Tokyo Sword Saint Online Dealing

"Oh, I'm being underestimated. Don't let my appearance fool you, I'm still the president of the Tokyo Collectors Association."

"You only have eyes for Uesugi-kun, which really hurts me. I'm not that weak, am I?"

"Do you really think I'm here to watch a show?"

"Don't stay silent, Lord Ibaraki the Demon King. I came here for you."

"Your method of concealing your aura is perfect; it might fool Uesugi-kun, but it won't fool me. I'm all too familiar with the scent of Rashomon."

The black jade staff was shrouded in an impenetrable black mist. With a lightning-fast flick, it pointed and pulled down, easily repelling the withered ghost hand.

Akutagawa Ryunosuke wore a nonchalant smile, his eyes gleaming with smugness. He spread his arms wide, his expression somewhat arrogant.

"I could tell at a glance that you're not human!"

As if making some kind of declaration, his arrogant expression gradually turned into madness. Ryunosuke Akutagawa's face was somewhat distorted, and his eyes seemed to be stained by the black mist, turning into a light gray, much deeper than before.

His voice also became low and somewhat hoarse.

As if he had become a different person, his smile vanished, his expression turned solemn, and he slammed his black jade cane on the ground.

In an instant, the earth shook violently. As the ground trembled, the ground behind Ryunosuke Akutagawa cracked inch by inch, revealing a bottomless ravine. At the same time, a gate carved with demonic faces and fangs, resembling the entrance to hell, slowly rose from it.

The maid who launched the surprise attack, her face as pale as a corpse, her hands withered like a ghost, and horns growing from her forehead, was blocked. She spat angrily and, not to be outdone, clenched her right fist and slammed it hard into the ground.

The earth was ablaze with the fire of red lotuses, a blazing crimson flame, as if fueled by the sins of humanity that would never disappear.

Amidst the flames, a similar gate to hell, with its demonic face and fangs, faintly appeared.

Ryunosuke Akutagawa and Ibaraki-dōji, who had possessed a maid, stood in stark contrast, their two almost identical gates of hell facing each other. The courtyard was instantly engulfed in flames, and the atmosphere became tense and ready to explode.

This is "Rashomon".

Rashomon has many interpretations in Japanese legends. It was originally the name of a city gate in Kyoto during the Heian period. Ibaraki-dōji was also active in the area where Rashomon was located. However, the most well-known meaning of Rashomon is "the gate of hell".

That is the passage between hell and the human world, a realm inaccessible to mortals.

Ibaraki-dōji is the "Demon of Rashomon," and Ryūnosuke Akutagawa's most widely circulated masterpiece short story is "Rashomon," which reveals the ugliness of human nature.

When the human and the ghost meet, it's a fight to the death—there can only be one Rashomon in this world.

One is strong, the other is weak; one lives, the other dies.

Enemies are extremely jealous when they meet.

Almost simultaneously, both sides made their moves.

Ibaraki-dōji, dressed in women's clothing, rose from the ground. He waved his right hand, and countless deep purple flames were condensed in his palm and spewed out, transforming into a giant fiery arm in mid-air, grabbing at Akutagawa Ryūnosuke's body.

If you squeeze it firmly, Ryunosuke Akutagawa will probably turn into mincemeat immediately.

Clearly, the president of the Collectors Association was no ordinary person. With a light wave of his black jade cane, the Rashomon behind him opened, and from the black shadows emerged countless beast-like creatures, all black in color, frantically rushing towards the hellish hand summoned by Ibaraki-dōji.

"The Luo Sheng Sin Beast, born from the evil of humanity, feeds on the fires of hell!"

"Demon King Ibaraki, if you were in your true form, I would still respect you. But you possess the body of a weak woman and yet you dare to confront me head-on."

"Isn't that a bit too disrespectful?"

A sinister smile appeared on Ryunosuke Akutagawa's face.

The "Rashomon Beast," which he summoned from Rashomon and which seemed to be alive, tore apart the Hand of Hell at a speed visible to the naked eye and swallowed it. Then, with its eyes glowing crimson, it charged toward Ibaraki-dōji with undiminished momentum.

Chapter 131 The real purpose

Between the two Rashomon gates lies a fierce battlefield.

Beneath Uesugi Kiyoshi's sword, there was a misty aura stubbornly trying to break through his sword's encirclement.

He can control the mirages within the Hundred Demons Scroll, but he cannot transform the mirages into a tangible form to defend against enemies.

Although he didn't know the exact purpose of this mirage, Uesugi Kiyoshi had a vague guess in his mind.

The two demon kings of Mount Ooe launched their surprise attack, undoubtedly with the aim of getting Maki Higashifumi; they wanted the demon soul of the Demon Sword Princess.

Whether it's a sacrifice, possession, or descent, it makes no difference.

Therefore, we certainly cannot allow the enemy to achieve their goals so easily.

The three-foot sword barrier was indestructible. The mirage tried to advance left and right, but could only be repelled by the precise sword light. It was only a few meters away from Dongwen Zhenxi, but it seemed as if they were worlds apart, unreachable.

On the other hand, Ibaraki-dōji's situation is also not good.

He broke out of the dream world of Mount Ooe ahead of time, secretly possessed the body of a maid of the Dongwen Society, and has been hiding here for quite some time.

The purpose was to serve as a follow-up move for the Demon King Shuten-dōji, becoming a crucial piece that could secure victory in the game.

Unfortunately, it was just a little bit short.

The results were completely different.

Maki Azuma wasn't stupid. Although she was acting strangely, she still had basic judgment. She clearly realized that these suddenly appearing and intimidating enemies were coming for her.

So she quickly withdrew and retreated, holding her sword at a guarded position, trying her best not to become a burden to Uesugi Kiyoshi.

This inadvertently caused Ibaraki-dōji and Shuten-dōji's plans to completely fail.

The two collectors from the Collectors' Association stood before them like an impenetrable wall; neither of them were enemies that could be easily defeated.

Moreover, Ibaraki-dōji was merely possessing a woman's body, while Shuten-dōji was simply a mirage manipulated by divine sense.

A sudden attack might offer a chance of victory, but a head-on confrontation would undoubtedly result in defeat.

"Hey, Ibaraki, ignore that brat, it's the backup plan!"

A faint male voice resonated in the hearts of everyone present, like the morning bell and evening drum of a temple, shaking their very souls.

Upon hearing this, Ibaraki-dōji, who was locked in combat with Ryūnosuke Akutagawa, nodded resentfully, abandoned his enemy, gritted his teeth with some reluctance, and retreated quickly, forcefully smashing through the courtyard wall behind him.

When has the mighty Demon King Ibaraki of Mount Ōe ever been mocked like this? He will remember this Akutagawa Ryunosuke. When Mount Ōe reappears in the world, he will be the first to kill him as a sacrifice!

The collapsed wall scattered in all directions, and beyond the wall lay another battlefield.

Rin Kamiizumi and Tadakatsu Honda were locked in a fierce battle. As Tadakatsu Honda's linker, Rin Kamiizumi's opponent was not particularly strong. However, relying on the sharpness of his weapon and the fact that the actor's abilities were more complete than the successor's, he had not yet shown any signs of defeat.

At this moment, a full suit of armor appeared in front of him, helping him defend against the powerful slashes of Kazumi Rin. At the same time, the Dragonfly Cutter relentlessly clashed with Kazumi Rin's nodachi, leaving many cracks and gaps on it.

Behind him, a Buddha image faintly appeared—a monk in black robes, without beard or hair, carrying a bow and arrows, and a long sword at his waist. He didn't look like a Buddha, but rather like a god of war.

After only a few minutes of fighting with Izumi Rin, this Linker had already used all his skills.

The "Indestructible Great Armor" used for defense and the "Hachiman Warrior God," the source of power for Honda Tadakatsu's heroic spirit, are both powers obtained by playing the role of a heroic spirit.

During the Sengoku period, Honda Tadakatsu was commonly known as "Heihachiro" and was revered as an incarnation of Hachiman Daisatsu because of his bravery in battle.

Hachiman Daisuke has been widely worshipped as the god of archery since ancient times, and has also been worshipped as a war god since the Kamakura period. Shrines dedicated to him are found throughout the country, and Honda Tadakatsu received a portion of Hachiman Daisuke's power.

It was this strength that kept him from being defeated—but he also felt a sense of unease and an indescribable sense of frustration.

Why was he, the strongest fighter in Toshogu Shrine, being overwhelmed by a fifteen or sixteen-year-old girl?

Before he could figure it out, he suddenly heard a strong gust of wind rushing from behind him.

With a formidable enemy in front of him, how could he possibly have the energy to look after what was behind him?

Ibaraki-dōji burst through the wall, taking advantage of the unsuspecting opponent. The flames of hell in his hand burned fiercely, easily incinerating the unsuspecting phantom of Hachiman Daisatsu. Then, he grabbed Honda Tadakatsu by the back of the neck and twisted his hand gently.

Click.

That's the crisp sound of a neck bone breaking.

Poor Honda Tadakatsu's linker, before he could even settle things with the equally renowned linker Kamiizumi Nobutsuna, Kamiizumi Rin, he was ambushed from behind by the Rashomon Demon and died instantly.

Ibaraki-dōji, gripping Honda Tadakatsu's still slightly twitching body, was overjoyed. Without thinking, he used all his strength to throw the recently deceased corpse toward the white jade statue.

Uesugi Kiyoshi, who caught a glimpse of all this out of the corner of his eye, immediately understood what this so-called backup plan was!

The souls of extraordinary beings are far more resilient than those of ordinary people. Even a recently deceased extraordinary being can become a sacrifice, allowing ghosts and gods to possess their bodies and be reborn.

Similarly, as a body for ghosts and gods to walk among humans, the stronger one's extraordinary abilities, the more powerful the ghosts and gods can be.

The superhuman body that Ibaraki-dōji just threw over, while not a top-tier powerhouse, is still a high-quality body that is extremely rare to encounter. Compared to the materials prepared by Dong Wenyu, Shuten-dōji prefers to prepare them himself.

He pretended to agree to Dong Wenyu's request to join forces against Uesugi Kiyoshi and his group, but in reality, he was just stalling for time until Dong Wenma arrived at this courtyard. Then, Ibaraki-dōji, who had been lying in wait there, would take action to seize the demon soul of the demon sword princess or Dong Wenma's body.

The former is enough to allow Shuten-dōji to break through the spatial barrier and briefly descend upon this place, while the latter can minimize the power loss Shuten-dōji suffers when he possesses another body to make his appearance.

The arrival of a ghost king who has been famous for hundreds of years would likely be a national-level disaster alert.

Mount Ōe was a powerful demon king who dominated the Heian period, stirring up the world and even fighting his way to the gates of Kyoto, almost ruling the entire city. How could he really be a brainless brute?

Even if they fail, they still have a plan B. Honda Tadakatsu, who was sent by Dong Wenyu to guard the gate, has long been targeted by these two demon kings, and his body will be used as a backup in this round.

As for Dong Wenyu's thoughts, they were not within their consideration.

Even if the effect is not as good as Dongwen Zhenxi's, it is definitely better than using the materials provided by Dongwen Yu -- Shuten-dōji has never trusted Dongwen Yu, just as Dongwen Yu has never trusted Shuten-dōji.

Their fragile alliance was built entirely on a common enemy, and once that common goal was gone, turning them into enemies was inevitable.

Such as now.

All of this happened too fast. In the blink of an eye, the mist became lively, moving with the wind and splitting into several willow-like clouds, which rushed towards Honda Tadakatsu's body.

Uesugi Kiyoshi only had one sword, but the mirage mercilessly split into eight, advancing simultaneously, leaving Uesugi Kiyoshi scrambling to deal with it.

Just then, a soft murmur rang out from the backyard, and a girl dressed in white arrived at the sacrificial altar at just the right moment.

Her appearance was perfectly timed; if she had delayed even a little longer, Uesugi Kiyoshi might have let this strange mirage escape, allowing it to multiply and regenerate, eventually possessing another body.

The person who came was none other than Li Fuyao, who had leisurely strolled around the backyard, sealed off the armory, and incidentally defeated and imprisoned all the members of the Dongwen Group.

She witnessed the mirage gathering in the air enveloping the incoming body, lightly made a hand seal, smiled slightly, and the green lamp flashed.

"The guiding light ignites the soul!"

The will-o'-the-wisps, shimmering with phosphorescence, seemed to appear out of thin air, radiating a blue-purple light. They collided with the mirage manipulated by Shuten-dōji and burst into flames.

At the same time, Uesugi Kiyoshi cooperated perfectly with Li Fuyao's actions. He quickly turned around, drew his sword, and faced the oncoming corpse. With a flash of sword shadows, he moved aside and sheathed his sword.

His once healthy body was instantly turned into a jumbled mess of corpses—if Uesugi Kiyoshi had been given a little more time, he could have chopped this unfortunate fellow who died in a sneak attack into dumpling filling.

You can't possess a bunch of corpse parts, can you?

These few moves are the most basic knife-wielding exercises. He has done them hundreds of times, and they have become an instinctive reaction, with surprisingly good results.

Ibaraki-dōji's feminine face first showed astonishment, then turned into endless regret.