The Great Tengu—the Tengu among Tengu, who had lived through endless ages. Among his many inventions were countless noble treasures, some of which occasionally left the hidden realm to be sold. These treasures sometimes became the weapons of heroes, sometimes the secrets of nations, and sometimes the seeds of conflict. Just as Divine Ginseng and Coiled Peaches were sought around the Arcana Kingdom, so too were the Great Tengu’s treasures relentlessly desired.
Those who knew the power of these treasures dreamed of them. They imagined the house of the one who made them, stacked high with such treasures. To obtain even one, they thought, would grant any wish. The treasure vault of these fantasies truly existed.
The Great Tengu stored the vast number of treasures he had personally crafted inside a high mountain at the center of the hidden realm. From the outside, it appeared to be a mere rocky hill—but in truth, it was a mountain of treasure. This was something everyone in the village knew. The Tengu could enter and borrow from it—with permission, of course. Yet in its innermost sanctuary, the noble treasure known as the “Dragon Slayer” existed—and only the Great Tengu knew of it.
Today, for the first time, he allowed someone to enter. The purpose: to deliver the dragon-slaying treasure.
“Great Tengu Cel, this is...”
Suiboku, the strongest man in the world, was speechless before the treasure that lay sealed in the deepest sanctuary.
“Hmm. You need not be told, but yes. This is what it is.”
There, displayed, was a single sword. A Japanese sword sheathed in a slightly dark red scabbard. Seeing it unsheathed would have been terrifying—but even as it remained in its scabbard, Suiboku shivered.
“This... It’s a forbidden technique. A taboo...”
What unsettled him was the material. Not a trace of metal had been used. This sword was made entirely from parts of living beings.
“As the creator of noble treasures, it feels like a defeat to claim such an item as my masterpiece... Yet still, this is the strongest weapon I have ever made.”
Even for Immortals and Tengu, whose sense of morality was weak, this was a forbidden treasure: a treasure made using the body of an Immortal.
“The Forbidden Noble Treasure—Immortal Bone: Twin Right Arms. The blade is ‘Ink.’ The scabbard is ‘Landscape.’ The strongest weapon, created from a human that surpasses the Eight Sacred Treasures.” An unprecedented and unmatched treasure, created by the world’s greatest artisan who dared to break the taboo.
Now, the Great Tengu’s most treasured possession was about to see the light of day.