Chapter 118: Silver Soul (Final Chapter)

Opening to page 1112 of the Great Universe Species Registry, one finds the entry for the Bujiu tribe—a race officially declared extinct. Their unique ability was to replicate any living organism they had touched. Because of this, the Bujiu were invaded by other planets time and again, eventually meeting a tragic fate of slaughter.

"Lord White Yasha, what is your choice now? Do you truly believe you can distinguish your companions? The Bujiu tribe's mimicry is not a simple imitation of appearance; they even replicate abilities. Now, will you choose to watch your companions kill each other, or will you choose to save Chief Okakura?" Kimura asked with a sneer.

"..." Gintoki remained silent, glaring at Kimura, the veins bulging on the hand gripping his wooden sword.

Okakura Take watched the group of people fighting and suddenly had an idea. She hurriedly called Gintoki over.

"Gin-san! I have a way to identify them!"

Hearing this, Kimura sneered, "Okakura, have you become a coward clinging to life? Are you trying to find a way to extend your own?"

"Kimura..." Okakura Take was incensed. Squinting at him, she said, "Do you want to make a wager with me?"

"What kind of wager?" Kimura asked.

"Let's see if I can identify my companions. If I lose, I give you my heart. If I win, you let us go. How about that?"

"..." Kimura pondered for a moment. He looked at Sakata Gintoki, then at the group embroiled in combat, and nodded. "Heh, fine. But you must keep your word. If you lose, give me your heart."

"Deal," Okakura Take agreed decisively.

"Take, can you really tell those shadow clones apart? Do you have the Sharingan or something?" Gintoki leaned in to ask.

"Who has a Sharingan?! Gin-san, hurry up and graduate from Jump. Just help me over there; I'm losing my strength," Okakura Take replied.

"Fine. But let's get one thing straight: if you can't activate the Sharingan later, just use the Byakugan. That one's easier to trigger," Gintoki said as he helped her up.

"Gin-san, that’s enough!"

When Gintoki brought Okakura Take to the group of shadow clones, she looked at the figures for a moment before pointing to Hijikata. "I've decided, it's you first! Mr. Hijikata!"

"Me?" All the Hijikatas pointed at themselves in unison.

"That's right. I feel like you're the kindest one, Mr. Hijikata." After saying this, Okakura Take pulled a few members of the Ghost Relic tribe aside and whispered instructions in their ears. Gintoki, standing nearby, felt his face darken.

This was a trap within a trap!

Kimura kept his eyes fixed on Okakura Take’s actions, his arms crossed and his gaze icy. Watching her, he recalled that slap she had given him during the Joui War and the threats she had made; he had never forgotten that humiliation...

After receiving Okakura Take's instructions, the Ghost Relic tribesmen left and returned ten minutes later with a cart full of supplies—stoves, pots, vegetables, and fruit. They quickly set up a cooking station, lit the burners, and whipped up a dozen plates of fried rice.

"Ah, it smells so good. My stomach is growling..." Gintoki rubbed his belly, unable to resist leaning in.

"I'm hungry, aru..." A group of Kaguras nearby also prepared to drift over.

"Wait! Not yet. Both of you, hold it in!" Okakura Take hurriedly stopped them. This food was crucial; it would be a disaster if these two ate it all.

There were twelve Hijikatas in total, and the Ghost Relic tribe had made exactly twelve plates of fried rice.

"Alright, Mr. Hijikata, please come and taste this fried rice," Okakura Take said, gesturing to the plates.

"You think you can tell the real one just by eating fried rice?" Kimura sneered.

"Before that, I need to add a little seasoning—the one you love most, Mr. Hijikata..." A wicked smile appeared on Okakura Take’s face. She pulled back a white cloth covering another supply pile, revealing a mountain of mayonnaise!

"Come on! Time to make the Hijikata Special!" Smiling, Okakura Take took bottle after bottle of mayonnaise and squeezed them onto the plates of fried rice.

"What is that! How disgusting!" Kimura couldn't help but cover his mouth.

Once every plate was smothered in mayonnaise, Okakura Take gestured, "Come, Mr. Hijikata, hurry and taste the dish I’ve prepared for you."

As soon as she said this, she noticed the expressions of many of the Hijikata clones change.

"Ah, after moving around so much, I'm hungry too." Only one of the twelve clones stepped forward, picked up a plate, and started eating.

"It seems this is the real Mr. Hijikata..."

"Wait a minute!" Okakura Take was interrupted before she could finish. Another Hijikata stepped out of the group and said, "Don't jump to conclusions so quickly. I can eat it too."

That clone walked over to the table, picked up a plate, and shoved it into his mouth. After only a few bites, his expression shifted, but he forced himself to swallow and took a few more mouthfuls.

"Not enough mayonnaise. How can you call this a Hijikata Special with so little?" The first Hijikata picked up several more bottles and squeezed them into the rice.

"Delicious!" Hijikata shoveled the mounds of mayonnaise into his mouth with an intoxicated look.

"Ugh..." The other Hijikatas, unable to handle the nauseating visual, all collapsed and reverted to their original forms. The real Hijikata had been found.

"That's one," Okakura Take said, casting a smug look at Kimura.

"Next, everyone who is Otae, please come over and fry an egg for me," Okakura Take said, turning to the Otae clones.

"Eh? Fried eggs? Sure." There were eight Otae clones. The Ghost Relic tribesmen immediately set up more cooking stations. Okakura Take realized her "useless" tribesmen weren't so incompetent after all.

The eight Otaes began frying eggs. Their movements all looked proficient, but one of them caught everyone's attention.

"I love frying eggs..." That Otae tapped an egg against the edge of the pan. Crack. The shell broke, and the yolk and white flowed into the pan. The hot pan immediately emitted a black vapor that twisted into the shape of a skull. The onlookers could even hear the skull emitting a shrill scream...

"..." Okakura Take knew that was definitely Otae! Only Otae’s hands could produce so many poor, spectral egg-ghosts!

"..." The others hurriedly rubbed their eyes, trying to convince themselves it was an illusion!

Finally, all the eggs were finished. Compared to the others, the real Otae’s creation stood out. No matter how bad the others were, there wasn't a swirling black vapor hovering over them...

"That is the real Otae!" Okakura Take pointed to the woman who had produced the dark, cursed egg.

"Hehehe." Otae covered her mouth and giggled, a sound that made the other Otaes shudder. They looked down at the eggs on their own plates, then at Otae's... No matter how they transformed, they couldn't conjure such terrifying eggs! This wasn't cooking; this was harvesting the souls of eggs!

The other Otaes dejectedly reverted to their original forms, clearly shaken.

"Alright, Otae, please fry a few more plates. The more the better," Okakura Take requested.

"Oh? Really? That's great! I hadn't fried enough yet," Otae said, returning to the stove happily.

Ten minutes later, Otae had produced several plates of dark egg dishes. Okakura Take called the Kondo and Kyuubei clones over. "Everyone, come and eat these eggs to prove your love for Otae!"

As soon as she said this, the expressions of the Kondo and Kyuubei clones changed. They hesitated as they looked at the plates of eggs wafting black smoke. This was even more terrifying than the mayonnaise dish! It felt like eating them would lead to death! Were these people perverts? Why was everyone's taste so bizarre?

Across the table, Otae smiled at the group of Kondo and Kyuubei clones, a look that seemed to say—eat it, or I'll kill you...

"I'll eat!"

"I'll eat!"

Two figures stepped out from the group and approached the table to pick up the eggs.

"As long as it's a dish made by Otae's own hands, I love it," Kyuubei said softly, looking at the egg.

"I feel so blessed to be able to eat a dish made by Miss Otae," Kondo said, his eyes welling with tears.

Both of them shoved the eggs into their mouths.

Bang! They both collapsed with foam bubbling from their mouths.

"..." the clones.

Thank goodness they didn't eat them!

After witnessing the miserable state of the real Kondo and Kyuubei, the other clones refused to touch the eggs at any cost, and thus the real ones were identified.

Okakura Take checked the remaining group: Kagura, Sarutobi, Tsukuyo, and Sougo. These were the tough ones...

Suddenly, her eyes lit up. She had an idea!

"Gin-san! Take off your underwear, quickly!" Okakura Take turned to Gintoki.

"What? You want my underwear as a souvenir too?" Gintoki asked with dead eyes.

"Don't talk nonsense! Hurry up and find a place to take them off and give them to me," she commanded.

"Fine. If you want them that badly." Gintoki walked off into the distance, hid behind some bushes, and took them off.

A few minutes later, he returned, dangling a pair of pink strawberry-patterned boxers. "Here are Gin-san's boxers. Keep them safe."

"..." Okakura Take remembered that the curly-haired man had been wearing these exact ones just a few days ago...

She gingerly took the odorous strawberry boxers and turned to the Sarutobis. "Who wants these?"

"Gin-san's underwear! I want it!" Before the words had even faded, one Sarutobi lunged out and snatched them from Okakura Take's hand.

"Ah, it's Gin-san's... ugh..." Sarutobi sniffed the boxers and couldn't help but gag, but she didn't let go. Okakura Take knew this was the real Sacchan; she had seen her steal the deadbeat's underwear many times.

"..." Okakura Take.

"Kimura, I've identified my companions. Remember, you must keep your word." Okakura Take turned to Kimura.

"Hmph, we'll see if you can identify everyone first," Kimura sneered.

With the remaining three, Okakura Take decided to speed things up. After plying all the Tsukuyos with alcohol, the "Destruction Queen" Tsukuyo emerged. Okakura Take watched as the one with the reddest face and the most violent drunken rampage stood out; it was undoubtedly Tsukuyo. The other imposters were kicked aside by her fury...

"..." Okakura Take decided she would never get Tsukuyo drunk again unless absolutely necessary.

The Kaguras were easy to resolve. Okakura Take simply told them to eat until they couldn't anymore. The one who didn't collapse at the end was definitely Kagura!

Sure enough, half an hour later, only the real Kagura remained standing amidst a pile of bloated, defeated clones.

Finally... Okakura Take looked at Sougo. He was the hardest to deal with.

"Only I'm left. How do you plan to find the real me, Chief Okakura?" All the Sougos wore wicked smiles.

"As for you, Mr. Sougo, I've already figured it out," Okakura Take said with a cunning grin. "Everyone! The real Sougo is hiding in the middle. Go find him! Use any method you want!"

As soon as she finished, the others' eyes lit up—especially Hijikata and Kagura. They immediately charged at the Sougo clones, and the rest joined in, raining down kicks and punches.

"Wait! I'm not that durable! You're actually sneaking attacks in? Ahhh, stop!" The Sougo clones wailed.

"Stop! I'm not the real one!"

"Me neither!"

"Spare me!"

Ten minutes later, the real Sougo was lying on the ground alongside a group of Bujiu tribesmen. He had been beaten out by the crowd, with Hijikata and Kagura delivering the heaviest blows. Okakura Take even noticed the satisfied smiles on their faces as they pummeled the clones...

Sougo-kun, you'd better lie there for a while longer...

"Alright, my companions have all been identified. Kimura, you should fulfill your promise now," Okakura Take said, looking at Kimura.

"..." Kimura didn't speak, only staring at her in silence.

"Kimura!" Okakura Take shouted, glaring at him. "What, are you planning to break your word?"

"..." Silence.

"Kimura?" She called out to him. Suddenly, she felt something wrap around her ankle. She looked down to see a snake tail dragging her into a hole in the ground.

"..." Okakura Take. Damn it! This guy used a clone too! The silent Kimura over there was a fake!

"Take!" Gintoki shouted, trying to grab her, but Kimura’s tail moved too quickly, dragging her straight toward the large black monument.

"Fulfill my promise? Okakura Take, in your eyes, haven't I always been a villain? Did you really think I would keep my word? That's impossible. I just wanted to see your smug face before dragging you into hell." Kimura finished speaking, reached out, and ripped Okakura Take's heart right out of her chest...

"..." Okakura Take hadn't even had time to close her eyes. Plus, her heart was pitch black—how ugly...

Plop. Fresh blood splattered onto the ground, staining the earth and turning Gintoki's eyes red...

"Take-chan!"

"Miss Okakura!"

"Take!"

Everyone roared and rushed toward Kimura. Gintoki, his eyes wide and bloodshot, charged at the front, his face twisted in a ferocious, resolute mask that made him look like a vengeful demon.

"Hahaha, White Yasha, you can't stop me now." Kimura laughed as he placed Okakura Take's heart into a hollow in the center of the monument. The stone monument suddenly radiated light, and the ground began to tremble violently.

"The warship has been activated. I will be its master, and you..." Bang! Before Kimura could finish, Gintoki struck him with his wooden sword, sending him flying.

"...Cough, cough." Kimura clutched his face, retreating as Gintoki approached, his expression murderous.

"White Yasha, I've already killed her, and this planet has become a warship. I can let you work with me; we can conquer the universe together... Oof!" Before Kimura could finish, he was sent flying again.

"Damn it!" Kimura decided he couldn't keep taking hits like this. He crawled toward the monument and triggered a mechanism. A hole appeared in the ground, and he dove in, the opening sealing shut immediately after.

Bang! Gintoki rushed over and struck the hole with all his might, but it didn't budge.

"Ahhh—!" Gintoki hammered at the opening, but couldn't break through.

He turned back to see Okakura Take’s lifeless body lying by the monument, with Kagura, Otae, and the others weeping around her. She was dead...

Dead... just like that. He still couldn't protect the things that mattered, not then, and not now.

"White Yasha! The warship is active! Now it's time for all of you to die!" Kimura’s triumphant voice echoed from the ground.

Countless unmanned fighter jets flew in from the horizon and began their attack, raining dense volleys of bullets down on them.

"Damn it!" Everyone dove behind the monument to take cover. Kagura hoisted Okakura Take’s body onto her back, shielding them with her umbrella.

More and more planes filled the sky, and the gunfire grew more intense. Everyone struggled to dodge the bullets; many Bujiu and Ghost Relic tribesmen were struck down.

"Bastard! Are you going to kill your own people too?" Gintoki roared at the sky.

"Hahahaha, comrades? I am their god. Their lives are in my hands. How they die is for me to decide!" Kimura’s crazed laughter echoed from above.

"Bastard! I'll kill you!" Gintoki bellowed in rage.

"Chief..."

"The Chief is dead..."

"Waaah, Chief..."

At some point, the Ghost Relic tribesmen had gathered around Okakura Take’s body, weeping helplessly. Losing their Chief had plunged them into despair.

"Are you just going to cry! Miss Okakura is dead, and you won't even stand up to fight? Why do you always rely on others instead of fighting for yourselves!" Shinpachi shouted at the weeping tribe.

"Chief!"

"Forgive us, Chief!"

"Chief!"

The tribesmen cried even louder.

"Stop crying. The Chief can still be revived." A hoarse voice suddenly broke through the wailing.

"Eh?" Everyone looked at the speaker. It was Touhouji.

"You said Miss Okakura can be revived?" Shinpachi asked, stunned.

"What's going on? What does 'revived' mean?" Gintoki rushed over and grabbed Touhouji by the collar.

"Gin-san! Let him go, you're making it hard for him to talk!" Shinpachi pulled Gintoki away, and he loosened his grip.

"My father was the former Grand Elder of the Ghost Relic tribe, so I know the secrets of Planet Motoshikuri. But there is another secret that Shiqi didn't know. The reason the Ghost Relic Chief's heart can power this planetary warship is that it functions as a battery. One heart can keep the ship running in space for ten years. But once the ship is activated, every living thing on the planet—except for the Ghost Relic tribe—will die. That's why the Ghost Relic tribe never activates the warship under normal circumstances. This secret has been forgotten by most over the long ages."

"However, the heart's power hasn't been fully drained yet. If you can break the warship's controller—the monument—retrieve the Chief's heart, and put it back, the Chief will come back to life..."

"But the consequence of doing this is that the entire planet of Motoshikuri will be destroyed. You... can you bear the sin of destroying an entire world?" Touhouji asked, head bowed.

"The sin of destroying a planet? I don't care about things like that. I've already shouldered too many sins; one more doesn't matter." Gintoki stood up, grasped his wooden sword, and walked toward the monument.

"Gin-san!"

"Gin-chan!"

Shinpachi and Kagura called out to him.

"Shinpachi, Kagura, I'll do this alone. You guys go find a spaceship," Gintoki said, looking back.

"..." In the end, everyone else left, leaving only Gintoki and Okakura Take's body behind.

"You idiot. I'm going to destroy a planet for you now. Idiot, when you wake up, you better buy me a hundred years' worth of strawberry milk!" Gintoki charged at the black monument.

"Stop! Stop! Are you really going to destroy this planet? Just for one person? You're a lunatic!" Kimura’s panicked screams erupted from the sky.

"Ahhh—!" Gintoki raised his wooden sword high and brought it down on the monument...

Crack! The monument slowly split, the fissure widening until it shattered in two. Gintoki saw the dark, pulsating heart nestled in the crack.

"Ah! White Yasha! You lunatic! Ah, I'm trapped underground and can't get out!" Kimura’s panicked voice drifted up from the depths.

Gintoki walked over, picked up the heart, and returned to Okakura Take. He knelt and slowly placed the heart back into the hollow in her chest. The moment the heart returned, it began to beat slowly, but Okakura Take didn't wake up...

Rumble. The ground began to shake, the earth cracked, and plumes of black smoke erupted from the fissures. The sky grew increasingly gloomy; Planet Motoshikuri was beginning to crumble. Gintoki held Okakura Take tightly in his arms, shielding her from the wind and sand.

Suddenly, a thunderous roar came from the horizon. Gintoki looked up to see a massive spaceship flying toward them, with Shinpachi and Kagura standing on the deck.

"Gin-san!" Shinpachi waved his arms vigorously from the ship.

Finally, the ship came to a stop in front of Gintoki. He carried Okakura Take aboard, and the ship launched, fleeing the dying planet.

During their escape, they saw other ships belonging to the Bujiu tribe fleeing as well. No one went to rescue Shiqi, who was still trapped underground.

"That's the final outcome for false gods..." Gintoki muttered, looking at the sky.

By the time the ship had completely cleared Planet Motoshikuri, Okakura Take woke up. She struggled to crawl to the window to look back.

Planet Motoshikuri was destroyed, burning as a raging fireball in the dark void of space. Faintly, Okakura Take thought she could still hear Kimura’s screams echoing from the planet. The Ghost Relic tribesmen around her wept, for their homeland had finally vanished forever...

"Gin-san..." Okakura Take walked over to Gintoki. She looked up at him and saw the cautious look in his eyes. Was Gin-san worried she would blame him for destroying the planet? Okakura Take couldn't help but hug him tightly.

"I will be with you. Whether it's sin or sorrow, the good or the bad, I will share the burden with you. So... when you are carrying a heavy load, please let me share it with you..." Okakura Take sobbed.

"..." Gintoki didn't speak; he simply reached out and held her tightly, burying his face in her hair.

In the end, the ship returned to Earth with Okakura Take and the others. The Ghost Relic tribe closed their shops on Earth and returned to the universe to continue their host business, though they would occasionally visit Earth to see Okakura Take, as they still idolized their Chief.

Otae spent her days trying to kill the stalker Kondo Gorilla, but Kondo's vitality was too great; she hadn't managed to kill him yet...

Hijikata and Sougo returned to the Shinsengumi to continue their daily life—Sougo attempting to assassinate Hijikata, and Hijikata constantly being targeted. Yet, Sougo never managed to finish the job...

Tsukuyo and Sarutobi became addicted to the Ghost Relic tribe's host services and traveled off into the universe with them, planning to return after some time.

Kyuubei returned to the Yagyu estate to continue teaching her disciples, her swordsmanship progressing rapidly.

The three members of the Odd Jobs agency continued their struggle on the poverty line, occasionally sponging a meal off Madame Otose or Okakura Take.

"Days like these are truly wonderful..." Okakura Take said, looking at Gintoki, who was napping on the couch with his feet propped up.

She could probably look forward to smiling until her old age, because she had fallen for a deadbeat who could attract her regardless of gender. She wanted to keep watching Sakata Gintoki's light, until the day that light faded out.

Life wouldn't stop; the future held infinite possibilities. Everyone was playing out their own unique stories, and Okakura Take's story would continue—along with a group of lively, noisy friends.

—End