The rain showed no sign of letting up. Amid the endless downpour, a red-clad wanderer stood holding a crimson oil-paper umbrella, gazing into the distance.
The rain struggled desperately to wash away the faint scent of plum blossoms clinging to him, but its efforts were ultimately in vain.
That fragrance of plum blossoms lingered around him perpetually, warding off all gloom and filth.
According to Gorou's suggestion, he only needed to wait in the military camp while the resistance handled everything else.
But Bai Luo had come primarily to activate his system's mission by tapping into the lingering resentment of Orobashi, so naturally, he had no intention of sitting idly indoors.
Gorou couldn't persuade him otherwise and had no choice but to personally accompany him on his investigation.
Fortunately, the Shogunate had recently been preoccupied with their war of public opinion, showing little intention of taking action. This gave Gorou ample time to assist Bai Luo with his inquiries.
"This is the Musoujin Gorge," Gorou said quietly as they stood before the long, majestic chasm.
Musoujin Gorge was a forbidden zone on Yashiori Island.
This breathtaking sight was not a natural formation but a marvel carved out when the Raiden Shogun struck down the great serpentine deity, named after her ultimate martial technique—Musou no Hitotachi.
Just standing here and looking at it made it hard to fathom how the Raiden Shogun had delivered such a blow.
Gorou rarely came here because gazing upon the Musoujin Gorge made him fear he might lose the courage to resist the Shogunate.
For a military commander, that would be fatal.
Fortunately, the Raiden Shogun didn't seem to turn her gaze upon mere mortals like them, instead delegating the suppression of the rebellion to the Kujou Clan.
Otherwise... Gorou wasn't sure how long their resistance could last under the Shogun's blade.
A day? Half a day?
Perhaps only an instant.
"The Tatarigami energy in Musoujin Gorge is the most intense in all of Yashiori Island. Even though the ambitions and dreams of the great Orobashi no Mikoto were severed, his lingering resentment continues to fester within this chasm. Ordinary people can't stay here long—not even Vision bearers," Gorou explained.
As he said, the Musoujin Gorge had become a veritable no-man's-land.
Apart from vegetation, the only things lingering here were madmen corrupted by the Tatarigami.
After the wards suppressing the Tatarigami were destroyed, the malevolent energy in the gorge grew even stronger. The once-clear seawater that had flooded in had turned into a toxic, eerie fluorescent glow.
Bai Luo studied the poisoned water thoughtfully, then pulled a Sunsettia from his pocket, sliced it open, and casually tossed it in.
With a plop, the cut fruit sank into the water.
At first, the surface remained undisturbed. But after a few seconds, the water began boiling violently.
Splash—
The spot where the Sunsettia had landed was like a drop of oil hitting water. The glowing seawater frantically retreated in all directions, leaving behind a small circle of clear blue water about a meter wide.
That one-meter radius had become the only pure land in the entire Musoujin Gorge.
Bai Luo: "..."
Gorou was equally stunned. He had just declared this place a death zone, only for a single Sunsettia to defeat the Tatarigami?
Was it really that weak?
He happened to have a Sunsettia as well—one he'd brought from camp that morning.
Mimicking Bai Luo, he sliced it open and tossed it into the poisoned water.
Gurgle...
The fruit sank, creating only a few ripples. Unlike Bai Luo's, it didn't carve out a pure space.
Even stranger, the poisoned water splashed into the area cleared by Bai Luo's Sunsettia seemed to recoil as if alive, scrambling to flee. Those droplets trapped in the middle even evaporated on the spot.
Whether they did so willingly or were forced to by the Sunsettia's influence was anyone's guess.
"Ahem... I used a special technique," Bai Luo said, withdrawing his hand with an awkward cough. His explanation sounded feeble, even to himself.
Because in truth, he had merely cut a Sunsettia and tossed it in.
"I see! As expected of Mr. Himura!" Gorou, however, didn't doubt him for a second.
Who was Bai Luo? A man who had once slain a god, revered by the world as Battousai. If he could alter the Tatarigami's power with a single Sunsettia, it wasn't entirely unbelievable.
Perhaps the moment he sliced the fruit, his so-called "sword intent" had already infused it.
In short—Mr. Himura was truly a man of wonders.
"Wait here. I'm going down to take a look."
Just because the Sunsettia could repel the Tatarigami didn't mean Bai Luo was immune. He wanted to test whether the malevolent energy would affect him.
"Understood. Please be careful, Mr. Himura."
Having witnessed the power of Bai Luo's Sunsettia, Gorou no longer worried about the Tatarigami affecting him.
Still, he stationed soldiers at every possible entry and exit point of the gorge, ready to assist Bai Luo if needed.
Once everything was prepared, Bai Luo took a deep breath and descended into the Musoujin Gorge.
Before the wards suppressing the Tatarigami were destroyed, the gorge, though dangerous, wasn't completely inaccessible.
Back then, the resistance had built wooden pathways and stairs to facilitate the gathering of local specialties—namely, the Naku Weed. Though some of these structures had been damaged by the madmen below, they still served Bai Luo well enough.
Creak—
Even the wooden planks seemed tainted by the Tatarigami, groaning underfoot. Thankfully, the resistance's craftsmanship held up, and the pathway didn't collapse.
Click, click, click...
The moment Bai Luo stepped onto the walkway, he heard a strange noise, one that sounded eerily like...
Bai Luo: "..."
Was that a Geiger counter? Seriously?
A Geiger counter was a complex device to explain, but it could be summed up in one sentence:
It detected radiation. The stronger the radiation, the more frequent the clicks.
If the Geiger sings, say goodbye to your kin. That saying wasn't a joke. If Bai Luo hadn't confirmed he was unaffected, he would've turned back immediately.
This was terrifying.
He wasn't sure whether the Geiger counter sound came from the Tatarigami itself or his system.
Either way, caution was key.
After several minutes of careful descent, Bai Luo finally set foot on solid ground.
Contrary to expectations, the gorge wasn't devoid of vegetation—though the plants here looked anything but normal. Aside from the familiar Naku Weed, there were flowers of unknown species, emitting a faint, eerie glow.
This glow was different from the luminescent flora in Chinju Forest.
The flowers of Chinju Forest evoked a dreamlike fantasy, as if stepping into a fairy tale.
The glow here, however, felt ominous, as though touching it would lead to ruin.
The Geiger counter-like clicking persisted, but Bai Luo remained unaffected by the Tatarigami's power.
In fact, he had never felt better.
Meaning, the malevolent energy shouldn't pose a threat to him.