Trampling the Shrine

After walking a little farther, they finally saw the torii gate ahead.

His pace slowed.

Before long, Koji Takeda finally understood what Zhafu intended to do.

Yasukuni Shrine.

The moment those four words flashed through his mind, the blade in his hand lowered even further.

“We’re here.”

Zhafu stood at the entrance and glanced up.

“What are you doing here?” He turned to look at Koji Takeda. “Where are your people? If I came this way, they should have spotted me.”

Koji Takeda’s throat tightened.

“So what are you planning to do?”

“Destroy this place.”

Zhafu clenched his fist as he stared at the enormous torii.

“But I can wait. I’ll wait for your people to come stop me—assuming they want to die.”

Koji Takeda’s face stiffened.

“This isn’t a place where you can do whatever you want.”

“Perfect. I like places where people aren’t allowed to do whatever they want.”

With that, Zhafu started toward Yasukuni Shrine.

The main gate was already closed; visiting hours had ended long ago. There were still staff members inside, and lights shone from beyond the gate.

Zhafu paid none of that any attention. He simply raised his hand and pressed it against the gate.

The next second, both doors tore free from their frames and crashed inward, skidding across the ground.

Koji Takeda stood where he was, cold sweat breaking out across his back.

His swordsmanship had long since reached the level of menkyo kaiden. One could even say that his skill had surpassed the limits of ordinary human ability.

But he couldn’t shove doors like these aside with his bare hands.

He couldn’t do it with a blade, either.

This wasn’t simply a matter of strength.

Zhafu hadn’t even looked like he was exerting himself.

Koji Takeda sent out a message.

“Target has entered Yasukuni Shrine. Repeat, target is not heading for the Imperial Palace. Target intends to destroy Yasukuni Shrine. His strength far exceeds our estimate. Do not attack recklessly.”

After sending it, he put away his phone and followed Zhafu inside.

He didn’t want to see the place destroyed.

According to everything he had been taught, the shrine honored people who had died for their country—heroes and benefactors.

Japanese textbooks had rewritten history until it was almost unrecognizable.

They whitewashed their invasions, presenting them as battles between opposing sides, using careful wording to gloss over all manner of inhuman atrocities.

They also shifted the blame for the war elsewhere.

Schools taught about the atomic bombs, the suffering of the Japanese people, and postwar reconstruction.

They rarely mentioned—and sometimes didn’t mention at all—the lands they had trampled beneath their feet.

Nor did they talk about what the Class-A war criminals had truly done.

That was why those war criminals had been repackaged as national heroes, with a shrine built to honor them.

So, in Koji Takeda’s eyes, this was a place that deserved respect.

Yet he couldn’t deny that Zhafu had chosen his target deliberately.

After all, they all knew how deeply the people of Huaxia resented Yasukuni Shrine.

That left him feeling conflicted.

The grounds of the shrine were beautiful. The scenery was soothing to look at.

It was just a shame that the place enshrined such disgusting people.

That alone was enough to put the person controlling Zhafu in a foul mood.

The sound of the gate being blasted open had clearly attracted everyone’s attention. People began emerging to see what had happened.

The staff came running out one after another.

Some carried radios, while others were still wearing their work vests.

Zhafu stood in the middle of the grounds and stomped one foot down.

The stone path beneath him suddenly shattered.

He looked at the people around him.

“I’ll give everyone one minute. Anyone who chooses to stay will end up just like these stones.”

Everyone froze. They looked at the shattered paving stones, then back at Zhafu.

It wasn’t that they weren’t afraid. They simply hadn’t processed what was happening yet.

A middle-aged man in uniform pointed at him.

“Who are you? The shrine is closed!”

Zhafu looked at him.

“Can’t understand that? Then I’ll put it another way.”

He pointed toward the entrance.

“Run!”

This time, someone moved.

First, two young employees bolted. Then several cleaners followed. Soon, a crowd was rushing for the exit.

They had come to work, not to die with the shrine.

Koji Takeda stood to one side and watched.

Among the crowd, a short man lowered his head and slipped his right hand into his pocket.

Koji Takeda’s eyelid twitched.

He saw the hilt of a blade and immediately raised his hand.

“Yamete!”

He didn’t even know whether he was shouting at Zhafu or at the man.

The short man had already rushed in front of Zhafu.

The next instant, a hole appeared in the man’s forehead. His skull had been pierced straight through, and his body toppled backward.

The small knife fell beside Zhafu’s shoe.

Zhafu remained standing exactly where he was, smiling at the crowd.

“Time’s almost up! Ten, nine, eight, seven…”

This time, no one hesitated.

Everyone who could run did so.

An old man was too slow. Koji Takeda reached out, gave him a hand, and pushed him toward the entrance.

The old man glanced at him, seemingly about to say thank you. But then he noticed the blade in Koji Takeda’s hand, swallowed his words, and somehow ran even faster.

Zhafu counted down to one.

Only a few people remained in the grounds.

They had chosen not to leave.

There were both men and women among them, of various ages, all positioned some distance apart.

Ordinary staff members would never stand like that.

None of them moved. There was no fear in their eyes.

Of course, the shrine contained more than just employees.

Some people had been stationed there specifically to guard the place.

One of them stepped forward.

“This is Yasukuni Shrine. Leave immediately, or we will take the necessary measures.”

Zhafu stared at him.

“Are you all this polite? I’ve already torn down your gate and killed someone, and you’re still asking me to leave.”

The man didn’t answer.

He raised his hand and tossed a small ball onto the ground.

White smoke erupted, concealing his figure.

Koji Takeda lowered his brows.

A homemade smoke bomb.

Then two shuriken flew out through the smoke, both aimed at Zhafu’s throat.

Zhafu didn’t dodge.

With two sharp clangs, the shuriken bounced away.

By the time the smoke cleared, the man who had been standing there had vanished.

Some kind of ninja technique, perhaps.

“What is this, hide-and-seek?”

Zhafu raised his hand.

A white bone burst from the ground and shot diagonally toward a large rock in the distance.

A scream rang out.

The man stumbled out from behind the rock, clutching his throat. Blood seeped between his fingers.

He tried to stand but couldn’t. He dropped to his knees.

Zhafu looked at him.

“You said you’d take the necessary measures. I’m still waiting.”

No one answered.

The remaining people’s expressions changed.

They had assumed Zhafu was merely strong, or perhaps possessed some unusual ability.

Now they realized that he truly had power.

Koji Takeda tightened his grip on his sword, then relaxed it.

He knew he couldn’t act.

If he made a move, he wouldn’t be able to save anyone. He would only get himself killed.

Zhafu tilted his head toward him.

“Why don’t you try talking some sense into them?”

Koji Takeda’s lips moved.

“You think they’d listen to me?”

“You could at least try.”

“Then I’ll advise you not to kill the ones who haven’t attacked you.”

Zhafu nodded.

“You’re willing to advise me, but you don’t dare advise them? You really are a useless bastard.”

The remaining guards exchanged glances.

They had heard him clearly.

As long as they didn’t attack, they could live.

But they had been stationed here precisely so they could fight.

Outside, the sound of vehicles approached, growing louder by the second.

It seemed the Defense Ministry’s people had finally arrived.

Several old men in civilian clothes arrived with them.

Zhafu looked toward the entrance and raised an eyebrow.

“Finally. They’re here.”

He rolled his wrist.

“Then let’s not waste any more time.”