Spiritual pressure perception instantly spread across the entire mansion, and Asuka felt his soul shudder.
Demonic aura. An extremely powerful demonic aura, almost comparable to the Upper Rank he encountered that day.
Asuka's eyes sharpened immediately as he looked toward the man leading the way, Fujino Genkuro.
This man who called himself a doctor and had voluntarily provided clues... was he really trustworthy?
"Mr. Fujino." His voice pressed down coldly as he spoke, the deep green blade beginning to glow faintly. "The people inside... are they truly your relatives?"
Fujino Genkuro had been rambling about his relatives' situation, but Asuka's icy tone and sudden movement startled him so badly that the rest of his words stuck in his throat.
He suddenly realized with horror that the two female companions beside this man had also drawn gleaming katana from the packs they carried. A sense of dread instantly crept into his heart.
"You! What are you doing!" He looked at the gentle female reporter, Miss Shinobu Kocho. Her smile now seemed unfathomable, sending chills down his spine. "W-Why are you carrying swords? Who exactly are you people? Ronin? Bandits?"
Doctor Fujino appeared both agitated and confused. Instinctively, he spread his arms to shield the mansion door behind him.
The situation was urgent. Asuka had no time to explain, nor any intention of calming a suspicious outsider.
"Kanao! Keep an eye on him!"
Kanao moved at once. Her movements were swift as the wind. With a single blur of motion, she appeared beside Fujino and grabbed his shoulder.
Fujino panicked and tried to struggle free, but the strength of this young girl far exceeded his imagination. As a grown man, he found himself completely unable to move.
He could only watch in horror as Asuka rapidly approached the mansion.
He tried to shout a warning, but Kanao stuffed a handkerchief into his mouth, leaving him only able to produce muffled whimpers.
While Kanao restrained Fujino Genkuro, Asuka had already reached the wooden gate.
Without the slightest hesitation, he raised his leg and kicked fiercely.
Bang!
The door bar snapped instantly under the tremendous force. The wooden gate burst open, dust scattering everywhere.
Inside the courtyard, several people were seated cross-legged on cushions.
An elderly woman with white hair and cloudy eyes sat there, accompanied by a pair of middle-aged man and woman with dull expressions. Behind them stood several curious but restless children.
They were respectfully bowing toward the person in front of them, listening to his teachings.
The person before them wore a coarse monk's robe and was quietly preaching something. Clearly, the family had not yet reacted to Asuka's sudden entrance.
With a single glance, Asuka locked onto the source of the demonic aura.
The monk was emitting a blood-soaked stench that made one's skin crawl. The density of the demonic aura was even greater than that of Lower Rank Enmu.
Whoosh!
The Zanpakuto howled through the air.
Asuka had no interest in hearing what the other party was saying, nor did he care whether this counted as a sneak attack.
He had only one thought: before this demon could react, cut off his head.
Nugata tore through the air with a deep green arc of light. It was a hybrid sword strike combining Wind Breathing and Flame Breathing, though he had not yet given it a name.
"Die!"
However, just as the lightning-fast, ruthless slash was about to touch flesh, Asuka stopped it himself.
Something was wrong.
This demon's reaction... was far too slow.
From beginning to end, the monk had never even turned his head. Faced with such killing intent, even the weakest demon should instinctively dodge or resist.
Asuka forcibly twisted the blade and slammed the back of the sword against the monk's shoulder and neck.
Bang!
"Ouch!"
The dull impact rang out as the monk immediately let out a short, miserable scream and spun through the air.
He crashed heavily into a corner of the courtyard. Under the terrified gaze of the elderly woman and her family, he curled up in pain, groaning constantly as if he could barely breathe.
With a quick leap, Asuka landed in front of him. Seeing the monk's eyes rolling back and his miserable appearance as if he might faint, Asuka frowned.
He expanded his spiritual pressure perception again. At such close distance, he finally discovered the anomaly.
The monk was human.
The extremely dense demonic aura came entirely from the object he held in his arms.
A crystal-clear statue of Buddha, ice-blue in color, as though carved from solid ice.
It sat cross-legged with a serene expression, its details carved with astonishing clarity.
What made it strange was that even in the mild chill of late autumn, the ice statue showed no sign of melting.
A thin layer of frost covered its surface, and threads of cold air continued to seep out, spreading a faint white mist across the nearby ground.
"Ouch... it hurts so much... M-Murder! Help! Bandits! Thieves!"
The monk struggled, crawling on the ground with tears and snot streaming down his face as he cursed incoherently.
Even so, he clutched the jade-like Buddha statue tightly in his arms, terrified it might be damaged, as though it were more precious than his own life.
"Master! Master, are you alright?"
The elderly homeowner trembled as she tried to step forward, but Asuka's cold gaze and the gleaming blade in his hand frightened her back. The entire family huddled together, shaking in fear at the sudden chaos.
The middle-aged man behind her gathered his courage and stepped forward to shield his family.
"H-Who exactly are you people! In broad daylight you carry weapons... beating a monk who spreads the Buddha's teachings! Is there no law left?"
But even as he spoke, this desolate countryside meant that if they had truly encountered powerful bandits, he dared not imagine the outcome. All he could do was try his best to protect his family.
Asuka ignored the family's confusion and stepped toward the monk, who was wriggling on the ground like a worm.
"I will ask only once. Where did this thing come from?"
"W-What thing!" The monk's eyes flickered as he tried desperately to hide the ice Buddha behind him. He shouted fiercely despite his fear. "This is the sacred statue of the Eternal Paradise Faith! A treasure bestowed by the Master of our faith! It dispels disasters and grants blessings to all!"
"You crude warriors know nothing of the true Buddha, yet you dare defile a sacred object! Heaven will punish you!"
As the monk continued to evade the question, Asuka's patience finally ran out.
The demonic aura radiating from this ice Buddha was far too refined and powerful to be created by an ordinary demon.
It had to be the creation of some powerful Blood Demon Art.
And this monk, full of lies, clearly knew something.
Time was running short. The demon lurking behind the scenes could very well be nearby.
"I don't have time to waste on nonsense." Asuka's eyes hardened as his wrist dropped sharply.
Thud!
"Asuka!" Shinobu Kocho's eyes widened as she hurried to stop him.
Nugata stabbed down with ruthless precision.
Yet the expected spray of blood did not appear.
Asuka's blade slid between the monk's fingers and plunged deeply into the dirt beneath his hand.
The razor-sharp edge cut into the monk's finger, drawing thin lines of blood, but it did not pierce his palm.
The sudden pain and the terror of death made the monk tremble violently like a leaf in the wind. He instantly forgot about protecting the ice Buddha and instinctively tried to pull his hand away.
"You can move," Asuka said coldly. "But the next strike will pierce your palm. The one after that will go through your heart."
"Now explain clearly. What is this statue? And who are you?"
The monk was drenched in sweat, his face pale as paper.
His lips trembled as fear filled his eyes. Finally, he broke down and wailed.
"M-Mercy! Mercy, my lord! I'll talk! I'll tell you everything!"
"I'm just a novice monk running errands! And that truly is a sacred object of our faith! When we preach outside, we rely on the divine grace of our Master to convince people! I really didn't lie!"
"You are a monk of the Eternal Paradise Faith? What are you doing here?" Asuka pressed, lowering the blade another fraction closer to the monk's fingers.
The monk wept uncontrollably, not daring to hide anything anymore.
"Yes! Yes!"
He pointed toward the family, specifically the middle-aged woman with the dull expression.
"Miss Saya has been depressed because of her child's situation. We only came here to do good deeds and comfort her!"
"Do good deeds?"
"Yes!" The monk hurriedly pulled the ice Buddha closer with his other hand and spoke in a trembling voice. "As the saying goes, 'Calm the mind and cross the mortal world; those who contemplate freely shall attain liberation'..."
"Stop the nonsense. Get to the point."
"Yes, yes... In other words, as long as Miss Saya sincerely studies the teachings of our Buddha, she will be able to meet the Master of our faith! When that happens, all her troubles will disappear!"
At this point, Asuka finally understood. He exchanged a glance with Shinobu Kocho, who was also frowning.
This man had come here to deceive a respectable woman.
##Discount on all novels##
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