Three days later.
The house was still the same small house, but the people sitting inside were absolutely top-tier in all of Japan.
There was no other reason than that Tokugawa Ieyasu and Ii Naomasa had arrived in the town today with three thousand soldiers.
Despite Ii Naomasa's repeated advice, Ieyasu still ordered the troops to be stationed outside the town, and he himself only brought about thirty men into the town.
Just as Ieyasu led these thirty men to the entrance of the small courtyard...
Ieyasu finally paused for a moment, pondering his next move.
To Ieyasu's left, Ii Naomasa's gaze toward the mansion was exceptionally sharp.
He is a devout follower of the Shinto shrine and the biggest benefactor of the Demon Slayer Corps and the Ubuyashiki Family.
He simply didn't believe that, apart from the God Lord, there could be any dragon-shaped deity in this world that the God Lord was unaware of and that the God Lord feared, who would be willing to leave Takamagahara and come to the human world!
After glancing at the courtyard, Ii Naomasa turned to the figure to Ieyasu's right and nodded slightly.
Sensing Ii Naomasa's signal, the figure to Ieyasu's right took a deep breath, then stepped forward and boldly knocked on the gate of the mansion.
The moment the person knocked on the door, Yoriichi Tsugikuni finally couldn't help but stand up in the courtyard inside the mansion.
He immediately knelt down before Gawain and then said respectfully.
"My lord, my elder brother killed the father of the current Ubuyashiki Family and cut off his head to give to Muzan Kibutsuji."
As Michikatsu Tsugikuni's younger brother, I Ubuyashiki Family an enormous debt.
So please allow me to be willful; I wish I could give the head of the Ubuyashiki Family a small welcome.
But... won't such behavior affect your Kamui?
If you don't allow it, then I will...
"Haha, don't be so polite, Yoriichi Tsugikuni."
If you want to open the door for them, then open it.
The reason I have some dissatisfaction with that kid Ieyasu is because I have some dissatisfaction with every man in Japan —you don't need to know the reason.
Besides, do you really think I need to maintain my so-called authority by putting pressure on someone who hasn't fully become the Shogun yet?
After saying that, Gawain waved his hand gently, indicating that Yoriichi Tsugikuni should do as he wished.
In the days following Kokushibo's death, Yoriichi Tsugikuni trained just as diligently as ever, but a lingering sadness remained.
The unexpected arrival of the head of the Ubuyashiki Family cheered Yoriichi Tsugikuni up a little.
Hearing Gawain's instructions, Yoriichi Tsugikuni soft breath and then slowly walked across the courtyard to the gate.
The moment Yoriichi Tsugikuni's figure was exposed to Ii Naomasa as he pushed open the door.
This is Ii Naomasa Red-Haired Demon, who is known as one of the Four Uranus among the Mikawa samurai Red Regiment the Red Guard.
Tons of sweat immediately poured down his forehead!
As someone whose status within Ieyasu's faction was equal to or even surpassed that of Honda Tadakatsu, and as the leader of the Red Regiment, his power and status were almost at the pinnacle of Japan samurai!
But in front of Yoriichi Tsugikuni, an ordinary guy who didn't even have the identity of a samurai.
Ii Naomasa felt as if he had turned into a rabbit.
It's still a rabbit, bound hand and foot, thrown in front of a wolf!!!
A primal sense of danger made Ii Naomasa quickly reach for the katana at his waist.
Noticing Ii Naomasa's actions, Ieyasu was slightly taken aback, then quickly reprimanded him.
"Don't be rude!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Ieyasu smiled slightly and then placed his hands on top of each other.
"Is this the same Yoriichi Tsugikuni, the sharpest demon-slaying blade under the night sky, the Yoriichi Tsugikuni known as the strongest swordsman?"
I am Tokugawa Ieyasu, and I have come here today at the instruction of that gentleman.
I would be most grateful if Yoriichi Tsugikuni could provide some guidance.
He expressed his deepest gratitude verbally, but Ieyasu's face showed no outward sign of gratitude.
As for Yoriichi Tsugikuni, he completely ignored Ieyasu's polite words and instead looked hesitantly at the current head of the Ubuyashiki family.
Meeting the gaze of the head of the Ubuyashiki Family, Yoriichi Tsugikuni lowered his head deeply.
Completely ignoring Ieyasu, Yoriichi Tsugikuni addressed the head of the Ubuyashiki Family.
"The master is waiting for you all; you may come with me to see him."
And also...
I Kokushibo the day before yesterday.
These words are useless, and I don't want to make amends for past sins with what I do now.
In short, my lord.
I only want you to know that your father... that is, the enemy of the previous lord...
I barely managed to register!
As soon as he finished speaking, Yoriichi Tsugikuni bowed deeply to the head of the Ubuyashiki Family.
Listening to Yoriichi Tsugikuni's words, Ieyasu not only didn't feel slighted, but instead showed a relieved expression of "I knew it!"
He knew that the Ubuyashiki Family and the Demon Slayer Corps were merely tools of the Shinto shogunate and one of the small forces cultivated by the shogunate.
But since the other side has a former member of the Demon Slayer Corps.
The master who brings the Demon Slayer Corps is definitely on the right track!
To have risen from a lowly hostage to this level, Ieyasu's shrewdness is undeniable. He smiled and looked at the head of the Ubuyashiki Family, signaling him to say something more.
Although the head of the Ubuyashiki Family was only sixteen years old, he had none of the shortcomings of other sixteen-year-old boys.
As someone who knew from birth that I wouldn't live past thirty, and who suffered from bloodline torment and pain day and night.
He was no longer young from the day his father died, when he was six years old.
Nodding slightly to Ieyasu, the head of the Ubuyashiki Family reached out and grabbed Yoriichi Tsugikuni's arm.
"Thank you very much, Yoriichi Tsugikuni- kun."
Also, what happened back then has always been a regret in my heart.
Even now, I miss the Demon Slayer Corps that had you.
As for Upper Moon One, namely Kokushibo...
That was his crime, not yours.
Please forgive me, the Demon Slayer Corps and I were far too harsh on you in the past..."
As soon as he finished speaking, the head of the Ubuyashiki Family tightened his Yoriichi Tsugikuni's arm.
Upon hearing the words of the head of the Ubuyashiki Family, Yoriichi Tsugikuni paused slightly, and tears immediately streamed down his face.
Yes, the head of the family was only six years old back then.
Even so, the six-year-old patriarch was the one who saved my life!
Even now, Yoriichi Tsugikuni still remembers the night Muzan escaped.
When he returned to the Demon Slayer Corps after failing to kill Muzan and release Tamayo, he discovered that his brother had defected and killed the previous lord.
At that time, a large number of Demon Slayer Corps members, including many newly appointed Pillars, demanded that they commit seppuku (ritual suicide) for the mistakes they had made!
Yoriichi Tsugikuni understood them perfectly; they were all children or adopted sons of his old comrades-in-arms.
It was his own markings that caused the previous generation of Pillars to die one after another.
It's understandable that the children of my old comrades-in-arms resent me.
That's why Yoriichi Tsugikuni didn't commit seppuku that night.
It was all because the six-year-old young lord stopped the crowd from getting agitated.
Thinking of this, Yoriichi Tsugikuni his heart.
Although he quickly broke free from his lord's grasp, he couldn't help but whisper to the head of the Ubuyashiki Family.
"Master of the Ubuyashiki Family, please forgive me for no longer being able to call you 'Lord.' That last 'Lord' just now was probably my last... memory."
Now I am under the protection of an adult, serving him faithfully.
He is a man of broad mind and great vision, capable of plucking stars from the Four Blues and swallowing the moon, and of controlling wind and rain. He possesses unfathomable abilities, yet he does not abuse them. He can be considered a first-rate benevolent ruler and righteous god.
So please don't worry, just be natural.
"Come, please follow me to see the lord."
As soon as he finished speaking, Yoriichi Tsugikuni step back and bowed to the three people in front of him.
Then he turned around and walked into the courtyard on his own.
Behind him, Ieyasu and the other two immediately followed Yoriichi Tsugikuni's pace.
As they took their first step, the Demon Slayer Corps and Red Armor Corps behind them also stepped forward in unison.
Yoriichi Tsugikuni could say anything, Ieyasu immediately raised his right hand.
"You need not follow me. Just guard this place well. Yoriichi Tsugikuni truly intends to harm me, even hundreds or thousands of demons cannot stop him, let alone you!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Ieyasu naturally continued forward.
Some things, some words, even if it's just a gesture, he must see them through to the end.
These are the details of Ieyasu, and the real reason why he has reached this point!
After all, he wasn't Oda Nobunaga; he didn't possess that kind of heroic spirit that could sweep across mountains and rivers without inspiring disgust.
Just like Toyotomi Hideyoshi next door, that guy became the only general who could compete with him now by relying on the world's best flattery skills.
But the reason I can still compete with him is precisely because after Nobunaga's death, Toyotomi Hideyoshi stopped studying my flattering skills and instead tried to become the second Oda Nobunaga.
Toyotomi Hideyoshi doesn't seem to realize that imitating someone like him would only remind those intimidated by his imposing presence of his past ridiculous nickname, "The monkey."
Neither he nor I could become the second Nobunaga; we were just clumsy imitations of guitar playing.
As for me, I am not Oda Nobunaga, but Tokugawa Ieyasu!
As Ieyasu continued to bolster his own morale, they gradually entered the courtyard.
Walking around the corridor, Ieyasu's gaze swept past the flowers and trees and landed on the man leisurely enjoying the shade in the rocking chair.
The first thing I noticed was the man's distinctive attire—a style completely different from that of his time, devoid of any visible stitches, and adorned with countless exquisite accessories that accentuated his heroic bearing. Was this the celestial robe worn by the gods of Takamagahara?
Three men can make a tiger; thirty thousand people can make the truth seem real.
Ieyasu had no doubt about Gawain's identity as a dragon deity.
Unlike Ii Naomasa, who was a devout believer in the gods, Ieyasu did not entirely trust the so-called gods who had never appeared on earth.
He believed more in the dragon that actually appeared before him!
So, after a brief glance, Ieyasu didn't even bother to look at Gawain's face any further before he hastily bowed to Gawain and said...
"This Gawain servant, Tokugawa Ieyasu, greets Lord Takabun!"
As soon as he finished speaking, although he didn't do a full dogeza (a traditional Japanese prostration), he bent his waist at a ninety-degree angle.
Looking at Ieyasu's posture at a 90-degree angle, Gawain couldn't help but smile slightly.
This Ieyasu, he really isn't afraid of being bulldozed by Ii Naomasa behind him.
Her butt's sticking out so high, haha!
With a light laugh, Gawain glanced past Ieyasu and looked up at Ii Naomasa and the head of the Ubuyashiki Family.
In an instant, a subtle surge of Conqueror's Haki was unleashed.
A moment later, the two men were covered in sweat and immediately knelt down, not daring to say a word, only keeping their heads pressed to the ground towards Gawain.
Noticing Naomasa's current state, Ieyasu's eyes widened, and he bowed even more deeply.
While he waited, Gawain glanced around and quickly calculated the angle.
Then, Gawain said to Ieyasu with a light smile.
"Alright, I know you've all been respectful enough to us."
"Look up, raise your head higher, so I can change my posture and talk to you."
As soon as he finished speaking, Gawain stretched his muscles slightly.
Instantly, blue scales emerged from his body, and he transformed into Azure Dragon Form thousands of meters long. His body bypassed the few humans still nearby, which he was observing with his Observation Haki, and coiled up and lay in front of Ieyasu.
At this point, Ieyasu was already in a daze, just like Lord Ye who loved dragons but was terrified of them.
The perspective from which Nezumi looks at a cat is far more terrifying than the perspective from which Ieyasu and the other two look at a dragon.
As for the Demon Slayer Corps and the Red Armor Corps outside the Demon Slayer Corps...
Not just the thirty people inside the city, but also the three thousand people outside the city and everyone else in the city.
They all stared blankly at the dragon, then, as if waking from a dream, knelt down in a daze.
Nearly a third of the city was completely destroyed by Gawain's enormous body.
Fortunately, Gawain chose the right angle and position, and in the last three days, many people in their city had fled due to the battle a few days ago.
Otherwise, with this transformation alone, Gawain would have crushed countless people.
However, the benefits of the transformation were obvious. Ii Naomasa no longer had any disrespectful thoughts, and the head of the Ubuyashiki Family also briefly forgot the instructions of the shrine.
As for Ieyasu...
He had always admired the mythical creature dragon because he longed to become the Shogun, but after a brief moment of fear, he immediately transformed into a devoted fan and sycophant.
Ordinary!
After performing a deep dogeza (a form of prostration), Ieyasu knelt there excitedly and roared.
"I, Tokugawa Ieyasu, am fortunate enough to witness the divine countenance today."
Despicable person... Despicable person!!!
I have no regrets even if I die!!!
After roaring, Ieyasu desperately raised his head, greedily staring at every scale of Gawain.
As for the lightning, flames, and wind surrounding Gawain, and the dazzling Flame Clouds...
In Ieyasu's eyes, all of those were supreme treasures far surpassing the position of Shogun!
The Shogun is nothing! With the appearance of the Shenron, I can even emulate the ancient empire in the Central Plains across the sea and stage a mythical story equivalent to the phoenix's cry on Qishan!
The Emperor, hahaha!
After the dragon appeared on my Kang family's territory, I was truly favored by heaven and earth!
You say the Emperor is supreme, so why doesn't the Shenron appear in the Emperor's palace, but instead comes to the place where I started?
Because as long as I live past today, I can use the words of the world to stage a mythical story of a dragon emerging from Gangqi!
Thinking of this, Ieyasu bowed deeply once again.
In a modern society a thousand years from now, people might just stare in astonishment upon seeing a dragon, rather than kneeling down in worship.
But people in this era...
People in this era are powerless against the power of deities.
Looking at Ieyasu in front of him, Gawain leisurely exhaled a breath.
The aura carrying thunder and fire swept past Ieyasu and his companions, blowing their clothes and knocking down two or three walls.
Only then did Ieyasu hear Gawain speak.
"Ah, there's no need to continue kneeling."
Ieyasu, raise your head!