"I came for a bout with the Sword Saint. This is a farewell gift."
Facing the tense, sword-drawn troops before him, Suzuki Makoto just shrugged, his right hand resting casually on the hilt of his sword.
"Impossible! The Mortal Blade is Ashina's greatest treasure. Why would my grandfather give it to you?"
Before the words had even faded, Suzuki Makoto had already passed everyone, his figure flashing past and vanishing down the mountain path in an instant.
Although he had no fondness for either Isshin Ashina or Genichiro Ashina, he wasn't about to kill the grandson right after receiving a sword from the grandfather.
"Lord Genichiro?"
"Back to the castle keep first."
Genichiro Ashina had no time to chase the man; he urgently needed to know Isshin Ashina's current condition.
The group hurried back to the castle keep. Genichiro found his grandfather immediately and breathed a sigh of relief—at least he was still sneaking drinks.
"Grandfather, your sword is missing. Why didn't you tell anyone?"
"I gave it away."
"Why?"
"Because that dragon has lived long enough."
Genichiro was both anxious and angry.
"Grandfather! Without the Fountainhead Palace, the Interior Ministry will inevitably turn its eyes back to us! When war breaks out again, Ashina will be plunged back into the despair of three years ago!"
"Genichiro, how long has it been since you last practiced with your sword?"
Isshin Ashina asked leisurely. The man froze, unsure how to answer for a moment.
"Ashina was born from the flash of blades. If it ultimately perishes by the flash of blades, so be it. I began this way, and so I shall end it. Through slaughter and seizing a nation, I bought Ashina twenty years. My conscience is clear."
"But I am not! Ashina is everything to me, and I will give everything for it! Whether it's drinking the Rejuvenating Waters and becoming a monster, or kneeling before the Interior Ministry like a dog, I just want Ashina to survive!"
Genichiro Ashina said with agitation.
"That man may not necessarily succeed. Why are you so concerned?"
The Sword Saint looked at his grandson with deep meaning, and Genichiro felt a little uneasy under his gaze.
"Three years ago, I was already thinking of giving this sword to someone else. Originally, I thought Emma was my best choice, but Suzuki Makoto gave me new hope, so naturally, I must repay him."
"You knew all along?"
"Yes. This Mortal Blade is named 'Open Gate.' It can open the gates to the underworld, pulling the dead back to the world of the living in their prime, and they can only be killed by a Mortal Blade. All it requires is a human life as a sacrifice."
Silence flowed between the grandfather and grandson, who were not related by blood. Genichiro sat down silently, burying his face in the shadows.
This was his final plan. If all else failed, he would first watch Isshin Ashina die, then use the Mortal Blade, Open Gate, to sacrifice himself and bring the Isshin Ashina from the underworld back.
The only one the Interior Ministry ever feared was the Sword Saint, Isshin Ashina. As long as he lived forever, the Interior Ministry would forever be wary.
That's why Genichiro was so anxious when Suzuki Makoto took the Mortal Blade. He didn't believe Suzuki Makoto could actually kill the Divine Dragon, but Suzuki had taken away his most important trump card. Because as long as Isshin Ashina was alive, Ashina could continue to survive.
Isshin Ashina looked at Genichiro Ashina before him, sighing inwardly.
Of course, he didn't want Genichiro Ashina to do this, but the boy's obsession with Ashina was already beyond resolve. To avoid seeing this happen, he had long planned to entrust the Mortal Blade to someone else.
"What's done is done. There's no need to say more. Genichiro, go back and rest."
"Yes, Grandfather. Please rest well too, and don't drink any more."
The man stood up, bowed to Isshin Ashina, and turned to leave.
Senpou Temple.
Suzuki Makoto looked at the dilapidated temple before him, a flicker of curiosity in his heart.
Logically speaking, Senpou Temple was taken over by the Interior Ministry. Shouldn't this place be bustling with worshippers and thriving with Buddhism?
Why does it look so dilapidated and ruined now?
He pushed open the long-rotted wooden doors and stepped into the temple. The thick layers of fallen leaves underfoot were proof that this place had long been abandoned.
However, there was one living being left—though whether it could truly be called human was debatable.
Suzuki Makoto drew the Mortal Blade and walked into the deepest part of the Buddha hall.
A shriveled body sat on a decaying meditation cushion, wearing a golden crown and green kasaya, though they were covered in dust and grime. There was hardly any flesh left on the body, yet centipedes constantly crawled over, in, and out of it.
"Who... are you?"
"Someone looking for a Mortal Blade. Do you know where the High Priest of Senpou is?"
"The Mortal Blade... the Mortal Blade... You are the one who would sever the Dragon's Heritage."
These words seemed to startle the mummified corpse. It shifted its head slightly, as if trying to get a clear look at Suzuki Makoto, but there were only two black voids in its eye sockets.
"You... do not possess the power of the Dragon's Heritage. You cannot obtain the Dragon's Tears."
"I must have it."
"It has been... taken. By that shinobi... the shinobi who serves the Divine Heir."
"Where is the Divine Heir?"
The corpse fell silent, seeming not to know where the Divine Heir was.
Suzuki Makoto wasn't disappointed. Finding this Mortal Blade was just a side quest anyway. He only wanted to see if he could awaken the blade in his hand. Since he couldn't find it now, it didn't matter.
After all, he already had one awakened blade, and he was determined to get the Sukunagiri as well. That would already be two swords. Any more, and Suzuki Makoto would have to worry about how to use them—he had seen plenty of two-sword style users, but he'd never seen anyone use three.
"Do you wish to die?"
The man asked with sincere earnestness. Usually, such a question is an expression of anger or a deliberate provocation, but this time, Suzuki Makoto was asking in all seriousness.
"The one I must slay is the Divine Dragon."
"No... I must still atone... and continue to wait... wait for that child to find peaceful rest."
The corpse returned to its previous state, speaking no more.
Suzuki Makoto sheathed his sword. He always respected the patient's wishes. Since the other party had chosen to refuse treatment, he naturally wouldn't interfere.
However, he had firmly memorized the scent of those centipedes.
Senpou Temple was deserted, and the Mortal Blade had been taken by the current Divine Heir's sworn shinobi. It was clear the Interior Ministry had gone to great lengths to control immortality. If this black Mortal Blade hadn't been in Isshin Ashina's hands, they probably would have seized everything related to it long ago.
Now, it's time to head to the Fountainhead Palace.
____
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