Chapter 94. The Longest Night at Atsuta Shrine (Part One)

The Type 11, 93-millimeter man-portable rocket launcher.

Qiao Qiao had once used this weapon when clearing out the half-demon cherry tree in Hetanbori Park.

And now, when he thought of a weapon capable of defeating an oni in an instant, this was the obvious choice.

The rocket detonated the moment it came within two meters of the serpent, leaving it no time to evade.

An aerosol-like substance instantly blanketed that stretch of ground.

Then the fuse hidden within the munition exploded.

Flame ignited an entire span of space in a single breath.

Boom—

The shock wave and thunder of the blast were entirely blocked by the barrier of the Heavenly Cloud Sword, leaving Qiao Qiao only able to observe from beyond it.

This strike was not mere explosive damage.

Because the rocket launcher and rocket itself had been transformed from the divine power of the Heavenly Cloud Sword, the blow likewise carried divine force.

Even such a massive explosion left the surrounding buildings, grass, and trees untouched.

Not even the ground had been torn open into a crater.

Only a shattered silhouette remained amid the smoke.

The serpent’s upper body had nearly vanished; what little remained was covered in burn marks, a gruesome sight.

“Hit head-on by an attack of this level, and it still hasn’t died?”

Qiao Qiao felt these oni were simply too thick-skinned.

Even a rocket round transformed from the Heavenly Cloud Sword could not kill it.

He would not dare push any further without risking the safety of the surrounding buildings.

At the same time, the rocket launcher in his hands began to glow and shrink, reverting to the shape of a revolver.

“I told you not to turn me into strange things!”

The Heavenly Cloud Sword seemed quite displeased with Qiao Qiao’s rough handling of it.

“And if you push beyond the object’s own limit, the transformed state won’t last very long.”

So it could not remain a rocket launcher forever.

On the other side, the serpent’s mutilated body suddenly began to change.

Flesh regenerated from its legs, and its amber vertical pupils fixed on the weapon in Qiao Qiao’s hands.

Then its head lifted, its body bending backward to the limit.

Qiao Qiao could even hear the crack of a spine breaking.

Ugh—

Then it suddenly folded forward and vomited up a great pool of foul matter.

Qiao Qiao clearly saw a sword being expelled from the serpent’s mouth.

The blade was two shaku and seven sun long, its edge shaped like an iris leaf. The body of the sword was thick, marked by multiple joints, uneven like a fish spine, and entirely snow-white.

Though he had never seen it before, Qiao Qiao knew at a glance.

That was the divine vessel of the Heavenly Cloud Sword.

Its true body.

“Tut, this is bad.”

The Heavenly Cloud Sword clicked its tongue.

“What is it?”

Qiao Qiao, still thinking about what he should transform the sword into next, asked inwardly.

“I cannot damage my own body. Without my divine vessel, I am nothing more than a sword spirit without a master.”

Just as the Heavenly Cloud Sword would lose its power without the sword spirit, so too would the sword spirit be greatly weakened without the Heavenly Cloud Sword—perhaps even stripped of divinity and reduced to an ordinary aberration.

The serpent’s plan was likely to use the divine sword as a shield, preventing Qiao Qiao from continuing to employ large-scale destructive methods.

“What now?”

Qiao Qiao thought for a moment.

“Well, this is an emergency. Don’t waste time on such things. Solve the problem in front of us first.”

He could always help the Heavenly Cloud Sword find another vessel later.

The serpent was already charging with the sword in hand.

Buzz—

The long blade carved through the air, bringing with it a hum of spiritual power.

It seemed Qiao Qiao’s previous understanding had been mistaken.

Even without the sword spirit, the blade of the Heavenly Cloud Sword itself was a powerful spiritual artifact.

He dodged that slash by the narrowest margin, firing his revolver at the same time.

This time it was a bursting round set to detonate at close range.

Light exploded between them, but its power was clearly much diminished, serving only to force the serpent back.

“Even if you want me to turn my blade against my own kin, my power cannot possibly harm myself. Much less when it is still a descendant of the great serpent. If those two together were so easy to handle, I would not have been stolen away in the first place... ah, left side.”

The Heavenly Cloud Sword muttered in Qiao Qiao’s mind.

From the left, the serpent’s sword came again.

Qiao Qiao heeded the warning and dodged to the right.

At the same time, the revolver in his hand returned fire.

But again, with its power diminished, even with one hand on the sword, the serpent could easily deflect it.

“Our serpent clan’s long-cherished wish will be fulfilled here today.”

The serpent said.

As it spoke, its entire body changed shape.

The arm holding the sword became a long serpent, instantly extending the reach of the attack by several meters.

You can do that?

Qiao Qiao had assumed that if an oni wanted to bring out its true strength, it could only revert to its original form.

But now it seemed partial transformation was also an option?

As the sword swung in, the serpent’s other hand—no, the other six hands—also became serpent heads, striking from all directions toward Qiao Qiao.

Bang, bang, bang—

Three of those serpent heads triggered the traps Qiao Qiao had set and were blown apart, losing their target.

Click—

Qiao Qiao threw his last grenade.

One serpent head opened its jaws and bit down on the grenade, detonating it.

Under the protection of the barrier, Qiao Qiao retreated while the revolver in his hand began to transform once more.

A long, thick barrel, a black body, and a drum magazine.

It was the grenade launcher he had used before.

Because it had been transformed by the Heavenly Cloud Sword, the weapon was very light, light enough for Qiao Qiao to fire it without a support.

“Does this count as a mobile sniper?”

Qiao Qiao suddenly wondered.

He pulled the trigger, and a canister round streaked out.

As it neared the other two serpent heads, it suddenly burst, leaving them a mess of blood and flesh.

By then the long blade had already reached Qiao Qiao’s side.

Clang—

Qiao Qiao instinctively raised the weapon to block. When blade met barrel, a clear ringing hum sounded.

The serpent was already moving, closing in on him at a speed impossible for ordinary people to perceive.

On the wreckage of the destroyed serpent heads, new ones were already growing.

“Is this some kind of hydra?”

Qiao Qiao could not help complaining.

“That is how the serpent clan is. As long as even one head remains, then even if the other seven are cut off, they can be revived at once... right side, here it comes!”

The Heavenly Cloud Sword explained.

“So it just means the damage isn’t high enough.”

Qiao Qiao understood.

Relying on the Heavenly Cloud Sword’s barrier and his own feinted movement, he slipped past the divine sword’s slash.

After firing several more shots to force the serpent to evade, the weapon in his hands suddenly expanded, becoming a massive, honeycombed launcher more like a rocket artillery tube than a rocket launcher.

The Type 63, 107-millimeter towed rocket launcher.

A weapon that had once dismantled an entire villa with a single volley.

Twelve tubes lined up on the serpent.

Qiao Qiao pressed the firing switch without hesitation.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh—

Twelve rockets launched.

They covered the entire area where the serpent stood.

A string of explosions rang out.