...
In City 20, a group of puppet army officers had just emerged from an izakaya, drunkenly arm in arm, discussing where to go for more fun.
Pedestrians on the street avoided them as if they were plague gods.
Just then, between the towering buildings that pierced the night sky, a huge flower boat sailed through the air, with a little girl standing at the bow, looking down at the entire ground.
The little girl wore a spotless white dress and held her docile foxfire.
Behind her were layers upon layers of pavilions and towers atop the mirage ship.
The pavilions and towers are brightly lit, like a silver river flowing through the city, dreamlike and enchanting.
The tiny figure stood alone atop the massive bow of the ship, the stark contrast making the little girl appear exceptionally unique.
The puppet army officer muttered as he watched the scene, "Which company installed this new holographic projection? It looks so realistic. I'll go check it out another day and see if I can squeeze some money out of it."
This mirage is completely different from the ones previously controlled by Onmyoji, and it drives so openly in the city that everyone thinks it is a new type of holographic projection, rather than something real.
However, at that moment, the sound of a whale's wailing suddenly came from above the mirage building, and the blue whale's fins, like outstretched wings, flew above the building.
Everyone who saw it stopped and was amazed by the 'extremely realistic holographic projection'.
Not only that, residents in nearby buildings also saw famous Onmyoji shikigami such as Ōtengu, Hannya, Shuten-dōji, and Ibaraki-dōji standing behind the little girl, quietly waiting for something like servants.
"Is this some new sound and light technology? Why does it look so realistic?"
"But it doesn't stay in one place, so doesn't it need to rely on a holographic generator?"
No sooner had the words been spoken than a figure leaped down from the mirage tower, carrying a katana as long as himself, and slashed at the puppet troops on the ground.
With a deafening roar, the massive blade of light pierced through the blue and purple neon lights, tearing a long crack in the ground. The puppet soldiers caught in the blast of light died instantly!
The pedestrians were all stunned; this was really true!
However, troops stationed in the city from the Western Continent reacted in the distance, driving drones toward Jinguji Maki.
However, Hyoninbu, who was behind Maki, stepped forward and said, "Master, let me do it."
Maki nodded: "Please."
Bingzhubu said in a low voice, "Master, there's no need to be so polite."
Before this, no Onmyoji had ever been able to make a shikigami speak. In the past six hundred years, the only one who could do this and make a shikigami have self-awareness was Hyakume-ki of Kamishiro Unra.
The next moment, the Bingzhu tribe manifested thousands of halberds in the sky, easily shattering the drone swarm like rain.
The halberd, still in its momentum, blasted the garrison troops at the end of the long street, which was two kilometers away, sending up a huge cloud of dust!
The foxfire in Maki's arms shrank back. When it was with the Onmyoji, it had to fight, but now that it was with its true master, it only needed to be a quiet little warmer...
Jinguji Maki said to the shikigami, "We don't have much time, so please go into the city and kill people. Kill anyone who doesn't have the word 'slave' on their head."
"Understood, Master." The Shadow Woman gripped the dagger in her hand and slowly retreated into the shadows, disappearing into the city's dark corners.
Tamamo-no-Mae swayed her nine tails, gave a seductive laugh, and leaped off the Mirage Tower, disappearing from sight.
Momijigari, stepping on red maple leaves, flew into the night sky.
Tonight, in these 20 cities, a hundred ghosts roam the night!
...
...
The airships of City 20 took off, and experts were lurking in the shadows, waiting for their chance to strike.
Someone was adjusting an automatic sniper rifle at an extremely long distance. The sniper was 3.6 kilometers away from Maki Jinguji. However, he was not aiming himself, but using a professional motor track and an artificial intelligence program to automatically adjust the angle.
When the real era of war arrived, the Western Continent finally unveiled its artificial intelligence-assisted system, which far surpassed that of the Eastern Continent. The Western Continent's civilian artificial intelligence technology was already very advanced, while its military technology was even more formidable.
For example, on the Eastern Continent, a soldier's limit is about 36 drones connected by neurons, while on the Western Continent, soldiers with the assistance of artificial intelligence systems can control as many as 360 or even more.
At that moment, the auto-aiming system had locked onto the little girl on the bow of the ship. The sniper was unmoved by Jinguji Maki's cuteness and pulled the trigger without hesitation.
The bullet spins as it leaves the barrel, shooting out at an initial velocity far exceeding that of other firearms!
However, when the bullet struck Jinguji Maki two seconds later, it only created a transparent ripple before disappearing.
The sniper was stunned. He clearly saw himself hit the girl, but the bullet disappeared into thin air, and the little girl was perfectly fine!
Mirage Tower!
This shikigami is most skilled at creating illusions, so the location of Jinguji Maki that the outside world sees is not her real location. The counterattack launched by the Western Continent troops on the ground all hit thin air.
As long as no one can decipher this enormous illusion, no one can actually hit her; even if cannonballs whistle past, they will only pass through the air.
The next second, the sniper sensed something was wrong and ducked to dodge, but the Shadow Woman was already behind him, slicing his carotid artery with the black dagger in her hand.
On the rooftop where the sniper was located, two genetically engineered warriors were guarding the sniper position. They watched helplessly as the Shadow Woman appeared out of thin air and elegantly killed people with her alluring and slender figure, but they had no time to stop her.
Two B-level gene warriors charged at her, while the Shadow Woman deftly slipped through the gap between them and disappeared into the night.
As the shadow woman disappeared, blood gushed from the carotid arteries of the two men, but not a single drop splashed onto the shadow woman. They didn't even realize when their throats had been slit!
Maki Jinguji's current strength is unfathomable, and the strength of the shikigami corresponds to hers.
No matter how skilled or not they are, unless the Duke of Storms and the Jester arrive in person, they are all just idiots.
Therefore, the terror of this parade of a hundred ghosts at night is beyond the comprehension of ordinary people.
Today, City 20 is one of the largest forward bases in the Western Continent. Just like the forward base 9 where Qing Chen and Bolton were, many nobles come here to assemble and redistribute their troops.
Maki Jinguji destroyed the site in just three hours, leaving the Roosevelt Kingdom with one of its six forward bases in the north gone!
Qing Ji sat on the boat watching silently. He realized that he didn't seem to need to teach this little girl anything anymore. Like Qing Chen, she was a born ruthless person.
However, he had some concerns. There were at least seven marquises and hundreds of barons in the forward base, and these people must be locked on by the Fate Master's perspective, but here it seemed that there was no defense at all.
Does the Fate Master also believe that no matter what method is used, it is ultimately impossible to stop this little girl?
Or did the other party prepare other methods?
Kei glanced at the time: "Maki, it's almost time. Let's wrap things up. I'll take you out through the Shadow Gate. But be careful, I have some concerns. My hip bone hasn't fully healed yet, so I can't participate in the battle to help you."
Jinguji Maki replied sweetly, "Okay, Uncle Keiji."
Qing Ji frowned deeply. He had never seen any fragments of fate; he had simply followed the old man's instructions and meticulously completed all the plans.
However, he had expected to be ambushed by the Virtuoso tonight, but the Virtuoso has not yet appeared.
At this moment, all of Maki Jinguji's shikigami returned to her original name, Shinji, and Keiki opened the Shadow Gate for her.
Chapter 983, Amber
"Since the time travel incident began, how many 30-day cycles have the Time Travelers experienced?" Qing Chen asked in the dimly lit safe house.
One answer: "Twice, that is, during that period you were arrested and taken to Base A02."
Qing Chen frowned: "This mechanism is very disadvantageous to us."
Black Spider stared blankly at Qing Chen. If it were anyone else who had lost their memory, it would probably take them a lot of time to explain things, and they would also have to go through the process of getting to know each other from strangers to acquaintances, and from distrust to trust.
But Qingchen is different.
She was certain the other person hadn't regained their memory yet, but they had already begun to immerse themselves in the role, trying to restore their identity, and had already proactively contacted the parents' association.
Qing Chen said, "You previously said I was a cultivator and an awakener. Now I have a trace of Knight Cloud Qi in my body, but the Thunder Mash is still completely nowhere to be seen. Come, tell me about the people around me again, and see if I can remember anything."
If he only possessed the physical attributes of a demigod knight but lacked combat experience and other abilities, he would likely find it difficult to break through the blockade of the central royal city.
Therefore, he must take the initiative to restore his memories and return to his prime.
Yi sat on a supply crate, propping his chin up, and said with great interest, "Your master, Li Shutong, started his knightly journey at the age of 16 with his master. He trained for more than a year before his first life-or-death ordeal, but he told you he only trained for a little over a month. After completing the first ordeal, your grandmaster left him and Chen Jiazhang with their uncle, who took them to the octagon to make money. Your master and Chen Jiazhang originally thought they would get a share, but their uncle spent all the money on women and even took out a loan to buy them a house. They never expected to be burdened with a mortgage at such a young age."
"Ahem," Qing Chen said awkwardly, "Why are you starting to talk about the dark history of my Knights organization... Also, this mortgage thing seems so familiar."
“Because that’s how your master treated you too,” Yi said with a smile. “I watched with my own eyes as he used the forbidden substance ACE-005 to transform into your likeness and get a loan for you from the bank.”
"So how did my master finally repay the money?" Qingchen asked.
“When your master was young, he wasn’t good at making money. He couldn’t act as well as you when he went to boxing matches, so he was quickly banned,” Yi said with a smile. “He secretly went home to find his elder brother, Li Yunshou. Li Yunshou had already entered the Privy Council at that time, so he secretly helped him settle his debts. During his years as a knight, he liked to make friends with wealthy people and entertain guests like a chivalrous knight. As a result, he always went home to find his elder brother when he ran out of money.”
Qingchen recalled the Li Shutong that Yi had mentioned, and realized that he was completely different from the Li Shutong he knew now...
For some reason, the name Li Yunshou, like that of Li Shutong, stirred something within him.
He said, "Let me talk about the other people, those who are more important to me."
Yi continued, "Li Changqing... well, I think she must be a very important person. You fought side by side, and she brought you into the Li family's Half-Mountain Manor. You once held the sniper position to the death to save her, and she once piloted the Green Mountain south alone to save you. However, she later disappeared from your world on her own."
Qing Chen remained silent and did not respond.
Zero said, "If I'm not mistaken, Li Changqing should be on the Green Mountain right now, having destroyed a supply line from the Western Continent before being ambushed by them. I gave the order, but the signal is currently blocked, so I can't get any new information. However... she might be dead."
Qing Chen asked, "Why would there be an order to send someone to their death?"
“Naturally, it’s because there are more people to save,” Zero replied calmly. “Commanders can’t have emotions, and I happen to be emotionless. If this supply line is not broken, the number of troops in the Jianmen Pass direction will double, and then no one will be able to stop them. All 200,000 members of the Parents’ Association will die. Although you have amnesia now, it’s pointless to tell you these things, but war is the art of sacrifice. You need to understand from the beginning what is most important.”
What is the most important thing?
“The chance to win,” Zero said seriously. “The purpose of war is to win; if you can’t win, then it’s meaningless.”
Yi interrupted the two, "Now is not the time to talk about this. Let me continue telling you about your disciples. Li Ke is the disciple you took in at Qiuye Villa, and he is also the senior brother among the next generation of knights. He and Zhang Mengqian are progressing the fastest in the life-and-death trials, and they should be training for the final life-and-death trial right now. Li Ke is well-behaved, like a responsible senior brother. He is kind and generous, but a little cunning. Zhang Mengqian is blind, but she unexpectedly gained a sixth sense after losing her sight. She may become the strongest fighter in the knight organization."
Zero denied, "No, the strongest fighter is not Zhang Mengqian... That's not accurate either. In a one-on-one fight, he should be the strongest, but if we're talking about the strongest fighter, it has to be Jinguji Maki."
"Huh?" This person from the other world had no signal, so she had no way of knowing what had happened recently: "Little Maki? I've seen her in the real world. She's so cute and cuddly. Is she very powerful?"
“The Genji are a very terrifying bloodline. Before Ren Xiaosu left this world, he was worried that they would cause trouble, so he went to warn the Genji,” Zero said.
"Huh? Did my father go and beat them up?" Yi asked curiously. "He never mentioned it."
Zero said, "That year, after Ren Xiaosu became a god, he crossed the strait in a small boat. He found the Genji and challenged them to a duel. However, even the Genji's Night Parade of One Hundred Demons could not stop him. All the shikigami turned into streams of light and returned to the Genji's sacred bridge, trembling and afraid to fight."
Zero continued, "That year, Ren Xiaosu was eating and drinking for free at the Genji's mansion, ordering all the shikigami to serve him. After washing his feet, he would wipe them with foxfire, make Momiji perform the splits, make Hyakume jump rope, make Ōtengu fan himself with his wings, make Hyōshūbu use his halberd as a skewer to grill food, and make Shinkirou use illusions as a screen to show movies... He didn't leave until he was completely full, infuriating the Genji. But this doesn't mean the Genji wasn't powerful. On the contrary, the fact that Ren Xiaosu had to personally reprimand them speaks volumes about their importance."
Qing Chen suddenly realized that when Ling mentioned Ren Xiaosu's name, his attitude was clearly different, and even his words had become warmer.
But this deity, Ren Xiaosu, doesn't seem to be all that serious.
"But they were still betrayed and killed by the Kamishiro family."
“I have seen the Genji in person, and I have also seen the battle in which the Genji was killed from satellites. The most fatal reason for that battle was the temporary betrayal of Orochi. The Genji had to free up his hands to suppress it again to prevent it from causing havoc on the world. Otherwise, the Age of Gods could not have killed them,” Zero said with a smile. “The Genji is indeed very powerful. So powerful that even the Roosevelt royal family, when they saw her God’s-eye view, had to send 12 Fates to deal with it. I guess they would bring out their most treasured forbidden items.”