Chapter 16 Betrayal

In the mortal realm, at Byeokjegwan, Shimazu Tadatsune's skin turned as white as metallic jade, surrounded by a golden halo, embodying the mythological pillar deity connected to the heavens, "Ame no Mihashira."

Lin Michitoshi and several other military commanders, originally loyal to Date Masamune but now traitors, also manifested different divine forms.

Ukanomitama.

Toshitokujin.

Kosehime Myojin.

Ichikishimahime.

Date Masamune, on the other hand, seemed to have transformed into a black dragon, surging flames and dark halos enveloping him, obscuring his true form. The flames took the shape of a dragon, and Date Masamune's eyes became draconic.

He was currently locked in place by several divine generals standing in five directions, using a Five Elements Formation!

Trapped by the Five Elements Formation, unable to move, Date Masamune watched in horror as Ji Xiang appeared, wielding numerous swords. The subsequent two attacks of Annihilation of the Myriad Army caused him to close his eyes in agony.

However, the subsequent death of Uesugi Kagekatsu and the opening of the Gates of Yomi, with two false immortals dragging the Ming immortal down to the underworld, could be considered a good thing. Finally, finally, that Ming immortal was killed, albeit at a great cost. The five traitors were clearly shaken by this scene, creating gaps in the Five Elements Formation. Date Masamune seized this opportunity, unleashing the earth-shattering demonic aura of Ōtakemaru's treasured sword, instantly shattering the entire Five Elements Formation!

"Are you afraid now, you rebels? Your future ends here! Every single one of you will die! Let me cut open your bellies and apologize to Kanpaku-sama!"

Date Masamune charged towards the five traitors with狂笑 laughter. His swords were drawn, and in an instant, four treasured swords struck one of the traitorous generals. The serpent-entwined sword, the Black Dragon Fire, instantly consumed the man!

"Ah!"

Date Masamune ignited one traitorous general, and the others, seeing the Five Elements Formation shattered, were greatly alarmed, their formation falling apart in chaos!

"You will all die!"

"Kishin Hōtai!" (God-Demon Avatar)

Date Masamune began to manifest his Kishin powers, wielding three demonic swords simultaneously!

Ō Kanehira, Ko Kanehira, Sayo Samonji; these were the three legendary demonic swords of the great demon god Ōtakemaru, collectively known as the Three Bright Swords.

Instantly, wind, rain, and lightning swirled around each of the three swords!

The earth and soil were churned up, thunder accompanying the torrential storm as it assaulted the front. Date Masamune swung his sword a second time, turning the sky red, shrouding the mortal realm in black clouds, and causing fire rain to fall!

Fortunately, Shimazu Tadatsune remained relatively clear-headed and swung his own sword at this moment. The halo of this sword transformed into a barrier supporting the heavens and the earth, an indestructible metal force surging forth, blocking Date Masamune's attack!

"Little Keiko of the Shimazu family, what weight do you carry? Don't think that just because you've taken the position of the Pillar God, you can stop me!"

"The power of a divine seat is great, but it depends on who wields it! You? Give me a break! I've already grasped your weakness. You still think you can counterattack?"

Beneath the blade, Kurikara, the Wisdom-Fire Sword of the Great Dragon King, reappeared, using his own treasured sword, Kagehide, as a vessel, unleashing divine power!

"Wind, rain, and thunder all rise in a great roar! The power of the heavens is displayed by the three swords, its might complete!"

By inserting the swords into the ground, he first summoned the various celestial phenomena.

When the celestial phenomena had gathered to a certain extent, the primordial energy between heaven and earth completely erupted and boiled. At this point, he could once again unleash the Wisdom-Fire Sword, at which time Kurikara, the Great Dragon King, would display his true, vast power!

One strike could annihilate thousands of demons and heretics!

"The Wisdom-Fire Sword of the heretic path, its aura erupting like two trillion bolts of lightning at once!"

With a swing of the Wisdom-Fire Sword, it was as if two trillion bolts of lightning were unleashed from the heavens!

The sword's aura swept across, blasting all the rebellious troops away!

A great storm stirred the heavenly energy like ocean waves, the sword's aura swirling within like thunder. The Five Elements Formation was shattered, and the other traitorous generals were swept aside. Date Masamune finally shattered Byeokjegwan's defenses!

Dust fell from the sky, lightning flashed, thunder rumbled, and heavy rain poured down. Heat rose, forming mist.

It was an image of the heavens collapsing and the earth splitting! With the city destroyed and the army defeated, Date Masamune stood amidst the wreckage, clad in black armor, holding four swords, manifesting the image of a Buddhist Dragon King.

For a time, all the rebellious troops who had just barely survived were filled with terror, breathing rapidly, amidst the smell of blood, thick dust, decaying earth, and the dampness of the rain.

And the Wisdom-Fire Sword, shining brightly unaffected by the wind and rain!

The divine forms of several rebel leaders were becoming unstable. Date Masamune stood not far in front of them, looking at these traitors who were either lying prone or kneeling on one knee, saying with a hint of relief:

"Making you vice-generals was the wisest decision Kanpaku-sama made. Otherwise, if you had been the main generals this time, you would have surrendered to the Ming, laid down your arms, and offered the city with utmost courtesy. You might have even turned around and opened the gates we were defending, leading the Ming army in!

"The divine seats granted to you are powerful, but you yourselves do not possess the ability to control them. This is also the art of restraint employed by Kanpaku-sama. It's just a pity that you used this Five Elements Formation in the wrong place!"

"Regardless of your reasons or what thoughts you harbored, you will all descend to Yomi today."

*Thump!*

Suddenly, the earth trembled.

Date Masamune turned his head to look back. He was not afraid of these few traitorous generals launching any sneak attacks. The Five Elements Formation had already been broken, and the four remaining divine generals could not create a formation capable of trapping him.

Anyone who dared to attack would be killed instantly by the four swords!

He gazed into the distance.

At the entrance to Yomi, two vaguely humanoid figures stood up from the mud.

The two false immortals had survived and were struggling to return from the Land of Yomi.

The golden seal was now held in their hands, protecting them from being devoured by the power of Yomi. The power of the Six Paths of Reincarnation from the *Gaki Zoshi* (Scroll of Hungry Ghosts) guided them on a path back to the mortal realm, the very path taken by Izanagi in the myths, leading to this Yomi exit where the Daosaka-no-Okami (God of the Dividing Road) resided.

With the Six Paths of Reincarnation and the power to reincarnate celestial beings, it was not surprising that the owner of the *Gaki Zoshi* could open a path back to the mortal realm.

Moreover, the two of them were already the owners of netherworld divine seats, so being able to enter and exit the human netherworld was a normal feat.

However, the celestial power they had used to drag Ji Xiang down to Yomi was extremely great, resulting in a severe depletion. If they did not have the golden seal in hand at this moment, they would perish once again due to the decay of their forms and spirits.

The two immortals walked somewhat stiffly to the side of Uesugi Kagekatsu's corpse. The latter's eyes were open, his body and head separated, leaving behind an extremely heavy resentment even in death.

"Come, revive him."

One of the immortals called out to the surroundings. Dozens of vengeful samurai appeared in this way, and they began to merge into Uesugi Kagekatsu's body.

After a while, Uesugi Kagekatsu's eyes blinked, and his head automatically rolled back and reattached to his neck.

The blood had already dried up, but his pale and gaunt body suddenly became full. Vengeful spirits supported his revival, and Uesugi Kagekatsu's consciousness gradually returned.

"Phew, you two didn't die. It seems that the Ming immortal is indeed dead."

"That was a truly terrifying experience, but now, everything is fine."

Uesugi Kagekatsu picked up the Tsukuyomi Bow and the Ama-no-Haya-Ya arrow once more, revealing a chilling smile:

"Fortunately, I never had three souls and seven spirits to begin with, but am instead a gathering of vengeful spirits. Otherwise, being shot like that would have been truly disastrous."

The two false immortals accompanied him to the front of Byeokjegwan, now reduced to ruins.

"Ah, attacking one's own castle to show off one's power is one thing, but attacking a castle occupied by the Ming army is not so easy."

"Next, let's recapture Wangjing. The Ming immortal is dead, the Ming army is routed, it's only a matter of time."

Date Masamune was somewhat surprised to see Uesugi Kagekatsu approaching: "Uesugi-sensei, I just saw your body and your head..."

"It was just a decapitation. Even common folk possess the magic to reattach severed heads. As the great Daosaka-no-Okami of Yomi, what could be the matter with losing a head?"

Date Masamune frowned slightly. He wanted to say that he had just seen the other party being shot by the Ama-no-Haya-Ya arrow. If he remembered correctly, being hit by an arrow fired from this Tsukuyomi Bow would have very serious consequences. However, as long as the other party was fine, that was a good thing. As for how the other party had survived, Date Masamune could guess a thing or two.

It was probably related to those vengeful spirits.

These techniques of manipulating resentful thoughts to transform into demons, and the magic of vengeful spirits possessing bodies, all originated from the way of the Kishin. The techniques used in this path were indeed both useful and convenient.

After Uesugi Kagekatsu finished speaking, he looked at the traitorous generals in front of him, especially the young samurai who had returned from Tachibana Muneshige's command and had followed him to this day. He revealed an extremely disappointed expression:

"Tadatsune, I never expected that it would be you who betrayed me."

"You have disappointed me. Why did you defect to the Ming?"

Shimazu Tadatsune, facing utter despair at this moment, merely smiled: "Sometimes, what you see with your eyes is not necessarily the truth."

The young samurai thought that the Shimazu Tadatsune of the past was already dead, and that he was now a demon. When the inner demon arose, it revealed the truth.

Lin Michitoshi and the other traitorous generals, who had been corrupted by their inner demons, remained silent at this moment.

"No, don't you have any last words to say?"

"Last words?"

Lin Michitoshi glanced at Date Masamune. Facing his former superior, he now spat out venomous words from the bottom of his heart: "I will die in a foreign land, my soul unable to return to my homeland."

"And your end will inevitably be the same as mine."

Date Masamune's face twisted in anger, and he coldly laughed: "Then I'll take you up on that auspicious prophecy!"

He then raised his long sword and sliced off Lin Michitoshi's head with a single stroke!

Shimazu Tadatsune watched as the traitorous generals beside him were all executed, believing that his own end was at hand. However, Uesugi Kagekatsu stopped Date Masamune from swinging his sword and said to Shimazu Tadatsune:

"You are still useful. Now is not the time for you to die.

"Your father has already been killed by the Ming immortal, yet you defected to that immortal and willingly became his lackey. Now that he is dead and has descended to Yomi, you are still alive. You should inherit your father's name and position, but you have also committed a grave crime."

"You will return alive to 本 (Hon, referring to Japan), and then, in your name, you will transfer all the lands under your control, one by one. Because of your act of betrayal, and with all the evidence and witnesses present, your uncles will have no way to deny this. Either you transfer the lands or commit seppuku. However, both paths lead to the same destination."

"To thank you for offering the sovereignty of Kyushu Island with both hands."

"We will leave you a small piece of land, allowing your descendants to live in humiliation."

"Now, come with us. The Ming you are about to serve have only achieved a temporary victory. Their destruction will come this very night. 'The heavens and earth will be settled!'"