Tokyo: The Player Behind the Scenes

"Throughout this journey, you have resisted the allure of the demonic blade, repelling wave after wave of attacks, yet you have remained true to your principles and have never indiscriminately killed a single person. This truly amazes and shames me."

Taki looked at him without exchanging any words or intending to communicate by writing. She simply stared at him with her eyes as firm as possible.

"."

The two sat facing each other in silence for a long time before Fa Cheng finally let out a soft sigh.

"This humble monk understands."

"I have come here on behalf of Lord Tokugawa to deliver a message to you, my benefactor."

"He extended an invitation to you, saying that if you could kill Hattori Masashige, whom he had sent, he would accept a fair duel with you as a samurai."

“If you trust me, I will act as your guarantor and lead you into the city.”

I see, that's how the progress should be made.

Clearly, the three generations of Muramasa in history did not succeed, so can she succeed?

Takii nodded without hesitation.

"Don't worry, benefactor. You haven't killed a single person on your journey. The demon sword, though a weapon, has not been able to drink blood and devour souls. You are no match for the Third Hattori Hanzo now."

"According to the notes left by the founder, the demon sword has two sides and is not completely uncontrollable, but it requires a certain method."

After speaking, Fa Cheng took out a small box, opened it, and plucked out a little white powder with his fingers. He then extended his hand towards the demon sword and smeared it on the inscription of the Lotus Sutra, which emitted a faint white light.

Suddenly, the demonic whispers gradually lost their evil aura and became clearer, revealing that it was actually the repeated chanting of "Namo Myoho Renge Kyo".

This sword has a very deep connection with the Nichiren sect.

But the problem is, shouldn't this sword have been forged by the first Muramasa, Senji Muramasa? Hosei's ancestor is Nichiren, right? That doesn't match up chronologically. Unless the demon sword wasn't forged by Senji Muramasa at all, but was simply used to form a contract with him.

"In that case, this sword is indeed a miraculous way to exorcise demons, and the records are true. Namo Myoho Renge Kyo. Master, you can rest in peace now."

Fa Cheng seemed to be seeing this scene for the first time as well, and his expression showed some surprise.

Taki looked surprised, but quickly concealed it.

In her field of vision, the progress bars on both sides were filled with platinum light, and the seven red dots on Fa Cheng's body in front of her disappeared.

Is this the reward for refusing to kill them earlier?

She could feel an unprecedented power, and it was completely under her control.

Taki's gaze fell on Hosei's box of white ash.

"These are the ashes of my master. It was because my master firmly believed in the existence of the Myobo Muramasa that I was able to find the Myobo Muramasa in the ruins of your house by following the clues. Unfortunately, I arrived too late and was unable to find your family. Even the Myobo Muramasa was stolen by thieves due to a moment of carelessness."

“Since that person handed the knife to you, he must have hoped that you would use it to slaughter people. Fortunately, you have kept your conscience in mind, so this humble monk will not be ashamed of the common people.”

Fa Cheng noticed her gaze and began to explain.

“Please, benefactor.” Fa Cheng stood up.

Taki silently followed behind, leaving the bamboo forest and heading towards Edo Castle.

At this time, Edo Castle was still in the early stages of expansion and was not very large. The two quickly entered the castle.

Inside the city, at the warrior training ground.

"Lord Oyagata, he is the third Muramasa, Muramasa Masaji."

Tokugawa Ieyasu, clad in armor, sat on a raised platform, surrounded by many samurai. Their gazes toward Takii were complex.

Many of them participated in the encirclement and suppression during this period, but this guy always managed to escape. What's even more humiliating is that when he could have killed them, he chose not to.

This is simply a great humiliation.

"Please keep your promise, Lord Miyagi." Hosei stood fearlessly in front of Takii, meeting the gaze of the dignified Tokugawa Ieyasu.

"Hahaha, Master Hosei, it seems you have little faith in my people. Well then, he is the third Muramasa, and you are the third Hattori Hanzo. Don't bring shame to your family."

Tokugawa Ieyasu did not act too formally, as if he were simply watching an ordinary samurai duel performance.

"Yes, Lord Ieyasu."

Hattori Masashi accepted the order and was about to leave when Tokugawa Ieyasu stopped him.

"This time, you are permitted to use the Muramasa sword."

"Yes!"

Hattori Masashi sensed Tokugawa's perverse sense of humor, stepped down from the stage, and took an Ise Muramasa from his attendant.

Because of Tokugawa Ieyasu's taboos, he hadn't used this family-inherited sword for quite some time.

If he remembers correctly, this sword should be the work of Senji Muramasa.

"Use Senji Muramasa's sword to kill the third Muramasa; that is the fate of the cursed sword."

Facing Taki, he drew his sword, his tone defiant.

In Takii's eyes, white dots appeared on Hattori Masashige's sword and body. Unlike the previous red dots, these white dots did not need to be connected. As long as they were destroyed one by one within the time limit, the effect of the previous consecutive sword strikes could be achieved.

However, each time she swings her sword, the white light on the sword-shaped progress bar decreases.

Once the knife-shaped progress bar is empty, a portion will be subtracted from the humanoid progress bar to make up for it.

In other words, she doesn't have a true basic attack; every basic attack consumes her "mana bar".

Furthermore, as the humanoid's progress bar (level) decreases, its attack power will also decrease.

She must defeat her opponent within a limited number of attacks.

There were a few odds and ends to take care of at home today, that's all (feeling guilty).

Wishing everyone a happy May Day in advance! Happy May Day!

Strive to resume 10,000 daily ( ) tomorrow

Chapter 157: History Repeats Itself

All is silent.

The two knife-wielders could only see each other.

Just like the duels between samurai in sword-fighting films, the psychological battle before the battle is also part of the fight.

Leaves drifted between the two, and their gazes sharpened simultaneously.

Hey.

The leaves fell, making a barely audible sound, yet clearly discernible in the silence.

Hattori Masashi was the first to make a move. Muramasa's sword shot forward like a white dolphin, piercing the air and heading straight for Taki's wrist.

Clang——

The two swords, both bearing the name of Muramasa, crossed diagonally, and sparks flew and disappeared in an instant.

"break!"

Thanks to her rapidly improving swordsmanship skills from playing games these past few days, Taki easily discovered the flaws Hattori Masashi had been trying to conceal.

Aiming at the white light that only she could see, she used her magic to deflect the attack and thrust it towards Hattori's shoulder.

"Ah."

When the white spot was punctured, Hattori showed no sign of injury; instead, he let out a triumphant chuckle.

Swah——

His wrist suddenly changed direction at an unbelievable angle, stabbing diagonally towards Taki's throat.

Takii managed to dodge with her remaining strength, only to discover that her opponent had hidden a kunai. With a powerful flick at close range, the kunai pierced right next to her heart.

This guy acted so much like a samurai that Takii subconsciously forgot that the Hattori Hanzo family was originally from the ninja clan.

Taki immediately drew his kunai and quickly retreated to create distance, but Hattori Masashi pressed his advantage and refused to let go of his superior position.

"Excellent! As expected of the son of Oni Hanzo, his father was the shield of Mikawa, and his son can also be the shield of Edo!"

Seeing Hattori gain the upper hand, Tokugawa Ieyasu clapped lightly and waved his hand, signaling the samurai blocking his way to move aside so he wouldn't be obstructed from appreciating this exciting duel.

As the metal clashed repeatedly, Takii gradually fell into a disadvantageous position, and his vision began to blur.

This kunai is indeed poisonous!

Wasn't Hattori Hanzo, the third generation, an incompetent figure in history?

The year after Tokugawa Ieyasu became Shogun and established the shogunate in Edo, his lack of leadership led to the Iga Doshin Rebellion, causing him to lose all power and be squeezed out of the core Tokugawa power circle.

Is there another reason why he was sidelined from core power?

A beam of white light slowly flowed into her wounds through her hands, gradually healing them, but at the same time, the knife-shaped progress bar also diminished considerably.

The effect is basically the same as the Demon Blade, the difference being that the more people the Demon Blade kills, the stronger it becomes, while this blade becomes weaker the more it is used.

You cannot kill anyone yet. If you kill even one person, all the white light will be immediately cleared.

Seeing that Taki's injuries had healed, Hattori deliberately distanced himself, and the two entered a standoff again.

Taki calmed himself down and pondered the possibility of victory.

We must take the initiative and strive for a swift victory to have any chance; otherwise, we will waste all the energy of our magical exorcism techniques on this person.

If there are further battles, they simply cannot hold out.

She wasn't sure if Tokugawa Ieyasu would honor the duel agreement, but given Tokugawa's reputation as a cunning and shrewd old man, she was more inclined to believe he would renege on the agreement.

However, if she couldn't even defeat the person in front of her, she wouldn't have the chance to directly kill Tokugawa.

Tokugawa has quite a few samurai around him now, so there's no chance of him abandoning Hattori and going straight for the kill.

Hattori was clearly uncomfortable with Taki's sudden change in style, as he was also more adept at offense than defense.

Moreover, Taki's outburst was so powerful that he was momentarily unable to cope.

After repeatedly puncturing half of Hattori's weak points in the white light, Taki's offensive began to falter.

At this moment, both of Takii's progress bars were empty. As another thrust was blocked, she watched as the humanoid progress bar was completely cleared and the knife-shaped progress bar was filled. Cold sweat beaded on her forehead.

"The third generation of Muramasa is nothing special! The name of the demon sword is undeserved!"

Hattori Masashi keenly sensed Takii's momentary loss of strength, and the Muramasa sword in his hand seemed to be covered with a hazy mist and a faint moonlight.

"Oboro-zan!"

He then slashed fiercely, and a crescent-shaped arc of light swept across Taki's neck. Blood splattered onto the inscription on the hilt of the sword, and the white light on it slowly faded and dimmed. Myoho Exorcism transformed back into Myoho Muramasa.

“There are differences even among the three generations.” Tokugawa Ieyasu on the stage clapped his hands and chuckled.

"Namo Myoho Renge Kyo." At the edge of the training field, Fa Cheng shook his head, clasped his hands, and sighed.

Taki slowly knelt down in the pool of blood, still holding the demon sword in his hand.

She wasn't too frustrated; at least in her first attempt, she had already broken through half of the other person's defenses and wasn't easily defeated on the first meeting.

Contrary to her gentle appearance, Taki has always enjoyed high-difficulty action games.

In battles where fast and slow swords clash simultaneously, ranged and melee attacks unfold concurrently, and monsters swarm from all sides, death is commonplace.

Enemies like Hattori Masanari are so difficult they don't even rank in the top ten.

At most, they are considered elite monsters that are relatively difficult to deal with.

The difficulty lies not in how to deal with him, but in how to face the foreseeable beating after dealing with him.

The Demon Blade has an advantage in group battles, while the Magical Method of Exorcising Demons has the opposite effect, making it difficult to break through the stalemate.

Only a monk like Hosei would believe the nonsense about Tokugawa's samurai duels.

No wonder the historical records omitted this part of history; it turns out they felt it might be too disgraceful for the Nichiren sect.

As the scene gradually disappeared, Takii returned to reality.

She didn't open her eyes, but silently calculated and deduced in her mind.

After planning the next battle, I re-entered the game.

The scene shifts, and she returns to the moment when Hattori Masashige had just stepped off the stage, drawn his sword, and faced him.

"Using Senji Muramasa's sword to kill the third Muramasa, is that all?!"

Takii didn't have time to listen to his nonsense and launched the first attack.