People in Xumi: I am really not the Dragon King

Chapter 546 Flower Scattering: Congratulations, Aying, this is your reward for passing this trial.

The main battlefield is located on the north side of White Fox Field.

The shouts of the army mingled with the roars of the monsters.

The light from the elemental bursts flickered continuously in the dim battlefield, illuminating the monster-infested wasteland as if it were a purgatory.

At the front line,

Kujo Sara and Goro join forces to fight against the monsters.

Lightning arrows and rock elemental attacks poured forth in unison, wiping out the seemingly endless horde of monsters.

The two abyssal gates were located very close to each other, guarded by a large number of monsters. Because the plains terrain naturally lacked cover, the only option was for the army to launch a frontal assault.

Elemental light burst forth, and the mortal monsters turned to ashes.

Then, seemingly endlessly, the monsters that took their place reappeared from the distant abyss gate, giving people a sense of frustration from the endless cycle of killing them.

"."

There's no time to think too much; this battle won't even have a halftime break.

Bearing the hopes of countless people and the future of Inazuma, the two former battlefield adversaries now cooperated perfectly, and their armies were no longer separated, with only a common enemy in their eyes.

"—Report! Lord Kujo, General Goro!"

"The abyss gate in the direction of the Guardian Forest has been destroyed, and the monsters pouring in from there are slowly getting weaker!"

？ ！！

Unexpected good news suddenly arrived: no one was seen using any items that sealed the power of the gods in that direction. They had initially thought the battle there was not going well.

The two-person combat team was the first to complete the mission, and Kujo Sara and Goro were immediately invigorated.

"Pass down the order to deploy the troops stationed in the Forest of Defense area for emergency response to the main battlefield."

"Continue to monitor the other abyss gate in the southern part of the wasteland, and make sure we can get there in time if the second elite squad needs support."

His voice sounded slightly tired but remained clear and organized. Following the pre-arranged plan made by Xin Hai, he completed the arrangements as quickly as possible.

It was clear how much pressure these two isolated combat teams were under, and that their actions had very little room for error.

Although the two travelers completed their mission faster than expected, they were, after all, powerful individuals capable of fighting a general.
For most people, it's normal for accidents to happen in such high-risk missions.

"."

"At this rate, the front line cannot be broken. Dispatch the Evil Eye Squad."

？ ！！

Before the words were even finished, a primal sense of unease caused everyone present to look up.
—Abyssal power, like a dark cloud, gathered, with surging purple lightning swirling around it.

A thunderstorm took shape, and a dark, blade-like light, seemingly capable of engulfing everything, approached from the horizon.

Even though the figure who was fighting the general had been forced back to a very far place, it did not seem to prevent the opponent from attacking the massive army.

"."

"Lord Kujo Sara! This..."

Fear inevitably arose in everyone's hearts.

If no countermeasures are taken in the face of an attack of this level, the operation is likely to fail outright.

"—Don't panic! Trust the Grand Master!"

"No matter what happens, focus on the task at hand and do what we are supposed to do!"

There was also an instinctive fear, but in his heart he believed in the promise the general had made before the battle.

Using elemental power, they marked the order to hold the line in the dim sky.
The soldiers, who were already prepared to sacrifice themselves, gritted their teeth and suppressed their instinct to flee, holding the hard-won advance of the front line firmly in place.

"."

It was as if even the gaze that looked over was about to be swallowed up, and the oppressive feeling that accompanied the attack became increasingly clear.

Just a moment before the dark blade of light was about to engulf the earth—

"boom--!!"

Another, even more dazzling and brilliant purple lightning bolt arrived first, intercepting the dark blade's edge with pinpoint accuracy, like a protective shield.

A violent explosion occurred in the air, and the shockwave instantly wiped out a large number of monsters in the lower atmosphere.

The dissipated lightning elemental power, like starlight in the long night, fell upon the soldiers below, dispelling the chill and fear brought by the abyss.

"—It's the General!"

"—We're blocked! Everyone, advance now!!"

A moment of silence, followed by an undisguised excitement.

Trust was reciprocated, and belief was transformed into tangible power.

Without any verbal encouragement, an even more fervent will surged forth from the hearts of every soldier and every citizen who witnessed this scene, transcending space and continuously guiding it toward the distant gods.

"Hmm, there are so many monsters. The intensity of the battle on the front lines is even greater than I initially imagined."

"...But Ichidou has improved so much after his special training? Why does he even seem to have grown a little taller?"

After destroying the Abyss Gate of the Guardian Forest, they originally planned to immediately provide support to the people in the valley.

But they discovered the attack from the Abyss General even earlier.
To prevent this thing from causing irreparable damage, Luminous and Paimon rushed over and decided to use their shields to block it if things went wrong.

"The situation doesn't look good; if this continues, everyone will suffer significant losses."

The general's timely interception relieved them.

But after observing the situation on the main battlefield from a high vantage point, Paimon still had some concerns:

—The morale of the troops was greatly boosted, but the monsters' offensive did not weaken.

Soldiers' physical strength eventually has its limits, and even the elite soldiers who regained the Eye of God were already showing signs of fatigue.

At the front lines, apart from a certain burly young demon with two horns on his head who fought with increasing ferocity, the combat abilities of the others had clearly declined compared to the beginning.

"."

"There are so many monsters, they're everywhere even in the sky, but if we don't eliminate the gate's guardians, our attacks on the gate will be greatly reduced."

In such a large-scale battle where armies and monsters are as densely packed as different colored blocks, the two of them could have a very limited effect.

I tried using the rice ball to clear out the monsters with water cannons, but the monsters seemed endless, and even after the little guy got tired of spraying, it only slightly eased the situation.
"According to the Divine Child, a large amount of filth surged out in a short period of time, and the earth's veins seemed to have been damaged, which is why the monsters formed very quickly."

"Without consuming the accumulated filth, we can't slow down the formation of these monsters, which is why we initially deployed almost all our forces to fight each other head-on."

I really want to help, but my current combat capabilities are still geared towards dealing with powerful single targets.
She originally thought she could easily defeat the Winter Executor; her power was already more than enough.
But even in this head-on confrontation where the entire nation's strength was mobilized, Ying still felt a sense of powerlessness.

"."

"Paimon, let's do what we should be doing. Here, we can only trust Shinkai and Goro."

They attempted to approach the Abyss Gate directly from the air, but were nearly overwhelmed by the monster horde before even taking off.
It is clear that individual combat strength like the two of them is more suitable for supporting the valley, which is also infiltrating and sabotaging with a small number of elites. Staying here would not help the overall situation.

Although it's unclear why the God of Thunder is so familiar with the different ways the Abyss Gates are destroyed, it seems that his assignments are generally correct.
"Alright, if we can destroy the abyss gate over there, perhaps the monsters here will become weaker."

？ ！！

"—Huh?! What's going on? Where did these other troops come from?"

Following Ying, they flew away from the main battlefield, and subconsciously glanced back at the battlefield.
And when the white fluffy creature discovered that in the blink of an eye, the Shogunate army had suddenly gained a large number of reinforcements from who-knows-where,

She rubbed her eyes vigorously, suddenly wondering if she was hallucinating.

The front line was pushed forward.

As the soldiers advanced recklessly, disregarding their own lives, the filth within the ley lines seemed to be thoroughly enraged, transforming even more frantically into various twisted and terrifying forms.

However, the damage to the ley lines allowed the negative emotions and energies accumulated within them to surge forth more rapidly.
But perhaps it is precisely this extreme filth that washes away the impurities, allowing something even more radiant, buried deep within the earth's veins, to briefly emerge.

Just as a soldier was about to be pierced by the monster's claws at the edge of the battle line, a sharp longsword suddenly appeared behind him.

As if it had been repeated a thousand times, this strike cleanly and decisively severed the monster's head. "Phew, I'm saved, thank you."

？ ！！

"—Huh?! Who are you??"

Looking back, the rescued soldiers were somewhat relieved to find a vast army stretching as far as the eye could see behind them.

But he quickly realized that he was only on the outermost edge of the battle line, and there couldn't possibly be so many tall, disciplined samurai behind him!
Feeling utterly bewildered by the situation, the soldier rubbed his eyes, wondering if he was hallucinating.

"The eternal way is magnificent, and the spirit of Naruto is eternal!"

"—For Inazuma! For the Shogun!"

The battle seemed to change in an instant. Behind the monster tide and at the weakest point of the battle line, a white light, different from the pitch-black filth, seeped from the roots of the Divine Cherry.

Squads of soldiers clad in ancient armor, their banners emblazoned with the triple lightning pattern, slowly coalesced into form.

Their equipment was very different from what we have today, and their faces were somewhat blurred, but the imposing presence of their army was far beyond what we see today.

The phantom of the leading general raised his katana high and let out a battle cry that transcended five hundred years:

"The Way of Eternity is vast! The Spirit of Naruto is eternal!"

"For the General!"

"For Inazuma!"

The earth's veins record everything about a country, and the roots of the Divine Cherry are a superior carrier of these veins.

The lingering memories that sank into the earth's veins five hundred years ago have been awakened by this replica of the Kanria catastrophe.

They didn't need anyone to tell them their current situation.

Having become deeply ingrained in their instincts, these phantoms of Shogunate samurai charged headlong into the monster tide, like a sturdy dam, forcefully blocking the most ferocious wave of attack!
Time and space intersect at this moment.

People from different eras, different regions, and even those separated by life and death all fought for the survival of their country. At this moment, everyone had only one common goal in their hearts!

"."

While the specifics of what happened are unknown, it is an undeniable fact that our side received strong support.

Without wasting too much time on hesitation and thought, Goro and Kujo Sara exchanged a glance, knowing that this was the best time.

"Om-"

Around the main battlefield, three towering pillars of lightning light rose almost simultaneously, illuminating the abyssal aura that was dissipating in large swaths in the sky.

High in the sky, the shadow, who was fiercely fighting the Abyss General, suddenly stopped.

She could clearly feel the other party's power starting to leak away like a punctured balloon, and the abyssal aura around him also became unstable.

In contrast, an unprecedentedly fervent will surged in from all directions with an intensity that caught her off guard.

"."

"What's this? Why is it different?"

They found that the current situation was much easier than in countless previous instances, and the progress on the main battlefield was even at an unreasonable pace.

Unaware that the memories of the remnants of the Shogunate army from five hundred years ago, which existed within the earth's ley lines, had been awakened, he still felt the heavy burden of that wish placed upon him:
—Everyone is hoping that the abyss will be banished, everyone is hoping that Inazuma will have a better tomorrow, and this relay has reached its final step.

"."

"Is this what the people want to achieve?"

"The impact of each individual is insignificant, but when combined..."

He shook his head, no longer hesitating.
Ying took a deep breath, gripped her dream tightly, and seized what could be called the best opportunity.

"Om-!"

The elements converged, and a power so powerful that even the shadow felt somewhat unfamiliar was born from the dream within his own hands.

With just a thought, unprecedentedly intense lightning spontaneously gathered into a net, illuminating the entire sky over Inazuma.

"No matter how far into the future, it all stems from each and every today, and aspirations are the reason and motivation for people to move from today to tomorrow."

He paused slightly, suddenly understanding the meaning of the words Zhen had left him.

I never knew that this knife contained such power.
Feeling the almost tangible power of that wish, she felt that "a single, thoughtless strike" was not a suitable way to describe this attack.

"."

"Let's leave the name-thinking for later; there are more important things to do now."

Looking ahead, the Abyss General, whom he had previously thought was invincible, was no longer a problem for him.

Gripping the hilt tightly, he concentrated his authority and willpower.

Instead of thinking about the future and tomorrow, we unleash all our power and concentrate it on a single strike.

"Thorn--!"

The once formidable Wuxiang Yidao now appeared excessively restrained.
It was as if an ordinary blow had been delivered from Ying's hand.

"."

A flash of lightning appeared, and then silence quickly returned.

As if a dark curtain had been cleanly torn open, the Abyss General, in his weakest state, began to melt away the moment he touched this burning desire.

"."

Letting out a weary sigh, Ying looked up at the distant sky:
—The blade's light extended forward, as if the endless power of the abyss was beginning to dissipate.

A purifying power, imbued with heartfelt wishes, flashed by.
Under the long-awaited, clear night sky, there is a bright moon and countless dazzling stars.

"."

"Congratulations, Aying, Inazuma has no problems anymore. You have passed this test perfectly."

"The filth in the earth's veins has been completely cleansed, and the people who were once at odds with each other are now united as one. You have emerged from your eternal obsession and learned how a country should be governed."

"Although the process was somewhat tortuous, I am very happy to see that you have delivered such a satisfactory result."

At the top of the shrine, on the sacred cherry tree.

Hana Sanri, who was in charge of reciting prayers from the very beginning, sat among the branches, surrounded by pink petals.

"—Would you like a drink? A fine sake from outside Inazuma?"

"Although I remember you couldn't drink alcohol before, now that you have this kind of body, things might be different."

"."

He didn't sense any abyssal power from his old friend, nor could he understand why she would be an enemy of Inazuma.

Unable to understand the other party's motives from beginning to end, Ying silently drew her Dream Heart, her expression extremely complicated:

"Why choose this method? Even if we achieve these goals, what's the point?"

"This disaster was too profound for Inazuma; the people who perished cannot be brought back to life."

"No, it's not that you can't be brought back to life, or rather, everything you're worried about, Aying, is not a problem."

He seemed oblivious to the approaching Ah Shi, as if he had no fear whatsoever that the other party would slash him, the "culprit" who summoned the Abyss General.

Hana Sanri smiled gently, deciding not to explain for the time being that she was not the Fox Palace Master.

She raised her hand and offered him the wine glass, pointing to the sky in the distance, which was gradually turning a verdant green:

"—A long time has probably passed for you. Do you remember me saying that this was a trial?"

"And since it is a trial, there will naturally be corresponding compensation and rewards after passing it."

I understand perfectly well what caused Inazuma's situation, and I am also amazed that such a big change could happen to Aying in such a short period of time.

She wasn't the original Fox Palace. Even if A-Ying knew the truth and wanted to vent her frustrations, she wouldn't be able to find an "outsider" like herself who came to help.

At most, after Aying understands the cause of everything, the not-so-serious little pink fox might receive a tiny bit of gratitude.
(End of this chapter)