Tokyo Sword Saint Online Dealing

At one point, the core ideology of the Shinkage-ryu school was even "to win by not killing, but by not being killed."

Swordsmen of the Shinkage-ryu style are accustomed to holding back their strength when attacking, in preparation for subsequent moves.

He pulled the sword with all his might, but the wooden knife didn't budge!

Looking around, he saw Yokota grinning maliciously, biting down hard on the ebony sword. His teeth seemed to be made of steel, fitting the sword tightly and preventing Uesugi Kiyoshi from swinging it even an inch!

That's a bit of an exaggeration!

Uesugi Kiyoshi was startled – it was true that human teeth were very strong, but his strength was not to be underestimated either. If an ordinary person had done this, he could have easily shattered their teeth with a forceful pull of his sword. But now, his wooden sword was firmly held in place.

As Hidekawa Kamiizumi once said, swordsmanship is like playing chess; it requires thinking. The swordsmanship of a smart person is incomparable to that of a fool.

Uesugi Kiyoshi was a smart man, and his judgment of the situation was very accurate. When he saw that things were not going well, he immediately let go and abandoned the ebony sword.

The next second, he focused his mind like never before. In his eyes of piercing illusion, the trajectory of the thick-backed cleaver seemed to be slowed down infinitely. He seized a fleeting opportunity and made a decisive move. He clasped his hands together and twisted them, using all his strength to snatch the weapon from Yokota's hand!

Learning by doing and applying knowledge in practice—this is the "no-knife takeout" of the Shin-kage school!

Uesugi Kiyoshi wasn't quite proficient with this move, but Yokota's swordplay was straightforward and easy to predict. Uesugi Kiyoshi was able to catch the blade barehanded and avert the danger of being disemboweled.

Immediately afterwards, Uesugi Kiyoshi kicked Yokota No in the chest, who was completely unprepared. He then swung the cleaver he had snatched and slashed at Yokota No's exposed back, a vital spot, as Yokota No was thrown to the ground.

Yokota was struck twice in quick succession and knocked to the ground amidst a pile of bloody flesh and bones. He had been stabbed in the spine, leaving a large gash in his back. Dark red blood gushed out, mingling with the bloodstains on the ground in a horrifying sight.

Holding the cleaver, Uesugi Kiyoshi gasped for breath, a wave of fear washing over him—it had been incredibly dangerous just now. Had he reacted even a fraction slower, he would be the one lying on the ground.

This kind of cleaver is more like an axe than a knife. It has a thick blade and is very powerful. If it hits a person, it will definitely separate their flesh from their bones.

Having gained a brief respite, Uesugi Kiyoshi used his shrewdness to survey his surroundings once more.

This time he was completely certain that this was not a "ghost realm".

This is the present world, the real world in which he lives every day.

He couldn't explain why, but if he looked closely, he could definitely distinguish between the ghost realm and the real world, just like how a person can suddenly realize at a certain point in time that they are dreaming and what they are seeing is not reality.

"Can evil spirits possess such troublesome power in the mortal world?!"

"Or rather, has Yokota really become a demon? He's completely different from the demons I've slain!"

Uesugi Kiyoshi was filled with doubts and couldn't figure it out—if the ghosts he had encountered before were just weak illusionists, then Yokota was a strong and heavily armored warrior!

This is not a single type of existence at all!

Before he could catch his breath, he heard a faint rustling sound. Not far away, Yokota's body was writhing on the ground like a snake, and it could still move!

Uesugi Kiyoshi was immediately alarmed—he had been stabbed in the spine!

Oh well, he's definitely not human anymore anyway, so there's nothing surprising about it.

Uesugi Kiyoshi was not one to dawdle. Seeing that things were not going well, he picked up his cleaver and took a few steps forward, intending to cut off Yokota's head in one stroke to prevent any unforeseen circumstances. As for whether Nohara Kyoko would see this scene or whether it would cause her any psychological trauma, Uesugi Kiyoshi didn't care about that anymore.

This is a life-or-death struggle, with no room for mercy.

Unfortunately, he was a little too slow.

He had barely taken a step when Yokota twisted up from the ground in an extremely bizarre way, as if he had no bones at all. He stood on tiptoe, covered in blood, and a numb and cold grin appeared on his face. His blood-red eyes were fixed on Uesugi Kiyoshi.

At the same time, a gray-black mist churned behind him, rapidly and frantically flowing into his body through the wound on his back.

As the mirage surged in, Yokota let out a painful howl. His flesh tore open, revealing pink muscle tissue and the faint outline of bones. Endless blood soaked his tattered suit, turning his black suit into a red one.

The red suit lasted only half a second before turning into fragments on the ground. Yokota seemed to be stimulated by the mirage, his body suddenly swelled up, his physique suddenly increased in size, like a berserk orc in a fantasy movie. His bulging muscles had burst through his skin, burst through his clothes, and also broken through some kind of rule that bound him.

A bloody hole split open on Yokota's forehead, and a long, bony horn shot out swiftly from it, its eerie white glow shimmering and sending chills down one's spine.

What he broke through was the constraint of being a "mortal".

At this moment, Yokota underwent the baptism of the mirage and completely stepped into the "extraordinary".

He is an extraordinary demon, a follower of the Son of God.

Chapter 26 The Black Hat and the Great Detective

At the same time, about five or six hundred meters away from the dilapidated apartment building where Yokota's house was located, a black Toyota minivan slowly pulled over and stopped.

A young man sat in the driver's seat of the car. He had delicate features and a slender build. He wore a high-necked black trench coat, a white silk scarf, and even a black top hat. A dark jade-colored cane was placed horizontally on the passenger seat. This outfit made him look like a gentleman from a Western country.

In the back row sat an acquaintance of Uesugi Kiyoshi.

Yuichi Kudo.

He was still wearing his Haicheng Middle School uniform, clearly having rushed over. Through the rolled-down car window, his gaze was somewhat solemn as he looked toward the Yokota residence.

The man in the black top hat stopped the car, turned his head, and smiled at Kudo Yuichi with narrowed eyes.

"Great Detective, we've arrived."

"As you said, I sent out special agents to clear the area in advance. Apart from the Yokota family, I have evacuated all the residents of that building. I have also sent people to guard the surrounding area and temporarily isolated this area."

"The team leader of the field operation just contacted me. Yokota detected an extraordinary high-energy reaction that was beyond their capabilities and requested further orders. I have ordered them to evacuate."

"Your friend just went in with his girlfriend. What's going on now?"

Although Kudo Yuichi's expression was somewhat gloomy, he was not particularly anxious and slowly shook his head.

"Just wait and see. Qing won't be unable to handle such a small fry. He is the personal disciple of that Kamiizumi Hidekawa."

The man in the black top hat tilted his head, seemingly agreeing with the statement.

"Indeed, his teacher was, after all, the great swordsman whom the Shinsengumi warriors sought out three times, the head of the Shinkage-ryu school known as the 'Invincible'."

"I don't believe you if you say he doesn't have some hidden tricks up his sleeve."

"That's why I'm so curious about where this kid came from. His intuition is terrifyingly high. I've investigated thoroughly. He's entered the dream world more than once and even personally killed ghosts and gods."

"How could such a genius emerge from a poor, remote place like Hokkaido?"

"I thoroughly investigated his background before he entered high school. He was just an ordinary country boy with nothing particularly remarkable about him except for his family's ancient swordsmanship."

"The most outrageous thing is that I'm certain he's not a [Linker]."

The man in the black top hat kept rambling on and on, a bit of a chatterbox, which made Kudo Yuichi frown impatiently.

"Alright, stop trying to pull that on me."

"The world is not lacking in geniuses, but in geniuses who do not perish and grow up."

"Don't pretend to me that you're eager to find talent and cherish it like your own life. Do you think I don't know what kind of person you are?"

The man in the black top hat seemed to be quite familiar with Kudo Yuichi. He didn't seem to mind that Kudo had interrupted him and revealed his past, but simply shrugged and changed the subject.

"Okay, let's not talk about your kids anymore."

"By the way, how did you realize that Yokotano was acting strangely?"

“The field agents in charge of his company’s region are not lazy. Yokota’s every move at the company was normal, and their routine monitoring did not detect anything wrong.”

Kudo Yuichi stared absently at the residential building in the distance, and casually said, "Yokotano adopted his sister's daughter, Nohara Kyoko."

“A few days ago, Kiyoshi asked me to look up information on Nohara Kyoko. Perhaps he’s fallen for her? After I got the information, I glanced at it and found something was off.”

"According to reports, Yokotano seems to be having a cold war with his wife recently."

"Yokotano's personality can be described as kind in a positive light, or cowardly in a negative light. He has always been very tolerant of his wife. They have been married for more than ten years. His wife does not want children, and he agrees without hesitation. Every month, apart from necessary expenses, he gives all of his salary to his wife for household expenses. Why would such a good family man start a cold war with his wife?"

"An honest man's silent outburst? Not likely. According to my investigation, the relationship between the couple has always been very good. Although Yokota Ryoko has a somewhat harsh personality, she is quite loyal to her husband and has not had any extramarital affairs, let alone a breakdown in their relationship."

"We can't possibly monitor the household situation of every family in Tokyo, but..."

"Something must have happened to the Yokota family."

"I was a little curious, so I used some of my connections to do some research on the Yokota family and that's how I found this."

"These photos were taken last night and were just handed to me today."

Kudo Yuichi handed a photograph to the man in the black top hat.

The man in the black top hat took the photo, glanced at it, and his expression changed slightly.

"This is."

The photo is somewhat blurry, probably taken from a distance. In the picture, through a narrow window, you can see Yokotano devoutly kneeling and worshipping at a small shrine in his home.

Inside the shrine, a headless statue stands eerily, its posture unrestrained, giving off a chilling feeling in the pitch-black night.

Kudo Yuichi nodded affirmatively.

"No need for such a hesitant tone, this is the ghost you're thinking of—your mortal enemy."

"It seems that some important figures have grown tired of the boring life in the dream world and are preparing to return to the real world. Or perhaps their ambitions have never faded?"

"No matter how you look at it, Yokota should be one of the chosen believers. I speculate that his mission is to provide sacrifices and spread the faith."

"I've given you the intelligence. What you do is up to you. Let me make this clear: I'm not a combatant. Don't expect me to risk my life for you."

Kudo Yuichi's tone was lighthearted, even somewhat gloating.

The man in the black top hat looked much more somber. He stared intently at the headless statue in the photo, muttered a curse under his breath, and carefully put the photo away.

"I understand, great detective. Consider it a favor I owe you."

"I will handle this. Tokyo is not a place where ghosts and spirits can run rampant!"

"If Yokota is a follower of that demon, should I go up and help your kid? Maybe catch him alive while we're at it?"

Kudo Yuichi glanced at the black top hat as if he were an idiot.

"Your composure isn't up to par yet. You got flustered just seeing that statue?"

"Yokotano is most likely a [Ritualist] under that demon god's command. What use is capturing a live [Ritualist]? Would torture be effective against him?"

"The occultists are all fanatical madmen. Don't try to communicate with madmen. Just catch one and kill it. Are you some naive newbie who just started out?"

"Don't look so down. We're colleagues, after all. I won't abandon you. The important thing now is to follow the clues, not to do useless work."

Kudo Yuichi took a folded piece of paper out of his pocket and tossed it onto the front seat.

“I’ve found out that Yokota works for a financial intermediary company. He is responsible for tax filing and bookkeeping for small companies that can’t afford to hire accountants or black market companies that are inconvenient to hire accountants. Most of their clients are yakuza people.”

“I have a clear understanding of the origin of that idol.”

"That thing came from the head of the Dongwen Association. Dongwen Yu's Shuanggui Group—Yokatano made a big deal with Shuanggui Group, and that statue was one of the thank-you gifts given to him by the Shuanggui Group."

"If you want to investigate, start here."