Mechanical Alchemist-Chapter 321 - 320 "Shadow Buddha" Kato Danzo

Su Lun did not know how much the "Demon Blade Hyakumenzou Masamune" would enhance Mitsuko’s capabilities, but it was definitely much stronger than when he, a novice in Sword Dao, had it in his possession.

After taming the Demon Blade, Mitsuko’s entire demeanor had dramatically transformed, making her seem more ethereal and elusive. With her aura radiating outward, she resembled a divine being, like a Rakshasa Woman from hell, exuding a terrifying murderous aura that chilled onlookers to the bone.

The Famed Sword, once recognizing its master, would perfectly synchronize, and with this Demon Blade in hand, Mitsuko even outdid Su Lun with his Black Sickle, as if there was nothing in the world she couldn’t cut through.

However, this wasn’t without side effects.

According to Mitsuko, even though she could now wield this masterwork of the twelve craftsmen, she would continually suffer from the demonic influences of the Demon Blade in the future. The sword had developed a spirit, had been worshipped for years with incense, and had become a demonic weapon of the hellish path. As she continued to battle, it would absorb the spirits and the aura of slaughter from beneath its blade to grow stronger, becoming increasingly ferocious over time, and would eventually backlash against its wielder.

This meant that she would need to constantly become stronger and make breakthroughs in her Sword Dao to keep it suppressed.

In this regard, Su Lun wasn’t worried at all—Mitsuko’s faith in her Sword Dao was unshakeably strong, beyond ordinary people.

....

Princess Shinfuku Mitsuko had previously chosen to come to Tea Crying Mountain as a refuge.

Now that the situation was largely clear, there was no point in continuing to stay.

After some discussion, they decided to set off immediately and head back to Edo.

The next morning, they left the grandma’s tea house and arrived at a mountain road junction from Surveyor’s Mountain towards Akita. Mitsuko had already informed the royal family with a paper crane, and they were to be escorted by guards arranged to meet them.

This was a secluded hill, not a single passerby in sight.

The group had already been waiting here for a while.

Su Lun was not the least bit impatient.

He was preoccupied with inscribing eight layers of runes on his own skin, which he could do anywhere. He could draw while walking; waiting was even better.

The practice of Rune Magicians involved the Secret Technique "Rune Flesh," which required inscribing runes on body skin, muscles, and bones depending on one’s needs, to produce runes of a certain element or effect.

Su Lun was just starting out.

To complement the "Vajra" Secret Technique, he was creating a gold-adaptive sixth-order rune called "Gold Dragon Pattern." This variant rune was complex, somewhat similar to weaving a fishing net—interlocking loops that formed a "rune protection net" over the body. It could resist, disperse, and cushion attacks. Once inscribed, it also significantly enhanced the toughness of the skin, dramatically increasing close combat and survival abilities.

Su Lun had no issues comprehending rune theory, but it was meticulous work that required a lot of time; thus, he spent almost the entire day and night tinkering with it.

Mitsuko, having just tamed the Demon Blade, spent her days holding the blade, "communicating feelings" with it.

Seeing Su Lun working meticulously, she didn’t forget the opportunity to train her disciple, "Aren’t you always admiring how great your ’Mr. Su Lun’ is? Now you understand why he’s so formidable, right? Today’s practice task is to perform the Iai Slash three thousand times..."

"Yes, Teacher."

Lorota was very serious and obedient; she immediately began practicing the Iai Slash, the sharp clang of metal resounding incessantly.

Princess Mitsuko, overhearing Mitsuko’s words, chimed in, "Mr. Su Lun really is very diligent. He’s always hard at work, which is no wonder he’s so formidable."

Su Lun simply smiled noncommittally.

He was accustomed to it, as studying and researching were integral parts of his life; it had always been like this for him.

This was also a day in the life of an Alchemist.

At that moment, he glanced at the time and casually asked, "Miss Mitsuko, did you arrange to meet the guard at exactly ten o’clock?"

"Yes. They seem to be late."

Mitsuko frowned as she listened.

The appointed time was almost upon them, yet there was no sign of the guards.

A look of unease appeared on her face.

As a princess, under normal circumstances, the royal warriors could only be early, never late.

If they were late, it likely meant something had happened.

"..."

Su Lun also frowned slightly upon hearing this.

Many factions were currently seeking Mitsuko’s death, and he harbored no illusions of luck.

The hill’s elevation was high, and black crows stood on the treetops, looking out at a distance. Even with their shared vision, nothing unusual was detected.

But it was exactly this calm that gave Su Lun a vague bad feeling.

As he watched Mitsuko release another paper crane, probably trying to confirm the situation, he felt they might only need to wait.

However, before long, a death crow perched on a branch, seemingly sensing something, suddenly started cawing loudly.

Su Lun’s expression changed abruptly, and he exclaimed, "Not good, let’s move!"

At his words, Mitsuko, who had been resting on a rock nearby, sprung to her feet and asked in a grave tone, "What happened?"

Princess Mitsuko, not understanding what was going on, looked at Su Lun with confusion.

"Not sure. But danger is approaching!"

Su Lun’s expression was grave; he himself was also unclear about the situation.

But he knew well that the death crow’s ability was to foresee death.

Its urgent warning just now meant that a "deadly" danger was quietly approaching!

Seeing Su Lun’s serious demeanor, both Mitsuko and the Princess tensed, asked no further questions, and followed the already retreating Su Lun.

...

As Su Lun ran, several thoughts rapidly crossed his mind.

If danger was approaching, then it was most likely those aiming to assassinate the Princess. The warning from the death crow as a "deadly danger" meant the opponent’s strength must be very formidable. Had it been him setting up an ambush, the main roads would definitely be heavily guarded.

"Take the mountain path, don’t take the main road!"

Su Lun glanced at the completely deserted flat road and suddenly changed direction.

He had been carefully observing the terrain near the hill, and if there were an ambush, only the winding mountain path would offer the greatest possibility of escape.

He plunged into the woods, followed closely by Qian Tao, Princess, and Rorota.

Almost at the same moment they left the hill, a sudden "swoosh" sound came from not far behind them.

Listening again, there was a "boom" as a signal arrow exploded in the air.

Seeing this, Qian Tao and Princess also immediately understood what had happened: there was an ambush!

They sped even faster through the mountain forest.

....

"There seem to be a lot of them, it might be people from the Takeda government!"

"Not necessarily. It could be that Abe Yasukazu..."

"Be careful. Let’s retreat from this mountain area first."

"..."

Although their combat ability was not bad, they were not foolish enough to fight within the enemy’s encirclement.

Su Lun was holding a black umbrella, running while expressionlessly pondering something.

Just then, he suddenly noticed something, his fingers grasped at the void, and with a tug on several transparent threads, he watched a thick tree cleanly cut into two halves.

Qian Tao and Princess also noticed Su Lun’s action, and with a glance, they saw fresh, crimson blood flowing from the cut on the fallen tree.

There had been a ninja using Wood Escape hiding inside the tree trunk!

Looking up, dozens of bamboo gliders suddenly appeared in the sky.

Princess’s pupils contracted, recognizing the ninja star emblem on their clothes, and exclaimed, "Those are Koga ninjas!"

Su Lun’s gaze sharpened.

There are many sects of ninjas in Mountain Hermit, mainly the Koga and Iga sects.

Iga sect ninjas are skilled in protection and pharmacology, loyal to the royal Shinfuku family.

However, Koga sect ninjas are belligerent, skilled in ninjutsu and researching various ninja tools, usually serving warlords in warfare, and are very active on battlefields. Currently, the largest faction is within the Black Dragon Syndicate.

Seeing Koga ninjas meant there was an eighty percent chance the people were from the Takeda government!

It was now clear that the enemy had long been lying in ambush, even predicting that they would take the mountain forest route. This meant the situation on other routes was even more perilous.

It was fortunate the heralding bird had warned them earlier; otherwise, if the encirclement had closed, the consequences would have been unimaginable.

But now that their whereabouts had been exposed, a major battle was unavoidable.

Su Lun, seeing the ninjas beginning to jump down from the sky, thought of something and quickly said, "Miss Princess, there might be strong opponents among the enemies, prepare the second plan."

"Okay!"

Princess, without any hesitation, took out a human-shaped white paper from her bosom, bit her finger to draw blood, drew a spell charm on it, and handed the newly created "Shikigami paper doll" to Su Lun.

In that moment, an old man appeared in front of Su Lun and the others, blocking their path.

This guy wore a dusty, tattered felt hat and had a sake gourd hanging at his waist, his nose reddened by alcohol flush; he looked like an inebriated country farmer.

But despite his disheveled appearance, once Princess saw him, she yelled, "Be careful, it’s one of the ’Demon Hand’ Koga Three Ninjas, Ueno Sasaki!"

Su Lun had heard of this man, a special jonin, an assassin-type ninja whose reputation definitely ranked in the top ten of Mountain Hermit ninjas.

There are no false reputations under great names, and he didn’t underestimate him at all.

The little old man was unceremonious, looking at the three approaching, he raised his hand forming a seal, and suddenly a visible wind blade sprayed out of his mouth, "Ninpo: Wind God Kama Itachi Technique!"

The wind blades grew elongated with the wind, initially just the size of a finger when expelled, they quickly turned into crescent moon wind blades.

Those thousands of wind cycles rampaged through the forest, and in the blink of an eye, these thick trees were "blown" down like cut wheat.

Qian Tao was at the forefront, his sword swinging impermeably.

Astonishingly, when the sword blade touched those wind blades, sparks flew with a clang, indicating that the wind blades contained the edges of thousands of sickle blades.

The wind-attribute Ninjutsu permeated everywhere, its area attack unstoppable.

Su Lun, lacking Qian Tao’s exceptional swordsmanship, pinched a sorcerer’s seal, and his skin instantly shimmered with a dark golden luster. Looking closer, it effused a pattern like dragon scales. A fifth-tier "Vajra" Secret Technique combined with a sixth-tier Rune "Rune Golden Body"—not so easily breached, the dense wind blades cutting on his skin left not a single mark.

Su Lun’s attention was never on these wind blades.

He knew this was the enemy’s smoke screen.

Looking again, that little old man in the distance had indeed disappeared into thin air.

"Such a superb Invisibility Technique! Worthy of being one of the Koga Three Ninjas..."

Su Lun’s gaze slightly narrowed.

Sight, hearing, and touch completely failed to detect that man’s presence, only in the Soul Perception did he sense a soul fire mingling with the wind blades moving towards Princess.

Pretending not to notice, it was in that instant that Su Lun suddenly burst out, "String Control Secret Technique: Caged Sparrow!"

With one hand, he pulled, and countless threads turned substantive, enveloping the person’s shadow.

Before the threads could sever, a smoke bomb inside suddenly exploded with a bang, and that soul fire, like teleporting, ran a hundred meters away.

The old man, slippery like an eel, quickly fled after his attack failed!

Su Lun inwardly exclaimed, noting the extraordinary escape speed of the Ninjutsu.

Qian Tao, not to be outdone with her volatile temper, hadn’t even settled from the wind blades when she fiercely stomped the ground, launching herself like a human cannonball, charging towards the defense line the old man had escaped to.

In midair, he drew his sword and slashed ahead, a Sword Qi tearing through the air. Enjoy exclusive chapters from novelbuddy

Ueno Sasaki, compelled to reveal himself from his Wind Escape, crossed his steel claw blades on his hands to block the slash.

Seeing this, Su Lun was already able to roughly gauge Ueno Sasaki’s strength.

Although Qian had just tested him with a slash, the ease with which it was blocked suggested that this guy also had the strength of a fifth-order professional.

"Ueno Sasaki is proficient in the Art of Wind Escape, don’t tangle with that guy!"

"Okay!"

Su Lun and his three companions didn’t pay attention to that guy and continued running towards the deeper part of the dense forest.

But just then, they vaguely heard someone chanting next to their ears: "Ninpo: Myriad Flower Wheel Technique!"

Looking again, the forest suddenly filled with falling cherry blossoms, like snowflakes, breathtakingly beautiful, casting a momentary spell of fascination.

The Princess quickly warned, "Be careful, that is ’Sakurahime’ Kobe Kaoru, one of the three Koga Ninjas. Skilled in controlling demons and proficient in illusion techniques. She has the ’Mind Replacement’ bloodline limit!"

In the Mountain Hermit nation, because believers cultivate divine power, the probability of innate awakening is very low. But once there is an awakening, the probability of bloodline inheritance is extremely high, often referred to as "bloodline limit."

Having heard the Princess’s words, Su Lun immediately translated the term in his mind to an alchemy talent, [B-025-Instigator].

This talent naturally possesses persuasive charisma and high growth in spiritual power.

Indeed, it is a talent very suitable for an illusionist.

Qian, possessing the Demon Blade, naturally wasn’t affected.

Only Lolota was momentarily dazzled with infatuation, then promptly snapped out of it when hit by the Princess with a Shinkou Bell.

Su Lun had already seen through the illusion technique from the start; such a magician was no big issue for him now.

But what made him more curious was that he had seen this spirit flame before in his Soul Perception.

It was actually the female ninja who had disguised herself as a guide back in Sword Forging Village!

....

This brief encounter revealed some insights to both parties.

"Damn it, weren’t Lady Takeda’s arms sealed, how could she still possess such strength?!"

"And why is the Demon Blade Sohi here!"

"That one using the strings, that’s the guy I told you about, be careful, he is very skilled!"

"..."

Su Lun recognized Kobe Kaoru, and that female ninja recognized him too.

...

"The three Koga Ninjas" had already shown two; from the looks of it, they were determined to kill the Princess.

If Qian and Su Lun hadn’t been by her side, perhaps those guys might have had the chance to kill the Princess.

But now, they were far from enough.

However, Su Lun had no intention of fighting.

A warning from the Black Dragon kept him vigilant.

None of these people could pose a fatal threat to them.

After all, ninjas are primarily assassins; without a certain kill, the two particularly sharp ones had not dared to clash but just followed along.

With the Black Dragon still cawing, Su Lun and his companions had not paused for a moment, killing several blocking Koga ninjas along the way, thinking they had probably broken out of the encirclement.

But just then, Su Lun suddenly sensed an incredibly fast-moving figure.

He shouted urgently, "Someone underground!"

"This person is strong! Be careful, I’ll stop him!"

Qian yelled explosively, also feeling the chilling murderous intent akin to the one she felt when they assassinated the sixth-order Rune Old Man before.

Facing such a high-level adversary, there was no choice but to commit fully.

She reached out, and with a magical trick, her kimono was instantly replaced with a set of bright red armor, the famed war armor ’Iron Red Scales Painted Five Panels Fully Equipped.’

With a Tengu mask covering her face, she suddenly looked extremely formidable.

This time, she drew the Demon Blade Sohi outright.

Her fighting spirit was surging.

Watching Qian’s actions, Su Lun’s gaze also sharpened.

For someone who could make the now fifth-order Qian say "very strong," there probably weren’t many in Mountain Hermit.

This guy was probably the reason why the Black Dragon had been so restless.

Su Lun dared not be the slightest bit careless; the eight-armed spider spears were already displayed behind him.

The man who emerged from the earth just a hundred meters away stood out, clad in black iron armor, face covered, legs bound, in standard ninja attire, with a clan crest of a crescent moon on his armor.

Seeing this, the Princess was also surprised, "That is... that is the leader of the Koga Ninja Clan, ’Shadow Buddha’ Kato Danzo!"

Listening to this almost legendary name, Su Lun’s eyes filled with solemnity.

The number one person in the Mountain Hermit ninja clan, a master of both Ninjutsu and physical techniques, the sole "Shadow level" ninja.

Although his Soul Perception only showed the strength of a fifth-order professional, this man’s true power was profoundly inscrutable.

Legend had it that this man had actually assassinated a Daimyo amidst a myriad of troops!

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....

Su Lun and the rest, due to their decisive actions, had now escaped the encirclement, with only a few high-ranking ninjas catching up to them.

But seeing the "Shadow Buddha" Kato Danzo in front of them, they stopped in their tracks.

Su Lun also felt somewhat intrigued, actually encountering such a "legendary character".

But since he had seen the person, he wasn’t panicking anymore.

Kato Danzo was strong, but many of his techniques were "already known".

The outcome of the battle could also be somewhat predicted.

Currently, with the Demon Blade in hand and famed armor on his body, Su Lun was confident in self-protection, not to mention beating Kato.

Moreover, with the Princess by his side, if it really came to a fight, there was a good chance both sides would suffer.

Su Lun sensed the rising battle intent from Chisen standing beside him, guessing what she wanted to do, he asked, "Chisen, what do you think?"

The safest plan was naturally not to force a confrontation; as long as Chisen could hold off the strongest one, Su Lun and the others could find a way to kill some of the others.

Then, it was time to...run again.

As expected, Chisen responded with the answer he had anticipated, "You guys go first, I want to test my blade on this guy."

Though both actions involved fighting, "holding back" and "testing the blade" represented two different mindsets, one defensive and the other aggressive.

Swordsmen are forged through countless battles like this.

Encountering a worthy adversary and not fighting when the urge struck, felt wrong.

The "Shadow Buddha" Kato Danzo was not only a ninja, but in terms of swordsman skill, he absolutely ranked among the top five within the Mountain Hermits—a top-level giant of the sword.

His strength could pose a real threat to Chisen, making him the best possible opponent.

Chisen now had the Demon Blade in hand, just missing a fierce battle to feel utterly fulfilled.

"Oh."

A fierce light flashed in Su Lun’s eyes as he casually responded.

During the brief moment of their exchange, Kato Danzo wasn’t idle.

Just then, the ninja formed a technique seal and exclaimed, "Ninpo: Fertile Cloud Wild Marsh Technique!"

Thunderous sounds were unremitting; upon another glance, the man had actually spit out a waterfall. The dam-like volume of water, like a mountain torrent, voraciously washed over everything, instantly leaving rocks and trees in a state of disarray...

In a blink, the vast forest had turned into a marshland.

"So this is the ’Shadow’s’ strength..."

Su Lun’s Octopus Spear floated easily on the surface as he remarked sentimentally.

He also looked at the extravagant volume of water being spit out, not understanding the principle, and internally criticized, "How can this guy spit out so much water?"

Ninjutsu and Alchemy are entirely different; this technique wasn’t just concentrated water elements, but more like using a spatial spell to pull a river from somewhere else. Otherwise, if it were completely like a magician gathering water elements to cast a spell, it would require a seventh-tier professional to produce such an amount of water.

For a group, this ninjutsu was definitely a disaster-level attack.

But for Su Lun and his group, the problem wasn’t too big.

Just as Su Lun was pondering the motive behind Kato Danzo creating so much water, with another look, the man was also using a special skill, directly stepping on the water and charging over.

It turned out this was to create a favorable battle terrain for himself.

Seeing this, Chisen didn’t show any weakness either, shouting out loud, "Here I go!"

"Snap," "snap," "snap"...a series of Stepping on Air resounded.

One skimmed the water; the other stomped the air, charging towards each other.

In the blink of an eye, the two were about to collide.

Unfortunately, Chisen had just advanced to the fifth rank, and her strength might be much weaker than Kato Danzo’s. But the sword in her hand was the "Demon Blade Masamune."

It could blind, possess demonic aura, and confuse the mind...many negative statuses.

With one slice, Sword Qi extended for hundreds of meters, and waves several meters high surged on the water’s surface.

The moment Kato Danzo made contact, darkness filled his vision, and he immediately knew something was wrong. His reaction was extremely fast as he violently withdrew his body, leaving the affected area.

With that one slice, he immediately knew the strength of his opponent.

With only his eyes visible beneath his cover, his gaze turned icy as his hands formed the ninja technique seal.

But this time, a faint luminescence condensed around his body, as if blessed by some mystical volition.

"Divine Arts: Thousand-Armed Stone Buddha"

Kato Danzo finally used the ultimate technique of the Iga ninja, handed down in secrecy.

Upon looking again, a Stone Buddha of several hundred meters in height appeared out of nowhere, imposing and terrifying in its divine might.

This move, it was said to have the power of a deity!

...

Just as the two exchanged blows, Su Lun had already run a great distance in another direction.

Feeling the earth-shaking noise behind him, he turned back to look, raising his eyebrows, "Indeed, these believers in divinity really have unimaginable strength..."

He was no match for this level.

"But then again, to force out the opponent’s full strength with one move, Chisen has really grown strong..."

Thinking this, Su Lun didn’t look back, leading the few pursuers behind him and disappearing into the mountain forests.