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Author's Note: Sooooo, here we go again. I just played a game called "Samurai Blitz" and it is so goddamn awesome.
That aside, playing the thing really gives me some degree of inspiration to this chapter, in some form or another
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"Hmmmh..." The bandit yawned tiredly "Seriously, fuck those guys. Making me standing guard at such a late hour while they get to enjoy themselves"
Today they managed to get a big catch. Seeing this is the prime time for trading supplies of the year, it's not a difficult for an isolated mountain region like them to get a few carriages here and there passing by
He ain't complaining. They got a good hideout in the form of a shrine, competent bandit mates, and there's their boss who is incredibly strong. Better be safe than satisfied. If only they don't treat him like a normal goon
A moan sounded nearby, along with the sound of drunken laughter followed afterward. The clinking of sake glasses echoed in the midnight atmosphere, playing a part in fueling his frustration at being unable to participate in the feast himself
'Those motherfuckers are enjoying the captives without me'
Grinding his teeth, he walked to a nearby bush- just out of sight for some ensured privacy- and pulled down his pants. He took his dick out and held it in front of him. Before long, a jet of yellowish liquid spurt out of it's tip, streaming into the bush in front of him
"Ahhhhh~" The bandit closed his eyes "Pissing really is the best way to relieve sexual frustration"
"Feels good, isn't it"
The bandit froze, not at the familiarity of the voice, but at the unnaturally sharp knife held under his chin, hovering just above the jugular. A presence made themselves known by appearing behind him
"L-look man" He stuttered "Whatever you want, just let me pull my pants up and we can deal with it later"
"I can not do that" The voice replied, at the same time the blade nicked his throat, drawing out a drop of blood that trailed down his throat. A hot, painful sensation rose up inside the wound's area, as well as a primal fear: The instinct to surrender or to be killed "What if you actually have a hidden alarm in your pants, and by pulling it up you can discreetly send a signal to the one at the camp?"
The bandit would have pissed himself out of fear
But too bad he already emptied all his pee earlier
"I-I don't. Please!" He pleaded, feeling vulnerable at the feeling of the blade on his neck while his dick is still out in the open "Just let me-"
"Do you like fucking young girls?"
"Hah?"
His hidden assailant's tone turned casual "I am asking if you have a thing for young girl. Those little flower that a year earlier have been a matured bud, a worm who had made it''s cocoon, ready to one day stretch it's wings and soar free into the sky and experience the world they has never seen"
"Their supple flesh, softer than the highest-quality Mochi. Their innocent eyes, tracing after your form with curious wonders. Their skins, as delicate to the touch as a sakura petal. Such fragile creatures they all are"
"When you look at children....do you want to corrupt them? To tear off their wings and rob away everything they will ever have? Oh, it must have felt so good when you gaze at their empty eyes and know that YOU have done such a terrible thing"
"I-I-I don't" The man
"Shhhh" He covered his eyes "I know you don't. You're a decent man with questionable morals and an even more questionable role, that I can tell. You're into big-tiddies girls, aren't you?"
The bandit's teeth ground together at the thought of the captured woman, just waiting for him to be used after his shift
"Which makes the point, aren't you jealous that the other guys in your camp are hogging all the achievements by themselves? To be stuck outside, listening to heir hedonistic moans filling the empty night" He shook his head in pity "These people are supposed to be your friends, you comrade in arms, and yet they left you out here with such pent-up frustration?"
His hands curled into a fist as the older man snarled "That they did...."
"Hm. I supposed we can strike a deal then...." (Y/n)'s eyes crinkled up in schadenfreude "Tell me everything about your camp, everything. And I'll leave the women for you to enjoy after all is done. It is quite unfair for someone like you to on the receiving end of duty after all"
Stroke their ego. Inflate their pride. Spun them on the tip of his finger like a fiddle
Perhaps in another universe, (Y/n) would have been reluctant to use his scamming tendency to his fullest
But this (Y/n) has no such restriction. He is a full-fledged human. Unlike Grimm who had an advantage in strength and supernatural adaptability in combat, his body is fragile- easily exploding into a mess of bloody gore if one were to use enough force.
That's why he was avoiding needless violence as much as possible
The bandit quickly nodded his head eagerly, and the knife is removed, finally allowing him to pull up his pants
Without turning around in fear of being killed, he told the assailant everything about them. Their leader, their numbers, abilities, base layout, and each member's individual abilities. Information flowed out of his traitorous and greedy tongue like water in a stream, uncaring about the fate of his so called "friends"
"Well, so that's that" (Y/n) shook his head "They're slightly weaker than I thought, but that will suffice" With that, he turned and walked away, leaving the man alone behind
'Heh, you are one stupid boy' The bandit silently laughed 'To remove your weapons like that. I was just following your words to lower your guard!'
"You are a fool!"
Sliding off a dagger from beneath his clothe, he lunged at (Y/n)'s retreating back, intending to incapacitate him in one hit...
"...And you just have to be the cannon fodder..."
...Only for a hammer to smash into his face. The bandit's momentum, along with that of the weapon, stopped him dead in his track as he flipped downward onto the ground. Before the pain of having the forefront of his head decimated had registered in his mind, a Yari pierced him by the hand in which he held his dagger, effectively disarming him
The silhouette of two children appeared before (Y/n). One kept the spear on him, pinning the bandit to the ground, while the other raised the hammer over her head, preparing for a second strike- a finishing strike
"Wait, wait, oh nononono-"
The hammer descended down on his panicked face, effectively crushing his nose, his skin twisted and distorted in strange ways as it smashed cleanly through the bandit's skull. There was a wet splat sound, and his brain were spattered on the ground the next moment
I whistled, impressed
You don't see this kind of synchronization between individuals everyday. Now I can definitely see how they could become a couple in Canon
"Good job, you two" I nodded at them, secretly looting the bandit's corpse "Now just stay out here, kill anyone that escape for extra XP, but remember to retreat if they outnumber you"
Ding!
You have found [Trash Tanto] (Rank F)
The two children nodded, puzzled as to what this "XP" could have been. I then put the loot I found into my inventory
'So what's the plan?'
The dead woman's spirit floated up to me, her voice contained excitement, suspicion, and curiosity mixed into one
My answer is to look up at the sky, where the moon is shining bright in all it's shattered glory
"Hm....do you happens to fancy a walk?"
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"Hey guys, how's your health plan?"
"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH"
"Apparently it's great!"
As expected, the first few we encountered were only grunts and mooks, those who can't use Breath and for the love of god only know how to swing their weapons wildly around. Their levels are still only in the single digits, which is why it is not difficult to kill them, basic attack or not
My footstep halted
That's the problem. These guys are too weak for their level, despite them being only 3 level lesser than me- their numbers alone should have been enough to close that distance, seeing that they have me outmatched by 5 to 1, an astronomical disadvantage in RPG term
I still don't understand how the power scaling works here. Might need to do some later testing with it
"So you've killed 5 of us" The man before me spat, pulling me out of my muse as he stood before me with his sword drawn "Big fucking deal. Let's see how you can fare against my Breath"
Oh? A Breath user this early on? His level is 21?
A worthy opponent. our battle will be legendary!
He dashed up to me, his sword arced in the moonlight as it descended down on it's target. I raised my looted Tanto and blocked it
"Breath of the Wind" He snarled "First form. Dust Whirlwind Cutter!"
Even when parrying and without using Breath, I could still felt the wind around us formed blade of gale that concentrated on me in a flurry of attacks. Pushing him back with overwhelming force, I jumped back to create some distance between us, at the same time readying a counter of my own
The man dashed up to me again with the same stance from before
"First form. Dust Whirlwind Cutter!"
Having read his body language and attack from before, I easily evaded his strikes and deflected the surrounding wind blade with a sweep of my knife
"First form. Dust Whirlwind Cutter!"
Again? I have to admit that his technique are certainly superior to the goons from before, but that is no excuse for one to rely that much on one single skill. Doesn't he realize repeating the attack would enable me to learn it?
"First form. Dust Whirlwind Cutter!" Yet another storm of wind blade greeted me as our blades met
At this point, I already recognized the problem
"So you only know one form of a breath" I muttered, "What about the second? The third? Is your ability-set focused only on maxing out a single skill?"
"Fuck you brat. I'm a Breath user!" He laughed, maniacally swinging at me in a violent fashion, sending hails of gale blade after me "The fact that I can use it alone proves that I'm superior to normal human like you"
"I see..." I smiled "Such a shame then"
"Breath of the Wind. First form-"
The swordsman's eyes widened as his attack name is repeated. A chill ran through his spine as the wind around him began concentrating around the boy
Soon, those wind turned to violent gale, sleek blade of invisible air that threatened to cut anything it came into contact with. It appeared as if a catastrophic storm had formed around (Y/n).
"Dust Whirlwind Cutter"
He blurred forward- faster than the bandit could ever move- and his blade descended down upon the man's head, cleaving in half from head to toe with the sheer force behind it. The wind blades formed around him soon followed, dicing up the bandit's severed corpse as it is blown backward and crashed into a nearby stone wall in two seperate parts
"...."
"Well that wasn't as powerful as I have imagined it would be" I frowned in annoyance "I am still too weak"
If only my level is enough to learn [Full Focus Breathing]. That would have helped immensely with pushing my physical abilities to further bound
Maybe I will focus on that after acquiring Hamon
To focus on increasing your strength. Or to focus on the power of your weapons. Yare Yare Daze..it truly is a hard choice
"Is he the one who raped you?" I motioned toward the tattered corpse while locking eyes with the spirit before me
'No. Not him' She shook her head, though a cheery smile was beginning to form on her face 'I didn't know you also practiced in Breath of the Wind'
"I don't"
'I thought so- Eh?' She stammered 'Then how did you-'
"The first time he used it, I focused on analyzing the attack's movement and trajectory pattern so I can avoid the technique" I listed off my finger
"The second time, I learned about the movement behind that form, how he slightly shifted his body to one side to accelerate his swing and how he twisted his body to create those wind blades around him. A downward swing allow the wind to gather momentum and increase the damage done to their body"
"The third time, I spotted the flaws behind his form. His weak points, what he is lacking, improvements that could be made in technique, and modification that can enhance those improvement"
"For example, twisting the blade at the moment of impact can actually serve to destabilize his form and produce a knockback effect from the pressure, allowing one to create time for the second attack. Had he been wearing armor, my attack wouldn't have harmed him as much"
"In conclusion" I said, looking at her from the corner of my eye "I have to witness a weapon technique two times to copy it. But to push it to maximum efficiency and conceptualized the form behind said move set, a third glance is needed"
Of course, most of these perception feat wouln't be possible without the existence of my skills and passives, but that's a secret I'm planning to keep
A cold chill ran through the spirit's lifeless form- the same feeling she got back then,as she met the unflinching gaze of this boy
'Sir (Y/n), just who are you?'
"Eh, I'm nobody important" I shrugged "Just a wandering Ronin who's playing the game of life"
"Now, let's continue with our...ah...'walk'"
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"So you're the one who defeated my subordinates" The man on the wooden throne said, looking down at me
"Well, defeat is one way to put it...." I frowned "Your men are...not exactly the best fighters out there. Well-organized, but mediocre in all other aspects"
Numbers and formation means nothing when you're paralyzed on the spot. It is also around that time when I realized [Dominating Aura] plus [Flow Acceleration] makes a really good combo of weeding out weak opponents
But back to the topic
The central bandit camp is a mess. Bodies littered the ground with weapons lying on their side, slash wounds pouring crimson streams of blood from their body, creating a grotesque-looking puddle of blood at my feet. Their faces contorted with fear and pain at some unknown force that seemingly killed them with savage brutality unknown to men
But that is not the worst thing. The smell of sex and alcohol heavily accented the area. Spilled booze dripping from the tables, wet semen stains etched on the ground. I couldn't help but scrunched my nose up in disgust
Ugh.
"What do you came here for?" The bandit leader, a bald, fat man in his forty, with wrinkles adorning his sagging physique, inquired, before a grin appeared on his face "Could it be....you want to join the fun with us?" As he said this, the man's hand came up to the woman kneeling at his side and pet her head - before clasping his enormous hand around her throat and squeeze on it
"Hmm. Hmm. HMMM" The female captive couldn't help but choked as his palm constricted around her windpipe, tears streaming down her eyes in pain
"Ah, just look at her cute expression~" He said, eyeing her like a piece of toy on the verge of breaking "It's not the old. The men, or even the children. Women tastes the best!"
He slowly lifted the girl in the air, watching in joy as she desperately kicked her legs to free herself from his grip, to no avail
"......."
Oi, spirit woman. Is this the one who raped you?
'That's him' The ghost seethe with poorly-contained hatred. Her tone conveyed pure disgust at the thing in front of her 'He forced himself on the women, killing them after he'd used them once. Their bodies are then dumped on the road afterward, left for the maggots to feed on'
...Good
"Flow Acceleration"
Wooosh
With a step of my feet, I blurred through the air at him. The man reacted quickly and threw the woman at me- to which I was forced to slow my momentum mid-air in order to catch her- and drew his own weapon, a 2 meters long Naginata with it's handle wrapped in white cloth
He swung it downward at the both of us with a mad grin on his face, but luckily I was faster. My sword flashed in the moonlight, and blood spurted as his arm was cleanly severe from the shoulder. Yet undeterred, the bandit leader went for a kick at the woman, to which I have to tackle her out of the way again
"Alright, how many captives are locked here aside from you?"
"F-five, they killed all the men and children, and t-the old" She sobbed "My mother, my brother. They killed them all, they killed them all-"
"Quit crying!" I roared, which caused her to hiccuped in surprise. My tone softened, even when I still held my focus toward the bandit leader who's looking at us "Right now is not the time to be emotional, I need you to hide somewhere safe. When I come back, you will guide me to where they hold the rest of you, okay?"
"O-okay" She wiped her tears away and choked out a few words in response "I-I will"
"Good girl"
Gently setting her to the side, I turned to the man who stood in front of me and drew my own sword. My eyes narrowed in focus
"As I thought...."
The man grinned at me, fangs bared in barely-contained bloodlust. He laughed as his arm- which I had severed just moments before- now appeared untouched, as though nothing had happened to him.
"You are a demon" I stood up "...who has human as his subordinate. Why?"
"Oh, believe me, it was far easier to destroy human by using their own kin against them" The leader said, his eyes turned an unnerving white "Plus, the human women they gave me are quite delicious too"
Well that put a huge twist on the whole savage monster thing. I didn't think their hostility against human would allow them to cooperate with them for mutual benefits, but apparently I was wrong. Now that makes me wonder if the demons have ever attempted to infiltrated their government just to amass political power for themselves
Oh wait, Tamamo-no-Mae
*sigh* Leave it to our race to destroy ourselves. This version of Remnant is doomed
The bandit leader cracked his neck, before he raised the handle of his Naginata up and slammed it down, digging it deep into the soil. Streams of blood from the other bandit's corpse started flowing toward the demon's position, creating a circular formation with eight smaller circles encompassing it
"Demonic Art: Eight Wind of Calamity"
From each circle, a dark silhouette rose out of the ground. Their muddied form, riddled and splayed with blood. Their face all but rotten flesh, some of which had decayed to the bone underneath
The demon laughed, sitting back into his throne
"Have fun against my loyal subject!" He took a sip of blood from a nearby corpse "They're all swordsmen who have cultivated the Breath of the Wind. Against eight of them, you have no chance"
"Tsk" I clicked my tongue, at the same time holding my blade in an overhead stance as I stared at each of the eight minions
"Alright, should I come at you first. or will you come at me?" I said, smiling "Or..will all of us come together, at the same time. Sounds good, no?"
Their only response was to simultaneously rush at me with their swords drawn
"Breath of the Wind. First form-"
"Breath of the Wind. Third form-"
My eyes widened
""Dust Whirlwind Cutter/Clean Storm Wind Tree"" The next thing I know, a sizable hurricane was heading toward me at an alarming speed. From inside said chaos the two of them lunged at me
"Moon Breath Second Form. Moon Spirit Hurricane"
Numerous crescent blade formed up into a dome and pushed away the approaching hurricane, diverting their trajectory. Before either of the two summon can react, I grabbed one of them and pierced my blade through the first one, killing him on the spot
"Breath of the Wind. Third form. Clean Storm Wind Tree" Despite seeing his fellow summon's fate, the second one continued attacking me. But having already seen his attack once, I now easily dodged them
"Wind Breath First Form. Dust Whirlwind Cutter" Using the technique I learned earlier, I sliced at him, but the summon managed to also evade it as it rolled to the side, buying me some time before the next attack come
Just then, a thought flashed through my head, making my eyes widened
Wait...could it be each of these things can only use one form of their breath each like the one at the entrance? Does that mean eight of them are a complete set of the Breath of Wind?
If so, I might need to refrain myself from killing them. It's rare that such an opportunity like this present itself. Like hell will I let it come to pass. Wait for them to use their abilities three times, before killing them off
"Breath of the Wind. Third form. Clean Storm Wind Tree"
There it is
"Wind Breath Third Form. Clean Storm Wind Tree" Dashing forward, I decapitated him in one concentrated hit. A strong gust of wind followed afterward, cleanly slicing through the boulder behind them
Two down. Six remains
Up above the throne, the bandit leader frowned. He knew he was in control of the situation, with the human surrounded by his strongest summons, all of which are capable of using a single Breath form. Strong or not, to fight off against them would surely be impossible
Yet, why is the boy....smiling?
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Ding!
You have learned [Breath of the Wind] (Beginner): +1 to (Kenjutsu) per level. +15% Damage to Wind Breathing Technique at current rank
[Appraisal] has leveled up
[Appraisal] has leveled up
"I must admit" The demon's eyes were cold as he struggled to conceal his agitation "For a human, you're stronger than you look"
"No, no, I don't think I deserve the honor"
Covered in blood of his summons, I bowed
"Don't get cocky, human" He growled, picking up the Naginata by his side "It ends here"
"Hold up, before that" I held out my hand, making him stop briefly "Why are you here?"
"What do you mean?" Confusion crossed his face, yet I could see the emotions behind his deceptive expression
"Exactly what I said" My eyes bored into him "Why would you stay here, right in this shrine. What do this location mean to you? The fact that you have human working for you when you could have summoned lesser demon to do your bidding is already suspicious, yet those of them who can use Breath are all using Wind Technique. Just what are you planning to do?"
The bandit leader was silent, before a low chuckle escaped his lips
"A mere human like you would not be able to understand. You would not understand the sheer power this shrine have, the spirit that protects it, and the secret residing inside it. No, you're blind to the power they contained!"
the demon leaped at me, forcing me to raised my sword up to defend myself. His blade clashed against mine with violent force, creating sparks that flew into the air from out impact
"Moon Breath First Form. Crescent Slash"
"Demonic Art: Howling black Squall"
The relentless force pushed both of us back at the same time. The Tanto in my hand shattered under his attack. Grunting in exhaustion, I leaped backward some more to put some space between us- a wise decision as my opponent immediately grabbed a nearby boulder and tossed them at me
I raised up the traced version of Neo's umbrella
"Demonic Art: Post Perception"
The boulder smashed through "(Y/n)", shattering my illusion at where it stood, while the real me appeared behind the demon with my blade drawn
[Dematerialization]
I intoned, digging my blade deep into the back of his skull. There's no need for a long-drawn out battle when I can just easily kill him now
Skill unavailable. Impurity detected inside host
Oh for fuck's sa- I almost forgot!
"Wind Breath Seventh Form. Sudden Gust"
To his credit, the demon didn't scream when he felt my blade tearing apart his flesh, but he did attempted to grab me from behind- to which I immediately leaped back, seeing I would be dead the moment someone as large as him got me in hold. I slashed at him a few more time mid-air to do some extra damage, but they didn't seem to do much
I landed on the shrine's stone pavement, just in front of the main shrine itself. Pulling out the Tanegashima from my inventory, I checked it's cartridge. Only seven bullets, damn. Looks like I can't use firearm sparingly
'Can I do this?' I frowned, looking at the demon before me who's approaching closer by the second. He certainly look strong, and in reality he appeared to be even stronger than Neo, much stronger than i thought
After a second of pondering I decided to use [Appraisal], something I should have used at the start of the battle instead of now
Name: Lower Demon Moon 6. Guu
Race: Demon (+170% HP regeneration. +50% to all stats)
Level: 51
Taijutsu: 19 (+9.5)
Kenjutsu: 18 (+9)
Ninjutsu: 14 (+7)
Fuunjutsu: 0
Kekkei Genkei: Black Wind (Ninjutsu/Kenjutsu)
.....a demon moon?
I shook my head. No matter who he is, I'll just have to kill him and everything will be alright
But how? All his combat stats outstrip me. Higher strength, agility, regeneration, and no doubt he's more resilient than me as well.
'Sir (Y/n), if I may?'
It was the spirit girl
'I believe I may help you in bringing him down'
I turned to face her. Unlike the frantic and emotional wreck I've seen her in until now, she was completely calm
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Author's Note: A double update is usually not my style, but somehow I just wrote 12k words in a sitting without even so much as looking away from the computer screen
I need to stop torturing myself.....
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