Tokyo Sword Saint Online Dealing

"Come on, pick one out."

"Pick something you like as a gift from the association!"

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Chapter 90 Cracks in the Dream Mirror

Uesugi Kiyoshi had no intention of being hypocritically polite.

This is considered hard-earned money; it's not unreasonable to ask for some good stuff in return.

He carefully looked around, ignoring the dazzling array of antique artifacts, and began searching for the item he had been longing for.

He has something he desperately needs.

a knife.

A sword capable of shattering gold and jade, and slaying evil spirits.

The benefits of a good sword to a swordsman are self-evident. Ninety percent of a swordsman's strength lies in his sword. Without a sword, how can one kill enemies?

In Japan, swords and knives are inseparable; a knife is called a sword, and a sword is called a knife. Having undergone training from a young age and being nurtured by his master, Uesugi Kiyoshi's most familiar weapon was still the traditional tachi.

That is, the most authentic Japanese sword.

The Shosoin Repository houses a wide variety of weapons, including Japanese swords which are categorized in a specific way. Uesugi Kiyoshi glanced over, silently took off his glasses, and in an instant, his mind opened up.

Then, he strode over and stared intently at a knife.

The sword was shrouded in a continuous, swirling mist, making it far superior to the other swords.

Uesugi Kiyoshi reluctantly looked away and asked softly, "May I take a closer look?"

Ryunosuke Akutagawa nodded with pleasure.

"Please feel free, Uesugi-kun. You may handle and examine everything here carefully, but you can only choose one item. That's the rule, please understand."

Uesugi Kiyoshi reached out and grasped the scabbard of the katana with some haste.

A chilling aura coiled around his arm and surged toward his heart, only to be assimilated and devoured by the surging mirage energy within his body.

He exhaled softly, and with his other hand he pressed against the hilt of the sword engraved with a hundred demons, applying gentle pressure.

A crisp sword rang out, a dazzling flash of cold light erupted, and a sinister and sharp blade was drawn from its sheath.

The chilling light reflected from the blade was more dazzling than moonlight and colder than snowflakes, casting a pale glow on Uesugi Kiyoshi's face.

"Isn't this blade pattern a bit exaggerated?"

Uesugi Kiyoshi, somewhat intoxicated, stretched out his finger and lightly wiped the blade, feeling the chill of the steel blade—his finger barely touched the blade, and a small cut appeared, from which a few drops of bright red blood seeped out.

The slight stinging sensation brought him back to his senses.

It wasn't that he lacked willpower; for a swordsman of Uesugi Kiyoshi's skill, a fine sword was an irresistible temptation that words could never describe.

The blade is about 80 centimeters long, which is considered a long sword among tachi. It has a straight blade, and the blade pattern is generally straight, but the subtle details are like ocean waves, undulating and rippling. In the eyes of a swordsman like Uesugi Kiyoshi who specializes in swords, this is a breathtaking and beautiful sight.

Because of its clay tempering forging method, Japanese swords develop pearlite on the back and martensite on the edge after quenching, achieving an ideal balance of strength and flexibility that prevents bending and breaking. The transition area between the pearlite and martensite is known as the "hamon".

The blade pattern of this sword is the most common straight blade pattern, but its condition is indeed the finest among all the swords that Uesugi Kiyoshi has ever seen.

He had paid close attention to the market for Japanese swords before, and he had even fantasized about buying a good sword when he had money. However, the expensive katana he had once longed for seemed insignificant compared to the sword in front of him.

Uesugi Kiyoshi pulled the sword out completely with force, then casually swung it, slowly channeling his mirage energy into the blade.

Soon, a feeling of blood connection and perfect control welled up in Uesugi Kiyoshi's heart, as if the sword were an extension of his arm.

At this moment, naturally, other factors become unimportant and need no further consideration.

It is it.

A very standard sheathing motion, the sharp blade is returned to its scabbard.

Just as he was considering getting a sword sheath for the knife so he could carry it around easily, the knife seemed to hear his thoughts and transformed into countless gray-black mirages, surging towards his right forearm.

As the mirage dissipated, he gently rolled up the right sleeve of his shirt, revealing a tattoo of a ferocious demon with a blue face, fangs, and two horns on its head, already tattooed on his arm.

Uesugi Kiyoshi had a premonition that with just a thought, the demon tattoo would transform into a sharp blade and leap back into his hand.

Ryunosuke Akutagawa, who had been quietly observing Uesugi Kiyoshi's movements, looked at the scene before him with a hint of admiration.

"To be honest, Uesugi-kun, I guessed you would choose this sword. It is the best sword in the Shosoin Repository, and it is also the most useful weapon of the gods for you."

"Have you decided? Will you choose it?"

Uesugi Kiyoshi nodded firmly.

"I am very satisfied with this collectible. Thank you, Akutagawa-san."

"What is the name of this knife?"

Ryunosuke Akutagawa paused, then said meaningfully, "This sword is... Onikiri."

Uesugi Kiyoshi raised an eyebrow and asked, "Onikiri?"

"That legendary sword, the one that severed the arm of the Demon King Ibaraki-doji, the sword of Watanabe no Tsuna, a general under Minamoto no Yorimitsu, the demon-slaying blade—Onikiri?"

"No, no, no, that knife is also Onikiri, but it's not this one."

"This one is the famous sword of Minamoto no Yorimitsu, the great shogun of the Minamoto clan, which once beheaded Shuten-dōji and is stained with the blood of the demon king!"

"I know what you're going to say—Onikiri and Dojigiri Yasutsuna aren't the same sword, right?"

"You're wrong, Uesugi-kun. Onikiri isn't the name of a particular sword."

"Onikiri is a sword-forging method passed down in the Minamoto clan—they possess a supernatural skill that allows famous swords that have slain countless evil spirits to transform into even more powerful weapons of the gods and demons under the stimulation of blood and souls."

"The Genji's treasured swords—Higekiri, Hizamaru, and Dojigiri—all belong to the [Onikiri] category."

"The sword in your hand is a genuine Dojigiri Yasutsuna, one of the five most famous swords in Japan, 100% authentic."

Uesugi Kiyoshi gently touched the tattoo on his arm and hesitated, "But I heard that this knife should be in the Tokyo National Museum."

"That one is fake, this one is real."

Ryunosuke Akutagawa's confident tone dispelled Kiyoshi Uesugi's doubts.

“Uesugi-kun, you have good taste. This sword suits you perfectly.”

"The sign that a weapon of the spirits and gods is compatible with an extraordinary person is that it can become one with the extraordinary person, like this."

Ryunosuke Akutagawa paused, holding his black jade cane. The cane transformed into a wisp of black smoke, which adhered to his face and turned into several mysterious black patterns, adding to his air of mystery.

"The more a weapon of the spirits and gods resonates with an extraordinary individual, the greater its power will become. However, it will also be more likely to affect the user's mind. Please be careful."

Uesugi Kiyoshi nodded solemnly; he would heed such well-intentioned advice.

"What is the power of this knife?"

His current understanding of Onikiri is limited to its "sharpness" and its ability to "contain mirages"; he knows nothing else.

Ryunosuke Akutagawa slowly shook his head and said with a wry smile, "I'm sorry, I can't give you a definite answer, because the previous owner of this artifact was the great general Minamoto no Yorimitsu, who has been dead for hundreds of years."

"The association's prophets have studied this knife and concluded that it may be able to break through the barrier between dreams and reality and harm the true form of ghosts and gods."

“Uesugi-kun, demons and spirits are very troublesome enemies; in a sense, they are immortal.”

"For example, when the Eight Thunder Gods set up a ceremony in Tokyo, preparing to descend at the request of believers, the chosen offering was your junior sister, Ms. Kamiizumi."

"Dongwenjue of the Dongwen Society found out about that incident, and then he used the entire Dongwen Society's strength, resulting in countless deaths and injuries. He used human lives to delay the Thunder God Sect's advance, allowing Miss Shangquan to escape unscathed and hold out until your master, Shangquan Jianhao, arrived and was successfully rescued. This is also the origin of the friendship between Dongwenjue and Shangquan Jianhao."

"The Eight Thunder Gods' descent failed, and he temporarily possessed another body, greatly reducing his strength. He was no match for Kamiizumi Kensou. Kamiizumi Kensou casually cut his possessed body into several pieces, but this was not fatal to the demons."

"Generally speaking, it is very difficult to completely kill a 'deity' like the Eight Thunder Gods, who have names in ancient records and believers in the present world."

“Unlike the small fry like the Crimson and Blue Twin Demons you killed, those kinds of demons and gods can live forever in dreams as long as their names are still remembered.”

"So, the swordsman Kamiizumi recklessly accepted the invitation of the Eight Thunder Gods and entered their dream world. With one strike, he annihilated thirty-seven demons and gods. The Eight Thunder Gods were severely injured and fled in panic. Kamiizumi's fame spread far and wide, and he became famous throughout Kyoto. You know what happened after that."

"Even a powerful swordsman like Kamiizumi, if he wants to harm a demon, must venture deep into the enemy's home turf—the Dream World."

"But, if we had this knife..."

"Maybe...no need."

"I don't know if this ability is truly effective, nor do I know if this sword has any other abilities. The so-called weapons of gods and demons are unpredictable and have endless uses. Uesugi-kun, you should explore them slowly."

"The only thing I can be sure of is that there aren't many things in this world that this knife can't cut."

Uesugi Kiyoshi nodded thoughtfully, a faint smile playing on his lips.

From what Ryunosuke Akutagawa had just said, he learned the details of a big piece of gossip and understood the possible effects of the knife, so he could say he had gained quite a bit.

"I understand, anyway."

Uesugi Kiyoshi raised his hand, revealing half of his demon mask tattoo.

“I appreciate it, Akutagawa-san.”

Ryunosuke Akutagawa smiled with satisfaction, appearing to be in a good mood.

"This is something we agreed on, so don't worry about it."

"Giving you this knife is the best way to make the most of it; otherwise, it would be a waste of a precious gem."

"Alright, Uesugi-kun, let's go outside and talk about our enemies. I'll close the Shosoin first."

Uesugi Kiyoshi nodded in agreement, then suddenly asked a question that seemed to be unintentional.

"Akutagawa-san, I'm a little curious, what is that? Is it also a collectible?"

He pointed to the very center of the Shosoin, to a large petri dish with a completely different style.

The petri dish is oval-shaped with a transparent glass outer wall. It is empty inside, except for a slightly wriggling crack.

It's like the crack in a broken mirror has come back to life.

Ryunosuke Akutagawa glanced at the object casually and replied, "Oh, that's a Dream Mirror Crack."

He didn't stop walking out. Only after everyone had left the Shosoin did he carefully lock the shoji doors, put the keys away safely, and then continue speaking.

“Dream rift, the gap between the dream world and the real world.”

“I once told you that there were originally ghosts and gods in this world, but under the drive of the world's will, the superhumans launched a war and sealed all the ghosts and gods in the dream world.”

"That battle in Japan happened hundreds of years ago."