Female Swordsman Training Dojo

Chapter 519

Legal circumvention can only delay things for a while at best.

"So?" Qingxin spread his hands shamelessly, "You can't expect me to prove whether I'll keep my word for the deal you proposed, can you?"

"Need not."

Amaterasu threw down a ball of golden light, which landed in front of Harunobu: "This is the contract I made. Although it still can't withstand the erosion of the power of corruption, it is closely connected to my spirit. I will know as soon as it changes, so I will consider you to have broken the contract. Moreover, you... Asuka and Izanami should be able to see that this thing is very pure. Once impurities invade, it will undergo drastic changes. I suggest you don't touch it."

"So Xiao Yi can't sign the contract?" Qingxin raised an eyebrow slightly. "You trust her that much? Or are they really mother and daughter...?"

"I only believe in her hatred for Izanagi, and perhaps a little bit of your credibility?" Amaterasu said sarcastically, then urged again, "So, what's your answer?"

Harunobu grabbed the ball of light and pressed it to his heart: "The contract is established. It's been a pleasant cooperation. Amaterasu—by the way, could you please send my fiancée and her ninjas back to me?"

Amaterasu turned away with a flick of her sleeve, transforming into a blazing sun that streaked across the sky, leaving only a faint sentence echoing in the air: "Shiranui will come to find you later."

"Thank you, daughter~"

Harunobu shouted in the direction Amaterasu had left, and the flames in the sky visibly paused for a moment before speeding away.

"Finally done." Harunobu breathed a sigh of relief, sat down, picked up his teacup to replenish his water, only to find that the cup was empty—the tea had been evaporated by Amaterasu.

The shrine maiden picked up the teapot to pour tea for Harunobu, and asked at the same time, "Have you gotten together with this red dragon?"

"Uh...shouldn't you be asking what's above the gods?" Harunobu began to evade the question, but under the shrine maiden's calm gaze, he still chose to surrender.

"Okay, I'll tell you..."

Next, Harunobu gave a brief and concise account of what had happened.

The priestess's eyes flickered for a moment, then she asked again, "So, what exactly is the realm above gods?"

Chapter 483: Japan's Oldest Tsundere (3200 words)

Seeing that the atmosphere was finally getting a bit more normal, Harunobu began to relay the information that Artoria had obtained from the power of creation—though, in reality, there wasn't much.

The information within that creative power mainly concerns how to deal with Mount Ōe and the demons; there's only a small section about Izanagi.

"You gods are essentially beings who have mastered how to use souls to absorb the power of faith. Whether you are a demon or a human, you can be called a god if you have this ability. And the so-called divine power is nothing more than highly purified divine power. Moreover, only the divine power of Izanagi and Izanagi has sufficiently significant characteristics. The characteristics of the other divine powers are very weak."

"Izanagi seems to believe that there are real 'gods' in the world, just like in myths and legends, and that he can completely sublimate himself to that level and become a true creator god by absorbing enough faith and souls of sufficient excellence."

Harunobu picked up his teacup and took a sip: "For this, he started deliberately selecting some outstanding talents a long time ago, and arranged for them to believe in him and worship him until he came to harvest the souls that met the conditions—just like Mount Ooe."

Harunobu's words were concise and easy to understand, so the shrine maiden had no questions and gave a sharp comment: "A fool's dream, a pipe dream."

If absorbing souls and faith could transform one into an omnipotent god like those in legends, then the strongest beings in the world right now would be those ignorant and mindless spirit monsters, not these mortal flesh and blood. Besides, there's a limit to the amount of faith one can absorb, not to mention that believers can be withdrawn from a god at any time. Aren't they afraid of being drained dry in a matter of minutes by taking in so many believers?

However, despite the sharp criticism, the priestess didn't completely deny Izanagi's abilities. After all, Izanagi wasn't a madman or a fool, but a madman capable of devising far-reaching plans for his goal. Perhaps his methods were wrong, but he must have truly believed in the supremacy of the gods to do something so insane…

Of course, it's also possible that Izanagi was simply insane, and everything was just his fantasy, but he was in a relatively calm and controlled state of mind, so it still seemed somewhat coherent.

Izanami, nestled in Harunobu's arms, chimed in, "So in the end, we still need to kill that bastard as soon as possible. If we kill him quickly, we won't need to worry about this kind of thing anymore, right?"

The shrine maiden looked at Izanami, who was sitting in Harunobu's lap, restlessly wiggling her round, fat buttocks, invading Harunobu's privacy. Completely ignoring the awkward smile on Harunobu's face, even Harunobu's attempt to stop her was met with resistance from her fake, dirty flesh—the shrine maiden took a deep breath, casting aside her malicious preconceived notions: "Let's talk about missionary work, Izanami. If you can't resist, go outside and find a branch to use for now."

Yes, that's the shrine maiden's rational and objective statement.

Izanami chuckled, showing no sign of anger. Who would be angry at the barking of a defeated dog? Harunobu did not stop embracing Izanami. After all, Izanami was now his wife, and there was always a difference in status. The priestess was, at least for now, not as high a position as Izanami.

Moreover, besides wanting to show off in front of the shrine maidens, Izanami did this to help Harunobu win them over. The process of subduing Artoria gave her inspiration; perhaps the best way to deal with rational people like this was to make them excited and agitated. Once the shrine maidens showed clear signs, Harunobu would be all set.

"You're making it sound like I'm some kind of tyrant who would abduct women."

"Aren't you the one? The big bully who just assaulted our foreign friend~"

The way Harunobu and Izanami communicated telepathically was, in the shrine maiden's eyes, a blatant display of affection; she felt a slight itch in her teeth, but couldn't help thinking bitterly, "Adulterous couple!"

Despite this, the shrine maiden maintained a calm demeanor, genuinely unsure of her position to interfere in such matters. Her original plan was to make Harunobu her chief priest, her representative, allowing everything to proceed gradually. However, Harunobu's strength had not only increased rapidly, but the quantity and quality of his women had also risen dramatically. Now, how could she possibly have the audacity to ask Harunobu to be her subordinate?

How could a god himself be weaker than his own chief priest?

If Izanami knew her thoughts, she would definitely be described as a "prideful young lady," or to put it more bluntly, "wanting both ways." She wants to win over Taira no Harunobu, but she is unwilling to relinquish her status. She also wants to maintain the airs of a deity and remain an equal or even slightly higher-ranking assistant and helper to Harunobu, which is why she is in such an awkward situation.

It was Qingxin who gave her face.

If Izanami had played like this before, she probably would have been killed by Harunobu long ago... although Harunobu back then was probably no match for her at full strength.

This is one of the reasons why Izanami targets the priestess; she can't stand this person who gets the benefits but then acts innocent.

"Alright, alright." In the end, it was Harunobu who smoothed things over. "Let's talk about missionary work now. Everyone should have settled in by now and can start our official work."

Artoria glared at Harunobu and chimed in, "I don't know much about your side of the world. British missionaries usually raise funds and then use the money to preach their doctrines; if they have the ability to cast spells, they'll also perform exorcisms, blessings, and other rituals to enhance their reputation. However, some of them will collaborate with local officials to force people to convert..."

The shrine maiden adjusted her mindset and stopped looking at the smug-looking man.

Chapter 520

Izanami, who was being beaten, said: "Isn't fundraising unnecessary? Other methods are fine, but exorcising demons is usually the responsibility of the local samurai."

Upon hearing this, Qingxin added, "Isn't that perfect? ​​My disciples aren't lacking in merit..."

Izanami mischievously interjected, "We can't let them take advantage of us for free; how about we try a different approach and have the sisters claim that they are so strong because they worship Ame-no-Tsurugi?"

The shrine maiden was about to unleash a venomous attack on Izanami, but upon hearing the latter half of Izanami's words, she swallowed her anger, feeling incredibly uncomfortable. However, Izanami's suggestion was indeed sound; this kind of matter of faith wouldn't affect the reputation of the Blue Sky Pavilion, nor would it hinder their recruitment of disciples. A samurai's faith and training are inherently separate things, the best proof being a certain Sixth Heaven Demon King—who, too, was a Buddhist.

Seeing the priestess's distressed expression, Izanami continued triumphantly, "Then, provide each branch with a number of Zanpakuto as a reward. This will prove that what we said is true. Finally, encourage everyone to use the Zanpakuto's abilities outside to attract outsiders."

"Finally, just organize some unified festival in various places, pick some relatively devout and weak people, let them awaken their Zanpakuto on the spot, and then have a few yokai fight them. That will definitely be enough to easily overwhelm all the other shrines and temples."

Indeed, Izanami's speech perfectly summarized all the advantages of Harunobu's side.

That is the Aozorakan's overwhelming fighting power, the Aozora Consortium's immense financial resources, and the knock-off Zanpakuto created by the shrine maiden.

With enough unwavering faith, anyone can borrow power from a priestess to awaken their Shikai, instantly transforming from a mortal into a "powerful being" capable of exchanging blows with elite yokai and defeating ordinary ones. While not as convenient as the knock-off version of the Izanagi priestess who allows for instant activation, its potential is higher.

The shrine maiden's delicate nose twitched slightly as she inhaled a considerable amount of Seishin's scent. She then spoke leisurely, "It seems you did learn something in the seal; you've actually managed to spout something ivory from a dog's mouth."

Obsessed with Seishin, the Mother of the Underworld, who had long lost her ruthless demeanor, snorted twice, unusually refraining from retaliating. However, her condescending attitude only made the priestess more displeased, so she spoke again: "But this is still not enough for our main objective."

"Are you referring to Izanagi? If your missionary work goes smoothly enough..."

"That's just the power of Ame-no-Mikoto; it can't directly and completely erase Izanagi's existence and image." The priestess interrupted Izanami and said calmly, "Amaterasu's approach is to promote herself as the true creator god, portraying Izanagi as her own clone and appearance, and attempting to directly divert Izanagi's faith power to her."

Qingxin chimed in at the opportune moment: "So what you mean is?"

"Let Izanami also preach, focusing on defaming, slandering, and vilifying Izanagi, so as to reduce the number of Izanagi's followers and his public image; then when public opinion is in full swing and the time is right, join forces with Amaterasu to issue an edict banning Izanagi, and eliminate Izanagi from a legal perspective."

"In this way, we can also have a righteous reason to eliminate some stubborn Izanagi believers."

After hearing the priestess's words, Izanami gasped, "You woman, you're so vicious!"

After saying that, her expression changed, and before the priestess could reply, she excitedly shouted, "But I like it!!"

"Hey~ Teacher's College~"

"I don't care, but you won't give up halfway, will you?" Harunobu said, "I'll release one god or chase away two. And don't kill them all indiscriminately just because you believe in Izanagi."

"Okay~"

Izanami turned and pinned Harunobu down, her two large breasts pressing tightly against her chest, her red lips raining down on Harunobu's face.

The shrine maiden's face gradually turned warm.

"How about that, teacher's college? I told you this would work, right? This is enough for you to go and devour this idiot completely, isn't it?"

"Even if you say that..." Harunobu turned his gaze to the shrine maiden, who had just been puffing out her cheeks in anger, and looked away as if she had been electrocuted, her expression returning to calm.

Seriously, the only thing that hasn't changed since we first met is that he's two-faced. Where does this tsundere come from? If we're talking about age, he's probably the oldest tsundere in Japan, right?

Although Harunobu felt that even if he did engage in a physical activity with the shrine maiden, he probably wouldn't be disliked, it still wouldn't be perfect. He decided to wait and see; if all else failed, he would just go for it directly.

The meeting then concluded today with a heated discussion about revising the doctrine.

The author says:

Author's Note: Update progress 19/30. The recommendations are really effective, thank you everyone for your support... I need to hurry up and stockpile chapters~

Chapter 484: The Dark Crawling of the Tongxin Society (3400 words)

In an ancient forest, so remote it wasn't even on a map, the Yamata no Orochi revealed its true form, coiling itself around an equally ancient rock chair. Its eight heads, from left to right, were placed on an equally ancient stone table before it. The surviving members of the Tongxin Society also took their seats on the stone chairs beside the table, silently gazing at their leader, president, and mentor.

The Yamata no Orochi counted the heads, and the first head spoke, "Two more are missing. Did they leave, or..."

Phoenix Fire, seated at the right of Orochi, spoke, her deep, mature voice echoing through the ancient ruins: "The Ubume went to Nara to contact those bald monks, but was caught by that man's top disciple; then the succubus went to contact those foreign priests, the last contact being three days ago, and she sounded quite confident."

The Guhuoniao is definitely doomed, but the succubus is less certain; it's just uncertain whether she can complete the mission. After all, those foreigners are all perverts who like young boys and have a penchant for effeminate men.

Orochi sighed, "I wish Guhuoniao was planning to leave. With her abilities, she could do well anywhere. If she had gone to serve Harunobu from the beginning, maybe..."

Recalling the maternal figure of the Ubume in her human form, the yokai present largely agreed, with a few of the more optimistic ones even letting out cheerful laughter. They couldn't help it; Seishin's jokes were their best form of entertainment right now. While these ancient ruins, dating back to before the Heian period, were certainly safe, they also lacked the various convenient facilities, meaning many of the Tongxin Society's experiments couldn't even be carried out—there were no equipment or instruments available!

After everyone laughed for a while, the second head of the Yamata no Orochi spoke, its voice very calm, like that of a middle-aged teacher: "Now, everyone, let's talk about the progress of your respective projects, Phoenix Fire."

"Research on the monster-style internal combustion engine is still stuck in the same old place: ordinary materials can't withstand the burning of monster fire for long, even if I reduce the intensity of the flames to..."

"Kappa."

"Hi~ The improvements to the Genjinshin are progressing smoothly. Although it's not great, thanks to the actual data provided by Hiraharu, we've discovered many areas for improvement. We expect the Genjinshin MK2 design to be completed in three months."

"The great monk is right."

"The plan for the fully automated sustainable merit and faith generation machine is not going well. There are too few consumables. The control group has been reduced to three groups and is expected to stop completely in half a month... I need more consumables, Chairman."

"..."

As Orochi called out names, the leaders of the Tongxin Society gave their reports one after another. Many papers were pushed in front of Orochi at the same time, and his remaining heads were reading them in sync.

After everyone had finished reporting, Orochi began to respond in turn. If it was...

Chapter 521

If there are any requests or suggestions, then answer them first; otherwise, give them your suggestions or requests directly. Time flies by in this long monthly meeting, and before you know it, it's evening.

A large number of spider webs were laid out in the mountains and forests. The earth spider, responsible for the outermost layer of guard, was the first to notice something was wrong: "Guild Master! Someone has broken in!"

Sitting next to him, the short, chubby Thousand-Eyed Boy, whose body was covered in eyes, chimed in, "A monster, a tengu, a mountain child, and a valley echo?"

"What kind of mountain duo is this?" a monster mocked, but no one paid him any attention.

"Phoenix Fire, Tenmoku Ren, you two come with me. The rest of you, be on guard." The Yamata no Orochi raised its head, its massive body nimbly slithering into the ground. "But don't be too nervous. Maybe what I ordered has finally arrived?"

"Yes!"

In the mountains, the current Tengu clan chief of Mount Izumo stopped his wings and landed in the canopy of a large tree, looking down at the mountain boy: "Hey~ Yamashiro family~ Your master has come out, stop now~"

The Mountain Child King, which looked much like a kappa except that its color had changed from green to earthy brown, stopped and tapped the ground with its wooden stick. In the forest, hundreds of tall clay figures stopped in unison, looking straight ahead.

"Dong Dong Dong~"

Several strange noises came from the forest, very similar to the footsteps of the clay dolls earlier, but also sounded very eerie, making people feel a chill down their spines.

This is the ability of the Echoing Valley spirits; they are "Echo" monsters, innately possessing the ability to mimic and distort the voices of others, along with accompanying special spells—invisible monsters. However, although they lack a physical form, their magical aura and demonic energy are still undeniable, making it easy for sharp-witted individuals to detect their presence. Furthermore, their spells are ineffective against those with strong willpower, and lacking a physical form for physical attacks, they are unique monsters that rely entirely on a single, powerful technique.

These three groups, some strong and some weak, were clearly incompatible, and Phoenix Fire couldn't think of any reason why they could unite. Surely it couldn't be to deal with their Unity Society? Thinking about it that way, during their heyday, they did indeed have some conflicts of interest with the various demon realms. After all, besides humans, they also needed the help of demons to acquire resources. It's just that few demons would empathize with ordinary demons who lacked rationality and self-awareness.

While he was pondering, the Yamata no Orochi had already swum out of the dense forest with two of its subordinates and arrived in front of the allied forces of the yokai: "Long time no see, Tengu clan chief of Izumo, mountain king of Ise, and Hibiki and the others. It is our first meeting."

"Nice to meet you~~"

The distorted voice of the Yamata no Orochi drifted from the empty place, which displeased Phoenix Fire. However, the Tengu clan chief of Mount Izumo spoke first, interrupting her reprimand: "Sorry, sorry, these idiots are still in a state of confusion, it wasn't intentional."

"Let's get straight to the point." The eight heads of the Yamata no Orochi bobbed rhythmically. "You're not here to take this remote and impoverished mountain land from us, are you?"

"How could that be..." the Tengu clan chief said with a grin. After exchanging pleasantries with Orochi for a while, he finally got to the point.

"I've only heard that Lord Yamata no Orochi possesses technology capable of contending with that man, and I would like to ask you to spare some time to instruct me."

Phoenix Fire glanced at the Tengu who were poised to draw their swords and take flight at any moment, the tall and sturdy, taciturn clay dolls, and the invisible Echoes of the Valley, and felt that this did not seem like someone who had come to ask for guidance.

However, Orochi seemed confident and remained calm: "Yes, we do have techniques that can hold our own against that man, but we were ultimately defeated by him; and those techniques have already been distributed to places like Mount Ooe, Hagoromo Aogori...

The Tengu clan chief remained silent for a moment, then calmly said, "Mount Ooe has been destroyed. Everyone was killed by that man, not even the newborn cubs were spared."

Phoenix Fire's eyes widened involuntarily, the words of the Tengu Clan Chief echoing in his mind: "Mount Ooe has been destroyed?"

The Mount Ooe, with its Shuten-dōji and two Heavenly Kings, and thousands of demons, was actually destroyed? She stared in astonishment at Yamata no Orochi, only to find that Yamata no Orochi remained calm, as if it had known all along.

"But the technology of the current god has already been publicized, right? Although I was unable to go to Mount Izumo and Mount Doo in Ise, you should have already obtained it."