Chapter 86: The Vengeful Spirit's Life is Spared, a Strange Change Puzzles the Swordsman
The small wooden hut was quickly torn to shreds by the shockwaves of the fierce battle. Fortunately, the Sculptor lived far from the crowds, and others had been warned not to approach, making this a perfect natural battlefield.
Suzuki Makoto was in no hurry to eliminate this Demon of Resentment. He merely defended passively, waiting to see what kind of techniques the opponent would display to further fill his knowledge base and become his treasure.
Inside the hut earlier, the opponent's techniques had the air of an assassin, clearly the specialty of a shinobi. But after discovering he couldn't harm Suzuki Makoto, his moves instantly became broad and sweeping, breaking free of the building's constraints, now trying to overwhelm Suzuki Makoto with sheer force.
And now, realizing his strength was insufficient, the Demon of Resentment roared, its body beginning to swell as the flames of resentment started to spread from its body to the blade—only to swiftly retract.
This scene even made the Demon of Resentment pause for a moment. It looked at the blade in its hand, then unceremoniously threw it at Suzuki Makoto like a dagger, subsequently grabbing a nearby broken axe to continue its attack.
The young man retrieved the Mortal Blade, finding it amusing. Even after losing their minds, these vengeful spirits could sense the Mortal Blade's properties. It seemed this sword was not just for severing the undying.
The battle between man and demon was witnessed clearly by others. The first to arrive at the Castle Keep was Lady Butterfly, who had previously tailed Suzuki Makoto.
"Lord Isshin, that Ape fellow is acting up again!"
The old woman's voice was grave. She looked at Emma.
"Where is your master, Dogen? Tell him to come and help quickly."
"Master has gone traveling. I don't know where he is now."
Emma quickly bowed in apology.
"No need to rush, Butterfly. Let's watch a little longer."
Leaning against the railing, Isshin Ashina's voice held not a trace of urgency; instead, he sounded quite relaxed.
"What are we waiting for? Look how old we've become! Do you think we can hold him down again? Should we wait until he's truly tasted blood and fully degenerated into a Shura?!"
"If he wants to taste blood, I'm afraid it won't be that easy."
Although his body was drained of vitality, Isshin Ashina's insight was still sharp. In the fight between Suzuki Makoto and the Sculptor, it was obvious that Suzuki Makoto was holding back, and he could roughly guess the reason.
"Still thinking only of learning techniques at a time like this... What an enviable talent..."
Sighing, Isshin Ashina could only feel fortunate that Suzuki Makoto hadn't been on the side of the Interior Ministry twenty years ago.
By now, Lady Butterfly had also noticed the strangeness of the battle. Although the young man was parrying with ease, he was very stingy with his attacks. He would only slash a few times after the Shura had completed a full offensive set.
Rather than a counterattack, it looked more like... goading?
Like a human hunting a fierce beast, one must constantly harass it while letting it bleed, forcing it to remain active so that it loses blood faster—but a Shura would not be exhausted by this, and there were no bleeding wounds on its body.
"Is that person... the child Genichiro brought back?"
"I'm afraid we are not qualified to call him a 'child'."
After this was said, the three watched in silence. When soldiers came to ask for orders, they were only told to seal off the area and keep ordinary people away.
"It's coming to an end."
Isshin Ashina suddenly spoke.
Just a moment ago, the Demon of Resentment that the Sculptor had become used a set of techniques it had already used before. This meant it had exhausted its repertoire; all its moves had failed to breach Suzuki Makoto's defense.
If his judgment of Suzuki Makoto's actions was correct, then the Ape's move meant it had just signed its own death warrant.
Lady Butterfly was about to ask a question but was shocked into silence the next second.
Facing the Demon of Resentment's attack, the young man completely abandoned his defense. Even so, the attacks could not threaten him in the slightest. It seemed Suzuki Makoto's familiarity with this set of techniques surpassed even the Sculptor's own!
And his attack was simple to the extreme. The blade plunged straight into the Demon of Resentment's chest, and the nimble giant demon seemed to have thrown itself onto the blade, making no move to dodge at all.
"To be able to completely analyze techniques after seeing them only once, to even accurately judge the openings in the moves and the posture of the footwork, requiring no defense and felling the enemy with a single blow—this man is worthy of being revered as a Sword Saint!"
Isshin Ashina's voice grew more and more excited, wishing he were twenty years younger so he could have a hearty battle with Suzuki Makoto!
Such a fight, even in death, would make his life absolutely worth it!
The Demon of Resentment, its chest pierced, struggled in pain as its form began to shrink, and the flames of resentment enveloping its body gradually dissipated into the air.
Suzuki Makoto pulled out his sword and pressed his hand against the wound to prevent excessive blood loss.
"Cough, cough, cough... cough, cough—Why am I... not dead yet?"
"That old geezer Isshin said you're one of his few remaining friends, so he specifically asked me to spare your life. But if you move again and the wound gets bigger, I probably won't be able to save you even if I wanted to."
The Sculptor lay on the ground in a daze, his entire body as exhausted as if he hadn't slept for ten days and nights, yet as light as if he had been freed from a shackle that had bound him for twenty years.
"Lord Suzuki, thank you for your help. Please leave the rest to me."
Emma rushed to the battlefield at top speed, panting as she took over the Sculptor's treatment.
Suzuki Makoto was happy to be relieved. He sheathed his sword, and as his gaze swept over the back of his hand, he let out a soft sound of surprise.
"What is it, Lord Suzuki?"
Although the female physician was busy saving the patient, she still turned back to look at Suzuki Makoto.
"It's nothing. I'm heading back to the Castle Keep."
Of course, Suzuki Makoto would not say much about the Command Seal. He was just puzzled. His previous Command Seal should have been blood-red, so why did it now look blackish-red, almost completely black?
He walked along the roads of Ashina Castle, the gazes cast upon him a mix of worship and awe. That great battle had been witnessed by soldiers and commoners alike, and the one who had 'slain' such a terrifying demon would naturally earn their respect.
Suzuki Makoto had no mind to pay attention to this. He was currently reviewing what he had done in this world, because he was certain that when he first entered this world, the Command Seal was still its original color.
Was it killing the White Serpent, or those two apes? Or perhaps, was it this Demon of Resentment?
Or... was it all of them?
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