Help! I changed the gender of the male protagonist in the yandere game

The Incident at Gankyo-ji Temple has finally come to an end.

Hyakusuke could finally breathe a sigh of relief, and he also noticed that the return trip was much smoother than the journey to get there.

"The Night Walkers have been following us the entire way."

Old man Matsudaira told him. They had been under the surveillance of the Shadow Weave's Night Walkers throughout the journey.

"It must have been Kutsukitsu Kazuki who secretly sent them. I wonder what other schemes he has up his sleeve..."

The old retainer held a great deal of resentment towards Kutsukitsu Kazuki.

However, Hyakusuke knew that the old man was simply overthinking things. Kutsukitsu Kazuki was probably afraid that they would encounter some danger along the way and had sent the Night Walkers to escort them the entire time.

"Thanks to that, I was able to relax a little."

In his dream, Hyakusuke met Yuki Onna again and explained what he had experienced during this time.

"I see... so things have developed to this point?"

Yuki Onna muttered a few words to herself before straightening her posture again.

"By the way, how was it?"

Lake Master "Kuku" smiled. "How were the results of my special training? Oh, right, you should have used it once already, right? The Gun Saint's technique..."

"Indeed."

Hyakusuke was also very puzzled.

"I only saw it once, but it seems like I learned that gun technique... I can even grasp the trajectory of the spiritual power flow. What exactly is going on?"

He looked at the Lake Master, thinking that she must have done something.

"No, I didn't do anything."

Yuki Onna lit her pipe and took a deep puff.

The rising smoke flickered, and faint smoke rings were exhaled from her beautiful lips, painted with vermilion lipstick.

"That is your own power, called 'Mirroring Power'. This talent is rare, but it has appeared several times in history. It is said that people with this talent can easily imitate the skills of others."

The Lake Master slowly explained, "This is a terrifying skill. Whether it's a spell meticulously researched by a mage, a sword technique painstakingly practiced by a swordsman, a fist art honed by a martial artist, or a natural ability, some divine technique, demon technique, or miracle, a person with perfect Mirroring Power can master it in an instant."

"That's an exaggeration, isn't it?"

Hyakusuke's face was filled with astonishment.

"However, your 'Mirroring Power' isn't that miraculous. I think... your Mirroring talent can only be focused on the field of gunnery."

Yuki Onna asked, "You should have noticed in the past that you have a unique talent in the field of gunnery, and that your use of guns is much stronger than other weapons, right?"

"That's right."

Hyakusuke nodded.

"In fact, only those with 'complete Mirroring Power' can achieve that level of perfectly stealing the skills of others, even to the point of reproducing talents and abilities."

The Lake Master explained, "Your half-baked Mirroring Power can only reproduce skills in a specific field. Your ability can only be limited to gunnery."

"Oh."

Hyakusuke nodded.

This should be a skill specialization for "gunnery".

"That's why I had you challenge the Gun Saint."

Yuki Onna continued to explain.

"As long as you keep fighting the Gun Saint, you will be able to comprehend the Gun Saint's gun techniques that are not passed down to the world. However, learning the Gun Saint's gun techniques is only part of it; the key is to learn the 'tactics' that the Gun Saint used back then."

"Tactics?"

"That's right. The Gun Saint's tactics are crucial to you."

The Lake Master said slowly, "You should have experienced the power of the Gun Saint in your fight, right? But what I'm about to say next may be difficult for you to accept. In fact, after being weakened by twenty times, the difference between the Gun Saint's spiritual power and yours is only about two times after a discount."

"T-That's impossible, right?"

Hyakusuke couldn't believe this statement. According to Yuki Onna's statement, the Gun Saint's total spiritual power is only twice his own. How could such a thing exist?

"That's the wonder of the Gun Saint's tactics."

Yuki Onna explained, "Due to a past accident, the Gun Saint's own power cannot be fully exerted and is often limited... Therefore, she almost never uses her full strength, and even in battle, she will experience problems such as excessive consumption and depletion of spiritual power."

This is a very dangerous sign during battle. The Gun Saint also discovered her weakness, and in order to solve this problem, she also specifically developed techniques for 'honing spiritual power'.

She must have spent three hundred years putting her energy into it. In the later stages, she also developed the combat technique of "ten percent skill, zero percent power."

This is a tactic that pursues winning with weakness and technique over strength. After creating this tactic, the Gun Saint's own skills went a step further, reaching a transcendent realm.

"When the Gun Saint attacks, she hardly consumes any extra power. Each strike only emits spiritual power at the moment of impact. Her attacks are very precise and accurate, without the slightest waste of power."

Yuki Onna continued to explain, "This is because the Gun Saint has honed the spiritual power in her body to the limit. Each of her strikes is driven by the smallest amount of power, and her control over power is beyond the understanding of ordinary people. This creates the illusion that she is making those exaggerated movements, but in reality, she is not consuming much power."

"The Gun Saint has cultivated for hundreds of years to reach this realm. Generally speaking, ordinary people cannot learn her techniques because it takes too much time, but your Mirroring Power can skip this stage and gradually acquire this technique by exploring her gunnery."

"In addition, the Non-Seasonal Fruit you swallowed can help you create a spiritual core, plus the mermaid meat can strengthen your spiritual power recovery level. If you also learn the Gun Saint's tactics of 'honing and refining spiritual power' and winning with weakness, your strength will break through your current bottleneck and enter an unimaginable realm."

"Wait a minute."

Hyakusuke interrupted her.

"Isn't there something wrong with your statement? Didn't the Gun Saint die after the great war a hundred years ago?"

"No way~~"

The Lake Master laughed.

"That guy isn't that easy to die... After the great war, she found a chance to fake her death and should be hiding somewhere living well. Among the Four Saints, only the Bow Saint has truly passed away. That one had no attachment to the world. The Sword, Gun, and Fist Saints are all doing well."

This, this is really a big secret.

The game story of "Oboro Moon" doesn't have any explanation in this regard, because the active period of the "Four Saints" was one hundred and fifty years ago. Basically, only the Sword Saint, Kibune Kyouunsai, has appeared once... The other "Three Saints" are all background characters.

"I see..."

Hyakusuke crossed his arms and asked another question.

"But, if I learn the Gun Saint's gunnery, will there be a problem if I encounter the Gun Saint herself, or the Gun Saint's disciples or successors?"

He had heard rumors about some island nation schools that seemed to value inheritance very much. If the school's skills were stolen, they would send people to track them down or directly kill the person who stole the skills.

"It's okay."

Yuki Onna waved her hand.

"The Gun Saint herself doesn't really care about inheritance... Speaking of which, she used to create a school, but it was destroyed by war. The disciples she guided have all died after so much time."

This Lake Master seemed to be quite familiar with that Gun Saint and knew a lot of inside information.

"In fact, because of something that happened hundreds of years ago, the Gun Saint has not taken any more disciples and has refused to teach anyone the gunnery she created... I don't think you will have a chance to meet her, and even if she finds out that you can use her gunnery, she shouldn't care too much."

Suddenly, Yuki Onna seemed to have thought of something, and her face became a little gloomy.

"However, I still need to remind you... Learning the Gun Saint's gunnery won't bring you any trouble, but if you encounter a man who can also use the Gun Saint's gunnery like you, you must remember what I'm about to say—"

The Lake Master's eyes suddenly turned serious as she said.

"Run."

"Be sure to run as far as you can... Never, ever try to fight that guy."

...

Although he didn't know why the Lake Master said those words, he kept this reminder firmly in his heart.

During the next few days of the return trip, he would be arranged into the mirage by Yuki Onna after nightfall to engage in fierce battles with the Gun Saint.

No, to call it a fierce battle would be more like a situation of being instantly killed.

After waking up, he subconsciously touched his chest. The pain of being torn apart and pierced through the heart by a gun blade in the dream still lingered in his body.

"However, the Gun Saint's attacks are slightly different each time. Thanks to this fighting style, I have really learned something."

Hyakusuke looked at his right hand.

To be precise, he was sensing the "spiritual tubes" of this hand—the channels through which spiritual power flows and circulates, similar to the meridians in traditional Chinese medicine—except that the game claimed that these were innate organs of spirit users.

Ordinary people who lack spiritual power, although they also have residual spiritual power in their bodies, that is the residual force of life energy emission. Without spiritual organs like spiritual tubes, they cannot achieve complete circulation of spiritual power. Whether it is fighting or casting spells, it is basically impossible.

"The Gun Saint's spiritual power operation is really strange. It seems to be compressing spiritual power to indirectly improve the efficiency of spiritual power, or maybe not..."

Hyakusuke could only make some guesses based on his feelings.

In short, if the spiritual power flowing in the spiritual tubes of ordinary people is like water, then the spiritual power in the Gun Saint's spiritual tubes is like strands of silk... The use of power is also very strange. He felt that it would take a lot of time to learn.

'After all, Mirroring Power only allows me to learn gunnery. More specific tactics still need to be explored...'

A few days later, the group returned to the territory of the Black Princess Mountain clan.

Hyakusuke thought that he might be able to rest well for a while after returning.

However, not long after returning, Hyakusuke was called by the Ninja Chief, Takamasa.

"Good work..."

Takamasa sat at his desk without even raising his head.

"Your report has already been transmitted by the Sending-Message Shikigami. You did a good job this time."

He was holding a writing brush in his hand and writing quickly on the scroll, while saying indifferently, "Originally, after this job was over, I should have let your people rest for a while... However, there is now an important matter that requires you to come forward."

Takamasa stopped his movements and placed the writing brush on the brush rest on the table.

"Speaking of which, Hyakusuke, you should have heard about Dewa Province, which is also the legend of the Heavenly God Cherry Tree, right?"

He calmly explained, "That is a divine cherry tree that blooms once every ten years, and it is also the most powerful guardian god of Dewa Province... Every time the divine cherry tree blooms, Dewa Province will hold a grand festival. This time, for some reason, the divine cherry tree bloomed early and is considered an auspicious sign."

"Dewa hopes that the Black Princess Mountain clan of Mutsu will participate in this festival and has extended an invitation to the clan. After an emergency discussion within the clan, it was decided to send someone to Dewa Province. This time, the person leading the way will be Miss Kudzu Flower."

"——Hyakusuke, for the trip to Dewa, please accompany Miss Kudzu Flower..."

Are you kidding me?

'Why did the Heavenly God Cherry Tree bloom early?'

Hyakusuke almost froze in place due to shock. He clearly remembered that in the original main story, the Heavenly God Cherry Tree of Dewa would bloom next year. Has even the main story been brought forward this time?

'Damn it... The protagonist, Yami's, "ability" hasn't been activated yet. What should I do if I really encounter the main story?'

He realized once again that reality would never develop as he expected.