By the way, it's worth ntioning that the current Ghoul Elder, for reasons unknown, had heard that mythical creatures like them should never reveal their true nas to anyone, especially not to Wizards, because a true na could be used by a Wizard to cast a deadly curse. That's why Aoki only shared the current alias of the Ghoul Elder with Liu Xing, which was Fujiwara Gen'in. Of course, this was also the reason Aoki had only shared the Ghoul Elder's surna with Liu Xing.
But getting back to the story, at that ti, Fujiwara Gen'in, the Ghoul Elder who was also the leader of a rcenary group, was determined to make a na for his rcenary band. Despite being sowhat apprehensive about the reputation of the magical creatures, he decided to lead his rcenaries to Ziwu City.
However, Aoki had a nagging feeling that sothing was amiss. He sensed that going to rescue Ziwu City was a perilous endeavor. After all, most of the local forces in Ziwu City had already fallen apart, and the accounts of the magical creatures' strength sounded almost mythical from the retreating soldiers. But Fujiwara Gen'in stuck to his decision, citing the prospect of "seeking fortune amidst danger." Consequently, he brushed off Aoki's concerns and led his rcenaries towards Ziwu City.
In Aoki's eyes, Sawada Tomohiko, who sought their assistance, appeared to be a typical rich young manfair-skinned, soft, and seemingly incapable of wielding a weapon. Aoki wondered how Sawada Tomohiko had managed to escape from Ziwu City all by himself.
Indeed, Sawada Tomohiko was alone, with no servants or guards by his side, and he carried no bags or weapons. He looked as though he had just finished dinner and was out for a leisurely stroll. Most importantly, his clothing was pristine, without a speck of dirt. This raised further suspicions in Aoki's mind. Could it be that the magical creatures had not imposed martial law in Ziwu City and had simply allowed Sawada Tomohiko to stroll out freely?
However, Fujiwara Gen'in, enticed by the promises of great rewards from Sawada Tomohiko, had been blinded by the allure of wealth and had overlooked these details. He was in a hurry to lead his rcenaries to Ziwu City.
As they drew closer to Ziwu City, still over ten miles away, a sudden downpour drenched them. Rain poured from the sky like a waterfall, leaving Sawada Tomohiko in a miserable state. He requested a halt to their march and sought refuge in a nearby dilapidated Elder Gods shrine.
Aoki hadn't anticipated this turn of events. While the rain was indeed heavy, it hadn't posed a significant hindrance to their progress. They could have reached Ziwu City within an hour or two. Yet, Sawada Tomohiko showed no urgency in assisting Ziwu City; instead, he wanted to take shelter from the rain.
Nevertheless, Sawada Tomohiko was their employer, and the rcenaries had accepted his employnt. Therefore, they had to follow his orders. Furthermore, most of the rcenaries welcod the chance to take a break, as it postponed the inevitable confrontation with the loathso magical creatures.
Under Sawada Tomohiko's guidance, the rcenaries arrived at the rundown shrine. Aoki felt a growing sense of discomfort and unease as he observed their surroundings. Although the shrine was quite large and constructed with ticulous attention to detail, its decorations and carvings were exquisite. What struck Aoki as odd was that this dilapidated shrine stood in the middle of nowhere, far from any village or town. This raised doubts in his mind.
Moreover, a shrine of this caliber should have been well-known, but Aoki, who lived near Ziwu City, had never heard of its existence. With a sense of unease brewing within him, Aoki contemplated warning Fujiwara Gen'in. However, Sawada Tomohiko had already taken Fujiwara Gen'in to drink, leaving him no opportunity to express his concerns. With their rcenary band consisting of over two hundred people, Aoki believed that nothing could go wrong.
Upon hearing this, Liu Xing looked surprised. During Kuroba Naoki's storytelling earlier in the afternoon, Liu Xing had assud that the rcenary band numbered around a hundred. He had not expected such a significant difference.
"Liu Xing, I know what you're thinking. The story of the Great hero Tomohiko Sawada has been told in various versions over the years, and nearly all of them ntioned that our rcenary band consisted of around a hundred mbers. However, that's incorrect. Initially, our group had a total of two hundred and ten mbers. But sothing happened before we reached Ziwu City, precisely when we took shelter from the rain at that dilapidated shrine, which resulted in losing half our numbers!" Aoki said, his voice filled with anger and frustration.
The story continued.
Rainy days could be quite dull when you had nothing to do. Sawada Tomohiko sohow managed to produce a few bottles of fine wine and invited Fujiwara Gen'in for a feast. As the second-in-command of the rcenary band, Aoki naturally had to accompany them.
After three rounds of drinks, Sawada Tomohiko began to confide in Aoki and Fujiwara Gen'in. It turned out that Sawada Tomohiko had left Ziwu City with a group of guards. However, upon arriving at the shrine, these guards, fearing an encounter with the magical creatures, chose to flee one by one. This left Sawada Tomohiko completely alone.
In the desolate wilderness, Sawada Tomohiko, a scion of a wealthy family, dared not venture out recklessly. After all, at that ti, mountain bandits were rampant in the Island Nation. So, Sawada Tomohiko decided to stay at the shrine, awaiting rcenaries like Fujiwara Gen'in who were willing to co to Ziwu City's rescue.
Sawada Tomohiko then began to talk about the magical creatures in Ziwu City. These creatures had first appeared around the Kingdom of Tindalos ruins. They bore a resemblance to zombies, not entirely impervious to weapons but highly resistant to lower-quality arms. Moreover, these creatures displayed remarkable intelligence, employing tactics such as encirclent and infiltration without any need for direct command.
Most importantly, the leader of the magical creatures could speak, using words to sap the morale of Ziwu City's defenders. They even managed to sway one of Ziwu City's officials to their side. As a result, the defense of Ziwu City crumbled, and they soon lost control of half the city.
According to the leader of the magical creatures, they were originally criminals from the Kingdom of Tindalos who had undergone transformative surgeries in the kingdom's secret prison, resulting in their current ghastly appearance. Recently, soone had opened the prison gates, allowing them to escape. Despite their appearance, they still considered themselves human and only sought to occupy a corner of Ziwu City. They demanded that all residents evacuate the city to avoid bloodshed.
Therefore, the officials of Ziwu City, along with their troops, promptly fled the city. After all, they had no real ties to Ziwu City, and leaving held no significant drawbacks for them.
However, Sawada Tomohiko and his family, being native residents of Ziwu City, were deeply reluctant to abandon their hotown. Their properties and livelihoods were tied to Ziwu City, and even if the magical creatures were willing to let the Sawada Family take everything they could carry, it would still an a substantial reduction in their capital. Moreover, the Sawada Family's network and resources were primarily useful within Ziwu City.
The magical creatures were intent on establishing a stronghold in Ziwu City. When a small family attempted to take so fabric from a shop in the occupied area, the creatures firmly refused. They had lost their sense of hunger and taste and had no intention of moving elsewhere, so they sought to enjoy "clothing" and "shelter" among other things.
In the Island Nation at the ti, fabric was considered a valuable commodity and could be used for barter. As a result, the Sawada Family had stored a considerable amount of fabric, accounting for a third of their assets.
Therefore, there was no room for negotiation. The head of the Sawada Family, Sawada Tomohiko's father, decided to take a gamble and called for the local families and commoners of Ziwu City to unite and resist the magical creatures.
Other families and Sawada Tomohiko's father shared similar sentints. If they abandoned their properties in Ziwu City, their families would inevitably suffer, and the commoners did not want to give up the land they had cultivated. Thus, those remaining in Ziwu City decided to continue resisting the magical creatures.
However, despite their noble intentions, the disparity between the two sides was undeniable. According to Sawada Tomohiko's information, the magical creatures numbered around five hundred, and they were all ard and capable fighters. So even wielded peculiar weapons from the Kingdom of Tindalos era, small enough to fit in their palms, yet capable of killing from a distance of a hundred ters using sound.
Hearing this, Liu Xing speculated that the weapons from the Kingdom of Tindalos era were likely firearms.
On the side of Ziwu City, because the city's officials had left with their troops, only the household guards of various families and so strong farrs were capable of fighting. Their numbers amounted to around eight hundred. However, due to a lack of military training and equipnt, the defenders of Ziwu City were undoubtedly outmatched by the magical creatures.
Therefore, Sawada Tomohiko was dispatched to seek reinforcents.
After listening to Sawada Tomohiko's explanation, Aoki also began to have doubts. After all, at that ti, Aoki was just an ordinary person, and he felt uneasy when faced with such terrifying creatures he had never encountered before.
Other rcenaries, upon hearing about the formidable magical creatures they were to face, began to clamor, demanding that Fujiwara Gen'in abandon this mission. Even hardened rcenaries did not want to accept a mission that seed certain to end in death.
However, after Sawada Tomohiko raised the reward and guaranteed high compensation, Fujiwara Gen'in finally persuaded the other rcenaries to accept the mission.
As the heavy rain showed no sign of stopping, Sawada Tomohiko requested that the rcenaries continue resting within the shrine until the rain ceased. When Aoki asked why they had to wait for the rain to stop before departing, Sawada Tomohiko offered vague explanations.
Growing increasingly suspicious, Aoki chose to obey the orders of their employer, Sawada Tomohiko, and led the rcenaries to camp within the shrine.
Although the shrine was sowhat dilapidated, its space was sufficient to accommodate over two hundred rcenaries. The more experienced mbers, such as Sawada Tomohiko, Fujiwara Gen'in, and Aoki, resided in a row of rooms behind the shrine, while the ordinary mbers slept on mats within the shrine's main hall.
Due to the consumption of alcohol, Aoki returned to his room, tidied up, and promptly went to sleep.
The next morning, the heavy rain persisted.
Upon arriving at the shrine's main hall, Aoki noticed that sothing was amiss. After a count, he realized that over twenty rcenaries were missing, and inquiries among the remaining rcenaries yielded no clues.
At the ti, Aoki did not pay much attention to this developnt, as he believed these rcenaries had likely fled during the rainy night out of fear of facing the magical creatures.
Therefore, Aoki took the opportunity to educate the other rcenaries about the importance of keeping their word and not abandoning their comrades in the heat of battle. He did not dwell on the matter any further.
The heavy rain continued unabated.
Bored after a day of inactivity, Aoki spent so ti drinking with Sawada Tomohiko before retiring to his room for the night.
However, in the middle of the night, Aoki, awakened by the urge to urinate, suddenly heard a strange sound. It sounded like soone reciting a chant, but Aoki, still slightly intoxicated, chose to ignore it and returned to sleep.
The next morning, on the fourth day, Aoki once again realized that more than thirty rcenaries were missing. It was at this point that he began to suspect sothing was amiss, rembering the eerie sounds from the previous night.
Due to the continuous rain, they remained trapped within the shrine. Aoki, feigning illness, returned to his room early and remained vigilant, paying close attention to any sounds in the shrine.
In the middle of the night, Aoki heard the strange sound once again. Despite being mixed with the sound of rain, Aoki was certain that it emanated from Sawada Tomohiko's room.
With a growing sense of suspicion, Aoki ard himself and prepared to investigate Sawada Tomohiko's room. However, before he could take any action, he suddenly lost consciousness.
When Aoki woke up, it was already the morning of the fifth day. This ti, more than a hundred rcenaries were missing. It was at this point that Sawada Tomohiko revealed a large sword, claiming that he had received the favor of the shrine's Sulu deity and gained divine powers and artifacts.
At that very mont, the heavy rain abruptly ceased, and the skies cleared.
Aoki began to suspect that Sawada Tomohiko had sacrificed the missing rcenaries as offerings to the so-called Sulu deity. However, lacking evidence and witnessing Sawada Tomohiko's newfound formidable strength, Aoki chose to remain silent and discreetly observe Sawada Tomohiko's every move.
With a wry smile, Aoki looked at Liu Xing and said, "Now, I want to ask you a question. Do you believe what I've been telling you?"
Liu Xing nodded without hesitation, saying, "I absolutely believe your words because you have no reason to deceive , and there's nothing to gain from lying."
Aoki chuckled and continued, "Very well, then. I'll continue with the rest of the story."
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