Chapter 229: The Story Of The Walker And The Demon King, The Endpoint Of All Branches And Possibilities!
Kyoto, Onmyo-ryo headquarters.
Since Tokyo fell three years ago under the simultaneous assault of Ai Bieli, birth, aging, sickness, and death—the five sufferings—this place has become the nation’s capital and military center.
The population density outside the headquarters area is frighteningly high, making it exceptionally lively, but as soon as you approach the Onmyo-ryo headquarters, you notice the reality of guards every three steps and sentries every five.
Warrior Monks with faces covered in Iron Masks, holding Sharp Weapons, silently patrol in dense formation, while dozens of illusion-like shadows occasionally flit through the darkness.
Silent and still.
Amid such strict patrols, plaques symbolizing extremely high status hang down one by one, as a meeting that could decide the fate of tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands of people convenes.
Before the eyes of government envoys, representatives of the Three Great Families, and ancient Onmyoji Families, the Onmyo-ryo Onmyo Grand Master—an elderly man who is also a Great Onmyoji—places both hands on the table and speaks,
“During the time when the Eternal World stopped fusing with the Mortal Realm, he was our greatest threat in Kyoto.”
“Greatest threat?”
From the Onmyoji Families, a young man laughs: “No matter how great the threat, could it possibly exceed even a single Eternal World force?”
“Of course.”
The Onmyo Grand Master waves his hand.
Spiritual Power flickers, forming lines of text and clear images in midair.
“—For over three years, he has used unknown means to travel freely between the Eternal World and the Mortal Realm, launching terrorist attacks in different cities.
Because of this, it has not only caused economic losses exceeding hundreds of billions of yen, but also directly resulted in the deaths of over a thousand Supernaturals, along with countless indirect casualties.”
The young man falls silent.
The temporary conference room plunges into dead silence.
“And there’s more.”
An envoy from the government speaks, conveying words from above: “Nanjō Emi, who once belonged to the Onmyo-ryo, has openly betrayed the Mortal Realm and chosen to side with a faction in the Eternal World.”
The envoy mimics the tone from the text and says coldly,
“What a disgrace!”
“Let’s set aside Nanjō Emi for now. No matter what, one person can’t stir up much trouble.” The Minamoto Family representative speaks, tapping the table with his hand. “The key is that person, and the inexplicable nation that popped up in the Eternal World.”
“It appeared out of nowhere, grew inexplicably, and inexplicably signed non-aggression pacts with those Eternal World forces.”
The Tokugawa family representative lifts his indifferent gaze,
“Its existence has made many people harbor improper thoughts.”
The government envoy asks: “【That person】 was originally a human from the Mortal Realm, right… So, have you tried recruiting him? Or at least mediating?”
The envoy emphasizes,
“We can offer very generous terms.”
So the Onmyo Grand Master smiles: “We tried that idea over two years ago.”
Since the Onmyo Grand Master says this, it means the idea undoubtedly failed.
Completely.
“Then send a joint army to wipe him out.” The Tokugawa family representative lowers his eyes. “The old Head of the Family says 【Star】 can be lent to you.”
The Onmyo Grand Master’s face brightens slightly at first, but then he sighs repeatedly: “I thank the old Head of the Family on behalf of the Onmyo-ryo for his generosity… But if we could pinpoint his location, we would have done it long ago.”
“He seems to have precognitive abilities—every time we send small units, they get annihilated, but if we send true powerhouses, they return empty-handed.”
The Onmyo Grand Master is quite helpless,
“Even the demon forces of the Eternal World have never truly located that person or his nation.”
In the corner, the old man representing Tsuchimikado sets down the bamboo slip in his hand and speaks solemnly,
“He poses a greater threat than the Factory Owner’s combat sequence right before our eyes and must be eliminated as soon as possible.”
Everyone present looks at the blood-red, slightly black bamboo slip placed on the table, simultaneously showing solemn expressions.
Even the representatives who had been dozing off sit up straight, assuming listening postures.
Seeing this, the government envoy breathes a sigh of relief in his heart. He is about to speak when a faint female voice interrupts,
“But that person says he is doing the right thing.”
The envoy looks over and sees a woman holding a staff with a black cloth over her eyes.
The nameplate in front of her seat makes the envoy shut his mouth.
—【Onmyo Assistant·Kujo Tsubaki】.
Kujo Tsubaki says softly: “So, perhaps we can give him some more time…”
“Onmyo Assistant Kujo, you are too merciful.”
The old man interrupts her coldly, slamming his fist heavily on the table: “You must understand, we are the righteous ones—the Onmyo-ryo and the authorities!”
Kujo Tsubaki does not respond.
She simply closes her mouth calmly, no longer wasting effort.
She has never hoped the Onmyo-ryo is “right,” but she has always strived for “as right as possible.”
Now, it seems she can no longer even do that.
At this moment, someone snorts impatiently, emitting powerful Qi Barrier fluctuations: “We’ve talked so long… So, Your Excellency Grand Master, what is 【that person’s】 name?”
“—Walker.”
The Onmyo Grand Master rasps: “He appeared suddenly three years ago, but the deeper we investigate, the more we find traces of him behind events from five years ago, ten years ago, even decades or centuries ago.”
“You’re joking?”
The man who snorted earlier is stunned, his face shocked.
After all, there are hardly any old folks in the Mortal Realm over a hundred years old, let alone appearing behind major events back then.
The records say this Walker looks only in his dozens of years.
Dozens of years?
What kind of thing is he, a True God surviving from nearly two hundred years ago?
“But the good news is, a highly credible and well-informed Merchant has provided us with his location.”
The Onmyo Grand Master waves his hand again, and a map of the Eternal World appears before everyone.
He extends his finger,
“Three days from now, the Walker will appear alone here, supposedly to meet a Master Craftsman… And when the Walker leaves his nation, it will be his weakest moment.
He won’t even be able to match an ordinary Ghost God.”
“Specialist Haruhiko, seize this chance to kill him.”
The Onmyo-ryo’s Five-Star Specialist Tokugawa Haruhiko raises an eyebrow, showing rare interest.
He grins and nods: “Leave it to me.”
Even a Ghost God could do it.
For him, such a mission has no possibility of failure.
After the final instructions, Tokugawa Haruhiko pushes open the conference room door with determination and vanishes into the thick Darkness along with the Great Ninjas who had hidden in the shadows for who knows how long.
……
What revives the barely breathing Tokugawa Haruhiko is the casual conversation between a man and a woman.
“Sister Nanjo, this must be your own cooking…”
The woman feeding him sticks out her tongue: “Sorry, I was too hungry last night and couldn’t resist eating an extra bento box.”
She averts her eyes: “Actually… my cooking skills are decent, right?”
On the wooden chair, the exhausted man painfully swallows the Dark Cuisine, and after several seconds, says against his will,
“Yeah, it’s okay.”
The woman curves her lips into a smile.
When he opens his eyes, Tokugawa Haruhiko jolts awake instantly.
His eyes widen in terror, his heart nearly stopping.
He stares fixedly at the white-haired woman holding the Bento Box and Spoon.
When she meets his gaze, he involuntarily shrinks back, then realizes he is bound tightly, unable to move even a finger.
Suffocation.
Tokugawa Haruhiko will never forget that moment.
When he and those elite Great Ninjas approached the man called the Walker silently, just as they were about to succeed.
Suddenly, everyone except him loses their voices.
In an instant.
As if drowned in the shadows.
Only he is grabbed by the throat by that woman who lowers her gaze, stripped of all resistance, and yanked out of the shadows like a chick.
What happened after, Tokugawa Haruhiko feels he no longer remembers.
“From that look in your eyes, you still don’t recognize me? And your group has been chasing me for so long.”
Nanjō Emi feeds the man another bite: “I’m Nanjō Emi. You better remember that from now on… Oh wait, you probably don’t have a ‘from now on.'”
Nanjō Emi?!
Isn’t she also from the Onmyo-ryo…
How is she… so powerful…
Tokugawa Haruhiko’s pupils contract in shock, his bloodied lips trembling as he loses the ability to speak.
Seeing him like this, Nanjō Emi yawns boredly: “What, you want to kill him?”
“If I could, I’d have told you to do it already.” The man struggles to stand from the chair, sighing helplessly. “Sister Nanjo, don’t say things that give me a headache.”
“Got it, got it. I’ll put the leftover food in the insulated box for you first.”
Nanjō Emi picks up the chair and places it behind the man as he walks up to Tokugawa Haruhiko.
The man with the dusty Token hanging from his waist sits down instinctively, lowering his head and rasping,
“Long time no see.”
Tokugawa Haruhiko doesn’t speak; he truly can’t recall ever meeting the Walker before.
But when he looks up, he sees a face that still isn’t fully mature… and a pair of weathered, vicissitudinous eyes.
Calm.
As if nothing could stir waves in those eyes anymore.
Simply not the gaze of someone his age.
Behind him, the impassive-faced Nanjō Emi stands silently, staring at him with the eyes one gives a dead object.
As if reverting to her true form outside the man’s sight.
The man smiles faintly: “Your Excellency Tokugawa, I just want to ask about the current basic situation in the Mortal Realm.”
As he says, the man only asks basic matters that anyone in the Mortal Realm for a few months could learn, nothing confidential.
So Tokugawa Haruhiko answers truthfully.
Ten minutes later, the brief questioning ends.
The air is suddenly swallowed by prolonged silence.
After a long while, Shangshan Che sighs heavily: “Sister Nanjo, you’re right. We should just kill him.”
“—This world should just be destroyed after all.”
Under Tokugawa Haruhiko’s terrified gaze, Nanjō Emi casually tightens her fingers, then hesitantly asks Shangshan Che: “But will it get better afterward?”
“Who knows?”
Shangshan Che stands, waving his hand,
“Anyway, it won’t get any worse than now.”
He turns his head, smiling: “Let posterity worry about posterity.”
For now, all they can do is keep the Walker nation of equality surviving in the crevice between two neighboring “Hells.”
Nanjō Emi gazes at that slightly hunched back, recalling ten years ago in Arakawa Ward, after its Destruction by the Red Tide, when he rescued her—the first time she met him.
From that moment, she understood Shangshan Che was like her.
And inevitably, she fell for him.
Strangely, everyone and everything she loves ends up leaving her for various reasons, just differing in time.
Mafuyu, Arakawa Ward, Lili Zi, Huijue, Manatsu, Shadow Woman, Little Ru, Little Hiyori Bo…
Now, she only has Shangshan Che.
After losing everything, Nanjō Emi finally sees the true face of this world—the ugly face of the Mortal Realm and the Onmyo-ryo.
A world like this might as well be destroyed.
She thinks the same.
It’s just that she has changed, while Shangshan Che has never changed from beginning to end.
“Please let us, embracing our shared ideal, walk together to the end of the world’s Destruction…”
The Demon King says, so prays.
……
But a prayer is just a prayer after all.
Like all stories’ happy endings, the Demon King will ultimately be killed by the heroes.
Dozens of years later, the Walker nation striving to maintain basic “equality” shatters like a bubble.
The Onmyo-ryo’s Grand Master, Heads of the Family from ancient lineages, the Eternal World’s Factory Owner, Prince Shotoku, Sengoku Daimyos, even Shuten Doji ruling Mount Oe…
Countless people and demons come to subjugate the Demon King, now powerful enough to inspire fear, 【Demon King】, to kill her and this nation promised for equality between humans and demons.
Across the vast Eternal World lands, roars and bellows rise from countless people, accompanied by Spiritual Power tides reaching Heaven and Earth.
Then they fade to nothing.
Roars rise again, abruptly stop, rise again, vanish.
Repeating hundreds, thousands of times, until earth-shaking cheers echo across the land.
The Demon King is killed by the heroes.
That is the story’s ending.
On the desolate, charred ruins, a weathered middle-aged man sits on that old wooden chair.
Previously, to move the entire nation at will, Shangshan Che had deeply bound himself to it; now that the Walker nation is gone, he has lost all power.
Holding the now-dulled gray Token, Shangshan Che chuckles lightly.
Even the ability to return to history and change the future isn’t omnipotent.
Not to mention “innovation” thousands or millions of times harder—even something simple like “Destruction” is impossible.
After a long, long time, the cheers on the land end.
The heroes approach with utmost caution, carefully raising divine weapons bearing ancient names, and behold the “Mastermind” behind the Demon King.
The Ghost King with broken horns walks at the forefront, cautiously asking the now ordinary man with nothing,
“You are the Walker?”
Shangshan Che does not answer.
He just feels regretful.
With a sigh, the man smiles and presses the big red button in his hand.
The heroes saved the world.
But is such a world truly worth saving?
No answer comes; infinite light and heat consume everything.
【Branch Twenty-Seven·The Story’s Ending】
……
……
“Student Kitano! Did you watch the new episode at midnight!”
“Hey, what watch! Log in to the account quick—didn’t you see we have a million followers now!!! Lili Zi, come over and check too! Don’t forget the Potato Chips”
【Branch Forty-Two·As It Should Be】
……
“It’s time to draw your sword, Tokugawa Ririko.”
“I didn’t think things would come to this.”
……
“Demon Guide Association President Shangshan Che, do you have anything left to say?”
……
“The forging hammer is the Master Craftsman’s Token of Love—here, for you now!”
……
“This is the scenery the world under heaven can see—truly spectacular.”
“Che, will you share this under heaven with me?”
……
……
Countless possibilities, countless options, countless branches extend in an instant, branching into hundreds, thousands, tens of thousands… countless Shangshan Ches.
Countless Shangshan Ches immerse in worlds indistinguishable from reality, experiencing countless lives.
The Shangshan Che who becomes Demon Guide Association President, the one who rules the world, the one who lives ordinarily, the shut-in, the winner of the world’s top martial tournament, the one with three wives…
His originally Clear Mirror-like, unpolished state of mind undergoes millions of refinements in the fleeting passage of time, becoming indestructible.
So-called Hundred Refinements can no longer measure this heart’s Clear Mirror, not even its “blank” yet found.
Endless branches extend aimlessly through the myriad phenomena, extending, extending, as if reaching for the end of world and possibility.
Until finally, they abruptly stop.
No more extension, no more Update.
As if forcibly blocked by some external force.
Crossing the immeasurably vast Distance among them, it arrives in an instant at the endpoint of all branches and possibilities.
