Female Swordsman Training Dojo

The author says:

Author's note: Update progress 9/30. It's precisely because I can't write that I'm so frustrated... (○??д?)?(￣﹏￣；)

Chapter 532: Leviathan

Telepathic communication is far faster than speaking, and Harunobu easily explained the current situation to Hirako and the others. The girls breathed a sigh of relief upon learning that Harunobu was alright, and then began to consider ways for him to leave Eden. However, since it involved seclusion and magic, the main force was naturally Izanami, Asuka, and Artoria.

Izanami spoke first: "The sea you mentioned sounds quite like the Sanzu River. Without a specific boat or crossing the Naihe Bridge, it's impossible to cross. So perhaps you could look for a boatman or some similar special structure nearby... You can use your Existence Power to see; they are generally much stronger than their normal counterparts."

Harunobu tried circling the coastline, but apart from the magical ships thrown out by the Chosen Ones, there was nothing else on the beach, and no buildings whatsoever. After all, it was a vast ocean; there couldn't possibly be any bridges like that.

“Looks like that won’t work.” Qingxin returned to his original position, leaving the chosen ones, who were preparing to escape, awkwardly frozen in place, unsure whether to continue or stop. Qingxin ignored them and continued the telepathic communication: “Is there any other way? Can we use the story of Moses parting the sea in the Bible as a reference?”

"Whether it's true or not is hard to say..." Asuka calmly poured cold water on the idea, then added, "But maybe you can try using the power of filth. Even in the hidden world, many mechanisms actually rely on magic to operate; if you can erode its magical structure or operating energy, it will naturally become ineffective."

Qingxin then raised his hand, releasing a large amount of black mist. The unfortunate chosen ones who were caught in it immediately discovered that their various magical items were malfunctioning. One unlucky fellow even retrieved his magic ship only to find that it had turned into a real toy boat.

But compared to these unfortunate souls, the sea before Harunobu remained calm.

Chapter 574

It was like a real ocean, untouched by any magical influence; the corrupting power seemed to have become a normal mist, drifting across the sea.

“Alright, it seems this one too… wait a minute.” Harunobu suddenly released a portion of the corrupting power, revealing the surface of the sea again. It was still normal there, practically calm and still. But in Harunobu's eyes, a [...] was displayed there.

Interestingly, Qingxin's power of existence couldn't detect any creatures there, a stark contrast to when he discovered God here. Previously, his power of existence was even a step ahead of the system, but now that the system had caught it, his power of existence remained completely unresponsive.

Is there really no response...?

Harunobu pondered, when the voices of Asuka and the others echoed in his mind: "What's wrong? Did you find something?"

“It’s like this…” Harunobu explained the new discovery, and Asuka fell silent. The power of existence didn’t react, but Harunobu could sense something was there.

“Perhaps…” Artoria suddenly hesitated and said, “Perhaps it is not a single creature, but it also possesses a certain degree of thinking ability.”

“Lily, now is not the time for riddles.” Harunobu responded to Artoria in a relaxed tone: “After all, this is a secluded world in the West, it’s time for you to show your skills.”

Artoria wasn't as relaxed as Harunobu, but she forced herself to control her worry and replied in a light tone: "I thought of a special kind of magical beast from the West, the Leviathan; it's an aquatic Titan, even rarer than our dragons, and it's born with the ability to manipulate water and illusions, making people think they are monsters even larger than the ocean."

"Of course, Leviathans are also behemoths no smaller than dragons; and it is said that their limbs possess a certain degree of intelligence, enabling them to hunt and cast spells on their own, but they lack an independent self."

At this point, Artoria's subtext becomes clear: perhaps what's preventing the Chosen Ones from leaving isn't the mechanism of seclusion, but a Leviathan lurking in this vast ocean?

A super sea monster, right?

However, Asuka then offered a new idea: "If there really is such a giant sea monster, how could it just obediently send people back instead of happily eating the food that is delivered to its door? I think perhaps what you discovered, Harunobu, is not some kind of creature, but a node of a magic circle—a magic node with the ability to make its own judgments."

"Because it possesses a certain level of cognitive ability, it can be captured by your strange ability; however, because it is merely a magical node, the power of existence cannot capture the existence of a 'living being,' which also explains why all the chosen ones were simply brought back by the waves rather than being devoured by some kind of behemoth."

Asuka's words sounded rather sharp, as if they were directed at Artoria, but Harunobu, who could see into their minds, didn't sense any hostility. However, competition did exist—competition over how to deal with the culprit who harmed Harunobu. The Red Dragon Queen's heavenly fire and Ame-no-Mikoto's strangulation were locked in a fierce struggle, neither side willing to yield.

Qingxin could only appease these two idiots: "Alright, whichever it is, I'll try again."

The black mist, originally scattered across a vast expanse of sea, surged towards the location of [...]. If it truly was a magical node, it would inevitably encounter problems under the corrosive influence of such immense corrupting power—

Harunobu pulled Misuruhime back quickly, and a huge tentacle slammed down where they had just been, leaving a deep trench in the sand. Seawater instantly rushed in, creating a small river several meters wide on the beach.

Harunoku grinned and sent a message to his mind: "Good news, the power of filth has taken effect."

Before Asuka could even feel happy, Harunobu's second sentence arrived: "Bad news, the destroyed spell seems to have been used to restrain Leviathan, so..."

Asuka and Artoria, disregarding Harunobu's inappropriate sense of humor, quickly pressed him for details about the spells and Leviathan, attempting to provide him with more support and ensure his safety.

"Don't worry, it's just a big octopus. It's a pity you're not here; I can't finish such a big octopus by myself." Harunobu's confident answer reassured his wives, but they couldn't see the seriousness that was creeping onto his face.

The power of existence had locked onto the tentacle and was spreading along it towards Leviathan's main body. The feedback regarding its size forced Qingxin to take it seriously; an octopus with tentacles nearly three hundred meters long was no small fry, especially since he only had a broken knife he had picked up.

Hopefully, Squidward didn't go crazy from SpongeBob's antics today...

The corrupting power spun again, rushing towards another spell node.

Chapter 533: Harunobu Parts the Sea (3200 words)

The power of filth is truly strong against magic. Every spell node detected by the Qingxin Credit System combined with the power of existence could only withstand three seconds at most before it could no longer be maintained. In particular, as one spell node after another was destroyed, the power of the magic circle itself weakened, and the time it could resist became less and less.

Vicious circle.

Of course, this is a virtuous cycle for Harunobu.

However, after destroying about seventy nodes, Qingxin stopped his precise mine-clearing and turned to look at Leviathan, whose dozen or so tentacles had already broken free—yes, this octopus in front of him was obviously much stronger than his distant relatives.

hum-

When Harunobu's gaze fell upon Leviathan's thickest tentacle, the Leviathan, which had been frantically slapping its surroundings, emitted a sound somewhat like a whale, yet also somewhat like steam. Then all the tentacles turned towards the beach, instantly creating a dozen or so small rivers... well, there wasn't really any beach to begin with.

A small beach couldn't withstand the onslaught of such a behemoth and had long since become part of the sea. As for the chosen ones, aside from a small, unlucky few who were killed, the rest fled in terror. Qingxin didn't interfere; perhaps he'd need their guidance later.

"Mortal." A deep, booming voice echoed through the air, tinged with a hint of bewilderment but even more arrogance: "Continue your work! Liberate me!"

“Male?” Qingxin raised his eyebrows, abandoning the more convoluted Plan A and opting for the direct Plan B: “Then let’s stop beating around the bush, Mr. Leviathan; I can help you get out of this damned magic circle, but only if you don’t stop me from going to the other side, deal?”

The air seemed to freeze for a moment before Leviathan's voice boomed again: "How can I guarantee you'll keep your promise, mortal?"

“You had no choice, after all, it wasn’t me who was locked in the sea.” Harunobu said nonchalantly, “To be honest, if I didn’t have a lot of bastards to kill next, I might have chosen to kill you here.”

Harunobu's words clearly angered Leviathan, as the dozen or so tentacles rose up at the same time. However, Harunobu simply watched calmly and incidentally had the corrupting power withdraw a little further.

Leviathan's tentacles froze in mid-air, then a furious voice rang out, even shaking the clouds above: "Are you threatening me? Mortal! Don't think I don't know your current state! If you want to leave Eden, this is the only path! You have no other choice!"

Qingxin raised an eyebrow and his expression became more serious: "Let's assume what you said is true, but now it's clear I can't believe you even more, right?"

"Give her to me." Leviathan was more direct than Harunobu, pointing a tentacle directly at Misurugi, whom Harunobu had been holding hands with: "She should be your spouse, mortal. Leave her with me, and I can let you cross the sea first, and even help you solve other problems along the way."

"Once you successfully lift this damned curse, I will return her to you—don't worry,"

Chapter 575

I have no interest in you hairless monkeys; her meager amount of flesh isn't even enough to fill a single one of my mouthparts.

"No, this is not negotiable."

"Don't go too far! You mortal!"

Leviathan felt he had already offered the most favorable terms, even willing to pay after delivery, requiring only a small amount of collateral. But Harunobu certainly didn't think so. No matter how many steps he took, he would absolutely not hand over his woman to a sea monster whose nature was unknown and whose good and evil were hard to discern.

Well, okay, he knows that Misuruhime is currently just a trading partner, but... let's talk about the system. Even if the system determines that Leviathan is currently "sincere," the system can only see the current state and cannot guarantee that Leviathan won't change his mind. A classic example is that many girls in the family are very good at switching back and forth between "jealousy" and "happiness."

The situation reached another stalemate. Neither Leviathan nor Harunobu trusted the other, nor were they willing to allow the other to act freely. However, this stalemate couldn't continue indefinitely, so Harunobu once again requested outside assistance.

Therefore, Harunobu, who was focused on negotiating with Leviathan and communicating telepathically with his wives, did not notice Misuru's change. Misuru, who had already prepared herself to offer herself and thought, "At least I can help," couldn't help but smile when she heard Harunobu refuse her even faster than she had, despite trying her best to suppress it.

Regardless, being cared for and loved, even in inappropriate situations, can touch one's heart. Moreover, Harunobu isn't powerless or just all talk. The reason this giant octopus hasn't attacked directly is precisely because Harunobu possesses enough power to contend with it!

No, it's less about competing with them and more about far surpassing them!

After all, it's her... um...

Misuru suddenly blushed. The sudden crisis, the sudden change of the storm, and the threat of the monstrous beast seemed to be easily resolved as long as she stayed in Harunobu's arms.

So this is what blue feels like… Misuru-hime glanced at Harunobu, only to find that he wasn't looking at her at all, but staring at Leviathan's tentacles. This made her feel somewhat discouraged, yet also somewhat sober.

That's right, she wants to reform Japanese women, and men as well...

Misuru's inner turmoil ended there; Harunobu had already received help from Artoria: "Leviathan! You have a daughter, right!"

"Human!!" Leviathan's tentacles slammed down, even faster than his furious voice: "How dare you—"

"Calm down! You stupid giant octopus!" Qingxin shouted back in an even louder voice, but what truly interrupted Leviathan's threat was his use of dragon language.

"Dragon Speaker...who is your master?" Leviathan, as Artoria had said, calmed down somewhat. The reason Artoria, the "Knight King," knew about Leviathans was because she had once interacted with a Leviathan passing through England. The female Leviathan was wandering around in search of her missing father. Leviathans were rare behemoths, let alone one searching the world for its father, so Harunobu thought it was worth the gamble, and now it seemed he had probably won.

“My wife is the Queen of Camelot, the Red Dragon Queen, the Destroyer of Vortigern.” Harunobu announced Artoria’s title: “She has seen your daughter before… well, if that Leviathan is looking for you as his father.”

Leviathan retracted its tentacles into the sea: "Perhaps, my lovely little starfish..."

"Uh, excuse me, why do you call a squid a starfish? Oh, I see."

Leviathan didn't want to pay attention to Harunobu's clumsy acting. He clearly saw that Harunobu was testing him and was answering, but he had to add an unnecessary sentence.

However, this was originally just a way for both sides to save face. Leviathan was always more anxious than Harunobu, because he needed Harunobu to break the seal, while Harunobu... to put it bluntly, he could have directly started a war with Leviathan and worn him down to death while he was still sealed.

However, that would definitely take a long time, perhaps three to five years, so Harunobu certainly didn't want to do that.

Thus, Artoria's suggestion became a convenient way to break the deadlock. As for whether the Octopus Leviathan is actually the father of the Squid Leviathan, who cares?

"So, we've struck a deal?" Qingxin extended his hand towards Leviathan, who in turn extended its smallest tentacle: "For the sake of the Lord of Camelot and my daughter, I'll clear the way for you..."

“Hmm.” Harunobu thought for a moment, then suddenly suggested, “Hey, could you part this sea? I mean…”

Before Qingxin could finish speaking, Leviathan lowered his voice and interrupted, "Moses parted the sea, right?"

Harunobu was somewhat surprised: "You..."

Leviathan interrupted again, speaking in a voice only Harunobu and he could hear: "Why do you think they sealed me here? But if you do this, will those foolish believers follow? Or do you want me to drown them for you?"

"Let them follow, let them follow." Harunobu whistled, gripping his katana tightly again: "Ready?"

"Just do your own thing." Leviathan said this last sentence and submerged into the water. Harunobu could clearly feel that beneath the seemingly calm surface of the sea, currents were actually surging.

However, it's fine as long as other people can't see it.

Harunobu glanced at the Chosen Ones hiding behind and peering in their direction, then raised his katana once more. Blood flames and black mist, even more dazzling than before, once again swirled around it, shooting straight into the sky.

With Misuru in one arm and her other hand raised, he slowly brought his katana down: "Open!"

Blood flames simmered on the sea's surface, and black mist rapidly expanded. Before the utterly astonished eyes of the chosen ones, the sea was cleaved in two by Qingxin's single strike. The seawater was clearly divided into two walls of water, and a wide underwater avenue, large enough for four carriages to travel abreast, appeared before them, leading directly to the luxurious and sacred cathedral on the horizon.

Only after Harunobu, carrying Misuruhime, rushed into the underwater avenue and disappeared from their sight did the Chosen Ones cautiously approach it. Looking at the clean, dry seabed and the various aquatic creatures swimming in the walls of water on either side, their jaws finally dropped.

"Parting the Sea... that demon was actually able to do that..."

"And that Leviathan! He actually managed to scare Leviathan away!"

"Could he be a fallen angel?"

For these "devout" Crusaders, the parting of the sea was second only to the miracle of the Resurrection. And the sheer visual impact of witnessing the ocean being parted was particularly powerful. Yet, Harunobu seemed like a demon, after all, he had destroyed the Garden of Eden and even frightened God away.

No, that's not right. Was God really scared away?

Naturally, these fanatics started patching things up. The first clever one chimed in: "That must be God's angel! God left because he has already sent down angels!"

"That's right! The previous suffering was because someone had angered God! That's why God sent angels to punish them! Those who died were all guilty!"

Soon, amidst the clamor of voices, Harunobu became known as an angel sent by God to punish sinners and save the good. Having finally convinced himself and found peace of mind, the chosen one happily embarked on the underwater highway.

Leviathan floated on the sea, looking down with pity at these blind believers.

The author says:

Author's Note: Update progress 10/30. I'm trying my best to push the plot forward and speed things up to Cao Pi, although it's still a bit far off according to the outline... Or maybe I should insert a side story ().

Chapter 534: The Primordial God

Chapter 576

The ocean wasn't as vast as expected; it only stretched to the horizon. Even though Harunobu wasn't going at full speed because he was with Misuruhime, it only took him an hour or two to reach the other side—well, that's quite a large area, otherwise it wouldn't have been able to hide a Leviathan.

On the opposite bank, there indeed stood a magnificent and luxurious cathedral, arguably the most spectacular single building Harunobu had ever seen. Its white marble shimmered in the sunlight, and its stained glass windows, adorned with gold and silver, were vibrant and colorful, depicting stories from the Bible.

Monks in divine robes moved through the sun-dappled corridors, their orderly and resounding chanting resonating throughout the spacious area, forming a grand and majestic hymn.

In the main nave of the cathedral, where the most holy monks were gathered, beneath the crucifix, a man in a white robe looked up at Harunobu. He had thick, slightly brown curly hair, bright, piercing brown eyes, and a kind, tolerant smile on his face; he appeared to be an extremely charming and approachable man.

Harunobu looked at him through the glass and saw the word "Joy" on his head.

Then the man raised his hand, and dense holy light shot out from the holy monks and from the man himself, merging into a thick pillar of light that blasted away most of the magnificent, almost perfect cathedral, heading straight for Qingxin.

Harunobu whirled around, shielding Misuruhime behind him, and simultaneously swung the katana he had hastily picked up. The power of existence, the power of impurity, and Harunobu's own magic surged forth, empowering the wind katana, Uesugi.

However, without fusing with Izanami and without time to charge up, this strike cannot be considered the complete version of the Wind Blade: Darkness. The opponent seems to have a bunch of batteries, so it's better to stick to close combat, which is my forte... Hmm, I'll use Seal to protect Misuru for now.

While dodging, Qingxin quickly formulated a battle plan, while the pillar of wind, a mixture of blood flames and black mist, collided with the pillar of light. A deafening explosion followed the shockwave, knocking down the Chosen One who was still trekking on the seabed.

But the explosion lasted for less than a few seconds. Then the pillar of light melted away as quickly as butter in a blazing fire. The pillar of wind, wreathed in blood flames and black mist, crashed to the ground, completely destroying the remaining half of the cathedral and leaving only a large crater.

Halfway through his dodge, Qingxin stopped with a strange expression, using the wind to disperse the thick smoke and dust—maybe there was no harm in the smoke, and the other side was actually pretending to be weak while actually being strong? After all, he's a god, isn't he...?

But as the smoke cleared, Harunobu clearly saw a shimmering white vortex, and the kind-looking man from before was jumping into it. Before Harunobu could do anything else, the vortex vanished instantly, along with the man.