Female Swordsman Training Dojo

The atmosphere became eerie, and the audience was completely baffled as to what Amu Hojo was doing. Why was she so wary of an opponent who had seemingly lost all will to fight?

Chapter 312: Falling into Demonic Enlightenment

Why?! Why?! He's a descendant of the prestigious Ashikaga clan! He's been practicing swordsmanship since he was three, for twenty-eight years! Why is he inferior to a woman?! It's all because those despicable Uesugi family members don't value him! They don't give him the best swordsmanship and guidance! And Taira no Harunobu!! Why do they have to limit themselves to only women?! My talent far surpasses theirs!!!

It's all your fault! You all insisted on stopping me! I am! I am the dignified Shogun! You traitors and rebels! You all deserve to die!!!

According to current government records, Ashikaga Anno is indeed a descendant of the Ashikaga clan. However, among the samurai, few give him the respect he deserves, because his family never dared to proclaim themselves as such during the Tokugawa Shogunate—that's what Ashikaga Anno felt.

He was proud of his family name and his talent. He started practicing swordsmanship at the age of three, mastered the art of swordsmanship at twenty-one, and now at thirty-one, he had completely integrated the swordsmanship passed down in his Ashikaga family with the swordsmanship taught at the Seigaku Academy.

But all that pride and glory vanished like a dream at the end of last year. With the sudden emergence of Taira no Shin, the reputation of the Dragon Slayer Swordsman instantly overshadowed all other swordsmen in their twenties and thirties. Before him, no swordsman of that age had ever been able to slay an elite-level monster, let alone one with the experience of a king.

This was tolerable at first, since he already had three hatamoto samurai above him: Genkuro, Uesugi Yoshinobu, and Kujo Hidetsugu. But as time went on, Ashikaga Anno realized that he had fallen so low that he had to be compared to Taira no Harunobu's women.

Why! !

He was furious and wanted to go to the Aozora-kan to prove himself, but before he could take any action, news of the Hiraharunobu Hunting Dojo had already spread. He had even secretly gone to see the scene: the severed and torn limbs; the swordsmen's shrill cries and desperate pleas for mercy; and the power those women displayed—why?!

My talent is far superior! If it weren't for that lecherous guy, Taira no Harunobu, who only wanted to take women—

The enraged genius, consumed by immense resentment, attracted a fox spirit whose fur was even more vibrant than his rage. He then purchased a new sword far more powerful than his family's heirloom demon sword, Kamaitachi-giri.

Demon Sword: Tenmoku Renzou: Prajna Body!

Unlike Inoichi, Ashikaga Anno craved more, was willing to give more, and obtained a more powerful demon sword. Most importantly, his heart was far more in line with the experimental subject that Amaterasu Ren desired than that of Inoichi.

Therefore, the demon sword responded to his request.

Ashikaga Anno's pupils regained their full brilliance, the crimson color swallowing black and white, transforming into a magnificent ruby-like crystal. Even kneeling, the demon sword, which had not been released, shone with a scarlet light, wantonly spreading a nauseating, thick stench.

Behind him stood the fierce Vajra, its imposing face now bearing a sinister smile, like that of a cursed woman. Blood flowed from its muscular, golden body, turning into a hazy blood mist that enveloped the surroundings. Through the blur, one could vaguely see several tangled, sinewy limbs sprouting from the Vajra's blood-stained body.

An indescribable, terrifying pressure enveloped the entire arena, creating a deathly silence. Although the audience could not see the eerie and terrifying bloodstained Vajra, they could feel the immense pressure pressing down on their hearts like a heavy boulder.

Not to mention, after Ashikaga Anno stood up again, he seemed like a completely different person. Not only did his eyes become like jewels, but the muscles all over his body swelled up beyond what a normal person could have. He looked like a sumo wrestler with the head of The Thinker on his head.

This bizarre scene immediately reminded viewers of the monsters they often heard about. Although they didn't know why Ashikaga Anno had suddenly turned into this, it didn't stop them from feeling fear and panic.

Fortunately, at this moment, the spellcasters responsible for maintaining the barrier and the arena finally realized what had happened—Ashikaga Anno had been corrupted by the demon sword.

Chapter 337

He's possessed!

Normal demon swords differ from those crafted by priestesses; they all contain the remnants of demonic spirits. If the wielder's will is weak, the demon sword can easily seize their power, taking over their mind and even their body. This is known as demonic possession, or loss of mind.

Generally speaking, samurai who have mastered their willpower are resolute enough that wielding a demon sword shouldn't cause any problems. However, if one actively seeks demonic power from the sword, even the strongest will is useless. After all, no matter how strong the city walls are, they can't prevent a traitor from opening the gates.

This is one of the reasons why the government needs to control the Demon Blade.

After confirming the situation, the samurai and spellcasters present all breathed a sigh of relief. Although Ashikaga Anno looked imposing, most of them were actually quite serious. Besides, even if it were true, so what? Today was different from yesterday when they faced the air raid; now they were in a fully activated and complete magical array.

A short incantation rang out, and seven layers of barriers instantly rose from the ground, trapping Ashikaga Anno, who was about to charge at Hosho Amu, inside. He roared furiously, slashing through one layer of the barrier with his sword, but a new layer immediately rose up.

Anyway, the magic used here can be reimbursed by the government. Although it won't bring back magic power, it can bring back rare materials and merits! The spellcasters are full of enthusiasm.

Their leader, however, calmly looked up at the arena and quickly issued orders: "Group One, continue to maintain the barrier and prevent him from escaping; Groups Two and Three, prepare exorcism and spirit-capturing techniques respectively, and be ready to control him! Group Four, quickly prepare the exorcism array, hurry up! Otherwise, I won't care if the Ashikaga family smells it!"

The Ashikaga family's power is considerable now, and the leader of the spellcasters doesn't want to offend them. Besides, someone like Ashikaga Anno, who had just fallen into demonic possession, still had a good chance of being saved. But isn't the Ashikaga family's heirloom demon sword Kamaitachi-giri? This doesn't look like a Kamaitachi.

It's more like...

The person in charge, who was well-versed in "The Night Parade of One Hundred Demons," stroked his long beard, then suddenly widened his eyes and grabbed the microphone in front of him: "Groups two and three, immediately switch to releasing the Mount Tai Blessing Mantra! The opponent is Hannya!"

A relaxed voice came from the other end of the microphone: "Got it, boss—pfft!"

The sounds of vomiting blood and chaotic noise coming through the microphone no longer attracted the person in charge; his gaze was now fixed on the seven layers of barriers that had shattered one after another. Clearly, Prajna had completed his curse.

The group responsible for the barrier consisted of seven people, and it was clear that they no longer had the ability to maintain it. Their very survival was questionable.

Fortunately, he didn't cast a spell just now, so Ashikaga Anno probably doesn't know his location yet. He still has a chance! The person in charge can become the person in charge not only because his surname is Tsuchimikado, but also because his strength in Onmyōdō is indeed remarkable.

After a brief moment of surprise, he immediately picked up the bat fan in front of him and activated the large-scale spell that he had prepared in advance to deal with possible air raids.

True Words - Suppressing the Mountain!

The author says:

Author's Note: I never expected to win an incentive prize in the writing contest, so I'm adding an extra chapter. Thank you all for your support! And as usual, I'm asking for your votes!

Chapter 313: Filth

As the bat fan was raised, the magic circles buried throughout Ueno Park lit up. A huge, phantom-like mountain, visible from kilometers away, appeared above the venue, like a mirage.

The person in charge pressed the bat fan down again!

The illusory image of the mountain pressed down simultaneously, easily passing through the pitiful venue and appearing before the audience inside. Unlike mental illusions, which can only be seen by those with similar mental capacity or those who have received special spells, this was a genuine and magnificent miracle, possessing corresponding power.

Not only can it truly inflict massive damage on a designated target, like being crushed by a boulder, but because its essence is still magic, it can also attack the soul! Furthermore, it possesses the effects of suppression, sealing, and slowing; once the spell begins to decline, everything below can only obediently wait to be crushed!

Ashikaga Anno, who had been laughing wildly, suddenly stopped laughing as if a castrated rooster had been choked. Even if he were the real Hannya, let alone someone who wasn't a true Hannya, facing such an attack would only lead to certain death.

Moreover, he didn't have time to run away at that moment.

Ashikaga Anno was filled with resentment, anger, and rage. He couldn't accept it. He had just gained immense power, and hadn't even had a chance to take revenge on those blind, bullying, and despicable people! How could he suffer such a meaningless defeat!

Why! ! !

His eyes, now transformed into crimson gems, were bloodless, but the venomous resentment emanating from them was enough to send chills down one's spine. But no one would speak up for him now, not even Uesugi Yoshinobu or his fellow disciples at the Justice Hall.

Because the one standing on the arena now is no longer Ashikaga Anno, but a demon controlled by the cursed sword. For a samurai, even being killed is far better than being controlled by the cursed sword and turning into a demon. After all, in this world, the greatest duty of a samurai, and the source of all their rights, is to fight against monsters.

If one transforms into a demon, what difference is there between them and a monster?

It would be better to just die.

There is the glory of death, but no shame of life!

Under such scrutiny, Ashikaga Anno grew increasingly frantic. He couldn't accept dying like this; even if he were to die, it should be in front of a great crowd, gloriously and honorably—No! He didn't want to die!!!

He suddenly raised the demon sword in his hand. A vague yet sweet voice, reminiscent of mead, echoed in his mind, stirring his brain, which was already filled with negative emotions.

“Accept me.”

"Release me."

"Then—be me!"

puff!

Ashikaga Anno plunged the demon sword into his own abdomen, and blood gushed out, staining his hands crimson. Those present, except for the samurai of the Aozora-kan, were filled with awe; they hadn't expected to witness a samurai commit seppuku in public during this era.

However, they soon realized that they had been too optimistic.

After Ashikaga Anno plunged the demon sword into his own abdomen, he released the hilt. Meanwhile, his long-dormant mind, Niou, suddenly stepped towards him. To the astonishment and horror of the onlookers, Niou bent down and lifted Ashikaga Anno.

Then, Niou placed him into his mouth, which was already stained with blood.

With a loud chewing sound that echoed throughout the stadium, the Bloodstained Kong suddenly vanished from its spot. Only Ashikaga Anno remained, slowly raising her head and gripping the hilt of her sword once more.

Or rather, Prajna.

puff.

Ashikaga Anno pulled the demon sword from his abdomen, blood spurting out, but he seemed to feel nothing as he looked at the mountain that had touched his hair.

"Ha. Boring stuff."

Arrogant, rampant, and overbearing—any similar word could be used to describe Ashikaga Anno's tone at this moment. And with his unsettling words, a large amount of pitch-black mist suddenly surged from the massive wound in his abdomen. This mist naturally rose upwards, reaching the towering figure of Shinobu that was now pressing down on Ashikaga Anno's head.

The invincible mountain suddenly stopped.

The person in charge was stunned for a moment, then pressed the bat-shaped fan down again, but it had no effect. Zhenyue remained there, motionless and unchanged—no!!

The person in charge let out a scream and threw away the bat fan that had unknowingly turned black.

"The power of filth?!" He jumped and shrank into the corner of the command room, screaming loudly. The sharp sound penetrated the soundproofing of the command room and reached the ears of the four groups of people who were preparing to exorcise evil spirits in the magic array next to him.

"It's fucking corrupt!!!!"

Chapter 338

"Where? Where is this corrupting power?!"

"Don't scare people! This is not something to joke about!"

"Hey! Look at the arena down there! Isn't that fog—"

"Damn it! I quit!"

"Are you kidding me! I've never heard of having to deal with something like this before!"

The spellcasters, cursing and swearing, dropped their materials and magical artifacts and began preparing to flee. No one feared the power of corruption more than they did; this thing not only devoured outward-released magic but also diminished a spellcaster's talent. If entangled with it, even a genius could be turned into a useless cripple!

Their talent was already mediocre, and if they were touched by something like this, they might not even be as good as ordinary people. They couldn't fight it off at all; they had to run away immediately!

No, in the end, such a major event is not something that ordinary spellcasters like them should handle. It is perfectly reasonable for them to quickly request support from the Yin-Yang Bureau!

Just as the spellcasters were packing their bags to make a run for it, Ashikaga Anno suddenly swung her sword forcefully at the phantom pressing down on her head. The pitch-black mist instantly rose up and tore apart the giant mountain that covered the entire stadium.

"Now, facing me, you fool—"

He looked at Hosho Amu, smugly uttering provocative words, but a sudden ray of compassionate Buddhist light interrupted him. He looked in the direction from which the light came, his fierce expression surprisingly softening: "Master, are you going to stop me? Stop me from winning for the dojo?"

Uesugi Yoshinobu raised one hand to his chest and slowly drew the sword from his waist with the other. A hint of compassion appeared on his gentle and delicate face, and despite his long hair, he gave the impression of a high-ranking monk.

He said in a soft, sorrowful voice, "Xingye, you have gone astray. As your teacher, I cannot stand idly by!"

"Hypocrite! You're just jealous because I've become stronger than you!" Ashikaga Anno shouted angrily. "I knew it! You've never liked me!"

"Fine! I don't need you anymore. I've had enough of your hypocrisy and weakness! We are warriors, not monks! Let's fight!"

Ashikaga Anno roared and charged straight at Uesugi Yoshinobu, his steps visibly erratic. The immense power had clouded his judgment, causing him to lose his caution and composure.

However, he doesn't seem to need that thing much.

Dark mist continuously spewed from the wound in his abdomen, then followed closely beside him. Wherever he passed, the Buddha's light and chanting vanished into nothingness.

Uesugi Yoshinobu lowered his left hand, which was raised in front of his chest, and gripped the hilt of the sword with both hands.

The author says:

Author's Note: I forgot to mention before that Onmyoji seem so weak because they've been targeted and their ultimate skills have been nerfed, just like the Justice Hall disciples in this chapter. Actually, their combat power is still quite strong; being banned means they're very strong, right?

In short, there will be highlights of magic later on, so please don't criticize the author, fellow mages.

Chapter 314: Instant Kill

When Uesugi Yoshinobu's thoughts unfolded, he saw a colossal Buddha statue completely enveloped in bright yellow light, with the Gion Shrine emerging at its center. It sounds contradictory, but it is indeed so.

Even though I could only see light, I instinctively knew there was a huge Buddha statue behind it. I clearly believed that the Buddha statue existed, but I couldn't figure out which Buddha or Bodhisattva it was.

But the strength of this resolve is undeniable.

Peaceful, serene, tranquil, carefree, and perfectly enlightened.

This is the feeling experienced by those influenced by the mind; many samurai who were originally planning to gang up on Ashikaga Anno stopped in their tracks because of this. Among them was Harunobu, although he quickly activated several magical artifacts to isolate himself from this influence.

But after wasting this little bit of time, Ashikaga Anno had already angrily rushed towards Uesugi Yoshinobu. The Buddha's light and Gion Shrine had completely dissipated under the influence of the black mist. Uesugi Yoshinobu stepped forward, swung his sword, and slashed at Ashikaga Anno's neck.

The blade was as smooth as water, without a trace of sharpness. But its speed was the complete opposite of this smoothness, so fast that it caused a rift between the eyes and the brain. The eyes watched the blade flash by smoothly like flowing water, while the brain screamed out a painful alarm.

The demonic sword, Echigo no Ryu, smoothly broke through Ashikaga Anno's non-existent defenses and reached his neck. Even though mental power was ineffective against Ashikaga Anno, swordsmanship was more than enough to deal with a former disciple who had lost his mind.

——That’s how it should be.

But when Uesugi Yoshino used his family's heirloom sword, which was said to have been used by the Echigo Dragon Uesugi Kenshin, to cut Ashikaga Anno's neck, his consciousness was suddenly struck a heavy blow.

The docile and sincere dragon of Echigo, always in the hands of the Uesugi family's descendants, suddenly bared its fangs. Uesugi Yoshinobu never expected this to happen, and after taking the full force of the attack, he instantly fell into a daze.

My head is throbbing and I'm mentally shaken.

Naturally, the demon sword, Echigo no Ryu, stopped at the point where it merely grazed Ashikaga Ayano's neck.

Ashikaga Anno was not surprised by this. The supreme divine power contained within the Hannya could help all things awaken their true nature, especially those pitiful creatures bound by hypocrisy—in other words, the power of filth could erode people's hearts, causing them to lose their minds and become ferocious. Moreover, it was especially effective on the remnants of yokai souls, which is why the Echigo Dragon went completely mad.

With his consciousness damaged and him falling into a state of dizziness, Uesugi Yoshinobu's will to fight waned due to his inability to maintain it. Ashikaga Anno was completely freed, raising his demon sword with a shout and using the exact same sword technique as Uesugi Yoshinobu before, he slashed at his head!

"stop!"

No longer under Uesugi Yoshinobu's control, the other disciples of the Justice Hall drew their swords and rushed towards Ashikaga Anno, simultaneously releasing their mental energy. In an instant, to those who could see, several Vajra and Bodhisattva figures appeared in the arena, jointly unleashing a powerful pressure.

Ashikaga Anno's slashing speed noticeably slowed down. The disciples of the Justice Hall had no time to rejoice; they simply increased their speed and attacked Ashikaga Anno simultaneously.