# 650
Chapter 650
The mysterious letter
"That's right, but he's still alive. He just left Tokyo and has had nothing to do with the family's affairs for a long time."
Amemiya Haruki nodded thoughtfully.
Hanagawa Sairei, the first-generation head of the Hanagawa family, was the formidable figure who built the family's black-market power. He had retired over twenty years ago. Even if he were still alive, how would he know about Yuzuri Kurotetsu?
"Did the letter ask you to retrieve Yuzuri Kurotetsu's King's Blood?" Lin Qiye seemed to have thought of something.
"Yes." Kogawa Tsukasa nodded. "But by the time I arrived, his body had already been cremated."
"So you set your sights on Yuzuri Kurotetsu's daughter?"
"...No, not exactly." Kogawa Tsukasa paused, then continued, "The letter my grandfather sent didn't mention that Yuzuri Kurotetsu had a daughter. So when I heard that his body had been cremated, I gave up searching for the King's Blood and instead focused my efforts in Osaka tracking down Yuzuri Kurotetsu's Magatsu Blade...
During the investigation into Yuzuri Kurotetsu, we accidentally discovered that his wife, Kazamatsuri Akiko, was originally the eldest daughter of the Kazamatsuri family. Later, for some reason, she left the Kazamatsuri family with her daughter and disappeared without a trace.
I used the mole I had planted in the Kazamatsuri family and found that they had been searching for Yuzuri Kurotetsu's daughter's whereabouts and already had a lead. Following that thread, I traced her all the way to Yokohama. I thought that since she was Yuzuri Kurotetsu's daughter, perhaps the King's Blood in her could serve my purposes as well, so I set up a scheme to lure her to Osaka..."
And thus, the series of events that followed came to be.
After listening to Kogawa Tsukasa's account, the confusion in Lin Qiye's heart only deepened.
Yuzuri Nana's mother was actually the eldest daughter of the Kazamatsuri family, one of the two major black-market organizations in the Kanto region? But... this didn't seem like a secret. If the Hanagawa family's first-generation head could uncover Yuzuri Kurotetsu's King's Blood secret, how could he possibly not know about Yuzuri Kurotetsu having a daughter?
Why did his letter make absolutely no mention of Yuzuri Nana?
"That's everything I know." Kogawa Tsukasa took a deep breath. "Now, may I leave?"
Amemiya Haruki glanced at Lin Qiye. The latter released the Straight Blade in his hand and nodded calmly.
"You may. Go ahead."
"Alright..."
BANG—!!
The moment Lin Qiye stepped back half a pace, a humming gunshot suddenly echoed through the air.
A bullet tore through the rain curtain and shot directly into Kogawa Tsukasa's brow. A vivid splash of blood burst into the air!
The relief still lingering on Kogawa Tsukasa's face faded instantly as the light in his eyes dimmed rapidly... He fell backward, splashing up large sprays of water, his breath ceasing forever.
In the distance, Shen Qingzhu slowly lowered the sniper rifle in her hands. A spent casing clinked as it hit the ground.
The surrounding members of the Black Assassin Group erupted into another wave of cheers!
Lin Qiye looked down at Kogawa Tsukasa's lifeless body, the corners of his mouth lifting slightly.
"I let you go. But someone else wouldn't..."
Amemiya Haruki glanced at Lin Qiye's smile, then at the sniper rifle in Shen Qingzhu's hand in the distance. His expression was somewhat peculiar.
He had originally thought Lin Qiye truly intended to let Kogawa Tsukasa go. Now it seemed he had thought too highly of him...
An intruder was never a kind soul.
"What do you make of what he said?" Lin Qiye turned to Amemiya Haruki.
"It doesn't sound like a lie, but I always feel like... something isn't quite right." Amemiya Haruki pondered for a moment. "Even the first-generation head of the Hanagawa family shouldn't have known about Yuzuri Kurotetsu. And if he truly wanted the King's Blood, why did he omit all mention of Yuzuri Nana?"
Lin Qiye considered this carefully. "Do you remember what the prophecy said about 'breaking through the局面'?"
"Mm."
"Is there a possibility..." Lin Qiye spoke slowly, "that this letter wasn't actually written by the Hanagawa family head?"
"It's true that if it were really from him, many things wouldn't add up." Amemiya Haruki thought it over. "But if it wasn't him, then who? Not many people know about the Yuzuri Kurotetsu incident..."
"Let's think boldly." Lin Qiye's eyes narrowed slightly. "If the prophecy is true, and Yuzuri Kurotetsu didn't actually die, then is it possible that he himself sent that letter?"
"He himself? Why would he proactively send a letter to the Hanagawa family? What would be his purpose? To have Kogawa Tsukasa come to Osaka? But what's the point of that? It doesn't help him retake the [Pure Land] anyway..."
Amemiya Haruki stopped mid-sentence, as if realizing something. He suddenly froze in place.
"Of course it matters." Lin Qiye glanced at Kogawa Tsukasa's body on the ground and spoke slowly. "He had in his possession the [Black Rope], which is capable of precise, large-scale destruction. What if he wanted to use this Magatsu Blade to cut open the [Pure Land]?"
As he said this, both of them spun their heads to look.
On the rain-drenched street, the black long blade that had been kicked to the roadside had vanished.
Lin Qiye's pupils contracted slightly.
Just moments ago, his spiritual感知 had been focused on the surroundings, yet he hadn't sensed anything amiss—no one approaching, no objects moving. It was as if the fallen Magatsu Blade had simply vanished into thin air, without any warning.
"He's nearby!" Lin Qiye suddenly exclaimed.
"Find him!"
Lin Qiye and Amemiya Haruki burst into a sprint simultaneously, disappearing into the rain curtain.
Shen Qingzhu led the Black Assassin Group's members to stand in the rain. For a moment, even she didn't know what had happened. After hesitating briefly, she waved to the crowd. Everyone immediately returned to their vehicles and drove toward the Black Assassin Group's building.
...
What no one noticed was that within the rippling reflections in the puddles where they had originally been standing, the身形 of a man in a sequined suit flickered in and out of view, as if trapped in another world.
On his waist hung an empty golden scabbard. His hands were bare.
Across from him, a silver-robed Oracle Envoy cradled the [Black Rope] that Amemiya Haruki had kicked flying earlier. The corner of his mouth curved upward, his eyes filled with a hint of mockery.
"It seems you were still a step slower than me. This blade ended up in my hands after all." The silver-robed Oracle Envoy spoke indifferently. "Those young ones have already left. No one discovered you trapped here by me. There's no one left who can save you now... Yuzuri Kurotetsu."
The middle-aged man in the sequined suit frowned as he looked at his captor, his brow heavy with gravitas.
"Sixth Oracle Envoy, 'Mirror Catastrophe'..."
...
On the other side.
Yuzuri Nana held a cardboard box filled with glue, tape, cleaning supplies, and other household tools. She walked out of the store with Little Jin and, after getting her bearings, headed toward the club.
It wasn't too late yet, and there were still quite a few pedestrians on the street—mostly families and friends who had just finished the Tenjin Festival out shopping in groups. They held various snacks in their hands, smiling, looking cheerful and happy.
"Little Jin-ge, can Uncle Keisuke really fix the shop?" Yuzuri Nana asked, walking along with a heavy heart.
Little Jin, walking beside her, was silent for a moment before speaking with a smile. "He can."
"I wonder where Qīyè-ge and Amemiya-ge went... If they were here, they could probably help a lot, right?"
Yuzuri Nana sighed. Just then, a violent explosion rang out from a distant street. Blazing flames shot into the sky, illuminating a corner of the nighttime city.
The sudden explosion startled Yuzuri Nana and the other pedestrians alike.
Little Jin gazed toward where the explosion had come from, his brow creasing slightly.