The battles ahead would be on too high a level.
Relying on himself alone as the "savior" could win, but it would be exhausting.
As a proper BOSS, one should know how to cultivate capable "subordinates" who could shout "awesome!" while he showed off.
And Kyo Kusanagi—the nominal "protagonist"—was naturally the prime candidate for his "focused development."
Kusanagi Castle, Training Grounds.
Kyo was watching his girlfriend Yuki with a blissful expression as she chased butterflies under the cherry blossom trees. The scene was beautiful enough to be from a pure romance anime.
However, the next second, this idyllic moment was thoroughly shattered by a voice that could only be described as demonic.
"Kyo Kusanagi, rested enough? Come on, let's continue today's physical training."
Kyo's entire body shuddered as he whipped around. There stood Cloud, having appeared behind him at some unknown point, wearing a smile that made his scalp go numb.
"C-Cloud!" Kyo's face instantly collapsed into an expression uglier than failing an exam with a zero. "You're kidding... We just finished the ten-kilometer weighted shuttle run yesterday, and now what fresh hell is this?"
"Today's activity is relatively simple." Cloud cracked his knuckles with a series of crisp pops. "We're just playing a little game called hide and seek. I seek, you hide. Simple rules—if you can avoid being caught for one hour, you win. Win, and you get the day off to go on a date with Yuki."
"Really?!" Kyo's eyes instantly lit up. This sounded way easier than the previous "demonic training"!
"Of course." Cloud's smile became even more "benevolent." "But if I catch you..."
He pointed to a nearby waterfall—one used by the Kusanagi family for trials—that plunged from a height of several hundred meters.
"...you'll do an hour of horse stance at the bottom. Oh, and I'll add some variety from the top—a few boulders weighing a hundred pounds or so, just to keep things interesting."
Kyo: "..."
His face transformed instantly from "ecstatic" to "despair."
This wasn't "hide and seek"—this was a "Hell Mode" survival challenge!
"Alright, game starts! I'll count to ten, you run!"
Before Kyo could react, Cloud's voice—like a death sentence—was already echoing in his ears.
"Ten, nine, eight..."
Without another thought, Kyo bolted!
He pushed his speed to the absolute limit, his entire body blurring like a red lightning bolt as he shot out of the training grounds.
For the next hour, all of Kusanagi Castle played host to a chaotic game of "cat and mouse."
Kyo went to ground and sky, diving into drainage tunnels, scaling rooftops, even trying to disguise himself as a stone lantern at one point...
Yet no matter where he hid, Cloud's ghost-like figure would materialize silently behind him the very second he thought he was safe, then gently tap his shoulder.
"Hey, found you."
In the end, Kyo—bruised and battered, soaked through, physically and mentally ravaged—stood doing a horse stance beneath the waterfall while receiving a "boulder massage," tears streaming uselessly.
"Know why you lost?" Cloud lounged leisurely on a nearby rock, munching an apple while delivering a "motivational speech" to the waterfall-drenched Kyo.
"Because... you're too strong?" Kyo replied weakly.
"Wrong!" Cloud shook his head. "It's because you're not strong enough! Your speed, strength, reaction time—all have massive room for improvement!"
He finished the apple in a few bites, stood, and walked to Kyo.
"Watch carefully." Cloud's expression turned serious. "I'm only teaching you one move. How much you comprehend depends on your own fortune."
He slowly raised his hand. A flame power identical in origin to Kyo's—yet more dominating, more pure—coalesced in his palm.
That power had already transcended mere "technique" and touched the edge of "Law."
"This is...?!" Kyo's eyes went wide. He could feel the blood of Kusanagi within him responding with excitement, trembling!
"The Final Battle Art..." Cloud spoke slowly, word by word, "Mu Shiki!"
He didn't actually execute the technique.
Instead, through spiritual force, he forcibly transmitted all the mysteries of "Mu Shiki"—its energy circulation pathways and the "Void" intent contained within—into Kyo's mind like a data transfer!
"AHHHHH—!!!"
The massive flood of information hit Kyo's brain like a server under attack, instantly crashing it!
He let out an agonized scream, clutched his head, and collapsed to his knees.
It was a long time before he slowly raised his head, his eyes filled with shock and disbelief.
He... had learned it!
Though he couldn't yet perform it perfectly, he'd grasped the essence of "Mu Shiki"!
This was the legendary ultimate technique of the Kusanagi clan!
[DING! Under Host's "force-feeding" instruction, target Kyo Kusanagi's potential has been forcibly awakened! Absolute Domain increased to 85%!]
"Th-thank you..." Kyo looked at Cloud with genuine gratitude.
He knew Cloud had just given him an enormous blessing.
"Don't thank me yet." Cloud's expression held a trace of regret. "The reason I did this isn't because you're my subordinate—it's because if you don't get stronger soon, you'll only be able to watch helplessly as the woman you love dies before your eyes."
"What do you mean?!" Kyo's heart plummeted.
"What I mean is..." Cloud's voice came like a Siberian cold front—cruel and merciless, "your girlfriend, Yuki. She's the reincarnation of Kushinada-hime, the necessary sacrifice for Orochi's resurrection. Before long, the Orochi clan will come for her."
"When that happens, with your current half-baked skills, you won't even have the right to protect her."
"You'll only be able to watch her get taken away, watch her be sacrificed, and then... you won't be able to do a damn thing."
BOOM—!
Cloud's words struck Kyo's heart like divine lightning, shattering all his complacency and pride to pieces!
...
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