Chapitre 53: Chapter 52: The So-Called Samurai (End)
"Snap!" Zhou Ming tightly clenched the Celestial Demon Stone in his palm.
His consciousness was clear, but that lingering feeling of heart palpitations remained, lingering in his mind.
"Primordial Demon... What level of existence is this?"
In his consciousness, the galaxy surrounded him, and the image of the majestic demon god roaring into the sky was incredibly vivid, as if it was engraved in his mind and would never be forgotten.
He spread his palm, and the force of his grip caused his nails to puncture his palm. Although the wound quickly stopped bleeding, the blood that overflowed was absorbed completely by the Celestial Demon Stone.
The deep and dark Celestial Demon Stone seemed like a black hole, constantly emitting eerie fluctuations that captivated one's mind.
It was a stone radiating boundless demonic power.
"I'll deal with it in the main divine space later!" Zhou Ming threw the Celestial Demon Stone into a flower storage gu, forcibly suppressing the intense emotions stirred up by the Celestial Demon Stone in his heart.
"But there are more important things to do."
Zhou Ming shifted his gaze away from the pile of charred remains on the ground and looked into the distance once again.
The battle tonight was not yet over.
...
At the entrance of the palace, carriages surrounded the area, making it impossible to pass through.
The dignitaries who were attending the evening banquet arrived on time, but the palace gates were still closed, causing the nobles to discuss the matter incessantly, creating a noisy scene.
Not long ago, the sound of thunderous explosions, cries of killing, and screams came from inside the palace, giving those who arrived early a vivid experience.
Several people exchanged glances, feeling a wave of fear rising within them, but they were constrained by the prohibition and dared not intrude into the palace to investigate.
It was a very wise decision that allowed them to preserve their lives, at least temporarily.
By now, all the dignitaries who had come to the capital were present, along with their entourages, including the samurais representing them in the World's Number One Samurai Tournament, carriage drivers, and others, totaling over a hundred people.
With so many people gathered at the palace gates, facing the closed doors, they couldn't enter nor leave.
There were varying degrees of relationships, grudges, and disputes among the dignitaries, and the waiting had gradually depleted their patience, making them increasingly irritable.
When normal conversations turned into sarcastic remarks, and the air was filled with a gunpowder-like tension in every word spoken, conflicts erupted uncontrollably.
As they watched the nobles around them exchanging insults like fishwives and the samurais glaring at each other with cold eyes, seemingly ready to draw their swords at any moment, Oda Hirakura tried to shrink his body as much as possible inside the carriage.
"My lord, we can't wait any longer. If we do, they'll start fighting!" Matsui Kyōshin whispered anxiously.
"Nonsense, do you think I don't know that?" Oda Hirakura glared at him with annoyance, then tried to shrink his body even further. He ordered, "Let's move aside a bit to avoid getting splattered with blood if they start fighting."
"Yes, my lord." Matsui Kyōshin obediently followed the order and slowly led the horse backward. Unable to resist his curiosity, he couldn't help but ask, "My lord, do you think the abnormalities inside the palace might be caused by Zhou Ming?"
"Shut your mouth!" Oda Hirakura's face turned grim as he sternly silenced Matsui Kyōshin, glancing around with a hint of unease.
Noticing that no one was paying particular attention to them, Oda Hirakura lowered his voice and said, "Speaking loosely here could cost you your life! Let me tell you, no matter what happens tonight, we know nothing, understand?"
"Understood, understood." Matsui Kyōshin nodded vigorously, realizing that if the surrounding nobles felt that tonight's events were related to them, they could easily guess their fate...
"Ah, it would be better if Lord Zhou was by our side at this moment. Without him, there is always a sense of insecurity..."
Creak!
Just as Oda Hirakura sighed with such regret, the tightly closed palace gates slowly opened.
All the bickering nobles ceased their quarrels at that moment and turned their gaze towards the entrance.
For a moment, silence filled the air, and only the clear footsteps, step by step, seemed to resonate in everyone's hearts.
Under the watchful eyes of everyone, Zhou Ming stepped out of the palace, carrying a long sword with the tip pointed downward, wearing a smile as he scanned the whole crowd.
"Who are you?" One of the nobles couldn't hold back and questioned.
"Zhou Ming! He is Zhou Ming!" Another perceptive noble recognized Zhou Ming's identity.
"Is he the one behind tonight's incident?"
"We must capture him and interrogate him!"
"He actually came out of the palace with a sword. Could something have happened to the ruler?"
The nobles bickered, making Zhou Ming find it somewhat amusing, while a surge of killing intent surged within him.
He let out a long laugh and shouted, "Wild Field Tohnozuke has already set off on his journey. Before leaving, he entrusted me with the task of sending you all on the same path. Isn't it beautiful for you rulers and subjects to reunite?"
"How dare you!"
"What did you say?"
"Guards, quickly capture this villain!"
"Treason! Treason!"
The emotions of the gathered nobles were fervent—anger, fear, and panic. Some angrily shouted orders to their subordinates to attack, while others sensed the danger and quietly prepared to escape. Some feigned calmness, coldly observing the unfolding situation...
Zhou Ming calmly observed everyone's reactions, then suddenly smiled, lifted his long sword, and flicked his finger.
Hum...
The sound of the blade resonated clearly, even though it wasn't particularly loud. It seemed to enter the ears of each person with absolute clarity.
As if seeing a flash of sword light before their eyes, everyone's thoughts momentarily paused, and all sounds disappeared in that instant, as if time and space stood still.
In the next moment, everything returned to normal.
However, the stunning display of that flash of sword light remained in the hearts of the people, gradually quieting everyone present.
Having gone through two major battles, first at the Tokugawa Dojo and then within the palace, absorbing the martial arts experience of several skilled practitioners, including Tokugawa Yamato, and enduring the mental impact of the recent phenomenon with the Celestial Demon Stone, Zhou Ming's mastery of swordsmanship had finally broken through to level 4.
In the Gu World, he had reached the level of a Master Level attainment.
Zhou Ming's gaze swept across the entire scene, sharp as a blade, causing a shiver to run through the hearts of all those he glanced at, instilling a sense of fear.
He raised his long sword and pointed it at the crowd.
"I will send you all on your way."
He swiftly moved, sparks flying as the tip of his blade traced a path on the ground, charging straight toward the crowd.
In an instant, like ignited gunpowder, a fierce atmosphere filled the entire place, on the brink of an imminent bloodbath.
"Kill!"
"Kill!"
"Today, either he dies or we perish. What are we waiting for? Charge!"
Everyone understood that at this moment, any words were meaningless.
The only things that mattered were the blades in their hands and the ones who would survive.
Tonight, the final blossom of slaughter bloomed here, radiant and magnificent.
[The World's No. 1 Samurai Tournament is judged to be over! Return to the main god space immediately after the countdown of three minutes, you can choose to return at any time.]
As Zhou Ming knocked down the final target, the prompt from the main god sounded timely in his ears.
The ground was covered with the blood of damiyos, warriors, and servants. Their bodies piled up together, mixing their blood. They were born unequal, but in death, equality was bestowed upon them.
Matsui Kyoshin slumped on the carriage, the intense stimulation pushing his consciousness to the brink of collapse. He stared blankly at Zhou Ming, whose body was covered in blood, approaching him step by step.
"Open the curtain," Zhou Ming said as he walked up to him.
Matsui Kyoshin, whose mind was already blank, instinctively followed Zhou Ming's order and opened the curtain of the carriage.
Inside the carriage, Oda Hirakura lay unconscious, frightened into a faint.
"Well, that works too."
Zhou Ming smiled faintly, nodded at Matsui Kyoshin, and said, "I said before, he helped me register, and I helped him win first place. Now that our cooperation is over, I'm leaving."
Matsui Kyoshin stared blankly as Zhou Ming turned to leave. At this moment, his consciousness gradually began to recover.
"Why... why did you do this?" he asked in a hoarse voice.
Zhou Ming paused his steps and turned around.
Moonlight spilled, illuminating Zhou Ming's body. He stepped on a sea of corpses, covered in blood. The moonlight reflected off the blood, forming a faint halo of crimson around him, exuding an eerie sanctity.
"When I killed Tokugawa Hidetada, he said I wasn't a samurai. I told him I never claimed to be one."
Zhou Ming calmly spoke, his voice clear, cold, and distant.
"Tell me, what is a so-called samurai?"
Matsui Kyoshin didn't understand why Zhou Ming suddenly asked him this, but after hesitating, he still answered the question.
"A warrior, courageous. A samurai is a person in this world who possesses both bravery and strength, wielding a sword in their hand to achieve their aspirations!"
"Hahaha." Zhou Ming laughed.
"What are you laughing at?" Matsui Kyoshin's anger surged from within, suppressing his fear of Zhou Ming. He shouted in a stern voice.
"You're mistaken." Zhou Ming's smile gradually faded, his tone serene.
"A so-called samurai is nothing more than a tool for the rulers to maintain their rule. The loyalty and valor of samurais are established on the basis that their damiyos reward them for their contributions within the master-servant system."
"A samurai is a blade, a pawn, a soldier, a retainer. Yet, they disguise themselves with martial prowess and the so-called code of samurai ethics, concealing their true nature."
"In response to your earlier question, I am not a samurai. I do all of this for a single purpose."
Zhou Ming turned around again, emitting a soft laughter. Under the moonlight, he took steps amidst the sea of corpses, blending with the moon's radiance, disappearing without a trace.
Only his voice echoed in the air.
"Because I'm bored. I want to see rivers of blood."
Thud!
Matsui Kyoshin slumped back onto the carriage, staring blankly at the place where Zhou Ming disappeared. He felt as if the world was spinning, and his consciousness gradually slipped into darkness.
Before losing consciousness, he seemed to glimpse the future, a future of turmoil and chaos. Smoke and gunpowder filled the air as the entire world plunged into endless warfare, with battles raging in every corner.
Overnight, Emperor Nohara Momonosuke and ninety percent of the daimyos in the realm perished.
The tranquility of this world would cease to exist after this night.
Matsui Kyoshin fainted in the carriage, while inside, Oda Hirakura suddenly sat up.
He cautiously surveyed his surroundings, finding no signs of life, let alone Zhou Ming.
His chubby face trembled uncontrollably as he suppressed his overwhelming excitement. Oda Hirakura dragged Matsui Kyoshin back into the carriage and himself took the reins, turning the carriage around and dashing towards his own estate.
There, his thirty samurais awaited, the ones he had brought with him.
He had to return immediately, lead the thirty samurais, clean up the battlefield, and establish their presence in the imperial palace.
""This world is mine!"
The ambitious man, consumed by madness, burst into laughter.
The wheels of history rolled relentlessly, never ceasing.
Who among all beings in this world can escape its grasp?
(The end of this plot world!)
État de l’alimentation hebdomadaire
-- Classement
Power Stone 
-- Power
stone