The Twelve Trials Starting from Zero

Hmm, I'm going to save some drafts for when it's going to be published...

Chapter 82 Cold-blooded Su Qijiang

Ancient people's nightlife was not as rich as it is today. Ordinary people had to cherish lamp oil, so when Su Qi entered the city, most of the streets were empty and pitch black. Only occasionally could one hear faint sounds coming from the wooden houses on both sides. The surroundings were quiet and desolate.

He didn't care, concealing his aura and controlling his strength, silently stealthily moving in the shadows. As soon as he stepped into the city, he noticed something amiss.

"Huh, this city... is exuding an eerie aura?"

Su Qi suddenly stopped, looked around, and found that from all directions, wisps of demonic energy invisible to ordinary people were constantly rising from the ground, enveloping the entire city like steam in a steamer.

"Moreover, there is a faint, almost imperceptible fishy-sweet smell, somewhat like the smell of blood, but not quite."

He frowned, sensing that something was amiss. He then circled the city several times to investigate, but because he was careful not to make too much of a commotion, he found nothing.

"Forget it, no matter what Naraku has planned in the city, as long as we kill him, we can solve the problem."

In the end, Su Qi put the matter aside for the time being, crossed the street again, quietly climbed over the wall, and sneaked into the inner city.

The inner city was the residence of the city lord, and it was brightly lit. Not only were there braziers for lighting at intervals, but armored guards would also walk by from time to time with open flames and swords. It was heavily guarded and could not be compared with the castle town outside.

However, for Su Qi, whose senses are now extremely sharp and whose strength and speed far surpass those of ordinary people, it is easy to avoid the patrols of these ordinary people. It's just that the inner city is full of interconnected palaces and rooms, making it a bit troublesome to find Naraku's exact location, and it might also alert the monsters hiding inside.

So he observed for a while, then seized an opportunity to capture a servant as a mouthpiece, and from the servant he found out the location of the young master's "Hidden Blade," then knocked the servant unconscious and continued to infiltrate.

However, just as Su Qi grabbed the servant, he was unaware that his actions had been observed by another person (a monster).

Dressed in white, with fair skin and white hair, she was as pure as snow. Two white flowers adorned her hair on either side. Her face was exquisite and expressionless. Coupled with her loli-like figure and the white-framed round mirror she held in her arms, this was Naraku's first incarnation—Kanna.

Just as her name suggests, she appeared silently beside Kagura as she leaned against the window railing, idly daydreaming.

"Kagura..."

The ethereal, indifferent voice finally made Kagura aware of her presence. She frowned slightly and asked curiously, "Kanna? Aren't you always by Naraku's side? Why are you here?"

The god did not answer, but the mirror in his arms glowed slightly, showing an image of Su Qi grabbing a servant and threatening him to interrogate him.

"Humans? Are they the enemy?"

"Shishi Kenshin, Naraku wants you to stop him."

"Hmph, just a mere human. I'm bored anyway, tell me his location."

……

A moment later, the corridor leads to the side hall where Naraku is located.

Almost there, just around the corner, that's where Naraku usually stays... Hey, should we give him a "Surprise" later?

Outside the corridor, Su Qi cautiously advanced, using the railings and tree shadows for cover. At the same time, the thought of seeing Naraku's astonished expression soon brought a cold smile to his lips.

He couldn't wait to slash Naraku's face a few times to vent his frustration at being tricked.

However, at that moment, the sound of a sharp blade cutting through the air suddenly rang out.

We've been discovered!?

Su Qi's pupils constricted slightly, and he slid to the side.

The next moment, more than a dozen crescent-shaped wind blades tore through the air and crashed into the spot like thunderbolts striking a banana leaf.

bang bang bang bang...

In an instant, the railings and floor were cleaved into dozens of pieces, then the ground exploded, dust and smoke billowed up, and that section of the corridor collapsed halfway down as if it had been devoured by a giant beast.

Su Qizhen brushed away the dust with his sleeve and looked through the broken corridor. He saw Kagura standing at the corner of the corridor, smiling at him. "Young man, are you lost? Do you need me to show you the way?"

It's over. Naraku must have been alerted; this assassination attempt has failed. But how was I discovered? I must figure that out. Knowing the reason will be invaluable for the next time…

Thinking this to himself, he smiled and said, "That's right, I've lost my way in life. Can this young lady guide me through this journey?"

"Unfortunately, I only know one road."

"Could it be the Road to the Underworld?"

"That's right, so... I'll take you there now!"

Before she finished speaking, Kagura waved her fan, unleashing a series of swirling wind blades.

"Hmph, the same tricks won't work on a survivor!"

Su Qi stomped the ground, charged forward, and brandished his longsword in a frontal assault.

ding ding ding ding...

Sparks flew, blades flashed, and amidst the dense clang of metal, he deflected all the wind blades and instantly rushed to Kagura's side.

The latter, however, was not afraid at all. She took a step to the side and made way for Shen Wu, who was standing behind her, so that Su Qi's figure was reflected on the mirror in her arms.

A divine mirror? A mirror that can absorb souls? Oh no!

Su Qi's heart skipped a beat. He immediately felt his spiritual power and soul being forcibly pulled outward and sucked into the mirror by a force, and his body quickly became weak.

Order it for me!!

In the blink of an eye, he reacted extremely quickly, using the Immovable Contemplation Technique to stabilize his spiritual power and soul as much as possible, while his blade flashed and slashed towards Shen Wu's head.

clang!!

The blade was blocked by Kagura's folding fan, but Su Qi casually flicked his hand, and the long sword spun around the fan, immediately pushing it to its limit and continuing to slash at Kanna.

laugh!

Blood splattered, and a deep, horizontal gash appeared on the latter's face, yet he remained expressionless and unconcerned, as if the blow hadn't struck him.

"Godless!"

Kagura's expression turned cold, and she waved her fan, unleashing more than a dozen wind blades that rained down on Su Qi.

Tsk, the power is getting weaker and weaker... According to the original work, only Kagome or Kikyo's purifying arrows can break the mirror, so what about kicking it out?

The latter's mind raced, and he suddenly kicked the mirror away from Shenwu's hand. He then swung his sword to block, but because his speed had slowed down and his sword strike was too late, he was still hit by several wind blades. His clothes were torn, and several bloody gashes appeared on his body.

Even after the mirror was separated from Kanna's hands, its ability to absorb souls... did not stop.

But Su Qizhi was as resolute as iron, never giving up until the very end. He exhausted his last strength and struck again, aiming at the unarmed Shen Wu who was right next to him.

Although she currently appears as a emotionless loli, doing this in the previous world would probably get her shot dead by the police on the spot. Moreover, according to his own values, he would never want to lay a hand on an ordinary little loli. But... her mere appearance is not enough to shake his mind in the slightest.

In the next instant, without the slightest hesitation, the blade cleaved through the vacuum and once again struck before Shenwu.

Why? Why did this happen? Why, even though I'm a lolicon (not the gentlemanly version), can't control myself and write such scenes that hurt lolis (though it's fake)? Isn't there... a way for everyone to be happy together? (Makoto Shinkai face)

Chapter 83 True Stealth Must Be Silent

scoff!

Blood splattered as an arm was severed and fell to the ground, but it wasn't Kanna who was injured; it was Kagura. Just now, the latter had blocked with her left hand and then pulled the former away, paying the price with the loss of her left arm.

"Hmph, you seem to be quite favored by Naraku. We can't let you get killed by this man, or you'll be punished."

Kagura's face was pale, and cold sweat beaded on her forehead, but she didn't back down.

Shen Wu glanced at her, a flicker of emotion seemingly passing through his eyes, but upon closer inspection, his expression remained calm and indifferent, as if he cared nothing for anything.

boom!

The kicked mirror fell to the ground, most of its spiritual power and soul were absorbed, and Su Qi, who could no longer control his body, also collapsed. He could only barely turn his head to look at Shen Wu, and asked with some difficulty, "Why... were you able to detect my infiltration? Ladies, before I die, at least let me die knowing why, okay?"

"Hmph, ignorant humans..." Kagura stepped forward, clutching her severed arm, her face icy cold. "The city is reflected in Kagura's mirror. Any abnormality will cause ripples in the mirror, attracting her attention. Now... die with regret and resentment!"

Having said that, he swung his fan and unleashed a wind blade, severing Su Qi's head.

Sigh, karma comes fast! Last time I was Kagura's senior, and this time I'm Kagura's senior...

He was already able to calmly face death, but his mind was filled with grievances as his consciousness gradually faded into darkness.

……

In the pure white space, Su Qi habitually sat on the black stone base, pondering the reasons for his defeat.

“The reflection of the city in the mirror will attract attention if anything is unusual… No, based on the time Kagura and the others arrived, the most likely time they would have discovered me was after I entered the inner city, or after I got the information out of that servant; otherwise, given Naraku’s safety-first nature, how could he have allowed me to sneak up so close to him?”

"It seems that Shenwu's surveillance range has its limits. Ordinary changes should not attract attention. Otherwise, even within the inner city, with so many people and insects, it would be impossible for her to monitor them all by herself. However, we cannot be completely certain based on this little bit of information. Let's try a few more times."

After organizing his thoughts, he first lay down and took a nap to recover his energy before activating the panel and selecting to load the save file again.

……

Naraku Castle instance, second playthrough.

After reloading the save file, Su Qi appeared shortly before entering the city, at a man-eating spider demon's lair not far from the city. He had deliberately chosen this save point, a place where monster battles would respawn, to avoid having to travel back and forth repeatedly.

Not long after, he reappeared outside Naraku's castle.

"This time, we need to minimize the impact on the external environment and make as little noise as possible. Let's see if we can get away with Shenwu's surveillance."

With the key points of the plan firmly in mind, Su Qi took a deep breath, calmed his breathing, concentrated his mind, and began his stealth once again.

Unlike when he first arrived a few months ago, he is no longer clumsy and weak, but agile and capable of fighting bears. He is no longer easily startled and slow to react, but has keen eyes and ears, not only observing his surroundings but also mastering the three principles of heaven, earth, and man in swordsmanship, perfectly controlling the environment and becoming one with nature. It can be said that even without any professional assassin training, he could definitely become an elusive and terrifying Assassin.

Therefore, Su Qi's stealth this time was no longer as flawed as before, when he died several times even when dealing with a group of low-level bandits. He perfectly utilized the terrain, objects, light, personnel positions, and blind spots within the city, like a gentle breeze blending into the night, and infiltrated the side hall where Naraku was as if it were empty.

Excellent, this is truly perfect stealth! Kagura and Kanna haven't appeared either. It seems my guess was correct; as long as the movement is confined to a tiny area, even her mirror can't detect it...

In the darkness, Su Qi's lips curled slightly, and then he approached the side hall silently with unnoticed steps.

Huh? There are two people? This is troublesome...

Volume, mass, smell, color, structure, spiritual energy fluctuations... The Mind's Eye reflects the subtle information of everything around him into his consciousness, allowing him to roughly sketch out the layout and figures inside the hall without even entering it.

One was sitting, one was standing; one was large, one was small; one was humanoid, the other was a non-human with two horns on its head and a tall, demon-like figure… Clearly, the one sitting must be Naraku, and the other… could this form be Naraku's third incarnation, Goshinki? But why was it born so quickly? Has the plot changed again? Moreover, Goshinki's ability is to read the thoughts of nearby beings; now that I'm so close, will it discover me?

Su Qi's mind raced, wondering whether he should rush in and assassinate Naraku immediately, when a rough, hoarse voice suddenly rang out, "Of course I will, you idiot!"

Before the words were finished, the wall in front of them shattered with a bang, and a purple ghost claw burst out of the wall, its fingertips flashing with cold light, tearing through the air to grab at the target.

He leaped back with his sword, intending to slash at the ghostly claw in front of him, but the claw suddenly withdrew, narrowly avoiding the attack.

Su Qi quickly changed his move, slashing his longsword with lightning speed. Several waves of sword energy crisscrossed the air, instantly blasting down and breaking through the entire wall, revealing the furnishings inside the hall, but failing to hit anyone.

"Hehehe, I've seen right through your thoughts, so your moves won't have any effect on me."

The one speaking was a ghost.