BAMN: Chapter 159/160

Chapter 159: Visiting the Tengu and Conflict

"Let's choose this place."

Leaving the Tengu Hidden Village, the two set spatial coordinates on a flat mountaintop.

Rin received the news and immediately opened the gate to the Different Space.

With spatial abilities like the Void Ark that could traverse worlds, a mere teleportation within the same plane was effortless.

"Rin-sama!"

Upon seeing Rin, Benimaru immediately knelt on one knee.

"Mm, Benimaru, you've done very well."

Rin helped Benimaru up, then looked at Momiji and teased, "Not bad, you're quite blessed with female companions."

"This..."

A single sentence made both Benimaru and Momiji incredibly shy.

"Their blushing is also very synchronized."

Rin indicated that these two were indeed a good match, and he waved behind him. "Shuna, come quickly and see your future sister-in-law."

"Coming, coming."

"Let me see too!"

"Oh oh, isn't she super cute!"

"Hello, my name is Shion."

Shion grabbed Momiji's hand. "Please take care of me!"

"Please, please take care of me..."

Momiji was startled by the enthusiastic Shion.

One might not know, but they would think Shion was Benimaru's biological younger sister.

"This Shion..."

Rin shook his head inwardly, truly having no way to deal with this girl.

Besides, this was already a joyous occasion, and Rin didn't want to appear too serious.

Especially towards Momiji and Kaede's faction.

Since they intended to surrender, Rin naturally had to display the demeanor of an enlightened lord.

"So many people came?"

Benimaru first exchanged pleasantries with Shuna and Shion.

However, upon seeing Snow Empress and Ice Empress, Benimaru's pupils instinctively contracted slightly.

Good heavens.

Originally, Benimaru had worried that the Tengu Clan might offend Rin.

Now?

He could only let the Hawk Faction Tengu pray for their own good fortune.

"Is this the Tengu Clan's sacred mountain?"

"It feels a bit barren."

Artoria followed closely behind Rin, and as the spatial gate closed, Ogerpon bounced out, and the portal began to shrink and disappear.

"It's a bit like Ogerpon's hometown, the Oni Mountain."

Ogerpon was quite familiar with the environment on this mountain. Kitakami, where she had originally lived, was just such a place.

After being cared for by Rin, the little one had long since let go of her past painful memories.

"Hmm?"

On the other side, Artoria was quietly staring in a certain direction.

"Over there..."

At that location, Artoria sensed spatial fluctuations. "So that's it, they used the Different Space to hide the true village?"

"They can actually discover our village?!"

Momiji didn't expect Artoria to have such keen eyesight.

Then she looked at the other girls accompanying Rin.

Snow Empress, Artoria, Ogerpon.

The three gave Momiji a very dangerous feeling.

'I'll die!'

Her instincts told Momiji that if she fought these three, she would surely die.

Then there were Ice Empress, Shuna, and Shion.

The pressure they exerted on Momiji wasn't as overwhelming as Snow Empress's, but it was equally clear.

Undoubtedly, each of the six girls Rin brought possessed an amount of magicules equal to or even surpassing hers.

'It's too exaggerated!'

Momiji didn't know how to describe Rin's forces.

She could only say that her mother's judgment was correct, and her father had not deceived them.

'Unfortunately, those guys won't compromise easily.'

Momiji was referring to the Hawk Faction Tengu.

These people were overly arrogant, incredibly stubborn, the type who wouldn't turn back until they hit a wall.

"Rin-sama, it's a pleasure to meet you."

"My name is Momiji, and I am the acting elder of the Tengu Clan."

"My father and Benimaru have spoken to me about you," Momiji said with a humble posture. "Next, please allow me to show you around the Tengu Hidden Village."

"Mm, thank you for your trouble."

Rin said, "However, the tour can wait. First, take me to visit your mother, Elder Kaede."

"Alright."

"Please follow me."

Momiji acted decisively, directly leading Rin and the others toward Elder Kaede's residence.

"Buzz~"

As they crossed the Different Space, the Tengu Hidden Village, hidden behind the continuous green mountains, revealed its serene beauty to everyone.

This was a Japanese-style paradise, a secret realm untouched by the outside world's clamor.

Ancient trees reached the sky, and greenery abounded.

Sunlight filtered through the gaps, casting dappled shadows, and the air was filled with a faint floral scent.

Along the winding path, the crisp chirping of birds and the distant gurgling of a stream could be heard.

A gentle breeze blew, bringing a refreshing coolness, and butterflies danced in the grass, seemingly welcoming the distant guests.

Looking into the distance, one could see patches of rice paddies like a green ocean, swaying in the wind, making a rustling sound.

"It's a very beautiful place."

Rin commented on the Tengu Clan's sacred mountain.

"Thank you for your praise."

Momiji was a bit nervous, not because of Rin, but because she was afraid they would be discovered by the Hawk Faction Tengu.

She worried that those people would do something irrational.

"Outsiders again?"

Indeed, a group of men wearing black haori, with wings on their backs and red masks on their faces, walked out.

Behind him followed four or five other Tengu dressed similarly.

These were the Hawk Faction Tengu who caused trouble for Momiji and Elder Kaede.

They were not content with their small plot of land on the sacred mountain and were determined to expand their territory and invade others.

But the problem was, these people simply didn't know the vastness of the world.

Kaede had been outside.

She knew how big this world was and how many powerful individuals there were.

Once the Tengu left this easily defensible Different Space, their fate would be to become vassals of a Demon Lord at best.

If they were unlucky and offended some force, their clan would likely be annihilated.

"Shu, stop fooling around."

"This Lord is not someone you can offend!"

Momiji quickly stood in front of Rin, staring intently at the man named Shu and the Tengu following him.

The worst-case scenario had occurred, making things very difficult for Momiji.

"What's wrong!"

"You haven't even made a decision yet, and you're already so submissive, calling him 'Lord' over and over."

"Momiji, do you still have the honor of being a Tengu Clan member?"

Perhaps Momiji's words provoked them, immediately drawing curses from these Tengu.

"Enough!"

"Last warning, get back immediately!"

Momiji was getting angry, her magicules surged around her, clearly intending to suppress them with force.

No matter what, she couldn't let them continue to cause trouble.

In just this short time, Momiji had already felt the murderous gazes from Snow Empress and Ice Empress.

If she didn't act faster, they would make a move.

Adding to that the Tengu whose attention had been drawn by Shu and the others' obstruction, Momiji already felt that the situation was about to spiral out of control.

For the sake of the Tengu Clan, she was prepared to kill.

(To be continued.)

Chapter 160: Are You Usually This Brave?

"Slap!"

However, just as Momiji opened her folding fan, preparing to subdue those ignorant clansmen, she froze.

She turned her head, only to see Rin passing by her.

At that moment, because of the shock in her heart, Momiji couldn't react at all.

There was nothing she could do. Rin's movement not only interrupted her rhythm but also scattered her magicules.

'How could such a thing be possible?!'

It wasn't an attack, and it didn't harm her, yet it instantly silenced her magicules!

If Benimaru and the others had made Momiji realize that there was always someone stronger, then Rin's presence completely shattered her worldview.

'So, so terrifying.'

Momiji thought.

"Who do you represent?"

Rin stood in front of the group of Tengu. He looked at the young Tengu named Shu and asked, "Is it yourselves, or someone else?"

"You, what do you mean?!"

Shu's magicules were probably around seven thousand.

Similar to Souei back then, he could be considered a young prodigy of the Tengu Clan.

However, with such strength, let alone compared to Momiji, he might not even rank among the top hundred in the Tengu Clan.

It was hard to imagine he actually had the guts to stand in front of Rin.

"Don't you understand?"

Rin sighed, and when he looked up again, Shu felt an unimaginable sense of oppression engulf him completely.

"Then I'll say it again."

As Rin's words fell, the four Tengu who followed Shu collapsed instantly.

They lay on the ground, already unconscious.

And beside them, Shion stood quietly, her eyes filled with the natural confidence of someone who had just taken out trash for Rin.

"So fast!"

Momiji could see Shion's movements, but she was still shocked by how sharp her strikes were.

In an instant, four Tengu were knocked unconscious by Shion.

Not only that, the leg bones of all four were broken by her.

With such injuries, even with the Tengu Clan's secret medicine, they would absolutely not be able to walk for at least ten days to half a month.

"Hoo~"

Momiji didn't blame her at all.

If it were her, she might have struck even harder than Shion.

Now that those people could still keep their lives, Momiji had nothing more to say.

She chose to remain silent.

Then she quietly waited for Rin's next move.

"You, what did you do?!"

"Damn it!"

Only then did Shu notice his companions falling. He was flustered, but he still mustered up the courage to point at Rin and shout, "How dare you attack us in the Tengu Hidden Village! Even with an elder's protection, you won't be able to leave the Divine Mountain today!"

...

Rin wasn't particularly angry, just speechless.

He wanted to ask if the other party was serious.

"Ice Empress."

Rin didn't bother to make another move, because the other party wasn't worth it.

"Hmph!"

The air turned cold in an instant.

The next moment, Shu, who had been shouting, completely turned into an ice sculpture.

"Crack!"

This wasn't the end.

As Ice Empress flicked her finger, the ice sculpture, along with Shu inside, shattered with a sharp bang.

Yes, Rin had killed him.

"The first time, I could tolerate your rudeness."

"But the second time..."

"I truly cannot understand why someone can be so foolish."

Shion's move had already been meant to establish authority—injuring but not killing.

It both showed Rin's prestige and gave the Tengu Clan some face.

But what was with Shu's behavior?

Was he really that brave?

Not only was he unafraid, but he dared to point at Rin's nose, question him, threaten him, and even tell him he couldn't leave the Tengu Divine Mountain.

Good heavens.

Even Kaede and Momiji wouldn't dare to say such words.

"Sorry, it was my dereliction of duty!"

Momiji had only seen Rin's gentle side before.

Now that she thought about it, how could someone who could subdue Benimaru and her father be without authority?

Rin was not a gentle Japanese protagonist.

For Rin, he could accept enemies fighting to the death and even quite admired such resolve.

But he could not tolerate the foolishness of others.

"Who is behind him?"

"And what are the conflicts of interest?"

Rin released the restraints on Momiji and said calmly, "Tell me everything from beginning to end."

"Uh, that..."

Momiji didn't know how to explain.

After all, she was just a little girl, completely lacking her mother's experience.

"If there are internal conflicts, then resolve internal conflicts."

"Don't worry, speak boldly."

Rin said, "I am not here to enslave the Tengu Clan, but to make you my people, my companions."

"So, whatever your needs are, just tell me."

"As long as I can solve it, I will try my best to help you."

As a lord, he had an obligation to help his subjects solve their troubles. Rin would not let the Tengu Clan pledge one-sided loyalty.

"Rin-sama."

Benimaru saw that Momiji was flustered and said, "Please let Elder Kaede discuss these matters with you."

"Benimaru, you..."

Rin looked at Benimaru meaningfully, making the young man's face turn completely red.

"Knowing how to protect women, not bad, Benimaru."

Rin patted Benimaru's shoulder lightly and said with a smile, "Alright, you guys continue to lead the way."

Rin did not make things difficult for Momiji. He returned to his previous peaceful demeanor, completely ignoring the dead Shu and the four unconscious Tengu.

Rin had asked Shu in what capacity he was standing before him.

If Shu could represent the hawk faction, Rin would not have acted so decisively.

He would have had Shu bring the hawk faction members over.

Then, depending on the situation, he would decide whether to kill them all.

Anyway, the Tengu Clan was going to become his people, so what did it matter to clear out some parasites and fools in advance?

Any race certainly has a few reclusive individuals.

Unless it was like the Goblins, who were on the verge of extinction, or monsters with sparse populations like the Ogre Clan or the Starfang Wolf Clan.

Otherwise, when the forest is big, there are truly all kinds of birds.

"That just now, that was already considered a declaration of war, right?"

On the way, Snow Empress voiced her opinion.

"Basically equivalent to a declaration of war."

Artoria was a monarch; she had fought countless wars.

Therefore, no one here had more right to speak than her.

(To be continued.)