The Twelve Trials Starting from Zero

"Hmph." The beast-eared loli stood up from the throne, her face full of disdain and arrogance. "My foolish little brother, wake up! The law of the jungle is the truth of the world. How long are you going to stick to that hypocritical ideology? Fine, since you are so stubborn, I will personally send you to hell."

"It's all my fault. I really shouldn't have been so lenient with you back then. If I hadn't, you wouldn't be like this today..." Shishimaru's expression shifted, finally settling into a look of sorrow and determination. "Since everything is my fault, then today, I will personally make amends for this mistake!"

"Shishimaru!!"

"Enjoying it alone!!"

"Shishimaru!!"

"Enjoying it alone!!"

Shouting loudly, the siblings charged at each other, finally crashing together with a loud thud.

……

In front of the shrine, Su Qi was already locked in battle with ten Soichiro.

Logically speaking, even though Su Qi was now superior to Souichirou, he would still be chopped into pieces after only a few moves against ten opponents. However…

"Useless, useless, useless... Weak, too weak! How can the light of a firefly compete with the bright moon? If you want to compete with me, you are still far from being good enough!"

He was able to spout witty remarks while effortlessly dodging Soichiro's attacks, then easily seize an opening and strike back.

“One Soichiro… two Soichiro… three Soichiro… nine Soichiro…”

With nine consecutive slashes, nine Soichiros fell like wheat being harvested. Soon, only the first Soichiro remained standing on the opposite side, staring at him in disbelief.

"Your next sentence is... How is that possible?"

"how is this possible?"

The two sentences were uttered almost simultaneously. Soichiro was first startled, and then, still full of doubt, he said with a grim expression, "How could this be? Why have you become so strong?"

"Don't you understand? It's not that I've become stronger, it's that you've become weaker..." Su Qi pointed his sword diagonally at the ground, pressing forward step by step, "If you want to know the answer, why don't you tell me first why you were able to appear here?"

Chapter Sixty-One: Let You Kill

"I see!"

At that moment, Soichiro seemed to understand something, and exclaimed in sudden realization, "You have no fear! Because you have no fear of us, that's why we are so weak!"

"Of course I'm not afraid," Su Qi retorted sarcastically. "How utterly useless do you think I am to fear a bunch of defeated opponents like you?"

“But that’s not right!” Soichiro frowned, looking puzzled. “I should be what you fear most, so why are you able to remain calm and even despise us?”

"Oh, so this illusion can manifest what the attacker fears most. What would happen if someone were killed by fear?"

As Su Qi spoke, he walked up to Soichiro.

The two were now only a step apart; Su Qi could kill the latter instantly with a single strike. Yet, he showed no fear, instead sneering, "Whether you are killed by fear or become lost in illusions, confusing reality with illusion, you will be devoured by the illusions and ultimately become nourishment for the Rainbow Mirror. Although I don't know why, the illusions seem unable to harm you, but what about your companions? Are they also safe and sound in the illusions?"

"You want me to worry about my companions, to trigger my inner fears?"

"Aren't you afraid?" Soichiro frowned, suspiciously asking, "Why aren't you worried about them? Don't you care about those three companions at all?"

The reason, of course, is that Su Qi can rewind time at any time, so there's no need to worry. But he naturally wouldn't tell him that, and simply said, "Thank you for your explanation, but I don't want to waste any more time."

With that, a flash of light appeared on the blade, and Soichiro's head flew off.

The next moment, space cracked open, the world shattered, and Su Qi appeared in another illusion.

He looked around and found himself in a magnificent palace, with gold bricks paving the floor, jade pillars supporting the ceiling, and tall, spacious halls with painted beams and carved pillars. The walls were decorated with gold and silver, and inlaid with various gemstones like stars, sparkling brightly. The utensils were painted with precious stones and inlaid with various jade pieces, bone fragments, pearls and gemstones, all exuding a precious and lustrous aura.

Inside the main hall, there was a scene of revelry, with singing and dancing, wine and meat, and a large group of people dressed in fine clothes indulging in a life of debauchery, drinking and making merry. Some were even making love. Everywhere you looked, there was only debauchery.

Perhaps because it was too lively, no one noticed that there was suddenly an extra person in the hall.

Su Qi tried to avoid the gaze of the crowd as he walked deeper into the hall, observing them discreetly. He noticed that although they were all adorned with gold and silver, their clothes and ornaments hanging like shelves, dazzling to the eye, their skin was dark, their manners were coarse, and they spoke in a thick local accent, completely at odds with their fine clothes and gold and jade.

He listened carefully and discovered that they were actually villagers from nearby villages and followers of the Myoken Reikyō. This was the "divine kingdom" that the Myoken Reikyō claimed, which could fulfill all their delusions. No wonder it was full of nouveau riche style with gold and jade everywhere.

In addition, he also found that these people had unsteady steps, puffy eye bags, and various signs of weakness. Some were even so weak that their bodies had begun to become transparent, and their spiritual energy fluctuations were like a candle flickering in the wind. It was clear that this illusion had emptied their bodies and souls, and they could die suddenly at any time.

He didn't pay any attention to it, but simply circulated his spiritual power, opened his mind's eye, and searched around in this illusion for a core node where a large amount of spiritual power was gathered. Soon, he found a bronze ancient mirror that was as tall as a person and supported by a base in the deepest part of the hall.

Without hesitation, Su Qi swung his sword and slashed, but then, with a clang, the blade bounced back.

"Interesting. I'd like to see just how tough you are."

His eyes flashed, and he solemnly stood in front of the mirror, raised his sword, gathered his spiritual power, activated his inner eye, and raised his perception to its highest level. He focused all his efforts on observing and penetrating the structure, reality, flow of spiritual power, and gaps of this illusion, constantly refining his understanding until finally…

Ichi no Tachi - Modified!

The slash, honed through countless trials, descended with lightning speed, leaving a mysterious trail on the retina.

The next moment, the giant round mirror, as tall as a person, silently split open along a tai chi-shaped dividing line. Then, centered on it, spatial rifts appeared, spread, and expanded, and soon, with a bang, another illusion shattered.

This time, Su Qi finally returned to reality.

"Are you back this time?"

He stood alone in front of the first torii gate of the shrine, first glancing at the mirror fragments on the steps, then looking around to confirm that this was not an illusion, and immediately rushed up the stone steps, shooting towards the shrine on the mountaintop like an arrow.

As Soichiro just said, although he could render illusions ineffective without using his mind, it didn't mean the other three could do the same. Even if the three were trapped, they could recover by rewinding time, but even if he could endure it, the pain and emptiness of death was by no means a pleasant thing... so he didn't want to rewind time easily unless absolutely necessary.

Therefore, in order to save the three of them, it would be best to destroy the illusion from the outside as soon as possible.

Meanwhile, in the shrine's worship hall, just as Su Qi cleaved open a mirror with his sword, a middle-aged man dressed in hunting robes suddenly screamed and collapsed, clutching his head.

"Damn it! That man escaped and even destroyed the divine kingdom! No, he'll be here soon, we have to take action first!"

He quickly recovered, glanced at the mirror in his arms that had developed a crack, and shouted, "Guards! Quickly summon everyone in the shrine and have them all stand guard outside!! If anyone is seen breaking in, kill them on sight!!"

However, before the attendants outside the hall could respond and enter, a loud bang was heard, the entire hall shook, and the hall door was kicked open, crashing straight towards the old man.

They've arrived!?

He was terrified and scrambled to his side to get away. The next moment, the door slammed heavily against the altar base behind it and shattered into pieces with a loud bang.

Snapped!

A shard hit him squarely on the buttocks, causing him to cry out in pain.

Immediately afterward, another money box flew over and hit him squarely on the forehead. Blood gushed out instantly, nearly knocking him unconscious.

"Wait! Stop!"

The middle-aged man was startled. While protecting the ancient mirror in his arms, he screamed, "If I die, your three companions will also be buried with me! Stop right now!"

Upon hearing this, Su Qi, standing outside the door, finally stopped reaching for the fallen guard, abandoning the tempting idea of ​​launching a human cannon. He walked directly into the worship hall and greeted the old man, "Hello, good morning. Are you satisfied with the money box and door panel I just gave you?"

"Damn it! That was originally mine!" the middle-aged man roared. "Now, kneel down right now and beg for mercy, or I'll kill all your companions in the illusion."

Su Qi's response was... to look at someone who was an idiot, and he sneered, "Kill! Kill as many as you want, I'll admit defeat if you even flinch."

Chapter Sixty-Two: I didn't!

"you……"

The middle-aged man choked. This wasn't what was agreed upon; why was he acting so confidently? Wait, could it be...?

At this moment, he recalled Su Qi's behavior in the illusion, showing no fear whatsoever about the possibility of his companions being in danger... Sure enough, this guy didn't care about his companions at all; how ruthless and heartless he was...

"Idiot," Su Qi retorted. "If you could really kill people at will in this illusion, would I still be standing here chatting and laughing with you? So your threat is completely unfounded, and why should I listen to you?"

The middle-aged man was taken aback, then flew into a rage, "You're the fool! Even if I can't touch them now, they'll die in the illusion sooner or later, and once I die, the illusion will collapse, and they'll perish with me. So there's nothing you can do right now, you can only watch them die, unless I, this great one, take pity on you and let you go... Now, do you understand what to do?"

"Is that so?" Su Qi curled his lips into a sinister smile. "Since you say I can't do anything, I'll let you experience the ultimate pleasure first, and let you see if I really can't do anything."

Having said that, he sheathed his sword and strode toward the middle-aged man.

"Wait, what are you doing? You can't kill me!"

"Stand still, let me check if your body is still normal."

"Ah! Stop! My hand!"

"Huh, I can't believe it. This body is quite old, and you've drained its life force, yet it's still quite robust."

"No! Ahhhhhh! My leg! It's going to break! It's going to break! It's really going to break!"

"Oh dear, are you blushing? Don't worry, I still have many more great new poses for you to try."

"No! Stop! Ahhhhhh..."

Amidst the heart-wrenching screams that brought tears to the eyes and the grief of those who heard them, the middle-aged man's arms and legs were broken and bent, and he was roughly kneaded and posed in all sorts of positions.

Just then, the sound of footsteps came from outside the door. It was the other villagers who had been kicked out of the illusion and had come running after hearing the commotion.

"What happened? Why were all the guards cut down?"

"Someone has broken in! Quickly, protect Lord Mirror God!"

"Master Mirror God..."

Seeing all the divine servants along the way fall to the ground, the group hurriedly ran into the hall, where they found the ancient mirror, which served as the divine vessel, tossed aside, and the venerable mirror spirit being pinned down by another man. The man's face was flushed, drool was dripping from his mouth, and his arms and legs were forcibly bent backward, almost forming an inverted Ω shape.

"Damn it! Who is this rude scoundrel? Release Lord Mirror God at once!"

The believers were furious and immediately rushed forward to try to stop Su Qi.

"Kill him! Kill him!"

The middle-aged man also roared loudly, but he didn't think about whether a group of weak villagers whose bodies he had drained could defeat Su Qi.

In his view, most exorcists and sorcerers would be hesitant when facing villagers. He had taken advantage of this weakness before and easily defeated the sorcerers and monks who came to attack him. This was one of the reasons why he did not drain the villagers dry in one go and instead let them roam freely and reap the rewards. As for the "righteous people" who were coming to attack him, this young samurai should be no exception, right?

However, just seconds later, Su Qi used a hardwood scabbard to strike the villagers' joints hard, and they fell to the ground groaning, unable to even stand up.

That's ruthless! This guy not only doesn't care about his companions, but he can also ruthlessly harm innocent villagers without hesitation. Is he really a righteous person?

Recalling the fierce and ruthless attack from that person, the middle-aged man's eyes twitched, and a chill ran through him.

Meanwhile, Su Qi's gaze swept over the crowd on the ground, a cold smile playing on his lips. He was certain. Unlike the middle-aged man, these people's spiritual energy fluctuations showed no signs of being distorted by external forces. Therefore… their actions were voluntary.

That makes sense. In an era where people might kill for a bowl of rice, even a man-eating monster would be worshipped as a god if it allowed them to enjoy a life of luxury and beautiful women every night.

He slammed his fist on the floor, drawing everyone's attention, and then asked, "Does anyone know Kusata?"

As soon as he finished speaking, everyone's eyes instinctively turned to a pale-faced young man.

His height and physique were pretty much as I had predicted...

Su Qi's eyes flashed, his expression suddenly changed, and he smiled, "So you're Kusata. Well done. It's all thanks to you sneaking into the city to report this. Otherwise, if this mirror demon had continued to grow, even more people would have been harmed. Also, I apologize for accidentally injuring you earlier because I didn't know your identity. I'll compensate you after this matter is resolved."