Alchemists do not need self-cultivation

"I have already executed Tenryu Mima. Do you all have any further questions?"

"No, Lord Isaac, if you say so, then it must be so," the samurai quickly replied. "We didn't receive any notification about our visit to Kongo."

"Do I need to report to you about my coming here?"

"Of course not, please forgive me."

“Never mind,” Isaac said, looking towards the gate. “I’ll take some men into the city later. I have some things to discuss with Tianniao Xingkuang.”

"Please go ahead."

All the warriors who came out made way for Isaac to lead his men through directly.

"Heave-ho."

Nameless jumped down from the Iron Fortress and hopped over to Isaac's side.

"Shall we go to Amestris after this is over?"

“Yes, things here are pretty much settled. We can leave a portion of the garrison troops behind and head back,” Isaac said.

At this moment, he noticed that the aura emanating from Wuming seemed to have changed from before, appearing to be more human-like.

"You injected white blood plasma?"

“Yes,” Wuming smiled and gently touched his heart. “I injected the vial of white blood plasma left by my elder brother.”

"Leaving aside where you got the syringe, you dare to inject such an unknown substance into your body." Isaac covered his face, feeling a headache coming on.

“I found the syringe in the warehouse,” Wuming laughed, jogging over to Isaac. “And even if something happens, you’ll still save me, right?”

"I never save those brats who court death."

"Cut~"

-----

Inside the general's mansion, Tennori Okimasa sat with a worried expression.

After hearing that Isaac had entered the city, he began to worry whether Isaac had found out about his support for the anti-Amestoris forces. What if Isaac came to interrogate him?

The soldier Toudou Jubei, whom he had sent out earlier, had not returned to report. He guessed that he had probably failed in his mission and been killed.

The spacious room was now filled with a large number of samurai holding steam guns, as if only in this way could he feel at ease.

"General, Lord Isaac has arrived."

"what?"

Just as someone was reporting to him, Isaac had already walked through the door and into the room.

He looked around and saw the samurai with guns staring at him nervously, and couldn't help but chuckle.

"So many people? Are they planning to start a war against me?"

"No, no, this is usually the number of people." Tennori Kōkō wiped the cold sweat from his forehead.

These people were indeed there to defend against Isaac, and their numbers were about three times greater than when Isaac first arrived, but he also knew that they were still no match for him.

Tennori Okimasa asked cautiously, "What brings you here, sir?"

“Your son, Mima Tentori, attacked the Kabaneri Fortress, causing casualties. Our people came to the rescue, and then Mima died in a duel with me,” Isaac said. “So your son is dead.”

"So that's what it was about." Tennori Okimasa breathed a sigh of relief.

"You don't seem to be sad at all about your son's death."

“Sir, Mima was expelled from the family when he was twelve years old, and he has not been my son since then,” said Amaterasu Okimasa.

Actually, he was worried that Amatori Mima would seek revenge on him, but now that she's dead, he feels relieved.

Ten years ago, he abandoned Mima, who was only twelve years old, on the battlefield and ordered all logistics to be cut off. It is understandable that Mima had reason to resent her father.

"Alright then, this is the only major issue."

"Your Excellency has traveled a long way to tell me this, it's truly..."

Just as Tennori Okikuchi thought the matter was over and was about to see the guest off, Isaac suddenly spoke again.

“That’s the big deal. Now let’s talk about the smaller things.” Isaac gave a slightly eerie smile. “I’ve received intelligence that someone says you support the resistance organization in Japan. Can you explain what’s going on?”

"!"

Everyone in the room tensed up.

"M-Sir, who told you this?" Amaterasu Okimasa looked flustered, but tried to remain calm. "I have never had any complaints about Amestris's rule, this..."

"Then you wouldn't mind me questioning you in your King Kong Guo, would you? If I don't find any evidence, it means you're innocent," Isaac said with a smile, his sharp eyes fixed on Tenniao Xingkuang.

"But if I find it, none of you here will be able to escape."

Chapter 456: Preparing to Return

"This... sir, isn't this a bit inappropriate?" Tennori Kōkō hurriedly said.

He still wanted to deny it, but his nervous expression betrayed him.

"What's inappropriate about it? Have you forgotten the contents of our agreement?" Isaac frowned. "You're not the real power holder in Japan right now. You think you can stop me, a puppet in name only?"

"..."

Tennori Okimasa's expression was very unpleasant, but what Isaac said was indeed true. Ever since the Amestris army was stationed here, he was no longer a great general, and all decisions had to be made by this young man before him.

The atmosphere in the room had become icy cold. Not only Tenryu Okimasa, but all the samurai in the room gripped their weapons tightly. Most of them knew Isaac's strength and that they had no chance of winning if a fight broke out.

Suddenly, Isaac's previously stern face turned into a smile.

"Look how nervous you all are, I'll trust you this once."

"what?"

The former general was completely bewildered.

At first, Isaac was insistent on inspecting the entire King Kong Guo, but now he suddenly says he trusts him. I don't quite understand this move.

"I believe the General would not betray Amestris, am I right?"

"Of course."

“Alright, I’ll pretend today’s events never happened.” Isaac said, extending his hand.

Tennori Kōkō quickly reached out and shook hands with Isaac.

But when their hands clasped together, a crimson current traveled from Isaac's hand into Tianniao Xingkuang's body. Xingkuang felt something strange, but didn't think much of it.

"I'll be leaving now. Please let me know immediately if anything happens here." Isaac smiled and left his seat, heading towards the door.

Just as he reached the door, he turned back to look at Amaterasu Okimasa and the other samurai.

"By the way, according to intelligence, the Kabane have infiltrated the human population and are likely currently in Kongo. Please keep an eye on them."

"The person next to you might be a Kabane."

After saying this, Isaac left without looking back.

After he left, everyone breathed a sigh of relief, but at the same time became wary.

The people of Japan were terrified of the Kabane because of their rampage, and when they heard Isaac say that the Kabane had infiltrated Kongo, they all tensed up again.

They looked at each other, unsure whether the person next to them was actually a Kabane.

"Don't panic!" Seeing his uneasy subordinates, Amaterasu Okikatsu felt a little irritated and scolded, "The way to determine whether someone is a Kabane is whether they have teeth marks. Our Kongo Guo's inspection is rigorous and will not make mistakes."

He didn't believe Isaac's nonsense about 'the Kabane infiltrating King Kong'; it sounded like a lie.

He intended to continue berating the warriors, but then realized something was amiss.

The warriors all looked at themselves in horror.

"Hey, what are you doing!?"

"General, you..."

"Me? What about me?"

Suddenly, Tennori Kōkō felt something was wrong with his body. He looked down and found that his hands had turned purplish-black, and the purplish-black skin was spreading all over his body.

"This……"

All the samurai finally reacted, and before the general could reply, they all trembled as they picked up their steam guns and aimed them at him.

"You bunch of bastards! Are you trying to rebel!?"

Bang!

One of the samurai's hands trembled, and he pulled the trigger. The steam gun fired, striking Amaterasu Okimasa's arm. But how could Amaterasu Okimasa, who was gradually turning into a Kabane, fall so easily?

Within seconds, the Kabane virus had spread throughout his body, and the area around Amaterasu Okimasa's heart began to glow. He roared and lunged at the samurai who had just shot him.

stab.

Next, the sounds of tearing, screaming, and gunfire erupted in chaos, turning the entire general's mansion into a living hell.

Isaac, who had already gone outside, sensed what was happening inside and let out a soft hum.

"He's definitely far inferior to your son, a good-for-nothing who wasted my time."

As he spoke, Isaac took out his communicator and began contacting the personnel stationed in Jin Gang Guo.

"Hey, it's me. Just remind Horikawa-kun to come over and get ready."

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

Today is destined to be a chaotic day for Jin Gang Guo.

First, the radio broadcasts announced the Kabane calamity that had occurred here, and then Amestoris, under the guise of popular will to eliminate the Kabane calamity, led a large army into the country.

Of course, the real purpose was simply to eliminate the remaining forces of the Grand General's faction.

He then made a public statement, revealing that the former general, Amaterasu Okimasa, was actually a Kabane hiding among the crowd, and displayed his corpse in the street.

Seeing the blackened Kabane corpse, many people who had seen Amaterasu Okikatsu felt panicked. If even the general was a Kabane, were the people around him really human? Could they turn into Kabane? These questions really needed to be asked.

However, before the riots even began, Horikawa, the former senior councilor of the shogunate, was elected by Isaac as the next shogun.

He urged people to calm down and said he would resolve the issue immediately.

After a perfunctory inspection of all the residents, Horikawa announced that the crisis had been completely resolved.