"HURRY UP AND MOVE!"
"WE CAN'T SLOW DOWN! IF HE GETS PAST THE COURTYARD, HE'LL BREACH THE INNER WING!"
"DAMMIT, WHAT THE HELL IS HAPPENING?!"
Chaos erupted across the compound. No one in the clan was ignorant of who Suzuki was. They all knew him intimately—the anomaly who was born with overwhelming Jujutsu talent, yet chose to abandon his duties to enroll at Kyoto University.
To the outside world, Kyoto University was an absolute pinnacle of human intellect—the academic equivalent of MIT or Oxford. Earning a degree there while simultaneously attending Kyoto Jujutsu High and exorcising Special Grade Curses was a feat that required monstrous intelligence and stamina.
To the Zenin Clan, however, it was just "monkey knowledge."
Yet, the man who had supposedly wasted his time learning that useless monkey knowledge had just beaten Ogi Zenin—a Special Grade 1 Sorcerer—half to death in front of everyone. Now, he was casually walking toward the main household, completely ready to tear the rest of the clan apart. Panic set in. The guards were frantically ordered to surround him!
Meanwhile, safely isolated from the chaos in the upper levels of the estate, Naoya Zenin sat casually on the edge of a window frame, looking down at the mess outside.
"Father, what exactly are you planning to do about this?" Naoya asked, his tone dripping with condescension. "That nerd is finally going crazy from reading too much physics and math."
Naoya knew perfectly well how strong his younger brother was, but he absolutely despised him. Suzuki was the one glaring, unpredictable obstacle standing between Naoya and the seat of the Clan Head!
That position rightfully belonged to Naoya. It was his destiny to lead the Zenin Clan, and there was absolutely no way he was surrendering it to anyone—least of all a university student who disrespected their traditions.
So, when Naoya saw Suzuki mercilessly pummeling Ogi into the pavement, he wasn't horrified. He was elated. In his twisted mind, this was the perfect excuse to have Suzuki labeled a traitor and permanently executed, erasing him from the succession war completely!
As for his other brothers? Naoya couldn't care less. They were all useless trash. Suzuki was the only one who genuinely threatened his ego, mainly because Suzuki's application of Projection Sorcery was something Naoya simply couldn't comprehend.
Instead of following the proud traditions of their father—Naobito, the fastest Sorcerer alive—Suzuki had completely bastardized the technique with human science. Naoya often mocked Suzuki, calling him a fool who overcomplicated a simple, elegant power. Sometimes, Naoya actively wanted to beat the shit out of him just to teach him how real Projection Sorcery worked. Unfortunately, despite Naoya being older and vastly more experienced, Suzuki could somehow effortlessly go toe-to-toe with him.
It infuriated Naoya. The younger brother was supposed to bow to the older brother! It was the natural order! Yet their father, Naobito, just let Suzuki do whatever he wanted.
Gulp! Gulp! Gulp!
"Haaa!" Naobito lowered his massive gourd of alcohol and let out a loud, satisfied burp.
"Father!" Naoya snapped, disgusted by the old man's apathy.
"Why are you getting so emotional?" Naobito slurred slightly, using his pinky to lazily scratch his itchy ear. "So what if he beat Ogi? Haven't you beaten down your fair share of clan members before? In this family, if you have the power, you can do whatever you want—including taking the Clan Head seat."
Naobito paused, a sly, mocking smirk spreading across his face as he looked at his eldest son. "How about it, Naoya? Do you want to go down there and try him?"
"Stop saying stupid things!" Naoya scowled, clutching his chest dramatically. "I am simply worried about the future of the clan!"
He put on a mask of pure, righteous concern.
"....."
The rest of the elite sorcerers in the room stared at him in complete silence.
"Do any of you actually believe him?" Naobito asked the room, gesturing to Naoya with his gourd.
"No," several voices answered simultaneously.
Nobody believed Naoya for a single second. Why? Because everyone in the room knew Naoya was a narcissistic piece of shit.
"If you want to stop him, go down there and stop him yourself," Naobito yawned, turning his attention back to the window. He was genuinely interested in watching his youngest son rampage, lazily sipping his booze as the show unfolded.
"Clan Head, do you honestly think he can break through the entire Kukuru Squad alone?" one of the sorcerers asked.
The Zenin Clan was built on a brutal, rigid power system. At the absolute apex stood Naobito. Directly beneath him was the Hei—the elite Vanguard composed entirely of Semi-Grade 1 and Grade 1 Sorcerers. The men standing in this observation room were all members of the Hei.
Below them was the Kukuru Unit. This lower branch was comprised entirely of male clan members who possessed zero innate techniques. Every single man who fit that criteria was violently forced into the unit and subjected to grueling, torturous martial arts training day and night. It was the exact same unit Maki had been trapped in before she escaped to Tokyo.
In the eyes of the clan, the Kukuru Unit was the bottom of the food chain. They were the grunts. The slaves.
These were the men currently swarming the courtyard to stop Suzuki. Yet, even if they were considered the "weakest" in the clan, they were still lethally trained assassins who had survived decades of brutal hand-to-hand combat conditioning. They were physically leagues above any normal human.
And there were hundreds of them.
"STOPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPP!!!!"
As Suzuki calmly walked up the main path, his route was suddenly blocked by a massive wall of men in ninja-like combat gear. Standing at the very front of the mob was Nobuaki Zenin, rocking a flawless pompadour and a pristine white suit, his hand resting heavily on the katana at his hip.
"SUZUKI ZENIN-SAMA!" Nobuaki barked, his voice echoing across the courtyard. "BY DIRECT ORDER OF THE CLAN, YOU ARE TO HALT IMMEDIATELY!"
The moment the command dropped, hundreds of Kukuru members drew their weapons in unison. The synchronized ringing of steel filled the air. They glared menacingly at Suzuki, trying to crush his willpower with sheer, overwhelming numbers.
Standing behind Suzuki, Maki and Mai tensed up. This was entirely different from ambushing Ogi. This time, Suzuki was staring down a literal private army.
Yet—
"And if I don't?" Suzuki asked calmly, not even breaking his stride.
"....."
The mob hesitated.
"I-If you don't..." Nobuaki stammered, sweat beading on his forehead. He knew perfectly well he was no match for Suzuki. But he had hundreds of men backing him up! "Then we will have no choice but to stop you with force!"
"Eh?"
Glitch.
The visual space around Suzuki's body suddenly tore. It wasn't a blur of speed; it was a violent stutter in reality itself.
Before a single Kukuru member could blink, Suzuki was already standing directly inside Nobuaki's personal guard. He had completely bypassed the vanguard without making a single sound.
SMASH!
"Geh—!"
Nobuaki's eyes bulged out of his skull as Suzuki casually drove a knee with the force of a hydraulic press straight into his stomach. The pompadour-wearing captain didn't even have time to scream. He instantly blacked out, collapsing to the dirt like a puppet with its strings cut.
Plop.
"....."
The entire Kukuru Squad stared at their unconscious captain in absolute horror.
Suzuki didn't even bother looking down at the man he had just folded. He simply adjusted his glasses and looked at the terrified mob.
"If you don't beat me right now, I am going to break every single bone in your bodies," Suzuki stated, his voice completely devoid of emotion. "So you have two options. Attack me, or bow down."
"...."
The mob looked at each other, their pride overriding their survival instincts.
"ATTACCCCCCKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKK!!!"
Suzuki just sighed. They really were all stupid.
---
By the way, I have added more advanced chapters to P@treon, so there is a total of 40 advanced chapters!
Please enjoy!