Tokyo: The Player Behind the Scenes.

Chapter 197, Section 195: The Heart of Light and Shadow

The jumbled text in front of me was pieced together again.

[Objective: Escape the fire]

A new mission objective appeared, but the text was sometimes distorted and disordered, as if it were hinting at something.

[Lin, Bing, Dou, Zhe, Jie, Zhen, Lie, Zai, Qian; Lin, Bing, Dou, Zhe.]

Ban Deng's thoughts kept repeating the above nine words, accompanied by trembling of her body and weakness in her legs. The plot of the prologue flashed back in her mind, mixed with a needle-like stinging pain.

The Rokuko Secret Blessing is said to be the key to Koga ninjas cultivating the heart of ninja.

The scroll containing the spirit of ninja has been placed in the ninja village cemetery, replaced by his father's Dankamaru.
Broken Fire Pill?
Uesugi's mind suddenly cleared, and he suddenly understood the key point, even the reason for the withering and flourishing of the heart in Kyoto.

The old man in the ninja village mentioned earlier that there were four ninjas in Koga who had awakened the heart of ninja.

Three of them were corrupted by the demon sword and were therefore sealed in a special cemetery in the ninja village.

Because of its unique abilities, the Heart of Withering and Flourishing was able to revive even hundreds of years later, but that's a story for another time and has nothing to do with the current game timeline.

According to Hōsei, all the Koga ninjas who had awakened the spirit of ninjutsu had sacrificed themselves.

Combining this with the old man that only she could see, Uesugi had the answer.

The specific process should be that in order to suppress the three corrupted Ninja Hearts, the last old man who possessed the Ninja Heart volunteered to become the sealing core, and his abilities were also highly related to it.

Perhaps because the old man felt that Ban Deng's talent was extraordinary, he deliberately gave her the Fire-Severing Pill.

The Six Jia Secret Blessings she left behind didn't disappear; more likely, they were merged into something else.

However, final confirmation is still required.

“You all heard what Master Facheng just said. Now you must immediately stop trying to put out the fire. As long as the source of the fire is not extinguished, the fire will not stop. What you need to do is quickly escape to a safe place and comfort the other civilians who have escaped.”

Uesugi gave them orders and leaped onto the wall.

"I'll guide you from the higher ground, follow me!"

It must have been Hōsei's words before he left that had an effect. The leading monks stopped their companions who wanted to salvage the scriptures and followed Uesugi's guidance towards the wilderness.

The direction she led was the place where she hid the Fire-Breaking Pill.

After some effort, she finally led the group of monks and civilians to the hidden knife point, which was a small hill from which they could clearly see the fire spreading throughout the city.

Uesugi didn't have time to deal with them; he quickly dug out the Dankaru, disassembled the hilt, and exposed the tang.

The inscription above is a faintly glowing nine-character inscription.

The moment the inscription was grasped in both hands, the target changed again.

Objective: Take up arms and kill the "Zhengqing" (a Qing dynasty official).

This is a target that appeared in the prologue.

Zhengqing is already dead; here, it likely refers to the Demon Blade.

A surge of intense emotion welled up in my heart, bringing back the suffocating fear I felt in the prologue.

"To awaken the heart of forbearance, one needs a fearless heart."

Uesugi stared at the sea of ​​fire, the tragedy of the ninja village back then vividly in his mind. Whether actively or passively, he recalled the terrible things that happened back then, and then absorbed Banto's emotions, nurtured and accumulated them, and returned them to Banto many times over.

The fear gradually dissipated and crumbled, slowly transforming into anger and guilt.

More, and even more!

"All those who are facing the battle are arrayed in front!"

At the peak of his emotions, the light from the inscription on the hilt extended towards the blade.

Uesugi vaguely felt that her heartbeat had become very unusual, as if it had become connected with the world. The world in front of her became sometimes bright and sometimes dark, sometimes cold and sometimes hot.

Just as it felt like her chest was about to explode, she thought this was the moment she was about to awaken.

Suddenly, all that emotion began to crumble and slowly dissipate.

We were so close!
Uesugi stared blankly at the sword in his hand, the inscription completely losing its faint light.

It seems that the last vestige of the spirit left by our predecessors has been exhausted.

She felt like the progress bar was 99% complete, just one step away from success, but she failed!

Is something missing? Or is it just not the right time?
By the time she came to her senses, it was already dark, and night had fallen without her noticing.

It seems that she remained in this state for at least half a day.

Uesugi looked around and saw several monks sitting around her, chanting Buddhist scriptures.

The fire at Edo Castle was still burning, and the magnificent castle tower, along with the surrounding area, was engulfed in flames, so clearly visible at night that it resembled a lotus flower in the fire.

"Has your master not returned yet?" Uesugi's voice was slightly hoarse.

A monk sighed, "Namo Myoho Renge Kyo. My master has still not returned."

Uesugi stood up, took two steps forward, and stood on the edge of the hill, gazing at the sea of ​​flames under the night sky, the scorching smoke rushing towards him.

She took a piece of clothing, wet it, and tied it to her face.

"I'm going to find him. You all wait here."

After saying that, she disappeared into the night without waiting for a response.

The monks exchanged glances, then continued to clasp their hands together, bow their heads, and chant prayers for the living and for the deceased.

Uesugi rushed into the sea of ​​fire, and although it wasn't as scorching as he had imagined, it was still quite uncomfortable.

The high temperature is secondary; the most unbearable thing is the ubiquitous smoke and dust.

She risked her life just to find Fa Cheng.

At this moment, Fa Cheng was sitting in a pond in a temple in the city, constantly chanting scriptures to dispel the high temperature and smoke coming from the surroundings. A group of people with terrified faces had gathered around him, who had failed to escape in time.

"Benefactor with the lamp, it seems you have attempted to awaken the heart of forbearance, but unfortunately, you are still lacking." Fa Cheng, his face ashen, looked wearily at Uesugi, whose condition was no less impressive, shook his head slightly, and continued chanting.

"Heh heh, do you know what I'm still missing?" Uesugi lay half-reclined in the pond, his clothes completely soaked, feeling as if he had been brought back to life.

"This humble monk does not know; only you, benefactor, know the truth."

"At a time like this, can't you at least give us a hint?"

“This humble monk is truly powerless to help,” Fa Cheng said, shaking his head helplessly.

Uesugi originally thought that after finding Hosei, he could advance the storyline and truly awaken his ninja heart.

But it seems that's not the case now. If we continue to use this barely adequate state to defend the tower, given that it's already burning fiercely, no number of lives would be enough to fill the void.

There might be a route that can clear the game without awakening the Heart of Ninja, but it would be extremely difficult. Even a maze expert like her would find it exceptionally challenging, with a very narrow time window.

The best approach is to find a way to awaken the heart of ninjutsu and reduce the game's difficulty.

In true history, the lamplighter should have been awakened.

So what she had to do was to figure out Ban Deng's psychology and imitate what she would do.

“Having experienced trauma, he should be rather taciturn. You can tell this from the boss who took on the case; he didn’t find it strange that I hardly spoke.”

"Obtaining the Fire-Severing Pill is key, so what is the second key?"

"curious?"

Uesugi seems to have figured something out.

I acted a little too curious.

After arriving in Edo, he made a point of investigating the wealthy merchant's family.

At that time, the target seemed reluctant.

"Understood!"

Uesugi immediately reloaded his save file and returned to the day he first arrived in Edo.

After delivering the goods, she did not investigate the situation of that family.

They rented a travel lodge for a few days and, using the excuse that the Onmyoji man might still be preparing an ambush in the wild, persuaded Banto's personality to change their goal to staying in the area for a few days. Then, on the morning of the 18th, they arrived at Honmyoji Temple and witnessed the beginning of the fire.

And most importantly, that burning purple furisode.

This is the furisode I sent!

it is as expected.

Uesugi also had to deceive "himself," making Bandou believe that the disaster was caused by her, thus arousing the last bit of guilt she lacked in her desire to awaken her ninja heart.

The next steps were the same as before, until the Broken Fire Ball was dug out again, revealing the inscription on the hilt of the blade.

After that intense emotion reached its peak, my heart pounded violently, and a shockwave rippled outwards from the center.

[There's nothing left to fear! I don't need to pretend, I don't need to be afraid. I am Ban Deng, Ban Zongyan's daughter!]

The monks around them were thrown into disarray by the shock, scrambling to their feet and looking at the figure that had broken free from the shackles of the mind amidst the smoke and dust.

Her long hair was draped over her shoulders, her bodice was shattered and gone, revealing the curves beneath her clothes. The makeup she had applied to her face to make her look more like a man had also completely disappeared, revealing her true female face.

What flashed through my mind was my childhood in the prologue, and my father's incredibly serious expression.

"If you can find your own heart of ninjutsu, I will persuade others to let you officially become a combat ninja."

Today, she finally found her own heart of forbearance.

However, the true Koga fighting ninjas have almost all perished, and she is the last remaining one.

The Heart of Flickering Light

A single thought can ignite a river, another can freeze it.

"The ability to control the temperature?" Uesugi breathed a sigh of relief; this had instantly lowered the difficulty from hell to easy.

This ability is absolutely amazing for cooking instant noodles.

Uesugi leaped high into the air and plunged straight into the sea of ​​fire.

"Turn off the fire!"

Where the blade pointed, the flames retreated.

If you're not yet proficient in the skill, using the Fire-Breaking Pill as a medium for release is a good option.

She didn't abuse this power; after enjoying herself, she conserved her strength as much as possible and easily found Fa Cheng.

Upon seeing her, Fa Cheng's expression clearly showed more surprise.

“Benefactor, you are exceptionally talented. If you had been born a hundred years ago, you would surely have been the number one ninja in the world.”

“If I had been born a hundred years ago, I wouldn’t be able to solve this predicament. Master, give me the chains, I will bring back the demon sword.” Uesugi stretched out his hand.

Fa Cheng handed her the chains, said nothing more, and continued chanting scriptures to protect the nearby survivors.

She jumped onto the wall, identified several weak points in the fire, and quickly rushed into them, heading towards the castle tower.

The closer she got to the castle tower, the more she could feel the rising temperature.

With her newly awakened capacity for forbearance, controlling it was extremely difficult for her.

They had already exhausted most of their strength by the time they got close to the bottom stone platform.

It seems this isn't the simple mode after all.

After trying various methods—heading straight, using a scythe, and taking a detour—she finally found a suitable route and braved the flames to reach the top floor.

The demon sword remained quietly stuck there, without making a sound, while the distinctive purple furisode had long since been burned.

Her strength was almost completely depleted, and her heart was pounding violently, squeezing out a tiny bit of energy from her blood to replenish it, allowing her to continue to struggle against the oppressive high-temperature wall of fire.

冯！
A ball of fire came hurtling towards him, and Uesugi quickly raised his sword to parry.

The next moment, Uesugi was blasted back seven or eight meters, and Dankamaru was thrown from his hand and fell off the castle tower.

She no longer cared about the Fire-Severing Pill. With a low shout, she concentrated her power in her palms, extending them at a 45-degree angle to extinguish the large swaths of reignited flames, and then charged towards the demon sword.

The demonic sword moved abruptly, suddenly emerging from the floor with the power of wind and fire, and thrusting towards Uesugi.

She was prepared, using the remaining part of the scythe to jam it, and taking advantage of the pause, she used the chains given to her by Fa Cheng to wrap it around multiple times.

The demonic blade struggled violently, unleashing wave after wave of raging flames.

Uesugi, however, held him tightly in his arms, his heart pounding, refusing to let go.

Intense hatred overwhelmed everything. The 27 years of memories that Ban-tama had experienced after losing her family, which had not been shown before the game, flashed before her eyes like a revolving lantern.

After her parents died, her uncle was unwilling to train her as a combat ninja. He found an opportunity and she ran away from home, where she trained alone, fought with wild dogs for food, and took on odd jobs.
But every time she wakes up in the middle of the night, the image of the burning ninja village and her father being cut open evokes her most primal fears.

This forced her to be repeatedly defeated by fear, even in her dreams, making it impossible for her to achieve her goal.

Even today!

Objective: Take up arms and kill the "Zhengqing" (a Qing dynasty official).

【Finish!】

The inscriptions on the chains emitted a golden light, tightening inch by inch. The demonic blade's trembling grew weaker and weaker, finally ceasing its struggle as if unwilling to give up.

At the same time, the building emitted creaking and groaning noises as it struggled to keep up with the strain.

With a rumble, the main structure of the castle tower began to collapse, burning floorboards and pillars falling piece by piece.

Just as Uesugi was about to leave with the demon sword, he found himself unable to move.

They could only watch helplessly as the castle tower collapsed along with them. After a fall, the entire roof collapsed, plunging their vision into a deathly darkness.

I don't know how much time passed before I slowly heard the sound of burning wood.

Uesugi "took her hands off the keyboard," and she was unable to continue controlling the character; instead, the character started moving on its own.

When she regained her sight, she was already on the ruins.

The fire in Edo Castle was still burning, but it was only at an ordinary temperature, an ordinary sea of ​​fire.

Without the demon sword, the fire won't keep burning after everything that can be burned has been consumed.

With the demon sword still in his arms, Ban Deng's vision blurred, he swayed and staggered as he walked towards Fa Cheng's direction.

My eyelids went dark for a moment, then my vision returned. I was in a completely different environment. I continued walking with the lamp on my back.

After a few moments of darkness, she arrived at the pond of the temple where Facheng was located.

Upon seeing her, the survivors reacted as if they had encountered a demon, their faces filled with terror as they retreated, making way for Fa Cheng.

"Namo Lotus Sutra. Your merits are immeasurable, benefactor. On behalf of all sentient beings, this humble monk bows in gratitude." Fa Cheng clasped his hands together, bowed deeply, and asked with compassion in his eyes, "Does the benefactor have anything to say?"

"."

"This humble monk understands. I will bury you with the Fire-Severing Pill. Please rest in peace. This humble monk will perform a ritual for you here."

After hearing what Hosei said, Uesugi's gaze gradually shifted from the first person to the third person.

From this perspective, it becomes clear that Ban Deng's body is completely charred, with only a faint heartbeat remaining; even breathing has ceased.

It was only through forbearance that I was able to carry the demon sword and get here.

It wouldn't be an exaggeration to call it a corpse.

The charred torso, illuminated by the lamp, dissipated like specks of ashes, from skin to skeleton, and finally to a heart that was almost no longer beating.

The heart flew into the sky, flickered, and returned to nature, seemingly weakening the fire in Edo Castle.

Fa Cheng caught the ashes and the demon sword in his robe and chanted scriptures.

Player "Moon" has completed "Heart of Ninja". The game will close and scores will be tallied in two days.

You have successfully completed "Heart of Patience" and obtained the optional rewards "Heart of Burning" and "Heart of Ice".

Please make a selection

(End of this chapter)