After finishing the silent dinner that tasted like chewing wax, Uesugi Tetsu set down his chopsticks and looked at Ririko.
He asked, "Ririko, have you made up your mind?"
Whether to stay and face the successive supernatural incidents, or leave and avoid them, burying herself in the life of an ordinary person.
The fork in fate had never been as clear as it was now.
If they went their separate ways, perhaps this face-to-face meeting would be the closest the two of them ever came from now into the future.
Silently putting the last greasy piece of A5 wagyu into her mouth, Ririko, sitting cross-legged on the sofa, also set down her chopsticks. Yet she looked like a samurai with a katana laid horizontally before her.
Calm and resolute.
"A swordsman can't flee in the face of battle, Uesugi-kun."
Ririko pulled out a napkin and elegantly wiped the grease from the corner of her lips. "Besides, the target is right in front of us. What is there left to hesitate about?"
"You'll die. Hasegawa is living proof."
Uesugi Tetsu sighed.
"Then, Uesugi-kun, would you consider running away? Even for an instant?" Ririko countered.
Without the slightest thought or hesitation, Uesugi Tetsu shook his head. "I wouldn't."
"—So neither will I."
Ririko smiled and gripped his hand tightly, exerting considerable force. "It's as simple as that."
After parting with Ririko, Uesugi Tetsu returned to the safehouse guarded by Ghost Dad and decided to accelerate his conquest of Arakawa Ghost Village tonight and tomorrow.
After effortlessly enduring the enormous water pressure, Laughing Brahma opened his eyes in an abandoned thatched hut.
After several days of training and combat, his attributes had become—
[Uesugi Tetsu] [Physique: 15] [Willpower: 10] [Charisma: 6] [Spirit Arts: 3]
If he activated the proficient-level Ki-ai Technique, he could see his Physique leap from "15" to "17" in an instant. Without a doubt, this was terrifying physical ability at a supernatural level.
Not to mention that Uesugi Tetsu was now wielding the sharp Kaga Kiyomitsu. Even a strong farmer appearing before him would probably be dealt with in a single slash.
"White Brahma is a one-star-plus stage boss. I'll put it off for now."
Uesugi Tetsu stroked the hilt as he thought, "I'll deal with Twist and Turn, whose location is already confirmed, first. Then, once Laughing Brahma finishes upgrading, I'll go subdue Yao-Shaku-Sama."
Having made his decision, Uesugi Tetsu's figure transformed into a gust of wind as he raced through the ghost village.
On the way, perhaps something had happened at that enormous factory. Uesugi Tetsu unexpectedly encountered several factory workers who had become separated from the group.
Faced with soul ash delivered right to his door, Uesugi Tetsu naturally refused none of it.
Kaga Kiyomitsu left its sheath, and he casually collected several heads.
[You killed the one-star wandering soul "Exploited Factory Worker" and obtained 14 soul ash.] [You killed the one-star wandering soul "Exploited Factory Worker" and obtained 11 soul ash.] [You killed the one-star wandering soul "Exploited Factory Worker" and obtained 10 soul ash.] [You obtained "Factory Worker's Top (Damaged)."]
The soul ash that dropped was fairly generous. It could only be said that the Factory Master had not yet squeezed every last bit of value out of these wandering souls. Unlike in reality, they still needed more training.
He had also obtained a damaged-quality worker's top. Although this thing added neither effects nor attributes,
Uesugi Tetsu estimated that if he collected the entire set, he might be able to blend into the factory and do something there.
Unfortunately, the circumstances in reality did not allow him to open another time-consuming and life-consuming side quest.
About twenty minutes later, Uesugi Tetsu stopped before a familiar stretch of gray fields.
He lowered his head and stared fixedly at the soil and foul-smelling ditch beneath his feet.
Last time, he had been sent away just for taking an extra look at Twist and Turn. Uesugi Tetsu would not make the same mistake twice.
Drawing Kaga Kiyomitsu, Uesugi Tetsu slowly closed his eyes and shifted his attention toward his hearing, smell, and sense of touch.
In an instant, the originally indistinct sound of steam billowing out became deafening. The direction of the flowing wind also became clear, and Uesugi Tetsu could even hear some unknown insect burrowing into the soil beneath his feet.
Too far.
He needed to narrow the range of his senses.
Amid his rhythmic breathing, the range of Uesugi Tetsu's keen five senses gradually shrank, finally settling ahead of him and barely enclosing this small patch of farmland.
That was better.
A vague, mixed noise kept coming from a certain point not far away. Uesugi Tetsu knew that was Twist and Turn.
He took a deep breath and stepped into the abandoned fields.
Although legend had it that aside from assimilating anyone who directly saw it, Twist and Turn had no other means of attack, that was still only a legend. It could serve as a reference, but could not be taken as absolute truth.
Tightening his grip on Kaga Kiyomitsu, Uesugi Tetsu heard a subtle change in the mixed noise.
It had discovered him!
No longer approaching stealthily, Uesugi Tetsu immediately changed tactics and activated the Ki-ai Technique with all his might.
The muscles all over Uesugi Tetsu's body bulged distinctly. After instinctively assuming the Heiseigan stance, he strode toward Twist and Turn.
With Kaga Kiyomitsu capable of strengthening thrusting sword techniques, Uesugi Tetsu sought to go all out and heavily injure his enemy with a single strike.
Vrrrr—
As the distance between them rapidly closed, the mixed noise beside his ears also increased exponentially. Although it was not as disruptive as seeing it directly, it was still enough to drive an ordinary person mad and make them dance along with it.
But Uesugi Tetsu had anticipated this.
Laughing Brahma's Heart Like Still Water suddenly curled the corners of its mouth upward.
With his Willpower greatly increased, the Terrifying Smile instantly made the surrounding buzzing noises stop for one moment!
At that instant, Uesugi Tetsu's chest suddenly swelled. The Ki-ai Technique rang out like muffled thunder as he unleashed the simplest and cleanest sword move, yet one that demanded the most exquisite technique.
—Fang Thrust!
Ten meters vanished in the blink of an eye!
Before even Uesugi Tetsu himself could react, Kaga Kiyomitsu had already embedded itself in Twist and Turn's viscous, mist-like body, making it emit a piercing shriek.
The sudden increase in volume made blood flow from Uesugi Tetsu's seven orifices as he stood right beside Twist and Turn, but his hands did not hesitate in the slightest.
Tightening his grip on the hilt, he delivered a decisive diagonal slash.
Rip!
A sound like cloth being torn rang out. The tip of Kaga Kiyomitsu dragged out a stream of pale, flowing light, and the incessant noise from Twist and Turn abruptly ceased.
[You killed the one-star resentment "Twist and Turn" and obtained 132 soul ash!]
Uesugi Tetsu's body trembled, and he fell to his knees in the fields. At that moment, he even felt as if his brain were trembling along with the dissipated noise, about to melt into thick liquid and flow out through his features.
He had come only a hair's breadth from being killed by Twist and Turn's dying counterattack.
Fortunately, his skills had won out!
Uesugi Tetsu grinned and used the last of his strength to pat the single-edged sword in his hand that had turned the tide of battle.
Kaga Kiyomitsu trembled lightly, letting out a clear sword chime that sounded almost cheerful.
Less than two seconds later, Uesugi Tetsu's vision went black, and Twist and Turn's ceaseless death throes sent him back into the real world.
[You used Kaga Kiyomitsu Replica to kill the one-star resentment "Twist and Turn." The quality of Kaga Kiyomitsu Replica has increased slightly.] [Your skill, Incomplete Ki-ai Technique, gained 19 proficiency!] [Your skill, Tennen Rishin-ryū, gained 7 proficiency!] [Side Quest Two—The White Scarecrow has been completed!] [You may claim the reward for this side quest immediately! You may also wait until multiple quests are complete and claim the accumulated rewards!] [You obtained Spirit Awakening Mist (Special Item)!]
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