Chapter 109 (Patreon)

Ryūchi Cave lay hidden within a valley perpetually veiled in thick mist.

At the deepest point of the valley stood the temple where the White Snake Sage resided.

Yujiro’s purpose in coming here was simple. He intended to obtain the most powerful energy Ryūchi Cave possessed directly from the White Snake Sage.

Through the dense fog, the silhouette of a magnificent castle gradually came into view.

Yujiro knew perfectly well that the castle was nothing more than a genjutsu—one of Ryūchi Cave’s trials, designed to trap those whose minds were too weak to see through it.

With his black blade at his side, Yujiro stepped inside.

The moment he entered, he found a woman waiting for him with a welcoming smile.

“Welcome, honoured guest. You must be exhausted after travelling such a long way.”

Tagorihime approached him while carrying a platter piled high with fruit and delicacies.

However, Yujiro could see through the illusion.

Everything on the platter was rotten.

The appetising appearance had merely been created through genjutsu.

A faint, contemptuous smile appeared on Yujiro’s lips.

What a revolting test.

“One-Sword Style: Cross Slash!”

Yujiro drew his black blade and attacked without the slightest hesitation.

In an instant, hundreds of black wind blades erupted from his sword, converging into a violent storm.

The powerful gusts tore through the surrounding mist, scattering it in every direction.

At the same time, the magnificent castle began to distort before slowly fading away.

The illusion had been shattered.

Tagorihime hurriedly steadied herself in midair. The welcoming smile vanished from her face, replaced by a murderous glare.

Yujiro did not give her a moment to recover.

“One-Sword Style: Wind Demon Flash!”

His blade flashed.

A razor-sharp slash tore through the air and raced straight towards her.

At the last possible moment, Tagorihime lifted herself higher into the air. Although she avoided a direct hit, several wounds still opened across her body.

Only then did she understand.

The man who had entered Ryūchi Cave was no ordinary visitor.

He had not come seeking permission, nor was he interested in taking their trials.

More importantly, she could not defeat him alone.

Tagorihime immediately channelled her senjutsu chakra and sent a warning to the other high-ranking guardians of Ryūchi Cave.

Several seconds later, two figures appeared beside her.

They were Ichikishimahime and Tagitsuhime, the other two guardians serving beneath the White Snake Sage.

“What happened?” they asked as soon as they arrived.

“A powerful enemy has entered Ryūchi Cave,” Tagorihime answered quickly. “I still don’t know what he wants.”

Before them, Yujiro’s dark silhouette slowly emerged from the thinning mist.

“Take me to the White Snake Sage.”

His cold voice echoed through the valley.

“Otherwise, I’ll fight my way to her myself.”

The three women stared at him in silence.

“What should we do?” Tagorihime whispered.

“Don’t panic,” Ichikishimahime replied in a low voice. “Tagitsuhime already released Garaga and Manda.”

The moment she finished speaking, two deafening roars shook the entire valley.

“Ahahaha! I’ve been waiting to kill someone! Come on! Let me tear him apart!”

A wild, almost deranged voice thundered through the mist.

Another, deeper voice followed immediately afterward.

“Garaga! Shut your mouth! You’re as irritating as ever!”

The two strongest giant snakes within Ryūchi Cave had appeared.

Garaga and Manda.

Both possessed extraordinary speed and destructive power, further strengthened by the senjutsu chakra that filled Ryūchi Cave.

Meanwhile, near the entrance of the cave, Orochimaru also heard Manda’s roar.

His brows immediately furrowed.

Manda was his personal summon.

Why would he suddenly be causing a disturbance deep inside Ryūchi Cave?

Could it be—

Yujiro?

The moment that possibility entered his mind, Orochimaru stopped waiting and hurried deeper into the cave.

Back in the valley, Garaga and Manda flicked their tongues as they stared down at Yujiro.

Garaga’s enormous body was covered in crimson scales. A violent aura rolled from him in waves, accompanied by an overwhelming sense of hostility.

His entire body radiated such terrifying malice that an ordinary person might have lost consciousness merely from seeing his true form.

Manda was not quite as savage in appearance.

However, his massive body was covered in dark purple scales, and the cold pressure surrounding him made it clear that he was no less dangerous.

Garaga lowered his enormous head until his eyes were level with Yujiro.

“Ahahaha! So you’re the fool who barged into Ryūchi Cave alone?”

His mouth twisted into a vicious grin.

“You’ve got guts, human!”

Yujiro responded with an indifferent smile.

He ignored Garaga completely and turned his gaze towards Manda.

“Manda.”

His calm voice carried across the valley.

“For Orochimaru’s sake, I’ll spare you. Leave now.”

The words showed Manda no respect whatsoever.

Yet in another sense, Yujiro had already shown him more mercy than anyone else present.

Manda’s enormous body suddenly trembled.

A moment later, he vanished in a cloud of white smoke.

Several hundred metres behind Yujiro, a familiar voice rang out.

“Summoning Jutsu!”

Orochimaru had summoned Manda away from the battlefield.

Manda reappeared before him and immediately lowered his massive head.

“Orochimaru! What the hell is going on?”

His furious voice shook the surrounding rocks.

“Why are you here, and what did you do to bring that monster into Ryūchi Cave?”

“Manda, listen carefully.”

Orochimaru’s expression had become unusually grave.

“Do not fight Yujiro. I was the one who brought him here.”

Although Manda was difficult to control, he remained one of Orochimaru’s most powerful trump cards.

That was precisely why Orochimaru was worried.

He did not know whether Manda had already provoked Yujiro before being summoned away.

After all, no matter how powerful Manda was, Yujiro was far stronger.

Manda fell silent.

He had known Orochimaru for a long time, but he had never seen such a solemn expression on his face.

Could that man truly be even more terrifying than he appeared?

“Ryūchi Cave cannot afford to make an enemy of him,” Orochimaru warned, staring directly into Manda’s eyes.

At that moment, Yujiro tilted his head slightly and looked back towards Orochimaru and Manda.

A faint smile appeared on his face.

“Manda, you’re not joining the next battle?”

Manda coughed awkwardly.

“No, no. That won’t be necessary.”

The moment he saw the smile on Yujiro’s lips, Manda hurriedly shook his head.

For once, he decided to trust Orochimaru’s judgement.

Orochimaru had never shown this degree of caution without good reason.

“Very well.”

Yujiro immediately lost interest in Manda.

He raised his head and calmly looked towards Garaga.

Garaga twisted his enormous body before glaring at Manda in disgust.

“Manda! I never thought you’d become such a coward!”

His voice boomed across the valley.

“Once I crush this human, I’ll become the most powerful snake in Ryūchi Cave!”

Garaga opened his enormous jaws, revealing rows of sharp fangs.

“It’s time for you to step aside, Manda!”

The giant crimson snake lunged towards Yujiro with his mouth wide open.

Yujiro remained perfectly still.

His expression was calm.

Far too calm.

That absolute composure was more frightening than any display of rage.

“Dust Release: Ittō Shura!”

The black blade in Yujiro’s hand suddenly erupted with dazzling white light.

In the next instant, an enormous white sword beam shot forward and collided directly with Garaga’s massive body.

The terrifying force behind the attack sent the giant snake reeling backwards.

However, something strange happened in the very next second.

Garaga’s lower body vanished.

There was no explosion.

No scattered flesh.

No blood.

Everything touched by the white sword light had simply been erased.

Only a perfectly smooth cut remained where his lower body had once been.

The white sword beam did not stop there.

It continued through the valley, slicing into the towering cliffs on both sides before slowly fading away.

Enormous blade-shaped scars had been carved into the mountains.

The surfaces of the cuts were completely smooth, as though the rock and earth that had once occupied those spaces had never existed at all.

It was a combination of Dust Release and swordsmanship.

Yujiro examined the destruction he had caused before smiling faintly.

“Not bad.”

He slowly raised his left hand.

“Next, I’ll erase the rest of you.”

Yujiro aimed his open palm towards the remaining half of Garaga’s body.

Then, little by little, he closed his fingers.

“Storm Release: Devouring Thunderflames!”