Reiatsu perception instantly covered the entire residence. Taka only felt a shudder run through his soul.
Demonic aura. Very strong demonic aura, almost comparable to that Upper Moon from the other day!
Taka's gaze instantly sharpened as he swept it towards Fujino, who was leading the way.
'This man, who claimed to be a doctor and had actively provided leads, was he really trustworthy?'
"Fujino-san." He pressed towards Fujino in a low voice. The deep green blade began to emit a faint light. "Are the people inside here really your relatives?"
Fujino, who had been chattering about his relatives' situation, was startled by Taka's cold tone and sudden movement. His unfinished words got stuck in his throat.
He terrifiedly discovered that the two female companions beside this man had also drawn gleaming samurai swords from their handy bags. This immediately made him sense that something was wrong!
"You! What are you doing!" He looked at that gentle female reporter, Shinobu, whose smile was now so unfathomable that it sent chills down his spine. "Wh-why are you carrying swords? Who are you really? Ronin? Bandits?"
Fujino looked agitated and confused. Instinctively, he spread his arms to protect the residence with its tightly closed door behind him.
The situation was urgent. Taka had no time to explain, let alone pacify an outsider full of suspicions.
"Kanao! Watch him!"
Kanao responded instantly. Her movement was swift as the wind. With just a flicker of her figure, she was beside Fujino, her hand clamped on his shoulder.
Fujino was panicked and tried to break free, but this young girl's strength was far greater than he imagined. As a grown man, he couldn't move at all! He could only watch in horror as Taka rapidly approached the residence!
He wanted to shout a warning, but Kanao stuffed a handkerchief into his mouth, leaving him only able to emit whimpering sounds.
While Kanao was subduing Fujino, Taka had already rushed to the wooden door.
Without a moment's hesitation, he raised his foot and kicked hard!
Bam—!!
The door bolt was snapped by his immense force! The wooden door burst open, raising a cloud of dust!
Inside the courtyard, several people were sitting cross-legged on cushions.
A white-haired old woman with cloudy eyes, along with a pair of middle-aged man and woman with numb expressions, and several curious, restless children behind them, were respectfully bowing to the person before them, listening to his teachings.
The person before her, wearing a coarse cloth monk's robe, was quietly preaching something. Obviously, this family hadn't yet reacted to the sudden situation of Taka breaking down the door.
With just one glance, Taka locked onto the source of the demonic aura.
This monk was emitting a hair-raising bloody smell. The concentration of demonic aura was so strong that even the Lower Moon, Enmu, couldn't compare!
Shing—!! The Zanpakuto howled towards him!
Taka couldn't be bothered to listen to what he was saying, nor did he care if this counted as a sneak attack from behind.
He had only one thought: Cut off this demon's head before it could react!
Ubau tore a deep green halo through the air. It was a hybrid sword momentum combining Wind Breathing and Flame Breathing, one he hadn't yet named.
"Die!"
However, just as this lightning-fast, vicious, and resolute slash was about to touch flesh, Taka stopped it himself.
'Something's wrong.'
'This demon's reaction... why was it too slow?'
'From beginning to end, this monk had never turned his head. Faced with such fierce killing intent, even the weakest demon should have instinctively dodged or resisted, right?'
Taka forcibly twisted his blade and struck the monk's shoulder and neck with the flat of the sword!
BAM!!
"Ouch—!!"
A dull thud rang out. The monk immediately let out a short, miserable scream and spun through the air!
He landed heavily in a corner of the courtyard. Amidst the terrified gazes of the old woman's family, he curled up in pain, groaning and moaning, seemingly unable to catch his breath.
Taka landed in front of him with a single leap. Seeing his eyes rolling back, as if he might faint from pain, he frowned.
He expanded his Reiatsu Perception again. At such close range, he finally discovered the truth.
This monk was human.
That extremely dense demonic aura came entirely from the object he was holding.
A crystal clear, ice-blue Buddha statue, as if carved from ice.
It sat cross-legged, its expression peaceful, its details clear.
The strange thing was, in this not-too-cold late autumn season, this ice Buddha showed no signs of melting.....
A thin layer of white frost condensed on its surface, and wisps of cold air continuously emanated from it, staining the ground near it with a pale white mist.
"Ouch... it hurts... M-murder! Robbers! Bandits!"
The monk struggled, writhing on the ground with tears and snot flowing, cursing incoherently.
But even so, he still held tightly onto that Buddha statue, as if afraid of damaging it, as if it were more important than his life.
"Master! Master, are you alright!"
The old woman, the head of the house, tremblingly wanted to approach and check, but was scared back by Taka's cold gaze and still-shining blade. The family huddled together, shivering, terrifiedly watching this sudden turn of events.
The middle-aged man behind the old woman mustered his courage, stepped forward to shield his family, and questioned with a trembling voice: "Who are you people! Carrying weapons in broad daylight... beating a monk who preaches the Dharma! Is there no law!"
But even as he said this, in this remote, wild place, if they really encountered vicious bandits... the man didn't dare imagine what would happen. He could only do his utmost to protect his family.
Taka ignored the family's shock and suspicion. He stepped forward to the monk, who was writhing like a maggot:
"I'll only ask once. Where did this thing come from?"
"Wh-what thing!" The monk's eyes flickered. He forcefully shielded the ice Buddha and hid it behind him, roaring with bluster: "This is the sacred statue of the Eternal Paradise Buddha! It's a treasure bestowed by the cult leader! It can eliminate calamities and difficulties, and bestow blessings upon all sentient beings!"
"You vulgar warriors, you don't recognize the true Buddha, and you dare to desecrate a sacred object! You will surely be punished by heaven!"
Faced with the monk's evasive concealment, Taka's patience was exhausted.
'The demonic aura emanating from this ice Buddha was so dense and pure that it couldn't have been created by an ordinary demon.... It must be the creation of some powerful Blood Demon Art!'
'And this monk was full of lies, clearly knowing the inside story.'
'Time was pressing. The demon hidden behind the scenes was likely nearby.'
"I don't have time for your nonsense." Taka's gaze sharpened. His wrist abruptly dropped.
Pfft!
"Taka!!" Shinobu's eyes jumped. She quickly tried to stop him.
Tonan stabbed down precisely and mercilessly.
But there was no anticipated spray of blood.
Taka's blade was pressed tightly against the monk's fingers, deeply embedded in the dirt ground between them.
The piercing sharpness of the blade cut the monk's fingers, seeping threads of blood, but ultimately did not pierce his palm.
The sudden pain and fear of death made the monk shake like a sieve. He could no longer care about protecting that ice Buddha and instinctively tried to pull his hand away.
"You can move, but the next slash will pierce your palm, and the one after that will pierce your back." Taka said coldly. "Now explain clearly. What's with this Buddha statue? And who are you?"
The monk was sweating profusely from the pain, his face pale as paper.
His lips trembled, his eyes full of fear. Finally, he broke down and wailed: "Mercy... mercy! Sir! I'll talk! I'll talk!"
"I'm just a running-around novice monk, and this is indeed a sacred object from within our cult! We... when we go out to preach and spread the word, we rely entirely on the cult leader's divine grace to gain people's trust! I really wasn't lying!"
"You're a monk from the Eternal Paradise Faith? What are your intentions here?" Taka pressed, moving the blade closer to the monk's fingertip.
The monk was a mess of tears and snot. How could he dare to conceal anything now?
"Yes! Yes!"
He pointed to the family, at that middle-aged woman with the numb expression: "Saya-san has been depressed because of issues with her children. We were also doing a good deed, coming here to counsel her!"
"Doing a good deed?"
"Yes!" The monk quickly used his other hand to move the ice Buddha, trembling as he spoke: "The saying goes, 'Calm the heart and mind to pass through the mortal world, observe the self to attain liberation'...."
"No nonsense. The point."
"Alright, alright... It means that if Saya-san sincerely contemplates and comprehends our Buddha, she can meet the cult leader in person! Then all her worries will disappear!"
Now Taka understood. He exchanged a glance with Shinobu, who was frowning deeply.
'This guy was here to deceive an honest woman.'