Sengoku left.
Standing atop a golden Buddha cloud and holding the Precious Lotus Golden Lamp, he flew out of Noah.
He intended to travel throughout the Four Souls World in search of his own path to enlightenment.
To that end,
once outside, Sengoku temporarily removed his Coat of Justice and shrank himself to under two meters tall.
He then put on a black robe that covered his entire body and walked barefoot upon the earth.
This world was in the midst of upheaval as it underwent great changes.
He would cultivate himself among the common people under the identity of an unnamed old monk.
He would witness, contemplate, and comprehend what Buddha truly was.
Meanwhile, outside Maple Village,
Astra Militarum helicopters took off and landed one after another in a temporary clearing.
They were carrying out escort missions according to orders.
Their targets were monks and shrine maidens from temples and shrines throughout Japan.
Although the war effort was currently keeping everyone busy,
when faced with the request of Honorary Admiral Charlotte Linlin,
even Vice Admiral Vladimir of the Virgo Star Army Group could only assign a battalion from his directly commanded brigade to help.
Still, it was not as though he was particularly unwilling.
Vice Admiral Vladimir understood very well how reassuring it was to have an Honorary Admiral nearby in a world crawling with Yoma, demons, and monsters.
That was also why he had never moved his command headquarters away from the Izu Peninsula.
Charlotte Linlin, meanwhile, had not given it that much thought.
She was happily welcoming monk after monk and shrine maiden after shrine maiden at Kikyo Shrine.
To her, they were all future subordinates, and since she naturally loved lively occasions, the more people came, the happier she became.
However, whenever she encountered someone with