Tokyo: The Player Behind the Scenes

A massive fire broke out in Edo, engulfing the entire city and burning down two-thirds of the city, resulting in over 100,000 deaths and injuries.

The fire was caused by a furis sleeve.

In history, it is known as the Mingli Fire and the Furisio Fire.

According to records, the initial fire started at Honmyoji Temple.

The name of this temple sounded strangely familiar. She had reason to suspect that Facheng was inside this temple, and that the fire was not as simple as it was recorded in the records.

The game is currently in the first month of the third year of the Meiji era. As long as she arrives in Edo on time, it will be within a few days of the time when the fire started.

All of this was clearly planned.

It was basically telling her that the furisode she gave her was the culprit behind the fire.

The only thing I don't understand is why such an important task was entrusted to her.

Aren't you afraid something might happen along the way? She's been killed by bandits several times.

"Tell me what happened, and I'll give it to you." Uesugi drew the Fire-Slaying Pill, ready for battle.

It's impossible to give him anything, but we can see if we can get any information out of him.

The man opened his fan, covering half his face, and after a few seconds of silence, gently shook his head.

"you are lying."

Immediately afterwards, he put away his fan, drew his bow and nocked an arrow, and aimed it at Uesugi.

Was it because she drew her sword?

Uesugi didn't have time to think it through. He quickly hid in the nearby woods, took out two darts with one hand, and threw them during the brief moment when they were exchanging cover.

The man dodged the dart with some awkwardness, and the arrow missed its mark.

good chance!

Uesugi rushed out instantly, pointing his sword at the man's heart.

The man's face showed panic. His strength was not as great as it seemed. He was weak and ineffective, and Uesugi, who was not good at fighting, was able to gain the upper hand. He probably hadn't even reached the threshold of an elite monster.

Click.

The fan floated up on its own, blocking her knife.

Before she could react, a sudden gust of wind blew, sending sand and stones flying, making her squint.

The man seized the opportunity to escape, and at that moment, his speed was quite impressive.

".That's it?"

Uesugi had no intention of giving chase, but he grew increasingly suspicious of the other party's identity.

A fan that moves on its own. Wouldn't that be wonderful in summer? — No, that's not the point. This kind of technique is clearly not something that ordinary mortals or warriors can perform.

If that fan is a monster, then what can control it?

"An Onmyoji?"

The more he thought about it, the more likely it seemed; his bow and sword looked somewhat different from the ordinary ones.

If it's an Onmyoji, then they would probably be carrying a Demon-Slaying Bow and a Demon-Exorcising Sword.

Isn't it a bit too weak?

She couldn't even beat a lone female ninja. If she encountered three bandits, she would probably be their doom. With that kind of strength, how dare she block the way in the deep mountains and forests?

Uesugi continued on his way and arrived near a village before dark. Instead of going in, he found a tree and built a makeshift bed.

Two more days have passed.

She encountered the Onmyoji blocking her way again.

"That furisode might be a matter of life and death for many people. You cannot take it to Edo." The arrow landed at Uesugi's feet, and the man's serious words echoed.

“I said I could give it to you if you told me why.”

Having learned from her previous experience, this time she did not draw her sword, but instead tried to be as friendly as possible, even taking out the box in advance.

The man hesitated, then covered half his face with his fan again.

"Sorry, you're lying again."

call out!

With preparation, the man's archery skills were quite good, and he unexpectedly shot an arrow through Uesugi's throat.

That damn fan! It can even detect lies!

Having wasted another life, Uesugi completely gave up on the man who seemed to be an Onmyoji.

So, when they met this time, Uesugi immediately drew his sword and charged at him.

As expected, the man performed poorly in the face of this sudden situation, barely managing to dodge and struggling to stay afloat. He could only escape from the blade and disappear by relying on the power of his fan once again.

It feels like a novice who has just mastered their skills and is now venturing out into the world.

That fan was a "spiritual treasure" given to them by an elder in the clan.

Uesugi patted her forehead. Recently, she had been searching for mystical systems and had accidentally read a few cultivation novels, which almost got to her head.

Then, for anywhere from half a day to two days, she would encounter that man popping up.

But he just couldn't kill him, he was like a stubborn plaster that wouldn't go away, so Uesugi started to think of a plan.

She eventually lured him to the vicinity of a bandit's den, where she escaped using the familiar paths and her agility, leaving the man alone to face a group of bandits.

"If all those bandits attacked at once, I could only run for my life. Even if I couldn't kill him, he would still cause a lot of trouble."

After fleeing for a while, Uesugi stopped to recover and take a look at the map. She was already quite close to Edo. If all went well, she would arrive in Edo on the thirteenth day of the first lunar month, which was just two more days' journey.

"Ahhh!!"

The agonizing screams echoed through the woods, startling a flock of birds.

The sound didn't come from that man; it was probably from bandits.

What a bunch of rubbish!

Uesugi guessed that the man might have used some kind of backup plan, such as the fan.

Thinking about it that way, it's actually quite kind of her.

Gathering her thoughts, she continued on her way.

after one day.

As they walked, an arrow suddenly shot at them.

Uesugi cut the arrow with his sword and remained alert to his surroundings.

He still caught up with us.

Tata.

The man walked out of the woods.

He was in a sorry state, his clothes were torn and half of his body was covered in blood.

"This is your last warning. Put down your sleeves and turn to leave." The man threw down the Demon-Slaying Bow and solemnly drew his sword.

It's called a sword, but it's actually a knife.

In Japan, swords used in rituals and mythology are often referred to as "ken" (剑).

If Shinichi Higashiyama were here, he could tell the name of this sword at a glance: Crimson Demon Slayer.

“I’m sorry, but I cannot comply.” Uesugi drew his sword in response.

Since the other party can tell whether she's lying or not, there's no point in wasting words.

If you don't want to talk, then I'll threaten you with your life.

Chapter 196: The Day the Fire Started

The man threw down his fan, swiftly launched an attack, and quickly closed in.

He swept the fan aside and fanned himself, creating a gust of wind that stirred up a large amount of fallen leaves and dust, obscuring Uesugi's vision.

Having faced off so many times, Uesugi was well-prepared for this.

He turned sideways, inserted the knife into the tree trunk as a stepping stone, and quickly disappeared into the canopy, leaving the area exposed to the wind.

He then weaved through the tree trunks, found the right angle, and leaped out, throwing four kunai: two aimed at the fan, and two at the man's back.

The clang of metal rang out as the man turned and cleaved the kunai in two.

Just as the floating fan was about to be pierced, a giant centipede tail, as large as a python, emerged from the fan and swept across, neatly knocking down the two kunai.

Uesugi also carries a kusarigama (chain sickle).

This is the weapon that she is most proficient with on the character she is controlling.

Let's deal with this monster fan first!

Thinking this, he threw the scythe, and just as it was about to hit, the centipede's tail emerged from the fan again, this time along with its upper body.

Half of the snake was mottled with red and black flesh, bulging in varying sizes, resembling a toad's tumor.

Taken together, it resembles a bizarre monster with the upper body of a snake and the lower body of a centipede, which is quite unsettling to look at.

It was clear that this monster had a bad temper. After it came out, it stared intently at Uesugi, and in an instant, it bit the handle of the scythe and pulled her over with a sudden burst of strength.

Uesugi died.

"There must be some restriction on how this monster comes out; it won't appear unless it's absolutely necessary. But if we want to kill a man, we'll inevitably force the monster out. Could the key to this level be escaping?"

She didn't think she could be a match for this human-demon duo.

The mission objective has remained unchanged from beginning to end: to reach Edo Castle and complete the mission.

There were no mandatory requirements along the way; it all depended on individual performance.

The only thing to worry about is that the choices you make might prevent you from completing the game.

"This type of DLC game should be similar to 'The Other Shore Escape,' not caring what ending you achieve, only requiring you to complete the mission. No matter what method you use, as long as you achieve the goal in the end, that's all that matters. So there is no fixed process, and even if you make some wrong choices, it should only increase the difficulty in certain aspects."

Once she figured this out, she couldn't be bothered to continue entangled with the man.

Speedrunning games are her area of ​​expertise.

She already struggles to compete with other players for rankings and perfect completions in the actual game; if she loses in speedruns as well, she'll truly become a game-free refugee.

I'll only ever be a useless little catgirl, meowing all my life.

Not wanting to use force does not mean not wanting to use force.

You don't have to fire the gun, but you must have one!

The game continues.

Uesugi weaved through the forest, trying his best to evade the man's pursuit.

After paying the price of several deaths, they finally arrived at the castle town of Edo.

The date was the fourteenth day of the first lunar month.

The man simply vanished without a trace, and for some unknown reason, no one pursued him into the town.

"Tomorrow is the deadline, and this outfit is most likely the culprit that caused the fire." Uesugi entered the town with the prepared hand gestures and made arrangements, walking through the crowded streets and alleys. She had already hidden her weapon outside the city.

The place she was delivering the goods to was somewhere in the village, and Honmyoji Temple was nearby.

After some thought, she decided to go to Honmyoji Temple to check on the situation.

The Mingli Fire started here and spread. She would never believe that the game had nothing to do with the fire; she would bet her own bra size on it.

"Benefactor, there are important religious ceremonies taking place at the temple these days. Please come back in a few days."

The gates of Honmyoji Temple were tightly closed. After knocking, the monk who came out said the following.

"May I ask, Venerable Master, is Venerable Facheng residing at Benmiao Temple?"

The monk looked puzzled, and after thinking for a few seconds, he shook his head: "There is no monk with the name Facheng in this small temple. Perhaps you have remembered it wrong."

No?