Chapter 655 The Weight of a Promise (Part 2)
“Since you wish to protect her, why offer this Magic Crystal to me in exchange for the burial of her corpse?” Su Jiu did not accept the Magic Crystal, but instead, under the dim light, she looked down, trying to understand the answer from the other’s eyes. She didn’t understand why he would do this, as she would eventually refine the Magic Crystal herself. Why bother? Why did love lead to such actions?
“Magic Crystals are external possessions. As long as the physical body remains, it is enough,” Ibaraki replied softly, his divine light dimming slightly. He continued, “That year, I promised her that among the five of us, the one who lived to the end would be responsible for collecting the corpses of the other four and offering them their favorite foods from life. That year, after she left, I became the ‘Ghost’ she hated the most, and my friends all scattered.”
“Her cenotaph is in human-controlled territory. After this separation, there will be no chance to meet again.” Having said this, he fell silent, as if all his spirits had been exhausted by the story, and could only quietly await the reply of the person before him.
Listening to the story, Su Jiu’s eyes grew a little heavy. Snowflakes drifted onto their shoulders and then to the tips of their shoes, seeming to grow larger. It was as if the Yama’s Hall was coming, as the atmosphere grew increasingly solemn.
“The exchange is made. I promise you.” After a long while, a faint sigh finally came from the darkness, like a wisp of spring breeze that dismantled the oppressive atmosphere that had been built up.
“From now on, we are quits.” Taking the Magic Crystal, the girl tucked it into her pocket. She then casually took a cloak from her ring and tied it around her neck. After pulling up the hood, she walked towards the corpse. Her gaze swept over the empty chest, and she took out an alchemy rope to tie it up. She also tucked the positioning token of the Sacred Griffin she had obtained earlier into its waist. Although it would have no effect on a target that had already been locked onto, it was better than nothing.
“Take her with you.” Hearing this, Su Jiu patted her gourd after finishing her preparations and summoned two Battle King level Jingwei. She whispered softly. The two Jingwei nodded, carried the corpse, and slowly merged into the darkness, accelerating towards a farther location at an extremely fast pace.
“Thank you, Miss Su.” Ibaraki was stunned for a moment, a flush of unnatural red rising to his face. He quickly turned and cupped his fists, his eyes watching the corpse being pulled into the shadows by the two Shadow Jingwei. At that moment, he felt a sense of relief in his heart. Since the person before him was willing to act, there was a chance to fulfill his past promise.
“It’s just a transaction. Those people are coming soon. If you want to leave together, follow the Shadow Jingwei,” Su Jiu shook her head, then took E Huo’s hand. Understanding her meaning, E Huo transformed into a long sword. Beneath the black robe, a hidden glint of snow could be vaguely seen. She gently swung her black robe, covering her petite body, and then, holding the sword, walked towards the end of the alley. Su Jiu could feel auras approaching, so she needed to act as a rear guard.
“Take this with you. I’ll hold them off for a moment,” however, her response was somewhat unexpected. Then, she saw a storage bag being thrown to her.
“Didn’t you do all this because you wanted to pay your respects to her yourself?” Taking the storage bag, Su Jiu stopped in her tracks, gazing blankly at the person’s retreating back. It seemed black flames were rising again, making the rather cold evening feel a little warmer. The snow fell on the girl’s black robe and quietly melted, perhaps due to the temperature, or perhaps due to something else.
Without turning around, a voice with a boyish tone came from the flames, like the final swan song of a life: “With Miss Su’s strength, you won’t be able to hold off so many people. If possible, please offer a cup of clear wine for me and send half a box of cherry blossom crisp to Shōtoku. I would be deeply grateful!” With that, he slowly walked towards the small path Su Jiu had come from. The snow on the ground melted rapidly. Black six-pointed star formations appeared beneath Ibaraki’s feet, and his aura continuously climbed, from Battle King Level to Demigod Level, then to Initial Stage War God Level early stage, middle stage! Late stage! Until finally, he reached the peak of Middle Stage War God Level!
Flames engulfed the snow, and waves of energy surged out from him as the center, accompanied by a vast sound, like a subject proclaiming the return of a king. “Come, humans, let me slaughter you all again.” With a slight stomp of his foot, Ibaraki moved into the air. He gazed into the distance at what seemed like starlight, slowly raising his arm. His broad palm had claws like black blades, and a white flame burned in his palm.
His soul was engulfed by the black flames. He grinned, knowing that burning himself like this might even disqualify him from going to hell, leading to true soul dissipation. Ibaraki didn’t understand this emotion. His consciousness was being burned by the fierce fire, and he only knew that he could hold them back for half a minute longer if possible. The Black Monarch who once guarded this land ascended to his homeland in the most mournful way, burning his soul just to fulfill a promise made in life.
“This is bad. They’re flanking us with a two-pronged attack. The token’s effect is indeed limited. It has no concealment effect on targets that have already been locked onto.” Looking at the situation in the sky, Su Jiu’s expression suddenly tightened, and she quickly turned and rushed towards where the Shadow Jingwei had run. Her speed was exceptionally fast, like a dark, cold crow moving in the wind. Through the sense transmitted by the Shadow Jingwei, she seemed to feel someone pursuing them!
“Whoosh, whoosh!!” More than a dozen figures arrived above the abandoned building like shooting stars chasing the moon. Leading them was Kamishiro Yuichi, dressed in purple and gold Onmyoji attire. Holding a yellow talisman, he said to Ibaraki in a deep voice, “It is indeed that ‘Ghost’ from beneath Mount Fukuoka. If the old texts are correct, you are known as the Blood Butcher of Black Flame—Lord Ibaraki?”
“I prefer it when you humans call me… the Black Monarch.” Ibaraki stared calmly at the other party, his pupils filled with intense killing intent. His hands were wrapped in black flames, and he looked like an ancient evil spirit. He then transformed into a figure engulfed in black flames and shot forward.
“You have abandoned your physical body and escaped, with your strength reduced to less than a tenth, and you are still restrained by talismans. Do you not remember the previous lesson for daring to attack?” Sensing that Ibaraki’s aura was only that of a Middle Stage War God, Kamishiro Yuichi let out a cold laugh. He waved his arm, sending the talisman forward, and then a snow-white spear appeared in his hand. Gripping the spear tightly, he thrust it towards the talisman. With a “Chī!” sound, the spear, after being enchanted, emitted golden arcs of electricity, much like the old Taoist priest before.
“Die!” The black shadow flashed and rushed forward, his hands seemingly imbued with immense power. Black flames erupted, directly bypassing Kamishiro Yuichi and bombarding the people behind him.
“You dare!” Seeing the shadow flashing past him, Kamishiro Yuichi’s eyes narrowed. He had no way to stop it. The other party’s speed was extremely fast, and he could only watch as his subordinates, who were only Battle King level, were engulfed by the black flames.
“Sizzle, sizzle…” Within a single encounter, three Battle Kings were incinerated without even showing a hint of fear. The other people, with terrified expressions, hastily fled. At this moment, those who ran slower were truly becoming the front line.
“Use the Alchemy Array to trap him! I’ll handle the offense,” Seeing that the assailant was only killing and ignoring him, Kamishiro Yuichi suddenly shook his silver spear. Gripping the spear shaft tightly with his right hand, he turned sharply and shouted. The spear transformed into a silver streak of light, blocking a subordinate who was about to be attacked.
“Ding!” Ibaraki’s broad palm slammed down, and the spear twisted at a bizarre angle. The force contained within it made the great Onmyoji’s arm tremble, nearly causing him to lose his grip.
“I have killed more ‘Ghosts’ than you have ever seen. How can mere talismans stop me?!” With his offense blocked, Ibaraki’s expression remained unchanged. He tightly grasped the spear, unafraid of the talismanic power above. The scorching black flames followed the spear shaft like maggots on a bone, burning towards Kamishiro Yuichi’s arm. Now, he had long since abandoned everything. He was no longer the Ibaraki who had to hold back, but the Black Monarch! The monarch who commanded a multitude of ‘[Dragons]’, a great demon monarch second only to the Dragon King, a peak practitioner of yesteryear!
Kamishiro Yuichi was greatly startled. He quickly released the spear, intending to have his pet transform. The next moment, Ibaraki snatched the spear and, using his waist as an axis, swept it towards the Battle Kings holding alchemy compasses.
“Puff, puff!!” With just a touch, two Onmyoji who couldn’t react in time were smashed into mincemeat, and black flames instantly burned their bodies. The Onmyoji and Kamishiro family subordinates were almost scared out of their wits. In this peaceful era, they had never seen such a ferocious demon. Almost every move and every strike had only one objective: to kill the enemy.
“Come back!” Kamishiro Yuichi shouted coldly. The spear then transformed into a stream of light and returned to his hand from Ibaraki’s grasp. However, the originally snow-white spear body had now turned black, as if it had been scorched by fire. Accompanied by a loud shout: “Lord Kamishiro, the formation has been activated!” At this moment, the trapping formation finally took shape. Several golden lights burst forth from the compasses of the remaining subordinates, forming a golden birdcage that, like a non-directional skill, directly locked Ibaraki inside.
Ibaraki frowned, wanting to smash it with his fist, but only managed to stir up golden ripples. “Heh heh, it’s useless. You are not an Alchemist, and this ‘Ghost Lock’ is specifically designed to counter you.” Seeing Ibaraki trapped, Kamishiro Yuichi finally breathed a sigh of relief. He turned to look at the ghost in the cage, a smug look on his face, evidently forgetting his clumsy appearance of having his spear stolen earlier.
Ibaraki glanced at the last remaining light in the sky, and a satisfied smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. Seeing that the other party remained silent, Kamishiro Yuichi’s smile deepened. He leaned his face close to the cage, a grotesque smile appearing, and whispered, “You care so much about that female corpse. Don’t worry, I’ll put you and her into the Kamishiro family’s top research project. We’ll extract a little every day for research.”
Ignoring the other party’s trash talk, Ibaraki glanced at the sky that had completely darkened and sensed his collapsing body. He decided not to struggle anymore, simply letting out a soft laugh, “Then you likely won’t have the chance.”
“What?” Kamishiro Yuichi was still immersed in the excitement of capturing such a high-level Demon Lord when he suddenly heard this and looked up, only to see Ibaraki’s body slowly becoming ethereal, disintegrating from his toes and scattering with the fine snow… That year, fine snow fell, cherry blossoms mixed with the snow. Under the tree, fine wine and delicacies were laid out on a stone table. In a trance, he seemed to return to the era called “Wood.” The ferocity in his eyes subsided, and he looked gently at the four figures before him. A female voice seemed to echo in his ears: “Hey! Wood, why are you so late!” The dust particles swept across his slightly upturned lips, and his eyes closed. A generation of Demon Lords met their end.
