Chapter 128: The Magatsu-kami In Myth, How Could It Be You!?
Something was about to awaken in the vast plaza of the Walking Assembly.
Shangshan Che’s scalp tingled slightly. Even without seeing or hearing, his intuition—or rather, his primal instincts as a living being—warned him.
Was it because the fluctuation of spiritual power he had just input into the Assembly Token had been detected?
Or was it because his arrival had disrupted some existing rules within the Walking Assembly?
Never mind, those things weren’t important for now.
What was important was to quickly find a shrine and light it.
Shangshan Che gasped with some difficulty. As time ticked by, he could feel his neck becoming increasingly constricted.
—The mere precursor to awakening was enough to make him struggle for breath. What would happen if it fully awakened?
Shangshan Che’s pupils rapidly scanned every inch of the walls and floor in his vision, but he could only see one dim, broken shrine after another.
Even when he touched them with his fingers, there was no effect whatsoever.
“Is this the ‘Yellow Blessing’ mentioned in the divine fortune stick cylinder?”
As if breaking through some shackle, a suffocating aura emanated from the center of the plaza. Shangshan Che trembled all over, crushed to his knees by the terrifying presence.
Boom!
Shangshan Che’s knees hit the ground, cracking the stone slabs beneath him and causing them to buckle.
Then, through the dust, he saw a dark shrine corner emerging from the cracked stone.
Shangshan Che’s face twitched. The Corona Qi within him roared, and he touched the corner of the nearby shrine with his finger as quickly as possible.
【You have lit the shrine of the lost Walking Assembly.】
A dense aura of death suddenly lingered behind Shangshan Che, and the oppressive aura that had made it hard to breathe instantly vanished without a trace.
The moment the shrine was lit, the entire Walking Assembly instantly returned to the peace and deathly silence it had when he first entered.
Shangshan Che lay on the ground, panting heavily. His brow twitched violently, and he finally understood the meaning of the 【Yellow Blessing】 on the divine fortune stick.
—It doesn’t matter if you can’t find the shrine; the shrine will come to you.
“So, if I had drawn a 【Minor Blessing】 divine fortune stick when I entered, would something major have happened…”
Shangshan Che had an inexplicable feeling—perhaps dying in the Walking Assembly wouldn’t be as consequence-free as dying in the Eternal World.
Although it was a strange premonition, it had never appeared before he entered the Walking Assembly.
*Pat.*
Shangshan Che’s pupils contracted.
Footsteps?
How could there be footsteps?
Someone was behind him?
But how could there be someone in the empty Walking Assembly…
Shangshan Che paused for a moment, then his mind caught up.
—It was the thing that was awakening.
But don’t be nervous.
Shangshan Che gazed at the glowing shrine in the stone crack, carefully cupping it with both hands.
—Since the blood-colored prompt no longer appeared after lighting the shrine, and his premonition of death had completely dissipated, it meant there wouldn’t be any problems.
Shangshan Che held his breath and turned to look behind him, still holding the shrine.
“Huh?”
He hadn’t expected that behind him there wouldn’t be a grotesquely twisted demon or monster, nor had he expected that the entity that had just exuded such a terrifying pressure would actually be…
A little girl?
In Shangshan Che’s line of sight, a white-haired girl wearing a snow-white hooded robe, who was less than half his height, drooped her head listlessly, lost in thought.
If one looked a little closer, one could see that the girl’s exposed skin was covered in wriggling crimson incantations.
Those incantations seemed to possess vitality as they flowed and pulsed on the girl’s body, ferocious and terrifying.
Perhaps it was because she was illuminated by the faint light of the shrine, or perhaps a significant amount of time had passed, but the girl’s vacant expression slowly faded, and her eyes, once like a pool of dead water, finally gained life.
She looked up, her gaze fixed on Shangshan Che—or more precisely, on the shrine Shangshan Che held and the Walker Token at his waist.
Shangshan Che stood still, not daring to speak or move.
Although that suffocating aura was gone, his intuition told him with absolute certainty that the white-haired girl before him was the source of that aura.
The girl, perhaps, was merely its physical form and appearance.
After a long while, a faint light flickered in the depths of the girl’s eyes.
She spoke in a slightly stuttered and hoarse voice, “Eternal… Eternal Walker… hello.”
“I… I am… Magatsu-kami.”
The moment Shangshan Che heard these three words, he forgot to breathe. Then, a black question mark appeared above the girl’s head.
—【Magatsu-kami（???）】.
Shangshan Che’s mind was filled with a barrage of question marks, but he replied with a blank expression, “Hello.”
“What… year is it now?”
After just two sentences, Magatsu-kami’s language ability seemed to have recovered considerably.
Shangshan Che thought for a moment before replying, “2024 AD.”
As for what AD meant, and how many years each of the previous historical eras corresponded to, he planned to explain it bit by bit.
However, he hadn’t expected Magatsu-kami to seem to be familiar with the Gregorian calendar.
“2024.”
Magatsu-kami repeated the number, then lowered her eyes.
So, that much time had passed again.
“Welcome back, Eternal Walker.”
Magatsu-kami bowed slightly to him, “I apologize for earlier. During my long slumber, my self and consciousness were nearly worn away into nothingness…”
She extended her hand and picked up the shrine from Shangshan Che’s embrace,
“Fortunately, you lit the shrine in time and called me back at the last moment. Had you been any slower, perhaps the concept of 【Magatsu-kami】 would have vanished into nothingness.”
No wonder the prompt told me to hurry and light the shrine.
Shangshan Che’s mouth twitched. If this Magatsu-kami, with three question marks hovering above her head, were to lose control and go berserk, this entire map of the Walking Assembly would essentially be rendered useless.
“Eternal Walker, please follow me.”
Magatsu-kami held the shrine with both hands and walked towards the long staircase, “I assume you have many questions in your heart. We can talk as we go.”
Shangshan Che followed behind her.
After a brief silence, Magatsu-kami slowly spoke, “The Walking Assembly is a special space where many Walkers and Eternal Walkers gather to communicate, rest, or receive decrees from the great Lord of the Eternal World.”
“My mission is to accurately and truthfully convey that Lord’s commands to the Walkers, maintain order in the Walking Assembly, and at the same time protect it from external influence and destruction.”
“Of course, all of this was a very, very long time ago.”
Magatsu-kami sighed slightly, “Ever since that Lord suddenly disappeared, the rate of death and injury among Walkers has increased by several orders of magnitude, and fewer and fewer Walkers can enter the Walking Assembly.”
“Until the Mortal Realm and the Eternal World separated, and no one could enter anymore.”
“Since then, you are the first Eternal Walker to enter here, and perhaps the last.”
Her voice was clear and calm, her tone devoid of any emotion, as if she were merely an indifferent observer.
Magatsu-kami asked, “So, if you don’t mind, Eternal Walker, could you tell me your name and surname?”
Shangshan Che answered truthfully.
“Shangshan… Che. I remember.”
Following Magatsu-kami for a long time, they passed hundreds of steps and arrived at the vast circular plaza at the very bottom.
The plaza was empty, but there were passages at the edges leading to unknown places.
Magatsu-kami placed Shangshan Che’s shrine on a pillar next to a small blood-colored altar. She said faintly, “Until I die, your shrine will not be harmed in any way.”
Shangshan Che opened his mouth, having a jumble of questions he wanted to ask.
But in the end, he first said, “Thank you.”
Magatsu-kami shook her head and opened her small, jade-white hand.
The next moment, a faint white light flashed above her palm, and a bone-like key fell into Magatsu-kami’s hand.
“This is the Key of History.”
Magatsu-kami extended her hand towards him, handing over the bone-like key, “Before that Lord disappeared, they instructed me to give this Key of History to 【the first Eternal Walker seen after a long slumber】.”
She released her hand, letting the Key of History fall into Shangshan Che’s hand,
“It seems it is you.”
A prompt appeared—
【You have obtained the Key of History（ Special Item）!】
Shangshan Che saw that the words “Key of History” were a vivid scarlet, like the mythical material Dissolving Love, and took a deep breath, his hand holding the key trembling slightly.
【Key of History（ Special Item）】
【Effect: Upon use, you will enter the era specified by the Key of History.】
【—???】
【Note 1: Usable only in the Eternal World.】
【Note 2: Currently unusable.】
Unfortunately, the method of use and the effects of the Key of History were somewhat obscure and impressive.
Seeing his expression, Magatsu-kami added, “Don’t worry, this 【Key of History】 isn’t particularly precious. Many Eternal Walkers have used it more than once in the past.”
A Mythical-grade item that isn’t particularly precious?
Shangshan Che nodded silently, put the Key of History into his Storage Bag, and then saw the small Magatsu-kami in front of him showing an apologetic expression,
“Walker Shangshan, other than personally giving you this Key of History, I cannot offer you any further assistance.”
Magatsu-kami looked out at the plaza and the many broken shrines beside the endless stairs, her eyes drooping with disappointment,
“Currently, I am struggling even to maintain my own existence, so I don’t even have the energy to grant you basic blessings. I apologize.”
“Your Excellency Magatsu-kami, there is no need to blame yourself.”
Shangshan Che shook his head, “If you hadn’t been here, the Walking Assembly might have already disappeared.”
“Thank you.”
Magatsu-kami pursed her lips and sat on the small blood-colored altar, the crimson incantations on her skin glowing with a terrifying radiance.
A sense of dread, far more terrifying than the previous aura, slowly emanated from her, causing the hairs on Shangshan Che’s body to stand on end.
If he stayed any longer, something inauspicious was bound to happen.
“Walker Shangshan of the Eternal World, if you have nothing else, please return. For at least seven days, do not casually enter the Walking Assembly.”
Shangshan Che understood that whatever was about to happen in the Walking Assembly was no longer something he could witness intact.
…
In the Dojo, Shangshan Che opened his eyes.
“Hoo…”
Shangshan Che exhaled heavily. He touched his back and found it completely soaked in cold sweat.
It seemed the pressure he felt when facing Magatsu-kami was extraordinarily intense.
This was also normal.
Magatsu-kami was a god of misfortune and disaster from myth and legend, also known as “Otsumatsuhime no Mikoto.”
It was said that Magatsu-kami was born from the “filth” that clung to Izanagi-no-Mikoto, the “father of gods” in mythology, during a purification ritual.
Her existence symbolized the personification of human sin and worldly disasters.
She was, without a doubt, a genuine deity of the Age of Gods, and moreover, a deity representing disaster.
Therefore, even though Magatsu-kami’s appearance was harmless, and her actions and words clearly indicated she was an ally, Shangshan Che still felt an involuntary nervousness.
It was like an ordinary human standing before a trained African elephant.
Even knowing that a 99% chance existed that the elephant wouldn’t attack, one would still worry about the less than 1% possibility.
It was simply due to the overwhelming difference in power.
Sitting in place, listening to Lili Zi still practicing with her Zan Maru, Shangshan Che organized his thoughts.
This time entering the Walking Assembly, although many new questions arose, and there were several he didn’t have time to ask Magatsu-kami.
On the other hand, Shangshan Che obtained some information that would have been impossible to acquire elsewhere.
Firstly, the number of Walkers, whether in the Eternal World or the Mortal Realm, should be very small, and he might be the only one left alive who obtained an Assembly Token.
“But Magatsu-kami kept calling me an Eternal Walker. Does the inclusion of ‘Eternal’ make a fundamental difference?”
Shangshan Che noted this question, planning to ask it the next time he entered the Walking Assembly.
Secondly, although the Walkers and the Walking Assembly seemed to be in decline, their background appeared to be frighteningly vast.
This was evident from the fact that a deity like Magatsu-kami, who represented sin and disaster, was guarding the Walking Assembly.
Moreover, Walkers seemed to be an organization belonging to the former Lord of the Eternal World—Magatsu-kami’s previous words hinted at this.
Unfortunately, the former Lord of the Eternal World had long since disappeared, and Magatsu-kami was greatly troubled by an unknown force, preventing him from entering the Walking Assembly at will.
Otherwise, the Walking Assembly could have served as a super Safe House—Shangshan Che could have escaped into it whenever he encountered insurmountable danger.
“What a shame.”
Shangshan Che sighed slightly and took out his Bamboo Sword from his Storage Bag.
At the same time, he used Soul Incense Ash（Small） on himself.
Instantly, the surrounding world became incredibly clear. Even if Shangshan Che closed his eyes now, he could perfectly map out the entire Villa in his mind through hearing.
This included Lili Zi, who was sweating profusely, and Adult Nishaku, who was humming while taking a bath underground.
However, the strange thoughts that had emerged last time, as if he had eaten mushrooms, did not reappear this time.
“It seems that after my Willpower Attribute reached 31 points, using Soul Incense Ash（Small） is no longer a problem.”
Shangshan Che stood up, tiptoed, held his breath, and walked behind Lili Zi, swinging his Bamboo Sword at her.
*Clang!*
The two Bamboo Swords met.
Shangshan Che stared at Lili Zi, whose chest was heaving, and praised, “Good reflexes.”
“You underestimate me too much, Shangshan Jun!”
Lili Zi strained with both hands, managing to force the bamboo sword open with considerable effort.
Glancing at Samurai Zantetsumaru, which was still shaking slightly, Shangshan Che took two steps back and asked, “How about we wait until you’ve rested?”
“No need.”
Lili Zi charged forward, brandishing the bamboo sword.
“—I want to see just how far you can push my potential and limits!”
…
Forty minutes later.
Two-Foot Adult, having happily prepared the hot spring, was on her way to the dojo on the first floor, eager to report how wonderful the hot spring was to Shangshan Che.
However, after stepping out of the stairwell, Two-Foot Adult’s expression involuntarily froze.
Because in the center of the dojo, a man and a woman, their clothes in disarray, were grappling and wrestling on the ground, their labored breaths causing sweat to drip onto each other.
“Shangshan Jun… I didn’t expect your jujutsu skills to be quite good!”
Amidst the grappling, Shangshan Che, controlling his strength, glanced at the proficiency progress bar and asked, “When practicing ground techniques, the breathing technique seems to improve faster than usual.”
Since Lili Zi’s arms were already weak from swinging the Samurai Zantetsumaru too many times earlier, she, still not satisfied, requested to practice ground techniques.
Shangshan Che readily agreed.
Generally speaking, it was very rare for a swordsman to discard their sword and subdue an enemy using ground techniques—therefore, even though Natural Reason School included jujutsu, few people practiced it on a daily basis.
But for Shangshan Che, slacking off while the effect of the Soul Incense Ash hadn’t worn off yet would be a serious waste of time.
And this jujutsu training with Lili Zi also brought a small surprise—aside from the proficiency of Natural Reason School remaining almost unchanged, the proficiency growth for Corona Breathing Technique and Five Thunder Technique: Ki-Aiko had both accelerated.
If these latter two skills urgently needed breakthroughs in the future, a lot of jujutsu training could be employed…
—Two-Foot Adult, however, did not think so.
She felt as though her teeth were grinding together in silence.
That flat-chested airport, who knew how much she had taken advantage of Che Adult during this time.
Huffing angrily.
Although she inwardly wanted to punch Lili Zi away, outwardly Two-Foot Adult maintained a smile, sitting quietly to the side without saying an extra word.
It wasn’t until the effect of the Soul Incense Ash wore off that their jujutsu training came to an end.
【Your skill, Natural Reason School proficiency +61!】
【Your skill, Corona Breathing Technique proficiency +166!】
【Your skill, Five Thunder Technique: Ki-Aiko proficiency +189!】
Lili Zi slowly crawled to the side to drink water.
Shangshan Che, exhausted, lay sprawled on the ground like a “great” character, his head tilted back as he scanned his several skills.
Among them, Spirit Control Technique and Five Thunder Technique were both on the verge of advancing to the next level.
【Spirit Control Technique（Proficiency 442/600）】
【Five Thunder Technique: Ki-Aiko（Beginner 494/500）】
“Before the next time I enter Kisaragi Station, I’ll max out the remaining proficiency for these two skills.”
Shangshan Che made this decision.
After all, the next time he entered Kisaragi Station, he would likely clear it in one go, and he might also encounter the Snow Woman.
Therefore, it was very necessary to complete the preparations before then.
Just as his thoughts finished flowing, Shangshan Che realized Two-Foot Adult’s qi suddenly appeared not far away.
—Are these two going to start quarreling again?
Shangshan Che quickly turned his head, only to be surprised to see Two-Foot Adult smiling as she unscrewed a water cup and handed it to Lili Zi.
Lili Zi accepted the water cup noncommittally, thanked her, and began to drink.
A harmonious atmosphere existed between the two.
What in the world is going on?
Did the sun rise in the west?
It couldn’t be that Two-Foot Adult had put something strange in the water in that cup.
Shangshan Che thought sneakily, not believing his Shikigami would be so kind.
But what happened next continuously exceeded Shangshan Che’s expectations.
Two-Foot Adult handed Lili Zi a towel, Two-Foot Adult refilled Lili Zi’s cup with water… In short, Two-Foot Adult’s relationship with Lili Zi seemed to have suddenly improved.
Shangshan Che didn’t understand but was greatly shocked.
Lili Zi didn’t quite understand either, but since Two-Foot Adult was Shangshan Che’s Shikigami, and she seemed to have awakened, no longer taunting her like a Tsundere, she didn’t mind getting along harmoniously with her.
Two-Foot Adult took in both of their expressions and reactions, happily giving herself a mental thumbs-up.
Plan successful √.
So, the “social skills” and “dark psychology” she watched with Nure-onna and the others in the van a few days ago were actually useful!
Hehe, mere Che Adult and the airport will honestly be enveloped by my gentle embrace!
This time, Two-Foot Adult is victorious!
However, this relaxed and pleasant atmosphere didn’t last long before it was shattered by a doorbell.
The electronic screen hanging at the doorway displayed the scene outside the gate.
Lili Zi, leaning back to regain her strength, looked up and frowned, “Tokugawa Haruhiko?”
In the image, Tokugawa Haruhiko was wearing formal attire, maintaining a smile, and seemed to be holding something.
A moment later, Tokugawa Haruhiko’s voice could be heard from afar: “Fifth Sister! I know you’re home! But this time, I’m just passing a message from Great-Grandfather and running an errand.”
“You can ignore me, but Great-Grandfather has already given the order. The outcome will be the same whether you know it or not.”
On the screen, Tokugawa Haruhiko shook the envelope sealed with wax.
But she just sat there, closed her eyes, showing no intention of getting up to open the door.
Shangshan Che thought for a moment, stood up, and walked towards the doorway.
Just as he reached the villa entrance, Lili Zi called out loudly, “Shangshan Jun!”
After a pause, the girl said,
“Just let him bring the thing and leave, there’s no need to open the door.”
Shangshan Che paid no attention.
He pushed open the villa door, walked through the pathway in the courtyard, opened the iron gate, and temporarily dispelled the barrier that provided visual concealment.
Their eyes met.
Tokugawa Haruhiko, standing outside the gate, was stunned.
He turned his head, looking at the house number hanging nearby several times, confirming he had the wrong address.
In the silence, Tokugawa Haruhiko stared at Shangshan Che, who stood before him with a calm expression, drenched in sweat, seemingly having just finished a great battle, and said with bewilderment and shock,
“How could it be you!?”
My condition isn’t great today, and Volume 2 is nearing its end. I’ve been thinking a lot, so today’s update is only 6k.
But it’s okay, I’ll make up for it tomorrow!
Please vote with your monthly tickets and set up automatic subscriptions!
