His words were like cold water dropped into a pot of boiling oil.
"Wha-what?!"
"Arrogance!"
"All at once? Who does he think he is?!"
"He's looking down on us!"
Ooshima and the few soldiers behind him turned red with anger. They exchanged a look, let out a low roar, and charged at Muramasa from different directions almost at the same time! Fists and kicks, honed by days of hard training, instantly enveloped the spot where he stood.
The crowd's gasps had not yet escaped their lips when the scene in the ring made them swallow their words. Muramasa had neither retreated nor blocked. In that split second, he had precisely sidestepped, dipped his shoulder, and spun, slipping through the gaps between the numerous attacks like a fish.
Without any unnecessary movements, as he passed them, like a dragonfly touching the water, he swiftly and lightly touched their waists, the backs of their knees, or their armpits. It seemed to be an exceptionally precise movement, not in line with his usual wide, powerful style.
However, in reality, the skill level of this temporary volunteer army was simply too painful to watch. Their imitated 'techniques' were less intimidating than random street brawling and, on the contrary, made it easier for him to grasp their body movements.
"Ugh!"
"Sea bull—!"
"Ow!"
A few short cries of pain, mixed with the dull thuds of bodies hitting the ground, sounded in succession. The crowd looked at the ring. Only Muramasa was still standing. The others were in a heap on the ground, some clutching their sides and gasping for air, others holding their knees with a look of bewilderment, and some were lying face down, not having realized how they had fallen.
"Anyone else?"
Muramasa scanned the silent crowd, his gaze sweeping over the challengers who were still struggling or dazed on the ground, and finally to the many more soldiers who had come to watch and were now craning their necks at the back of the crowd. Finally, he focused his attention on the man with the pendant.
This time, no one jumped out hot-headedly to shout. The 'ring' they had formed had even widened a bit.
Intimidation... this should count as a success, right? He frowned slightly, his gaze turning in Kokomi's direction. He sighed inwardly, hoping that the Lady Priestess... would be satisfied with this result.
…
"Did... did you see that?"
"No... I feel like I just blinked, and they were all on the ground..."
"Ooshima and the others, they train pretty hard usually. How did they go down like they were made of paper?"
"Too strong... ridiculously strong! No wonder he dared to say 'all at once'..."
The sound of discussion buzzed. These 'fiercely independent' islanders had never seen such a spectacle, even on the battlefield. The Tenryou Commission was not without strong fighters, but even Kujou Sara had never displayed such a strange technique.
At the edge of the bustling crowd, the young man with the purple pendant had been standing quietly, thinking about something. "Hey, Arashi, what are you thinking about?" someone next to him said, slapping him on the shoulder and breaking his train of thought.
"Nothing." He forced a smile and looked again in the direction Muramasa had left.
"I get it, I get it~ Agh, to suddenly have a 'reigning champion' like that, no one would feel good about it." His words hit a nerve of unwillingness in Arashi's heart, but it also added a touch of determination to his eyes.
"Hey, you…" Seeing the sudden change in Arashi's eyes, the man quickly put his arm around his neck, leaned in, and lowered his voice. "You're not thinking of using 'that', are you? There's no need. Kokomi-sama can't know about this. If it's exposed…"
"It won't be exposed." Arashi pushed his hand away, cutting him off. "If I don't try, I won't be able to accept it…"
He knew what exposure meant. This pendant was held by only a few in the Watatsumi resistance army. When they had received it, they had all been warned—Your strategist is a very gentle person. She will not allow you to use these things.
Don't you want to become a hero in the hearts of the people of Watatsumi Island? A word of persuasion, a word of temptation. The two sentences had hit the hearts of these hot-blooded youths squarely, making them wonder if this was the only chance in their lifetime.
"And besides, when I've used it in front of the other comrades, there was no problem, right?" With that, he rushed out, ignoring the shouts of his companion behind him.
…
No one else came forward to challenge him. Muramasa had no intention of staying in this noisy place any longer. He turned into a quiet path away from the military camp and found a deserted spot to sit and rest. "Even if the body is fine, the spirit still gets tired."
Just as his mind relaxed and he was focused on feeling the coolness of the sea breeze and the rocks, a figure shot out from around a corner. Muramasa didn't immediately open his eyes, not even changing his breathing rhythm, as he confirmed the presence.
It's that guy. And… If he hadn't been sure before, he was now. The pendant the man was carrying was the same one used by that 'Onishark' when he had first arrived in Inazuma.
"Hah!" A roar, suppressed with pain and madness, tore through the silence. A figure, with a speed and aura far more fierce and strange than all the previous challengers, lunged from the shadows behind a reef! He wasn't aiming to kill. All his energy was focused on enhancing his physical abilities, so much so that there was no visible change on the outside.
The moment the suppressed roar tore through the air, Muramasa grabbed the white mantle from his shoulder and, with a flick of his wrist, threw it at the lunging figure, covering his entire field of vision!
His vision was instantly obscured. Arashi's charge faltered. The sudden suffocation and disorientation overrode his intention to attack. He instinctively wanted to tear off the obstructive cloth, but his fingertips found no purchase.
"This guy… I have to stop that thing first."
In the instant Arashi was trapped by the mantle, facing the white-shrouded figure, he took a step forward with his left foot, sank his waist, and his center of gravity dropped sharply. His right arm shot straight through a gap in the fluttering mantle, accurately wrapping around the other's waist, while his left hand simultaneously and lightning-fast clasped below Arashi's right shoulder blade.
"Wha—?!"
Arashi felt his waist tighten. An immense force instantly constricted his core, and then his shoulder and back were also firmly locked. Muramasa sank his waist, his arms controlling Arashi's body like a floodgate, and slammed him into the ground!
THUD!
As he hit the ground, Arashi's consciousness went blank for a few seconds. Then his limbs also lost control, and his body, unable to resist, fell into a deep sleep. The pendant also dimmed.
Muramasa slowly stood up straight, his breathing still steady, as if he had just brushed some dust off his shoulder. He looked down at the young man he had thrown into a daze, temporarily incapacitated, and without a word, he parted the clothes on his chest and took the pendant.
After confirming, he finally spoke slowly. "As I thought."
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