Chapter 85: The Lost Bloodline of the Ubuyashiki
In Shinjuro's eyes, his eldest son was a bit too simple and naive for his own
good. This mission was the perfect opportunity for him to see how Slayers
actually operated in the field.
Searching, tracking, investigating... these weren't skills that could be taught
through words alone.
As for safety? Shinjuro wasn't worried at all.
Natsuya's strength was already far beyond that of an average swordsman. Forget
common demons; Shinjuro suspected the boy could hold his own even if he ran into
one of the weaker Lower Moons. Even if they encountered a truly powerful foe,
Natsuya's technical skill was high enough to signal for backup and hold the line
until Shinjuro arrived.
However, the duo returned much earlier than expected.
The sun hadn't even risen when they stepped back into the estate. Natsuya looked
as bored as ever, but Kyojuro's expression was... complicated.
"What happened?" Shinjuro asked as they entered the courtyard. "Did you fail to
find the demon's trail?"
Demon hunting wasn't like picking radishes in a field. You didn't just walk to a
coordinate and start swinging. Often, 90% of a mission was spent on the "Search"
phase. The actual combat and cleanup were just the final act.
"Kyojuro, demon slaying is a game of patience," the Big Owl began to lecture his
son. "It's perfectly normal for an investigation to turn up empty on the first
night—"
At that moment, Natsuya—who was already in the kitchen shoveling some late-night
leftovers into his mouth—looked up and interrupted.
"Huh? No, the mission is cleared."
Shinjuro froze. That fast?
He turned to his son. "Kyojuro? What did you gain from this?"
The Owl Cub straightened his back and shouted his report. "Father! I have
learned that Natsuya-aniki is incredibly powerful! And... demons are very
fragile!"
Shinjuro: "..." What kind of takeaway is that?
"The specific details, Kyojuro. The process."
"Natsuya-aniki charged in! Natsuya-aniki cut off its head in one strike! I and
the Kakushi members stood in the back and watched! End of report!"
Only then did Shinjuro understand the look in his son's eyes. Behind the
admiration was a faint, lingering sense of disappointment that his "first
mission" had ended before he even got nervous.
They had been prepared for a side-by-side battle. Instead, they saw the demon
try to trigger a Blood Demon Art, and before the animation could even finish,
its head was already spinning through the air.
Shinjuro rubbed his temples and turned to the kitchen. "Natsuya. You explain."
Natsuya finished his bowl and wiped his mouth. "The mob wasn't a total scrub."
"Power Level was a bit over 100. It could fire high-voltage electric attacks
from its cheeks. If Kyojuro had met it alone, it would have been a 'Game Over'
for him. He'd have needed the stats of someone like Kanae or Dojima to have a
reliable win-rate."
"But at the end of the day, it was just a demon. They rely too much on raw
physical stats and regeneration. Their movements have too many recovery frames
and their Blood Demon Art usage is unrefined. Based on Kyojuro's performance in
the dojo, he had a 50% chance to stall for time. His odds of solo-killing it?
Less than 10%."
"In short: he needs more grinding."
The Big Owl was speechless. He'd sent Kyojuro out to "broaden his horizons," not
to watch a professional speedrun.
Shinjuro waved them off. "Just get some rest. Next time, Natsuya... please let
Kyojuro see a bit more of the 'details' of a hunt."
Natsuya gave a non-committal nod through a mouthful of rice. Kyojuro, ever the
copycat, grabbed a bowl himself and sat next to Natsuya, mimicking his
"after-mission meal" routine.
"UMAI!"
Lord Shinjuro began to wonder if letting Natsuya mentor his son was a good idea
after all.
Perhaps because Shinjuro was feeling a bit competitive, Natsuya noticed that the
pressure during their sparring sessions spiked significantly the next day.
In the courtyard, the rhythm of wooden swords clashing and deep breathing became
a permanent fixture of the Rengoku estate.
Shinjuro's style was different from Kyojuro's. While they both used the "Raging
Fire" theme, Shinjuro's strikes felt heavier, more condensed, and much more
focused. It was the difference between a high-pressure flamethrower and a
slow-simmering furnace.
But "Internalized" didn't mean "Weaker." Even though the Hashira was holding
back, every parry made Natsuya's wrists thrum with a numbing vibration.
At first, Natsuya was entirely focused on reacting to Shinjuro's surgical
guidance. But then, he noticed something strange in his HUD.
Shinjuro's Power Level—which was already a staggering 457—would occasionally
jump by a few points before settling back down.
Total Concentration? Natsuya wondered.
But it didn't fit the pattern. His breathing didn't deepen, his pupils didn't
shift, and his aura remained constant. He was still just the same scruffy,
somewhat depressed middle-aged Owl Uncle.
"Distraction in battle equals death."
Shinjuro's wooden sword suddenly accelerated, tapping Natsuya's wrist right as
he hesitated. A sharp sting snapped Natsuya back to the present.
"Yes, sir!"
"Maintain your Total Concentration, Natsuya. By my estimate, you're only a few
frames away from mastering the Constant for Thunder Breathing."
This scruffy man was simultaneously demonstrating Flame forms while
micro-managing Natsuya's progress toward the peak of Thunder Breathing.
After a few more days, Natsuya finally figured out why Shinjuro's stats were
fluctuating. It wasn't that he was getting stronger from the sparring.
It was [Recovery]. It was a [Resurgence].
Specifically, his [Mind] stat was climbing every single day.
One afternoon, watching Shinjuro wipe sweat from his brow and tilt his head back
to drink water, Natsuya felt a rare sense of awe. Just how strong was this uncle
in his prime?
[Shinjuro Rengoku (Power Level: 461)]
Natsuya had thought his Senior Brother Uzen was an endgame monster, but Shinjuro
was a different beast entirely. Decades of demon-slaying experience, a fully
matured physical frame, and a deeper "Enlightenment" level in his Breathing
Style put him leagues ahead of Natsuya and the younger Hashira.
The volcano had simply been buried under a heavy layer of snow. Now, thanks to
his wife's stabilizing health and Natsuya's disruptive presence, the snow was
melting. The dormant power was flowing back into his limbs, point by point.
As Natsuya's mission count in Tokyo increased, so did the high-profile nature of
his kills. In his quest for "High-Speed Quest Completion," he had abandoned all
subtlety.
Soon, a series of urban legends began to circulate through the city.
The title [The Five-Colored Radiance] began to spread among the Slayers. Rumor
had it that if you encountered a demon you couldn't handle near Tokyo, you just
had to send a crow for help. Soon, a swordsman accompanied by a gold-haired boy
would arrive.
He could summon five different "Colors" of intent from his blade, and his
unarmed combat was equally terrifying. He didn't just support; he finished the
job with surgical efficiency and then used medical skills superior to any local
doctor to patch up the wounded.
Some Slayers even began to wonder if they had missed a memo from HQ. Is there a
new member of the Nine Hashira?
While the Slayers talked about "Breathing Styles," the civilians had a different
story.
They couldn't see "Sword Intent." They only saw results. In the dead of night,
after the screams and sounds of fighting died down, a young man would appear to
treat the injured with incredible skill. He never asked for money and never gave
his name. He was like a "Phantom Miracle Doctor."
Then, a group of men in black uniforms would arrive with military efficiency to
lockdown and clean the crime scene. They were clean, professional, and moved
like a specialized tactical unit.
When asked by the survivors who they were, the men would mutter something about
being a secret government unit.
"Special Service Section 9: The Demon Suppression Unit."
"Section 9... Demon Suppression Unit?"
Inside a luxury car driving toward the Rengoku estate, Ubuyashiki Kagaya
listened to the Kakushi's report on the latest civilian rumors. He furrowed his
brow in deep thought.
Could it be... that the Ubuyashiki family has a lost bloodline in Tokyo that I
never knew about?
☆☆☆
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