To become a king and a magician

The simulated black hole lasted only a moment before being neutralized and shattered by the light emanating from Natsukawa Tiger's sword!

At the same time, Zhu Yue also descended completely.

"Boom boom boom boom boom boom boom boom boom ——————————!!"

The magnificent earthen city was crushed by the heavy pressure.

The heroic swordsman's body was crushed under the moonlight.

Faced with spirits capable of saving the world, these creatures, whose power is limited to themselves, are utterly powerless to resist.

AssassinParaíso·Mochizuki Chiyo-onna.

Berserker: Unova Hell - Shuten-dōji

CasterLimbo·Michimit Ashiya.

Saber·Empireo·Muneki Yagyu.

Amakusa Shiro, the sorcerer who accompanies the heavens.

The four heroic swordsmen who had gathered here, along with the sorcerer who commanded them, were all wiped out under the moonlight!

Whether it's the power of the snake god, the power of the demon seed, the power of Yin-Yang magic, or unparalleled swordsmanship... under the crimson moon, everything is equal, all fragile enough to shatter at the slightest touch.

————————————————————————————

Later generations recorded it.

The sixteenth year of Kan'ei, 1639.

In Shimōsa Province, located in Japan, a crimson moon fell, a divine punishment.

25. Let's start from there.

Amakusa Shiro was defeated.

The heroic swordsman has been defeated.

Just as everyone in Shimosa was captivated by the light of the crimson moon, the creatures that had brought so much tragedy to Shimosa vanished completely.

Apart from Natsukawa Torato and Miyamoto Musashi, no one else witnessed their end.

The people of Shimosa will never know that they once faced a tremendous threat, that their country could have become a demonic realm, and that their peaceful world could have become a battlefield of carnage.

No one knows any of this.

Therefore, no one knows who stopped it all.

All people know is that for some time in the past, a rumor called "Heroic Swordsman" circulated for some unknown reason—that's all they know.

Whether this rumor is true or false, and whether the Heroic Swordsman truly exists, remains unknown.

This is a good thing.

Just as the Clock Tower has always adhered to the principle of secrecy and mystery, people living in the surface world do not need to know too much about the inner world. They can simply treat all supernatural phenomena as illusions, rumors, or topics for casual conversation.

This is the best way to handle it.

However, not everyone can be fooled like that, so for those people—

"You erased everyone's memories?"

Lower the main country, outside the castle town.

On a small hill overlooking the castle town, Miyamoto Musashi looked at Natsukawa Tora beside him with some surprise.

"why?"

"Is there any need to keep those terrible memories?"

Natsukawa Tora explained.

For most ordinary people, what happened that night was a dreamlike spectacle. For the samurai who actually participated in that battle, it was also a nightmarish one.

Therefore, Natsukawa Torama used a memory-erasing magic spell to erase the memories of everyone in Shimousa Province and the castle town.

"Part of the reason was to match that rustic city."

The earthen city, which should have been destroyed by the moon, now stands strangely intact in its original place.

This was, of course, restored by Natsukawa Torama through the materialization of fantasy.

Since Tuqi City has been restored, it is necessary to modify the residents' memories. Otherwise, if the residents remember Tuqi City as destroyed, and this does not match reality, it might cause some strange rumors.

With these two factors combined, Natsukawa Torato simply erased everyone's memories.

"Is Princess Kiyohime's memory the same?"

Miyamoto Musashi asked.

Natsukawa Tiger nodded: "I explained the situation to her, and after that, her attitude towards me changed... How should I put it, 'fear' would be a more accurate description."

“I have always shown her my side as the ‘Prince Charming,’ but at that time I showed her my side as the ‘strongest warrior.’ People are in awe of those who possess great power, and Princess Kiyohime probably went a step further and felt fear.”

"So you erased her memories... Well, I have to say you're a heartless man, but given the situation, there's really no other way." Miyamoto Musashi sighed softly. "Is this also the reason you're leaving Shimosa Province?"

It is now three days after the battle with the heroic swordsmen ended.

The mountain where Natsukawa Torara, Miyamoto Musashi, and Tomoe Gozen were located was the border of Shimosa Province. Crossing the mountain would lead to the territory of Musashi Province.

"Actually, continuing to live there isn't such a bad thing, is it?"

“Perhaps, but it’s mainly because of you,” Natsukawa Tora said. “I told you before, I have a lot of knowledge from the source, and that’s why I was able to know the true names of the Heroic Swordsmen from the beginning.”

"Similarly, I also know the original trajectory of this incident."

"Without me, you would have fought against the seven heroic swordsmen one by one, gradually increasing your strength in the process, until after everything was over, you fought the final enemy to exhaustion, attained the realm of emptiness, and became a heroic spirit."

This is what Miyamoto Musashi would normally experience.

However, now, due to Natsukawa Torato's intervention, Miyamoto Musashi has lost this opportunity to grow. Even though her power has indeed increased due to the blessing, she has not gotten closer to the realm she is pursuing.

"Well, I guess I'm pretty sorry to you, so before we part ways, I'll try my best to introduce you to all sorts of opponents to make up for the part of your growth that you missed."

"Eh~~~~"

Miyamoto Musashi was somewhat surprised, and his cheeks flushed slightly.

(So, they left because of me... The Valley of the Sky? Even without encountering Tora, I will eventually reach that realm through this experience.)

I felt a little regretful.

Miyamoto Musashi is a very pure swordsman. As long as she is pursuing the realm in her heart, she doesn't really care about her own life. But if she had to say, compared to not knowing whether she can reach that realm, Miyamoto Musashi feels that living is better right now.

After all, nobody wants to die~~~

"Also, Aba."

Natsukawa Torara looked at Tomoe Gozen: "You... are you really sure you won't break the contract with me? I remember you didn't like Servants who stay in the human world for a long time."

“Yes, that is indeed the case.” Tomoe nods. “However, I have already received many favors from Lord Tiger. He saved my life several times in Uruk, and this time as well. Such a great debt of gratitude would be too impolite to leave without repaying it. Please allow me to follow you until I have repaid all the debts of gratitude.”

"Isn't this good too?"

Miyamoto Musashi chuckled and nudged Natsukawa Torata with his elbow: "I remember Torata, you like Tomoe-sama? Isn't this exactly what you wanted?"

Xia Chuanhu smiled and said, "Of course I'm happy that Aba is willing to stay by my side, but I should remind you that if you continue like this, you'll probably never be able to pay it back."

“In that case, I will stay by your side forever,” Tomoe Gozen said with a smile. “As long as you don’t mind me.”

dislike?

How could he possibly dislike it? Xia Chuanhu was overjoyed.

Seeing the smile on Natsukawa Torama's face, Miyamoto Musashi couldn't help but cough lightly: "Ahem! So, Torama, where are we going next? Over the mountains to Musashi Province?"

“Let’s go to Katori Shrine first,” Natsukawa Torato said. “I have an appointment with someone there, so I need to take care of things there first.”

At Katori Shrine, there is an unnamed swordsman whom Miyamoto Musashi should have a duel with, waiting for him.

In any case, if you want to help Miyamoto Musashi reach the Sky Realm, that one is an opponent you can't avoid no matter what.

(Anyway, let's start from there.)

Unaware that the world behind the three of them was beginning to visibly distort, Natsukawa Tora was lost in thought.

next moment--

"Glug~~~~~"

The feeling of sinking into the ocean came from behind, instantly enveloping the three of them.

then.

Three more guests have arrived at 【The Cracks in the World】.

26. Hello, I am Ash.

Chaldea.

Two months have passed since the mission to the Lostbelt to find Natsukawa Tora began.

In the past two months, Chaldea has visited four Lostbelts.

Russia, Northern Europe, China, India.

Since the main purpose is to find people, Chaldea does not stay in each Lostbelt for long. After finding the local ruler of the Lostbelt and explaining their purpose, they can usually get some help from the other party.

This was true at least in Northern Europe and China, and it was also the easiest Lostbelt Chaldea had ever experienced, with almost no battles.

The Indian Lostbelt was the fastest to end.

As for why...

"Haa~~~~"

After the basket opened, Fujimaru Ritsuka and Mash, who had successfully returned to Chaldea through reverse spiritual transfer, immediately lost control of their bodies and fell out of the basket.

Sajou Rei and Gray, who had been waiting on the side, quickly helped the two of them up.

"Very good......"

Upon seeing the two return to the control room, Roman breathed a sigh of relief, looking as if he had escaped a disaster.