Dice In The Darkness: Cthulhu Calls

Chapter 209: The Roshomon Gate

When Liu Xing and his group returned home, they received a call from Chen Wenbin. It turned out that Chen Wenbin had been released on bail by the Sawada Family, and he was now on his way back with Yoh Asakura. As for Watanabe Jiang, there was still no word on his whereabouts.

Chen Wenbin explained that they had turned off their phones because of Watanabe Jiang's reckless actions. He promised to share the details when they returned since he was currently using a public phone.

After returning home, Yasaka Mashiro took Mian Gu Lu to rest, while Yin En went to watch videos with a memory card. Liu Xing sought out Otonashi Takuya.

Otonashi Takuya seemed to already know what Liu Xing wanted to ask, so he took the initiative and said with a smile, "That's right, I'm Otonashi Takuya, the former Wandering Samurai. But I'd prefer if you called me Otonashi Takuya now."

Liu Xing noticed that when Otonashi Takuya mentioned "Otonota," he seemed visibly relieved. It seemed that these past few hundred years of living in anonymity had not been easy.

Before Liu Xing could speak, Otonashi Takuya continued, "I know what you want to ask me, Liu Xing. After all, during your live broadcast with Ghoul, or rather my old friend Aoki, yesterday, I already figured out that you knew my true identity. That's because I had also met that kid, Kuroba Naoki, in the past. Kuroba Naoki learned my real name from me."

This happened over a decade ago when Kuroba Naoki had just graduated from high school and went to explore the Kingdom of Tindalos ruins in the undeveloped area. Since the Sawada Family owned all the rights to the undeveloped area, it was surrounded by walls and heavily guarded. Kuroba Naoki had to rest in a small village near the undeveloped area.

Otonashi Takuya, who went by the name Otonashi Takuya at the time, lived in that same village. Kuroba Naoki happened to stay at Otonashi Takuya's house.

Otonashi Takuya learned that Kuroba Naoki was researching the Kingdom of Tindalos and decided to sell him the oil painting of Mian Gu Lu at a low price. During their conversation, Kuroba Naoki mentioned Sawada Tomohiko, and Otonashi Takuya couldn't help but reveal some of the past events, including his real name.

At this point, Otonashi Takuya lit a cigarette, smiled, and asked Liu Xing, "Liu Xing, have you heard of the story of Roshomon Gate?"

Liu Xing nodded. Roshomon Gate was one of the most famous movies in the Island Nation, adapted from the story by renowned Island Nation author Akutagawa Ryunosuke. In summary, the story involved a samurai traveling with his wife who was captured and abducted by a bandit in a forest. The samurai's wife was also dishonored by the bandit, and the samurai died under mysterious circumstances.

A few days later, a woodcutter discovered the samurai's body in the forest and reported it to the authorities. The authorities quickly apprehended the bandit and summoned the woodcutter, the samurai's wife, and a priestess who could communicate with the samurai's spirit to investigate. Each of them provided conflicting testimonies to serve their own interests, resulting in four different versions of events.

Liu Xing suddenly realized that Sawada Tomohiko's story had become a Roshomon Gate.

Seeing Liu Xing's realization, Otonashi Takuya smiled again and said, "Liu Xing, let me tell you a story now."

Otonashi Takuya was born in Kyoto, the son of a destitute samurai. Despite being skilled in martial arts, he couldn't find a good future in Kyoto. So, Otonashi Takuya bid farewell to his family and decided to travel, hoping to gain fame and then serve a prominent lord as a samurai.

When Otonashi Takuya passed through Ziwu City, he heard rumors of the appearance of demons there. He thought this was his chance to make a name for himself and decided to investigate.

However, by the time he reached Ziwu City, Sawada Tomohiko and his team had already eliminated the demons. Initially, Otonashi Takuya planned to leave Ziwu City, but upon hearing about Sawada Tomohiko's strength, his competitive spirit was ignited. He sought out Sawada Tomohiko, hoping for a fight.

Sawada Tomohiko, full of confidence at the time, naturally didn't refuse Otonashi Takuya's challenge. He easily defeated Otonashi Takuya, especially since Sawada Tomohiko was assisted by some divine power at that time.

But as they say, heroes respect heroes. Can a mother ship absorb another mother ship? Oops, I'm getting off track with StarCraft...

Regardless, Sawada Tomohiko recognized Otonashi Takuya's potential and invited him to join the Sawada Family's security team. After considering it, Otonashi Takuya thought it was a good choice and accepted Sawada Tomohiko's invitation.

From then on, Otonashi Takuya got to know Aoki, and Fujiwara Gen'in, the Elder Ghoul. They became good friends.

One day, Otonashi Takuya received orders from Sawada Tomohiko to go with some laborers to an old shrine on the outskirts of Ziwu City. They were tasked with retrieving a deity statue.

Upon arriving at the dilapidated shrine, Otonashi Takuya had an uneasy feeling, as if something unexpected was about to happen. When the laborers were about to carry the deity statue designated by Sawada Tomohiko, sudden heavy rain forced them to take shelter in the shrine.

During this time, Otonashi Takuya noticed that Sawada Tomohiko had an expression as if he had known about the rain in advance.

After a while, Aoki and Nohara Hiroshi, along with a group of mercenaries, arrived at the shrine. They claimed to be sent by Kanna Ryoko.

Otonashi Takuya, at this moment, overheard Sawada Tomohiko muttering quietly. He complained about Kanna Ryoko stirring up trouble unnecessarily, while Godless Priest argued that Kanna Ryoko was concerned for their safety, especially since Sawada Tomohiko hadn't brought his large sword with him today.

Speaking of that large sword, Sawada Tomohiko had also felt there was something peculiar about it. Whenever he wielded that sword, it was as if he became a different person. The originally gentle Sawada Tomohiko turned fierce and belligerent. That's why Godless Priest had insisted that Sawada Tomohiko keep the sword locked away during peaceful times and only use ordinary weapons when practicing martial arts or sparring with Otonashi Takuya.

Due to the torrential rain, the ground had become muddy, and there was a risk of an accident during the transportation of the deity statue. Therefore, they had no choice but to take shelter in the shrine. As the night progressed, the rain showed no sign of stopping, forcing Sawada Tomohiko to announce that they would spend the night in the shrine.

As Sawada Tomohiko's chief bodyguard, Otonashi Takuya naturally stayed in a room adjacent to Sawada Tomohiko's. Since the soundproofing in the shrine's guest quarters was poor, Otonashi Takuya could overhear the conversation between Sawada Tomohiko and Godless Priest.

In essence, Sawada Tomohiko was complaining about the heavy rain because he didn't want to stay in the shrine any longer. Otonashi Takuya could sense a hint of fear in Sawada Tomohiko's tone.

However, with Godless Priest's soothing words, Sawada Tomohiko regained his composure and began to rest. Otonashi Takuya had some doubts, but he couldn't approach Sawada Tomohiko for questions, so he chose to rest as well.

In the middle of the night, Otonashi Takuya was awakened by a commotion. When he opened the door, he saw Aoki and No Hara Hiroshi in a panic, and the main shrine was engulfed in a green glow.

Confused, Otonashi Takuya learned from Aoki that Sawada Tomohiko and Godless Priest were trapped inside the main shrine. Otonashi Takuya decided to attack the nearly tangible green light with a weapon.

However, before Otonashi Takuya could act, Sawada Tomohiko's large sword flew through the air and hovered above the main shrine for a moment before flying eastward.

Realizing the danger, Otonashi Takuya exchanged glances with Aoki and No Hara Hiroshi and decided to follow the sword's trail. The sword was just too bizarre.

So, Otonashi Takuya braved the heavy rain, and the sword in the sky seemed to be aware of his pursuit, always staying within his line of sight. This made Otonashi Takuya increasingly uneasy; the sword was undeniably supernatural.

Before long, the sword suddenly accelerated and darted into a large mansion! Yes, in the middle of nowhere, there was a mansion, and red lanterns hung outside. Despite the torrential rain, the lanterns emitted a blood-red glow.

After a moment of contemplation, Otonashi Takuya decided to enter the mansion cautiously. After all, when things turned unusual, there had to be something extraordinary at play. Although he was scared, curiosity could be as deadly as a cat's curiosity.

So, Otonashi Takuya entered the mansion carefully.

Inside the mansion, he saw the same sword, stuck at the entrance of the main hall. The main hall was brightly lit, and figures moved about. Otonashi Takuya realized the situation was dire, feeling that entering the main hall would be a certain death.

He turned to leave the mansion but, in the blink of an eye, the door automatically closed behind him without any wind. Then, to his shock, the door turned into a wall, and the wall seemed to come to life, twisting and extending gray tentacles that writhed, blocking Otonashi Takuya's escape route.

Otonashi Takuya knew he had to go into the main hall, even if it meant walking into certain doom.

Approaching the main hall's door, he heard strange sounds emanating from within. These sounds bewildered him, and his head began to spin.

After some time, when he regained his senses, he found that it was still dark outside, the rain hadn't stopped, and the main hall, which had been bustling with activity earlier, was now silent. The large sword that had been at the entrance was gone.

Turning back, Otonashi Takuya saw the tentacles on the wall still swaying. He took a deep breath and pushed open the main hall's door.

Steeling himself, Otonashi Takuya stepped into the main hall and saw the sword, planted firmly at the entrance. In the well-lit main hall, there was a woman of extraordinary beauty, her face concealed by a fan.

Even with most of her face obscured, Otonashi Takuya was sure she was a breathtaking beauty.

At this point, Liu Xing, hearing the story, had given up on commenting. It seemed like this scenario was the work of Nyarlathotep, as the concealed woman was indeed Swollen Woman, one of Nyarlathotep's avatars!

Swollen Woman appeared to be a young girl hiding behind a fan, but her true form behind the fan was a monstrous humanoid creature with tentacles that fed on brains.

What puzzled Liu Xing, though, was that according to the setting, Swollen Woman was supposed to be active in the Shanghai of the Republic of China era. How did she suddenly appear in the Island Nation?

After praising Swollen Woman's beauty, Otonashi Takuya finally broached the subject of why he had survived until now.

Swollen Woman told Otonashi Takuya that the world would face destruction hundreds of years in the future, and it needed a hero to save it. Initially, she had chosen Sawada Tomohiko, but he had forgotten his true purpose after gaining power. So, Swollen Woman decided to abandon Sawada Tomohiko and make Otonashi Takuya the hero who would save the world.

She pointed to the large sword and said that if Otonashi Takuya picked it up, he would gain even greater power than Sawada Tomohiko and become virtually immortal. After saving the world, Otonashi Takuya would ascend to godhood.

However, Otonashi Takuya, though bewildered, had not lost his sanity. Aoki had previously informed him about Sawada Tomohiko's acquisition of the sword, so Otonashi Takuya realized that taking up the sword would be more of a curse than a blessing. He firmly refused Swollen Woman's offer.

Swollen Woman seemed to have anticipated Otonashi Takuya's choice and merely shook her head, informing him that he would still be the one tasked with saving the world, even without the sword. Then, in an instant, the entire mansion disappeared, leaving behind only the sword.

As the rain cleared and Otonashi Takuya examined his newfound powers, he realized he had incredible strength and rapid healing abilities. He could easily knock down large trees with a single punch, and even injuries that would have been severe before were now healing almost instantly.

After studying his powers, Otonashi Takuya remembered that he had to return to the shrine. However, when he attempted to retrieve the sword to return it to Sawada Tomohiko, he found that it wouldn't budge, no matter how hard he tried. So, he reluctantly buried the sword in the ground and marked the location before heading back to the shrine.

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