Chapter 152: The War of the Gods

"Changcheng!!" Seeing his son being killed, Masahara Saito screamed in sheer terror, utterly unable to believe the grim reality.

Pulling out the spearhead as blood gushed forth, Le'er gazed coldly at her terrified cousin as he slowly collapsed to the ground. Masahara rushed forward to catch him, tears streaming down his face as he watched him die in his arms.

"You... you actually killed Changcheng! Our feud is irreconcilable; today, one of us must die!" Maddened with rage, Masahara charged with his blade. Facing his every strike, Le'er dodged with effortless grace, leaving a trail of felled trees in her wake.

With a powerful leap, she retreated backward. Relentless, Masahara continuously slashed at her. Unable to evade further, an energy orb instantly materialized in Le'er's hand: "Ninetails Beam!"

Nine laser beams shot out in a fan-like spread. Masahara pulled back his blade to dodge, but every single beam possessed a micro-tracking system and locked onto him. A series of consecutive explosions thundered across the clearing. He reappeared before the crowd battered and bruised, his once-dignified hair disheveled. A sharp pain pierced his chest, and he vomited a pool of blood, dropping heavily onto one knee as he drove his sword into the earth for support.

The disparity in strength was utterly overwhelming. Every single one of them had undergone rigorous martial arts training from childhood and possessed formidable power, yet none could stand against an underage girl. The Holy Light Jade was truly a monstrous existence. No wonder successive shogunate rulers had maintained friendly relations with the Divine Clan for centuries; having their support was equivalent to controlling the entire nation of Japan. There had been only one exception in history—Oda Nobunaga, known as the Sixth Heaven Demon King, who possessed a dark power rivaling that of the Divine Clan.

Le'er moved among the crowd like a soaring dragon, leaving a flurry of severed limbs in her wake. Neither samurai nor ninja could stand against her. As Hosokawa Motoharu and Matsui Yoshikata stepped in to block her path, they too sustained numerous injuries. Just as Le'er moved to strike Heijiro directly, a figure pierced through the clouds from the sky and drove into the ground right before the two men.

Le'er paused, her gaze falling upon the black katana. The ring on the hilt bore the crest of the Yagyu family. With furrowed brows, she lifted her eyes to a distant figure. An elderly man with a head of white hair and a full beard was slowly walking toward them, dressed in a black kimono with his arms crossed and hands tucked into his sleeves. The young boy beside him lacked such solemnity, dressed in trendy attire that shone like a pop star's.

"It seems we arrived just in time." The old man stroked his beard and laughed heartily. He was Yagyu Jubei, the younger brother of the current head of the Yagyu family, rumored to have inherited the title of Sword Saint, and someone who had once tutored Le'er in the Shinkage-ryu martial arts.

"Senior Yagyu, President Domyoji, what brings you to grace our Nakajima household with your presence today?" Heijiro's ashen, terrified face finally regained some color upon their arrival, and he bowed respectfully.

"We merely intended to pay a casual visit, but we never expected to stumble upon such internal strife. Ah, would everyone do me the favor of letting today's matter rest here?" Having spoken, Yagyu Jubei ignored the others' responses, turned his attention to Le'er, and continued, "Though you and I lack the formal bond of master and disciple, I did instruct you personally. Our Shinkage-ryu teaches that we do not advocate using slaughter to hone swordsmanship, but rather winning by not being killed. Look at how much blood stains your hands; they, too, are lives."

"Senior Yagyu, you saw for yourself that over two hundred people surrounded me, the heir of the Nakajima family. Their purpose was clearly the Holy Light Jade within my body. To survive, this junior was driven to desperation and forced into a massive slaughter, but I have not shamed the Shinkage-ryu." Le'er understood perfectly that the other party was shifting the blame onto her. She gripped her spear with both hands, bowed deeply, and offered a formal salute. Her meaning was unmistakable: the martial art she was currently employing was Hozoin spear fighting, not Shinkage-ryu.

He said no more. His purpose in coming here was solely because of her. In the past, her father's presence had commanded a measure of caution, but now, with their clan embroiled in internal strife, how could he let such an opportunity slip by? "Shinkage-ryu or Hozoin, the principle remains the same. Since you refuse to see reason, this Sword Saint will take you back to the Yagyu estate for proper guidance, lest you stray onto a misguided path in the future."

Yagyu Jubei extended his hand. The katana seemed to sense his summons and flew back into his grip on its own. Waving the others back, he declared, "Everyone fall back to avoid collateral damage. The Yagyu family will not be held responsible."

The crowd retreated, bearing their battered and bruised bodies. Hosokawa Motoharu cast a grim expression toward Heijiro, the meaning in his eyes unmistakable. Naturally, it was displeasing to have an outsider family intervene and snatch his prey. If Le'er were truly taken to the Yagyu estate, it would mean the Holy Light Jade fell into their hands as well. How could they not be furious? Outwardly submissive, each was secretly scheming to seize the opportunity and strike first.

"Then I must offend you."

Le'er pulled her spear back, planted her foot firmly, and launched into a full sprint. Her opponent was no minor foot soldier; his strength was fully worthy of a man bearing the title of Sword Saint. Le'er's speed surpassed that of any opponent she had faced before, approaching the speed of light under the enhancement of the sunlight.

Yagyu Jubei did not actively track her near-light-speed figure. Instead, he closed his eyes and slowly sensed the surrounding air. Suddenly, a rush of air swept past. Relying on his mind's eye, he sidestepped to evade Le'er's spear thrust. She vanished once more, reappearing behind him to strike again. Jubei's brows knitted together; he spun around swiftly to block with his sword, exploiting the momentum to launch a counterattack targeting his opponent's ribs.

Sensing danger, Le'er timely blocked with the butt of her spear, using the recoil to launch herself backward through the air. Condensing an energy orb in her hand, she fired a laser beam at him. Without dodging or flinching, Yagyu Jubei raised his sword high toward the sky and slashed downward with a fierce roar. The laser beam was instantly cleaved in two by the razor-sharp blade. The two severed beams deflected toward the hills behind him, piercing nearly a hundred meters before erupting in explosions.

Planting her spear into the ground, Le'er radiated a golden aura. Condensing an energy orb in each hand, she expanded them to a meter in width, unleashing dual fan-shaped arrays of nine laser beams. Each primary beam split into numerous smaller, trajectory-guided sub-beams that followed closely behind. This dense barrage operated on a principle similar to a Dongfeng missile, with each missile carrying ten independently targetable reentry vehicles.

Yagyu Jubei dodged ceaselessly amidst the bombardment of laser fire, activating the Tengu-cho technique—a secret art that enhances personal defense. As the barrage ended, Le'er gave him no breathing room, continuously unleashing nine-line light beams to bombard her opponent. Bathed in the endless stream of sunlight, she possessed a boundless reservoir of light power.

"As expected of the Divine Clan lineage. This is the power of light," Yagyu Jubei muttered in quiet praise. Under the enhancement of daylight, this power was nearly invincible, though the night would render it a period of weakness. "However, the Yagyu family is no pushover either."

He glanced sideways at Domyoji, who smiled faintly, nodded, and pulled a paper talisman from his pocket, scattering it into the air while chanting words only he understood. Hosokawa Motoharu looked at him in astonishment. "An Onmyoji."

The previously clear sky suddenly darkened. Swirling whirlwinds surrounded Domyoji within his formation, and the bright sky was instantly masked by heavy clouds, the entire firmament gradually turning into night.

Sensing her light power being suppressed, Le'er's previously formidable nine-line light beams shrank to a third of their original size—power sufficient at best to kill ordinary samurai. Le'er glanced at the young boy, never expecting an Onmyoji to be present. While this profession was not inherently formidable in direct combat, they excelled at utilizing unorthodox methods to suppress opponents stronger than themselves.