A fierce wind howled.
Distant thunder rolled.
Tenshou Pavilion was swallowed by the storm.
All the Adventurers grew tense.
Flower Fairy Iris covered her eyes in fear. "W-what… what's happening?"
Nancilia's expression turned serious as she explained, "Genichiro Ashina is entering his corrupted state. In this form, his strength reaches Tier Three, and his regeneration becomes terrifyingly strong!"
The Dwarf and the Kobold cried out in shock. "T-Tier Three?!"
Tier Three power, anywhere in the Eternal Night Forest, was considered master-level!
Miracle City—a newly established Underground City—actually contained a Tier Three existence inside its Secret Realm?
If this kind of power could be developed…
Then perhaps Thunder City wouldn't seem so invincible after all.
Nancilia continued, "Not only that — the most terrifying part is that he can now wield lightning with his sword!"
The Flower Fairy, Dwarf, and Kobold felt fresh waves of dread.
They carried deep psychological scars when it came to lightning. After all, Thunder City was ruled by the Dark Lightning Lizard clan, whose core abilities revolved around thunder and electricity — the very reason that city dominated its region.
---
While the Adventurers were discussing,
Three Bamboo had already launched his attack.
He had seen White Crane Hermit defeated by Tomoe's Lightning on the Reed Plains.
This power, beyond mortal control, was far too terrifying. He couldn't let his opponent summon it!
However…
After several exchanges, his attacks proved completely ineffective.
In this state, Genichiro Ashina was effectively immortal.
Even having his heart pierced was not fatal.
"You can't kill me!" Genichiro declared coldly.
But immortality didn't mean freedom from consequence.
The black corruption spreading across his body continued to grow.
This was the price of the Sediment of Youth. Once the corruption completely overtook him, he would lose his sanity and become a monster — neither living nor dead.
Already, more than half his body was covered.
There was no turning back.
Every use of this power accelerated his transformation.
Time was running out.
He had to end this quickly!
Outside Tenshou Pavilion, lightning suddenly tore through the sky and struck his blade.
Three Bamboo's pupils shrank. "Not good!"
Genichiro wrapped the golden lightning around his sword, radiating pressure like a god wielding thunder. When he swung, the blade transformed into a lightning spear and blasted toward Three Bamboo.
Too fast!
Impossible to dodge.
Impossible to block.
Three Bamboo could only watch as lightning pierced his body, instantly numbing him and robbing him of all movement. The next moment, Genichiro's blade flashed — and his head fell.
Another defeat.
And this one was absolute.
This battle proved one thing:
Once Genichiro entered his second form, skill alone no longer mattered.
First, he was immortal — no matter how badly he was wounded, he wouldn't die.
Second, the Wolf had no natural resistance to lightning. Once struck, he lost all ability to fight.
Wool Warrior groaned, "This is brutal… I didn't even feel this helpless against the Headless!"
Bihua said firmly, "Lord Qi Ji would never create an unwinnable enemy. Whether it's corrupted Genichiro or the Headless, there must be a solution — we just haven't found it yet!"
White Crane Hermit thought for a moment. "Genichiro's immortality has severe side effects. If we stall until the corruption fully overtakes him, maybe he'll collapse on his own."
"That could work…"
"But delaying against him is insanely hard!"
"The strength gap is enormous — how do you stall for minutes against someone like that?"
"…."
Several top players who reached the Tenshou Pavilion boss fight tested this idea.
Every single one failed.
The stalling strategy was theoretically sound — but nearly impossible in practice.
In his second form, Genichiro's combat power was extremely close to Tier Three.
He vastly outperformed the Wolf, and with immortality backing him up, suppression tactics didn't work. Once Tomoe's Lightning came out, Adventurers were usually defeated instantly.
Just when everyone was at a loss—
"Whoa!"
"Come to Uncle Dao's stream!"
"Old Dao found something!"
"Huh? Lonely Swordsman actually figured something out?"
White Crane Hermit, Bihua, Three Bamboo, and others hurried to investigate.
---
Lonely Swordsman was a veteran Adventurer.
He had advanced to Tier Two yesterday alongside Moonlight on Snow and White Crane Hermit, becoming one of Miracle City's earliest Tier Two players.
Thanks to his experience and his focus on Ashina exploration, his progress was relatively fast.
Even so, he still lagged behind the top players.
He hadn't cleared the Hirata Estate side quest yet. While Three Bamboo was already pushing Tenshou Pavilion, he was still locked in fierce combat at the Great Hand Gate.
Since he couldn't compete for first place anyway, Lonely Swordsman didn't rush the main storyline.
After defeating the main boss at the Great Hand Gate — the Demon-Shaped Monk — he chose to explore nearby areas instead.
That decision changed everything.
---
Two hours earlier, Lonely Swordsman had discovered a suspicious large house near the Great Hand Gate.
The area was riddled with fresh battle scars — and judging by their severity, neither side had been weak.
Driven by curiosity, he entered.
Inside, corpses lay strewn everywhere — all dressed in purple ninja uniforms. From their insignia and attire, it was obvious they belonged to the Ministry's Lone Shadow Clan.
Standing among the bodies was a thin old man wearing a Tengu mask.
His long sword was still drawn, blood dripping from the blade.
Every Lone Shadow ninja there had been killed by him — alone.
"Another rat…"
The old man spoke disdainfully without turning around.
Lonely Swordsman instantly became alert.
Killing that many Lone Shadow elites alone was already absurd — but doing so without a single injury?
That was monstrous.
The old man turned and looked at him, his gaze sharpening.
"Oh? Not a rat — more like a hungry wolf. Before I strike, tell me your name."
Those final words struck like a heavy bell.
A crushing killing intent surged forth like a collapsing mountain.
Lonely Swordsman felt it clearly.
If he moved — he would die.
This old man was a monster.
Following the Wolf's ninja creed, Lonely Swordsman remained silent. He simply drew Kusabimaru and assumed a battle stance.
"Hehehe… interesting. Even knowing death awaits you, you won't even tell me your name?"
The old man suddenly withdrew his killing intent and sheathed his sword.
"That prosthetic arm… nostalgic. You seem to be the chosen successor. Then it's no disgrace that the Demon-Shaped Monk lost to you."
Lonely Swordsman frowned. "Who exactly are you?"
"Hahaha! I am the Tengu who protects Ashina!"
Lonely Swordsman grew even more confused.
If he protected Ashina, why spare someone who had just slain one of Ashina's generals?
The Tengu said calmly, "The Demon-Shaped Monk fought for Ashina his entire life. He should have rested long ago… yet he couldn't let go of this land. Falling as a warrior before Ashina collapses — that is the best ending for him."
This old man was strange.
He called himself Ashina's protector, possessed unfathomable strength, yet spoke with calm acceptance about its downfall.
"What's that look, kid? Think I'm weird?"
He continued, "Some things in this world can't be changed — the passing of years, the movement of stars, the rising and setting of the sun. As long as you fulfill your duty and give it your all, that's enough. Don't you agree?"
Lonely Swordsman nodded.
"Hahahahaha! Since we get along so well, want to play a game of mouse-hunting?"
"…What?"
The Tengu pointed at the corpses. "These rats have been scurrying everywhere. I killed most of them, but one escaped. You seem talented at killing — go finish it for me."
Is this old man insane?
He tossed over a map. "This shows the rat's hideout. If you succeed, I'll give you something useful for future battles."
Lonely Swordsman understood.
A hidden side quest.
Strange or not, rewards were rewards.
He accepted immediately and tracked the escaped ninja to the bottom of a well in the Reservoir area.
[You have unlocked the Character Illustration: Lone Shadow Blade-Foot!]
Only after fighting did he realize —
The Lone Shadow Clan was terrifyingly strong.
This one alone had nearly Tier Two strength, even surpassing Ashina's Samurai Generals. His swordsmanship was sharp, his footwork deadly, and his combat rhythm unpredictable.
Lonely Swordsman died three times.
On the fourth attempt, after fully understanding his patterns, he finally claimed victory.
Staring at the corpse, he felt momentarily hollow.
Two thoughts filled his mind:
First — if one Lone Shadow ninja was this strong, the Ministry's overall power was terrifying.
Second — the Tengu old man slaughtered dozens of these monsters without a scratch. Who exactly was he?
Without dwelling further, he hurried back with the ninja's head.
"Hahaha! Not bad, not bad. You really are a ninja with killing talent. Here — take this as a welcome gift!"
The Tengu handed him an ancient scroll.
Though aged, every stroke of the painting radiated spiritual power. Its contents were simple:
A samurai in armor battled a demon descending from the heavens. The demon wielded lightning, but the samurai deflected it with his blade.
"This is…"
"In ancient times, demons descended upon Ashina, wielding divine lightning from the source god itself. Without mastering the sacred art of Lightning Reversal, none could resist them."
Lonely Swordsman's heart skipped.
This… was lightning resistance.
---
At that moment, Bihua, Three Bamboo, White Crane Hermit, and others rushed to Lonely Swordsman's crystal projection.
Shock and joy exploded across their faces.
He had triggered the Tengu side quest.
However, Lord Qi Ji had modified its content.
In the original game, the Tengu granted a sword manual, while the Lightning Reversal scroll hung in the Ashina dojo. Here, Qi Ji shifted the reward to the Tengu quest to make the story flow more naturally.
Rather than conveniently obtaining the counter to the boss seconds before the fight, Adventurers now discovered it through exploration — making the world feel more real.
If players missed the Tengu entirely, the scroll could still be found later in Isshin Ashina's room at Tenshou Pavilion, ensuring the storyline remained completable.
"So that's it!"
"We need to master Lightning Reversal to counter Tomoe's Lightning!"
"And it's not just Genichiro — demons and the source god can use lightning too!"
"What's the source god?"
"No idea — Ashina has far more secrets than we imagined."
"Forget that for now — learn Lightning Reversal first!"
"After beating Genichiro and rescuing the Divine Heir, we'll uncover everything else!"
"…."
After acquiring the scroll, Adventurers could meditate at a Sculptor's Idol to quickly comprehend and learn Lightning Reversal.
Deflection and Lightning Reversal — once simple game mechanics — became true divine techniques in the Secret Realm world.
Soon, Three Bamboo, Bihua, and several other top players mastered Lightning Reversal and rushed back to Tenshou Pavilion to challenge Genichiro again.
---
First Phase
Bihua fought with little suspense.
She had battled Genichiro dozens of times already — and even defeated him in the prologue.
Now, with her fully restored body and enhanced abilities, the fight ended in fewer than twenty exchanges.
Genichiro tore off his armor and entered his second form.
"To protect Ashina… even if I become a demon, I will not hesitate!"
His eyes glowed crimson. Black energy surged across his body.
He raised his sword, drawing down a bolt of golden lightning that speared through the storm and illuminated the entire top floor of Tenshou Pavilion.
Facing the dazzling attack, Bihua showed no fear.
Instead, her eyes shone with excitement.
She leaped into the air and struck the lightning directly with Kusabimaru, clearly sensing its power.
"Take this back!"
She roared.
The lightning rebounded from her blade and crashed straight into Genichiro.
The impact shattered the floor, carving a scorched trench and blasting him backward more than ten meters.
Awesome.
Incredible.
Bihua was practically cheering inside.
The Adventurers outside erupted.
"He reflected lightning!"
"Holy crap — that was insane!"
"That move is god-tier!"
"A sword that can deflect lightning?! I need this skill!"
"Lord Qi Ji is amazing!"
"Miracle City forever!"
"…."
The Secret Realm Lobby exploded in celebration.
After all, Genichiro Ashina wasn't just any boss.
He had tormented nearly every Adventurer from the start.
Defeating him meant reclaiming the Divine Heir and breaking through one of the greatest walls in the storyline.
Lightning Reversal truly lived up to its reputation.
And since it was a skill, it could drop.
This was undoubtedly a high-tier, practical divine technique...
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