Dark clouds covered the entire Tsukigawa Kingdom, and torrential rain flooded the land.Flashes of lightning, accompanied by the thunderous roar of thunder, seemed to signal something no one could understand.Deep within a vast forest, people could hear the sounds of a battle amid the heavy downpour.The heavy rain did not deter the five people fighting—three against one, while another seemed unsure of which side to take.“Brothers! I beg you, stop this fight—let him go,” pleaded a woman who looked to be in her 40s, though she was actually older than that.“Imouto! If you don’t want to help us, you’d better keep quiet and never take his side!” said an elderly man in his 90s with only a few strands of white hair left.“Imouto, just let them attack me! Besides, there’s no other way for us to avoid killing each other,” said a 70-year-old man.“You’re right! But we’ll let you live as long as you’re willing to hand over the Book of the Demons of Hell to us,” said another man.“Do you think

“What’s that noise? Why is it so noisy? Am I already in the afterlife?”Shinra Kazan could faintly hear distant laughter and conversation.A faint green curtain became visible as Shinra Kazan slowly opened his eyes.“Do beds like these exist in the afterlife as well?” Looking around, Shinra Kazan wondered.Shortly afterward, he heard a door open. Shinra Kazan, who was still lying down, turned his head and saw a beautiful woman in her late twenties enter, carrying something in her hand.Shinra Kazan looked at the woman’s luxurious red dress, which featured a floral pattern at the bottom; it looked like the garment worn by wealthy nobles.“Is that what they call an angel? Why do her face and body look just like an ordinary human’s?” Shinra Kazan wondered to himself.“You’ve finally come to your senses. I figured you’d take a while to realize! Son, what’s your name?” with a gentle smile, the woman asked, setting down a ceramic basin that nobles typically possessed.The woman took a cloth

“Son, what’s your real name?” asked Haruki Enjou after finishing dinner.“My name is Shinra Kazan, sir!” replied Shinra Kazan, who made no secret of his real name.Knowing that only six people were aware of his real name—his father among them, long since dead—Shinra Kazan purposefully revealed it;Shinra Kazan believed his face was so altered that only his own generation, long gone, would identify him. In addition, he had maintained a facade since his adolescence.“Shinra Kazan! Do you remember the name of your village?” Haruki Enjou asked again.Shinra Kazan just shook his head, pretending to have forgotten his village.“Do you remember why you were with the old woman who kidnapped you, and how she died?”Shinra Kazan realized that Haruki Enjou was trying to interrogate him. Shinra Kazan pretended to be scared when Haruki Enjou started asking about Aira.“You’re scaring him, Haruki!” said Haruki Enjou’s wife as she approached Shinra Kazan and hugged him to calm him down.“Shinra! If

“Young Master Haruki! Are you hungry?” asked Kenzou Arata, while Shinra Kazan simply nodded quietly.“We’ll stop for a bite to eat at that shop up ahead in a moment!” said Kenzou Arata, then he quickened his horse’s pace.They were still within the city limits of Kasen, so a few buildings were still visible, but this was the outskirts of the city; soon they would leave Kasen behind and enter a small forest.Kenzou Arata quickly dismounted and then helped Shinra Kazan down from his white horse before tying the horse’s reins to the designated spot.“Welcome, gentlemen. Please come in!” said a waiter who greeted them with a warm smile.Kenzou Arata, his two students, and Shinra Kazan immediately entered and sat down in the empty seats at a square table.“Gentlemen, what would you like to order?” asked the server who had welcomed them earlier.“We’ll all have rice with mild vegetables, plus grilled meat—and everything for four people!” said Kenzou Arata.“Is there anything else, sir? Perh

Shinra Kazan, Kanezawa Mitsunari, and Daigo Renji arrived in front of a small inn at the edge of Tsukihara Village. The three of them immediately went inside to meet the innkeeper.“Grandma Chiyo, we’d like to reserve two rooms for tonight!” said Kanezawa Mitsunari.An elderly woman with a hunched back turned around and looked at Kanezawa Mitsunari and his two friends. “Oh, it’s you young folks again! All right, use those two rooms in the middle!”Shinra Kazan glanced at the row of small rooms; there were only four rooms in the inn, lined up in a row, and in front of each room there was nothing but an empty chair and table.“Young man! Where’s your teacher?” asked the old woman.“Our teacher has to run an errand for a bit, Grandma. He’ll probably be back soon!” replied Kanezawa Mitsunari."Oh...! All right, have a good rest!" said the old woman. Then she walked off.“Come on, Young Master!” said Daigo Renji, and then he and Kanezawa Mitsunari led the way, followed by Shinra Kazan."Yo