Chapter 93: Iaijutsu Kuidomae Batsotsu, Tide And The Restless Ones
Silence.
Shangshan Che’s voice sounded exceptionally clear on streets devoid of demons, yet the courtyard remained utterly silent; even after he waited one or two minutes, no one came to open the door.
He looked down again at the cracked Walker token in his hand and saw that it was indeed still glowing.
He hadn’t knocked on the wrong door.
“So, the courtyard master is unwilling to open the door?”
As expected, this Walker promotion task wasn’t as easy as he’d imagined.
It turned out the task description had played a simple hidden information word game with him.
That is, the goal was to deliver the token to the swordsman, but it didn’t say whether the swordsman would be willing to accept it.
Shangshan Che waited a bit longer but didn’t knock or call out pointlessly again—this would only make the already slim chance of the courtyard master opening the door even more remote.
It might even anger the other party, who could rush out and chop both the token and him with one swing, directly causing task failure.
Shangshan Che walked away silently.
—Troublesome. Did he need to first investigate the courtyard master’s identity before tailoring an approach?
Putting the token away for now, Shangshan Che added identifying the courtyard master’s identity to his to-do list.
But the top priority was still to find more easy-to-handle minibosses to farm Soul Ash, like wandering samurai who would charge in even against enemies stronger than themselves.
Yet even two or three hundred meters from the courtyard’s influence range, Shangshan Che still hadn’t spotted any such demons.
He had seen powerful demons like Jorōgumo and Cong Yuan Huo more than once, but charging at them would just be sending his head on a platter with no other choice.
“How about trying to dismiss the incarnation to fish?”
Shangshan Che thought of it and acted.
He reverted to a blank Living Soul, then stowed his hooded coat and Kaga Kiyomitsu, striding openly down the intersecting streets in the irresistibly tasty state of a Living Soul.
Of course, sensing powerful demons, Shangshan Che would still dodge promptly…
Here they come.
Shangshan Che’s eyes narrowed as he heard several splashes of feet stepping in muddy water.
The sounds were staggered and loud, utterly lacking discipline or basics, as if afraid no one would hear.
“So, Restless Ones?”
He turned to look and saw three ragged Restless Ones charging out from behind a Gassho-zukuri house.
Two Half-Star, one One-Star.
And they weren’t even holding sharp weapons; the two Half-Stars clutched damp wooden sticks, while the One-Star held a curled piece of armor.
“What a sorry sight…”
Shangshan Che smacked his lips; no wonder these three hid in the house, only rushing out in a frenzy when they spotted him, this “unarmed” plump sheep passing by.
With this setup, any wandering samurai could three-kill them without a scratch.
“Still, let’s first try if I can get some useful info from them.” Shangshan Che gripped the suddenly appearing Kaga Kiyomitsu. “Unlikely, but if I learn anything about the courtyard master, it’d be a huge win.”
Using his breathing technique, he spoke in a deep voice: “Hey, you three.”
“Hm!?”
The three Restless Ones jolted, and instantly, greedy, deranged grins spread across their gaunt faces.
“Living Soul! A lost Living Soul!”
“Hee hee, and one with self-awareness too—eating this one should keep us alive for months… ah, reminds me of that kid a few weeks back; kids taste so fresh.”
“Less talk, strip him and suck his soul dry!”
Drool dripped from the One-Star Restless One’s mouth as his skeletal face burst with unprecedented hunger: “Don’t run! Don’t run! Let me savor your tender flesh, little morsel!”
So he was already seen as meat on the plate.
Shangshan Che wordlessly glanced past their faces, frowning at the intense desire spewing from them.
In their state of bursting desire, his hand blade in Hannya incarnation might even rival Kaga Kiyomitsu’s sharpness.
How could he communicate like this?
He recalled the previous two groups of Restless Ones charging at powerful demons too; they probably grew bolder with numbers.
With only three now, they only dared target a “frail” Living Soul like him.
“A pack of mad dogs.”
Abandoning the idea of talking, Shangshan Che shook his head and transformed into Hannya before their eyes.
Instantly, the Restless Ones who glimpsed Ghost God’s Appearance fell into profound shock, frozen in place.
Shangshan Che paused; this was the first time a same-star demon had stiffened up just from seeing his face.
These Restless Ones were way too weak.
Were these the “refugees” of the Eternal World?
That explained their earlier cries of eating people and suicidal charges at demons.
They were all starving to death otherwise.
Who knew how many Living Souls like him they’d devoured on the run…
After a full dozen seconds, the One-Star Restless One showed signs of stirring.
But his first words upon waking were a twisted shout: “Eat you! Eat you eat you! Eating you will let me live!”
Shangshan Che’s impulse to question was thoroughly quashed again.
He tsked irritably and swung Kaga Kiyomitsu.
Three heads etched with greed and ferocity hit the ground.
Prompt appeared—
【You killed Half-Star Grudge “Restless One” ×2, gained 17 Soul Ash!】
【You killed One-Star Grudge “Restless One”, gained 21 Soul Ash!】
The shortest prompt ever lingered before Shangshan Che; he twitched his mouth but said nothing more.
Could only say the drops matched their strength—yielding Soul Ash was already better than those imps.
But Shangshan Che suddenly thought of something.
—There were so many Restless Ones; he’d seen three or four groups just on his way, and they loved initiating attacks.
So why hadn’t he noticed them on his previous visits to Edo Castle?
“Is this a phenomenon of the Eternal World, or related to the First Wave?”
The former was manageable, but if the latter…
With their average low strength and vast numbers, the intensifying tides could easily sweep batches into the Mortal Realm over time.
And one more thing—Shangshan Che sensed almost no demon Qi from them; only seeing them confirmed they weren’t alive.
If they arrived, the already overwhelmed Special Affairs Office would be in utter chaos.
“Time of troubles…”
Good thing he’d spotted this early; telling Sister Nanjo would let the Special Affairs Office prepare.
Splash.
Footsteps in muddy water came from behind.
“Hm!?”
Shangshan Che whipped around—how had he only noticed when the footsteps were right on his back!?
“—A Hannya, huh, Hannya.”
A frivolous, thick voice came from behind; the white-eyed braided giant chuckled, slinging his over-two-meter naginata on his shoulder. “But your Hannya seems different from the usual kind.”
Shangshan Che met his gaze and saw the giant utterly unaffected by his Ghost God’s Might.
Very strong.
Even without clashing, his stance and tiniest movements showed this white-eyed giant was far stronger than him.
A samurai in Edo Castle, casually in cloth garb wandering about, and much stronger than him—
【Wax Figure（Three-and-a-half Star）】
The tag above his head confirmed Shangshan Che’s thought.
His hand rested on the hilt: “Your Excellency, you are the Wax Figure?”
“Oh oh! A talking Hannya, that’s rare!” The one named Wax Figure exaggeratedly splayed his fingers, clawing at the air.
Wax Figure grinned: “Bringing your rare head back should surprise the boss too.”
Looks like running wasn’t an option.
But he didn’t mind me knowing his name—simple carelessness, or were they already infamous?
Shangshan Che met him without flinching, cold-humming: “The one standing here is merely a clone I use to scout Edo Castle. Mister Wax Figure, think carefully about the consequences before acting against me.”
But instead of wariness, Wax Figure licked his lips excitedly: “Clone? Fun, fun.”
He slowly raised his naginata, voice thrilled: “If I kill you here, will your main body come hunt me? Oh, I’m so scared…”
“Just kidding.”
Wax Figure schooled his face, aiming the rain-slicked blade tip at Shangshan Che: “If the main body’s Ghost God level, then come find this lord.”
“—This lord’s been itching to clash with a Ghost God!”
The massive naginata fell with his ecstatic words, filling Shangshan Che’s vision like a setting moon.
Couldn’t dodge, no matter what.
His instincts screamed this, making him abandon any thought of retreating to regroup.
Surging hot airflow erupted from mouth and nose, pushing his body to peak in an instant.
Corona Breathing Technique, Fifth Form!
Wrist turned, gripped the hilt tight.
Drew.
The moon-cold blade slid from the scabbard, smashing the naginata’s mid-blade hard before it reached his neck, halting it dead.
Striking first after the enemy!
—Natural Reason School Iaijutsu: Trailblazer Draw Strike!
“Fine swordsmanship!”
Wax Figure’s palms shook, praising freely: “But alas, that power’s too weak for this lord!”
He stomped forward, brute-forcing Kaga Kiyomitsu’s blade aside with overwhelming force, then slashed down while Shangshan Che’s new strength hadn’t formed!
The naginata cleaved through Hannya like butter, nearly bisecting Shangshan Che in one stroke.
Wax Figure whistled easily, flicking hot blood from the naginata and slinging it back on his shoulder.
“Oh? The corpse vanished… so the Hannya wasn’t lying.”
Staring at Shangshan Che, who dissolved after falling, Wax Figure grinned involuntarily.
“The days ahead might not be so boring.”
……
“Cough, cough!”
Shangshan Che opened his eyes on the bed, touching his intact chest and abdomen, exhaling faintly.
With Afterimage stabilizing his spirit, death’s mental toll was indeed much lighter.
Back then, that guts-exploding Brand New Way of Death would’ve needed five or six minutes to recover from.
Now, just seconds to calm down.
Closing his eyes to replay the clash with Wax Figure, Shangshan Che couldn’t help a slight smile.
He remembered the first two times, whether facing Fang Xiang Shi or White Bone, he’d been beheaded helplessly.
This time, he’d drawn and clashed with Three-and-a-half Star Wax Figure—even after the enemy struck first.
Though Laughing Hannya’s star rating hadn’t changed, Shangshan Che knew he’d grown far stronger.
“But… not enough yet…”
Among Three-and-a-half Stars, Ai Bieli would be stronger and more unpredictable than Wax Figure.
He needed to draw the Three-tailed Fox incarnation soon too.
Shangshan Che checked his Soul Ash reserves—700 whole and spare.
Still 800 short for the Armguards and another ten-pull, even selling the Ox Demon’s Fangs and samurai sleeves; at least 700 more needed.
Bottom line, Soul Ash shortage.
But today’s two Eternal World explorations were used up.
Shangshan Che wasn’t sleepy now; the clash with Wax Figure lingered vividly in his mind.
In that case, better to call Sister Nanjo for some commissions.
Considering Shizuma Mafuyu’s deep dark circles today, Shangshan Che didn’t call her.
He called Nanjo Emi; it connected before he could hit speaker.
Shangshan Che checked the time.
2 a.m.
Nanjo Emi’s weary voice came: “Working overtime. State your business or begone.”
Shangshan Che: “Sister Nanjo, got any supernatural commissions? You must have piles of backed-up cases.”
Silence for two seconds, then Nanjo Emi’s near-frantic voice: “Dozens call the police station daily claiming supernatural events, but less than a tenth are real! I’m done—can’t ignore them, but handling all lacks manpower!”
“Can’t have police screen for authenticity first?”
Nanjo Emi sighed: “Other junior officers do… but against slightly strong demons, they’d die. Why make it hard for workers?”
Shangshan Che helplessly: “Sister Nanjo, you’re too soft. The First Wave’s coming soon; they’ll face demons eventually.”
A lighter click from the other end—Nanjo Emi lighting a cigarette, it seemed.
“Maybe.” She said dully.
Shangshan Che paused, then continued: “Handily, I’ve got something to tell you.”
But before he could share the Restless Ones intel, threatening roars came from the balcony.
“What is it?” Nanjo Emi asked.
Shangshan Che didn’t reply, muting the phone and quietly peeking from the window.
His brow twitched.
Two ragged Restless Ones stood on his balcony, facing off against the faceless Old Man Ghost.
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