I'm a demon in Tokyo!

Chapter 179 The Mountain Whale of Mikawa Province—Tenko is nearby! Families everywhere? Soul ashes everywhere!
"Lord Yiyuan, stop!"

On the somewhat desolate plain, Uesugi Tetsu immediately pulled on the reins and gave the order, causing his horse to neigh slightly and stop.

Because he could smell the stench of decay.

The stench, though faint and light from a great distance, is incredibly profound, exceptionally strong, and pungent.

It's the kind of scent that you can never forget once you've smelled it.

This isn't a physiological taste; it's more like a taste that comes from our genes, a taste that's simply unacceptable...

The stench of a corpse of the same kind would probably be exceptionally strong, far stronger than any other smell.

There is a very high probability that this mechanism will be triggered when a human is near a dead member of their species.

It's as if it's warning those around you to stay away from potential danger.

Uesugi Tetsuya's gaze was indifferent.

If he is not mistaken, everyone in the village should be dead, and have been dead for more than a day.

Otherwise, given the current weather, the smell wouldn't travel this far.

Moreover, it would be very difficult for ordinary people to survive in such a harsh environment.

Not to mention that the very people in the village who might be the culprits behind the mass deaths—the sick and suffering relatives.

Uesugi Tetsu looked down at the horses beneath him, which were otherwise useless except for being relatively strong—if there were sick relatives in the village spreading a plague, they might not be able to withstand it either.

And then there's Imagawa Yoshimoto. She hasn't established her internal energy circulation yet, so she might also be invaded by the virus. I'll have to teach her how to use her internal energy to "seal" herself off later.

Seeing this, Imagawa Yoshimoto, who was standing nearby, also quickly pulled on the reins and asked, "Tetsu-kun, what's wrong?"

Uesugi Tetsu dismounted and walked the horse towards a fairly thick old tree. He took out a rein almost as thick as his forearm from his storage backpack, tied it to the tree, and asked,
"Lord Yiyuan, what else did you see besides the village? Was anyone there?"

Imagawa Yoshimoto didn't ask why, and after leading his horse over, he replied, "Yes, I just saw a few figures loitering around the village entrance."

In such dire circumstances, how many people are still wandering around the village entrance?

"Those figures are not human."

Uesugi Tetsuya took out the Bloodstained Crown again, controlled it to inject some spiritual power into it, and summoned six one-star puppets holding pitchforks and hoes, swaying precariously.

The reason why we did not summon the better-equipped and more well-trained one-and-a-half-star soldier puppets was...

It was because Uesugi Tetsu felt that the one-star puppets were enough to protect the horses and scout ahead for them.

There's no need to expend too much spiritual energy summoning minions—the Warring States period is not like the present world; it would take Uesugi Tetsuya several hours to recover just that little bit of spiritual energy.

Yoshimoto Imagawa's eyes widened slightly as he curiously examined the exquisite dolls that seemed to understand human speech, thinking how wonderful it would be if he could summon them to guard the gate in the future.

"You four, protect the horses from any harm."

Uesugi Tetsu gave instructions to the dolls.

"The remaining two will walk ahead of us later."

Bang, bang, bang.

Several puppets, some dressed in straw raincoats and others in tattered haori, nodded exaggeratedly at him and then proceeded to their respective groups according to his orders.

Having completed all this and thoroughly checked that the Qi circulation was working correctly, Uesugi Tetsuya looked at Imagawa Yoshimoto, who hadn't said a word, and asked,

"Lord Yiyuan, can you filter the air you inhale with your internal energy first?"

Imagawa Yoshimoto hesitated at first, then shook his head.

She was afraid that her learning would be incomplete or ineffective, which could lead to some unexpected problems.

Uesugi Tetsuya didn't waste any time and immediately transferred his internal energy to her body.

“I will establish a temporary Qi circulation. Yi Yuan Gong, you can simply attach your internal energy to it to maintain its operation.”

"it is good."

A few minutes later, Imagawa Yoshimoto, who had already begun to steadily circulate his internal energy in a temporary cycle, heard Uesugi Tetsu's voice again.

"If possible, Lord Yiyuan, you should also keep the smell out as well."

Uesugi Tetsuya, whose eyes were already twitching slightly, gave a warning, then took out her complete set of contemporary gear and had Imagawa Yoshimoto put it on.

After she finished putting on her armor, Uesugi Tetsuya also placed the Hannya mask, folding fan, and Five Thunder Pearl on his person.

After making thorough preparations, they slowly began to urge the puppets toward the village.

"Che-jun, you mean the people in that village are all..."

Imagawa Yoshimoto had already drawn the Soza Samonji from his waist, his hawk-like eyes scanning his surroundings, not missing a single detail.

Then the crooked roof beams, the dried and blackened bloodstains, and the dark face that became clearer as she got closer all came into view.

That's why she asked that question.

Uesugi Tetsu held the Five Thunder Pearl in his hand, continuously accumulating the tiny electric current generated by his breathing onto it: "I'm afraid so."

Imagawa Yoshimoto remained silent.

Before the two even entered the village, having only walked about two or three hundred meters in radius, Uesugi Tetsuya already felt that the stench that filled his nostrils was unbearable for most people.

Next, scattered, decaying, and mutilated corpses and limbs were found in various strange shapes scattered across the farmland and wilderness surrounding the village.

As they got closer, white bones covered with blackened flesh were everywhere, and Uesugi Tetsuya would glance at the ground every time he stepped on it.

On the path leading to the entrance of the largely intact village, there was nothing but corpses, corpses, and more corpses.

The chilling silence of death permeated the atmosphere.

Having been on the battlefield, Imagawa Yoshimoto probably understood why Uesugi Tetsu had to isolate himself from smells.

The two stood on the ground next to a village signboard that had been plastered with something and had become incredibly soft and rotten.

A moment later, having taken in everything within his field of vision, Imagawa Yoshimoto gripped his katana tightly and spoke in a hoarse voice,
"Che-jun, is it still necessary to go in?"

Uesugi Tetsu knew she said that because she thought there was no one left alive inside, so he explained,

"There are still quite a few sick and suffering relatives inside, so this is a good opportunity to learn more about them."

"Listen to you."

No sooner had Imagawa Yoshimoto finished speaking than the corner of his eye caught another wriggling black shadow.

She immediately raised her finger and whispered, "Che-jun! Go that way!"

Uesugi Tetsu nodded, making no loud noise, and while keeping watch, he had the puppets scout ahead—they walked on the path the puppets had taken.

Within two minutes, the two approached the spot that Imagawa Yoshimoto had previously pointed out.

Then, Uesugi Tetsu witnessed a scene he would likely never forget for the rest of his life—

Amidst the half-collapsed ruins, three child-sized demons, their fleshy bodies rotting and oozing pus, yet their expressions twisted with an unusual glee, were bent over, vying for something with their foul-smelling, sticky hands.

——【Sick and Suffering Family Members · Fu Yan (Half Star)】.

"I'm sorry... I'm sorry... I'm sorry... I'm sorry..."

And this faint, almost inaudible sound is precisely what is being won over—

The sound came from the lips of a girl who looked only eight or nine years old, whose lower limbs had disappeared, whose body was corroded and ulcerated to the point of being pitted and rotting, and who had stopped bleeding.

The girl's eyes were cloudy, and she kept repeating the same sentence, completely unmoved by Fu Yan who was fighting over her.

He was probably already blind and insane, with only his last faint breath remaining.

Uesugi Tetsu lowered his eyes and released the lightning accumulated on the Five Thunder Pearls.

"thunder."

Three streaks of cold white lightning shot out silently, striking the three rotting creatures that were chuckling with perfect precision, abruptly halting their laughter.

Instead, there was a mournful howl that seemed to pierce the sky and summon all its kind around it.

"Eek! E ...

Uesugi Tetsu deliberately controlled the power of the lightning so that these half-star Fuhikos would not die immediately, but instead endure the torment of being burned by the lightning.

Before taking a step, he glanced at Imagawa Yoshimoto and noticed that although the upper half of her face was shrouded in shadow, she remained standing still, not acting on her own initiative.

Imagawa Yoshimoto only caught up quickly after he moved on his own.

Uesugi Tetsu immediately walked to the girl who had collapsed on the ground.

Just as he was about to take out the Refreshing Mist and ask about the situation, he heard intermittent, hoarse murmurs coming from her mouth.
"I'm sorry... I'm sorry for killing me..."

The girl seemed completely unaware of Fu Yan's departure and his arrival.

They just kept repeating the same thing, as if that would free them from the pain and help them die sooner.

Upon reaching the half-collapsed doorway, Uesugi Tetsu couldn't help but see the large lock that had been forcibly corroded open and the two small wooden doors that should have been nailed back on.

There were also several other empty skeletons, some large and some small, scattered throughout the room.

"Chejun, she also..."

As Imagawa Yoshimoto stepped forward, before he could finish speaking, he saw Uesugi Tetsu pull out the motionless Kaga Kiyomitsu and, without hesitation, slash it across the girl's slender, blackened neck.

A pale color quickly spread and enveloped the body, calmly swallowing the incessant, painful murmurs along with the mutilated, delicate flesh.

Return to peace.

Uesugi Tetsu clicked his tongue inwardly.

Even the villages on the border of the Three Rivers Kingdom have become like this.

While it's possible that the village was simply unlucky and encountered a large number of "Rotten Hermits," this is more than enough to illustrate the severity of the disease's impact on Mikawa Province.

But there's something strange about it.

Why has the Mikawa Kingdom become like this? The disease has not spread to the Totomi Kingdom... These corrupt scholars have already used their talents here, so it shouldn't be too difficult to travel a little further.

This should be a very simple matter for the sick and their families.

Uesugi Tetsuya hadn't figured it out yet.

—But in short, the plan to find two survivors in this village to question is probably doomed.

Imagawa Yoshimoto, who had just arrived, opened his mouth and silently lowered the hand he had just raised.

"She's beyond saving?"

"She should have died long ago."

Uesugi Tetsu replied calmly, raising his head and looking around at the houses, some intact and some collapsed.

Then, one after another, Fu Yan, almost identical to before, with the same cruel and gleeful smile on his face, peeked out from the darkness.

Many of the rotten bastards were showing off their new toys, shouting loudly and waving their mutilated and blackened limbs.

So, let's turn all these demons in front of us to ashes first.

Uesugi Tetsuya plunged Kaga Kiyomitsu downwards, letting the blade tip embed itself into the deep, black blood and mud.

He said softly, "Xiao Jia, don't hold back, expand the scope of the sorrow of parting with all your might."

Kaga Kiyomitsu gave a cold, hard buzz, causing his pale domain to rapidly expand outwards, just around the area where the two were standing.

"Ughhhhhh—!" "Gurgle—!"

Within two seconds, the closest Fu Yan fell to the ground with a thud, rolling around and making a sound that sounded just like a child's scream.

"That voice... it's really infuriating to hear."

Uesugi Tetsu raised the Five Thunder Pearls, emitting a rumbling breathing sound, causing the lightning that appeared on them to suddenly increase and explode, like a series of linked chains raging in all directions!

In an instant, dozens or even hundreds of the few remaining rotten worms turned to ashes.
Numerous notifications popped up at the edge of my field of vision.

Uesugi Tetsuya acted as if he hadn't seen it, estimating the consumption of spiritual energy in his body, and then temporarily withdrew the Five Thunder Pearls.

Then he took out a long, plain spear forged by the blacksmith of Junfu City from his storage backpack.

"You two, stay here and protect her."

After a pause, Uesugi Tetsu bowed to Imagawa Yoshimoto, whose grip on the katana was trembling slightly, and said...

"Please wait a moment, Lord Yiyuan. Che will be right back."

"Ah."

Imagawa Yoshimoto let out a slight breath, glanced at the position of the sun, and added,
"Go quickly and come back soon, it's getting dark."

Uesugi Tetsu turned his head, and violent qi erupted from his toes. His skin seemed to have a life force, emitting a hissing sound, which further accelerated the circulation of qi.

Those Fuhikos who had not yet been touched by the lightning and the sorrow of parting saw Uesugi Tetsu rushing towards them alone, and remembered the humans who had done the same not long ago, so they all let out joyful cries.

A putrid and foul stench wafted over Uesugi Tetsuya, trying to penetrate his body through his seven orifices and pores.

"Whee!"

"Whee!"

The fans even started fighting, trying to decide which part of Uesugi Tetsuya would get.

Then, a plain spear, imbued with scorching solar energy and chaotic lightning, descended from the sky!

This decaying, twisted mess continues to spread a toxic substance that can corrode people's skin—

Suppress them all!

Boom!

Visible pure white energy surged into the sky at incredible speed throughout the village, turning the laughter of these childlike demons into ashes.

Then the sorrow of separation that spread over it, along with the contaminated flesh and blood, buildings, was completely devoured, leaving not a trace.

Rumble——!
It was not yet dark, but the last rumble of thunder had already quietly faded away in the nameless village on the border of the Three Rivers Kingdom.

Uesugi Tetsuya, unharmed and carrying a plain spear, returned to the slightly stunned Imagawa Yoshimoto and whispered to her,
"Fortunately, I did not disgrace my life."

now.

The buildings that were originally contaminated by a large amount of decaying matter, as well as the scattered remains of limbs and torsos, have mostly disappeared.

As for those yaoi fans who could make her feel nauseous and vomit just by looking at them, not a single one of them could be seen anymore; they had all perished at the tip of Chejun's spear...

Before Imagawa Yoshimoto's thoughts could settle, her ears twitched slightly.

Immediately afterwards, the arm, imprinted with a great deal of muscle memory, swung backward in a Soza Sanmonji.

brush!
"Ugh!"

Fu Yan, who had leaped out of the last rotten wooden cabinet that was about to be swallowed up, was cut in two.

A few drops of black blood splattered out and landed on Imagawa Yoshimoto's armor.

At this moment, she understood what had happened in that instant, but Imagawa Yoshimoto didn't show much expression. He simply swung his sword to wipe away all the bloodstains on the blade.

—She has never been a weak woman.

Beneath this seemingly frail young head of the Imagawa family lies a body capable of amassing immense wealth!

Whether in politics or in spiritual practice, Imagawa Yoshimoto never slacked off!

Just as he was about to swing the plain gun in his hand, Uesugi Tetsu slowly lowered his hand and breathed a sigh of relief.

Seeing his expression, Imagawa Yoshimoto sheathed his katana and asked, "What's wrong? Are you surprised?"

Uesugi Tetsu released his grip and returned the plain gun to his storage backpack.
"I'm just a little surprised that Lord Yiyuan was able to make such a correct and quick response in this situation."

After all, Imagawa Yoshimoto was usually very particular about the hygiene of his own and his retainers' living environment.

While at the Imagawa residence, Uesugi Tetsu often saw Imagawa Yoshimoto scolding Okabe Motonobu so badly that he couldn't lift his head because of hygiene issues.

Imagawa Yoshimoto looked around again, and after confirming that there were no future problems, he replied, "I am not as delicate as those young ladies from noble families who need to call for guards at the slightest thing."

"Etiquette and cleanliness are indeed important, but not essential... especially in this situation."

Imagawa Yoshimoto had only said a couple of sentences when he let out a heavy sigh: "Let's not talk about this anymore."

"Che-jun, the sun is about to set. We'd better find a decent place to stay before then—it will be difficult if dark clouds rise tonight."

"Yes."

Uesugi Tetsu nodded, pulled Kaga Kiyomitsu from the now-dry and hardened soil, and looked at the pop-up notification.

[You have killed a large number of sick and suffering relatives, Fu Yan (sporadic/half-star), gaining a total of 211 Soul Ashes!]

Compared to ordinary demons, the ashes given by sick relatives seem to be exceptionally small.

This is somewhat similar to the demon at Kisaragi Station.

The less consciousness a demon possesses, the less soul ash can be obtained after killing it.

—To some extent, the soul ash obtained after exorcising demons is probably related to the "number of souls".

As for sick relatives, being demons created by illness, it is normal that they possess less "soul".

However, although the amount of soul ash dropped by a single familiar is small, the sheer number of these familiars makes up for it.

If a mere village can yield around two hundred Soul Ashes, then the large cities will only produce even more.

In this way, you can quickly accumulate the Soul Ash needed for gacha pulls.

This is, barely, a tiny bit of good news amidst a sea of ​​bad news.

[You used Kaga Kiyomitsu: Blade of Parting to devour a large number of sick and suffering companions - Rotten Hiko, slightly improving Kaga Kiyomitsu's quality!]

Previously, when Kaga Kiyomitsu was promoted to Epic rank, he mentioned that using it to slay and exorcise different kinds of demons would result in a greater boost.

Otherwise, if it were just a group of lowly demons, not even one-star level, it would most likely have no effect on it at all.

Just as Uesugi Tetsu was about to close the notification and return to the place where the horses were tied with Imagawa Yoshimoto, a scarlet notification suddenly appeared in his eyes.

[Please note! Your previous actions may have drawn the attention of the Eight Sufferings, specifically the suffering of illness!]

The simultaneous disappearance of a large number of family members... could it draw the attention of someone suffering from illness?

But there is no way around it.

When you encounter a sick or suffering family member, you should perform a purification ritual.

This is a matter of course.

Uesugi Tetsu sheathed Kaga Kiyomitsu, walked to the edge of the village, raised his hand, and released several large fireballs towards the few places that had not been consumed by the sorrow of parting.

The last traces of the village's existence, along with the plague, were sent into a raging inferno.

After mounting his slightly weary horse, Imagawa Yoshimoto turned back and deeply imprinted the hellish landscape, purified by pallor and flames, into his eyes.

Fortunately, I met Che-jun.

She thought to herself.

Otherwise, given the level of importance he placed on the turmoil in the Three Rivers region, he would have only needlessly sent the entire Three Rivers Kingdom into hell.

Uesugi Tetsuya sensed the spiritual energy he had consumed in a short time and sighed helplessly.

During the Warring States period, the recovery of spiritual energy was extremely slow.

"By the way, Lord Yiyuan," he asked as he tried to infuse his inner energy into the horses beneath him to remove the influence, "can you sense any spiritual energy, even just a tiny bit?"

If Imagawa Yoshimoto can sense spiritual energy, then he can teach her some incantations, and perhaps in a year or two, the komainu bell can be handed over to her to take over his guard duties.

But Yoshimoto Imagawa shook his head: "No, I can't feel any of the so-called spiritual energy you mentioned, Che-kun... 'Aura' is everywhere, though."

pity.

She has the same Absolute Spirit physique as Ririko.

Uesugi Tetsuya stopped thinking about it. After using his solar energy to clear the meridians of the two horses, he had temporarily restored them to their vigorous state.

Although we don't know how long it will last, we'll take it as long as we can.

"Lord Yiyuan, let's hurry up and set off."

"Ah."

Imagawa Yoshimoto nodded heavily.

So the two of them continued deeper into Mikawa Province, following the general map route in Imagawa Yoshimoto's mind.

It soon got dark, but fortunately the silver moon was there, providing a negligible amount of light.

Along the way, the two also witnessed many tragedies of corpses lying exposed by the roadside due to various unknown diseases.

Uesugi Tetsu could only use small fireballs to collect their bodies, which could be considered as slowing down the spread of the epidemic.

Fortunately, winter is approaching and the temperature is very low.

Otherwise, the plague would have already broken out on a large scale in various places, and the 62-day mission time limit would probably have to be shortened by half.

Uesugi Tetsu looked up at the dark clouds that were about to obscure the silver moon.

He was fine, but the horse beneath him couldn't see very clearly.

“Lord Yiyuan, why don’t we rest here in the mountains for the night? I can dig out a cave for the two of us to stay in.”

"No, wait a moment."

Imagawa Yoshimoto squinted with difficulty, subconsciously craning his neck, and it took him a while to confirm that it was a candlelight flickering high up.

"Che-jun, I think I've seen another village."

She immediately added

“There was a fire.”

Uesugi Tetsu also turned his head, but saw nothing.

Before he could reply, Imagawa Yoshimoto, his eyes narrowed to slits, added, "There's a plaque hanging at the entrance of that village, I think it's called..."

"—Mountain Whale Village".

Mountain whale?

Mountain whales in the Sanhe region?
Almost reflexively, Uesugi Tetsuya associated it with another keyword.

—A masterpiece!
(End of this chapter)