Enma and Ame no Habakiri were communicating through unique wavelengths. They weren't programmed to follow Kozuki Hiyori's commands. Arceus had simply instructed them to appropriately ensure the safety of their target and allow others to wield their bodies.
Theoretically, Kozuki Hiyori was already safe now, but eliminating danger entirely wouldn't hurt. Enma, seemingly not having played enough, dropped the corpse it had drained and sliced through the night sky towards the fleeing crowd. Ame no Habakiri, on the other hand, stayed behind, returning to rest on its sword rack.
When a person is extremely angry, they may do a lot of unreasonable things, such as running thirty kilometers in one breath, strangling a black bear with an armbar, or punching through a steel plate with one punch.
Of course, such feats aren't impossible in this world.
The assassination attempt pushed Kozuki Hiyori into an intense state of fury. She refused to believe it was the ghost of Kozuki Oden. If such a thing truly existed, it would have appeared long before now—not at this moment.
She was more inclined to believe this was done by the Beasts Pirates. Her own people wanted her dead, while her enemies sought to keep her alive. The absurdity of it all left her speechless.
Especially with those people frequently mentioning Momonosuke. Initially, she wouldn't have reacted so strongly.
Back then, she thought it was a good thing that her brother could leave. It was better than both of them being trapped here together. But as time passed, a feeling of injustice began to grow in her heart.
Especially since those rebels seemed to think she wanted this. Under such circumstances, using Momonosuke as a comparison only deepened the feeling of injustice in her heart.
In a way, they succeeded. They had indeed "killed" Kozuki Hiyori—but the one they killed was the "good" Hiyori. In its place, a new Kozuki Hiyori was born—a Hiyori who had made her choice.
Enma's slaughter continued. As a Cursed Sword, the more it bathed in blood, the stronger it became. Meanwhile, Kozuki Hiyori approached a kneeling figure who was begging for forgiveness.
Whether someone chose to flee or fight, her decision was to kill, but she spared the weeping ones, because in her view, the collapse of their belief was the most severe punishment.
They would never forget what happened today, and their words would further erode the morale of anyone who still dared to resist.
"You forced me to….do this…"
As the figurehead of a puppet regime, she might seem to live a life of comfort and luxury, but the truth was, she bore immense pressure.
Under such high pressure, her mental state had already been stretched thin. These people, in their final moments, only pushed her further—like the final straw breaking the camel's back.
"Should we… take Lady Hiyori to see a doctor? She doesn't seem quite… right…"
Kikunojo whispered softly to the others nearby. Anyone could tell something was off about her.
Kikunojo showed concern, Denjiro looked worried, while Kawamatsu was simply furious—his anger stemming from his self-blame.
"I'll leave this to you all. I've got something to do," Kawamatsu said.
He couldn't tolerate these rebels any longer and turned to follow Enma's path.
…..
"Oh, how boring. Is it already over?"
Not far away, perched on a tree branch, Delia was watching the drama unfold through binoculars. She had hoped for some entertainment at this New Year's festival, but the rebels were so weak that they couldn't even cause a ripple before being completely wiped out.
"Well, that wraps up this year nicely. Now, who should I borrow money from next year?"
Taking out her little notebook, Delia began jotting down her next targets. Thanks to Luxray's ability, she was perfectly suited for this environment. With her X-ray vision, she had already scanned the surroundings, and there were no hidden enemies.
Given Denjiro and Kikunojo's skills, they could handle the aftermath just fine. Not to mention, Ame no Habakiri was still by Kozuki Hiyori's side.
Meanwhile, on Onigashima, Queen was monitoring the results of his work.
At the New Year's Festival, he naturally took on the leading role. Once the celebrations on the island were in full swing, he began inspecting Wano Country's defense systems and began rating the Shinsengumi squads.
The rebels at the cemetery were just one part; there were many others stirring up trouble across Wano Country and inciting chaos.
"Hm, the 5th Squad responded quickly. The 17th Squad's captain should be dismissed—taking ten minutes to reach the scene? What use are they? Kojiro's dog would be more useful."
It was just a small notebook, but with a few simple strokes, Queen decided who would be promoted and who would be removed. At the same time, he was further improving the surveillance network within Wano Country, aiming for zero blind spots on the main roads.
"Muhahaha! CP0, if you've got the guts, come at me! Let's see how you escape my surveillance! Everyone, are you ready to enjoy my exquisite dance moves?"
Watching as the order was gradually restored in Wano Country, Queen returned once more to the grand stage of Onigashima. Today, there was no Tesoro, no Uta, and no Ann.
Although it was New Year, they were busy with celebrations elsewhere and couldn't make it here. In such a situation, Queen took complete control of the stage, becoming its sole star.
....
In contrast to the revelry on Onigashima, the festive atmosphere in the Flower Capital had been thoroughly disrupted. A group of people had been locked in a temporary prison, and many others were sent to the hospital for treatment.
Those people hadn't resorted to random killings, but to cause a commotion, they set fires and ignited a lot of explosives. However, the resulting stampede caused many people to be injured. Thanks to the efforts of the Shinsengumi, order was slowly restored, but many people still didn't understand what had transpired.
Squirtle were busy extinguishing fires, while Hyogoro led his men to clean up the aftermath. However, everyone harbored deep resentment toward the arsonists. The New Year's Festival, meant to be a joyful occasion, had been gravely disrupted by their actions.
Some had friends or family injured in the chaos. In stark contrast, the primary targets—Kozuki Hiyori and Kojiro—were affected very differently. Hiyori nearly turned dark, while Kojiro remained entirely unscathed.
Several Bisharp were wiping the blood off their arms with handkerchiefs. After Kojiro gained their recognition, he became the general they protected. These people had no chance of breaking through the Bisharp's defensive circle, let alone with Little Kai by his side.
The combination of Arcanine and Bisharp meant that Kojiro didn't even need to lift a finger to resolve the situation.
The chaos caused by the rebels lasted less than an hour. Aside from ruining the New Year Festival's atmosphere, they achieved almost nothing. Instead, their actions only resulted in Kozuki Hiyori's descent into darkness.
At first, she was forced to act as the figurehead of the puppet regime, feeling somewhat unwilling in her heart, but now, she had completely given up.
The first official decree of the New Year requiring her seal was related to the previous night's unrest. But not only did Kozuki Hiyori cooperate fully, she even offered her own suggestions for the decree.
****Please support on pat*eon for extra chapters; there is date to date subscription enabled on patreon. [There is a 7-day trial version availabe on patreon.]
https://www.pat*eon.com/dmtranslations
You can read ahead upto 75 chapters on my pa*reon.