I planted a sacred tree in Tokyo.

Chapter 161 Farewell (Thanks to reader 'Fox Doesn't Eat Pears' for being the Alliance Leader)

This war is unwinnable!

It's no wonder the island nation's superhumans are cowardly; the disparity between them and the enemy is simply too great.

In their plan, once the location of the Blood Hakama is pinpointed, they will immediately launch a surprise attack, centered around Kafka, to eliminate this "great demon" and end the demon tide of Mount Koya.

Judging from his past performance and his attire, Blood Hakama is a standard 'Onmyoji'. He excels at summoning shikigami and raising yokai. Facing Kafka, whose individual strength is extremely formidable, or rather, 'Ibaraki-Douji's jinchūriki,' beheading him is not impossible.

As for Hai Ren, with the Igoya siblings involved, it's unlikely they'll really get serious; in fact, turning enemies into friends isn't impossible.

After all, judging from the Isoya Village incident, Kainin was only forced to join the Blood Hakama camp.

However, their plan was leaked from the very beginning!
"Onoda"

As they scattered and fled, Iori Ichika turned her head fiercely and looked at the middle-aged warrior in blue robes behind the blood-stained khaki.

Asshole!
Yes, we once besieged you.

But you just gained superpowers and then attacked the American embassy.

Why rush things like that? Once we have superhuman strength, we'll naturally be able to make America bow down.
Now, they have completely sided with "Blood Hakama" and revealed all of the government's plans: as a result, "Blood Hakama" immediately summoned "Hyuga Toneri," who is clearly a humanoid special attacker.

Although I don't know what kind of powerful demons the 'sea serpent,' 'false dizziness,' and 'red lotus' that Ibaraki mentioned are, they are definitely much better than my current situation.

As a result, Kafka, as the ace, was the first to leave the stage, leaving these extraordinary individuals to face two opponents.
No, it was a powerful demon, but it was also a near-death experience.

Thinking about it this way, we should thank the nuclear bomb from earlier.

Although there's a suspicion that they all got blown up, at least they drew away the one-on-one God's Eye 'Hyuga Toneri'.

"Run separately—"

With things having come to this point, the superhumans, all wounded, could only flee as one by one.

As for turning around and killing the 'Blood Hakka', it's obvious that these 'ordinary' superhumans can't do it, since they don't have any inherited trump cards or divine bloodlines.

"Kill them."

With a casual wave of his hand, 'Blood Hakama' sent over twenty remaining wolf-level and above 'Oni Samurai', 'Mummy Ninja', and 'Skeleton Onmyoji' to chase after the fleeing group. At the same time, a considerable number of demonic creatures followed, enough to put these superhumans in a life-or-death predicament.

"Little monk,"

"Didn't you want to avenge your father?"

Rusty chains appeared out of thin air and began to lock onto the 'Acala statue' of Monk Zhixiong!
"Leaving in such a hurry, wouldn't that seem like you're being hypocritical?"

Splash,

Even the 'Acala statue', which wields magical weapons, was unable to break free from these chains for the time being.

"With the help of Kukai's magical artifact, even if you, little monk, wanted to run away, I couldn't stop you; it's a pity that this artifact can only carry one person."

The only one who could possibly 'explode' and withstand the Blood Hakkama was the monk Zhixiong, who possessed the 'legacy'. However, facing the 'Blood Hakkama' alone, he was clearly afraid.

No, it was also a dazed Yagyu Isao shrouded in the image of Fudo Myoo!

"This humble monk...it is me."

With his hands clasped together and his fists tightly gripping the ritual implement, the three-pronged vajra, the young monk trembled all over.

In fact, if he fought desperately, he could have delayed the 'Blood Hakama'; unfortunately, first it was Ibaraki, then Toneri, whose irresistible power had given him a deep psychological shadow over the 'Great Demon', making him afraid before the battle even began.

Simply put, they were terrified.

Snapped,
A hand landed on his shoulder.
"Zhixiong, can your magical artifact help you escape?"

"Ah? Yes, it's me."

Before he could say anything, the hand on his shoulder tightened its grip;

The young monk, who was rated as 'Tiger Level', was not deterred. Instead, a figure rushed out of the 'Immovable King Statue'.

"Yongnan, you—?"

"Go quickly!!"

He brandished his katana and charged toward the 'blood-stained hakama' with a howl.

Yagyu Isao hadn't even considered the possibility of an 'attack,' but instead was yelling and urging:

"Go! Live on—"

?

In a flash,

These three words seemed like a spell, echoing in the mind of the young monk 'Zhixiong'.

By the time he came to his senses, the 'Three-pronged Pestle' in his hand had already been activated, carrying him away as a golden light.

No,

No no no no!

I didn't start this; I didn't mean to abandon you!!
The scene before his eyes rushed backward, causing the young monk, who was flying backward through the air, to have his eyes wide open in horror, leaving behind only a series of mutated roars.

"Aaaaaaaaaa!!!"

Clang,

With a metallic clang, Yagyu Isao was sent flying backward.

In the chaos, only his 'father's' teachings made him instinctively tighten his grip on the sword hilt.

"Lord Xue Hakama,"

"Don't dirty your hands, let me handle this ant."

"Can--"

A jumble of noise reached his ears, and when Yagyu Isao stood up again, only a middle-aged samurai in blue robes remained in front of him.

"Who are you, Father?!"

Blood Hakama has already left to hunt down the others.

But for 'Yagyu Isao', he had no intention of running away or escaping at all.

Who is this man before me, the one who caused him so much suffering, yet also transformed him completely?!
"Onoda,"

The man with the body of 'Yagyu Shigehara' spoke slowly.

You should still remember my name.

"Uncle Onoda?!"

Yagyu Isao was taken aback; of course he remembered the name.

When I was a child, this uncle, whose hair was already graying but whose back was always straight, often visited the Yagyu family.

At that time, he was terrified of this uncle: just one look from him could make him feel cold all over.

I later heard that the Onoda family moved to Brazil.
"why?"

Do you remember the day your house had a 'natural gas explosion'?

All the other beings had already left, and the 'middle-aged man' holding a katana slowly spoke.

"I remember, the day I had a car accident" was actually just a routine case of speeding and running red lights, which led to me being pulled over by the traffic police.

Then he would routinely ask his father to intervene. Looking back now, he was a complete bastard!
“That day was the day I came to visit your father.”

Faced with Yagyu Isao's doubts, Onoda, who was controlling the body of 'Yagyu Harashige', spoke frankly.

"But your father colluded with the American military to set a trap to capture me. — At that time, I was already a transcendent being and was preparing to invite your father to become a transcendent being."

Ah this
While Yagyu Isao was struggling with his thoughts, Onoda continued speaking.

"I died on the spot!"

"Being able to drag two American superhumans down to hell before I die would be one of the greatest joys in life!"

So that’s it,
A knowing glint flashed in Yagyu Isao's eyes.
During this time, his 'father's' personality changed drastically. In addition to training him without reservation, his words also showed hostility and even hatred towards America.

In Yagyu Isao's memory, although his father disliked America, he didn't harbor such strong hostility; now it seems—

"So, Uncle Onoda, you killed me."

"That's right!"

The middle-aged warrior in blue answered without hesitation.
"Yagyu Harashige colluded with the Americans to harm me, so it is only right and proper for me to kill him!"

"Father,"

After hearing the other party's explanation, Yagyu Isao gritted his teeth and called out the 'title' again.

"Please forgive your unfilial son—"

Pfft

Before he could finish speaking, a glint of steel flashed in Yagyu Isao's eyes.

His muscle memory, honed through training, caused him to instinctively retreat, thus avoiding being killed in one strike.

"It seems you've misunderstood, Yagyu Isao."

Yanagi Onoda, who suddenly stepped forward and swung his sword, nearly splitting Yagyu Isao's head open, spoke coldly.

"I train you in preparation to take over your body."

?

"This body has reached its limit,"

As Yagyu Isao, who had been nearly killed by a scar across his nose, stood there stunned, his 'father' opposite him stood with his beard bristling and his murderous intent like that of a demon!
Give me your body!

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

Boom! !
In a mountain valley,

The giant 'earthworm' suddenly lunged out, knocking a power unit flying. After rolling on the ground more than a dozen times, it went silent.

"The Holy Son! The Holy Son?!"

Pooh,

Spitting out a mouthful of blood, Iori Ichika's fierce face showed no fear, only remorse.

Damn it, so many people are scattered and running around, why did I have to win the 'big prize'?

Looking at the giant earthworms emerging from the ground and the group of ninjas wielding dull short swords, Iori Kazuka wanted to look up to the sky and sigh:
My life is over!

With so many wolf-level superhumans and a tiger-level giant earthworm, what's the point of fighting?

Even on the verge of death, I'll bite off a piece of flesh.

"Roar!!"

Before Iori Kazuka could even bite the enemy, someone else did it first.

The three-headed dog charged into the battlefield and fiercely bit the giant earthworm.

"Walk,"

The head in the center tilted to one side.
"Hoshino, you..."

"Take care of yourself!"

Iori Kazuka wasn't the type to waste words on the battlefield. She immediately pounced on Fuji Seiko, ripped open her transforming power armor, and pressed her fingers against Fuji Seiko's neck.

There's still a pulse!

He hoisted the vine saint onto his shoulder and sprinted away.

Behind him, a three-headed dog roared as it was attacked by a group of 'dried corpse ninjas'.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

Clang, clang, clang, clang, clang, clang,

Amidst the clanging of swords, two figures shrouded in the raging wind were engaged in a high-speed battle.

Both swordsmen used the 'Yagyu Shinkage-ryu' style, and with each breath, a breeze seemed to accompany them: continuous kesa slashes were like a gentle breeze, striking without warning; tang zhu (a type of swordsmanship) was like a howling gale, suffocating the opponent; and sudden thrusts were like a whirlwind, impossible to defend against.
Under ever-increasing pressure, Yagyu Isao was forced to devote all his attention and energy to the battle!
The two figures were entangled together, like sword blanks thrown into a fire. Although the young warrior was bleeding profusely, his sword was getting faster and faster. The gale around him was becoming more and more intense, making his figure blurry.

it is good!
He cheered inwardly, and Onoda suddenly thrust his sword forward, as fast as lightning and as powerful as thunder!
Yagyu Isao responded with the same thrust, and the two figures suddenly overlapped.

Pfft

The sharp blade pierced through flesh and blood, protruding from 'Yagyu Harashige's' back.

? !
Coming to his senses from the intense battle, Yagyu Isao instinctively embraced the body in front of him.

"I"

"Kid, you win."

Despite having his heart pierced, 'Yagyu Hara Shige' smiled, a smile of utter tranquility and contentment.

"No,"

"You won; you vehemently opposed the attack at the last moment."

Holding the middle-aged man in his arms, the young samurai's face showed grief, guilt, helplessness, and remembrance.
"The winner lives, the loser dies! Cough cough."

"A win is a win,"

"Take my sword. This is a token bestowed upon you by Lord Blood Hakama. The demon will not attack you."

He forcefully shoved the katana into the young man's hand.

The middle-aged man closed his eyes.

"Go away—"

Setting down the gradually cooling corpse, Yagyu Isao, holding two swords, bowed deeply one last time.

"Farewell, Father."

and also,

I am weak.

(End of this chapter)