bookbashuk Page 223
Page 223
For no other reason than that this dance is, in a sense, not for humans, but for the gods. Humans can watch it, but they must stand and watch it with reverence and sincerity.
As the curtain rose, six girls dressed as shrine maidens stood on the stage. Although it was the same outfit, each of them wore it with a different flair.
The Kagura bells of the six girls waved forward gently, each girl making the exact same movement.
That crisp sound struck straight to the depths of one's heart.
Saya Yanase slowly began to sing Kagura a cappella.
In this field, Saya Yanase is unmatched.
She is the number one shrine maiden of the new generation.
The girls danced to the Kagura music of Sayasue Yanase. If the previous performance of the piano and violin combination was the epitome of elegance, then the girls' ritual dance was absolutely graceful.
A pure and innocent young girl presents herself to everyone with her graceful figure.
There was nothing bordering on the offensive; it was simply the beauty and grace of a young girl.
The appearance of the sacrificial dance on this stage is a complete game-changer; no other program can compare.
True beauty and true art have their place in any era.
The dance that belongs only to the gods is now being displayed before the world; this is an absolute blessing.
And this blessing ended before anyone even realized it.
Everyone stood up, and no one reacted in time.
Saya Yanase and the girls bowed and then left.
Thus, the girls' sacrificial dance came to a perfect end. The girls' coordination was flawless, a testament to their hard work over the past few days.
Next up is the stage play by Kazesawa and Ruri Shinbo.
At this moment, Kazema was wearing a tattered kimono, his face covered in special effects makeup, and he was already drowsy in the waiting room.
Liuli Xinbo, on the other hand, was wearing general's armor, which had some dents, blood on his face, and his hair was a bit messy. He exuded a powerful and murderous aura.
In the morning, Liusha was holding the script, not even having time to change her clothes.
"You two, it's your turn. Good luck!"
Liuli Xinbo nodded, while Feng Zejian nodded a beat later.
The female host continued announcing the program.
"Next up is another performance by the members of the Spirit Research Society: a stage play, 'No End,' narrated by: Zaojian Liusha, performed by: Fengzejian as Fengyuanping, and Liuli Xinbo as Akimichi Longwu."
A stage play, this is a format never before seen, and a rare two-person stage play.
The female host left the stage, but the curtain did not rise. Zaojian Liusha's sweet voice was transmitted to the entire venue through the microphone.
"Once upon a time, there were two close friends from different countries who met by chance at the same dojo. Their first encounter ended in a fierce battle, and it was through this fight that they got to know each other. They competed against each other, lived together, and forged an unimaginably deep friendship. Both of them had lofty dreams: one wanted to become the world's greatest swordsman, while the other wanted to become a qualified general and lead his country to glory."
"Every year, the two would go to the Maple Kingdom to see the mountains ablaze with red leaves and to the Cherry Blossom Kingdom to admire the crimson cherry blossoms in full bloom. However, war broke out, and the ruler of the Cherry Blossom Kingdom launched a war against the Maple Kingdom. The residents of both countries were sent back to their respective countries, including the two of them. As a result, the two of them embarked on completely opposite and opposing paths."
"Because the Cherry Blossom Kingdom had been plotting for a long time, and the Maple Kingdom's strength on paper was weaker than that of the Cherry Blossom Kingdom, it broke through several of the Maple Kingdom's defenses in succession. It was a very fierce and unequal battle, so unequal that the Maple Kingdom only had one last fighting force left. That person was none other than Kaede Haruhira, the prince of the Maple Kingdom, and he was facing Akimichi Takatake's massive army besieging the city."
"But Akimichi Takatake, out of guilt and reluctance to part with his close friend, chose a one-on-one match."
As the curtain rises, we see Feng Yuanping, played by Feng Zejian, wearing tattered black clothes and supporting himself with a wooden sword. His body trembles slightly, and he looks incredibly exhausted, as if he is constantly on the verge of collapse.
On the other hand, Akimichi Ryūtake, clad in armor and full of vigor, looked at the trembling Kaedehara Hei before him.
“My dear friend, give up. You’ve already lost. There’s no need to keep going. Come to my side. You’ll have endless riches and glory.”
Kaedehara Hei laughed, but his eyes gradually turned cold as he laughed: "Hahahaha, are you trying to bribe me? Do you know who I am?"
Akimichi Takatake's tone was flat.
“I know, the prince of the Maple Kingdom.”
"Then do you know who you are?"
"A general from the Land of Cherry Blossoms."
Kaede Hei took a deep breath and slowly said, "Since you know that, why would you say such a thing?"
"I don't want you to die."
Enraged, Kaedehara Heiji pointed his knife at Akimichi Takatake.
"You beasts! You seized my city, slaughtered my people, and now you say you don't want me to die? You are the ones who destroyed the Maple Kingdom with your own hands."
"The weak are destined to be enslaved by the strong, and small countries are destined to be swallowed up by large countries. This is the truth."
Kaedehara Hei laughed, a sickly laugh that made him almost unsteady on his feet.
"Nonsense, utter nonsense! The monarch of the Cherry Blossom Kingdom has turned you into groveling dogs, so that you can pick up a butcher's knife without hesitation and swing it at your neighboring country. This war was unjust from the very beginning. You, your monarch, and the people of the Cherry Blossom Kingdom will all be nailed to the pillar of shame."
“My dear friend, there’s no point in saying all this now. You only have two paths before you: surrender or die.”
Kaedehara Hei gripped the knife tightly in his hand.
"Then I choose to drag you down with me."
Kaedehara Hei was launched like a bullet, and Akimichi Takatake drew his sword to block.
The crisp sound of wooden knives clashing echoed throughout the entire venue.
The two sides were locked in a stalemate; they were putting on a show for real.
Kaedehara Hei gritted his teeth, while Akimichi Takatake frowned.
Akimichi Takatake couldn't help but say, "I didn't expect that you would still have such fighting power even at this level."
Kaedehara Hei. "I don't have much strength, but it's enough to kill you."
“My dear friend, times have changed. You can’t beat me now.”
"Really? But as far as I remember, you've never beaten me."
"This will be the first and the last time."
Chapter 281 Next time, I'm sleepy
The two retreated, each unleashing their deadly moves. The sounds of weapons clashing were frequent, and the scene was dazzling.
Amidst the frequent clashes of weapons, the two also began to chat.
“My dear friend, when was the last time we did this?”
"It was about two years. I remember I broke the weapon, but I was still not satisfied. In the end, I only had the handle left, which I threw at my head, and it gave me a bump."
"Hmph, really."
Akimichi Takatake couldn't help but laugh.
It was this smile that gave Kaedehara Hei a opening, and he stabbed him.
The stabbed area was stained red with blood. This was a specially made prop, but it required external force to activate, causing the bleeding effect.
Kaedehara Hei stopped, and Akimichi Takatake also coughed up blood.
"My dear friend, you're still the same as ever, always saying things that distract you during battle."
"You're still the same as always, always affected by these kinds of words."
Akimichi Takatake wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth.
"Not next time."
Kaedehara Hei carried a wooden sword, his gaze fierce.
"no more chance."
Kaedehara Hei unleashed a power several times stronger than before, a power he gained at the cost of expending his mental energy.
Faced with a deadly attack, Akimichi Takatake could only passively defend himself.
Thrusts, thrusts, slashes, draw swords, crescent moon slashes, slanting crescent moon slashes, and Kaedehara Hei's signature move, Maple Fall.
Faced with the fierce attack, Akimichi Takatake's weapon broke before his body could withstand the strain.
Akimichi Takatake looked at the broken sword.
Kaedehara Hei grinned.
"Things are unfolding exactly the same way they did two years ago, but this time I won't let you off the hook."
Akimichi Ryūryū gripped the broken sword in his hand even tighter.
"Fengyuanping, don't push me. Do you really think you can beat me now?"
Kaedehara Hei smiled bitterly.
"You're not calling me your best friend anymore? Hahaha. You've finally stopped pretending, finally torn off your hypocritical mask and revealed your fierce fangs, haven't you?"
"Then come on."
Akimichi Takatake no longer suppressed himself; even with a broken sword, he was confident he could defeat his opponent.
The two rushed towards each other, each swung their swords, and then switched positions with their backs to each other.
Both of them remained in the same position when suddenly Akimichi Takatake coughed up a mouthful of blood, and the broken sword in his hand was cut down to just the hilt.
Akimichi Takatake looked at the broken hilt of his sword and understood something.
That mouthful of blood was coughed up by the shock, and from the very beginning, Kaedehara Hei's target was Akimichi Taketaka's weapon.
Akimichi Taketaka threw away his sword hilt, turned and ran towards Kaedehara Hei, who dropped his sword and fell backward.
Akimichi Takatake caught Kaedehara Hei at the last moment before he fell to the ground.
Akimichi Takatake looked at his dearest friend in his arms with tears in his eyes and in bewilderment.
"Why? I would have died no matter where you hit me."
"I told you, you can't beat me, but everyone has to win at least once. I'll let you win this time."
Akimichi Takatake asked excitedly, "Didn't you say you were going to kill me? Kill me then! Why aren't you killing me?"
“My dearest friend, I have never truly hated you. I know you were also forced into this situation, and we are both forced into it. My inevitable fate is death, but to die at your hands is enough for me.”
Kaedehara Hei let out a long sigh of relief.
"Peaceful days are truly wonderful."
Seeing Kaedehara Hei's increasingly heavy eyelids, Akimichi Taketaka panicked.
"Don't close your eyes, my dear friend. The cherry blossoms in the Land of Cherry Blossoms are in bloom. I'll take you to see them."
Kaedehara Hei forced a smile.
"Maybe next time, I'm sleepy, I'm going to sleep now, goodnight."
Kaedehara Hei closed his eyes and peacefully passed away in his dearest friend's arms.
At that moment, the death of his close friend made Akimichi Takatake rethink the meaning of war. He was powerless to control his own destiny. Everyone longed for peace, but tragedy always preceded peace.
Is peace born of war truly peace? The death of a close friend stemmed from this unjust war. If one launches a war against a neighboring country simply because of strength, then it is a mistake from the start.
Today we live in the Land of Maple Leaves, but what about tomorrow? What country will we live in?
Akimichi Taketaka made up his mind to bury his best friend's body in the red maple forest. He couldn't stop his best friend's death, but perhaps he could stop the war. Even if there was only a sliver of hope, he would still strive to achieve the beautiful peace his best friend had spoken of, but that would be a long time from now.
As the curtain slowly fell, Liuli Xinbo looked at Feng Zejian, who remained motionless, and patted his face.
Liu Sha came over in the morning.
"Feng Jun is really getting into character."
"It might not be that he was getting into character; he was just really sleepy."
In the morning, Liu Sha nodded thoughtfully.
"No wonder there were a few extra lines in the last line; I thought it was Feng Jun's improvisation."
"This stage play was a resounding success."
Ruri Shinbo smiled. "Let's leave first."
"Ah."
This stage play, with only two actors and a narrator, was indeed exceptionally grand in scale.