Chapter 154: To Slash, To Name [Rebirth] (Long Chapter)
The ancient, decaying shrine, a bamboo forest filled with a silence that stretched to infinity, and an inexplicable darkness at the edge of vision, as if countless monsters were lurking within.
The wind swept through the bamboo leaves, creating a roaring sound that echoed through the clearing.
A few withered leaves drifted down slowly, joining the countless others that carpeted the earth.
Chishima Akishin stood in the clearing before the ruined shrine, dressed in a black kendo gi. A collapsed stone lantern lay at his feet, and the green stone floor was buried under fallen leaves, a silent testament to the desolation of this place.
This scenery was hauntingly familiar. This was where he had first arrived. Akishin couldn't remember how many times he had died here, or how many enemies he had cut down...
His first longsword had shattered in this very spot.
The scars still lingered on his palms—marks he wore as a badge of honor.
Ever since his rank had increased, the area had changed. Compared to the mountain peaks where the wind was cold enough to pierce bone, the fresh environment of the bamboo forest was a welcome improvement.
Only...
Why come back here?
Patch: [Based on Patch's calculations, Chishima Akishin can exert better combat power in the bamboo forest; therefore, the setting has been adjusted back here. If Chishima Akishin slashes Yagyu Jubei this time, he may choose to undergo the 『Kendo Master』 training.]
Akishin went silent for a moment before clicking his tongue. "...Fine."
Before, he had desperately hoped to start training as soon as possible, but now that the news was finally here, a flicker of dread sparked in his heart.
Once the training began, he wouldn't be allowed out until he succeeded. That meant he might have to fight dozens, or even hundreds of enemies like Sanada Nobushige, dying over and over again. If he couldn't handle the strain and his mind snapped, he would truly die...
Death was one thing, but if he really disappeared, what would happen to Shizuka?
Of course, the thought only lasted a second.
He wasn't going to break, and he certainly wasn't going to fail.
To be invincible, one first had to possess an invincible heart.
If he truly lost, it would only mean one thing...
Patch wanted him dead.
His right foot shifted back slightly, a flash of red light crossing his eyes. His expression turned cold, devoid of any warmth.
Akishin's entire presence shifted. The breeze ruffled the short hair on his forehead, and a chilling killing intent spread outward, causing the fallen leaves to freeze in place.
Ssshh—
He slowly drew the deep purple longsword. Its scabbard dissolved into faint light, and the strange blade reflected his indifferent gaze. His pupils were slightly smaller than usual, glowing with a faint red hue. There was no emotion there, only the looming shadow of death for anyone who looked into them.
Crunch, crunch, crunch.
The sound of footsteps on bamboo leaves approached from the darkness at the edge of the forest.
The man appeared to be in his forties, wearing a hemp-colored kendo gi that looked worn, with a thirty-centimeter tear along the hem. His face was etched with deep wrinkles and the traces of a life weathered by storms—a stiff, serious expression like an old farmer who had spent years exposed to the elements.
His shoulder-length hair was tied with a thin cord, flaring out behind his head like scattered black cotton. He was barefoot, his dark feet stepping firmly onto the soft, dry bamboo leaves.
In his hand was a sheathed longsword, jet-black and devoid of any distinguishing features.
He looked like the most ordinary ronin swordsman from the Edo period. Compared to high-ranking figures who wore extravagant clothes like Sanada Nobushige, there was no comparison at all.
Except... for those eyes.
They were long, narrow eyes framed by thick brows and surrounded by wrinkles, yet making eye contact felt like being held at the point of a sharp blade.
Yagyu Jubei. (Yagyu Jubei Mitsuyoshi), one of the most famous swordsmen in Japanese history.
This was Yagyu Jubei at the peak of his life, simulated by Patch. Akishin didn't care why he was dressed like this; he only understood that this version of Jubei was terrifying.
Unlike the depictions in TV dramas, novels, or games, Jubei wasn't one-eyed. That was pure fiction.
A little common sense would tell you: if he were one-eyed, would he have been able to stay by Tokugawa Iemitsu's side? Could he have served as the Shogun's personal teacher and bodyguard?
Akishin was well-acquainted with his opponent, and the other side didn't speak. He was a puppet, yet he wasn't. Much like Sanada Nobushige, he possessed emotions.
That blatant killing intent was the best proof.
As he closed within ten meters of Akishin, Yagyu Jubei drew his blade in a flash of light.
In contrast to its plain black exterior, the sword was exquisite. The blade was snow-white, with a hamon pattern like winding mountains.
Though he didn't know its name, if Jubei was holding it, it was clearly a Meito—a masterpiece. Akishin and Jubei had fought many times, and that blade had only ever sustained a few small nicks.
Keep in mind that the sword in Akishin's hand could slice through iron as if it were clay.
The next second, Yagyu Jubei crouched and lunged forward with explosive speed, reaching Akishin almost instantly.
His longsword pointed diagonally toward the ground, and as his feet planted, he launched an upward slash.
Clang!
The two blades collided and separated in an instant. Akishin threw a horizontal sweep with his leg while simultaneously thrusting his sword forward.
Jubei leaped back to evade, his own sword meeting the tip of Akishin's thrust. At the last possible moment, he parried the blade to the left, a light tap that sent Akishin's aim wide.
His target was Akishin's wrist!
Akishin wouldn't let that happen; he had fallen for that trap far too many times. Once the wrist was cut, he wouldn't even be able to hold a sword—he'd just be waiting for death. He had died at least twice that way. He always kept some strength in reserve now. Sensing the move, his wrist twisted instantly as he used the momentum of his feet to jump back. While avoiding the thrust, he managed to score a bloody graze across the back of Jubei's hand.
Jubei didn't even glance at the wound. Seeing Akishin retreat, he exploded forward again, his sword whistling in a horizontal slash toward Akishin's neck.
Akishin spun his sword into a reverse grip, slamming it against the horizontal strike.
Clang!
The blades clashed, sending sparks flying.
Akishin kicked forward, and Jubei did the same.
Thud!
Their legs collided. Before they could even separate, Akishin's blade swung out, as did Jubei's.
This time, the swords did not meet.
A second later, they separated, standing ten meters apart. A shallow, bloody line appeared on Akishin's neck, a few drops of blood trickling down.
The fabric at Jubei's chest was torn, revealing a finger-length gash with blood starting to seep through.
Holding the strange, dark purple sword with its flowing patterns, Akishin stared intently at Jubei, who returned the gaze. His neck had almost been sliced open, but if it had, he would have carved the opponent's heart out in return.
The result would have been nothing more than a double death, something neither of them wanted.
Yagyu Jubei had mastered two major schools of kendo—Kage-ryu and Shinkage-ryu—and had perfected the latter into Yagyu Shinkage-ryu. His swordsmanship took an entirely different extreme compared to Sanada Nobushige's open and sweeping style.
Strictly speaking, in terms of pure kendo, Jubei was far superior to Sanada. Sanada was a general who led armies; his true mastery lay in the spear and the charge, not just the sword.
Jubei's kendo could be described in two words: Slick and Ruthless.
Kage-ryu was created by Aisu Ikosai Hisatada during the bloody Onin War. It was a true art of slaughter—slippery, cruel, and vicious.
Every move was designed to kill, difficult to predict, and born for carnage. It didn't care for morality or mercy; to draw the sword was to end a life.
History even whispered that Kage-ryu was a divine killing technique taught by the gods to navigate such a bloody era.
Shinkage-ryu originated from Kage-ryu, but the reason the Sword Saint Kamiizumi Nobutsuna created it was largely to counter and replace the original style. The war had ended, and a total slaughter technique was no longer needed.
Shinkage-ryu emphasized training with bamboo swords and reduced many of the lethal moves. It even featured the Muto-dori technique—catching a blade with bare hands—making it technically far more precise.
The final evolution of the school pushed the concept of Muto-dori further, becoming more moderate and balanced, suitable for the average swordsman.
Today, many schools like Jikishinkage-ryu can be traced back to Shinkage-ryu, but Kage-ryu is nowhere to be found. Because it was a killing art, it likely didn't survive in the public eye, even if it wasn't extinct.
Back to the point.
Yagyu Jubei understood both. He possessed the slick lethality of Kage-ryu and the precision of Shinkage-ryu. He had mastered the core of both.
During Akishin's first round with Jubei, the man had actually tried to use Muto-dori on his sword. After Akishin sliced off three of his fingers, he never tried it again.
Muto-dori might work wonders against an ordinary swordsman, but against someone of Akishin's caliber, it was a death wish.
Since then, even in fresh simulations, Jubei relied on Kage-ryu as his primary offense, supplemented by Shinkage-ryu techniques.
As Akishin grew accustomed to Jubei's style, Jubei was simultaneously dissecting Akishin's lethal moves.
It made the fight incredibly difficult.
...
The two stared each other down for over a minute. The flowing blood began to congeal. The wind blew, and the air felt cool against their wounds.
A dry leaf fell from the bamboo canopy above, drifting between them. The atmosphere was so tense that it felt like a stone dropping into a still lake, shattering the fragile peace.
Thrust!
Boom!
His right foot shifted back, his body leaning forward as he crouched. This time, Akishin attacked first. He lunged with a flurry of dead leaves trailing behind him, appearing before Jubei in an instant as his blade came down with heavy pressure.
Clang!
When the two swords met, a shallow nick appeared on Jubei's blade. He was forced back two steps, the purple blade stopping only three centimeters from his nose.
Bang!
The veins on Jubei's forehead pulsed. He gripped his sword with both hands, using all his strength to parry Akishin back.
But as Akishin landed, he crouched again. Another thrust exploded toward Jubei, the blade descending with the full weight of his body. Against such a cunning opponent, a raw, reckless attack could often yield extraordinary results—much like the old saying that a brawler's strike can kill a master.
Akishin's strength was overpowering Jubei. It wasn't by much, but it was a fact.
Clash!
The blades ground together, sparks showering the ground. Jubei gritted his teeth as he held the block, but this time he was pressed back to his chest. The purple blade bit into his shoulder, sinking halfway through the muscle.
Jubei wanted to dodge, but Akishin was too fast. Forcing a retreat would only expose a fatal opening, leading to a quicker death.
Now!
Akishin's gaze sharpened. Gripping the hilt with both hands, he suddenly twisted the blade to the right and ripped it upward.
Squelch—
The sound was grating. The purple blade ground against Jubei's sword, first shearing off a piece of his shoulder before slashing toward his head.
In desperation, Jubei threw his head back and to the right. A sickening crack echoed from the strain on his neck bones.
This was entirely different from Akishin's previous patterns. Jubei hadn't expected it and couldn't defend in time, leaving him open.
The purple blade caught Jubei's forehead, slicing away a chunk of flesh and bone the size of a yogurt lid.
The left side of Jubei's forehead was sheared off, leaving only a thin layer of skull. Any deeper, and his brain would have been exposed.
Thud!
Seeing that he hadn't landed the finishing blow, Akishin immediately kicked Jubei in the stomach, using the recoil to leap back.
This wasn't the first time he had done this.
A split second later, Jubei's sword swept horizontally through the space where Akishin had just been standing. It caught Akishin's midsection, leaving a second bloody gash. He had almost been disemboweled.
This was Yagyu Jubei—a pure swordsman who surpassed even Sanada Nobushige. Even with his skull partially peeled back, his first thought wasn't self-preservation, but exploiting the moment Akishin's sword was raised to strike back.
If Akishin hadn't kicked off and retreated, his guts would be on the floor.
In a duel between masters, life and death were decided in a heartbeat.
Akishin stared at Jubei. He didn't press the attack; he needed to catch his breath. That brief exchange had been physically draining.
Truthfully, Akishin had already won.
Jubei stood ten meters away, a chunk of his left shoulder missing and the bone visible. That arm was useless now.
Blood soaked half his body, and the wound on his forehead continued to pour, masking half his face until he looked like a vengeful spirit crawling out of hell.
Yet, Jubei's expression remained calm, as if the injuries didn't belong to him.
He looked at his immobile left arm, then at his sword, contemplating whether to cut the limb off. A dead arm was just a weight hanging off his body.
In the end, he decided against it.
The pain of self-amputation would be more distracting than just letting it hang there.
He shifted his strategy, using his sleeve to tie the left arm to his torso, preventing it from swinging and throwing off his balance during an attack.
Akishin had rested enough, but he didn't move. He simply watched Jubei awkwardly fix his arm.
Advancing now would guarantee victory, but that wasn't the kind of win Akishin wanted. A man this strong, even if he was just a simulation, deserved respect.
Jubei still had one special move: 『Snow Falling on the Human World』. It was a technique that existed in unofficial historical records.
Akishin had died to this move at least five times, never once managing to block it. This time, he had to withstand it to truly claim victory over Yagyu Jubei.
Across from him, Jubei finally finished securing his arm. The massive blood loss had turned his face pale, but it didn't seem to affect him. His eyes remained as sharp as blades.
He looked at Akishin, understood his intent, and nodded. He sheathed his longsword and began to walk forward—『Snow Falling on the Human World』 was a form of Battoujutsu, a quick-draw technique.
The wind roared through the bamboo!
Jubei stopped just a meter away from Akishin. He leaned forward slightly, his right hand gripping the hilt. He braced himself for two seconds, then drew and slashed!
Whish!
The wind died!
Suddenly, it felt as though countless specks of light were falling toward Akishin, like snowflakes descending upon the world.
Clang-clang-clang-clang-clang!
The strikes were too many to count. When Akishin finally lowered his sword, small cuts had blossomed across his face, neck, chest, arms, stomach, and thighs. Though each wound was shallow, he was covered in blood.
But...
He had held his ground.
A dark red scabbard appeared in Akishin's hand. He sheathed the purple blade, took a single step forward, gripped the hilt, and drew into a thrust.
Iai: Tsubame Geki!
Clang!
Jubei parried the first strike, but the true second strike bypassed his crumbling defense, sinking into his neck.
Puchi!
The blade emerged from the back of Jubei's neck. A single drop of blood fell from the tip, landing on a dry leaf like a flower blooming in an instant.
Jubei's body swayed. He used his own sword to prop himself up, remaining upright. He looked at Akishin calmly as his pupils slowly lost their focus.
"Whew..."
Akishin let out a long breath.
The wind picked up again, ruffling his hair and cooling the stinging wounds across his body.
Sshhh—click—ting!
The purple sword snapped into its scabbard. Akishin turned, took one step, and found himself in the white space.
There was no sense of direction, no horizon. Only himself and the dark red longsword in his hand.
The wounds on his body vanished. A blue light screen appeared, and Patch's text flickered into view:
[Chishima Akishin has slashed Yagyu Jubei. He may now undergo the 『Kendo Master』 training. Do you wish to proceed?]
"No. Take me out."
[Chishima Akishin has permanently obtained the handheld longsword. It can be manifested anytime, anywhere. Please provide a name. Yes? No?]
"...Permanently? It's actually real! But... I don't remember this being in the initial compensation clause?"
[This is a hidden clause of the 'Kendo Skill'.]
"...Fine. A name... let's go with [Rebirth]."
[Does Chishima Akishin confirm the naming of the exclusive weapon as [Rebirth]?]
"Confirmed."
[Naming successful. The longsword [Rebirth] is now Chishima Akishin's exclusive weapon.]
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