Chapter 122: The Origin Of Spiritual Realms, Facing The American Yakuza "Boss"!

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Once Riven and his group stepped down the final flight of stairs, they suddenly found themselves in a completely different place.

For a brief moment Riven even felt as if they had walked past a thin veil of concentrated mana and spiritual energy. The sensation immediately put him on high alert.

At the same time it made him realize that the devices he had earlier believed were "Mana Dampeners" were not that at all.

Why would the boss of the Yakuza ever place something that would also weaken his own people?

The so-called "Mana Dampeners" had been something else entirely. They were also one of the biggest reasons why the leader of the American Yakuza Gang that had taken root in Central City’s Eastern Spums had never been found by the authorities.

Riven looked around carefully. They now stood inside a completely separate reality — an ancient medieval Japanese castle constructed mostly of dark wood and weathered stone.

Enormous open halls stretched in every direction, and hundreds of different rooms were sealed behind traditional tatami doors made of thin rice paper.

Label curiously walked toward one of the windows and discovered that it actually functioned as a real window. They were no longer underground.

"W-Wha...! What is this?!" Label muttered in pure disbelief. She had never experienced anything like this before.

Beyond the castle’s walls and windows, vast green mountains, a clear blue sky, and a dense forest stretched out infinitely into the distance.

This felt like stepping into another world... or perhaps a Gate. Yet it did not feel the same as entering a normal Gate.

There was none of the strange sense of uneasiness and constant danger that usually came with entering and exploring Gates. If anything, the atmosphere felt strangely soothing.

That calmness only made Riven even more alert as he turned his gaze toward Kagehisa.

The young ninja smiled back at him with a confident sneer and properly introduced the place.

"This is the boss’s place. It’s not a Domain like the one I created earlier... no. Have you ever heard of a Spiritual Realm, Riven?"

Riven’s eyes darted in every direction as he processed Kagehisa’s words.

He had already begun to suspect it might be something like that.

"Spiritual Realms..." Riven muttered under his breath. "I have heard of them. But they’re incredibly rare, usually only found deep within Spiritual Fountains..."

Spiritual Realms were small pocket dimensions that had awakened due to the worldwide invasion of Gates and the massive flood of Mana into the modern world.

Researchers described them as "pockets of ancient history and mythology" that had been given new life by the Mana of the Apocalypse.

These old places, once filled with natural magic and serving as fountains of spiritual energy, had blossomed once more under the influence of Mana. They had grown larger and more complex than ever before.

They remained incredibly rare overall, and were far more common throughout Asia and Africa, with only a few scattered examples appearing in Europe or South America.

The existence of Spiritual Realms spoke of the ancient history of this world and how it had never been completely devoid of magic. A "great magic drought" had eventually dried nearly all magic from the surface, leading to the modern world that existed before the Gates appeared.

It was a fascinating subject.

"So this bastard brought a fragment of a Spiritual Realm all the way from Japan?" Riven thought.

One incredible feature of Spiritual Realms was that they possessed their own Rulers, and even ordinary humans could take control of them under the right conditions.

Ancient clans such as the Yokai Guild possessed large numbers of Spiritual Realms as part of their ancient inheritances.

The "boss" of this Yakuza group had likely inherited a fragmented piece from his father and turned it into his personal base of operations, allowing him to hide completely from the real world.

That was how he had managed to avoid capture even after the rest of the Yakuza were finally imprisoned thanks to the investigation Riven had conducted in the future he came from.

He had been hiding here the entire time.

"That’s right," Kagehisa laughed. "I was offered one of my own from the Three Old Sages of the Hattori Clan, but I refused. They’re annoying to maintain. If you don’t pour enough resources and time into them, they’ll dry out and might even die. They’re almost like living beings."

"Interesting," Riven nodded while narrowing his eyes.

He was already considering the possibility of taking this entire place for himself.

However, as if reading his thoughts, a great and oppressive presence suddenly manifested.

RUMBLE!

Within the vast wooden corridors where everyone stood, a massive mass of dark-red energy surged upward and took the form of a ferocious ancient shogun.

"Kagehisa, you damn traitorous bastard...! Hahaha...! To think the Hattori clan would betray us! So be it! You and your kids... will die in agony and despair!"

"?!"

"!!!"

"...!"

Suddenly all of the shinobi groaned in intense pain and collapsed to the ground. Red runes appeared across their skin and began attempting to destroy their Meridians and Dantian from within.

"G-Gaaack?! W-What is this?!" Kagehisa coughed up blood. "Y-You bastard...! What did you do to us?!"

The specter laughed coldly.

"Remember the time we first met and drank some good sake together? You all swore your loyalty to me that day," the monstrous shogun-like specter smiled. "Hah, that was when my [Blood Binding Oath] Skill activated! If you ever dare betray me, you will die like the miserable dogs you are!"

"..." Riven stared at the agonizing shinobi with deep contemplation while Label and Noir began to panic beside him.

"And you..." the specter turned its glowing eyes toward Riven. "The bastard who thinks he can walk right into my domain and do as he pleases. I’ll enjoy your slow, agonizing death!"

The tatami doors all along the corridor suddenly slid open, revealing dozens of Yokaified Yakuza who roared and charged from every angle.

"Kill them all and leave none of them alive!"

As the "boss" gave his command, Kagehisa continued groaning in pain on the floor. He screamed with pure fury after realizing he had been tricked in such a cruel way.

"Damn you, Ryuji Kazama!!! I WILL...! KILL YOU WITH MY OWN HANDS!"

Despite the agony coursing through his body, he forced himself back onto his feet and swung Mara and Muse against the incoming Yokaified Yakuza, cleaving dozens of them apart in rapid succession.

Riven heard the raw wrath in his voice and smiled. He walked over and patted the young ninja on the shoulder. "I did feel there was some kind of binding curse inside your bodies when I spread my poison earlier."

"?!" Kagehisa and his three retainers gasped as they heard his words. They suddenly began to feel better, as if their bodies were rapidly recovering from the deadly curse.

"I got you covered," Riven said simply.

The specter of Ryuji Kazama raged as he watched the ninjas slowly recover and even appear stronger than before.

"H-HOW...! HOW IS THAT POSSIBLE?! WHO...! WHO EXACTLY ARE YOU?!"

"I’m the one who’ll take you down once and for all, Kazama."

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