Demon Capital Slayer

Chapter 119: Booming Gunfire
As he was leaving, Yu Jian was quite amazed by the bizarre nature of his experience.

Not long ago, I was still experiencing an authentic 'retro' celebration.

The enthusiasm people had for celebrations in that era is unimaginable to people of later generations.

In the past, when productivity was not advanced, people had to do very heavy work just to survive. Most of them only had a few days to rest and relax throughout the year, and had to fight against various difficulties the rest of the time.

Not long ago, Yu Jian learned from the seemingly incredibly powerful Bodhisattva sister that the big one was coming...

The first part, "the ebb and flow of tides," clearly refers to the rise and fall of the power of the Netherworld. According to official data released by the International Spiritual Energy Agency in recent years, the overlap between the two worlds has led to increasingly frequent spiritual disasters in the mortal realm, indicating that the activity of the Netherworld's power is continuing to rise.

The phrase "the time has come" can refer to many things. Since even a new customer like myself, who is visiting the shop for the first time, has been asked to deliver a message, it is most likely a public message. Sister Lu might give similar requests to any customer she encounters. In other words, this message is for everyone in the cultivation world.

Therefore, it is most likely a warning or reminder.

A sense of urgency welled up in his heart. Yu Jian was pondering how to speed up his cultivation when he went outside and saw cannonballs raining down on him.

Literally, the shells pounded on the ground like rain.

This hurts far, far more than the light of righteousness shining on your ass...

"What happened?" Mingmei looked bewildered, as if she thought she was still dreaming.

"It's artillery fire." Yu Jian grabbed her head, and the two of them, along with the dog, bent down and ran away from the black ship.

Even after experiencing the dream of Shura and two adventures in the mortal world, the young swordsman felt his heart pounding wildly.

The cold weapon battles fought by a few individuals are completely different from large-scale battlefields involving thousands or tens of thousands of people.

The battlefield of cold weapons, where tens of thousands of people constitute a major battle, is vastly different from the meat grinder dominated by firearms.

This can be intuitively demonstrated through numbers.

During the Hundred Years' War between England and France, the Battle of Agincourt, which resulted in the highest number of casualties in a single battle, barely reached over 10,000.

However, the Battle of the Somme in World War I resulted in over 60,000 deaths on the first day alone, with total casualties exceeding 1.3 million throughout the entire battle.

This is a number that even demons would be silenced by.

Just moments ago, Akemi may not have had time to see the whole process clearly, but Mitsurugi, who has eagle eyes, witnessed the terrifying scene of 'a person turning into a living being' in its entirety.

The performer is a victim who was directly hit by a shell.

A performance prop, an early-stage exploding shell with an uncertain detonation rate.

The entire process can be summarized in just half a sentence.

The shell landed and the person disappeared.

There was no blood splattering, no shrill screams, and no advisor holding his elder brother's hand, repeatedly asking where his buttocks were.
With a simple 'boom,' the person completely vanished.

All that remained was a scene of utter devastation, with a large amount of red and black stains that no one wanted to think about what they were, covering the surrounding area, along with a deep crater left by a shell explosion.

This is a more efficient killing than the slashing of swords and blades in cold weapons; just witnessing it makes one feel as if something is squeezing their heart tightly.

This is what a cannon looks like. At this moment, the number of cannon fire roaring in the sky is well over three digits!

Most of Edo was shrouded in thick smoke from the explosions and flames, and people fled in terror, the once lively and festive atmosphere vanished.

The booming cannon fire that came from beside me seemed to be saying—

Welcome to modern warfare!

The shadow of the Black Ship casts death and fire.

It left the whole world in darkness and crimson.

At this moment, destruction is the only melody played by fate.

"How could this happen..." Miken heard Akemi murmur trembling.

She gripped a silk handkerchief tightly, uttering hoarse, sobbing murmurs. The cloth she held changed continuously at a visible speed, tightening and loosening repeatedly, like the tendons of some living organism.

Mitsurugi immediately realized that this was Chizuru's ability...

Is it possible to manipulate silk threads through thought or sound? That's why ordinary white silk can be rewoven into magnificent brocade in a short time, and why flawless clothing can be created without any gaps.

But why can't people see it?
The answer to the question immediately became clear: on Akemi's arm, which was exposed outside her sleeve, wisps of white hair were emerging from beneath her skin. Upon closer inspection, it would be discovered that they were not hairs, but rather tiny downy hairs, or rather, pure white feathers.

Pushing through the chaotic crowd, Yujian pulled Mingmei into a teahouse on the side of the street, and wrapped his hand around Mingmei's hand from the outside.

"Calm down." Even after witnessing such a hellish scene, the young swordsman's voice remained calm and composed.

Since panic was of no help to the current situation, he easily wiped away any distracting thoughts that arose in his mind, just as he would cut off a withered branch with a sword.

Hearing such a steady and powerful voice, Akemi Hayashihara, who was in a state of confusion, slowly slowed her breathing.

“I must return to Edo Castle,” she said firmly.

"Why?" Yu Jian asked.

Mingmei slowly straightened her back, raised her hand to wipe away the tears that filled her eyes, and although her eyes were red, she still looked very determined.

"There are things there that only I can do!"

"Is it related to that ship in the sky?" Yu Jian thought she wanted to go back to complete the wedding, and couldn't help but show a gloomy expression.

"War won't end by sacrificing the happiness of just one woman." "It has a huge appetite."

“I know.” Akemi turned and grasped Mikasa’s hand.

"My lord, although the time I spent with you was short, I felt very happy and experienced a freedom I had never known before." The girl looked up and smiled through her tears.

"The outside world is neither so good nor so bad. Everyone is working hard for tomorrow. Even if the only time they can feel a little sweetness throughout the year is during the celebration, no one gives up easily."

It was as if for this little bit of sweetness, they could endure a long period of bitterness.

"Ideals, family, everyone has their own responsibilities."

"Me... the same way."

Akemi laughed, and the silk cloth she was holding transformed into a black fingerless glove, which she then turned over and put on Mikasa's hand.

"The highest-level silk weaving technique that those people want actually requires the power of the bloodline originating from the Crane Woman. Only a handful of people in each generation of the Tokugawa family can inherit it, and most of the inheritors do not live past the age of thirty."

Akemi's words suddenly reminded Mitsurugi of a story.

The crane repays its debt of gratitude...

In the story, a poor woodcutter rescues a crane injured by an animal trap. That night, a young girl who calls herself "Ah-He" knocks on the door, asking to stay the night and offering to weave cloth to repay his kindness. She hides the loom behind a screen and instructs the man, "Don't peek!" The "brocade" she weaves is exceptionally beautiful and easily sells for a high price.

A greedy merchant persuaded a woodcutter to uncover the secret of the weaving, only to discover that the girl was actually a crane. Each time she wove, she had to painfully pluck her own feathers as material. When the truth was revealed, the blood-soaked crane cried out, "I wanted to weave a thousand bolts to repay your kindness, but now it all ends here." It then transformed into a crane and flew away.

The plots of different versions develop slightly differently, but most of the stories end with the characters parting ways.

Perhaps, this eternal story of fate originated from this...

While Mikasa was pondering, Akemi had already made up her mind.

"This power isn't just for weaving."

"I must get there!"

Raising her hand, she pointed directly at the silent and majestic Edo Castle in the distance, her voice revealing absolute determination.

"I want to protect everyone's tomorrow!"

"What? Such cool lines, they sound like something a prince would say, but they came out of a princess's mouth."

Upon hearing this, Mingmei blushed slightly. While sighing with emotion, Yujian couldn't help but chuckle twice, without any malice, it was purely a sigh.

The shyness and gentleness that belonged to Chizuru's 'shell' had vanished at this moment. The person in front of her completely overlapped with the tall and thin Akemi from her memory, who dared to punch older children.

Miken suddenly understood why Akemi Hayashibara was able to reach the pinnacle of idol status and why she had so many fervent supporters.

Such unwavering momentum and strong sense of responsibility all stem from a deeply moving and steadfast will.

It's not just her beautiful appearance, nor solely her pleasant singing voice, but anyone moved by her will and the indomitable spirit she embodies will find it hard not to become her fan.

When I get back, I'll buy one of Mingmei's records and listen to it...

"What should I do? This is really a headache." Yujian seemed to be talking to himself, but his gaze was fixed on Milo, who was pretending to be an ordinary dog.

Speaking of which, does Milo have a 'shell'?
It was probably a notorious dog thief who used his coat color to trick people into giving him food while committing crimes in Edo...

"Knowing the will of Heaven is difficult, but defying it is even harder. Don't easily change the course of fate, and at least don't act outside of crucial moments."

"We only have one chance."

This is what the dog said during the reading.

“Running away isn’t in my nature,” Yujian said again.

"King Yujian?" Akemi looked at him in surprise.

Then I couldn't help but gasp, because my field of vision was changing rapidly.

The sword-wielding figure actually lifted Hayashihara Akemi up and then swam upstream at an extremely fast speed.

Milo stood frozen for a moment before realizing what was happening, then barked angrily and chased after them.

"Woof woof woof!"

The black ship was heading straight for Edo Castle, and after only a few steps, the crowds who wanted to get away from that terrifying war machine became the biggest obstacle.

Without the slightest hesitation, Yu Jian supported Lin Yuanmingmei with one hand, and with the other hand, he took out a revolver and fired three shots into the air, using special bullets that would not harm the innocent.

During the Warring States period, firearms were introduced to Japan under the name "iron cannon," so people who heard the sound would make way for them.

But this has also attracted other attention.

As the swordsman rushed forward, his ears twitched, indicating the use of the "Dragonfly Footwork" technique, and he shifted a distance in place.

The next second, the object, which had been hurtling down, crashed heavily not far away.

There was no explosion, so it was definitely not a shell, but the thing happened to block the way ahead. When the smoke and dust quickly dissipated, what came into view was a small shuttle boat.

The bow of the boat plunged straight into the ground, while the hull opened horizontally.

Several figures dressed in European-style clothing emerged from the crowd. Their entire bodies were covered by clothing, and even their faces were covered by multiple layers of hooded long veils, preventing any skin from being directly exposed to the sun.

Clearly, these are a group of vampires!
(besides)
(End of this chapter)