After entering the Heavenly Rock Cave, the samurai were immediately shocked by the scene before them—the Divine Dragon, once high and mighty, was now wailing in agony. It furiously brandished the Seven-Branched Sword in its hand, yet it could never strike the target it wanted to attack.
"Someone is attacking Lord Divine Dragon!"
"Who is it!"
"Quick, go help Lord Divine Dragon!"
Before the words had even faded, the man they had been looking for appeared beside them, mercilessly severing their heads.
Compared to those who had merely drunk some of the Palace water and undergone minor physical changes, these samurai had clearly benefited from their proximity to the source. The aura of the Divine Dragon within their bodies was already so dense that it was nearly on par with the Fountainhead Palace nobles in the dungeon.
Suzuki Makoto felt no need for pity toward them.
After these samurai died, their corpses began to wither rapidly. Subsequently, the wounds on the Divine Dragon's body, which Suzuki Makoto had made while testing his blade, began to gradually heal once more.
No matter how arrogant the demon's servants, they would ultimately be devoured by the evil dragon.
Suzuki Makoto returned the Mortal Blade to his waist and drew his own Nichirin Blade. The lines of death, which had been faintly visible on the Divine Dragon, instantly vanished.
As expected, the Mortal Blade was a weapon specifically designed to deal with the Divine Dragon. Switching to an ordinary weapon that lacked the power to sever undeath would indeed be much more troublesome—but this was precisely the effect Suzuki Makoto wanted!
The fact that the samurai came in to investigate meant that those outside had only just begun to notice something was wrong. Furthermore, this so-called Heavenly Rock Cave shielded all perception from the outside world, which would buy him enough time to slowly train his ability to find the weaknesses of these abominations.
So, which move should he use first?
A cold smile appeared at the corners of Suzuki Makoto's mouth.
As expected, he still preferred to mince things finely.
The sleeping youth was suddenly startled awake from his dream. The shinobi at his side was instantly by his bed.
"Lord Kuro, what is it?"
"Wolf, did you feel anything?"
The shinobi lightly gripped the cloth-wrapped Mortal Blade on his back and gave an almost imperceptible nod, but the words that came out of his mouth were completely different.
"The King of the Carp in the pool outside has suddenly become agitated. Was Lord Kuro awakened by the noise?"
"That must be it. Has the King of the Carp not settled down yet?"
"No, some samurai have already gone into the water, but it seems they are still having trouble calming it."
They were completely surrounded by the Interior Ministry's spies. The Divine Heir and his attendant had to be exceedingly careful with every word and action.
"If it's too much, you should go and help them."
"Lord Kuro, I should stay by your side."
"Go, Wolf. You know that you have other ways to help me rest peacefully besides staying by my side."
Faced with his master's plea, the shinobi could only nod in agreement.
Watching his covenanter leave without being stopped by the men from the Interior Ministry, Kuro let out a small sigh of relief. He rose and walked to the window, nodding slightly as if looking at the pool below. But his eyes were raised, his gaze falling upon the giant Divine Cherry tree, upon the Heavenly Rock Cave where the Divine Dragon resided.
That was a place he longed to reach even in his dreams.
In the past, when faced with the Interior Ministry's encroaching army, Genichiro Ashina had pleaded with him several times to hand over the Power of the Dragon's Heritage to help him save Ashina. He had refused every time, because Kuro knew full well that the Power of the Dragon's Heritage was a cup of poisoned wine. It might not quench one's thirst, but its venom was extremely potent. It wouldn't even give you other choices, much less the extra energy to drink a second cup. The Dragonrot that came with constant revival alone was enough to kill everyone in Ashina.
In the end, Genichiro Ashina had simply looked at him with a complicated expression and asked if he would be willing to give everything for Ashina, if he did not demand the Power of the Dragon's Heritage.
Kuro agreed. Shortly after, the Interior Ministry withdrew its troops, and he was handed over to them.
Only then did the young Divine Heir understand Genichiro Ashina's meaning. If the Power of the Dragon's Heritage could not be used by him to die for Ashina, then it could at least be exchanged for the lives of Ashina's people.
Therefore, Kuro did not resent Genichiro Ashina. But faced with the Interior Ministry's exploitation, he could only shake his head in greater powerlessness and refuse.
Of course, the Interior Ministry didn't dare kill him. Even the monks of Senpou Temple only dared to take a little of his blood. Everyone treated him with the utmost respect, but they would not allow him to leave this cage to do anything.
Kuro's long-held wish was to sever the Power of the Dragon's Heritage. For this, he still chose to cooperate with Genichiro Ashina, having Wolf retrieve the Mortal Blade: Gracious Gift of Tears hidden in the sanctuary of Senpou Temple, and having Wolf provide a great deal of intelligence, all in the hope of one day being able to completely end the Divine Dragon and destroy the Fountainhead Palace.
Having just been startled from his dream, he could feel the Power of the Dragon's Heritage stirring within him, which was why he asked Wolf if he felt the same. After receiving an affirmative answer, Kuro realized that Genichiro's side must have made a move.
"Oh, Wolf... you must be safe."
He murmured in a low voice, praying for his shinobi.
The shinobi in whom he had placed such high hopes had already snuck to the vicinity of the Heavenly Rock Cave. Thanks to the rampaging King of the Carp and Suzuki Makoto luring people inside to be killed earlier, the entire path to the Heavenly Rock Cave was completely empty. Wolf could arrive here with great ease.
He held his breath and listened to the anxious voices of the priests inside.
"Why hasn't a single one of the samurai who went in this time come out?"
"Should we go in and take a look?"
"Are you crazy? What if the dragon is enraged in there? If you want to go, go yourself. I'm not going!"
"I'm not going either! It was so hard to gain eternal life, I still have much to enjoy..."
The priests' conversation completely exposed their mindset: the longer people live, the more they fear death.
"Shouldn't we report this, then?"
"If we report it, won't we still be the ones to go in?"
"Then let's wait a bit longer. What if it's just a false alarm? Maybe someone will come out in a little while."
"Right, right, let's wait a bit longer. Maybe they were just delayed."
Listening to the priests' conversation, Wolf was suddenly struck with an idea. He relaxed his control over his footsteps and walked out.
"Who's there!"
"Lord Priests, the Divine Heir was suddenly restless tonight and sent me to see if Lord Divine Dragon has any decree to impart."
Some of the priests recognized him as the shinobi who served the Divine Heir, and their guard instantly dropped. They looked at each other, thinking it wouldn't be a bad idea to let a scapegoat go in right now. What if he could bring back some news?
Besides, the man had already made it here, which meant the higher-ups had already given their permission. Why should they stop him?
A priest picked up a branch and handed it to the shinobi.
"Touch the giant rock with the branch, and you may have an audience with Lord Divine Dragon."
Wolf nodded with a deadpan expression and was immediately transported into the Heavenly Rock Cave.
____
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