the Walker Gathering casually again."

Uesugi Toru understood; what would happen next in the Walker Gathering was already not something he could witness unscathed.

In the dojo, Uesugi Toru opened his eyes.

"Hah..."

Uesugi Toru let out a heavy breath; he touched his back and discovered it was already completely soaked in cold sweat.

It seems the pressure I faced when confronting the Calamity God just now was no small matter.

This is only normal.

The Kami of Calamity is a god of misfortune and disaster from myth and legend, also known as "Owatatsumi-no-Kami."

It is said that the Kami of Calamity is an existence born from the "Impurity" clinging to Izanagi-no-Mikoto, the "Father of All Gods" in myth, during his purification ritual.

Its existence symbolizes the personification of human sins and worldly disasters.

He is undoubtedly a genuine god of the Age of the Gods, and even a god representing disaster.

So even though the Kami of Calamity's appearance, behavior, and language clearly indicate she is a friendly force on the same side, Uesugi Toru still couldn't help but feel nervous.

Just like an ordinary human standing before a tamed African elephant.

Even knowing that an African elephant has a 99% chance of not attacking him, he would still worry about the possibility of less than the remaining 1%.

There is no other reason; the gap in power is simply too great.

Sitting in place, listening to Shizuku's shouts as she continued to swing Zanshigimaru, Uesugi Toru organized his thoughts.

This time entering the Walker Gathering, although many new questions arose, there were also several questions he hadn't had time to ask the Kami of Calamity.

But relatively speaking, Uesugi Toru also obtained some information that would be absolutely impossible to come into contact with in the outside world.

The first is that, whether in the Constant World or Genjitsu, the number of Walkers should be very few, and the Walkers who can obtain an Assembly Token and are still alive probably only him.

"But the Kami of Calamity has always called me a Constant World Walker; could it be that there is some fundamental difference with these two characters 'Constant World'?"

Uesugi Toru kept this question in his heart, preparing to ask it out loud the next time he entered the Walker Gathering.

The second is that, although Walkers and the Walker Gathering seem to have declined, their background seems terrifyingly large.

This can be seen from the fact that the Kami of Calamity, a god representing sin and disaster, has always been guarding the Walker Gathering.

Moreover, Walkers seem to be an organization belonging to the former Lord of the Eternal World—the Kami of Calamity's previous words also revealed this point.

Unfortunately, the former Lord of the Eternal World has long since disappeared, and the Kami of Calamity is also deeply troubled by an unknown power, causing him to be unable to enter the Walker Gathering at will.

Otherwise, the Walker Gathering could completely exist as a super Safe House—as long as he encounters a danger he cannot match, Uesugi Toru could flee into it.

"What a pity."

Uesugi Toru sighed slightly, taking out his Bamboo Sword from his Storage Backpack.

At the same time, he used Soul Incense Ash (Small) on himself.

In an instant, the surrounding world became crystal clear; even if Uesugi Toru closed his eyes now, he could use his hearing to completely depict the appearance of the entire Villa in his Brain.

Including Shizuku, who was currently sweating profusely, and also Adult Ni-shaku, who was humming a song while bathing underground.

But those strange thoughts that had surged up like eating mushrooms last time did not appear again this time.

"It seems that after the Will Attribute reaches 31 points, using Soul Incense Ash (Small) is no problem."

Uesugi Toru stood up, tiptoed, held his breath, walked behind Shizuku, and swung his Bamboo Sword at her.

Slap!

Two Bamboo Swords clashed.

Uesugi Toru stared at Shizuku, whose chest was heaving violently, and praised: "Your vigilance is not bad."

"Uesugi-kun, you're underestimating me too much!"

Shizuku exerted force with both hands, shaking open the Bamboo Sword with considerable effort.

Glancing at the Samurai Zanmetsumaru that was still slightly shaking, Uesugi Toru retreated two steps and asked: "Why not wait until you've rested before continuing?"

"No need."

Shizuku carried her Bamboo Sword and rushed up.

"—I want to see to what extent you can squeeze out my potential and limits!"

Forty minutes later.

Adult Ni-shaku happily finished soaking in the hot spring and came to the first-floor Dojo full of joy, preparing to report to Uesugi Toru how wonderful the hot spring was.

However, after walking out of the Stairs entrance, Adult Ni-shaku's Complexion couldn't help but stiffen.

Because in the exact center of the Dojo, a man and a woman in disarray were grappling and wrestling on the Ground, panting heavily while dripping their Sweat onto each other.

"Uesugi-kun... I didn't expect your jujutsu skills to be quite good!"

In the grapple, Uesugi Toru, who was restraining his strength, glanced at the Proficiency Progress Bar and asked: "When practicing ground techniques, the improvement speed of the Breathing Technique seems a bit faster than usual."

Because Shizuku's arms had become powerless from swinging her sword at Samurai Zanmetsumaru too many times before, the unsatisfied her proposed a request to train ground techniques.

Uesugi Toru readily agreed.

Generally speaking, it is very rare for a Swordsman to abandon the sword in hand and use ground techniques to subdue an Enemy—therefore, even though Tennen Rishin-ryu includes jujutsu, few people practice it on a daily basis.

But for Uesugi Toru, goofing off while the effect of Soul Incense Ash hasn't ended is a serious wasteful behavior.

And this jujutsu training with Shizuku also brought a small surprise—after the Proficiency of Tennen Rishin-ryu barely moved, the Proficiency growth of Corona Breathing Technique and Five Thunder Technique: Kiai both increased by a notch.

If in the days to come these two urgently need a Breakthrough, then a large amount of jujutsu training could be adopted...

—Adult Ni-shaku did not think so.

She felt her Teeth were about to be ground to pieces in secret.

That flat-chested airport, who knows how much oil she took from Toru-sama by taking this opportunity.

Angry.

Although she wanted to punch Shizuku flying in her heart, on the Surface Adult Ni-shaku maintained a smile, very Honestly sitting to the side without saying a single unnecessary word.

Until the effect of Soul Incense Ash disappeared, their jujutsu training finally came to an end.

【Your Skill, Tennen Rishin-ryu Proficiency +61!】

【Your Skill, Corona Breathing Technique Proficiency +166!】

【Your Skill, Five Thunder Technique: Kiai Proficiency +189!】

Shizuku inched over to the side bit by bit to drink water.

Uesugi Toru lay on the Ground exhausted in a "big" shape, scanning his several Skills with his head tilted back.

Among them, Spirit Control Technique and Five Thunder Technique were both about to advance to the next level.

【Spirit Control Technique (Proficiency 442/600)】

【Five Thunder Technique: Kiai (Entry Level 494/500)】

"Before entering Kisaragi Station next time, let's max out the remaining proficiency of these two skills."

Uesugi Toru made that decision.

After all, the next time he entered Kisaragi Station, he would likely clear it in one go, and there was also a possibility he would face off against the Snow Woman.

So it was still very necessary to finish the preparations beforehand.

Just as his thoughts finished flowing, Uesugi Toru discovered that the aura of the Adult of Two Feet had suddenly appeared not far away.

——Then wouldn't those two guys start fighting again?

Uesugi Toru quickly turned his head, only to be surprised to find the Adult of Two Feet smiling as he unscrewed a water cup and handed it to Shizuku.

Shizuku took the water cup without comment, said thanks, and began to drink.

Between the two of them there was quite a harmonious atmosphere.

I say, what's going on?

Did the sun come out from the west?

Surely the Adult of Two Feet didn't put something strange in the water in that cup, right?

Uesugi Toru thought to himself, feeling his own shikigami wouldn't be so kind-hearted.

But what happened next exceeded Uesugi Toru's expectations one after another.

The Adult of Two Feet handed Shizuku a towel, the Adult of Two Feet poured another cup of water for Shizuku... in short, the relationship between the Adult of Two Feet and Shizuku seemed to have suddenly improved.

Uesugi Toru said he couldn't understand it, but was greatly shocked.

Although Shizuku didn't quite understand, since the Adult of Two Feet was Uesugi Toru's shikigami, and seemed to have had an epiphany and no longer mocked her like a little demon girl, she didn't mind getting along harmoniously with him.

The Adult of Two Feet took in the expressions and reactions of both of them, and happily made a peace sign in his heart.

Plan Success√.

It turned out that "Social Skills" and "Dark Psychology" they watched together on the van with the Wet Woman and the others a few days ago really worked!

Hohoho, let the puny Adult Toru and the Flat-Chested one honestly be surrounded by my gentle embrace!

This time was a great victory for the Adult of Two Feet!

But such a relaxed and pleasant atmosphere didn't last long before being broken by a doorbell.

The electronic screen hanging at the doorway showed the scene outside the gate.

Shizuku, leaning back to recover her strength, looked up, frowned slightly: "Tokugawa Haruhiko?"

On the screen, Tokugawa Haruhiko wore formal attire, kept a smile, and seemed to be holding something in his hand.

After a moment, Tokugawa Haruhiko's voice came from far away: "Elder Sister Five! I know you're home! But this time I'm just simply passing on a message from Great-Grandfather, running an errand."

"You can ignore me if you want, but Great-Grandfather has already issued a command; whether you know it or not, the final result won't change."

On the screen, Tokugawa Haruhiko shook the envelope sealed with sealing wax in his hand.

But she just sat there, closed her eyes, and had no intention of getting up to open the door at all.

Uesugi Toru thought for a moment, stood up, and walked toward the doorway.

Just as he reached the doorway of the villa, Shizuku spoke loudly: "Uesugi-kun!"

Pausing, the girl said,

"Just have him take his things and get lost, no need to open the door."

Uesugi Toru turned a deaf ear.

He pushed open the door of the villa, walked through the aisle in the courtyard, opened the iron gate, and made the kekkai with the effect of shielding vision temporarily disappear.

Four eyes met.

Tokugawa Haruhiko standing outside the door was stunned.

He turned his head, looking several times at the house number hanging on the side, confirming he hadn't gotten the wrong address.

In the silence, Tokugawa Haruhiko gazed at Uesugi Toru before him, whose complexion was calm, drenched in sweat, as if he had just fought a great battle, and said blankly yet shockedly,

"How could it be you!?"

End of Chapter