People in Xumi: I am really not the Dragon King

Chapter 511 Shadow: You said none of the monsters in the desolate sea escaped... What are those things flying in the sky?
"boom--"

Frosty blades swept in, long swords pierced the air.

Blinding lightning and icy winds collided in the air above the sea at the edge of the island, shattering the ice and dust, and blooming into a dazzling frost flower under the reaction of many elements.

"."

A thunderous explosion followed by a brief silence.
Amidst the astonished and fearful gazes of the people of Inazuma City below, the two sword beams, having traversed a great distance, disintegrated in mid-air.

The intense sense of impending death dissipated, and fragmented elemental dust slowly drifted down through the streets.
The attack, seemingly capable of freezing the soul, turned into fragments, and with the remaining traces of ice elemental power, covered the building with a layer of white frost.

"What...what happened?"

"Even the Grand Master has made a move, could it be that some demons are about to attack Inazuma Castle?!"

Finally recovering from the intense sense of oppression, the many people who had been frozen in place looked at the snow-white streets in front of them, which resembled the dead of winter, with some panic.

I never thought that I could encounter any real danger in Inazuma Castle, which is protected by the gods.
But under the two flashes of light that had just struck, all the civilians who had watched the general make his move felt a real fear of death.

"—Where did this come from?! Didn't the Heavenly Commander say that there was a great victory at the front and that all the monsters were no threat?!"

"—When they were conscripting soldiers and collecting taxes, they said the current chaos would soon subside. Were they just lying to us?!"

A brief silence followed by intense anger.
Just two days ago, the Heavenly Commander, under the guise of supporting the war, collected another round of taxes to launch what was then the umpteenth "final blow" against the rebellious Haiqi Island resistance forces.
Even when faced with merchants and commoners who couldn't pay their taxes, the guards who came to collect them would rebuke them for not being grateful for the shogunate's protection.

But when the people of Inazuma, who had initially thought things would soon return to normal, discovered that the situation was completely different from what the Tenryo magistrate had described, and that even their lives were threatened, they were in a different situation.
They glared angrily at the patrolling guards and marched in groups toward the Heavenly Commander, demanding an explanation.

"Such a powerful elemental reaction, and even the Grand Master has intervened."

“I’m sorry. The people seem to be somewhat fearful, Mr. Fuchigami. I may have to leave for a while.”

The town is located on the north side of Inazuma Castle, with shops lining the streets.

Suddenly, the white-haired girl who was sitting in the dessert shop waiting for her dessert to be packed stood up and looked out the door, somewhat puzzled.

—Frost, out of season, covered every corner of the entire Inazuma Castle, and even from the few remaining elements, one could sense the intensity of the collision above.

Although Inazuma Castle at this moment possesses a unique and unconventional beauty.

However, Ayaka Kamisato, being the daughter of a corporate executive officer, was distracted by the noise and chaos outside and had no time to appreciate this rare beautiful scenery.

"It's alright. The desserts have already been packed. Miss Ayaka still has duties to perform. Just go back to take charge as soon as possible."

"No need to worry, although Inazuma Castle is currently in a bit of chaos..."
But with the Grand Master in charge, I imagine law-abiding shopkeepers like us shouldn't encounter any danger."

Like an ordinary dessert shop owner, the black-haired young man nodded politely.
Although there was nothing wrong with the etiquette, a closer look reveals that there wasn't much of the overwhelming sense of flattery that an ordinary person would feel when facing the "White Egret Princess."

"."

Reaching out to take the packaged dessert, she realized that this "Mr. Fuchigami," whom Yaeji Tsukasa had taken a liking to, was indeed somewhat special.
I felt a long-lost sense of ease during our conversation.
Seeing the crowds surging towards the direction of the Heavenly Territory Magistrate, Ayaka Kamisato decided to wait until a less crowded time to come and sit here.

"."

"Ha, so it's started. Well done."

"Now that the front lines have made their presence known, Big Yellow can prepare to officially set off."

"This is a difficult situation. The Tianling magistrate is rotten to the core from top to bottom, and there are very few capable people left in Inazuma."
If it's suddenly cleaned up, I don't know if that homebody will be able to handle the vacuum period.

There were instructions to leave Kujo Sara, the only somewhat reliable general, at the front lines.

Even so, Inazuma's military system was essentially paralyzed.
It remains to be seen whether that reclusive woman can find a usable person in such a short time or simply cooperate with her former "enemy."
Otherwise, if they rely solely on a god who lacks the ability to perceive a wide area and cannot take care of every corner when dealing with the invasion of the abyss, the land within Narukami Island will likely only be devoured piece by piece.

"—The Lord of the Imperial Palace has summoned you, Lord Kujō Takayuki, please proceed to the castle tower as soon as possible!"

"The matter of public discussion has reached the general's ears. We hope that Lord Kujo Takayuki will provide a reasonable explanation."

He had received many benefits from the divine mandate on a regular basis, and when conveying the divine summons, he tried his best to reveal some of the information he knew.

Although it seemed likely that the Tenryo Magistrate was going to be in trouble this time, the Kujo family was, after all, a prestigious family that had stood at the top of Inazuma for a long time, so no one thought that the current situation would shake the foundation of the Kujo family.

"Thank you, I'll be right there. I'll have the guards deal with the people who are causing the disturbance."

His expression was quite unpleasant, but he managed to maintain his usual composure.

Never had anyone imagined that someone could attack Inazuma Castle directly from the front lines, so much so that everything that had been suppressed was ignited by this sudden panic.
Not knowing what exactly happened at Nashida Beach, and having not yet received a specific battle report, Kujo Takayuki thought about the various problems that had recently arisen and felt that Tenryo Magistrate was truly having the worst luck.

"."

"—Have the guards stop those troublemakers, I'm going to see the General!"

"—A bunch of clueless fools! If it weren't for the Heavenly Commander holding back the demons, Inazuma Castle would have been overrun by those elusive wolf packs long ago!"

The situation of fighting on two fronts was already exhausting for him, and now this unexpected event, with no cause or effect whatsoever, has occurred.

From the very beginning, I believed in the absolute power brought by that thoughtless strike.
Kujo Takayuki couldn't understand what Inatsuma had that dared to attack Inatsuma Castle, where the shogun was stationed.

"Phew, there are quite a few rioters. If the situation here gets back to the general, it might cause some trouble."

"The situation at the front can continue to be excused as the enemy being too strong, far exceeding the army's ability to handle."

"But after this accident, the wilderness will need to hold out for a while longer."

Knowing that even if he could deceive the general, he would inevitably have doubts, he couldn't let the problems on the desolate sea side be exposed immediately.

Otherwise, if the general goes to the front lines in person, Tianling will carry out everything that was previously hidden.
I took a deep breath and forced myself to calm down.

I don't know what's wrong with my luck lately. Not only has my plan to cooperate with the Fatui Clan to completely control Inazuma been repeatedly thwarted,
Amidst various unexpected events, it was the Heavenly Commander himself who found himself in a very dangerous situation.

After a moment's thought, believing that this incident could still be covered up, Kujo Takayuki straightened his clothes and decided to meet the Shogun with the utmost caution.

On the south side of Inazuma Castle, at its highest point, lies the castle tower. As the closest point to the clash of forces, the air here still retains the aura of lightning and frost.

At such a close distance, it was natural to be able to detect unusual movements among the people.
Sensing the distrust the residents of Inazuma Castle had towards the shogunate, even though he had never doubted the Tenryo Magistrate before, Kage still sensed that something was amiss.

Viewing the world from an eternal perspective, the shogunate was granted more power from the very beginning in order to assist eternity.

The three most prestigious families today all made outstanding contributions hundreds of years ago.
She had assumed that, barring any external changes, her former loyal followers would remain loyal forever, just like the monsters who had followed her for generations. But...
"General, the battle reports from the front have not yet arrived, but since they dared to attack you, those two previous attacks were probably beyond human capability."

"Based on the results of previous battles, it is possible that the rebels on Umijima Island somehow attracted the invasion of the abyss monsters, intending to damage the shogunate army that has protected Inazuma for thousands of years at the cost of destroying eternity."

He had prepared his explanation beforehand, and for Kujo Takayuki, those two attacks were not difficult to explain.

It would be far too unrealistic for a god-level powerhouse to send an army to fight against a common enemy. Given the unequal levels of life, he simply did not believe that a mortal army should be sent to its death in front of the enemy.

This trouble might not be entirely without opportunity, although the general's personality seems to have changed somewhat recently.
But given his style of never straying too far from the castle tower,

Even if the shogunate army suffers a major defeat, if handled properly, it might actually bury all the previous problems under the guise of this incident.
"The battle reports are too slow. There was an aura of the abyss in those two attacks. I will go to the front line myself."

!!!

"No need. Cough, it's just a minor setback. Why trouble the Grand Master personally? It's better to wait for the Magistrate's Office to investigate."

I never imagined that the rigid, mechanical general would actually want to go to the front lines.

Kujo Takayuki, who thought he was already used to dealing with gods, suddenly had a bad feeling.

You may discover that the person in front of you has undergone a much greater change in personality than you imagined, to the point that they seem somewhat unfamiliar.

"No need to go to the front lines"

His facial expression didn't change much, but his tone clearly showed more disappointment.

She wasn't a general who wouldn't take any extra action unless certain special orders were triggered. As someone with normal thinking ability, she wasn't oblivious to the slight strangeness that had been lurking during this period.

However, gods have excellent memories, and their time scale is far greater than that of ordinary people.
The memories those people left her hundreds of years ago are still as vivid as they were at the beginning, which is why she placed the highest level of trust in the Bureau from the very start.

But now, it seems, this trust has led to...
“The military budget of the magistrate’s office has always been sufficient, and the previous application for funding was also at the maximum amount. However, since the start of the war, the taxes collected from the people have far exceeded the needs.”

"You mean you want me to explain?"

"No, I will send people to investigate how these funds were used, and I will inspect the military supplies purchased at the front lines. There is no need for Tianling Fengxing to make his own explanation."

!!!

"My Lord, these are all necessary funds for war preparations."

A cold sweat broke out instantly. Verbal evasion was one thing, but the inspector who came to check was also an ally, so there was no need to worry too much.

However, the pressure of a divine presence is too great; if the general were to personally inspect the area, the consequences would undoubtedly be disastrous.

Not to mention the poorly trained recruits and troops, the vast majority of the taxes allocated for the war were intercepted by the Heavenly Rulers from the very beginning.
Not to mention the "latest standard equipment for winter" mentioned in the report, even the army's most basic equipment was only replenished recently because of upcoming combat operations.
"No need for further explanation, I have made my own decision."

"A perpetual enemy has emerged, and the army's combat effectiveness must be guaranteed."

“The dark calamity of five hundred years ago destroyed most of Inazuma. I need to confirm that the current shogunate army is capable of fighting the enemy that is about to attack.”

After giving up that unconditional trust in my heart, I felt more and more that many things were suspicious.

He could sense that the two attacks aimed at him had reached the level of a demon god, and even after crossing such a great distance, he still needed to deal with them with a single, thoughtless strike.

I am certain that this dark calamity will not be inferior to the disaster of five hundred years ago.

Realizing that he hadn't thoroughly inspected the army in a long time, Kage decided to temporarily suspend his meditation and assess Inazuma's power, which had been restored after five hundred years.

"Yes, I will get the army ready to welcome you, General, as quickly as possible."

Knowing that he alone could not change the general's decision, and that further attempts would only fuel his suspicions,
Although Kujo Takayuki's body was already stretched to its limit due to the current developments, he still did not choose to give up completely because Tenryo Magistrate's network of connections was deeply entrenched throughout Inazuma.

"."

"In addition to the front lines, the battle reports provided by the Heavenly Commander also include those from the Abyss Rift in the Desolate Sea region."

"I've heard from many people that the situation there is already out of control; not only have a large number of monsters leaked out, but the actual military losses are far greater than reported."

"—Nonsense! General, please investigate carefully. This is merely a false accusation. The army has always maintained complete suppression of the magical beasts in the desolate sea region."

There are currently no magical beasts around Inazuma Castle, a result of the warriors' fighting on the front lines.

As if grasping at the last straw, she responded resolutely.

Going to Kujo Jinya alone is troublesome enough; we absolutely cannot allow the general to personally inspect the desolate sea area as well.

Straightening up, Kujo Takayuki pointed to the large, crowded crowd outside the castle tower.

Just as he was about to righteously declare that they were able to stand here only because of the valiant fighting of the shogunate army,

Upon noticing that the general in front of him seemed to have been silent for a long time, the white-haired old man, looking at the panicked expressions on the faces of the people, suddenly had a bad feeling.

"Are you sure the Shogunate army has consistently maintained suppression of the monsters in the desolate sea?"

"—So, should I explain what that is?"

I no longer know how to evaluate what has happened in such a short period of time.

Previously, I never thought there was anything wrong with Inatsuma, and I thought that the three chief ministers were impeccable in terms of both ability and loyalty.

The dream I hadn't had time to put back, pulled out from my side.
Looking at the dark horde of beasts flying straight towards Inazuma City, led by a Beast King Beast, Ying felt an urge to slash the person in front of him.

(End of this chapter)