"How interesting. So the ability to absorb the life force of surrounding creatures is actually a power of this Everblossom, not your patterns? Did you merely discover that this cherry blossom tree possessed extremely vigorous life force, and so merged with it?"
The Divine Dragon's head weakly nodded, looking pitiful.
"Alright, alright, since I'm so kind-hearted, how about this: I'll only kill this tree. If you can survive, then leave this place and go somewhere else…"
Suzuki Makoto's blade fell, and the Divine Dragon instantly wailed in agony. Its gnarled roots and branches began to wither and shrink in an instant, and the Divine Dragon's body surface immediately started to crack, revealing crimson flesh beneath the withered bark.
The Everblossom tree was completely dead, and this dragon, which had come from the west, actually survived. It struggled arduously, its flesh tearing and then healing, but its heart was filled with wild joy, because at least it could live on.
The white dragon laboriously lifted its head, wanting to fly into the sky, but was horrified to discover that only its head flew upward.
"You actually tried to run?"
Suzuki Makoto sneered, drawing the Mortal Blade.
He could finally discern the Divine Dragon's two lines of death. The Everblossom tree's line had already been severed by him, and the remaining one he had promised to the Mortal Blade.
After all, as long as he could see the opponent's lines of death, it meant his purpose in coming to this world had been achieved.
The white dragon's final roar had yet to escape its throat when the Mortal Blade gently landed on its head. This wretched beast, which had clung to life for so long, instantly stiffened, transforming from head to severed body into a pile of withered bones.
Suzuki Makoto could clearly feel that something had been released. These departed souls, by means of the Mortal Blade in his hand, returned to the underworld.
This was the true purpose of this 'Open Gate': not to pull the dead from the underworld back into the living world, but to guide the departed souls of the living world into the underworld.
He looked down at the Command Seal on the back of his hand. Indeed, its color had turned completely black, and Suzuki Makoto also perceived that the Command Seal's change seemed related to the resentful spirits he had purified, though he still didn't know what this would ultimately lead to.
However… his premonition suggested it wasn't a bad thing.
The mist slowly began to dissipate. Without the power of the Everblossom tree and the Divine Dragon to sustain it, this space had fallen to the brink of collapse. Suzuki Makoto calmly returned the Mortal Blade to his waist, standing still and waiting.
Time and space shifted, and he once again stood before the giant rock. All the surrounding priests were writhing in agony on the ground. After the Divine Dragon's death, the power that had sustained their bodies instantly became ownerless and began to completely lose its restraints, knowing only to frantically absorb life force.
Suzuki Makoto paid no attention to these people. He stepped forward towards the entrance of the Heavenly Rock Cave. The aura on their bodies was not dense; in the end, they would either rot into deformed lumps of flesh or become withered tree roots, requiring no further action from him.
The moment he walked out of the shrine, what met his eyes were withered cherry blossom trees. The scattered cherry blossoms no longer held their past delicate charm, but instead glowed with the stark white of death.
Some of the samurai below began to wail in agony like the priests, while others showed no reaction, clearly not everyone was qualified to receive this so-called divine dragon's blessing.
No one cared about the King of the Carp anymore, even though the giant koi that had bothered them for half the night was now floating on the water's surface. No one spared a moment to look at it, because most of the military officers and high-ranking samurai had fallen into endless pain, leaving only the ordinary samurai, in shock and fear, at a loss.
Suzuki Makoto had no interest in further action. He distinguished the auras, found the shinobi who had entered earlier, and immediately pursued him.
He was somewhat curious about the current situation of an existence like The Divine Heir.
When Suzuki Makoto found them, the scene had devolved into an interesting predicament.
"Please step aside, Father."
"Wolf, hand over The Divine Heir to me."
Their mutual address was intimate, but their tone and words were clearly anything but.
At this moment, Kuro, the Divine Heir, was weakly bound to Wolf's back. Although his expression was somewhat pained, there was no trace of vexation in his brow; it seemed such weakness was what he had longed for.
"Lord Kuro no longer has the Dragon's Heritage within him, Father. He is just an ordinary human now."
"Firstly, parents are supreme; disobedience is unforgivable!"
Owl, whose physique was too burly to be a shinobi, glared at his adopted son, his face filled with anger and disbelief, as if his own sword had suddenly grown legs and run off.
"Secondly, the master is supreme; one must stake their life to protect them, and if they are taken, they must be rescued!"
Wolf's movements and expression remained unchanged, using Owl's past teachings to respond to Owl's current command.
"Good—very good!"
A flashing blade instantly appeared, striking directly at the shinobi from the side. Wolf was forced to retreat, preventing Kuro from directly facing the attack, while his adoptive father's blade was already upon him.
Clang.
The giant shinobi and the giant blade in his hand were sliced in two.
Wolf showed no emotional weakness at Owl's death, but instead became even more tense, guarding against Suzuki Makoto, who had just landed.
"Let's go."
The man beckoned to him, clearly having no interest in the Divine Heir on his back.
"Where to?"
"Back to Ashina first. The Divine Heir probably wants to go back there too, right?"
"Wolf, go with this gentleman to Ashina Castle first."
Kuro issued the command weakly.
"Yes."
The shinobi, carrying his master, followed Suzuki Makoto down the mountain. There was no need to pretend anymore, so they moved at full speed. The Lone Shadow members in the area were already unsettled by the commotion on the mountain, not to mention that the samurai at the checkpoints were dying one after another, making their defenses virtually useless.
As the three left Fountainhead Palace, they encountered Lady Butterfly, who had been monitoring the area.
"Lady Butterfly."
"Is that Lady Butterfly?"
The old woman couldn't help but feel a pang of sympathy upon seeing Kuro's weakened state, but she was even more shocked by how Suzuki Makoto had brought these two down from Fountainhead Palace.
"How did you do it?"
"Ah? You mean that dragon? I just killed it with the Mortal Blade."
Suzuki Makoto said casually.
Lady Butterfly was about to correct her question, but Suzuki Makoto's answer left her utterly speechless.
Didn't he say he was just going to scout today? How could he suddenly come back and tell her the Divine Dragon was dead?
"Come with me. The Interior Ministry personnel are already in chaos; we need to avoid the main road."
____
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