novelraw Chapter 961: Awakening of the Black Soul, Sakata Kintoki!
Chapter 961: Awakening of the Black Soul, Sakata Kintoki!
Takizawa Lola, a commanding woman in her mid to late twenties, wore a vibrant red dress. A small black mole rested at the corner of her mouth, and her sharp gaze conveyed an air of authority. It was clear that this representative from the Takizawa family's main branch was not one to be underestimated.
Despite her imposing presence, Suzuki Yuichi maintained his composure. The Suzuki Association, a rising force in the Kanto region, had overtaken many old powerhouses, and as its leader, Suzuki Yuichi was no ordinary man.
"Lola-san, I assure you that my side can fully handle the manpower for this tomb development project," Suzuki Yuichi said, meeting Takizawa Lola's eyes. "However, I hope to retain some command authority over personnel allocation on-site. Ancient tombs often harbor unknown dangers, and I wish to avoid unnecessary risks. Lola-san? Lola-san?"
Suzuki Yuichi realized that Takizawa Lola’s attention wasn’t on him. Instead, her gaze was fixed on his son, Suzuki Chun Xin.
The woman’s eyes brimmed with a flirtatious energy, revealing her lustful nature.
However, Suzuki Chun Xin sat upright, his expression detached, unmoved by Takizawa Lola's provocative stare.
While silently praising his son’s composure, Suzuki Yuichi couldn’t help but feel a twinge of displeasure toward the Takizawa family. Though the Suzuki Association couldn’t compare to the Takizawa family's vast influence, sending someone like Lola for negotiations felt dismissive.
"Oh, I’m listening. Go on," Lola said with a slight smile, though her gaze never left Suzuki Chun Xin. "What’s your name?"
"Chun Xin, Suzuki Chun Xin," he replied, glancing at Takizawa Lola. From her, he could sense a heavy aura of bloodshed.
As a master of manipulating souls, Suzuki Chun Xin could easily see the resentment swirling around this woman. Ordinarily, such intense negativity would have caused severe illness, but Lola seemed unaffected, marking her as no ordinary person."Chun Xin... such a lovely name," Lola said, narrowing her eyes slightly. She suddenly lifted Suzuki Chun Xin's chin with a finger. "Did you know you'll be staying here?"
Suzuki Chun Xin frowned—not at Lola’s flirtation or the prospect of staying, but because of a warning from Ren Zhen. Bound by an unbreakable contract, Ren Zhen transmitted an overwhelming sense of fear—something deeply dangerous was near.
Suddenly, the silence shattered with a series of rapid, resounding chimes.
Outside the ancient castle, Takizawa Lola stood abruptly and flung the door open, revealing a blazing inferno. Below the castle, the entire Takizawa family village was engulfed in flames.
"What’s happening?" she demanded.
Takizawa Hideo, the family’s steward, hurried over, his expression grim. "Lola-san, a catastrophic-level event has occurred!"
A catastrophe-level alarm was second only to the Takizawa family’s highest "extinction-level" warning. Such alarms had only sounded twice in the family’s history, each time leaving the family crippled for decades.
Lola’s expression darkened. "Damn it! What has this branch family brat provoked!?"
---
"...Was it you lot who woke me up?"
A black mist, akin to burning flames, swirled around Suzuki Xia Ya, who emerged unscathed despite supposedly having his skull smashed in.
This was beyond mere regeneration; it was as if someone entirely different had taken over his body.
The captain of the guards felt his heart race as he gazed at the man emerging from the mist. Just a glance from him triggered a primal fear that paralyzed the captain.
"You... Who are you?" the captain stammered, his voice trembling.
The man tilted his head. "My name? Let me think... I can’t quite recall."
"What?" the captain exclaimed, baffled.
A younger guard named Ryo scoffed. "Hmph! Enough theatrics. Let’s see if you can stand up after being cut to pieces!"
Ryo lunged, aiming his katana at Suzuki Xia Ya’s chest. Yet the blade failed to pierce his skin. Instead, the katana shattered completely upon contact.
"H-how...?" Ryo stuttered in disbelief.
"That hurt, you bastard!" Suzuki Xia Ya growled, twisting his neck to glare at Ryo.
Before Ryo could react, a fist crashed into his head, shattering it instantly. The force of the blow demolished part of the mansion behind him.
"Ryo!!!" the captain shouted in anguish.
Suzuki Xia Ya’s fist had not only obliterated Ryo’s head but left a massive crater in its wake.
"...I remember now. Sakata Kintoki," Suzuki Xia Ya muttered. "That’s my name... Sakata Kintoki."
Hearing the name, the guards froze in shock, but the captain’s face twisted in disbelief. "Sakata Kintoki? One of Raikou’s Four Heavenly Kings? The child of the Thunder God and the Red Dragon... Kintaro?"
"Kintaro? Ah... I suppose people called me that once," Sakata Kintoki replied, rubbing his head and yawning. "Sorry, I just woke up and haven’t sorted everything out. No matter... for now, I’ll vent my frustration."
The captain instinctively stepped back as Sakata Kintoki grinned menacingly.
"This time, I think I’ll turn you all to dust... you trash!"
He punched the ground, releasing a burst of black energy. A massive crater, dozens of meters long, formed in front of him.
At its center, the captain was the only one left standing, barely holding on.
At this moment, his clothes were tattered, and he could only barely support himself by gripping the katana embedded in the ground. He looked at the mysterious man who called himself "Sakata Kintoki" with despair in his eyes, then suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood.
"Takizawa Kaede... what on earth have you provoked?" The head of the main family's guards spat out another mouthful of blood before collapsing to the ground.
As he fell, his body immediately disintegrated, and even his katana turned to dust.
Sakata Kintoki exhaled softly and furrowed his brow. Turning around, he glanced at the child of the Kumano manager, who had been placed down and was now barely clinging to life.
"For you, living on like this is nothing but suffering," Sakata Kintoki said, walking up to the child, taking a deep breath, and reaching out toward the child's neck. "Forgive me."
“Father…”
A faint, fragile voice.
Yet Sakata Kintoki heard it clearly... the child’s voice.
“Save… save me…”
The hand gripping the child’s neck suddenly loosened slightly. Sakata Kintoki frowned and gazed at the child’s face, which had been mutilated with both eyes gouged out. “Even like this, you refuse to give up?”
“Save… save…”
“Then live on,” Sakata Kintoki said, releasing his grip and picking the child up. Calmly, he continued, “Though you can no longer see, I will let you feel how this place is consumed by the same terror you’ve experienced.”
He could sense the child seemed to calm down slightly.
Sakata Kintoki then exhaled lightly and looked up at the towering Takizawa family castle. Because of his long slumber, many details had become blurred in his memory.
But his memories were rapidly returning, and he was beginning to recall the significance of the name "Takizawa."
The Takizawa family—an Eastern vampire clan transformed through special means and perpetually scorned by traditional vampire lineages, particularly the self-proclaimed noble "Thirteen Clans."
Sakata Kintoki snorted disdainfully and extended his hand skyward.
The dark clouds in the sky swirled into a vortex, forming a cyclone that surged down toward Sakata Kintoki.
Within the twisting black clouds, thunder roared, and when the storm dissipated, a massive, golden, double-edged battle axe crackling with electricity appeared in Sakata Kintoki’s hand.
“What a filthy clan!”
Sakata Kintoki slammed the enormous axe into the ground!
In an instant, the force of thunder and fire tore the earth asunder, lightning and flames erupting from the fissures to engulf the village at the base of the mountain where the Takizawa family’s castle stood.
“Kintaro, you’ve awakened too soon.”
At that moment, a gentle voice echoed from above. Sakata Kintoki swung his golden axe and leaped toward the source of the voice!
The target of his attack was a woman floating in mid-air, her dress billowing in the wind—Yōu Yè, the maid from the club.
…
The golden axe blade, imbued with overwhelming thunderous power, seemed to split even the heavens as Sakata Kintoki raged like a berserk warrior.
However, the maid’s body was effortlessly cleaved apart without any sense of impact—because it was merely an incorporeal shadow!
The maid’s figure, split by the golden axe, quickly reassembled itself.
She stood with a serene expression and extended a single finger, sending a beam of black light straight into Sakata Kintoki’s forehead.
In that moment, the mighty man wreathed in lightning and fire fell silent.
Yōu Yè spoke calmly, “Although every Black Soul experiences temporary memory confusion after a break, using that as an excuse to break the rules is unacceptable. If you continue, I will deduct all of your remaining achievements. Now, are you ready to come to your senses?”
Sakata Kintoki slowly opened his eyes, planted his weapon into the ground beside him, and looked up at the floating maid. “According to the rules, I’m still on break, correct, Miss Yōu Yè?”
“Your vacation ends in about three years,” Yōu Yè replied with a nod before glancing at the child still held in Sakata Kintoki’s arms.
She surveyed the surroundings, then extended her hand, as if gathering the wind into her palm.
For a moment, she seemed to listen intently.
“I see.” The maid opened her eyes and said calmly, “A Black Soul on break is free to act as they please, as long as they don’t commit treachery. Very well, I’ll observe from here. Just don’t go overboard. After all, we have a new master now.”
“Oh? Is that so…” Sakata Kintoki mused thoughtfully.
Then, he set the child down and said, “I was wondering how to deal with this child, but I didn’t expect you to intervene. In that case, could I trouble you to handle this? Deduct the cost from my balance.”
“Understood. As you wish.” Yōu Yè nodded.
“I’m deeply grateful… my overseer,” Sakata Kintoki said with a nod.
With that, he pulled his massive axe from the ground and strode toward the towering Takizawa family castle.
(End of Chapter)
1. Sakata Kintoki (坂田金时)
坂田: Sakata, a Japanese surname.
金时: Kintoki, meaning "golden time" or "golden moment."
Sakata Kintoki refers to the legendary Japanese warrior also known as Kintaro.
2. Raiko (赖光)
The Chinese rendering of Minamoto no Raikō, a famous samurai in Japanese folklore.
Raiko is known as the leader of the Four Heavenly Kings in legend.
3. Four Heavenly Kings (四天王)
Refers to the four legendary retainers of Minamoto no Raikō in Japanese folklore, renowned for their strength and loyalty.
4. Kintaro (金太郎), literally "Golden Boy."
A famous figure in Japanese folklore, often depicted as a child with extraordinary strength, raised by a mountain witch. Kintaro is said to be the childhood name of Sakata Kintoki.