Female Swordsman Training Dojo

"It seems they're still carrying out some kind of construction work. Many mountain spirits, tree demons, and even clowns are cooperating with them; I have a distant relative, Bridge Princess, who's currently there..."

The talkative Wet Woman finally sensed that something was wrong and stopped nervously, glancing cautiously at Shuten-dōji.

Shuten-dōji remained expressionless, but also showed no anger. He simply uttered a single sentence: "Among you, is there anyone who hasn't eaten a human?"

The monsters looked at each other, then lowered their heads.

They knew they most likely wouldn't get past Ping Qingxin, and even if they did temporarily, it was impossible to keep it a secret forever. After all, this was a world with magic, and many demons knew their "famous names" and certainly wouldn't mind reporting them.

They just really didn't want to die!

The people sent out by Mount Ooe this time were of similar strength to them, yet they couldn't even defeat Taira no Seishin's disciples. If they were to actually fight Taira no Seishin, he could probably kill them all with a single sword strike.

It's better to surrender and gamble on surviving.

Shuten-dōji was well aware of the thoughts of these surrender faction members. Fortunately, they were only a minority, and most of them were foreign demons, so they were not enough to completely disappoint him.

So he simply tapped the armrest and, amidst the trembling gazes of those monsters, spoke: "I know what you're worried about, but have you forgotten our latest trump card?"

This refers to the current human god, but it's an experimental version that Orochi hasn't tested yet. This version is no longer limited to the standard version where you stuff a soul into it to pilot a Gundam; instead, it allows multiple souls to coordinate and cooperate, making full use of the power of cannon fodder and weaklings.

"And think about it carefully. Even if Ping Qingxin were willing to accept you, would you still be as happy as you are now under his command? You wouldn't be allowed to eat people or even break the law. If you want to become stronger, you would have to obediently hone your physical body and study magic. You would even have to work to earn money and be ordered around by a group of ordinary humans... Have you ever thought about that kind of life?"

These monsters certainly didn't want this, otherwise they wouldn't have ended up like this.

"So, now do you know what you need to do?"

The demons looked at each other, and finally knelt down before Shuten-dōji with heartfelt admiration: "Your Majesty! We will go and collect the materials needed by the gods and humans!"

"Hurry up, you're not the only smart ones." Shuten-dōji said casually, picked up the sake jar and took another big gulp, then fell into thought.

Perhaps, seeking refuge with Taira no Harunobu is indeed a good choice?

Anyway, he doesn't like eating people.

Chapter 471: King Arthur's Ride (4K)

Tokyo, Aozorakan.

The Red Dragon Queen, the Knight King, the Lord of Camelot, the Chief of the Knights of the Round Table, the wielder of the Sword in the Stone, and the Night Peeper, the Dream Invader, the only adult virgin in the Blue Sky Pavilion, Arthur Artoria Pendragon, is eating.

The lavish spread across the long table vanished swiftly with her graceful movements, and her abdomen remained perfectly flat, without even a hint of bulge. However, the elegant King Arthur restrained his boundless desires and finished his breakfast with great satisfaction.

It had been over ten days since she arrived at the Azure Sky Pavilion, and what satisfied her most was the food. Although Merlin's roast meat was also quite good, that woman was always thinking about seducing other women and rarely had the motivation to provide her dragon lord with enough food.

Moreover, aside from the portion sizes, the food here was all magically enhanced. Although this slight enhancement was of no use to her, the taste of the pure magic was something the Red Dragon Queen greatly appreciated.

Not only that, there was also a large bath called "Inagawa-yu," where the tingling lightning perfectly soothed King Arthur's nerves, often giving her the urge to transform back into her dragon form and indulge herself completely. Unfortunately, it was still too small to contain her true form.

In addition, there are special wines and pastries that not only taste excellent but also have special time-limited effects and can be used in battle, making them truly magical foods.

But all of this was merely food and drink. What truly astonished King Arthur was the training facilities here. Although she didn't understand the underlying principles, the growth rate of the disciples of the Azure Sky Pavilion clearly far exceeded their expected level; even considering the influence of the renowned teacher, Taira no Harunobu, this efficiency was still excessively exaggerated.

If the Knights of the Round Table could grow this fast, she couldn't even imagine how she could lose.

However, despite his thoughts, King Arthur had no intention of making an exception for Harunobu and allowing the Knights of the Round Table to enter. She wasn't stupid; she wouldn't do something so offensive. Besides, she had much more to do than train her incompetent knights.

King Arthur's stay in Tokyo wasn't simply for the food and peace of Harunobu; he also carried a mission from the King of England to hunt down a group of Christian traitors.

Setting down his chopsticks, King Arthur stepped out of the kitchen, his bright red armor replacing his simple dress, tightly encasing the Red Dragon Queen's lewd body and flattening it into a flat sheet.

Harunobu, who was walking past with a little girl by her side, saw King Arthur and greeted her: "Yo, good morning, Arthur."

"Good morning, Qingxin." King Arthur bowed slightly, hung Excalibur at his waist, and teased, "You've laid a hand on a little girl again? You really are the most wicked knight I've ever met."

"So the Knight King is planning to inflict extermination on me?" Harunobu rolled his eyes, put the little girl in his hand on his shoulder, and the little girl was so happy that she drooled.

Although it was done discreetly, Qingxin and King Arthur still noticed. King Arthur couldn't help but shake his head: "Sometimes I really wonder if you Dragon Speakers are another kind of succubus, only that you only work on women, and not on women of any age."

"You can't blame me for this, and you're a woman too, right?" Qingxin pinched the little girl's blushing round face and told her to go back to her room to change her clothes, while he stayed behind.

“I am a female dragon,” King Arthur stated without hesitation. “The abilities of the Dragon Speakers cannot interfere with me.”

"Alright, alright, say what you want." Qingxin didn't want to continue this nonsense; King Arthur wasn't giving him any perks. "How's your mission going? Have you found those traitors yet?"

Mentioning this, King Arthur's slight sarcasm vanished, and his face, which had been beaming with happiness from the delicious food, furrowed: "No, I've searched all over Tokyo, and I haven't found any trace of them, except..."

Apart from the Imperial Palace.

Harunobu understood King Arthur's meaning.

Regardless of whether King Arthur or Amaterasu is stronger, the fact that fighting Amaterasu is tantamount to massacring Tokyo and even Japan makes it difficult for the righteous knight king to fight her—unless Amaterasu is prepared to do something even worse than massacring Japan.

Therefore, it was impossible for King Arthur to search for her mission objective at the royal palace, let alone resort to violence.

But precisely because of this, the possibility that her targets, those traitors, are hiding in the Imperial Palace becomes even higher. In particular, Amaterasu's idea of ​​a monotheistic religion could not have arisen out of thin air; the various modified doctrines she has recently been promoting also have a clear biblical flavor.

Of course, this doesn't necessarily mean that Amaterasu colluded with those Christian traitors, because a monotheistic religion certainly cannot tolerate another monotheistic religion, and the Bible is not a rare item.

Chapter 506

You can easily buy them in Tokyo; they have both the Old and New Testaments.

"Then what are you going to do next?"

Faced with Harunobu's sudden question, King Arthur made no attempt to hide anything: "I'm going to check out the surrounding area; perhaps I can find traces left by those traitors."

Simply put, it's like looking for a needle in a haystack.

"That means there are absolutely no clues." Harunobu summarized King Arthur's meaning again, and King Arthur shrugged helplessly: "I really doubt whether those sweet words came from your mouth, Harunobu."

Harunobu was already immune to this level of sarcasm and responded easily: "That's exclusively for my wife. It's just that I have a lot of wives. Your Majesty King Arthur, I thought you were used to it."

King Arthur fell silent, simply staring quietly at Qingxin.

Harunobu coughed lightly and changed the subject: "I have a suggestion, maybe I can let you take a look at the Imperial Palace, would you like to give it a try?"

King Arthur was intrigued: "What's the plan?"

“You and me… and of course you, my dear.” Harunobu pinched Izanami, who had suddenly appeared in his arms, his doting expression returning to normal when he looked at King Arthur. “Let’s go find Amaterasu and ask her for the answers. I think even if she really is cooperating with those traitors, she probably wouldn’t mind finding a foreign partner.”

King Arthur and Izanami looked at Harunobu as if he were an idiot, wondering if he had shot his brain out last night. It was obvious that Amaterasu wouldn't meet with Harunobu, who had already openly turned against her, let alone cooperate with him—perhaps King Arthur alone could have made the suggestion.

King Arthur began to wonder if Harunobu was deliberately using this method to remind him, and even struggled with whether he should keep his promise if a cooperation with Amaterasu were to be achieved. If he kept his promise, he would be betraying Harunobu; if he didn't, he would be breaking his oath and promise, which would be inconsistent with her chivalrous spirit.

Harunobu immediately saw through the somewhat old-fashioned Knight King's thoughts and added, "Don't think about going alone. Amaterasu would definitely be happy to accept a piece of the Red Dragon Queen's material as her new body; even if you don't lose, the consequences of a fight..."

Upon hearing Harunobu's words, King Arthur put aside his inner turmoil and silently stared at Harunobu again. His clear, crimson eyes, like the finest rubies, reflected Harunobu as he held Izanami in his arms.

"If we all attack together, Amaterasu won't see any chance of victory and definitely won't make a move. At most, she'll just refuse our request—so let's just pretend we went for a walk, shall we?"

Harunobu persuaded King Arthur.

The next moment, the huge red dragon spread its wings on the spot, carefully avoiding the fragile wooden building, and looked down at Qingxin, saying, "Come on, don't waste time."

"what?"

Harunobu, who had always wanted to ride a dragon but was too shy to ask, couldn't keep up with King Arthur's pace.

"Consider this a reward for your strategy and cooperation, hmm, part of the reward." King Arthur's dragon wings, which were far harder than steel, drooped in front of Harunobu, and he teased, "When you first saw my true form, you were thinking of riding me, weren't you?"

"You're so skilled, could it be..." Although he had successfully mounted the dragon, Harunobu felt a mix of emotions. If he had to explain it in one sentence, it would probably be, "Why are you so skilled?!"

The red dragon flapped its wings and slowly rose into the air. A barely perceptible smile appeared on the ferocious beast's face, but its tone was unusually serious: "What's wrong?"

"No, I was just wondering, what exactly is the role of a dragon knight?" Harunobu began to change the subject, but couldn't help asking, "How many knights have you had?"

"Haha~"

King Arthur let out a triumphant laugh, and with a sudden burst of speed, he tore through the blue sky and white clouds: "I thought you wouldn't ask, Harunobu, but you can start to feel honored, because you are the only knight who can stand on my back."

“Oh…ah, but you…”

“Many people have tried, but only you have succeeded.” The Red Dragon Queen turned to look at the man standing on her back, revealing a smile that could terrify many. “And the losers… well, they have their reasons for ostracizing the Irish.”

Warriors who provoke dragons will, of course, die under dragon fire.

"Thank you for your explanation, so what can I do?"

"Perhaps you could polish my scales? After all, there shouldn't be any enemies here who can get on my back, so there's no need for knights to defend me."

"So, a dragon knight is a knight responsible for guarding dragons?"

"Or perhaps a knight who takes care of the dragon? After all, no one has ever ridden a dragon before, not to mention those poor wyverns and earth dragons."

As the two chatted, they arrived at the royal palace in just a few minutes. This was even more surprising, as the Red Dragon Queen hadn't used her full strength while hovering above the city.

Such a commotion naturally caught Amaterasu's attention, and Izanami had also sent her a message beforehand. So when the Red Dragon Queen arrived, the barrier surrounding the Imperial Palace opened its path for her.

In the side hall where he first met Amaterasu, Amaterasu, still dressed in golden robes, stood above, coldly looking at Harunobu: "You think you can intimidate me by bringing the British here? Taira Harunobu!"

As Amaterasu rebuked him, a heavy pressure naturally fell upon the hall, but apart from the pitiful Misuru-hime, no one present was affected by it.

Harunobu was even less friendly to Amaterasu, saying sarcastically, "Should I be surprised that the ancient Amaterasu knows about the British?"

If looks could kill, Harunobu would have died hundreds of times over. However, Izanami Kataira Harunobu would be a difficult opponent, especially with a red dragon from England added to the mix. Just as the shrine maiden said, Amaterasu doesn't want to wipe out the entire nation in one battle, so naturally she won't intervene.

But Amaterasu wasn't about to suffer in silence, and coldly retorted, "If you're just here to waste my time spouting nonsense, then don't blame me for being ruthless; Harunobu, you don't want your company's business license to be revoked, do you?"

The old relic is evolving a bit too fast.

Harunobu abandoned his plan to continue teasing Amaterasu and went straight to the point, introducing King Arthur's identity and purpose, as well as some of his speculations.

But before he could finish speaking, Amaterasu rolled her eyes and waved her hand.

Then, two middle-aged, plump men in red robes, along with a procession consisting of several people dressed in white and several in black, floated in. The procession included men and women of all shapes and sizes, and all had ruddy complexions and peaceful expressions; if they weren't dead, they truly had auspicious appearances.

Yes, the one Amaterasu shook in was a dead person.

Harunobu was shocked: "Wait, are you really Amaterasu? Or am I dreaming?"

Amaterasu ignored him and said coldly, "These should be the people you're looking for. A bunch of overconfident Americans who tried to control me during their visit last year, but they were outmaneuvered by the defense mechanisms I left behind. Otherwise..."

Otherwise, she wouldn't have woken up so early.

“Uh…” Harunobu looked at King Arthur, who nodded and then shook his head.

“Ms. Amaterasu, thank you for your help. These are indeed my goals, but on the day I arrived in Japan, the Puritans… oh, you know…”

“I know about the Puritans, no explanation needed, and I know what you’re trying to say.” Amaterasu interrupted King Arthur. “Yes, that’s right, I killed them, but I put their souls back in, so you could say they’re still alive; by the way, I’ve seen what’s in their heads and taken all their treasures. What do you plan to do?”

"No, I have no more questions or demands." King Arthur looked at the "corpse" that had been thrown at his feet, feeling a sense of unreality.

Qingxin's feelings deepened.

But Amaterasu was too lazy to deal with him anymore, and simply turned around and waved her hand: "Get lost! Taira no Harunobu! There won't be a next time!"

"As for you, Red Dragon"

Chapter 507

"Your Majesty, if you wish to cooperate with me, come to me yourself, instead of obeying his orders like Taira no Harunobu's wife!"

The world spun around them, and Harunobu and his two companions reappeared at the entrance to the Imperial Palace. Oh, and they were still carrying that pile of corpses.

"So, do you consider this a completed mission?" Qingxin scratched his head.

"Of course, the body and the soul are all there. As for the rest? Let them ask the Queen of Japan." King Arthur's lips curled into a smile as he drew Excalibur and shot a beam of light into the sky. The Knights of the Round Table, who were searching for clues throughout Tokyo, saw the beam of light and immediately dropped what they were doing, rushing over.

"Then, how should I repay you? Offering myself to you... seems a bit lacking." King Arthur's sweet smile greatly impressed Qingxin.

"Okay, can I save it for now and use it when I have enough to offer myself to you?"

"If you don't say the second half of the sentence, that's fine."

"...Can I take back the second half of that sentence?"

"Do not."

Harunobu shook his head regretfully, stepped back, bowed, placed one hand on his chest, and extended the other in a somewhat awkward invitation: "Then, may I invite Miss Artoria to join me for a cycling trip around the island?"

“Well, this…” Under the watchful eyes of the Third Generation Gawain, who arrived first, the Red Dragon Queen extended her right hand and placed it in Harunobu’s palm. “I am honored, sir.”

The author says:

Author's Note: 4k2. Does this count as an extra chapter? (?▽｀)? But the progress isn't full yet, so let's put it aside for now. Anyway, if it doesn't count, then the progress of urging updates will be increased by 23.

Chapter 472: One Empty City! Move Out!

Amidst a sky that was not blue, a red dragon, possessing both ferocity and elegance, roared past; the white clouds were torn apart, the dim sunset was cut off, and the dragon's wings blotted out the sky, resembling death itself.

However, these were the feelings of creatures on the ground; standing on the dragon, Harunobu only felt a thrill. King Arthur's flight speed was faster than Harunobu's wind manipulation or the creation of fire wings using his magic, and it was also more intimidating.

At least there were no monsters bothering them along the way, which made the journey quite pleasant... although the Red Dragon Queen didn't think so.