Finding the thunder beast's location wasn't difficult.
From the moment Shinji left Kaede Village, he had a sense of it.
As a demon, he could naturally sense demonic aura, it was instinct, as natural as humans seeing light or hearing sound.
And the [Inspiration] talent he'd gained from the Shikon Jewel's pure spirit made him extremely sensitive to changes in spiritual power.
Demonic aura and spiritual power, one turbid, one clear, they were opposites.
As he moved toward Imagawa territory, that dense demonic aura and its repulsion of surrounding spiritual power was like a bonfire in the night. Impossible to miss.
The lightning-attribute demonic aura appeared in his perception as a glaring purple light.
Jumping, flickering, restless.
Hidden beneath the Imagawa main castle.
That was why he'd dared to come out alone.
He could see the enemy, but the enemy couldn't see him.
Information imbalance was always the greatest advantage in battle.
But even so, Shinji couldn't help but think:
Since when was Imagawa Yoshimoto in this world a woman?
And,
Young.
Sixteen or seventeen, wearing an ornate jūnihitoe, layers upon layers of fabric wrapped around her small frame.
Her long, chestnut-brown hair reached her waist, glinting softly in the candlelight.
A true, genuine long-haired beauty.
Even the Warring States daimyō in this world was a girl?
Gender-bent Sengoku period?
Next, would he see Oda Nobunaga as a little girl?
But despite his inner commentary, Shinji's expression remained calm and composed. Even though the Imagawa Yoshimoto before him was quite pleasing to his aesthetic… a long-haired beauty like Kikyō.
But this was no time for such thoughts.
Imagawa Yoshimoto looked at this demon calling himself Shinji. Her mind was also spinning.
What had he just said?
He would help her deal with the thunder? And borrow her castle?
Borrow her castle? What did that even mean?
"You—" She started.
Boom—!
The sky exploded.
Thunder louder than any before, as if it would tear the entire tenshu apart.
Imagawa Yoshimoto's expression shifted.
She rushed to the window.
What she saw was purple lightning gathering in the sky.
Not just one bolt.
Dozens.
Like countless purple snakes slithering through the clouds, then falling.
The target: the tenshu.
The room she was in.
"Oh no—" Imagawa Yoshimoto tried to flee.
But she knew it was too late.
The lightning was too fast. She didn't even have time to turn.
Then.
She heard a sound.
Very soft, but as clear as if spoken in her ear.
The demon's footsteps.
Shinji had reached the sword stand.
He reached out and grasped the hilt of Sōza Samonji.
That famous blade, passed down through the Imagawa for generations. Once the personal sword of the Ashikaga shōgun. Extremely sharp, could cut through metal like mud.
The blade was long and slender, its edge gleaming cold.
The hilt was wrapped in red cord, the grip steady.
Shinji drew the blade.
Clang—
A resonant ring echoed in the room.
The sound was distinctive. Not like metal scraping metal. More like a living thing humming.
[Detected target.]
[Famed Blade: Sōza Samonji]
[Quality: Superior (Mortal)]
[Current Affection: 0 (Stranger)]
[Evaluation: A blade that has been treasured too long. It misses the battlefield.]
Shinji looked at the prompt on his panel.
Not surprised.
Famed blades were objects. Objects could be targeted.
But now wasn't the time to build affection.
He looked up. Lightning had torn through the roof.
Purple lightning descended with the power of destruction, falling straight down.
Imagawa Yoshimoto closed her eyes.
She knew she couldn't dodge.
But the expected pain never came.
She only heard a soft sound.
Like something being cut.
Then the crackle of dissipating lightning.
She opened her eyes.
Shinji stood before her, blade in his right hand, angled toward the sky.
Those purple lightning bolts, all had been cut.
Not blocked but cut.
The arc of the blade's path still lingered in the air, a supremely smooth curve.
The lightning was split in two, passing on either side of Shinji, hitting the ground.
Boom!
The floor exploded. Black scorch marks spread.
But where Shinji and Imagawa Yoshimoto stood, untouched.
Imagawa Yoshimoto was stunned. This scene was exactly like her dream.
White hair, crimson eyes.
Holding a long blade, cutting through lightning.
"You…" Her voice trembled. "You really are…"
Shinji glanced back at her.
"I suppose," he said casually.
He didn't seem surprised that Imagawa Yoshimoto appeared to recognize him.
After all.
"The pure spirit within the Shikon Jewel sometimes does strange things."
"Like sending dreams."
Yes.
Even though the Shikon Jewel was still with Kikyō, it was still at work.
With his [Inspiration] talent, Shinji could also sense the pure spirit's efforts.
This was Kikyō's 'support' for him.
Imagawa Yoshimoto, however, looked completely lost.
What Shikon Jewel? What pure spirit?
She understood none of it.
But now wasn't the time to dwell on that.
Because the lightning kept falling.
One after another, as dense as rain.
Shinji didn't speak again.
He just adjusted his grip on the blade.
Then
Moved.
Horizontal slash.
Blade-light from left to right. The descending lightning was cut in two.
Vertical slash.
Top to bottom. Another lightning bolt split apart.
Diagonal slash.
The blade curved, shattering three lightning bolts at once.
Each stroke fast.
Each stroke deadly.
Imagawa Yoshimoto watched, transfixed.
She was familiar with swordsmanship. Even if she didn't practice it herself, the Imagawa employed many samurai, each a veteran of countless battles.
But their swordsmanship, compared to this demon's.....
Not even in the same realm.
Even if the demon's movements seemed without form, speed, precision, and force were enough.
This wasn't swordsmanship.
This was art.
A miracle.
And, demon art.
Absolute strength and speed. Absolute speed, precision, force!
Though Shinji had never systematically studied sword techniques, in the nearly six months since crossing over, he had swung a blade every day. Fought every day.
The essence of technique was application.
And between life and death, he had already etched the use of a blade into his bones.
And so.
Countless lightning bolts were cut. The thunder faded.
"Enough?" Shinji suddenly spoke.
He wasn't looking at Imagawa Yoshimoto. He was looking at the ground.
His presence had brought the lightning clearly, it was aimed at him, not her.
But it didn't matter.
He had come to cut it down anyway!
"Hiding underground, only daring to send lightning."
"So afraid, and yet you call yourself a demon leader? A vanguard?"
His voice wasn't loud, but it cut through, seeming to pierce the floor deep into the earth.
In response, the lightning grew fiercer.
This time, it came not only from the sky.
But from underground.
Purple electricity surged from the cracks in the floorboards, like countless venomous snakes.
Imagawa Yoshimoto cried out and stepped back.
But Shinji stood still.
He just sheathed the blade.
Then
His left hand went to Muramasa at his waist.
"I said I'd borrow your castle."
He spoke to Imagawa Yoshimoto. "It might get a little chaotic."
The moment he spoke,
Shinji's body began to change.
Blood mist seeped from beneath his skin, spreading through the air around him.
[Blood Change] activated.