Chapter 27 The Disqualified Saniwa 3

Han Zhou made room for them, and to avoid being noticed by others, he transformed back into his half-human, half-fox form. Pure divine power emanated from his body and rapidly spread throughout the tainted Honmaru.

Hiyu's Honmaru wasn't large, and when Hanshu's power swept over it, Hiyu's tsukumogami already sensed something amiss.

That man couldn't possibly possess such pure power, so... who has come to the citadel?

Mikazuki, who was originally guarding the entrance room, directly felt this powerful force, which healed Imaizumi's injuries in an instant. Even he himself could feel that this clear power had instantly dispelled the formation that scumbag had left on him.

Upon witnessing this strange phenomenon, all the spirits that had been inside the room came out to investigate. Hanzhou, standing in the courtyard, was particularly conspicuous, especially the golden aura emanating from her, as if she were bathed in sunlight.

It's quite obvious who wielded that warm power.

Suddenly under the gaze of so many people, Han Zhou glanced at them. The thick clouds that had been hanging heavy and oppressive over the Honmaru dissipated under Han Zhou's power, revealing the sun that had been obscured.

Warm sunlight streamed in

Even the withered Man'yō cherry blossoms bloomed instantly under the nourishment of divine power, their pink petals lifted by a gentle breeze and slowly drifting down from the sky.

This is a beautiful scene that the Touhou Honmaru never had.

Just as Hanzhou and the tsukumogami were exchanging bewildered glances, a scream drew their attention. The tsukumogami, of course, recognized the scream as coming from whoever it was.

"Go ahead, some emotions need to be released."

Hanzhou reminded the somewhat bewildered tsukumogami.

Saya of the Zuowenzi faction was the first to move. He bowed slightly to Hanzhou to express his gratitude, then grabbed Sozo and Kousetsu's hands and rushed towards the source of the screams.

With one person taking the lead, the others followed suit. Although their past actions with Touyu caused them to distrust the Saniwa, they could actually sense Hanzhou's different nature.

That kind of... tranquility, like that of Mikazuki Munechika, and the innate nobility that belongs to the Heian period.

While most of the tsukumogami were busy settling old scores with Hiu, Hanshu planned to go to the castle tower to check on the situation, just in case there were any remnants left inside.

But not everyone was with Fei Yu. Han Zhou looked at the unexpected encounter with Mikazuki Munechika and Imaizumi.

“You…” [Mikazuki Munechika] looked at the person who was different from the one in his memory, but perhaps there had been clues all along.

Throughout the hundred years he lived, his appearance never aged. Perhaps that's the real answer.

Mikazuki Munechika revealed a relieved smile, a relaxed smile unlike any he had before. Imaizumi looked at the person beside him and noticed that the previously dim moonlight seemed to have brightened again.

"Lord Hanzhou, are you heading to the castle tower?"

When asked about Mikazuki Munechika's question, Kanshu nodded.

I'll show you the way.

Imagining that Mikazuki Munechika wanted to be alone with the person in front of him, Imagin rushed towards Touhou's direction.

Throughout the journey, Mikazuki Munechika remained silent, which didn't surprise Hanshu. This citadel didn't have many swords; the remaining ones were Samonji's Misaki, Awataguchi's Yagen and Narukuni, Sakamoto Ryoma's sword Mutsu no Kami Yoshiyuki, and the Sanjo school's Imaizumi and Mikazuki.

Moreover, Han Zhou sensed many fragments of swords and blades here.

"What are your plans for the future?"

Hanshu looked at Mikazuki Munechika, who had stopped in front of the castle tower, and asked him about his plans for the future.

"Perhaps... I'll go find my old comrades."

"Is he trying to shatter the blade?" Han Zhou raised an eyebrow. She didn't believe Mikazuki Munechika was so fragile; she could sense that he didn't want to die.

If she hadn't appeared, perhaps all the swords in the citadel would have shattered on their own after killing Touya, but now a turning point has appeared, and some may have felt a renewed sense of hope.

I'm just a little confused about the future right now.

You don't mean that at all.

After replying, Han Zhou bypassed Mikazuki Munechika and entered the castle tower to check the situation inside.

Upon seeing the chaotic and disorganized array within, his brow furrowed instinctively. This thing was truly...inferior.

Other struggling students scribbled answers on their papers, but at least they wrote something. Feiyu, however, just scribbled and drew randomly. This talent was truly...unbearable to watch. Hanzhou skipped over to look elsewhere.

On the table, I saw a postcard with a magic array attached; the array was very similar to the one the shop owner had given her before.

The golden light lifted the postcard on the table and brought it to Han Zhou. Long, slender fingers held the postcard in their hands.

To Han Zhou, this formation was as simple as 1+1; it was broken in an instant.

The real information appeared above, and Han Zhou's lips curled into a slight smile. Originally, he only wanted to help Mori overcome the shadows of his past and save the spirits here, but he hadn't expected such an unexpected gain.

Feiyu really did bring a great gift before he died.

"What a pleasant surprise!"

On the other side

No matter how angry Ichigo Hitofuri was, his gentle nature remained unchanged. He only symbolically punched Hiuu a few times, without even drawing his sword.

This wasn't because he couldn't bring himself to do it, but because he wanted to leave that opportunity for those who truly needed to vent. For example, the Mori clan, and the tsukumogami of this citadel.

They watched coldly as Fei Yu was tortured, uttering foul language. Finally, Xiao Ye cut off his tongue, leaving him only able to make faint whimpering sounds.

Tsurumaru Kuninaga yawned and glanced at the castle tower.

"Our lord should be back soon. What should we do with the swords in this citadel?"

They've recently gained many more tsukumogami in their citadel; only the Samonji faction, Mutsu no Kami Yoshiyuki, and Imaizumi in this citadel are tsukumogami they don't yet have.

"Haha, Tsurumaru, don't worry about that. My lord surely has a way to solve this," Mikazuki laughed, looking at the completely changed environment around him, marveling at the immense power of his lord.

They possess the power to change everything, yet they cannot change it.

Is this good fortune or misfortune?

Mikazuki found himself lost in thought.

Hanzhou was indeed thinking about how to arrange the tsukumogami here. If they weren't opposed, perhaps... some could go to Qingye's Honmaru.

Although Qingye has been in office for three years, he is not particularly enthusiastic about forging swords. The swords in his citadel are generally quite strong, and he believes that quality is more important than quantity when it comes to swords.

Therefore, Qingye will only forge a sword after the new sword spirit has accumulated enough combat experience.

This is somewhat similar to Han Zhou.

Having obtained what he wanted, Han Zhou planned to return to his unit. There were still important matters to attend to.