Chapter 134: The First Half

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The sound of horns blared continuously, war drums thundered, and the crowd waved flags and cheered. The momentum of the Shinto sect was at its peak.

They had been relentlessly pursued and killed by the government, unable to return home, suffering injustice, and their lives hanging by a thread at every moment. They wanted to vent all the pain, frustration, and anger of these years.

In the ice-carved coliseum, there were seats, but none of them could sit down calmly. Their emotions surged like a tide.

The nine group leaders of the Shinto sect flew up, like nine planets of different colors, lined up in a row.

The leader of Group Four was impersonated by Yagyu Michiko. The real leader of Group Four stood behind Minamoto Kiyomoto. This was another of the Shinto sect’s hidden moves.

The leader of Group Three, clad in golden armor, laughed heartily, “Since you’re here, it proves you’ve agreed to our terms, right?”

“That’s right,” Minamoto Kiyomoto replied.

“Thank you for your trouble, Kiyomoto-kun,” Itomi Sayaka said with a smile.

She was enveloped in blue divine power, still dressed in a trench coat, shirt, and short skirt.

If the nine group leaders were indeed planets, then she was the Earth—her beauty was of that magnitude.

“I had no choice. Good people are always constrained. This is an eternal truth,” Minamoto Kiyomoto also laughed.

“So you’re Minamoto Kiyomoto?” The leader of Group One, Sara Sanae, sized him up as if she were drooling.

“And who might you be?”

“My name is Sara, big sister. I’ve been wanting to see you for a long time,” Sara Sanae rubbed her knees together slightly. “Ever since I first heard your name, I’ve been dreaming of you. Even when I’m making love with someone else, I call out your name…”

“Shut up and get lost! I hate old women who are old and long-winded!”

“…”

The world fell silent. Even the viewing platform was quiet. Only the sound of the waves crashing against the shore remained.

In Chiba Prefecture, Itomi Yuki, who was watching the battle from her room, was so nervous she didn’t dare to move. Hearing Minamoto Kiyomoto’s words, she couldn’t help but burst out laughing.

She stood up from her desk, took off her shoes, and sat cross-legged on her bed.

In Shikoku, Ayako, who was in the Shikoku Shinto Lord’s secret realm: “?”

Back in Izumo, on the deathly silent sea, the crowd heard a clear and pleasant voice.

“Don’t use profanity.”

“There’s no need for etiquette with these beasts.”

“Even so, just kill them.”

“Alright, I’ll listen to you, Miss Kamibayashi.”

After this conversation, the crowd, like a cannonball that had finally landed, exploded in an instant.

“Arrogant! Arrogant! Kill that kid!”

“Shut up! Who gave you the guts! Kneel and apologize immediately!”

“You beast, you’re looking for death!”

“Yuka!” Amidst the deafening clamor, Rabbit said loudly to Yuka, “No wonder he was so harsh on you. Was it because you used profanity?”

Yuka was in no mood to care about these things.

“I wonder how Turdidae’s injuries are,” she said with concern.

“Didn’t the group leader say?” Rabbit comforted her. “Turdidae escaped safely. Although his injuries are serious and he needs to recuperate, he can be completely cured.”

In the air, the person in question, Sara Sanae, was no longer rubbing her legs together.

“Kid,” she said with killing intent, “I’ll let you know how good an old woman can be.”

“We didn’t finish our fight last time. Shall we continue this time, old woman?” Himegami Izayoi said with a grin, her left thumb hooked in her belt, her right hand holding a folding fan.

Sara Sanae sneered at her and didn’t answer.

“Enough with the nonsense,” the leader of Group Two, a round old man, said, his voice steady and resonant. “I’ll state the terms of the bet again.”

“Seven rounds, best of four. If we win, you hand over Kyushu; if you win, we will destroy the spell to control yokai on the spot.”

He didn’t say the name of the divine artifact—the Demonic Dragon Nails—in case the other side guessed that they didn’t have nine Yellow Springs Demonic Dragons at all.

“In addition!” he said loudly, “On the viewing platform, there are millions of practitioners from all over the world watching this battle right now!”

“What?!” The faces of the Kyushu Shinto Lord and the others changed.

Although they hadn’t discussed it, it was impossible to say that they didn’t have a plan to go back on their word if they lost.

What’s more, during the duel, there would be idle Kasen and shrine maidens constantly arriving.

If there were no outsiders watching, they could have started a war midway.

“Minamoto Kiyomoto, can you still agree on behalf of the Lord of Kyoto?” the leader of Group Three shouted sharply, his voice like a thunderclap.

“Interesting, so interesting! Shinto sect, we’ll back you up!”

“Of course, it’s just spiritual and verbal support, hahaha!”

“Let’s see if Kansai dares to lose face. If it were me, I wouldn’t give up Kyushu even if I lost face. It’s too stupid to keep one’s word with bad people.”

“This is the price of being a good person.”

Itomi Yuki clenched her small fists, becoming nervous for Minamoto Kiyomoto.

She resented her sister in her heart. Why didn’t she tell Minamoto Kiyomoto about the Shinto sect’s plan earlier, putting him in such a difficult position now?

“Before I answer, I have a few questions I’d like to ask the members of the Shinto sect,” Minamoto Kiyomoto regained his gentle and refined demeanor, his voice clear and charming.

That handsome face, paired with his night-like black divine power, had a mysterious charm.

All the women watching the battle couldn’t help but look at him a couple more times. Even Sara Sanae decided to change her approach to let him know the benefits of an old woman.

“Of course you can, but we’ll only answer one,” the leader of Group Eight, Drunkard, said, his hair messy, as if he had just woken up from a hangover and rushed over without washing up.

“After all, time is not on our side. Kiyomoto-kun, you’ll have to bear with it,” Itomi Sayaka said with a smile, without a hint of hostility.

“One is one,” Minamoto Kiyomoto’s gaze swept over them. “What I want to ask is—what are you fighting for?”

“Do you even need to ask? Of course, it’s for freedom!” the leader of Group Seven, Spider, found the question ridiculous.

“Freedom? For whose freedom? And what will replace it? You,” Minamoto Kiyomoto’s voice turned cold, “are just robbers taking advantage of the government’s decisions and the turmoil.”

“Lord Tsukushi-no-Kimi,” the leader of Group Five said with a laugh, “we said we’d only answer one question. It’s your turn to answer us.”

“That’s right!”

“Do you agree, or not?”

“Coward, you’re not scared, are you?”

“He’s said to have the greatest capacity in the world, but it turns out he’s just so-so.”

The members of the Shinto sect began to mock him.

“Forget it,” Minamoto Kiyomoto suddenly seemed to lose interest. “There is only one evil in this world, and that is failure.”

He raised his voice and said loudly, “I agree!”

In that instant, the air between heaven and earth froze.

“Good! It’s a deal!” the leader of Group Three responded loudly.

“If Kansai wants to go back on their word in front of the whole world, we have nothing to say,” the leader of Group Seven, Spider, provoked.

“You can say that after you win,” Minamoto Kiyomoto didn’t even look at her.

“Brothers!” The leader of Group Three suddenly turned and roared at the members of the Shinto sect, “The war drums, beat them for me!”

“Ha!” everyone roared in unison. Some even beat their chests and roared at the sky.

The thought of dealing a heavy blow to the government and taking over Kyushu made their blood boil.

Even Fatty and the others, who had originally complained about why everyone had to gather together, were now infected by the momentum and shouted in unison.

The official practitioners who arrived one after another were stunned by the formation before them, their faces ugly.

The group leaders of the Shinto sect turned and landed back in the ice-carved coliseum.

In the northern part of the coliseum, there was a high platform with nine chairs also carved from ice.

The nine of them sat on top, looking down at the entire coliseum.

Opposite them, there was also a platform reserved for the government.

As soon as Minamoto Kiyomoto landed, he noticed that the coliseum was unusual.

It was a spell formation. Every spectator was a main formation master and could support the barrier to protect themselves.

“My lord,” the Ukiha Kasen looked over.

They had also noticed that something was wrong and were afraid that this spell formation had an ambush.

“It’s fine,” Minamoto Kiyomoto sat down in his chair without hesitation. With his current knowledge, there was nothing in the Shinto sect’s thousands of years of history that could be hidden from him.

The Kasen sat in their chairs. The official practitioners below the Kasen level either stood behind them or landed on clouds.

From a distance, it looked like a grand gathering in a heavenly palace.

The battle adopted a blind betting mode, meaning the order of appearance was arranged in advance.

The Shinto sect would not give the government a chance to match strength with strength.

The nine of them watched Minamoto Kiyomoto and the others discuss from afar, their expressions varied. Some sneered, some mocked, and some were expressionless.

With the Izumo Miko’s status, she naturally also participated in the discussion. They had already calculated everything on the government’s side.

Before long, a miniature ice-carved rabbit, from an angle invisible to the others, whispered in Sara Sanae’s ear.

At the same time, the Izumo Miko gave Minamoto Kiyomoto a look, meaning—It’s done.

Minamoto Kiyomoto’s expression didn’t change. He sat proudly in the middle ice chair, his eyes occasionally flashing with red light, his aura domineering.

Some of the Shinto sect members who were secretly watching him and testing him with spells were all scared and averted their gazes. The person sitting there was simply a yokai.

With the Izumo Miko, Minamoto Kiyomoto could have chosen to match strength with strength, but he didn’t.

First, he didn’t want to expose the Izumo Miko; second, it was still his capacity at work.

Once a capacity awakens, it is bound by the rule of “both power and restraint.”

Minamoto Kiyomoto’s capacity had allowed him to grow to such an extent in half a year. The restraint was imaginable. He had to fight the Yellow Springs Demonic Dragon!
One piece of the Yellow Springs Demonic Dragon’s remains, half a town-level, was equivalent to the strength of three Kasen.

He, with two pieces of town-level yokai remains, a body of unfathomable divine power, and all the spells of the great Ming Dynasty.

He could only use one of the two pieces of town-level yokai remains at a time. In other words, he had to fight three Kasen with the strength of one Kasen.

He was weak, so weak that almost everyone who saw this situation thought it was impossible to win.

But Minamoto Kiyomoto believed he could win—his capacity had given him unparalleled power, and with this power, it had also given him too much confidence. It was not an exaggeration to say it was arrogance.

Minamoto Kiyomoto felt from the bottom of his heart that this battle was not unwinnable.

Since there was a glimmer of hope, he was willing to fight for it!
He was no longer the boy on Mount Haku who scared himself and trained his courage through the fear of the night.

Takei, who had presided over the Shinto sect’s martial arts competition back then, took the lists from both sides. Before opening them, he also didn’t know who was fighting whom.

Takei stood on a small platform on the east side of the coliseum and announced:
“The first battle, the Kyushu Shinto Lord versus the leader of Group Eight, Drunkard!”

“What’s going on?” a member of the Shinto sect said with a terrified expression.

“Why isn’t it the first two group leaders? Although the leader of Group Eight is powerful, he’s no match for the Shinto Lord, right?”

“What do you know! Even the leaders of Group One and Group Two are not guaranteed to win against the Kyushu Shinto Lord. This is actually a good draw.”

The viewing platform was even more lively.

A Shinto Lord!
In any country, they are the top experts.

The number of viewers was increasing, exceeding ten million.

“Lord Mifune,” Minamoto Kiyomoto looked at the Kyushu Shinto Lord.

“I will do my best,” the Kyushu Shinto Lord stood up.

“You must win,” Minamoto Kiyomoto’s voice was calm but full of spirit.

Himegami Izayoi’s eyes lit up as she looked at him, a slight smile on her lips—not the usual kind of smile, but the kind of smile that appears when one is happy, without even realizing it.

The Kyushu Shinto Lord was stunned for a moment, then laughed heartily and bowed slightly, “Lord Tsukushi-no-Kimi, please rest assured!”

The Kyushu Shinto Lord and Drunkard entered the arena.

A ball of azure divine power, a cluster of amber, whiskey-like divine power, the two looked at each other from afar.

“A bunch of rats,” the Kyushu Shinto Lord sneered. His divine power instantly overwhelmed Drunkard, blowing his hair around like weeds.

“The Shinto Lord is indeed powerful. I surrender!” Drunkard laughed and turned to leave the stage.

Faced with this reasonable yet unreasonable situation, the crowd couldn’t help but be stunned.

The members of the Shinto sect on the scene didn’t dare to say anything. On the viewing platform, regardless of their cultivation level, even the practitioners who had just entered the junior high school department, all cursed.

“What the hell?! We waited for so long, and it ends in a surrender!”

“Coward!”

“They really are a bunch of rats!”

“Kyushu Shinto Lord! Kyushu Shinto Lord!” There were also official practitioners from Japan cheering.

Itomi Yuki felt a little disappointed in her heart, but then she thought, if only all disputes in the world could be resolved so simply and peacefully.

The most important thing was that Minamoto Kiyomoto and her sister were safe.

“The second match, the Ise Miko versus the leader of Group Seven, Spider!” Takei shouted loudly.

Himegami Izayoi, in a magnificent kimono, her beautiful body enveloped in flame-colored divine power, stood on the ice, like a blooming spider lily.

“You’re not going to surrender too, are you?” she asked Spider with a grin.

“If you want to have a couple of rounds with me, it’s not…”

Before he could finish, the leader of Group Two roared, “Spider! Be careful!”

Spider, almost instinctively, took out his divine artifact and used his most powerful defensive spell.

Thousands of neon lights suddenly burst forth. Spider didn’t even know what was happening before he was submerged in a wave of divine power.

Thunder, fierce fire, and even space were pierced through. Spider spun in the wave of energy, his blood churning, his head spinning, and he almost fainted several times.

“Ah!” Spider shouted, desperately trying to suppress the dizziness.

Once he fainted, only death awaited him.

She had been skeptical about the Ise Miko killing a Kasen with one move in Hakone. At this moment, she wished she could go back in time and warn herself severely.

The colors of the neon lights grew weaker and weaker. Finally, she had a chance to catch her breath.

“I surrender!” Spider quickly shouted.

The divine power dissipated, and she fell from the sky, barely managing to stabilize herself.

The clear autumn day, which had been a vast expanse of blue just now, had turned crimson like dusk. The faces of the cultists in the stands were filled with horror.

Although they hadn’t personally experienced the Ise Miko’s spell, just looking at their expressions was enough to know that even just watching was enough to make one’s blood run cold.

“It was just a little off,” Himegami Izayoi murmured, turned, and flew back to the platform.

“Master Kiyo, how did I do?” she asked Minamoto Kiyomoto with a proud expression, seeking praise.

“Thank you for showing me mercy these past few days,” Minamoto Kiyomoto said with a laugh, using a slightly charming tone on the words ‘showing me mercy’.

Himegami Izayoi immediately understood and gave him a seductive roll of her eyes.

In the blink of an eye, two of the seven rounds were over, and the Shinto sect had lost both.

The cultists couldn’t help but look at their group leaders. They only relaxed a little when they saw that they were still calm.

“The third match, the Divine Medium versus the leader of Group Nine, White Cat!”

“It’s over!”

“The leader of Group Nine just became a Kasen not long ago. Her strength is weak. She’s no match for the Divine Medium!”

“This is actually the best arrangement. Even the leader of Group One is not necessarily a match for the Divine Medium. Have you heard about what happened at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean?”

“It’s okay. Although we’ve lost three matches, they were all against their almost guaranteed-to-win experts. We also have guaranteed-to-win matches on our side!”

Itomi Yuki was not flustered at all by this panic.

“What white cat? She’s clearly allergic to cats,” she even mocked her sister.

Kamibayashi Miko, in a red and white shrine maiden’s attire embroidered with pure white magnolias, her black hair flying, golden radiance lit up around her.

Her sacred posture made even the members of the Shinto sect feel a sense of awe.

Itomi Sayaka sighed in her heart. No wonder that kid Minamoto Kiyomoto was so infatuated. Even she, a woman, admired the Divine Medium’s style.

“I surrender,” she said.

The battle ended without any surprises. The crowd was still waiting eagerly, hoping to hear the Divine Medium’s voice, but she didn’t say a word, flew back to the platform, and sat down next to Minamoto Kiyomoto.

Under everyone’s gaze, Minamoto Kiyomoto clapped, as if Kamibayashi Miko had accomplished a great feat, and even leaned in with a smile to whisper to the Divine Medium.

The people watching this scene didn’t know who to envy for a moment, because Minamoto Kiyomoto himself was also breathtakingly captivating.

Immediately after, the Ise Miko, who had just scared people to death with one move, tapped Minamoto Kiyomoto’s arm with her fan in dissatisfaction.

Minamoto Kiyomoto turned his head again, took the Ise Miko’s hand, and said something with a grin.

So the rumors are true!
These three have a love triangle!

Now, everyone knew who to envy. They glared at Minamoto Kiyomoto—who told the Ise Miko to be as magnificent and beautiful as the Divine Medium?

“The fourth match, the Takekuma Kasen versus the leader of Group One!”

With Takei’s voice, the Shinto sect collectively breathed a sigh of relief. This was already the fourth round. They couldn’t lose again.

“Lord Takekuma, just surrender,” Minamoto Kiyomoto said.

The Takekuma Kasen had a fiery temper, but he was no fool who would send himself to his death. His face was a little ugly, but he still nodded.

The next three rounds, as if by agreement, the Shinto sect won three in a row.

The leaders of Group One, Group Two, and Group Three appeared in succession and won three matches without any suspense.

When the Kuratake Kasen faced the leader of Group Three, he tried to fight, but as expected of a person who dared to hijack an official train, every move was fierce and tyrannical.

The Kuratake Kasen was suppressed throughout the match. After less than ten moves, he took the initiative to surrender.

It was already eight o’clock, and the seawater was getting bluer.

More and more official practitioners arrived, including the Suiten-gu Miko, Mansaku-shonin of Mount Koya, and other experts.

The sky behind Minamoto Kiyomoto and the others was already densely packed with people.

On the Shinto sect’s side, even the faces of the nine group leaders had become solemn.

If it weren’t for the ‘town-level’ yokai and the Yellow Springs Demonic Dragon, they wouldn’t have dared to stand out so brazenly.

For the people watching online, facing such a grand occasion, they felt it was worth it.

How many people had seen a scene like a war between practitioners?
It was already the last match. Everyone was nervous, guessing that the Shinto sect’s so-called seven-round, best-of-four match was only for this one match.

The government would definitely not surrender easily again.

This battle would definitely be earth-shattering, and there might even be a Kasen-level death.

“Lord Shinto, who do you think Susu will send for the last match?” Ayako, worried about her son, couldn’t help but ask.

“Himself,” the Shikoku Shinto Lord said without any hesitation.

“What?! That’s too dangerous! Susu is still a child. He’s only been training for half a year. How can he! Can you contact them and have them switch people?”

“This is Minamoto Kiyomoto’s own choice,” the Shikoku Shinto Lord didn’t know the actual situation, but she was extremely certain.

A person with profound capacity would not let themselves stand behind.

And only those who could stand out would have profound capacity.

“The seventh match, Minamoto Kiyomoto versus…” Takei looked at the list in disbelief.

“What’s going on?”

“Old man, hurry up and announce it!”

“This is so nerve-wracking!”

Itomi Yuki placed her hand on her chest, clutching her collar, her heart pounding uncontrollably.

Her cute little toes curled up tightly.

She stared at the screen without blinking.

“The seventh match, Minamoto Kiyomoto versus Nakamura Naoto.”

As Takei finished reading the list, the Shinto sect instantly surged.

“Who is Nakamura Naoto?”

“Why isn’t it the leader of Group Four, Lord Nodoka?!”

Not only them, but the official practitioners were also surprised and uncertain.

The Suiten-gu Miko looked at the expressions of the Shinto sect’s group leaders, and her face changed.

“Little brother, be careful. Something’s not right!” she quickly said to Minamoto Kiyomoto.

“I know,” Minamoto Kiyomoto sneered, his clothes rustling as he landed in the duel arena.

“Suiten Miko, what’s wrong?” Mansaku-shonin saw Suiten’s dazed expression and thought she had discovered something.

“Ah~” Suiten Miko covered her mouth with her hands, her eyes watery as she looked at Minamoto Kiyomoto’s back. “Little brother looks so cool~”

Mansaku-shonin: “…”

Nakamura Naoto was a man with a full beard, his cheeks gaunt, his forehead and cheekbones high, but his eyes were frighteningly bright.

He slowly took out a piece of fishy-yellow bone.

“What’s that?”

“A yokai’s remains!”

“It’s the remains of the Yellow Springs Demonic Dragon!”

The faces of everyone on the government’s side changed.

“The Demon Body Spell!” their voices were terrified, and they all thought of this spell at the same time.

“Who leaked it?!”

“Impossible! Absolutely impossible! Even Lord Tsukushi-no-Kimi can only control the remains of a ‘town-level’ yokai. The Yellow Springs Demonic Dragon is ‘prefecture-level’!”

“Is this person not afraid of turning into a yokai?!”

“That’s the result the other side wants!” the Kyushu Shinto Lord said in a deep voice.

The faces of the official practitioners were very ugly. On the contrary, the Shinto sect roared loudly. The sound of horns, drums, and shouts shook the heavens and the earth.

“Nakamura! Go!”

“Kill him! Kill him!”

No one cared what would happen to Nakamura Naoto himself.

“Minamoto Kiyomoto!” Nakamura Naoto spoke.

The duel arena fell silent.

“You didn’t expect it, did you? To lose to your own spell!” Nakamura Naoto sneered.

“Hahahaha!” Minamoto Kiyomoto, as if hearing something ridiculous, threw his head back and laughed, his laughter high and cheerful.

Just as everyone was wondering what was happening, he suddenly stopped laughing.

“Back then in Hakone, when Shakyamuni taught me the ‘Dainichi Nyorai Spell’, everyone thought he valued me,” he said calmly. “But you people, how can you understand Shakyamuni, understand what it means to kill the Buddha when you meet the Buddha.”

Minamoto Kiyomoto placed the Laurel Crown on his head.

“Come and try to kill me,” he said.