Chapter 63: Severed Arm

Leaving aside Kakahana's plotting for the moment, Hyakusuke knew it was time for him to fight for his life once again.

Although he had asked Kakahana for help, that young mistress of the Kurohimeshima clan could hardly just march straight up to Renjō Senjūrō and bluntly announce, "Someone is going to kill you, and you'll die on tomorrow's shrine visit."

If she did that, Renjō Senjūrō would only suspect that the Kurohimeshima family was behind the assassination plot. Furthermore, since Kakahana had recently purchased contraband goods from the imperial court through the chamber of commerce, there was no telling if he might suspect her of silencing him to cover her tracks.

Could she mobilize the faction loyal to her, or send exorcists from the Kurohimeshima clan to rescue him?

No, that wouldn't work either.

"You should have seen it before," Kakahana explained. "The relationship between me and that old geezer Renjō isn't exactly friendly. Aside from serving as our official purveyor, he is also the imperial court's agent sent to monitor the Kurohimeshima clan. However, there are complicated factions within the imperial court and the royal family; he isn't quite our enemy, but he's no friend either."

Renjō Senjūrō only maintained business dealings with the faction Kakahana belonged to; he was not an ally of the Kurohimeshima house.

If he were to die, internal strife would erupt within the Renjō Chamber of Commerce. That might not necessarily be a bad thing for the Kurohimeshima clan, as there were still opportunists within the family waiting to fish in troubled waters.

"There is a third option, which is to inform Suō, the lord of Kasumi Castle, in advance."

Kakahana stated the third plan.

"However, the problem is the same as the first one. If I make a grand entrance to see the castle lord, it will only arouse his suspicion. Therefore, you must be the one to handle this."

"I understand."

Hyakusuke nodded, though his brows suddenly furrowed.

"But even if I step forward to save Chairman Renjō, won't there still be suspicious elements?"

"That is why we need Yeba's assistance."

Kakahana explained to him: "Afterward, the events will unfold like this: You accidentally discover the group attempting to assassinate Renjō and trail them. At the same time, you send a message to Yeba, whom you met during a previous mission, and step in to stop the assailants at the critical moment when they are about to kill Renjō."

"Meanwhile, after receiving your message, Yeba will notify people within the chamber of commerce, who will then inform Lord Suō and the Kami-Zakura headquarters. Rescue personnel will rush to the scene, and I will also arrive under the pretext of having 'received word from a subordinate,' officially lending assistance in the name of the Kurohimeshima clan."

"On the other hand, since your acquaintance with Yeba occurred before she entered the chamber of commerce, the probability of her being a plant is extremely low. Moreover, you saved her life, so using her as the focal point will make the whole sequence of events entirely natural."

Hearing this, Hyakusuke had to admit that Kakahana's mind was meticulous; her scheme had virtually no glaring flaws.

"Let's go!"

Utilizing the invisibility function of his collar, Hyakusuke had hidden in the graveyard for the better part of the day in advance. When midnight arrived and the mist descended, he sprang into motion.

Inside the barrier distorted by the Dunjia formation, a person's sense of spatial orientation would also become warped. However, Hyakusuke could rely on the messaging shikigami to guide his way.

"Head in this direction."

"Lady Kakahana, you're actually able to crack a formation like this?"

"Crack it? How is that possible? I merely tampered with Renjō Senjūrō beforehand, so I can track his coordinates..."

Eh? Very well, that was indeed very characteristic of the second young mistress.

A swallow-shaped paper shikigami soared through the air, and Hyakusuke pierced through the thick fog, sprinting forward at top speed.

Right at that moment, the sounds of battle reached his ears.

Rip!

The mist seemed like a thin curtain, instantly torn apart by him, revealing an absurd and surreal scene before his eyes.

"...Are those returning corpses? The ones fighting them must be Renjō Senjūrō's guards, right? Damn it, these freaks are insanely hard to beat!"

The guards wore outfits marked with the crest of the Renjō Chamber of Commerce, making them instantly recognizable.

Those resurrected corpses were presumably skeletons buried in this graveyard for who knows how many years. Once awakened, they had absorbed earth and stone, rematerializing into the forms they wore in life.

The returning corpses could not be easily killed. As long as it was night, even if beaten down, they would rapidly regenerate.

The Renjō Chamber of Commerce guards possessed no small amount of strength, yet they were stretched to their limits. Meanwhile, three powerful doll maidens stood completely motionless because their master, as if enchanted, stood blankly in place, muttering a name like a delirious chant.

"Miss Miyo."

Renjō Senjūrō's eyes were glazed as he extended a hand forward.

In his eyes, that was a woman with a charming, beaming smile.

However, in Hyakusuke's eyes, the teeth within that alluring woman's mouth possessed an unnatural, razor-sharp edge.

"You can't afford to die here."

Even closing the distance with the "Sōchū Scroll" would be too late, so Hyakusuke hurled his ninja blade.

Whoosh!

The tip of the blade pierced straight through "Miyo's" neck.

"Mi... Miyo?"

Suddenly, Renjō Senjūrō's gaze shifted drastically. In that instant, he snapped completely awake.

*No... a returning corpse? Was I charmed?*

He quickly stepped back.

Swish!

Three figures flashed past with the speed of a gale. Activated by the commotion, the three dolls moved with inhuman swiftness, tracing arcs with a kusarigama, a poleaxe-halberd, and steel claw-blades.

"Miyo's" body began to split apart, and the woman's face cracked as she collapsed into a pool of blood with an expression of shock—no, those were merely bubbling clumps of earth; the body of the returning corpse was composed of soil and sand.

"Mere clay puppets."

Renjō Sentarō's expression grew cold.

"Everyone close your eyes!!!"

Hyakusuke dropped his concealment, shouting loudly as he tossed a flashbang.

This time he threw it with immense force; the flashbang soared high into the air and detonated, blooming a blinding flash across the night sky.

All the returning corpses let out wailing cries. As their pale faces were illuminated by the light, their bodies began to melt.

As mentioned before, these creatures could only operate at night for the fundamental reason that they could not withstand the "sun."

"...A powerful yang-infused energy combined with intense light is enough to temporarily cause their forms to disintegrate."

His tactic succeeded. The returning corpses rapidly crumbled into dust.

"Kill them."

Renjō Sentarō shielded his eyes from the harsh glare and silently issued an order to the three dolls.

The three puppet maidens, each wielding different weapons, ambushed from three directions, executing lightning-fast, heavy strikes.

"Tiresome."

The tall, muscular brute moved, blocking himself in front of Shino like a massive shield.

The poleaxe-halberd was deflected, the kusarigama shattered like roof tiles, and the doll wielding steel claws had its arm grabbed and its wrist violently twisted.

With a backhanded slam, the petite puppet maiden was effortlessly smashed into the ground.

"Get lost!"

The giant lifted his foot, a shockwave shattering the earth and sending a gale of sand and gravel flying.

The doll was kicked away, nearly destroyed entirely.

"I'm sick of this... Go die with your master."

Kuki reversed his grip, tossing a glowing green orb into midair as a piercing shriek suddenly erupted!

"Oh no!"

Renjō Sentarō's eyelids twitched violently, goosebumps erupting all over his body from the chill.

A strong sense of ominous foreboding washed over him as the glowing green orb hurtled through the air, carrying a destructive wave of energy within it.

"It's going to explode!"

No, it did not explode.

A hand suddenly intercepted the green orb, its five fingers clamping down upon it.

Crack.

His left hand, encased in a gauntlet, crushed the orb with brute force. The sphere shattered. Luminous fragments rapidly flared outward and dissipated.

"You won't get past here!"

Hyakusuke raised the Seven-Section Spear in his hand, a lingering sensation of burning heat still lingering on his palm.

*It really was as guessed... The ones tasked with assassinating Renjō are also these two fellows!*

He narrowed his eyes as he looked at the two enemies.

Their identities were far too familiar to him. These were two opposing sub-bosses who appeared in the main storyline of the first chapter.

"Big clumsy idiot, I'll be your opponent, shall I?"

Hyakusuke taunted this enemy.

"Courting death."

Kuki looked at Hyakusuke as if gazing at a mere bug.

"What a troublesome guest to have."

Shino let out a long sigh, flicking his sleeve to scatter charms that mingled into the mist.

"Honestly, unexpected gatecrashers had to pop up out of nowhere."

With a booming crash, the ground caved in, opening up a massive pit. From the depths of the abyss that seemed to lead straight to the underworld, a gigantic skeletal frame slowly crawled out—a bone demon known as the "Gashadokuro."

It was a skeleton monster possessing a skull head, its pitch-black eye sockets blazing with blue-white phosphorus fire, its jawless and tongue-less mouth emitting a rhythmic *clack-clack* sound.

"Protect Lord Senjūrō."

The bald guards also rushed forward en masse, standing guard before Renjō Senjūrō as the battle entered its second round.

"Protecting me alone is useless! We can only leave this place if we defeat that spellcaster!"

Renjō Senjūrō shouted at the top of his lungs, "Attack together, find a way to take care of these two fellows."

"Attack together? What good is that?"

Kuki sneered, a violent shockwave erupting from within his body.

The atmosphere warped; it was an impact that distorted even the air itself.

Boom!

The shockwave rippled outward, instantly blowing away several of the guards who stood closest.

Kuki's power was unimaginable; merely releasing the "energy" pent up inside his body was enough to generate a shockwave.

Yet, a single figure charged against the current.

It was Hyakusuke, a confident smile playing across his lips.

Wielding his left hand to bat away the shockwave formed by the demonic aura, he thrust forward with his spear.

"You're dead!"

Kuki threw a punch.

His attack was simple yet savage.

To put it plainly, it was merely a sweeping arm movement, instantly whipping up a sudden gale-force wind.

Ignoring the gale, Hyakusuke thrust his spear forward with all his might.

Hum...

The blade of the spear flashed with brilliant light.

Splat!

Blood sprayed as a severed arm flew into midair.

"My... My arm!?"

Astonishment painted Kuki's face.

The very instant they crossed blows, one of his arms had been swatted away.

*This bug... actually managed to injure me?!*