"Her name is Mirokuji Kirigiri, a tsukumogami I personally cultivated," Mahito said coldly. "Her future has only just begun. The mere Zen'in Family was just her debut battle. She will surely become the god-slaying sword and God-serving blade that shakes the world, unrivaled under heaven."
A look of admiration and lamentation appeared on the old man's face. "Good, good."
"Excellent. This is a true partner. A swordsman should treat his blade as he would his own lover. There is no closer relationship in this world than that between a swordsman and his sword."
"The sword's name is inscribed with the swordsmith's blessing, while the swordsman gives the sword meaning in life."
"'Mirokuji Kirigiri,' the god-slaying sword? Good, a good name."
"A good sword, and a good person!"
Kenjaku nudged Mahito's side with his elbow and asked with a smile, "How is it? Although it's hard to accept at first sight, do you now get the feeling of 'Ah, he really is the founder of the New Shadow Style'? Though he's so weak he can't even hold a sword anymore, he has maintained this passion for a thousand years, as long as he has existed."
The old man ignored Kenjaku's teasing and looked Mahito up and down. Finally confirming that Kirigiri was not on Mahito's person, he began to grumble in dissatisfaction:
"What's going on? How can a swordsman leave his sword alone in its scabbard? You should carry your sword with you at all times, never letting it leave your side! To think you'd appear before me empty-handed like this—it's not good, really not good at all!"
Mahito asked, "There are cracks on Kirigiri's blade, caused by a direct collision with a Black Flash. I had no choice but to set her aside, but the recovery hasn't been ideal. Do you have any solutions?"
These words made the old man's face fill with regret. "I am a swordsman, not a swordsmith. I cannot handle such problems… If it were a thousand years ago, I did know a very powerful swordsmith, but not anymore."
"Modern people have long forgotten the pursuit of swords from ancient times. They would rather spend a month firing bullets than ten years honing their swordsmanship. Without people to use swords, swordsmiths are even worse off."
Mahito wanted to sigh to the heavens. Do you even hear what you're saying? Comparing a month's worth of bullets to ten years of grueling sword training—how do you even dare to make that comparison?
Just by looking at Mahito's expression, the old man knew what he wanted to say. He suddenly asked, "Want to try?"
Mahito was startled. "Try what?"
The old man said calmly, "To see what these old bones of mine can still do."
What they can still do?
Mahito was truly surprised this time. He did know of the old man's existence; he had appeared toward the end of the original work as an ambitious man who desired to rule the jujutsu world. He was indeed as frail then as he was now. Although he constantly talked about ruling the jujutsu world, in the end, he was killed quite simply without even a single battle scene.
As the founder of the New Shadow Style, he might have been a formidable fighter in his prime. But now, with his lack of any muscle, looking as if he'd blow over in the wind, Mahito didn't think he had any combat capability at all.
Mahito observed the old man closely and asked, "Are you sure?"
These words were the signal for battle.
A flash of light erupted from the old man, forcing Mahito's survival instincts to kick in. He instinctively tilted his head back as a pencil appeared before his neck. The pencil's tip was so blunt it would be hard to write with, yet a faint trail of blood silently appeared on Mahito's neck, and a drop of blood fell, sliding down his neck.
The old man slowly retracted the pencil, hiding it in his sleeve. He said, "I'm old, truly old. I can't even hit a cat anymore."
These were the words of the genius swordsman Okita Souji from the Bakumatsu era. At that time, he had a dream where he chased a cat to strike it but could never hit it. He spoke these words upon waking and passed away shortly after.
The old man's use of these words was self-deprecating, describing himself as being in his twilight years, no longer what he once was.
But even if he was no longer what he once was, he could still make Mahito bleed with a pencil in an instant—and Mahito hadn't managed to dodge it! One must remember that his current body was one he had crafted himself, and his dynamic vision could even see the individual movements of Projection Sorcery! Yet, facing the old man's sudden attack, even knowing he would strike, he still hadn't reacted in time.
Kenjaku clapped lightly. "Your skills haven't diminished, old friend. With just that move, you could easily pass as a Grade 2 Jujutsu Sorcerer even if you entered the world now."
Mahito lightly touched his neck, and the bloodstain vanished without a trace. He couldn't help but ask, "Only Grade 2? I once fought a Jujutsu Sorcerer who was deeply trained in Iaido and Falling Blossom Emotion."
"He was a Special Grade 1 Sorcerer, two ranks higher than a Grade 2 Jujutsu Sorcerer, yet that man's iaido was far inferior to that move just now."
Before Kenjaku could explain, the old man said without any reservation, "The person you're talking about is Zen'in Ogi, right? He was a prodigy of his generation in his youth. Combining iaido with the Big Three Families' secret technique, Falling Blossom Emotion, was indeed a genius idea. He almost became unrivaled in the world with that move. His auto-counter iaido was far superior to mine in both power and speed."
"Then why?" Mahito asked.
"There is only one point where I am above him," the old man said calmly. "Intent. My intent far exceeds his. Therefore, he is far inferior to me."
"Intent…" Mahito said thoughtfully.
The old man spoke slowly:
"Iaido is a strike with no retreat and no defense. Simply increasing power and speed can certainly strengthen the power of Iaido, but simply improving those will never allow one to grasp the true profound meaning of Iaido… that heart that moves forward without looking back."
"There is no other way but to move forward with everything you have."
"Since you've come to find me, you should know the core jujutsu of my school."
"Are you referring to Simple Domain?" Mahito's tone unconsciously became respectful.
The old man explained:
"Nowadays, everyone who knows of Simple Domain naturally considers it the trademark of the New Shadow Style, a type of barrier technique. But they don't know the true core of this move."
"Simple Domain is actually an extension of the heart."
"If you've consulted the thousand-year-old sorcerer beside you, you should know why Simple Domain was created."
"It was created to deal with the Cursed Spirits and Curse Users that appeared in endless numbers back then. Although we were also sorcerers, we were the group with mediocre talent, and some didn't even have an Innate Technique."
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