Chapter 901: Miss Suzuka Is Perplexed
A fortress stood tall, nesting on the perilous mountain path.
Built firmly at the pass, with thick logs set up one by one, tightly bound together, forming a lofty fence. Beneath it was a foundation that rose from the ground, made from heavy, enormous earthen bricks stacked together, showcasing a primitive and rugged scenery.
It appeared to be an impregnable stronghold...
Yet, it was merely an appearance.
Perhaps for this era of cold weapons, it indeed presented a formidable barrier, but the guarding army faced opponents that were not human, but non-human.
Though the opponent also used cold weapons, the sword held in their hand, along with the two swords floating on either side, were celestial treasure swords named "Great Communication," "Small Communication," and "Manifest Communication," collectively known as the Three Bright Swords.
As a Ghost God with Great Divine Powers, it is said that Ootakemaru would be immortal just by possessing the Three Bright Swords, able to recover from damage independently. He could freely utilize the swords to provoke celestial phenomena with corresponding attribute energies, unleashing storms, hail, and lightning fire at will.
Like a walking natural disaster, a humanoid terminal of meteorological weapons...
And the sum of these attributes—
Even in the modern world of the twenty-first century, such a monster could not be easily dealt with.
Let alone the present era, where the hastily assembled demon-exorcising army was directly slaughtered without any suspense. After all, relying on a mortal army to combat beings capable of traversing the skies, moving mountains, and filling seas was always a pipe dream.
No mention of the "thirty thousand strong army"; even if thirty thousand came, they would be utterly annihilated.
Moreover...
Which completely contradicts the historical record of "thirty thousand strong army"; the Great Wa Government could not even deploy this many men at the time. Even with a swift official response addressing the haunting incident at Suzuka Sando, only fewer than ten thousand troops could be sent.
However, this handful of numbers was entirely insufficient to fill the gaps in the enemy’s teeth.
Only in later records does it boast of "thirty thousand strong army," which is indeed somewhat helpless... especially tragic for the soldiers who went to war.
"..."
"..."
All screams, wails, pleas, all manner of noisy clamors ceased, with no trace of movement remaining, even the last remnants of moans disappeared.
The night wind continued to blow, bringing with it an exceptionally intense stench of blood.
In front of the fortress’s gate lay a remarkably brutal battlefield, with countless corpses strewn across, broken swords and shattered halberds scattered like debris, severed limbs and bloody flesh flying about, fragments of human tissue everywhere, including limbs, organs, and fluids, indicating the savage battering endured before death.
—No, perhaps the attacks weren’t excessively brutal.
—But the enemy’s overwhelming power made them appear utterly ruthless and vicious.
After all, a mere punch from the opponent could pulverize a body, a light brush could render a whole person into mince, making the fight scene terrifyingly horrifying... Yet, fundamentally, the opponent harbored no intent to massacre, merely attacked casually.
This side was too fragile, collapsing like a construction block with each touch, though a plain execution, it resembled a massacre in special effects...
"Even if gathering the power of thousands, mortals remain weak..."
Like a Ghost God, the towering figure seated on a pile of disassembled bodies expressed such mocking words coldly, clutching a helmet in his hand.
The helmet appeared refined, part of an exquisite armor suit, yet now tainted with grime and blood, slightly dented, showing some deformation. It belonged to the General of Expedition, meaning the fate met signaled this general was no different from the other soldiers—
Gone swiftly...
There should have been no pain.
Yet every cloud has a silver lining; losing life might mean winning in history for this guy...
This general, who perished instantly after the battle commenced, Sakagami Tanmura Maro, would be honored as a Martial God-like figure in historical accounts. Stories passed down by later generations would record his heroics, fame, and leading an unsuccessful three-month siege against the Ghost God...
Listen! Listen!
—An unsuccessful three-month siege against the Ghost God!
Although not overly dramatized, directly stating how he punched Ootakemaru, his shock settling Suzuka Mountain’s chaos to an extent, through this depiction nearly battling Ootakemaru to a stand-off, it was an official conclusion of an evenly matched peerless martial might.
Essentially a pinnacle of life!
Though for the grimly slain Sakagami Tanmura Maro himself, it probably meant nothing.
Much like the solitary seated Ootakemaru amidst the sea of corpses, he could not distinguish which body parts, intertwined internal organs, belonged to which corpse, nor who they were in life.
This Big Ghost truly embodied a belief in equality for all, a genuine advocate of equal rights—
Whether generals or soldiers, Ootakemaru regarded them with equality, paying no heed to their statuses, positions, reputations, among other factors, viewing them as indistinguishable.
He lacked patience to distinguish the army or remember the leaders’ names, simply guiding the Three Bright Swords back and forth, swiftly striking like engaging a meat grinder, exterminating the opponent’s army in a blink.
He didn’t even require any attribute power, merely the Three Bright Swords’ remote control and physical slashing sufficed for such an overwhelming slaughter.
"Heh..."
With a sneer, the Ghost God casually discarded the helmet and rose from the mountain of corpses and pool of blood.
The mighty figure stood over ten feet tall, muscles bulging, along with a purple leathery tough complexion resembling a statute carved from huge amethyst, lines imbued with power, embodying a refined essence of flesh, without any surplus.
Standing before such a giant instills a sense of awe.
Even though Ootakemaru, after transforming into the Desolate Soul form, is somewhat taller, the height increase is still limited. He’s over three meters tall now, but he was already over two meters before... So, where did the villagers get the audacity to cruelly treat such a fierce person?
It seems they’ve lost their sense of reverence...
Gu Mo thought to himself.
"...!!"
Meanwhile, his brother-in-law across the field had already turned his cold gaze towards them, his eyes sharp like lightning, and his imposing aura, which should have been intangible, crushed down as if substantial in that moment!
The group slightly felt the breeze lingering around, yet their expressions remained unchanged as expected.
A truly formidable Ghost God, almost reaching the state when these two sisters get serious...
But the aura seems astonishingly similar, there’s probably some deep connection...
The witch’s expression remained calm as she surveyed the surroundings, then withdrew her gaze from the blood-soaked battleground, subtly sensing the imposing spirit emanating from the Ghost God on the other side, her sharp Spiritual Sense faintly capturing a familiar feel from the ghostly bloodline’s aura.
The source of the familiar feeling naturally came from beside her, Hidechika and her sister.
After all, they had simulated battles during practice, so it wasn’t unfamiliar. Her strong Spiritual Sense, along with being an observer, enabled her to glean more information easily.
"Heh, another fool overestimating themselves,"
Ootakemaru surveyed the three appearing on the battlefield, letting out a cold sneer and fixing his gaze on Hidechika in the middle.
"But this time, at least some interesting opponents have shown up..."
Both witches seemed extraordinary, one possessing exceedingly strong Spiritual Power, with subtleties that even made him wary... As for the other, she appeared somewhat odd, seemingly sharing a ghostly bloodline like himself.
Hidechika perceived something as well, though surprised and uncertain.
She opened her mouth but ultimately said nothing.
"Ahem, let Ah Xiu handle this battle..." Gu Mo whispered, reaching out to lightly grasp the witch’s hand, intending to retreat a few steps, leaving the battlefield open.
"Mm."
The witch slightly nodded, responding softly, then turned to walk backward, subtly avoiding his hand, not letting him hold it.
"..."
"..."
The young man smirked slightly, then sighed before looking towards the direction of the black-haired girl. Meeting those calm, steady eyes, he hesitated momentarily before raising his hand slightly, making a supportive gesture: "Ah Xiu, you... hang in there?"
Hidechika observed him for a while, then turned to calmly watch the opposite direction.
Though perception wasn’t her forte, with enhancements from the Power of the Guardian Spirit and custom reinforcements she received, even not as strong as Kikyo, she wouldn’t be too far off, serving as a human-shaped radar likely picking up some information.
Hopefully, she won’t directly kill the brother-in-law...
Gu Mo sighed gently, feeling troubled at the current situation, while also retreating a few steps.
"Arrogance!"
Noticing the others completely indifferent to him, meticulously allowing only one person to take the stage, Ootakemaru seemed somewhat angered.
He suddenly raised his arm, the blade of the Great Communication in his right hand, pointing directly forward.
As his words fell, the towering figure of the Ghost God blurred briefly, like an afterimage on the retina, disappearing in less than a second.
In the next moment, Ootakemaru’s massive frame appeared before Hidechika, his divine weapon savagely tearing through the frozen atmosphere, roaring like thunder, mercilessly slashing down... Though they seemed like kin, if standing opposed to him, he would not show mercy!
Boom——!!
The fierce shockwave spread sweeping around, the high-pressure air wall tearing up and shattering the ground, blowing apart directly!
The terrifying aftermath relentlessly pressed on, transforming into a destructive gale, sweeping the land like the invisible hand of a giant, obliterating everything around... Once everything calmed down, the black-haired girl stood perfectly in place, while the fierce Ghost God’s figure had vanished.
A distant fortress now had a big hollow cavity sunk into it.
The black-haired girl calmly held her unsheathed short blade, her expression slightly unconcerned as she moved forward, preparing to drag out the blown-away Ghost God to continue the beating...
It seemed not only did she not hold back, she hit even harder...
Gu Mo’s eyes twitched violently watching Hidechika seemingly in a bad mood... His brother-in-law appeared to have suffered undue calamity, kind of shielded him from disaster?
...
"This... how could this..."
In the distant forest, observing the scene unfolded, the silver-haired beauty was in a bit of a daze.
Where did this group come from?
She initially thought her brother’s rage was unquenchable, indiscriminately escalating the situation... Only with the same bloodline’s sacrifice could she possibly forge a weapon to defeat her brother—yet now it seemed she wasn’t needed at all?
Miss Suzuka felt slightly bewildered at that moment.