I planted a sacred tree in Tokyo.

Chapter 289 Heading to the Ghost City

"Zizzi"

"This is Takagi Miwa, cough cough~~~"

"Is anyone receiving a signal? Please respond, I need backup."

Hiding in an office building, Takagi Mikazu, whose hand was mechanical, pressed down on his earpiece and couldn't help but utter a curse.

"Damn it!"

Not only were they ambushed upon arrival, but they were also cut off from communication between their respective teams by a black fog.

I wonder if the government's ghost-level experts have arrived yet?
Thinking this aggravated the wound on his back, causing his face to twitch involuntarily.

A slash cut diagonally across Takagi Miwa's back, almost severing him at the waist: if he hadn't used his 'breathing technique' to accelerate forward, he would already be a corpse.

They were suddenly attacked, playing away from home, and were fragmented. They had no favorable timing, location, or popular support. How could they possibly win this battle?
As for the joke about running away from the enemy, the founder of the "Niten Ichi-ryu" school, Miyamoto Musashi, whom he studied, was someone who escaped from the battlefield.

When the enemy's strength is vastly different from ours, we should prioritize survival before engaging in battle. Facing a powerful enemy without retreating an inch may seem dashing, but it is actually utterly useless: which famous general in history has not escaped this fate?

Minamoto no Yoshitsune was chased and jumped from eight ships, while Oda Nobunaga was attacked by a mob three times.
Fleeing the battlefield in a sorry state was commonplace.
Gollum~~
? !
A jet-black, fist-shaped object rolled past from the side, causing Takagi Mikazu's pupils to shrink.

手雷
boom! !

A figure flew out from the black smoke of the explosion.

The explosive power of a fragmentation grenade is nothing to a skilled fighter like Takagi Miwa, but it represents—

As he retreated, he swung his two katana, one long and one short, backward with a fierce slash.

The enemy is catching up!

Clang,

The two katanas suddenly stopped, blocked by a kunai.

"You samurai,"

"He certainly has the air of a ninja."

A leisurely voice came from behind, making Takagi Miwa, who turned around quickly, feel as if he were facing a formidable enemy, and his eyes swept over the other person's waist.

There hung a matchlock gun called a 'tekko' and several heads.

Among them are
Koga Takeo's eyes wide open in fury!
Why am I so unlucky to run into this guy?
Takagi Miwa felt a bitter taste in his mouth. If he encountered other enemies, he could at least scatter and run away if he couldn't win. But in front of this 'person', he couldn't even run away.

Because the opponent is also a ninja who excels at tracking, reconnaissance, and is incredibly fast!
"Takigawa Kazumasu."

Takagi Miwa, wielding two swords, stared at the man in front of him who was wearing black leather armor and had a matchlock gun hanging at his waist.

One of the "Four Heavenly Kings" under Oda Nobunaga, he came from a family of Koga ninja!
"They were all your descendants, how could you kill them all?"

Takeo Koga, and his 'Koga ninjas,' who could theoretically be considered his successors, were all gone just like that.

"On the battlefield, each serves their own master."

The man holding the kunai looked completely at ease, utterly unconcerned about Takagi Mitsu's stalling tactics.

"If you're not capable, don't embarrass yourself in public."

"To dare to go into battle and kill the enemy, one must at least have the same awareness as Taira no Atsumori."

Taira no Atsumori, the protagonist of the "Atsumori Poems" that runs through Oda Nobunaga's life, was a member of the Heigen War a thousand years ago.

At only sixteen years old, he was handsome and talented, especially in music, and was skilled at playing the flute. He was undoubtedly a refined person in Kyoto; however, due to the conflict between the Taira and Genji clans, he had to take up arms and fight.

On the battlefield, the Taira clan suffered a defeat; Taira no Atsumori rode away on horseback, and had the opportunity to board a ship and retreat.

The veteran general of the Minamoto clan, who was chasing after him, saw his magnificent armor and extraordinary bearing and spoke sarcastically: "Why should the dignified Taira clan act like stray dogs?"
How can one refuse a challenge from the other party?

Dun Sheng parted the sea, paddled his horse ashore, and drew his sword to fight the enemy.

However, his opponent was a veteran who had fought for decades, while he was just a teenager. How could he possibly be a match for him?
He was eventually knocked to the ground, his helmet scattered. The old Genji general, who had originally wanted to exchange his head for merit, was stunned to find that it was a handsome young man about the same age as his grandson.

So he took pity on him and let him escape—but Taira no Atsumori showed no joy whatsoever, saying bluntly: I am a descendant of the Taira clan. If I am not going to fight, fine, but if I am going to fight, how can I be afraid of death? You are skilled in martial arts. If you defeat me, then cut off my head and claim the credit!
The old general of the Minamoto clan tried to persuade him to no avail, and with the Minamoto army already arriving behind him, he had no choice but to cut off Atsumori's head.

Holding the severed head in his hand, the old general couldn't help but shed tears: although he had fought on the battlefield for decades, beheading generals and breaking flags, and killing countless people, it was the first time in his life that he had killed such a young, handsome and elegant enemy, and a sense of sorrow welled up in his heart.

A promising young man, vanished in an instant; indeed, life is impermanent, like a dream, and the suffering of birth, aging, sickness, and death is immense.

He then drew the short flute from Atsumori's waist, played a tune, and left in sorrow; thus he left the battlefield, shaved his head and became a monk, taking the Dharma name Liansheng.

Fifty years in the human world, witnessing the rise and fall of dynasties, all seem like a dream; those who are born once, how can they not perish?

This refers to the stubborn and refined young man from the Heike family.

The Three Sacred Treasures of the island nation, shortly after this, fell into the sea along with the young emperor, and their authenticity has remained unknown ever since.

"I am not a samurai,"

Miwa Takagi, dressed as a samurai, blatantly lied:
"Hmm, can we surrender?"

"Can,"

The man opposite, named 'Takikawa Kazumasu', flicked his fingers, and the kunai moved between his fingers like butterflies flitting among flowers.

Snapped,
Suddenly gripping the kunai, the general, who was originally a ninja, grinned maliciously.

"After you become an 'evil spirit'!"

brush----

A long sword, gleaming with a silvery light, was already slashing down at his head;
At the same time, Takagi San and another short sword concealed themselves and thrust straight at the opponent's waist and abdomen, displaying the fierce and decisive nature of the Niten Ichi-ryu swordsmanship!
Clang! X2
At the same time, a series of striking sounds rang out as the two kunai, one above and one below, easily blocked the twin swords.

The kunai is a weapon similar to a dagger; the fact that he could accurately block a long sword with two daggers shows that this 'Takigawa Kazumasu' far surpasses Takagi Miwa in terms of strength, speed, and reaction!

There is a huge disparity in strength.

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.

"This"

In Adachi Ward, Yu, sitting on his own sofa, couldn't help but touch his chin.

"It shouldn't be."

On Oda Nobunaga's side, besides Oda Nobunaga himself, only Shibata Katsuie was a Demon-level general, while the remaining generals were merely "mere" Strong Tigers.

While the human side has fewer Tiger-level enemies, it has a large number of Wolf-level enemies: and they possess a wide variety of abilities, unlike the demon army which only relies on instinct.

With the addition of the three captains and vice-captains of the 'Underworld', the forces should be evenly matched.

How could there be so many casualties in such a short time?

"It can't be."

It's your own fault, isn't it?

After a moment's thought, You realized what was going on.

The problem was that he gave Oda Nobunaga several orders: to build a ghost castle and to eliminate the enemy.
From these orders, the 'Oda Nobunaga' guessed that the humans would soon attack: first, he feigned weakness and did not immediately 'deploy' Oniowari Castle; at the same time, he sent 'elite arquebusiers' as snipers, catching the humans off guard.

Taking advantage of this opportunity, the ghost town unfolds, enveloping the entire western part of Nagoya!

The ghost army launched attacks in all directions, hunting down the scattered superhumans.

"interesting,"

After figuring it out, he smiled nonchalantly.

Releasing the restrictions and letting 'Oda Nobunaga' do as he pleased was truly a big 'surprise' for him.

"It really is still necessary to do things personally, otherwise too many unexpected things will happen. However..."

This time, let it go. Regardless of who the 'winner' is, in the end, they're all just pawns in Yu's game. Yu may be indifferent, but for those present, it's a battlefield where they must fight to the death.

puff,

Ku Wu passed by.

An arm holding a long sword flew out.

Amidst splattering blood, Takagi Miwa was sent flying backward, his last fleshy arm also leaving him, leaving only a battered alloy arm.

"Your swordsmanship is good, but it's too slow!"

Facing the rapidly approaching and nearly within reach of 'Takikawa Kazumasu', Takagi Mikazu gritted his teeth.

He knew, of course, that there was a huge gap between his strength, speed, and spiritual power and that of his opponent, but since he was still alive, he was determined to fight to the very end!
"I've taken your head—"

As 'Takigawa Kazumasu' coldly declared, a chilling feeling had already settled on Takagi Mikazu's neck.

Pfft

The kunai slashed through the air, and blood splattered everywhere!

However, this attack did not sever Takagi Mikazu's neck.

His ability is 'magnetism', similar to that of Takeo Koga—so theoretically, he can also use Takeo Koga's weapons!
"Huh? This is."

Takeo Koga's hair, which was tied around his waist, fluttered up and wrapped around Kazumasu Takigawa's arm.

This is certainly not because the already dead Takeo Koga suddenly turned into a 'hair-eating demon' or a monster, but because his hair contains a large number of metal wires!

This was Takeo Koga's trump card, known only to himself and Mikazu Takagi.

Unfortunately, Takeo Koga died too quickly and didn't even have time to use this move.

Brother Koga, please lend me a hand!
Using Koga Takeo's head, he controlled the opponent with his ability. Takagi Miwa, whose neck was still bleeding profusely, did not back down, but instead pounced on him.

puff,

The short knife in his hand pierced the black leather armor.
However, there was no joy in Takagi Miwa's eyes, but rather regret and acceptance.

That stab was too shallow.

Moreover, the opponent is essentially an 'evil spirit,' and such an attack alone cannot kill him. Therefore, the one who deserves to die is...
brush----

A beam of sky-blue light suddenly swept across between the two of them.

The next second, a sky-blue light swirled around, protecting Takagi Mikazu.

?

"I was tricked,"

A boy carrying an umbrella drifted by.

At the same time, a head emanating black energy was thrown over.

"Onigorozuo?!"

The leader of the demon ninjas, named Takigawa Kazumasu, exclaimed in surprise: the head that was thrown over was none other than Niwa Nagahide, one of the "Four Heavenly Kings" of the Oda clan!

Although Niwa Nagahide was mainly in charge of domestic affairs during his lifetime, he also participated in many battles, large and small, of the Oda clan. The title "Oni Goro" was not just for show.

brush----

With a blur, 'Takigawa Kazumasu' flew away without looking back.

If the other side can kill Oni Goro, they can kill him!

Once they learn to think, even 'evil spirits' know fear and retreat.

saved!
Miwa Takagi in Water Polo

He finally showed an expression of relief, as if he had survived a disaster.

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.

Nagoya Nishi Ward,
In the mist, at a hospital called Asama Orthopedic Hospital.

All the extraordinary individuals involved in this operation gathered at this hospital to recuperate and receive treatment, while simultaneously reporting the situation back to the rear via base stations stored in storage scrolls.

"Sixth Super Mobile Squadron: 21 dead, 11 seriously injured, 5 missing, 5 still capable of fighting."

"Guardian Spirit Squad: 16 dead, 7 missing, 3 still able to fight."

"Extraordinary Countermeasures Lesson 5: Total Annihilation".

Upon hearing this report, a series of thuds came through the earpiece, along with shouts of "Get the medicine!" and "Official XXX has fainted!" Director Takeya, far away in the Tokyo command center, almost fainted too, but had to muster the strength to inquire.

"What about the rest?"

"The entire Koga clan was wiped out, and I also lost most of my fighting strength."

With bandages wrapped around his neck, Takagi San, who only had a mechanical arm left, gave a weak reply.

"The Hattori family also suffered heavy losses."

Seeing the miserable state of the other teams, especially those under the government, Hattori Hanzo's initial feeling of "huge loss" had turned into secret joy.

As the saying goes, I'm happy when others lose money. Anyway, the Koga family was completely wiped out, and Takagi Miwa was also half-crippled. The gloom that had been hanging over the Hattori family instantly dissipated.

But then I thought, if both families are in such dire straits, then what about the battle to come—

Hey,
"The Huakai family suffered no losses,"

Ryuji Hanakain's words drew everyone's attention.

Compared to other forces that suffered countless casualties, the unscathed Kakeruin family was nothing short of a miracle: on one hand, they were lucky enough not to encounter any 'strongmen' from the Oda clan; on the other hand, it was also because these Onmyoji were 'rich and powerful,' possessing all sorts of extraordinary items, shikigami, and spells.
In comparison, other forces that could only fight with cold weapons seemed much more pathetic.

There's nothing we can do; firearms are completely ineffective against evil spirits.

"Should we continue forward, or—"

"keep going."

Before Tokyo, who was in so much pain she was about to faint, could send back a message through her earpiece, Kishida Jun, holding an umbrella in the hospital, spoke first.

"In the upcoming battle, we, the 'Underworld,' will be the main force."

They had only intended for the living to provide cover and help deal with the minor enemies; who knew that the humans would be ambushed as soon as they arrived. By the time the people from the underworld emerged from the Yellow Springs, they had already suffered heavy losses.

It's all that troublesome Abe no Seimei's fault.
If it weren't for that great Onmyoji, and the three demon-level masters from the island nation leading the team, this situation wouldn't have occurred.
"Those of you who are still able to fight, please follow us into the ghost town."

"The others are resting here, awaiting rescue."

After a short rest, the team, now fully assembled, set off towards the Ghost Tail City, shrouded in black mist, in the center of the West District.

"Tsk, in a team like this, we can only be considered cannon fodder, right?"

Izuki, who was possessing Higashi Takami's body, sighed.
"Not quite a grunt,"

They are not weak, but compared to the stronger members of the team, the gap is huge.

"After the fight started, we found a place to hide."

? !
These words were not spoken by Higashi Takami, nor by Izuki, but by:

The stylish beauty following behind them, Ms. Yua!

"Hey, why are you still here?"

(End of this chapter)