Demon Oda Nobunaga

The young man, called Sasaki, gripped the makeshift bamboo sword firmly in both hands, holding it down in front of his left leg. He stepped forward with his left foot, assuming a slashing stance. Although it was shorter than the nodachi placed under the eaves, he held it with the same care as if it were a deadly weapon.

The bearded man raised both hands, holding the bamboo sword high above his head, shouting repeatedly, trying to demonstrate his strength in splitting Mount Hua.

The two samurai possessed different styles of swordsmanship, and the outcome of their battle would be decided in a mere instant.

The green bamboo knife flashed out two arcs of light.

Sasaki's slash landed first, from the bearded man's shoulder to his chest.

At that moment, the bearded man's slash stopped on Sasaki's shoulder.

"Hey! This is a draw, isn't it?" the bearded man said with a smug smile.

"No, I won," the man in the blue robe said calmly.

"What! I said it was a draw! You got cut by my bamboo sword too, didn't you?" the bearded man shouted defiantly.

"If it were a real sword, you'd be dead before you could even touch me." The man in the blue robe put down the bamboo sword, picked up the long sword that was placed under the eaves, and turned to leave, no longer bothering with the bearded man.

"Wait! Since neither of us is satisfied with this result, let's settle this with real weapons!" the bearded man shouted irritably, throwing down his bamboo sword and grabbing a sword from the side.

"You are not my match, you should give up!" the blue-robed man advised.

"No! I haven't lost! Let's duel!" the bearded man said defiantly.

"Is that so?" The man in the blue robe said no more and drew his favorite nodachi, 'Bizen Osafune Nagamitsu', also known as 'Monohoshizao'. The blade was more than three feet two inches long, with a blue-gold hilt and two blue tassels.

Logically speaking, in a fierce one-on-one duel, a shorter weapon is always more dangerous. If a weapon that is too long is blocked and the user gets close, the Monohoshizao like a wooden pole with a blade that is over 1 meter long.

Aside from the man in the blue robe himself, I doubt many people would dare to do such a thing.

Because samurai swords are very thin in pursuit of sharpness, the blade is easily chipped or warped under strong impact.

Samurai hone their swordsmanship, seeking Secret Technique that can deliver a fatal blow.

His name is Sasaki Kojiro, a former master of the Nakajima school of swordsmanship. He later created his own unique swordsmanship. The reason he chose to use this long sword is because he is absolutely confident that he can strike his opponent.

"It seems the outcome is already decided," Shirou said.

"Is that so? But the other person is much stronger, so he has a chance of winning, right?" Yukino said, not quite understanding.

The bearded man in the dark blue robe felt a sense of fear as he sensed the aura of the man in the blue robe.

But the words had already been spoken, and there was no going back. A samurai has a samurai's dignity. The bearded man drew his sword and raised it high above his head.

"Drink! Drink!" The bearded man charged at the blue-robed man, knife raised.

In that instant, the blue-robed man's 'Monohoshizao' flashed twice. It seemed as if he only swung it once, but he made two slashes at the same time. One flash blocked the bearded man's escape route, and the other flash drew the curtain on the duel.

The bearded man stared wide-eyed in disbelief. Before the samurai sword he had raised could fall, the long blade had already slashed through his chest. The tall, fat man, now powerless, collapsed onto the grass.

"Amazing!" Yukino exclaimed, her round eyes wide with surprise.

"Hmm." Shirou had to admit that Kojiro was the top swordsman in this world.

Shirou knew that Kojiro was using the secret sword technique 'Swallow Counter', a terrifying sword skill that was impossible to defend against.

Legend has it that Kojiro mastered this technique while practicing slaying swallows, achieving a divine skill that allows him to unleash three slashes from different locations at the same time, a feat akin to a dimensional folding phenomenon.

This time, only two sword techniques were used, yet they were enough to leave the skilled warriors helpless and kill them in one move.

The man in the blue robe flicked the blood off his sword, sheathed it, and without looking at his fallen opponent, turned and walked outside.

Although I won the duel, it was merely a response to the pride of the one who challenged me. It was a one-sided battle, and I felt no pleasure whatsoever.

Since mastering this move, he has traveled the world seeking out renowned, true masters of swordsmanship to challenge, and has never been defeated.

Ever since that time he slew the swallow, he had never experienced the joy of wielding a sword again. No matter who he killed or how much glory he gained, nothing could make him truly happy.

Seeing the man about to leave, Shirou quickly grabbed Yukino and chased after him.

"Please wait, swordsman in front!" Yukino called out.

"Oh, you understand? I could tell from the voice that it's a beautiful lady." Kojiro stopped in his tracks, displaying his flirtatious side, but when he saw who the voice belonged to, he sighed with disappointment, "Oh, it's just a child. I really have no luck with women..."

"Your swordsmanship was truly amazing just now," Shirou said, stepping forward to praise.

"It was just a pointless slash, something I had no choice but to respond to when they came knocking. Seeing that you brought a child here, it seems you're not here to duel me. May I ask what brings you here?" Kojiro's smile vanished as he sized up Shirou and spoke with a cold arrogance.

"With your skills, it's a waste for you to stay in a city like this. Since you're not interested in fighting people anymore, how about you take down forty or so bandits?" Shirou explained to Kojiro the farmers' hiring of samurai to fight against bandits.

"Mountain bandits? Would a man like you meddle in other people's business? It's a wonder you've survived this long. Staying here would cause some trouble, so I'll take my leave." The blue-robed swordsman said with a smile, seemingly uninterested and not offering a reply, before turning and leaving unhurriedly.

"We'll be staying at an inn on South Street for now. If you change your mind, you're welcome to come over," Shirou called out to the swordsman.

"Master, what a pity. If a swordsman of that caliber had joined us, we would have been confident of winning this battle," Yukino said.

"Yes, but there's no rush. Let's go back first," Shirou said.

As Shirou and Yukino walked towards that direction, a group of people rushed over from the opposite side. They were probably just people who had come to watch the spectacle after hearing about the samurai duel that had ended in a fight.

"Scatter! Scatter!"

"The Security Force is coming! Anyone standing by, get out of the way!"

Unbeknownst to Shirou, after he left, a group of female samurai approached, the same fierce female samurai Shirou had encountered earlier.

"Honestly, those stupid lower-ranking samurai, they have no ability to make a name for themselves on the battlefield, all they do is spite each other here, and even make us clean up their corpses. Even if we're needed, can't we be men with a little bit of skill? Bah!" A tall, fierce-looking woman grumbled, glancing disgustedly at the corpses on the ground.

"Where's the other samurai? Did he run away? If we find him, we have to make him help dispose of the body! He's just causing us trouble!" The muscular woman clenched her fists, making a cracking sound.

"Hey! New guy, pick him up and take him to the yamen to be taken in. We'll bury him then," the team leader, a plump woman who was about eight feet tall, ordered.

"Eh? You want me to carry it all by myself?" A samurai girl with light pink hair and a black bow tied around her neck hesitated before answering. Among the tough girls in the Security Force, she was quite petite and slender.

"What?! Someone as short as you can't carry that? Our Security Force doesn't just hire people to do nothing!" the chubby woman shouted, glaring at the girl.

"No! I can carry it!" the samurai girl quickly agreed. It was really hard to make a living here. In her previous life, she had become the captain of the first squad just by relying on her swordsmanship. She never expected that in this ancient world, she wouldn't be able to survive by swordsmanship alone; she also needed strength.

The girl crouched down, suppressing her nausea, and lifted the tall, fat, bearded man, who was several sizes bigger than her, onto her back. He had become even heavier after death, and it took her a lot of effort to stand up.

He had just overexerted himself a little, got a stitch in his side, stumbled and squatted down, coughed twice, and spat out red liquid.

"Here we go again... Why is it that you're perfectly fine when you're eating or resting, but you start vomiting blood as soon as you start working..." The team leader, Fatty Sister, said, covering her face as she looked at the girl.

"I'm sorry, this is beyond my control," the girl said with a mournful face. She had no control over this passive skill and had no idea when it would activate.

"Alright! Newbie, you can rest for a bit and catch up later." The muscular woman stepped forward, grabbed the corpse by the neck with one hand, easily lifted it up, and strode forward.

"Yes..." the samurai girl replied, feeling disheartened. She had heard that there were many female samurai here and thought she could make a lot of friends, but she didn't expect that the women here were all gorillas even bigger than Kondo-san.

"Pfft... Hahaha! Even in this world, Okita is still the same disappointing guy!!" At that moment, a burst of laughter from a uniquely tsundere girl's voice came from the side.

There stood a young woman with long, straight black hair, dressed in a black military uniform and wearing a golden sun hat. She wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes, revealing Ruby- like pupils.

"What are you laughing at! You nobodies! You came here and were still kicked out by the city lord!" Okita Souji cursed unhappily.

"No! There was nothing I could do about it! It was because the bad Nobu ran away on his own. Otherwise, with my original strength, I could have gathered people immediately and taken this city!" the black-haired girl shouted confidently.

"Yes, yes..." Soji replied casually, not believing the long-haired girl's words at all.

Chapter 218 The Demon Oda Nobunaga

After parting ways with the blue-robed swordsman, Shirou led young Yukino towards the other side of the town.

In this small town, the south side was where poor people who came to the town gathered, the east side was where the rich lived, and the north side was a cluster of buildings in the Tang Dynasty style. The huge mansion with white walls and red pavilions in the center was the residence of the town lord, and the surrounding mansions were the government offices that managed the town.

There were Security Force composed of meticulous female warriors, and government offices managed by civilian staff, etc.

Shirou and Yukino were heading to the bustling western part of the city, a place where goods were transported and traded.

"Master, where are we going to find our companions next?" Yukino asked curiously.

"No, the places I'm looking for now are just a matter of luck, and also to satisfy my personal interest," Shirou said with a light laugh.

"Interests? Master, are you doing anything that's beneficial to your training?" Yukino asked, her eyes shining.

"It's not for any grand purpose, I'm just interested in weapons," Shirou explained to the girl as they walked.

"Weapons? Come to think of it, Master, the sword you're using seems to be a style I've never seen before here."

"Well, I crafted this myself, so I used my own inscription," Shirou replied.

"May I see the sword that Master forged?" Yukino asked curiously.

"Wow! Master, that's amazing! This is already a treasured sword. Perhaps only the ancestral sword from my hometown can surpass this blade," Yukino exclaimed.

"Is that so? That's already at the level of a legendary sword. If a swordsmith could forge a weapon like that, he would surely be remembered in history. My skills aren't quite there yet, but it's said that above legendary swords, there are even gods of forging divine weapons," Shirou said with a light laugh.

"The Goddess of forging? Someone like a sword god?" Yukino asked.

"Yes, but according to the old man who told me this, it seems that only the legendary Crafting God such skill." Shirou nodded and said.

"If only we could find a skilled samurai there," Yukino said.

"Well, don't worry, things will work themselves out," Shirou said, patting the girl's head.

They talked to the girl along the way, and after a while, they arrived at this street. The middle aisle was very wide, and there were shops on both sides. Even in the corners where there were no shops, there were merchants pushing carts, setting up wooden tables, and calling out their wares.

This is the most bustling shopping street in this small town, offering a wide variety of goods, from department store items and clothing to cosmetics and powders.

This place is completely different from the small street where they live now. There are no vendors here who only sell cheap groceries, a limited variety, and operate clandestinely. Those are small business owners who earn extra money in their spare time. As for weapons, those vendors are not qualified to sell weapons.

Yukino looked around the shops, then suddenly stopped and grabbed Shirou, saying, "Master, we've found it! The weapon shop!"

"Let's go in and take a look." Shirou looked at the weapon shop that Yukino pointed to. He saw that the sign above read "Weapon Workshop," indicating that it was an officially certified institution.

Upon entering, shop assistants in uniforms warmly greeted us. Exquisite weapons hung on the walls and were displayed in rows on wooden shelves.

From small knives a dozen centimeters long to nodachi swords over a meter and two or three meters long, they have everything.

However, Shirou frowned as he observed this.

"May I ask, sir, what weapon or weapon have you taken a fancy to? Is it for you to use, or for this young master?" the shop assistant asked.

"Look at this katana, sheathed with tiger skin, it looks very imposing, and it feels powerful to hold. If you buy it now, we have a discount, only 90% of the usual price. What do you think?" The shop assistant asked with a smile, rubbing his hands together.

Shirou waved his hand. 'The tiger skin is genuine and quite nice, but the sword inside is only second-rate. It's being sold at the price of a top-tier sword just because it's covered in a tiger skin. It's a case of buying the box and returning the pearl; if you only look at the appearance, you're definitely going to be a sucker.'

"Or, take a look at this Moonlight Dagger over here. It's as sharp as the Fish Intestine Sword; it can cut through anything," the shop assistant continued.

"No, let's go." Shirou shook his head. 'No, this is also a substandard product. It would be very painful to use it for seppuku.'

During times of war, even swordsmiths were affected. Without proper material sourcing and without honing their skills, the quality of samurai swords made by swordsmiths was questionable for a long period of time.

On the battlefield, a casual fight might be enough to break one's lifeline.

Shirou was greatly disappointed with the weapon shop here. Although there was a dedicated shop, the things sold inside were all shoddy goods. Even the shop owner looked just like the uncle who sells toys at a park stall in the real world.

The weapons were very disorganized. Although they were all ordinary swords made by ordinary swordsmiths and had no engravings, Shirou noticed that the swords were displayed on the same shelf. They were not only produced by swordsmiths in the same workshop, but they were also from different places of origin.

Upon closer inspection, one could also find traces of fighting on some of the knives. These crude weapons were likely refurbished goods from the battlefield, perhaps picked up from somewhere, and were simply too much for him to bear.

"Never mind, let's go back." Shirou said, walking towards the door.

"Master? Aren't you going to watch anymore?" Yukino tilted her head, puzzled.

"Ah, I've already looked. I don't find what I'm looking for here," Shirou replied.

However, the ordinary weapons and ironware in this shop did not satisfy Shirou, partly because his own requirements were too high.

What he sought was not some weapon that could cut through iron like mud, nor a family heirloom. Rather, it was something beyond weapons, something that could liberate humanity from this vicious cycle of perpetual war.

In his youth, Muramasa experienced many wars and witnessed all sorts of cruel things.

What he wanted was to find answers, to find a way to save the suffering people. Perhaps it was just a delusion, a completely impossible fantasy, but he just couldn't let go of it.

As a samurai, he had participated in countless battles and witnessed villages that had honestly farmed and paid taxes being plundered and burned for no reason. He felt sympathy for those who suffered because of war, but was powerless to change anything.

So he began traveling the world, constantly pondering the questions, engaging with his inner self, hoping to see something and gain some inspiration.

What can he actually do for this world? Is it to become a lord through war, conquer his own territory, and unify the world?

He also understood that what he pursued was different from what everyone else in the world was pursuing, so who would be willing to follow him?

So, is his only option to assist a wise ruler in achieving unification? Is that even within his capabilities?

When the war ends, will we truly have peace and happiness?

The people suffer when the dynasty prospers, and they also suffer when the dynasty falls.

If we use forging as an analogy, what he is pursuing is actually a sword that can cleave away all darkness, bring miracles to the world, change the world, overcome cruel reality, and cut through the painful fate of all mankind.

Such a knife seems to exist only in legends.

But if he keeps trying to forge it, using different equipment, and constantly honing his skills, perhaps one day he can accomplish this miracle.