To become a king and a magician

13. Run away or fight, choose one.

Miyamoto Musashi had really given Natsukawa Torato a very difficult question to answer.

Considering the current situation, Miyamoto Musashi probably wanted to know Natsukawa Torara's attitude and thoughts towards Tomoe Gozen.

After thinking for a moment, Natsukawa Tora lowered his voice and replied, "It's not that I like widows, it's just that the person I like happens to be a widow."

"!"

As if struck by lightning, Miyamoto Musashi's body trembled violently, his eyes widening slightly as if he had seen something indescribable, staring at Natsukawa Torata with astonishment.

Then, she patted Natsukawa Tora's shoulders hard with both hands.

"Keep it up..."

"What do you mean, 'good luck'?"

Natsukawa Tora pretended not to understand anything and turned his voice back to normal: "Let's get back to the point. Now that Musashi is awake and has finished lunch, it's time to talk about serious matters, isn't it?"

"It's about the Heroic Swordsman."

Upon hearing this, Miyamoto Musashi immediately recovered from his shock: "Have you gathered some more intelligence?"

"More or less." Natsukawa Torara looked at Tomoe Gozen. "Aba, since you were also a Heroic Spirit Swordsman before, you should know some inside information, right? Do you have any clues about the Heroic Spirit Swordsmen themselves or the mastermind behind your existence?"

"Of course, without Lord Tiger's reminder, Ba was planning to explain to the two of them and reveal everything Ba knew."

Tomoe Gozen gathered her thoughts: "There are a total of seven Heroic Swordsmen. Since Tomoe and Lord Yin Shun were defeated last night, there should be five now. Their taboo names are Paraíso, Black Rope Hell, United Hell, Limbo, and Empireo."

The remaining five Heroic Spirit Swordsmen and Natsukawa Torato knew very little different things. Although he couldn't remember one or two of them clearly, since it was Tomoe Gozen's information, it should be trustworthy.

"As for their real names... I'm sorry, at that time Ba's mind had already broken down, and he didn't know that they were actually calling each other by taboo names."

“I know that,” Natsukawa Torata said. “According to the order that Aba mentioned, the true names of the five heroic swordsmen should be Mochizuki Chiyome, Minamoto no Yorimitsu, Shuten-dōji, Ashiya Dōman, and Yagyu Tajima-no-kami Munenori.”

"Wait--"

Upon hearing Natsukawa Torama's explanation, Miyamoto Musashi and Tomoe Gozen were immediately taken aback. It wasn't because Natsukawa Torama knew his real name; both of them were familiar with his abilities and were used to his occasional displays of knowing everything.

To their surprise, the five heroic swordsmen had their real names.

Apart from the first one, the remaining four are all very famous figures in Japanese history!

"Tiger, you... you can't be mistaken, right?" Miyamoto Musashi's face paled slightly. "The famous generals of the Minamoto clan, the demon king of Mount Oe, the Onmyoji who was on par with Abe no Seimei in the Heian period, and that master of the Shinkage-ryu school... what kind of monsters are these Heroic Spirit Swordsmen!?"

In comparison, Tomoe Gozen and Hozoin Inshun both seemed rather unremarkable.

And who is Mochizuki Chiyome, who is considered a Heroic Spirit Swordswoman alongside these people...?

"By the way, Mochizuki Chiyome was a ninja who served the Kai Takeda family at the end of the Sengoku period. Due to her family background, she was actually the jinchūriki of a certain daimyo god... or rather, the vessel through which a portion of his power resided."

"A certain great god?"

"Ibuki Daimyojin of Mount Ibuki—or rather, Yamata no Orochi, the most famous serpent god in Japanese mythology."

"!!"

Both Miyamoto Musashi and Tomoe Gozen were stunned by the surprise.

Is Mochizuki Chiyome actually a heroic swordswoman with a karmic connection to Yamata no Orochi?!

"Isn't the enemy's setup a bit too overpowered?" Miyamoto Musashi couldn't help but complain. "Tora, let me double-check, our goal is to deal with the Heroic Spirit Swordsmen, right? That means we have to... wipe out all these powerful enemies you mentioned?"

"Perhaps."

Natsukawa Torato said, "It depends on the situation—in fact, for us, the Heroic Swordsmen are not necessarily enemies we must antagonize."

Tomoe Gozen: "Huh?"

Miyamoto Musashi: "Huh?"

"Is it hard to understand? But you'll understand if you think about it carefully." Natsukawa Tora pointed to himself.

"Let me start by talking about my own situation. I personally have no friction or conflict with the heroic swordsmen, and I have no reason to fight them. As long as they don't attack me first, I can't be bothered with them. Besides, I was just someone who accidentally entered this world, and I might leave at any time. Everything that happens here has little to do with me."

This is Natsukawa Tora's occasion.

"Then there's Musashi. Like me, you've stumbled into this world in a way, and you don't know when you'll leave this world and drift to another. You have no grudges against the Heroic Spirit Swordsmen, so theoretically there's no need for you to deliberately antagonize them."

This is Miyamoto Musashi's occasion.

Of the three, only Tomoe Gozen might seek revenge against the Heroic Spirit Swordsman because of her past.

Then, the most important point—

"Moreover, this world is a Lostbelt. Lostbelts are worlds that have already been cut off, worlds that have lost the possibility of development, worlds that have been abandoned from the beginning, worlds that don't matter even if they are destroyed—even if we defeat all the Heroic Spirits and Swordmasters, this world will still fall into a stagnation equivalent to death for various reasons."

"In that case, why should we fight the Heroic Swordsmen?" Natsukawa Torara's voice sounded somewhat ruthless. "Musashi, if you believe the enemy is invincible, then running away is also an option. Even if all of Japan is slaughtered by the Heroic Swordsmen, I will protect your safety until we leave. That way—"

"Snapped!"

Miyamoto Musashi slapped Natsukawa Torata hard across the face! His eyes, filled with rage, were fixed on him!

"Is this...your true feeling, Tiger?"

“I’m just giving you another option.” Natsukawa Torama grabbed the arm that Miyamoto Musashi had used to slap him in the face. “You have no connection with the people here, and there’s no need for you to risk your life for people who are destined to perish here—I just want to tell you that.”

"Even in that situation, I would still fight the heroic swordsmen."

"Huh?"

Miyamoto Musashi was a little confused about what Natsukawa Torama was trying to say: "What exactly are you trying to say, Torama? One minute you're saying we don't need to fight, and the next minute you're saying you can fight."

"The reasons for fighting and the reasons for fleeing—I'm just analyzing these two for you and hoping you'll make a choice. After all, if you get scared halfway through, it'll be me who's in trouble."

Natsukawa Tora held up two fingers.

"Make a choice, Musashi."

"It is to fight for the righteousness in your heart, to protect people who are not related to you, to stop the slaughter of heroic swordsmen, and to confront those enemies that you feel you cannot win."

"Or should we just protect ourselves, ignore these people who are not related to us, and wait for the right time to leave this world?"

Choose whichever you like.

At this point, Miyamoto Musashi finally understood.

Xia Chuanhu was trying to find excuses for her.

Emotionally, she couldn't bear to see the heroic swordsmen continue to cause casualties and wanted to protect those people. But the enemies were undoubtedly all formidable foes, none of whom she could defeat. If she were to fight them, she would likely die.

A future where we are certain to survive, or a future where we are likely to die.

No matter which she chooses, Natsukawa Torato has already found a reason for her, and no matter which she chooses, he will help her, either by providing her with protection or by fighting alongside her.

"Does this even need asking?"

Miyamoto Musashi grasped the finger that Natsukawa Torata had extended first: "If I run away here, I will live with guilt for the rest of my life!"

"very good."

Withdrawing his cold expression, Xia Chuanhu said, "That's fine. Since you've made this choice, don't think about the possibility of losing anymore. Believe in your strength and the strength I've given you."

"I see."

14. I really am suppressing my power.

After that, Natsukawa Torara, Miyamoto Musashi, and Tomoe Gozen discussed how to deal with the Heroic Spirit Swordsman.

Even though Miyamoto Musashi ultimately defeated all the heroic swordsmen during the process that Natsukawa Torama knew, things are not static now, and things will not continue as Natsukawa Torama thought.

Therefore, even with the enhancements Natsukawa Torato provided to the sword, Miyamoto Musashi might still lose.

In order to win in the end and defeat all the heroic swordsmen who plague the world, Miyamoto Musashi's most pressing task now is—

"Snapped!"

With a punch that sent Miyamoto Musashi flying, Natsukawa Torara shook his hand and looked at her, who had stood up again not far away, with a hint of helplessness: "Wasn't this completely useless? Were you really using my protective power seriously?"

The weapon that Natsukawa Torama gave to Miyamoto Musashi influenced Miyamoto Musashi's own blessing—the blessing of the spirit.

If we're talking about the most direct way to enhance Miyamoto Musashi's power, this is the only thing that comes to mind.

To help Miyamoto Musashi better utilize the power of this blessing, Natsukawa Toraga is currently giving her special training, but judging from the results...

"Of course I was using it seriously! But I just couldn't do it like I did last night!"

Miyamoto Musashi said with an innocent look on his face.

The blessing of the spirit can grant Miyamoto Musashi physical abilities equivalent to the release of magic. This is the most basic ability and the lower limit of its effect. In addition, depending on Miyamoto Musashi's thoughts, it will respond and further grant Miyamoto Musashi new power.

For example, last night.

Driven by his desire to deliver a fatal blow to Hozoin Inshun, Miyamoto Musashi received a blessing that granted him unprecedented speed and maximized the sword's ability to target spirits and its "Simulated Undying Slaughter" properties, allowing him to kill Hozoin Inshun with a single strike.

Natsukawa Torara hoped that Miyamoto Musashi could grant her new power anytime, anywhere through the blessing.

But, "You don't really consider me an enemy from the bottom of your heart, do you?"

"Because at this point it's just training and sparring, right? I just can't bring myself to want to kill you, Tiger~~~"

After all, he was the benefactor who had taken care of her for a month, let her eat all sorts of food for free, and even gave her new power. Miyamoto Musashi felt that unless Natsukawa Tora truly hurt her heart, she shouldn't be able to harbor any murderous intent towards him.

Why do friends have to fight and kill each other?

"It's amazing you haven't been fooled yet," Natsukawa Tora sighed helplessly. "Is our only hope that you can make a breakthrough on the spot?"

"Hehehe, maybe I'm the kind of person who's all about practical combat? I'm just average in regular training, but I become incredibly skilled in real combat!"

"I'm afraid you'll get killed before you can unleash the power of the blessing."

Natsukawa Tiger poked Miyamoto Musashi's forehead: "Once or twice is fine, but if you keep thinking like this, something bad will happen sooner or later. You need to cherish your life more and consider things from a more comprehensive perspective."

"Tiger, you're starting to sound like a lecturing mother." Miyamoto Musashi curled his lip. "Compared to me, Tiger, how well prepared are you? You're dealing with that demon, aren't you?"

Oni—Shuten-dōji.

In the previously assigned operation against the Heroic Swordsmen, Natsukawa Torato single-handedly took on three of them, one of whom was Shuten-dōji.

According to legend, she is the son of Yamata no Orochi and the son of the Dragon God, also known as Ibuki-dōji. She is essentially a different aspect of the same being as the Servant named Ibuki-dōji, but she is more focused on the aspect of "Oni" (demon).

A cruel demon who indulges in fine wine, slaughter, and corpses... This is Shuten-dōji, the leader of countless evil demons on Mount Ōe.

That being said, in terms of a Servant's status, he is undoubtedly a formidable enemy—at least in terms of Miyamoto Musashi and Tomoe Gozen.

"If I were to face her, I could probably kill her instantly, right?" Natsukawa Tora said with a refreshing expression. "It's not that I look down on Shuten-dōji, it's just that if you want to fight me, you have to be at least a god-level being. Anyone else is no match for me and can't even withstand a single blow from me."