When it comes to a holy place for swordsmen, it must be Gokenji Temple. Every year, thousands of swordsmen from all over Japan come to visit this temple, or in other words, to see the symbol of this holy place——
【Sword Buddha】.
It was built by the old general who brought peace to the troubled times of the Warring States Period and finally unified the world. It was made from a total of 100,000 swords confiscated throughout the country through the "Sword Hunting Order" and was cast. It can be said to be a symbol of the swordsman's soul.
The so-called Great Buddha that was built after the war to pray for no more war and lasting peace was originally a scam. It was a hunting swordsman to eliminate hidden dangers, but the secret purpose was to collect the Shikisaki Kiki Sword.
The ambition of the old general was ultimately defeated by the twelve mutant swords. Even the old general who unified the world could not obtain even one of them.
However, today, the Sword Guard Temple ushered in an unprecedented celebration. The legendary [God] will visit here in person. In order to please the God, the swordsmen holding twelve Shikisaki Kiki variant swords will use their best to serve the purpose.
The gods presented the most exciting sword fight.
Only [Blood] and [Iron] can please the God of Destruction named Susanoo.
Compared with the majestic and solemn but slightly deserted atmosphere on weekdays, the Sword Guard Temple today is extremely lively.
Generally speaking, monk soldiers use long spears, but the sword-protecting monks of the Sword-protecting Temple are all first-class swordsmen.
There are a total of 200 sword-wielding monks. Each of them possesses superb swordsmanship [Hoken Temple Style Sword Technique]. The blades in their hands are also sharp weapons carefully crafted by the swordsmiths of the Guard Sword Temple. They are dressed up and travel, standing upright on the road.
On both sides, the left hand hangs down and the right hand holds the handle of the knife at the waist, with a solemn posture.
Precisely because they have different objects of worship, they become more determined in their belief that they must not make the gods dissatisfied in any way.
There are five dojos in the Hujian Temple, numbered one to five from east to west. Each dojo is very spacious. At this time, in addition to monks and monks, there are also a large number of 'officials' in the temple.
These people are elite people sent by the shogunate. Of course, they are not for fighting, but they are among the industry leaders in terms of 'folklore scholars', 'holding banquets and celebrations', 'heating up the atmosphere', 'flattering', and 'observing people's emotions', etc.
Thanks to the talents of these people, the Sword Guard Temple, which was originally a sacred place for swordsmen, has changed beyond recognition. It can be called a "big transformation".
The ancient floor tiles that have witnessed history have been lifted up and laid with new pumice stone tiles. This kind of stone that looks like a golden pattern suspended in the dark is rare and extremely expensive, but the shogunate used it without any hesitation.
Extensive renovation and decoration of Hujian Temple.
Simply because folklorists and Japanese mythology researchers believe that Susanoo favored darker tones closer to black and dark blue, while gold was also the color favored by the gods.
Likewise, the wooden structure of the dojo was repainted in a mix of dark blue, black and gold. The entire process was supervised by shogunate experts and no mistakes were allowed.
In the central square, a square duel field about fifty meters long and wide was built with Jishan stone and various durable woods. This is a martial arts arena for swordsmen to fight.
There are no auditoriums around the martial arts arena because the shogunate does not want to be misunderstood by the gods that these mortals are qualified to sit on an equal footing with the gods to watch the competition. [To ensure that the gods receive the most noble status and treatment], this is the etiquette of the shogunate
Officer’s advice.
Therefore, a majestic sacrificial platform was built directly north of the martial arts arena. The top of the platform was decorated with a canopy of gold and silk, and precious spices were sprinkled around it. The incense burners at the four corners below the platform were lit with censers collected from all over the country.
The most expensive incense comes from.
Further away, there is a large open space separated by ropes, and here are the seats for the spectators. These spectators are also necessary, in order to please the gods, with the exaggerated reactions and exclamations on their faces when they watch the duel.
Sound, to make the Lord God more happy.
In the fifth dojo, it has been temporarily transformed into a temporary residence for the ruler of the shogunate [Shogun Iemaki]. Although this man is old, he has never let go of his power. This time the incident of the arrival of the gods made him
I saw the hope of 'immortal life'. If I receive God's grace, this world will be in the hands of my general Ming forever, which can be said to be 'eternal generations'!
Sitting in the 'General's Room' separated by a gauze curtain, General Jiaming wiped the sweat from his forehead and looked at the woman kneeling outside the gauze curtain:
"How is it? How many people are here?"
The person sitting on her knees outside the gauze curtain was Den Ji. This slim blonde beauty covered her mouth with a fan and laughed softly: "Ah, there are so many here. It's hard to tell the real ones from the fake ones."
"Tell me the details!"
"Yes~~~~Then I'll start from the beginning."
Negative Ji responded to General Jiaming's order in a long tone, and then spoke:
"[Jue Dao·Zhen] was left in the hand of that woman as an 'admission ticket'. This matter has been reported to you before."
"Are you talking about the virtual sword style called Rin Qihua?"
"Yes, Rong Qihua is the sword, and the woman is the wielder of the sword. The Jue Dao is just a ticket and will not participate in the battle."
"What a waste...next one."
"[Zanto: Blunt] was presented to me by that woman. It has been held by the strongest Iai-ryu master in the shogunate, 'Onisuku Fusaki', and has officially participated in the competition."
"I already know these, where are the other [knives]!?"
"[Thousand Swords·铩] is a real thousand swords. It is currently carried by a thousand black shrine maidens led by Tsuruga Camouflage from Izumo. They have already begun to climb the mountain road. By the way,
The black miko is a miko appointed by the great god Susanoo, and her status cannot be underestimated~"
"Then let the people from the Ministry of Etiquette receive them well and not tolerate any disrespect!"
"Haha~~ I have already told the etiquette department in advance, please don't worry. Next is the [Thief Sword Armor], owned by the leader of the Satsuma Armor Pirates [Scholakura Bi]. He is one of the people besides us.
The sword wielder who arrived first from outside is currently resting in the first gym.
[Double Swords and Hammer], the wielder is the grandson of the leader of the Dongkong clan who lives in seclusion in Yushan Mountain [Frozen Sky Cracking Ice], currently working as a cook in the cafeteria of Hujian Temple.
[King Sword·Saw], the owner is the current twelfth generation head of the Heart King Ishelate style [Shikou Shamei], who currently lives in the second gym.
In addition, about forty people came here with strange weapons, claiming that they had the Shikisaki Kiki variant sword and hoping to participate in the competition. Of course, I have eliminated them one by one and kicked out as many as possible those who fish in troubled waters. Sword Temple.”
"Well done! But... there are only five Shikizaki Kiki variant swords in the competition. Will that anger the god?"
"hehe……"
Den Ji covered her mouth with a fan and let out a happy, or 'sarcastic' laugh:
"You are too impatient. I only mentioned the five knives that have been identified, and then I will talk about the knives that have not been identified but can be identified."