Chapter 795: Chapter 794: The Assassination Backfired
Enma and Ame no Habakiri were engaging in a unique frequency of communication. Their orders did not include following Kozuki Hiyori’s instructions. Arceus merely tasked them with appropriately safeguarding the target’s safety and permitted others to use their bodies.
In theory, Kozuki Hiyori was already safe, but it wasn’t excessive to eliminate the danger completely. Enma seemed not to have had enough fun, discarding the corpse it had drained and slashing through the night sky toward the fleeing crowd, while Ame no Habakiri remained in place, lying back on the rack.
People, in a state of extreme anger, might do many irrational things, such as running 30 kilometers in one breath, strangling a black bear with a cross choke, or punching through a steel plate.
Of course, these things aren’t impossible in this world.
The assassination attempt on her also pushed Kozuki Hiyori into a state of extreme anger. She didn’t believe it was the ghost of Kozuki Oden. If such a thing existed, it should have appeared long before today.
She was more inclined to believe it was some ploy by the Hundred Beasts. Her own people wanted her dead, yet the enemy wanted her alive; this ridiculous logic left her at a loss for words.
Especially when they frequently mentioned Momonosuke. At first, she wouldn’t have reacted so strongly.
At that time, she felt it might be a good thing if her brother could leave, better than both of them staying here. But over time, an inequality began to brew in her heart.
Especially since these rebels seemed to think she willingly chose this situation. Under such circumstances, using Momonosuke as a comparison only intensified her imbalance.
In a sense, they succeeded. They killed one Kozuki Hiyori, but what they killed was the "good" Hiyori. From this base, a brand-new Kozuki Hiyori was born, one who had made a complete choice.
Enma’s slaughter continued. As a Demon Blade, bathing in blood only made her stronger, while Kozuki Hiyori found herself before someone kneeling and begging for forgiveness.
Whether they chose to flee or fight, her decision was to kill, with the exception of these weeping individuals—she spared them, for in her eyes, the collapse of their inner belief was the most severe.
They would not forget today’s events, and their spoken words could further dismantle the spirit of those seeking to rebel.
"You... forced me to do this..."
As a puppet regime, it seemed like a life free of worries, but there was an immense pressure beneath the facade.
Under such high pressure, her mental state was already tense, and now these people pushed her at the last moment, serving as the final straw that broke the camel’s back.
"Should we... take Lady Hiyori to see a doctor? I feel like she’s not doing well..."
Kikunojo whispered with concern to those nearby, and her appearance would indeed seem abnormal to anyone watching.
Kikunojo was worried, Denjiro was troubled, and Kawamatsu was purely angry, feeling rage due to his inner guilt.
"I’ll leave this to you; I have some things to do."
He couldn’t tolerate these rebels, turning to follow in Enma’s path.
...
"Oh, how uninteresting, is it over just like that?"
Not far off, on a treetop, Drake was spectating with a telescope, initially expecting to see some entertaining scenes during this New Year festival. Unexpectedly, these rebels were so feeble, they failed to make a splash before being completely annihilated here.
"This way this year ends well; now, whom should I start borrowing money from next year?"
Pulling out her little notebook, Drake began searching for a new target, as Luxray’s ability made her most suited for this environment. Her X-ray Vision had already surveyed the surroundings, confirming no hidden enemies.
With Denjiro’s and Kikunojo’s capabilities, they were already sufficient to handle the upcoming situations, not to mention that Ame no Habakiri was still by Kozuki Hiyori’s side.
Meanwhile, on Ghost Island, Queen was monitoring her achievements.
At the New Year’s festival, she had unquestioningly taken on the leading role, and once the island’s revelry had truly begun, she had started checking Wano Kuni’s defensive mechanisms, while also assessing the Shinsengumi squads.
The cemetery rebels were just one part, with several others stirring up chaos and disturbances within Wano Kuni.
"Hmm, the Fifth Squad’s speed is satisfactory, whereas the captain of the Seventeenth Squad should be dismissed; taking ten minutes to arrive at the scene is useless, might as well rely on Kojiro’s dog."
With a simple few strokes in her little notebook, Queen decided whether these people would be promoted or dismissed, all while further perfecting Wano Kuni’s surveillance channels, striving for zero blind spots on main roads.
"Muhahaha, CP0, if you dare, come at me; I’d like to see how you escape my surveillance! All of you, are you ready to admire my graceful dance moves?"
Seeing the parts of Wano Kuni return to stability, Queen returned to the grand stage on Ghost Island, where today there was no Tesoro, no Uta, nor An.
Even though it’s New Year, they were busy with external celebrations and couldn’t be here. Under these circumstances, Queen dominated the stage, becoming the sole protagonist.
...
Unlike the revelry on Ghost Island, the excitement in the Flower Capital had been disrupted. A group of people had been detained in a temporary prison, while many others were sent to hospitals for treatment.
Though these rebels didn’t engage in random killings, to incite chaos, they started fires and ignited explosives, leading to a stampede that injured numerous people. The situation had just been stabilized by the Shinsengumi, and many were still unclear about what had transpired.
Squirtles were busy putting out fires, and Hyogoro was leading people to clean up the mess. Regardless, everyone held resentment toward those responsible for the chaos, as the New Year festival had faced severe disruption because of them.
There were even friends and relatives injured, while the main target, Kozuki Hiyori, was nearly consumed by darkness, and the other target, Kojiro, remained unscathed.
Several Bisharps, wiping blood from their arms with handkerchiefs, had recognized Kojiro as their General once they accepted him. These individuals couldn’t breach the Bisharps’ defensive circle, especially with Luxray on the side.
The combination of Arcanine and Bisharps resolved everything without Kojiro having to lift a finger.
The chaos initiated by these individuals lasted less than an hour, achieving little besides ruining the festive atmosphere of the New Year festival, ultimately pushing Kozuki Hiyori closer to the brink of darkness.
Previously forced to act as a puppet regime, she had some reluctance in her heart, but now, she had wholly surrendered to the situation.
The first decree requiring a seal in the New Year concerned last night’s disturbances, and Kozuki Hiyori was not only highly cooperative but even offered some recommendations.
