Chapter 205

A torrent of prompts refreshed before Uesugi Toru's eyes, just like that river of vow power roaring toward them from the moonlight.

Only, now someone stood blocking the path of that endless vow power.

Two-shaku Adult.

The roaring river of vow power halted before that figure who, even having recovered to an eight-shaku form, still appeared incomparably petite.

Not an inch further.

"Three-star half..."

Uesugi Toru stared at the prompt showing Two-shaku Adult's breakthrough in rank as effortless as eating and drinking, yet felt not a shred of joy in his heart.

Everyone knows there's no such thing as a free lunch falling from the sky.

What's more, this came from an enemy's sudden killing blow.

Throughout Uesugi Toru's thirty seconds of silent watching, the white dress on Two-shaku Adult turned pale gold inch by inch.

A gentle and brilliant halo emerged bit by bit behind her, and a brand-new white cushion floated into being from the void beneath her smooth feet.

Two-shaku Adult lightly stepped onto the cushion.

The aura originally belonging to the Mononoke gradually faded, replaced by a Buddha-nature full of compassion and pity.

Bodhisattva.

No matter who saw Two-shaku Adult now, the two characters rising in their heart would be this.

Ordinary people need only look at her to feel an irrepressible impulse to prostrate in worship.

A pale gold head veil draped down from her crown.

Two-shaku Adult lowered her eyes and saw the remaining specks of vow power.

"How could it come to this..."

She sighed softly, spread her soft white five fingers, gathered the vow power before her into a milky-white small ball, and tucked it into her sleeve.

"Vow power is the wish of all beings, the thoughts of all beings."

Two-shaku Adult murmured, first casting her gaze filled with indifference and murderous intent onto Renko, dumbstruck at the other end of Nishio Castle.

But in just an instant, that murderous intent was drowned by rising pity.

Renko, likewise looking up at her, seemed to realize something, and so revealed a mocking wild laugh.

"Using vow power to convert yokai was never wrong..."

She withdrew her gaze, turned to face Uesugi Toru staring straight at her, and saw that fierce Hannya Mask.

On that face brimming with Buddha-nature and motherhood, coldness suddenly arose.

"Yokai that endanger all beings must be exorcised..."

But before she finished speaking, she saw the red-and-white fox ears on the Hannya Mask, and the four fluffy blood-red fox tails swaying slightly at the back.

"Want to pet."

Without any thought, this idea surfaced in Two-shaku Adult's heart.

Two-shaku Adult, about to transform into a Bodhisattva and Buddha of macro vow for universal salvation, froze for a moment, a trivial thread of clarity struggling up in her eyes.

And that thread of clarity, in a split second, transformed into irrepressible rage!

——Damn it, damn it damn it damn it damn it!

——Damn vow power, damn Renko, damn shitty Buddha vision!!!

That face, once like a Bodhisattva's compassion, twisted hideously; Two-shaku Adult once again looked down from high heaven toward Renko on the ground.

——You mortals, how dare you make me feel murderous intent toward Toru-sama!

But this murderous intent and rage that seemed to swallow everything lasted only a moment before diminishing by half in that vast ocean of macro vow.

Two-shaku Adult's pupils contracted; for the first time, resistance and fear surfaced in her eyes.

She realized her remaining time seemed not much.

No.

It should be said, the time before she turns into a machine driven by this macro vow has already become precious little.

Kill Renko...

No matter what, there's no time.

Realizing this, a positioning coordinate far stronger than before slammed straight down onto Renko's crown and fused into his body while he was unaware.

Simultaneously, a gold-white electronic screen fell into Uesugi Toru's hand out of thin air.

Two-shaku Adult spoke at once, her grand voice following the night sky surging toward the four directions eight sides, destroying every Sickness Retainer along the way to a clean sweep, Buddha light resounding,

"——Renko, Head of the Pure Land True Sect, is a sinful person!"

Next finger snap, under Renko's cold gaze, Two-shaku Adult in the night sky vanished suddenly with a *poof*.

No warning, and no known destination.

Only Uesugi Toru silently lowered his head to look at the new prompt that popped up before him.

After a string of kill prompts from Two-shaku Adult, the most critical prompt popped up.

【Your Shikigami "Eight-Shaku Woman" has returned to the Vessel "Complete Jizo Statue".】

【Your Shikigami "Eight-Shaku Woman" has forcibly performed Self-sealing on the Vessel.】

【You have obtained the Sealed Jizo Statue!】

【Sealed Jizo Statue】

【——Eight-Shaku Woman consumed vast vow power to stagnate self and thinking, sealing herself within the Jizo Statue. Only her master can open it.】

Uesugi Toru silently finished reading every prompt.

He had already reacted.

Everything Two-shaku Adult said before charging out just now was a lie.

Even if she truly could absorb them, she actually didn't have much Vow Power Resistance against these wish powers.

—Just now the change in her Qi Fen and gaze, combined with her current behavior of sealing herself inside the Jizo Statue without a second word, all explain this point.

Erchi Adult Mostly even her self would be devoured by the so-called "All Beings' Wishes".

Uesugi Toru took out the Jizo Statue from the Storage Backpack.

He looked at the small Jizo Statue wrapped in flowing Golden Brahma Script one by one, then turned it over.

On the back of the Jizo Statue, a line of crooked text was revealed.

【——Toru-sama, please save me.】

Uesugi Toru half-lowered his eyes, extending his fingertip to gently stroke this line of writing.

Silent, not speaking.

And Imagawa Yoshimoto standing beside him had already clearly felt the suffocating Atmosphere.

She opened her mouth,

"Tetsu-kun……"

"Lord Imagawa."

Quite rarely, Uesugi Toru directly spoke to interrupt Imagawa Yoshimoto's words.

He said: "I will leave some Shikigami for you to command."

This voice was hoarse and rough, like two pieces of cold hard pig iron slowly grinding against each other.

As for the purpose, there was no need to explain.

Uesugi Toru silently gazed at the Green Dot and Red Dot on the golden-white Positioning Board, then took out the Komainu Bell and blood-stained Hina Crown, infusing Spirit Power into them.

"Wang!"

Accompanied by a loud bark of a Komainu Hatamoto, a full two Komainu Hatamoto, plus seven One-Star Half puppets appeared beside Imagawa Yoshimoto.

In one thought, Uesugi Toru used a Prop to summon Shikigami to bow towards Imagawa Yoshimoto.

"Toru……"

Imagawa Yoshimoto just reached out her hand, when her gaze was stung by a pale white lightning bolt rushing straight into the sky.

Rumble——!

Thunder roared, making one unable to help but tremble.

"Renko!"

Then came that roar, neither fully Yokai nor Demon, descending from above, transmitted word by word to everyone's ears,

"Come here and die!!!"

A cold white arc tore the Night Sky, in just a turn of an instant, it swept across half of Nishio Castle.

"——Tsk!"

Renko looked up, staring dead at that lightning with a clear target.

No doubt, that was coming for herself.

Dai Onmyoji Tooru.

Able to manipulate such a vast range of Thunder, and able to do this kind of thing, it's definitely that Toru.

Renko's five fingers contracted, discovering that the Wish Power usable within Nishio Castle was also already running out.

"Damn it……"

In his brain sea emerged the figure in white robes from just now.

Renko looked at the lightning drawing closer, thinking in his heart.

—Since Dai Onmyoji Tooru could kill Sickness and Suffering in such a short time, that proves he is far far stronger than himself.

Must escape.

Escape now, there are still countless methods to make a comeback.

Even if truly assimilated by Wish Power and transforming into a Buddha, it's not a bad method.

But if he loses his life, then everything ends.

"Dai Onmyoji Tooru…… I'll remember you."

Renko murmured softly, then instantly disappeared in the center of the monk soldiers he had already gathered.

The monk soldiers who still didn't understand what happened looked at each other in blank dismay, not knowing what to do next.

Ten seconds later, surging lightning descended from the sky.

An indifferent voice transmitted from within,

"Renko escaped?"

Hualala.

The monk soldiers who hadn't yet left all trembled, raising their Weapons towards the terrifying Yokai figure manifesting from the lightning.

The White Prajna Mask was expressionless, only the Fox Ears that had completely turned deep red could prove its master's Anger.

"You…… are sure you want to block me?"

Uesugi Toru lowered his head to look at the Red Dot moving at High Speed on the Electronic Screen, asking softly.

The iron implements surrounding him layer by layer drew even closer.

Then the overflowing Pale Blade slid out from the Vermilion Scabbard.

……

Nearly another minute later, Renko, who had already restrained his breath and hidden, slipping into the Forest outside the city, peeked a gaze from the Tree Grove.

Above the silent Night Sky, lightning tinged with Red Skin was faintly visible.

"This monster……"

Renko cursed silently in his heart.

He had just summoned no fewer than hundreds of monk soldiers, a large portion of whom were veterans who had achieved some success on the Breathing Path and had experienced life and death.

So many people, yet they couldn't even hold out for a minute.

Good thing he had decisively chosen to flee at the time, otherwise he would probably have turned into a puddle of blood mud by now……

But fortunately.

His concealment methods were originally very strong, and now he had already hidden himself in the mountain forest, merging completely with the aura of these woods.

Unless that Great Onmyoji Toru razed this entire mountain top to flat ground, it would be impossible to discover his whereabouts……

"Hello."

The Four-Tailed Fox's hoarse voice interrupted Renko's thoughts, making his whole body stiffen.

Renko raised his head again, discovering that the red lightning in the night sky had actually already disappeared.

He turned his head in shock, looking at the Hannya Mask that had already arrived before his eyes: "How did you find——"

Before the words were finished, Renko felt a sudden pain at the connection between his right arm and shoulder, then it was as if illusory fire began to rise from the wound, making his complexion twitch uncontrollably.

Uesugi Toru calmly gazed at Renko, in whose hand Buddha Light was rising, and said softly,

"Since you won't come, I'll just have to come find you."

Renko quickly gathered the Qi and Buddha Light in his body secretly into his left hand, while using words to stall: "Toru, perhaps we don't have to……"

Crack.

Before Renko could even react, he felt the position of his original left arm become empty and hollow.

"Shh, please don't speak."

Uesugi Toru stood his finger before the slit of the Hannya Mask, deliberately having Kaga Kiyomitsu sheathe Separation Sorrow Domain: "I hear your voice, and it gets very annoying."

Only Fukushima Blaze's fire scorched Renko's spirit and flesh.

Simultaneously cauterizing those two wounds into a charred black, not letting wounds this large spill even a single drop of blood.

Renko retreated continuously, a look of desperate murderous intent surging on his face full of horizontal flesh: "Toru! Don't think you've got me beat!"

Swish.

Blade Light flashed again, forcibly interrupting the terrifying Buddha Light that was about to gather into a whole mass.

Renko's footing became unstable, and he fell to the ground.

He looked at the three intact limbs scattered in the grass, the corners of his eyes twitching incessantly, his original confidence already mostly gone.

If the power in Renko's body could be fully charged and released, it might still give Uesugi Toru no small trouble, and even instant-kill him when he wasn't paying attention wasn't necessarily impossible.

But compared to Sickness and Suffering, Renko was simply like an infant holding a sharp weapon yet completely unable to use it.

Uesugi Toru lowered his head, gazing at Renko on the ground whose complexion changed several times,

"I said, don't speak."

"Toru! If I self-destruct you'll also——"

Kaga Kiyomitsu descended, severing the last limb.

The White Hannya Mask blocked the moonlight, the part where the pupils should be a stretch of darkness, on it neither joy nor sorrow.

Like a Ghost God observing mortal things.

Uesugi Toru finally saw in the end an unhideable fear welling up in the eyes of this so-called Pure Land True Sect's Dharma Master, so satisfied he had Kaga Kiyomitsu accurately wedge into Renko's face.

The blade lightly sliced through that energy node which had accumulated all of Renko's power, cleaving it in two with one slash.

Pallor, lightning, gang Qi, and illusory fire rose together.

"Oh, then explode."

Uesugi Toru laughed happily.

He spat a mouthful of saliva at Renko's corpse, which wore a ferocious expression and believed to the death that it could self-destruct and drag him along to die, and stomped a foot down on it.

【You killed, Dharma Master·Renko (Three-Star Half) (Half Buddha Incarnation), you gained Soul Ash 0 points!】

【You obtained, Wish Crystal (Special Material)!】

Uesugi Toru let out a refreshing breath, his gaze sweeping over the prompt.

Hah, this Renko was actually also Three-Star Half, yet before him in Anger State he couldn't even exchange a move.

His guess was indeed correct.

The gap between Three-Star Half and Three-Star Half might be even larger than the gap between an Ordinary Person and Three-Star Half.

【You used Kaga Kiyomitsu to slay Dharma Master·Renko, Kaga Kiyomitsu: Blade of Parting's quality Medium Increase!】

【Your Skill, Tennen Rishin-ryu Proficiency +100!】

【Your Skill, Five Thunder Method: Kiai Proficiency +100!】

【Your Skill, Spirit Control Technique·Qi Proficiency +100!】

【Your Skill, Sword Art·Tennen Rishin-ryu has risen to Expert Level!】

After killing Renko, the stuck Tennen Rishin-ryu Proficiency finally broke through.

In the dark, Uesugi Toru felt some place had undergone a fundamental change.

But now not much Anger time remained, and the Sickness Retainers in Nishio Castle hadn't been completely cleared yet.

Compared to looking at these prompts and organizing himself which can be done anytime, the remaining Anger time was even more precious.

【You have killed all key figures of Stage Quest·Mikawa Revolt——Sickness Incarnation, Dharma Master·Renko, your quest evaluation will Significantly Increase!】

【Constant World Walker produced a critical influence on history, calculating Historical Influence Degree changes……】

Uesugi Toru swiped all the remaining prompts to the edge of his vision, leaving them for later viewing.

White lightning rising again from red, once more sprinting toward the inside of Nishio Castle.

……

After Renko died, the kekkai within Nishio Castle that secretly guided people's thoughts, driven by wish power, lost its effect.

Some residents came out of the bewitchment, found themselves, and stood frozen in place.

But more residents were no different from before, as if nothing had changed at all.

They had already been influenced by wish power, tormented by suffering, and countless plagues spreading from this sickness and suffering seized their thinking ability, turning them into true wish power providers.

As time passed, the residents who had regained themselves remembered everything that had happened until now, and then felt the plagues still present on their bodies.

If this continued, perhaps they would be tortured to death while still alive before their family and friends who had lost their thinking ability.

The color of despair appeared on their faces all at once.

At this time.

Thunder sounded, countless electric lights spread from a single point, illuminating the night sky as bright as day.

In Nishio Castle, people with blank and stunned expressions subconsciously raised their heads.

"So bright... is that something emitted by someone?"

"Kami!" someone suddenly spoke, voice surprised and shaken, "Is it an Adult Kami?"

"Adult Kami!"

"Yes, it can only be an Adult Kami!"

Amidst the noisy discussion, countless people knelt toward the center emitting the thunder light,

"Adult Kami, please save us!"

"Adult Kami, please save us!"

——Now still within the castle, sickness retainers fell like rain in waves, then were pierced and dissolved by an uchigatana in midair.

Ten minutes later, the thunder light temporarily faded, leaving only people still kneeling within the castle.

Uesugi Toru returned to Imagawa Yoshimoto's side at the place visible at a glance.

The two looked at each other.

Imagawa Yoshimoto asked nothing, only said: "Take me to the sky, then according to the original plan..."

"Okay."

Uesugi Toru nodded, not minding the yokai blood on her at all, scooped up the girl wearing black armor, and rose straight up amidst her short exclamation.

Hundreds of meters above, Uesugi Toru used the Spirit Control Technique to manipulate the air to form a colorless transparent step under Imagawa Yoshimoto's feet.

He nodded slightly,

"Lord Imagawa, you can speak now."

Imagawa Yoshimoto clenched her fist in annoyance, then took a deep breath, discarding all excess emotions,

She spoke: "The residents of Nishio Castle."

Under the raging lightning dragon, Imagawa Yoshimoto's voice was solemn,

"I am the Lord of Mikawa Province, Imagawa Yoshimoto."

"I can stand here now, which means the culprits within the castle have all been executed."

She proclaimed loudly,

"——And after I came, yokai will be slain, diseases will be cured, no one will die in despair again."

The few half-dead birds remaining in the castle charged at Imagawa Yoshimoto, then were turned by Uesugi Toru into a handful of scorched charcoal and blown away by the wind.

Under the power like that of a kami, gazes from all over Nishio Castle gathered on her, full of hope and awe.

Imagawa Yoshimoto accepted all this without changing expression, making a promise to them: "From now on..."

Several minutes later, a task completion prompt popped up before Uesugi Toru's eyes—

【Current task completion has reached 60%, can choose to settle the Stage Mission: Suppress Mikawa!】

【Can also choose not to settle for now, continue accumulating task completion.】

【Current task completion: 60%.】

【Note 1: Increasing the stage mission settlement completion can make the completion progress of the Main Quest "Lord of Tokaido" higher!】

【Note 2: Increasing the stage mission settlement completion can obtain richer task rewards!】

Collecting the thunder light, Uesugi Toru brought Imagawa Yoshimoto down into the floating square block left on the ground that could no longer float.

Nowadays, this block's only function is to exist as a one-way transparent room.

Uesugi Toru took out the Twelve-Layered Robe and placed it on the clean ground of the block.

Imagawa Yoshimoto watched this and already understood in her heart.

Without Uesugi Toru saying, she also knew what was about to happen.

She wiped the blood stain from her cheek, raised her chin toward Uesugi Toru: "Leave the rest to me."

Uesugi Toru was slightly stunned, swallowing the words he wanted to say back.

So he did not immediately complete this stage mission, but chose to let Imagawa Yoshimoto finish up, bringing higher completion.

The duration of Anger ended.

Unexpectedly, Uesugi Toru fell headfirst onto the block's ground.

Then no information or prompt came in time before he fell into an exhausted coma.

End of Chapter