The wind was cold, seeping into the bones through the gaps in the armor. The patrolling soldier of the Land of Fire's samurai legion on the border of the Land of Iron wrapped himself tightly in his heavy armor, the white breath he exhaled was torn to shreds by the wind as soon as it emerged from his throat. He squinted at the distant cliff—the natural barrier that stretched between the Land of Fire and the Land of Iron, like a silent iron wall, but today, that silence carried an indescribable eeriness.
"Hey, don't you think..." his companion suddenly spoke up, his voice low and trembling slightly, "... the wind's a bit strange today?"
The patrolman frowned, about to say, "Nonsense, the wind at the border is always strange," when his nose caught something unusual first. In addition to the fishy smell of sand and gravel, there was something else mixed in with the wind—like the stench of rotten wood that had been soaking in a sewer for a hundred years, and a faint hissing sound, like countless people grinding their teeth in his ear, barely audible, yet it went straight to the top of his head.
"What's that smell..." He subconsciously gripped the sword at his waist, its iron hilt as cold as a branding iron.
Just then, the earth suddenly trembled slightly.
The patrolling samurai exchanged glances, both seeing panic in each other's eyes. They were all veterans of battle, their instincts for danger sharper than those of hunting dogs.
"Go report to the general!" one of them finally realized what was happening, shouted at the top of his lungs, and turned to run back to the camp.
But he had only taken two steps when the vibration suddenly changed.
"Click--"
A sharp crack, like someone splitting a thousand-year-old rock with a giant axe. Immediately following, a tooth-grinding, continuous cracking sound came from the distance of the cliff, growing louder and closer. The patrolman turned his head stiffly.
The light in the distance gradually dimmed, yet it was more dazzling than the brightest sun. It was a kind of... pure, lifeless "dark tide," spreading from afar like viscous ink splashed onto a canvas. The sour smell from before instantly became a hundred times stronger, accompanied by an overwhelming hissing sound, no longer faint but clear as the tide itself, as if millions of hungry, poisonous insects were lurking behind the darkness in the distance.
"Th-what is that...?" His companion's voice had changed, his teeth were chattering, and the knife in his hand clattered to the ground.
The patrolman's pupils contracted sharply; he saw something crawling out of the undercurrent.
Not one, not two, but countless.
At first, they were just blurry black shadows, like ashes blown by the wind, but in the blink of an eye, they coalesced into humanoid figures—no, humanoid figures. They wore tattered armor, some missing arms, some with broken legs, half their heads hanging from their necks, and eerie green flames flickering in their empty eye sockets. The knives in their hands were rusty beyond recognition, yet they exuded a killing intent colder than ice.
"This is the legendary Oni... Oni Samurai?" Only this thought remained in the patrolling samurai's mind. He had heard of it in ancient legends—samurai from Hell who would transform into vengeful spirits and wander the Hell. But how many Oni Samurai were there in those legends?
Like someone spilling a jar of sesame seeds, countless demon warriors surged from the distance, densely covering the bottom of the cliff, then rising up the cliff face like a black tide. They made no noise, only the creaking of armor and the screeching of blades scraping the ground, but this silent charge was more despairing than the roar of a thousand horses.
The wind has stopped.
It wasn't a natural calm, but rather an oppressive atmosphere that made it impossible to move. The sky darkened at a visible speed. Although it was noon, it seemed to be covered by thick dark clouds. But when you looked up, there were no clouds at all. Only the ghostly energy that kept pouring out from the cracks spread and expanded like a living thing, blotting out the sun.
The earth was quickly stained black. There were so many demon warriors that they stretched from the bottom of the cliff all the way to the distant horizon, so dense that the color of the ground could not be seen. It was truly like a "locust swarm," except that they were not devouring crops, but life itself.
The patrolman felt his blood freeze; he wanted to run, but his legs felt like lead. Just then, a muffled roar suddenly echoed from the ghost tide. The sound was not human; it was more like a giant beast in a rage, making his eardrums ring.
He struggled to lift his head and saw that the ghostly tide had parted to create a path.
Three figures slowly walked out.
The one on the left was burly, like a small mountain, covered in dark gold heavy armor, the armor covered with ferocious spikes. He dragged a giant axe taller than a man, the blade stained with dark red grime, radiating a suffocating pressure.
The one in the middle was dressed in tattered black robes, thin, his face shrouded in Yin Shadow, only his eyes flashing with a scarlet light could be seen, and he held a scepter wrapped with chains, the chains dragging on the ground with a clattering sound.
The one on the right wore faded white armor, the color pure white yet exuding an inexplicable eeriness. A slender samurai sword hung at his waist, the hilt inlaid with a black gem that seemed to flow with blood. He walked slowly, and with each step, the demon warriors beneath his feet would instinctively bow their heads, as if in worship.
"Ghost General... no, Ghost Marshal..." The patrolman's voice trembled uncontrollably. He could sense that these three figures were far stronger than the ghost warriors around them, like the alpha wolf in a pack. Just their presence alone instilled fear in people from the bottom of their hearts.
But that's not all.
Right behind the three ghost generals, the ghost tide surged again, and an even larger figure slowly rose up.
The figure was over ten zhang tall, covered in black scales, with two pairs of enormous bone wings on its back, riddled with holes as if pierced by sharp blades. Its face had no features, only a huge mouth filled with jagged fangs, which were covered in a foul-smelling slime.
The moment he opened his eyes, two scarlet beams of light shot into the sky, plunging the already dim sky into complete darkness.
"Ghost... Ghost King..."
The soldier's psychological defenses completely collapsed. He finally understood that this was not an ordinary ghost story; it was... the floodgates of Hell had been opened.
The depths of Hell are filled with boundless darkness.
Here, time and space seemed to stand still, filled only with eternal cold and silence. But at this moment, that silence was broken.
Ten enormous figures hovered in the void, each with a different form: some like burning flames, some like flowing black water, some like a swirling whirlwind, and some like solidified, indestructible rocks. But without exception, the aura emanating from them was a hundred times more terrifying than that of the Ghost King outside; it was the oppressive power of an emperor, the embodiment of the rules of Hell.
They are the ten emperors of the Oni Clan.
"Hiss..." A sound like the grinding of rocks rang out, coming from the figure that had turned into solid rock. "Finally... it's open. I've waited too long for this day."
"Is it a long time?" a charming voice rang out, originating from a wisp of pink mist, within which the outline of a woman could be vaguely seen. "Only a few thousand years. To us, it's just a blink of an eye."
"In the blink of an eye?" Another figure sneered, his entire body engulfed in black flames. "Have you forgotten the past thousand years? Watching the number of living souls dwindle, watching the power of the Hell Oni Clan weaken little by little, can you still laugh?"
The pink mist swayed gently, as if sighing, "What else can we do? Should we break through the planet's will and its rules, shatter the gate to that ' Pure Land ' created by that half-alien, and argue with him?"
The mere mention of the word " Pure Land " chilled the aura of all ten figures, and the darkness in the void seemed to freeze.
" The Sage of Six Paths..." A deep voice echoed, coming from a figure composed of countless chains. The chains clanged together, producing a piercing sound. "What right does he have? What right do the souls of ninjas, after their deaths, have to go to that place of birdsong and fragrant flowers, to enjoy eternal peace? What right do ninjas, whose sins are immeasurable, not have to go to Hell, not have to atone for their sins in life?"
"Just because he's the 'savior'? Just because he quelled the alien invasion and gained the planet's will's approval?" the figure enraged, the flames suddenly escalating. "Bullshit! Absorbing the planet's essence is because he's the mother of the Sage of Sage of Six Paths? Those ninjas' power comes from aliens! Ninjas killed each other for power, filling this world with resentment! And what was the result? They died, yet they went to the Pure Land, leaving our descendants here, guarding fewer and fewer souls, watching Hell wither away!"
The sturdy figure said in a deep voice, "The living souls are the foundation of Hell. Without them, our power will weaken, and the rules of Hell will collapse. If this continues, we will perish on our own before anyone else can destroy us."
"Therefore, we must seize this rare opportunity to successfully eliminate all the ninjas." A figure who had been silent until now spoke, seemingly composed of pure Kageko, even his voice carrying an ethereal quality. "We can't wait any longer, and we can't afford to fail again."
"Failure?" The pink mist chuckled. "How powerful are we? If it weren't for the rules, one of us would be enough to annihilate the Realm of the Living. This time, the World Will allowed King Level to enter the Realm of the Living, and I sent all Jūni of my Ghost Kings there. The Realm of the Living will face eternal night."
"Don't be careless." The Kageko's voice turned cold. "This time is different. With the Sage of Six Paths present, that so-called ' Pure Land ' is the biggest problem. As long as the Pure Land exists, the ninjas will be fearless. Their souls will have a place to go, and we will never obtain their living souls. Our living souls will decrease day by Tenten, while the number of beings in the Pure Land will increase day by Tenten."
"Then let's destroy the Pure Land as well," the black-flame figure said viciously. "Drag all the souls hiding inside to Hell! Let them taste the bitterness of eternal torment!"
"Easier said than done." The chained figure swayed slightly. " The Pure Land was created by the Sage of Sage of Six Paths using his own great merit and the divine power of the planet's will. It is closely connected to the rules of this world. To destroy it, we must first destroy the foundation of ninjas in this world."
"Then let's destroy all the ninjas first," said the rocky figure. "Without ninjas, the Pure Land will become like water without a source, drying up sooner or later."
"That's right," the Kageko figure agreed. "Ninjas are the successors of the Sage of Six Paths, the 'darlings' of this world, and also our greatest enemy. Destroy them, especially..."
He paused, a hint of seriousness in his voice.
"Especially that place."
"You mean... Konoha in the Land of Fire?" the pink mist asked.
"Besides there, which other village deserves our 'special attention'?" The Kageko figure's voice was cold. "According to the spirits, Konoha is the hometown of the strongest ninja, the gathering place of powerful ninjas throughout history, and now it's even guarded by that guy who calls himself the 'Strongest Hokage in the Shinobi World.' As long as we destroy Konoha, we can crush the morale of all the ninjas and make them understand that their so-called 'protection' is utterly vulnerable in the face of absolute power."
" The Uchiha Clan? Or that Senju Clan?" The black-clad figure scoffed disdainfully. "Who cares who they are? They're all the same to us."
"Don't underestimate them," the Kageko figure reminded again. "Don't forget, last time it was because we underestimated them that the Onmyoji's seal succeeded. This time, we must go all out."
His gaze swept over the other nine figures, and the darkness in the void began to fluctuate violently.
"Pass down the order." The Kageko's voice grew authoritative. "All ghost generals, ghost commanders, and ghost kings, await your command. Target: Konoha in the Land of Fire."
"The first step is to breach the borders of the Land of Iron and eliminate all Chakra- containing beings within its Land of Iron."
"The second step is to divide our forces into multiple groups, sweep across the Realm of the Living, destroy all ninja villages, and kill all living beings with Chakra."
"The third step is to join forces with Konoha and completely raze it to the ground."
"The fourth step..." His voice lowered, carrying a chilling aura, "Find the entrance to the Pure Land, shatter it, and drag every single soul within... into Hell."
The other nine figures simultaneously released terrifying auras, as if countless wronged souls were howling in the darkness, responding to the emperor's command.
"Let those Chakra beings know," the Kageko voice seemed to emanate from the abyss, "That their Pure Land will be utterly destroyed by us. Their souls will be punished in Hell."
Within the Land of Iron, the Hell Rift has expanded to tens of feet wide, with a continuous stream of demon warriors pouring out, and the black tide on the horizon growing ever more turbulent.
Countless demon generals and demon commanders stood at the forefront of the demon warrior tide, their crimson gazes sweeping across the wasteland and looking into the distance.
That's the direction of the Land of Fire.
One of the ghost generals, dressed in white armor, slowly drew his long sword from his waist. The blade reflected ghostly energy and shimmered with an eerie light.
"Set off."
A cold word, like an instruction.
The boundless array of demon warriors moved.
The black torrent spread forward, leaving withered vegetation, crumbling rocks, and even the air thick and foul-smelling.
The common people of the Land of Iron were terrified and hid in their homes, too afraid to go out. These demons seemed to ignore them and focused on killing people and animals with Chakra.
The ninja of the Kirin Corps on the border of the Land of Fire scrambled towards Konoha, rushing to deliver a message and tell everyone—
The Hell Oni Clan Corps has truly arrived.
Meanwhile, in the distant Land of Fire, Konoha was a picture of peace. Children played and frolicked on the training grounds, ninjas carried out their daily missions, and in the Hokage's office, the Fourth Hokage Kagami Uchiha, was looking at the latest war reports from various countries, a tired but relieved smile on his lips.
Unbeknownst to anyone, a catastrophe capable of engulfing the entire Shinobi World had already begun within the Land of Iron, steadily approaching them. This Hell wind brought with it the aura of death.