Female Swordsman Training Dojo

Fujiwara Kaguya nodded vigorously: "Yes, yes, maybe I'll grow taller again in a few months!"

"Ah..." Hirako scratched her cheek awkwardly, "That probably won't happen...after all, everyone's still developing..."

Fujiwara Kaguya followed Hirai Sachiko's gaze to her chest, then remained silent for a moment before biting down hard on Harunobu's shoulder—almost breaking her teeth.

Harunoku laughed and went to the takoyaki shop next door, taking out three servings: "If you want to grow taller, eat more, you picky eater."

“…You’re so mean!” Fujiwara Kaguya opened her mouth with a bitter face as she looked at the takoyaki in front of her that had been specially made with green peppers.

Meanwhile, Yuan Xueying glanced at the wooden menu hanging on the wall, her lips twitching downwards. She suddenly lost her appetite; after all, takoyaki wasn't a nutritious snack, and eating too much would only lead to stunted growth…

"Hey, you like sweet things, right?"

A bright red, round candied apple, drizzled with brown syrup, suddenly appeared, causing Yuan Xueying to purse her lips and raise her head.

Harunobu held a string of candied apples in one hand, smiling and shaking it: "Don't you want any? I specifically chose the ones that aren't too sour."

Yuan Xueying hesitated for a moment, then nodded and accepted the apple candy that Qingxin handed her: "Thank you."

"After all, I invited you out." Harunobu took a big bite of his own portion. The sweet apple combined with the lethal amount of syrup made Harunobu very satisfied—he just loved this cloying taste.

Yuan Xueying wasn't so unrestrained. She only took a small bite from the top of the candy apple; the refreshing fragrance mixed with the delicate sweetness spread across her tongue, like dancing with candy fairies in an apple orchard. Yuan Xueying felt as if she had returned to the time before her swordsmanship talent was discovered, before she was subjected to strict studies, and when she could eat candy and play carefree every day—everything was so sweet...

"Come on, teacher's college~ ah~"

The wicked Black Dragon Girl held a takoyaki, still drooling with her own saliva, to Harunobu's lips, her voice even softer and more bouncy than the takoyaki itself, practically stretching into strands. Harunobu, of course, couldn't refuse such a treat, and with a large mouthful, he stuffed the takoyaki into his mouth, while also...

Chapter 435

He fed the remaining half of the apple candy to Ju Zi.

"Teacher's College~ I want one too~" Fujiwara Kaguya squirmed her little body restlessly, then happily ate the rest of the candied apple. Hirako looked at her with affection, took out a handkerchief and wiped the syrup and sauce from Harunobu's lips: "Really, Teacher's College, you're just like a child."

Behind them, Yuan Xueying chewed on the apple candy in her mouth with a blank expression.

Liar, it's obviously incredibly sour.

……

Meanwhile, inside the main hall of the Daiwu Shrine.

Holding up the token from Izanagi, Tachibanamoto Yu calmly faced the rusty longsword behind the shimenawa that exuded a heavy aura: "Susanoo, Susanoo-no-Mikoto, God of Destruction, God of War, God of the Sea in Ashihara no Naka de, you don't want to be captured and used as firewood by Amaterasu, do you?"

The rusty longsword trembled, and the oppressive aura grew even heavier. Some of the clergy following behind Tachibana Yu were even unable to withstand it, revealing expressions of pain.

But Yu Tachibana knew that things were under control.

Chapter 407: The God of Disappearance

The main hall of Daimu Taisha Shrine is no different from that of an ordinary shrine. Inside the old-fashioned Japanese-style hall, a "sacred area" is enclosed by thick white hemp ropes, also known as shimenawa. Within the sacred area is placed the "god's body," which is the deity's physical form.

While normally gods wouldn't stay here as exhibits, like a certain priestess, sometimes gods have no choice but to stay here, just like this Susanoo.

Shimenawa (sacred ropes) have many meanings and functions in Shinto culture. Their most important function is to separate the human world from the divine world and isolate the positions of humans and gods. Therefore, shimenawa has the ability to seal. For example, in the legendary sealing site of Tamamo-no-Mae, shimenawa was set up around the Sessho-seki (killing stone).

So here's the question: are the gods who stay within the divine realm divided by the shimenawa considered to be sealed away?

The answer is, it depends on whether you can defeat that god.

Let's take a certain shrine maiden as an example again. If it were her, being bound by shimenawa wouldn't matter, because she's powerful enough. And this Susanoo of Daimu Taisha...

"What do you want, mortal?"

A proud and rough voice, yet one that couldn't hide his weakness, rang out, and the rusty blade, gleaming with a ghostly light, trembled slightly as he withdrew his oppressive aura.

Ignoring the heavy breathing behind her, Tachibana Yu revealed a confident smile: "It's not about what I want, it's about what you want right now?"

He took back the token given to him by Izanagi and said with a meaningful smile, "You should know that Sadako Ōtake and all your followers are dead; without their support, you will fall from your pedestal sooner or later and become nothing more than a broken sword."

The rusty blade trembled slightly, and a rough voice rang out: "The absence of them doesn't mean I don't have other subordinates. If you're just here to spout this nonsense, then you can get lost."

What a short temper!

Tachibana Yu's smile remained unchanged; she simply raised her hand and released an image—an image purchased from the Tengu of the Kazemonya. A few minutes later, Tachibana Yu dispelled the image, which had been playing on a loop several times, and spoke again with a smile: "This murderer may not have come looking for you yet, but you certainly know that this kind of samurai will not let you go. Even if it's just for the savings of the Daimu Taisha, he will definitely come knocking on your door; at that time, without subordinates, without a body, and unable to even leave the 'Divine Realm,' it's hard to say what your fate will be."

The air seemed to freeze. Susanoo's rage was so palpable, yet it was less frightening than before. For even the gods themselves were in awe.

"What exactly do you want, you Izanagi brat?" Susanoo abandoned his arrogant, ancient tone. "Or do you want to take my power before that madman makes a move?"

Tachibana Yuu felt much more at ease and calmly replied, "I am not interested in the power of the sea god. On the contrary, I am here to help you regain your life. You should be able to see how well the woman next to Taira Harunobu has a soul that resonates with yours, right?"

"So, you're planning to risk your lives to help me get her body back?" Susanoo said sarcastically. "Fine, I admire your loyalty and faith. If you can bring her body back, I'm willing to share all my power with you."

If it were Sadako Ōtake, she would be bowing and thanking him by now, but this heretic, Tachibana no Yu, is clearly excited about it. Susanoo knows this too, which is why he said it on purpose.

Tachibana Yuuka smiled unsurprisingly: "That's quite a joke, but I assure you my target isn't your power, Susanoo; my purpose is simply to save myself, so I won't regret not being prepared when that monster comes knocking on my door."

With that, Tachibana Yu waved her hand, and several people immediately stepped forward and knelt down in unison before Susanoo's position. They were all priests who worshipped Susanoo, and some were even former priests of the Daibu Taisha Shrine. However, they secretly adhered to Tachibana Yu's theory of "usurping divine power," so they did not follow Daibu Sadako to their deaths.

"What are you..."

Tachibana no longer bothered with formalities. He had already determined Susanoo's state and mindset, and there was no need to test him any further: "Susanoo, who can only hide in the divine realm, is no match for that monster warrior, but now that he has a body, it shouldn't be difficult for a god who has returned to the mortal world to deal with him, right?"

It's really not difficult.

Susanoo thought to himself, the commotion in that image was indeed outrageously large and astonishing, but that was because it was caused by a mere mortal. At his peak, such destruction would not have been difficult for him; in a state of full power, he could have achieved several times the destruction.

However, this was contingent on him returning to his peak form, rather than being forced into seclusion as he was now. Susanoo believed that Tachibana Yuya understood this, so he turned his attention to the kneeling priests.

Their bodies are indeed better than ordinary mortals, but that's all; they absolutely cannot withstand his full power. If he were to force it, they would probably die after just one punch. And that wouldn't even be a full-force punch; their bodies would explode before they could even throw it.

Moreover, how could these heretics and traitors possibly risk their lives to help him...?

Facing the silent Susanoo, Tachibana Yu spoke softly: "The God of Hidden Gods refers to 'original gods' who have lost their original bodies, whose power has continuously declined and who are unable to maintain their original strength; they can only reside in the divine kingdoms and realms they once created, slumbering in endless loneliness and solitude, waiting for the complete annihilation of their consciousness—pathetic gods along with their once immense power."

"The only way to get out of this predicament is to find a new body that is perfectly compatible with the soul and can withstand the immense power; lacking either one will either turn one into a weak mortal or a deformed monster, even worse than a demon."

"However, gods who have disappeared are usually unable to maintain their sanity and can only be helped by their believers. But how can believers who have lost the power of the gods defeat a 'strong person who can withstand the full power of the gods'? So, a hundred years have passed and we still have nothing to show for it."

Susanoo suppressed his temper and remained silent, secretly vowing that if this mortal only wanted to mock him, he would kill the bastard even if it worsened his injuries! Anyway, he would soon fall into a deep sleep again, and would definitely be killed by Taira no Harunobu then, so it didn't matter whether his injuries worsened or not.

Yuuya Tachibana noticed this and changed the subject: "However, according to recent research, especially the technical data provided by our allies, even a body that is not fully compatible can be used if one does not insist on long-term activity, and can unleash sufficient power."

"If you don't believe me, you can try it out first. These are all materials that I have carefully processed."

Chapter 436

Susanoo remained silent for a while.

Yuya Tachibana remained silent for a while.

Then, a priest kneeling on the ground moved back a couple of steps and pointed to the shimenawa (sacred rope) in front of him.

The atmosphere became somewhat awkward, but Tachibana Yuu kept a straight face and drew his sword to cut the shimenawa in front of him.

The next second, a beam of light flew into the body of the priest who had just pointed out the problem, and the latter's aura instantly changed, becoming arrogant and unrestrained. It was as if a gentle and refined priest had suddenly transformed into a rough and unruly warrior.

“This can only last for five minutes at most.” Susanoo didn’t care how Tachibana Yuu got these traitors to willingly die; the latter’s illusionary magic was no match for him. “Besides, the power they can exert is too little. They won’t be able to stop that junior samurai.”

“So, the Ōkami Izanagi gave me this.” Tachibanamoto Yuu took out the token. “I think you should know how to use it?”

Susanoo silently accepted the token and rubbed it for a moment: "Yes... I know, but even if I force it out with this thing, I can only use up eight-tenths of my power at most, and only one strike."

Tachibana Yuu nodded: "Was that enough to kill Taira no Harunobu?"

Susanoo smiled and said, "Of course."

The two exchanged a glance and smiled excitedly.

Outside the Daibu Shrine, Harunobu half-squatted in front of a wisp of black mist, asking with a strange expression, "Izanami?"

Chapter 408: Intelligence and Seishin

Harunobu and his companions, who were leisurely traveling, received a message from the Tengu and rushed to the Daibu Taisha Shrine. However, before they went in to fight, the sharp-eyed Harunobu spotted black mist floating near the first torii gate leading to the shrine.

The color and aura were so familiar that Harunobu recognized it at a glance—wasn't that the defiled power of Izanami?

Being in such a place, Harunobu naturally approached cautiously, ready to see what was going on.

"Hi hi~ It's me, Mommy~"

Izanami's voice came from the dark mist, and it was a lisp, which gave Harunobu a bit of goosebumps—it didn't sound as mature and sophisticated as her voice when they first met.

As if sensing Harunobu's displeasure, Izanami's voice changed back: "How unromantic, Harunobu. And did you deliberately send that little fox away? I was thinking of having some more fun..."

"I have no interest in outdoor sex, especially with my own wife." Harunobu frowned slightly. "What do you want from me?"

"Oh my, so Harunobu, you actually consider me your wife?"

Izanami's affected exclamation made Harunobu's forehead veins bulge into a cross: "I was talking about Kurenai—what exactly do you want?"

"What a dishonest child. There are just too many vixens around~" Izanami muttered to herself, until Harunobu couldn't help but leave. Then she cheerfully brought up the important matter: "I came here specifically to deliver information to you. But I've already told my dear little daughter about all the other little things. The only thing left is to be careful not to be ambushed by that idiot Susanoo."

Harunobu squatted back down: "What do you mean? Susanoo is supposed to be in a state of spiritual disappearance, and even the priestess Sadako Ōtake can't wake him up?"

"Because some bastard interfered halfway through, that bastard Izanagi, that fool, that coward, helped his followers awaken Susanoo." Izanami fiercely spouted her own opinion, "And it's obvious what his followers, like him, wanted to do by awakening Susanoo."

"Trying to deal with me?" Harunobu shook his head. "I don't know whether to call them cowardly or bold."

Izanami said in a relaxed tone, "Otherwise what? I mean, of course, not to mention them, the Tongxin Society is terrified of you right now."

Qingxin's eyes lit up: "You even know the location of the Tongxin Society, that's great..."

Before Harunobu could finish speaking, Izanami interrupted him regretfully: "I'm sorry, but I'm not that untrustworthy bastard Izanagi. A contract is a contract. I can help you deal with these foolish mortals, but the Tongxin Society... I'm sorry."

"Alright." Harunobu didn't press the issue, mainly because he couldn't force it anyway. "One last question, Susanoo isn't your son, is he?"

"Hmm?" Izanami's voice became lighter, tinged with a strong hint of teasing. "That's an interesting question. What kind of answer do you want?"

"The truth." Qingxin wasn't embarrassed at all, and was even quite frank. "You know me, I don't like women who have been with other men, let alone women who have had children with other men, so this is related to our relationship."

Faced with Harunobu's groveling, Izanami laughed happily: "Hehe~ As expected of you. Alright, I can tell you that the coward in here has nothing to do with me. I can't give birth to a sword—in fact, Izanagi and I have no offspring."

"I'll take it as you're telling the truth." Harunobu's feelings towards Izanami were also complicated, and he was even more unsure how much of what this great deity said was true and how much was false. However, at least the information she had given him was accurate.

Qingxin glanced at the side quest that had just popped up on the system, then stood up: "Well then, if there's nothing else, I'll go in and kill some people."

"If possible, please pass on a message to Susanoo for me: 'Mother of the Underworld awaits your rebirth'; hehehe..."

With a chilling laugh, the dark fog completely dissipated. Hirako approached Harunobu with concern, and Harunobu grabbed her small hand: "Don't worry, if we had been ambushed, something might have happened, but since we've taken precautions, there's nothing to worry about."

Taira Yukiko always followed Harunobu's lead, and she was only worried because she cared too much about Harunobu. To be honest, she didn't think anything would happen to Harunobu.

After all, there seem to be a lot of strange things about teachers' colleges.

"Alright, let's go—Miss Yuan, why don't you stay outside for now?"

Taira Yukiko and the others are protected by the Womb Realm Mandala, so they won't be harmed even if they are affected, but Minamoto Yukisakura is not.

"No, if we're just talking about survival, I'm still very confident." Yuan Xueying calmly approached Qingxin. "Have you forgotten what we talked about before so quickly, Qingxin?"

"Ah... well, you can take this." Harunobu took out several amulets he had bought from the shrine maiden. "You don't have any defensive magical artifacts on you, do you—you can't maintain that state for long, can you?"

Gen Yuki Sakura glanced at Hira Sachiko and the others without realizing it. When she found that they were all looking at her, she surprisingly felt less guilty and calmly took the amulets: "How do I use them?"

Qingxin scratched his head: "Just keep it on your person. These are reactive... I don't really understand the specifics, but they will automatically release defensive spells when attacked."

After Yuan Xueying finished putting on the amulets, the group passed through the torii gate and climbed the stone steps to enter the interior of Daibu Taisha Shrine. The layout of the buildings inside was not much different from last time, after all, not much time had passed, but the fact that there was no one there made the shrine seem very eerie.

The group stood by the water fountain, unsure of where to go. After all, they knew there was an enemy ambush there, and making any rash moves would be dangerous.

At this moment, Yuan Xueying suddenly leaned close to Qingxin's ear: "There is a human presence in the direction of the main hall. In that strange building southeast of the main hall, there is a very subtle presence."

It seems that even without Izanami, Minamoto Yuki Sakura could still find someone to ambush her...

Harunobu nodded slightly, pondering to himself; but he didn't ignore the warm breath on his ear and the strands of hair brushing against his cheek. He gently turned his head to look at Minamoto Yuki's flawless profile and whispered, "Thank you, Sakura."

Yuan Xueying blinked, took a step back, and said nothing.

Qingxin turned back

Chapter 437

She walked briskly towards the main hall; but after taking a few steps, she stopped and waved to the stunned Yuan Xueying: "Xiaoying~ Let's go!"

A bright red flush spread across Yuan Xueying's delicate, flawless face. Ping Xingzi gently pressed down on the excited Fujiwara Kaguya's head to prevent her from ruining Harunobu's plans; at the same time, she exchanged a glance with Tachibana Seiko: "The teacher's all grown up now, huh? She's learned to actively flirt with other people's sweethearts~"

Seiko Tachibana went a step further: "The Minamoto family, I remember, is a powerful and well-known family in the legal world. Their ancestors were from the Sakahei clan? Hmm, it seems our group can expand even more rapidly~"

Hirako reminded her, "Don't do anything bad, the teacher's college doesn't like that."

"Don't worry, don't worry, nothing is more important than becoming a teacher!"