A chill ran down his spine. Then, Tsuru Maru sneezed twice in a row.

"Who's talking behind my back?" he muttered. He flipped the sword in his hand and killed the enemy who tried to ambush him.

A few corpses piled up at his feet.

"There are more and more uninvited guests these days."

The people who were with the masked man seemed to have discovered his death and kept sending people in to investigate.

Most of them were blocked outside the Forest of Guardian's barrier.

But there were a few lucky ones who used some unknown method to cross into the forbidden area.

When Tsuru Maru discovered them, he killed them without hesitation.

Eliminating the source of trouble sounded simple, but it was not easy to do.

For example, the group of people today was obviously not the same level as the cannon fodder sent in the past.

Although Tsurumaru Kuninaga managed to kill them in the end, he was also heavily injured.

"Hmm."

He sniffed the smell of blood on his body and was somewhat distressed. "It's over. I didn't go back on time and there's still blood on me. Master must be worried sick."

He tiredly put away his sword, raised his foot mechanically, and turned around.

"Hahaha, the battle is over.

That's good. "

A new moon slowly appeared in the deep night sky.

After the fierce battle, the forest was silent. The silky drizzle flowed between the two of them, making it easy for them to see each other's faces.

"So, Master still summoned a new sword."

Tsurumaru Kuninaga sighed. There was obvious disdain in his voice. "Why did he summon you first, Sanchū Sōjin?"

Sanchū Sōjin, one of the Five Swords of the World, known as the "Famous of Famous Swords".

"Hmm … Tsuru Maru doesn't want to see me?" Sanchū looked distressed. "We should be considered old friends.

Guoyong's grandfather is a disciple of Sanjō Munechika. "

"… No, the most important problem is that none of us have the time to take care of you." Tsuru Maru complained.

"Oh, is that so?

However, the Main Hall really wants to summon me. "

The tachi Fu Mourning God, who was despised, blinked and smiled brightly. "Hahaha, although I'm not as strong as Tsurumaru Hall, Fu Mourning God, I won't escape from reality and continue to sleep in a crisis."

Tsurumaru Kuninaga staggered.

"Wh-what … So you heard everything?"

"Huh?" The old man played dumb.

"Forget it."

Tsuru Maru ended the topic simply and rudely. He quickened his pace again. "Let's talk about it when we get back."

He wanted to ask Junka why she chose to summon Sanchū Sōjin.

However, after seeing Junka Hoshino in person, he threw this question to the back of his mind.

While Tsurumaru Kuninaga and Sanchū Sōjin were rushing to the hut, Junka Hoshino struggled to get up from the ground.

The wound on her chest had mostly healed, but there was still a large pool of blood, which looked very scary.

The pain allowed her to think more clearly.

She leaned against the wall and panted slightly. Her eyes looked unfocused at the ceiling, but her brain was working quickly.

She remembered that in the time tunnel, she had a conversation with Fox's Assistance.

[Fox's Assistance, who's on your flyer?]

[Hehe, it's our poster boy, Sanchū Sōjin.]

[Sanchū Sōjin, is it the Five Swords of the World?

He doesn't seem to have been used in actual combat.]

[Although that's the case in historical records.]

Fox's Assistance's tone became serious, which was rare for him. [However, from a numerical point of view, Sanri Yue Temple is quite perfect. Almost all of its numerical values are above average, and there are no obvious shortcomings or weaknesses.

It was once worthy of being called the strongest tachi.]

Junka Hoshino was deep in thought.

[However, Sanri Yue Temple doesn't appear very often.]

Fox's Assistance said regretfully, [At least in the current records … For example, when the Government of the Hour was first established, Sanchū Sōjin rejected the summons of everyone except 'that one.'

Therefore, for a long time, only 'that one' was able to summon him without any hindrance.

No matter how hard the other inquisitors tried, they all failed.

Now, although it's a little better, in the eyes of many inquisitors, he's still an unattainable 'rare tachi.']

At that time, Junka didn't take these words to heart. Now, a strange thought appeared in her mind.

The 'that one' whose name was deliberately avoided … Who was it?

"Hey, master?"

Junka Hoshino suddenly came back to her senses as if she had been awakened from a dream.

"… Tsurumaru Hall, you're back."

She looked past Tsuru Maru and saw the Five Swords of the World smiling at her. She quickly added, "Sanri Yue Temple, thank you for your hard work."

"Hahaha, it's not hard at all."

Sanchū Sōjin walked over and sat beside the weak girl. He told her the truth, "When I arrived, Tsuru Maru had already finished his battle."

"Really?" Junka's eyes fell on Tsurumaru Kuninaga. "Tsurumaru Hall is very powerful."

Her tone was calm and respectful as if it was no different from usual, but it made Tsuru Maru feel inexplicably uneasy.

"Ah, right, the main hall."

Sanchū didn't seem to notice the strange atmosphere. He still said slowly, "I haven't officially introduced myself."

Because they were close, Junka could clearly see the faint crescent moon pattern under the Fu Mourning God's eyes.

"My name is Sanchū Sōjin, born in the Heian period."

"Because there are many blade patterns, I'm called Sanchū.

Well … I'm an old man now. Hahaha, please advise me. "

Junka quickly sat up straight.

"My name is Junka Hoshino, please advise me in the future."

The air froze again.

"That …" Junka Hoshino said, "When you weren't here, I counted the swords on the ground. There were a total of twenty-four vibrations."

After thinking about it, she still felt that …

"It's no longer safe here, so I want to summon a few Fu Mourning Gods whose bodies are relatively intact to protect this place.

Then we'll go outside to collect the other swords and bring them back. "

Sanchū Sōjin raised his eyebrows and asked, "Does the main hall have a hobby of collecting swords?"

Junka Hoshino subconsciously looked at Tsurumaru Kuninaga.

Tsuru Maru, who was always in high spirits, had his head lowered listlessly. It was unknown what he was thinking.

Junka looked away and said to Sanchū, "Don't you think it's strange?

First, the 'Forest of Guardian' is a place where the gods reside. Normally, ordinary people are not allowed to enter, but I somehow appeared here.

Not only me, but two people from different factions are gathered here.

So, there must be some secret here. "

"Second, before I entered this wooden hut, I was being chased by someone.

I recalled the scene at the time. There were many ways to escape, but I chose the most difficult one.

Somehow, it was as if I was guided here … Also, after I arrived here, I realized that the paths around the hut were blocked by dense vegetation. If I wanted to leave, I could only go back the way I came. "

"Third, Tsurumaru Hall said that he saw Haruaki Abe set up a formation here with his own eyes.

Under the effects of the formation, the swords and swords were gradually repaired.

Then, why did Haruaki Abe do this?

Does my arrival here have anything to do with him? "

Sanchū Sōjin smiled. His eyes shone like a lake under the moonlight.

Seeing this, Junka Hoshino calmed down a little and said, "The people who tried to kill me were killed by Tsurumaru Hall … That organization will definitely not let us go.

Also, I met another group of people. Their appearance was very strange. They were neither human nor ghost. They claimed that they wanted to destroy all the anomalies in history. I might be one of their targets. "

Towards the end, her tone revealed bitterness.

Was it a good thing or a bad thing to recover her emotions?

"I came here in a daze, and I definitely don't want to leave in a daze." Junka paused. "I will try my best to survive and find out my connection with this world."

Tsurumaru Kuninaga suddenly moved.

He grabbed Junka's wrist and pulled her out.

"— — Ah."

Even the three suns and moons were caught off guard.

He stared at the backs of the two people, sighed softly, and said to himself, "It's so late, the old man needs to sleep."

There was a flash of white light, and only One Vibration Tachi was left.

Tsuru Maru pulled Junka out of the room.

"Master, are you angry?"

He asked.

"… No."

Hoshino Chun Xia said, "Didn't Tsurumaru-dōnin say that life needs some surprises? If it's something that can be predicted, the heart will die first.

Although I was scared to death, from this perspective, I still have to thank Tsurumaru Hall for thinking of me. "

As expected, he was angry.

Tsuru Maru fell silent. After a while, he said helplessly, "I'm sorry, master."

Junka shook her head.

"Master, I …"

"I know … although Tsurumaru Hall has always called me 'master', in fact, he doesn't take me seriously."

She interrupted Tsuru Maru, pursed her lips, and said, "Including the Sanri Yue Temple that just arrived … all of you are swords that have lived for thousands of years. Your former masters were either famous generals or powerful nobles.

In comparison, the current me may not even be qualified for you to look at me in the eye. "

There was no trace of unwillingness or anger in her expression. It was as if she was just stating an objective fact.

Tsuru Maru trembled slightly.

"Crane Pill Palace, you told me before that swords and blades protect humans … However, I feel that the relationship between me and you should not be that of a protected person and a protector. Instead, it should be that of a partner who fights side by side."

"I will work hard."