Tatsunosuke's eyes widened as he quickly got to his feet, grabbing the wooden staff that lay on the ground. In a nervous yet angry voice, he demanded, "You again! Where the hell have you taken me? And who the hell are you!?"
The man in the black kimono, adorned with striking red spider lilies, gripped the brim of his kasa hat, tilting it slightly as he spoke in a calm, almost dismissive voice.
"You've barely woken up, and you're already yelling. Have some mercy on my poor ears..."
Tatsunosuke's expression darkened, his anger mounting with every passing second. His patience was wearing thin, and the man could clearly see it. With a sigh and a faint smirk, the man relented.
"Fine, fine. To answer your question, we're at the Sanzu River. Take a good look around you, Tatsunosuke."
Tatsunosuke hesitated, his grip tightening on his wooden staff. Slowly, he turned his gaze to his surroundings.
He stood on a riverbank, the ground soft beneath his feet. Lush clusters of spider lilies bloomed along the edge of the water, their crimson petals swaying gently in the breeze. The river itself stretched endlessly into the distance, a red bridge spanning it, disappearing into the horizon as though it led to nowhere.
Above, the sky was bathed in perpetual dusk. Both the sun and the moon hung in the heavens at the same time, their light casting a surreal glow over the water's surface.
For a fleeting moment, the sight was beautiful — mesmerizing, even. The tranquil landscape almost made Tatsunosuke forget his anger and confusion.
Almost.
But then his gaze drifted down to the water.
What he saw beneath the surface froze him in place. His blood ran cold as he stared into the clear depths of the river.
The bottom was teeming with writhing serpents — dozens, no, hundreds of them, slithering through the water. Their fangs sank into the flesh of the people trapped at the riverbed, their victims writhing and screaming in agony. The snakes tore into them without mercy, biting and chewing until flesh and bone gave way.
And the people — they weren't alone.
There were figures, humanoid but twisted and monstrous, with skin the color of dried blood. Demonic beings, each one more grotesque than the last, moved among the damned. Some dragged desperate souls back to the depths when they tried to swim to the surface, while others took sick pleasure in torturing their victims, ripping them apart slowly and savoring their suffering.
Tatsunosuke stumbled back from the water's edge, his chest heaving. Sweat dripped down his face as he struggled to keep his composure.
"What the hell is this…?" His voice trembled. "Where am I? WHERE THE HELL HAVE YOU TAKEN ME!?"
The mysterious figure let out a long sigh, his tone calm yet slightly exasperated.
"Didn't I tell you we're at the Sanzu River? Wait… you don't know what that is?"
He shook his head slowly, a touch of disbelief in his voice.
"Geez, have people really forgotten about their culture? Well, I'll answer both your questions. We're at the Sanzu River. It's the river souls must cross before being reborn or sent to their final realm. There are three paths a soul can take along this river..."
The figure raised one finger.
"First, if you've lived an honorable life, a good person, you can cross the bridge and reach your destined destination without ever touching the water."
He raised a second finger.
"Second, there's the shallow ford for those with mixed deeds — those who may not be entirely good but aren't wholly evil either."
He raised a third finger, his expression darkening slightly.
"And for the most malevolent spirits, they have to walk through hell or other lower realms at the bottom of the river. It's filled with infested serpents, and as you can see, demons who torture them and prevent them from swimming their way to the surface."
The figure's gaze hardened as he continued.
"The river's bottom is not only a place of suffering, but it also has powerful currents. It can drag you back 1,273.5 ri per hour if you're not careful."
He let the gravity of his words sink in, his eyes fixed on Tatsunosuke.
The figure sighed deeply, his gaze distant as he continued his explanation.
"And now... who am I, you ask? Well, I'm what they used to call a Michibibito."
He paused for a moment, as if weighing the significance of the word.
"We are beings who guide souls through the Sanzu River, leading them along their respective paths based on their karma. We escort them through multiple realms — the Deva realm, your realm, the human realm, the realm of the Asura, the animal realm... and the worst of all, Hell."
His voice grew quieter, more somber.
"But four of the six realms of the cycle are no longer part of the cycle of rebirth. They've been out of commission for quite a while now. So, I don't guide as many souls to their destinations as I once did."
He looked at Tatsunosuke, his eyes heavy with the weight of his words.
"The only available destinations now are between your realm and Hell. And souls destined for Hell? They don't get the chance to be guided by a Michibibito. Not anymore."
A flicker of frustration passed across the figure's face, his fingers gripping the brim of his hat tighter.
"And thanks to what the Wicked and his followers are doing in Hell, souls can't get purified by the hellfire and leave the realm. So... I'm out of a job, at least for now."
His tone grew more resigned as he finished, the weight of his words hanging in the air.
Tatsunosuke spat in fury, a smirk twisting his lips as he faced the Michibibito.
"It still doesn't tell me what you want from me." He clenched his fists. "If what you're saying is true, and four of the six realms are closed, that means my only destination left is Hell. Pfft! I've been wandering this damn world for thirty-three years... You could've claimed my soul sooner!"
With a sudden burst of movement, Tatsunosuke swung his staff violently, the weapon stopping just centimeters from the Michibibito's face. His voice was laced with anger as he growled,
"But if you think you'll beat me and drag me to Hell, you don't know who you're dealing with."
His stance hardened, and his eyes narrowed, the intensity in his gaze unmistakable.
"I am Umeboshi Tatsunosuke of the Bokujō no Tatsu — the most feared delinquent to ever walk this city. I have a habit of getting tougher with every fight I win… and especially with every fight I lose."
He tightened his grip on the staff, his posture brimming with defiance.
"Don't think for a second you can drag me to that river without leaving behind a trail of broken bones!"
The air crackled with tension, and for a moment, it seemed as if Tatsunosuke might launch into a full attack.
unfazed. The staff seemed to meet an invisible force, snapping cleanly in two as if sliced by the air itself.
Tatsunosuke's eyes widened in disbelief. He stared at the broken pieces of his staff, his mind racing. It's as if the air itself cut my staff...
The Michibibito then slowly removed his kasa hat, revealing his messy grey hair, which tumbled loosely around his face.
"You're right," he said calmly, his voice barely above a whisper. "It doesn't explain why I left the Sanzu River and came to your realm to speak with you. But I suppose the reason is simple…"
He paused, his eyes softening, as though the weight of his words had finally caught up with him.
"I wanted to guide one last soul through that river before finally being reborn. One final journey across the river I've crossed billions of times... To guide one last soul before I die — that is my wish, Umeboshi Tatsunosuke."
With a flick of his finger, the Michibibito struck the air, sending an invisible force crashing into Tatsunosuke's stomach. The blow caused him to double over, vomiting violently.
Tatsunosuke clutched his stomach, his anger boiling over as he thought to himself, Damn it! Damn it! I get it, I'm weak and stupid. Why the hell does the universe have to keep reminding me of that? After the thousandth time, you'd think I'd get it!
A figure in a black kimono, adorned with red flower patterns, approached. The man stopped before Tatsunosuke, who was crumpled on the ground, and spoke in a low voice.
"If you're aware of your weakness, why not attempt your journey through the river—not toward hell, but to the realm of the Asura?"
Tatsunosuke's expression darkened, and the figure continued, "I know you're thinking, Didn't I tell you that the realm is no longer part of the cycle? Yes, but the path to it still exists. We can enter the realm, though the journey itself is more important than the destination. So let me make a deal with you, Umeboshi Tatsunosuke."
The figure sighed and lowered himself to Tatsunosuke's level, speaking slowly and deliberately.
"You will be the last soul I guide across the river, allowing me to pass on in peace. In return, I promise you this: if you succeed on your journey, you will attain true strength. You will reach satori, the true understanding of your being, and your power will be so immense that to both others and yourself, it will seem as though your very soul has been reborn."
chapter sixty-four end