Chapter 72 Morikawa Family
As Kashuu Kiyomitsu watched Miyuki, who showed no signs of waking up, grew anxious, a faint light emanated from his body. Not only his body, but all the swords exhibited this phenomenon.
These points of light converged and slowly condensed into a magic circle, teleporting all the swords and rain-controlling mist back.
Meanwhile, the spirits remaining at the Honmaru of the Cold Boat quickly noticed the golden light in the courtyard. Upon seeing the badly injured divided spirit, they immediately rushed forward. [Tsurumaru Kuninaga] instantly sensed that something was wrong with Miyuki, and knelt down to examine her bitten fingertip.
"This Saniwa seems to have used a sacrificial-type formation."
As soon as "[Tsurumaru Kuninaga]" finished speaking, Miyuki's once jet-black hair turned white from the roots, half of her long hair turning white. The swords, witnessing this sudden scene, hadn't even had a chance to speak when the listless little white fox laboriously walked over.
Before they could take more than a few steps, [Higakiri] picked them up and placed them beside Yu Yuwu. The little white fox rubbed against Yu Yuwu's cheek, and light golden divine power overflowed from its body, flowing into Yu Yuwu and the injured swords.
“Little one, you’ll disappear if you do that,” Tsurumaru Kuninaga crouched down and gently poked the little white fox’s cheek, trying to stop it. Two pairs of similar yet different golden eyes met silently, and in the end, Tsurumaru Kuninaga sighed and gave in.
The little white fox was an avatar of Han Zhou, and Han Zhou's consciousness influenced its actions. After using all its divine power to heal the swords and the Rain Mist, the little white fox's body began to dissipate into starlight. Both its original spirit and its avatar silently watched this scene.
In the final moment before disappearing, the little white fox's voice echoed in everyone's ears.
"Don't get hurt."
This is Han Zhou's truest wish.
"Don't dwell on your sadness yet. What exactly happened to you?" [Tsurumaru Kuninaga] lent a hand to Kashuu Kiyomitsu, helping Miyuki up.
“It’s the Soul-Devouring Array,” Catfish Tail replied. The charred wound on his left arm had disappeared; thanks to the little white fox’s healing, his injuries had fully healed. “The divine power our lord left on us has been absorbed.”
“No wonder…” Tsurumaru Kuninaga murmured, then fell silent after noticing that Miyuki was showing signs of waking up.
Yu Yuwu felt an unusual heaviness in her body, as if she had returned to the days when she was cursed. She felt as if she were being dragged into the depths of hell by endless vengeful spirits, unable to move, when a warm force pulled her upwards, freeing her from that cold, murky swamp. Upon opening her eyes, she was met with the worried gaze of Kashuu Kiyomitsu.
"That's wonderful, Lady Yuwu! You're finally awake!"
Yu Yuqi straightened up, looking bewildered, at the beautiful scenery of the Honmaru, where a faint fragrance of flowers filled the air. Her heart, which had been pounding, finally settled. She let out a long breath, her voice filled with relief: "Thank goodness, we did it!"
Seeing that the Saniwa was completely unaware of her current situation, Mikazuki Munechika sighed helplessly and reminded her, "Saniwa, do you know what kind of formation you used?"
With the help of Kashuu Kiyomitsu, Yu Yuwu stood up. Upon hearing these words, she looked in the direction of the voice and smiled when she saw the most beautiful blade in the world. Despite the depletion of spiritual energy within her body, which caused dull pain when circulating, and despite seeing the hair that had suddenly turned white, she was still happy, simply because she had successfully destroyed the evil god statue and contributed to helping Han Zhou break the seal.
"I know," Yu Yuwu's voice was soft, yet firm. If faced with that situation again, her choice would remain unchanged. "It's just half my lifespan; I can afford it."
"I do not regret my choice, Lord Mikazuki."
The spirits gazed at the slender, half-white-haired Saniwa. They could sense that the Saniwa was in a state of near-withering, like a camellia. Some choose to trample sword spirits underfoot, merely to display their insignificant vanity; while others, with all their might, are willing to burn their own lifespan for the sake of their beliefs.
Some souls are as filthy as mud, while others are as dazzling as light.
This is perhaps why they still believe in humanity; otherwise, they would have already retrieved all the fragmented spirits.
——
The first force has destroyed the evil god statue located at the Gu Yu family's residence, and the second force led by Qing Ye has also arrived at the Sen Chuan family's territory.
Unlike the Gu Yu family's almost tangible resentment and ubiquitous puppets, the Morikawa family's territory was unusually "clean." There was no soaring resentment, no scattered vengeful spirits, and no wandering puppets. The ancient mansion was nestled in a lush yet silent forest, where not even birdsong could be heard, only a deathly stillness.
“Something’s not right.” Qingye immediately raised his hand, signaling the swords behind him to stop. A katana was hanging at his side, and golden spiritual energy spread out like a tide as he sensed the surrounding situation. “It’s too quiet, as if the sounds of the forest have been taken away.”
The captain of the second unit was Higekiri. He gripped his main body and scanned his surroundings warily: "Well... although I don't see any enemies, there's a very strong sense of unease."
Other swords, such as Soza Samonji, Aishi Kunitoshi, and Hotarumaru, also felt this invisible pressure, as if something was secretly watching them, drawing power from them and affecting their minds.
“Brother, be careful,” Hizamaru stood uneasily beside Higekiri, his tone tinged with doubt. “Do you remember the time when the head of the family took us in? There was a yokai who used that to influence people’s minds.”
Higekiri wore a gentle smile and spoke in a soft voice, "Of course I remember, so everyone should be careful. You might see the most unpleasant scenes in the illusion."
Fudou Yukimitsu felt a sudden pang of loss, muttering to himself, "I couldn't protect Lord Oda, and now I can't protect my lord either. I really am just a useless sword..."
Soza Samonji sighed softly, the melancholy that enveloped him seeming to grow even heavier: "The mournful cry of the caged bird seems even clearer..."
Even the usually composed Hasebe felt a growing sense of unease, his mind filled with thoughts of "failing to fulfill his duty" and "disappointing his lord," and his grip on the sword tightened unconsciously.
"It's mental corruption!" Qingye immediately sensed the anomaly. The intricate patterns of the purification array rapidly unfolded beneath his feet, and a light golden light emanated from his body, brushing past the swords like a gentle breeze. "Guard your mind, don't let negative emotions consume you! This is an enemy attack!"
Qingye's purification array temporarily dispelled the invisible influence, and the affected swords suddenly awoke, breaking out in a cold sweat. Despite Higekiri's warning, they were still affected; however, the Morikawa family's methods went far beyond this.
The surrounding scenery began to distort and shift. The solid walls rippled like water, and the corridor beneath their feet stretched into endless darkness. A mist silently spread, and a blurry figure appeared within it.
“My lord…?” Fudo Yukimitsu looked at the familiar enemy figure in the mist and subconsciously wanted to move forward, but was pulled back by Hasebe and Souzo beside him.
"That's an illusion, Motokō Kōshō, wake up!"
"Don't go..."
Even worse, some swords saw their own past that they didn't want to look back on—the burning citadel, the shattered comrades, the mad former master... Negative emotions surged like a tide, impacting their reason.
Hasebe held onto Fudou Yukimitsu with one hand, preventing him from rushing into the mist. But he himself was not in good condition either; sweat beaded on his forehead. He even saw the scene of Hanshu being sealed away, and he was powerless to stop it. The magnified self-blame almost overwhelmed him.
The only ones unaffected by the illusion were the brothers Higekiri and Hizamaru. Mental attacks are actually more difficult to deal with than physical attacks. The reason why the Genji brothers were unaffected by the illusion might be because they had experienced similar things together with Kanshu in the past, which led to their immunity.
Qingye continuously channeled his spiritual energy to maintain the purification array, its golden light like a solitary lamp lit in the thick fog. But he knew that if this continued, they would be the ones who couldn't hold on.
"This won't do," Qingye said, expanding his search area. He addressed the two remaining sane swordsmen, Higekiri and Hizamaru, "We must destroy the core of this illusion. I will guide you in the right direction!"
Golden spiritual energy transformed into threads that wrapped around Higekiri and Hizamaru's wrists, preventing them from getting separated in the thick fog, while the golden light they emitted converged into arrows to guide them.
"It's up to you now!"
"yes!"
Two figures, one in black and one in white, rushed into the mist, but an even worse scene unfolded. An unidentified monster, emanating black energy, burst forth from the mist. It had no fixed form; sometimes six arms appeared on its body, and sometimes it was covered with black tentacles, emitting a cacophony of howls that uttered madness.
It looks like they're going to intercept Higekiri and Hizamaru.
Qingye immediately intensified the purification array to help the swords temporarily resist the mental pollution. He shouted, "Stop it! We can't let this monster stop Higekiri and Hizamaru!"
Soza Samonji stepped forward slowly, his eyes still filled with sorrow, but with a hint of determination: "Even this body, burdened with misfortune, can offer everyone some small help."
Jiang Xue Zaiwen and Xiao Ye Zaiwen also stood beside Zong San. The three Zaiwen brothers' swords intertwined to form an impenetrable net, blocking the monster's advance.
The other swords also suppressed their inner turmoil, gathered all their power on their blades, and followed closely behind!
While maintaining the purification array, Qingye kept an eye on Higekiri and Hizamaru. He maximized his perception, ignoring all illusions and distractions around him, to guide Higekiri and Hizamaru.
Deep within the mansion, in a room filled with incantations, a suspended, constantly rotating dark purple gem radiates intense spiritual energy—this is the core of the illusion!
Higekiri and Hizamaru exchanged a glance and immediately drew their swords. A flash of white and green light passed by as the katanas simultaneously slashed at the dark purple gem!
Click—!
The dark purple gem shattered instantly! The immense spiritual power went out of control and scattered in all directions!
Meanwhile, outside, the enormous monster that had been entangled with the swords let out a painful howl, suddenly collapsing and dissipating. The thick mist that had enveloped the surroundings began to recede, and the distorted scene gradually returned to normal.
The illusion created by the Morikawa family has been dispelled.
The swordsmen had a brief respite; although they weren't physically wounded, their mental exhaustion was immense. Higekiri and Hizamaru immediately returned to Qingye's side.
"Although the core of the illusion has been destroyed, the statue of the evil god has not yet been found," Hizamaru said solemnly. They had just searched the entire mansion but hadn't found the statue.
"I'll come find you," Qingye took a breath and was about to mobilize his spiritual power when he seemed to sense something and immediately activated a protective array!
Qingye's protective shield shimmered with golden light, deflecting all the ominous gray-black arrows, which dissipated into wisps of black smoke. He looked up in the direction from which the arrows had come and saw a young man dressed in hunting attire, holding a longbow, standing on the roof of the mansion with a mocking smirk on his lips. It was none other than Morikawa Kino, the current head of the Morikawa family.
"Not bad," Morikawa Kino looked down at Qingye, her gaze filled with undisguised scrutiny. "But that's enough for you. We can't let you destroy another statue."
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Author's Note: Um... if all goes well, this novel will be available for purchase on November 3rd. There will be a 10,000-word update on the first day of purchase, so please give it your support! [kiss][kiss]
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