Chapter 201: The Tengu Maiden
When the black mist cleared, the shrine and courtyard from earlier had completely vanished, and Bai Luo found himself standing in the midst of a deep mountain forest.
But this wasn't just any forest, it was denser than the Chinju Forest he had seen before—bordering on primordial.
The scent of decay lingered in the air, rising with each step he took over fallen leaves.
It even smelled rotten.
But unlike Chinju Forest, this place lacked the usual hum of insects and chirps of birds.
Maybe the system hadn't bothered simulating them.
It did always act like it was one glitch away from a full collapse.
The last time it tried giving him a trial, it nearly crashed from the strain of a single test card.
"Yo, trial-taker."
A voice floated down from the treetops.
There, seated lazily atop a towering tree, was a girl with jet-black wings.
She gently swung her feet, her wooden geta clacking softly against the bark.
Her white socks, impossibly clean in this murky forest, somehow repelled all dirt, it's as if even the forest itself respected her enough not to sully her legs.
This was Teruyo, the Tengu girl.
Unlike Kujou Sara's more militaristic attire, Teruyo wore a simple casual outfit—dark-toned, modest, but still charming.
A Tengu mask sat askew on her head, giving her a mischievous, playful look instead of something menacing.
And in her hair, a single small flower—a quiet act of defiance against the world.
Who said a Tengu couldn't be cute?
"Ready to start?"
She drew the katana at her side and casually tossed it down to Bai Luo.
It wasn't some enchanted weapon—just a regular Tengu blade, it's slightly sharper than what humans used, sure, but otherwise unremarkable.
—And clearly neglected.
The blade was covered in rust, so much so that Bai Luo honestly wondered if tetanus was going to be the real boss fight here.
"I'll be right with you. Let me switch forms."
With a polite nod, Bai Luo stuck the katana in the dirt beside him and began changing classes—into Battousai.
The trial's goal was clear.
He didn't have to kill Teruyo. Just touching her was enough to clear the objective.
Which meant one thing—this girl was absurdly fast.
And there was no better counter to speed than Battousai.
Even if he couldn't land a killing blow, his Kuzuryūsen (Nine-Head Dragon Flash) had a wide enough spread to guarantee a hit.
And if all else failed, he had Amakakeru Ryū no Hirameki (Flash of the Heavenly Soaring Dragon), a technique that had once cut down both the Raiden Shogun and the Geo Archon.
One Tengu girl shouldn't be a problem.
In the blink of an eye, crimson surged into the dark-toned forest.
Where once there was only shadow, now stood a man with a red oil-paper umbrella.
A faint plum blossom scent began to drift outward, suppressing even the rot of the fallen leaves.
From her perch, Teruyo blinked, visibly impressed.
"Well, well. This is gonna be fun."
Bai Luo closed the umbrella and hooked it onto his waist, then he picked up the Tengu girl's rusty, crusty excuse for a katana.
This was it—the tool he'd have to use to slash a literal supernatural being.
The system chimed in right on cue.
[Trial begins!]
At once, the invisible walls between them vanished.
Teruyo spread her wings wide, and in a flash, she disappeared into the forest like a streak of black lightning.
A moment later, where she had just been perched, multiple sword slashes struck down.
She flipped midair, a longbow appearing in her hands.
In one smooth motion—draw, aim, fire.
A single arrow shot through the trees, aiming directly for Bai Luo's face.
"…She fights back?"
Swatting the arrow aside, Bai Luo let out a helpless sigh.
He had only five minutes to complete the trial, and now he had to dodge attacks too?
"You're way more annoying than that stone-faced Michinobu ever was!"
Teruyo stuck out her tongue playfully and, with another flap of her wings, fired several more arrows as she retreated.
She let out a constant barrage of arrows.
Fast, precise, and always just out of reach.
Bai Luo was beginning to understand now, why someone like Mikoshi Michinobu—whose fighting style was all overwhelming offense—would end up creating something like Tengu Sweeper, a technique built solely for cutting down swift, evasive targets.
This girl was so cheeky that Bai Luo couldn't help but feel the itch—he really wanted to let loose a Kuzuryūsen (Nine-Head Dragon Flash) right here and now.
But there was still plenty of time left in the trial.
If he burned his trump card too early, he'd risk missing out on a better reward.
So for now, he held back.
Moonlight spilled through the canopy, and the silver-bell laughter of the Tengu girl echoed between the trees, mingling with the twang of her bowstring.
As for Bai Luo…
He was familiar with Mt. Yougou, yes—but only in the aftermath.
The ruined Mt. Yougou from a hundred years later.
This lush, untouched forest was something he had never seen before.
And in this vibrant terrain, he couldn't compare to the Tengu girl who darted through it like a bird through the sky.
Her movements were effortless, every tree branch, every slope, every structure—she knew them all like the back of her hand.
Even blindfolded, she could probably soar through the trees without hitting a thing.
Because this forest was hers.
She was its guardian.
She was Teruyo of the Tengu clan.
And this place…
This forest was where a certain fateful bond—a tangled fate—first began.
"Your sword… it even surpassed the Tengu's speed in the end."
"In those thirteen years we crossed blades, I never forgot a single duel."
"I gave you a new name, hoping it would free you from the curse of oni blood."
"That inhuman heritage has grown thinner over time, ever since that war…"
"After all, we non-humans shouldn't seek a human's happy ending."
"But you… you were different."
"You became Iwakura—no longer the Oni-blooded Mikoshi."
"So farewell, Michinobu."
"Forget me. And with your sword, carve a future for the Iwakura name."
Another arrow flew.
Teruyo weaved past Bai Luo's sword strike with practiced ease, just like she used to dodge Michinobu's sword years ago.
But then, suddenly while in mid-flight, her wings locked up.
An invisible force pinned her in midair.
On the ground below, Bai Luo had already sheathed his blade.
He now stood in his battou stance—body still, hand poised at the hilt.
"…That stance…"
In her eyes, Bai Luo's crimson silhouette overlapped with the image of that quiet, solemn young man from the past.
"Tengu Sweeper!"
Of course, Bai Luo didn't need to shout the name. His skills triggered silently.
But let's be honest—he just thought it sounded cool.
So even though he yelled "Tengu Sweeper"—the technique he unleashed was unmistakably Kuzuryūsen (Nine-Head Dragon Flash).
A crimson flash streaked forward like lightning.
Teruyo sighed softly.
Not in regret, but nostalgia.
As if to say: "Here I go losing to this move again."
But there was a smile on her lips.
She was having fun.
To relive that memory—even if only as a trial—It was enough.
The slash connected, and her longbow shattered in her hands.
But the pain she expected… never came.
Instead, she found herself caught mid-fall by the red figure that had just struck her.
Bai Luo gently landed on the forest floor, holding her steady in his arms.
"Sorry," he said with an awkward grin. "This move's kind of hard to control. I used to accidentally hit grunts with it all the time."
He pulled off his cat-faced mask.
Beneath it, his face was still a little young, a little shy—and the once-threatening cross-shaped scar now just looked… human.
[Target "Teruyo" has been successfully struck. Condition "Cut Down" fulfilled. Would you like to end the trial now?]
. . . . .
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