Shun POV:

“GRRUAGGHHH!!!”

Vojiq’s thunderous fist eliminated the dust clouds. I spun to the side, avoiding it to the best of my ability before widening the distance between us.

I wasn’t stupid. I knew Vojiq specialised in close combat, but I didn’t know the extent of that specialisation. Once I figured that out, I’d kill him.

Blood splashed against the stone floor from his burnt body. His red eyes swivelled toward me, then curved upward.

‘Another lunatic.’

“Sentri Style: Ultimate Sentri Blur.”

The moment I clicked my tongue was the moment my head snapped back. No. Vojiq blitzed me into the other end of the barrier at such a speed, it took me seconds to realise what had just happened.

“Keuk...!”

Currents of air wrapped around my bloodied body. The boost in speed met the requirement to slip away from Vojiq’s onslaught...

Until it didn’t.

Sentri Blur.

It was one of the most annoying techniques in the Sentri Style due to its wide range of applications. For example, beginners were able to sway side to side and launch an assault of lightning-fast strikes toward the target. However, the angle of their fist revealed the technique’s trajectory. That made intercepting the ‘Blur’ simple enough.

Intermediate users were able to mix the slow motion of the sway into their attacks. At this stage, the blend of ‘slow’ and ‘fast’ diversified the rhythm of the technique; it wasn’t possible to rely on the previous tell because the timing would throw you off instead.

Advanced users went beyond that. They could ‘Blur’ their limbs, adding to the variety of attacks at their disposal. What made it frustrating was that they could also ‘Blur’ themselves to another position within a small range.

Vojiq was using the ultimate variation of that technique.

‘Not good.’

“Wizard.”

I flickered side to side, evading his blitz with ease now that I had reached the level of an Elementalist. Lifelike wind and fire monsters formed from the splay of my hand, but Vojiq stood still. His hands remained in his pockets as they pounced on him.

“Sentri Style: Ultimate Sentri Charge.”

‘Tch.’

The idiot decided to use his head. It seemed my own attack had woken up a different side to Vojiq. Now, he parried the blows of the elemental monsters, utilising them to build up the charge. I swiped my hand to disperse the conjured beasts, but Vojiq’s arms had already begun to glow.

“!”

A palm faced me before a cannon wave of Ki shot forward. I stomped the stone floor with my foot, creating thousands of walls in an instant. They angled themselves in a diagonal arch that diverted the attack behind me. The entire floor shook from its force when Vojiq took a step forward.

“Come on. Did I scare the little maniac too much? Should I not use Sentri Blur?”

Laughter erupted around the arena.

“Vojiq! Vojiq! Vojiq!!”

My lips curved upward, and my eyes bulged at the feeling of growth-at the verification of improvement his death would give me.

“Shinobi.”

I reached behind my shoulder and grabbed hold of the black tsuka: the braided silk handle of the Ninjatō.

Darkness brought a memory along with it.

***

“Shunny, how do I look? You have a cool grandfather, don’t you?”

I raised my head from the book I was reading and observed his custom-made gi. Sharp red streaks cut through the black in certain areas, provoking a dangerous feel to it. My grandfather made me wear a similar one whenever I wanted to read in the dojo.

“You’re cool, Ji-ji.”

Black hair, a youthful but calm face, and a strong presence described the man known as Kurosawa Kuri: the 14th consecutive winner of the All Japan Kendo Championships. His dominance was so overwhelming that the government asked him to step down due to the low morale of other contestants.

His response?

“Be grateful that this was my 14th win. You all suck.”

My grandfather didn’t like attention, but he did like honing his martial arts. Ji-ji cocked his head to the side, displeased with my answer to his question.

Stolen story; please report.

“What do you think of this katana, grandson?”

He took his time taking down a black scabbard displayed beneath the Kurosawa Clan symbol: a diamond of darkness with three red slashes angled toward its centre. Ji-ji drew the blade, revealing its pristine condition and faint inscription that ran along the curved surface. It was the family heirloom, passed down from generation to generation. Only the Head was allowed to hold and wield it.

“I don’t understand the meaning behind the inscription. It’s strange.”

My grandfather’s lips curved upward before parting. He let out a light laugh and spun the hilt of the katana around his fingers. Ji-ji slid back across the sugi flooring. The katana sheathed; he lowered his centre of gravity and forced the air to shift around him.

“My heart beats in the darkness.”

Once his eyes opened, I felt it. I felt the intent to cut down anyone and anything in his path. It was a pressure that could only be explained by experiencing it firsthand.

This was... fighting spirit realised.

“Your father can do this much with ease. Shunny, the only real opponents I fought, came from within the Kurosawa Clan. The hardest of them all was your beautiful grandmother.”

“R-really?”

I put the book down and stared at my grandfather in surprise. I didn’t think he would have fought his own wife just to improve himself.

“Yep. The Princess of the Kurosawas: Kurosawa Butsu. Her mastery over the kusarigama was enough to even injure me. Look, maybe you can still see a faint scar on my cheek! Hahaha!!~”

There wasn’t a scar.

“Bu-Bu, do you remember when we fought?!”

My grandmother slid open the door before folding her arms. The slight dip of her eyebrows showed her annoyance that melted into a soft smile once she saw us.

“I do, but don’t talk about violence in front of Shun-chan.”

Short black hair, a beautiful figure, and a stern presence that only turned soft with family. That was who Kurosawa Butsu was.

“Grow out your hair, Bu-Bu. I miss waking up to you styling it.”

She bent down to kiss my forehead before hugging her husband. The word flustered or embarrassment could never be used to describe Baa-san. According to my mother, the only time she showed shyness was when she married Ji-ji at 13 years of age.

Baa-san got pregnant 6 months later. Such was the way of the Kurosawa.

“It gets in the way, Kuri.”

I observed them hold each other close for a long time. It made me wonder if I would be able to do the same one day.

“Shun-chan, don’t think about love. There are many beasts out there that know how to smile. Let your parents choose a wife for you once you become of age.”

“Yes, Baa-san.”

I lowered my head in her direction. Both of them were much wiser than me, so they would also know best. It was a relief because I wasn’t confident in others liking me that much.

My classmates in Japan were nice, but I could see the cautiousness in their movements. They chose their words with care and made sure to ask for my input regarding even the smallest of decisions.

The teachers were no exception. Constant compliments of praise for the smallest things I did. Even when I stayed quiet, they would pull out my perfect exam scores as a reference model for other students.

I liked reading.

They spoke less when I read. I didn’t want to burden those around me with my presence. Apologies were met with faces of fear, begging me to not lower my head again.

I loved reading.

Baa-san gave her husband a light kiss before cuddling with me. She asked me questions about the book I read, showing genuine interest in its contents but more interest in my explanations. Ji-ji practised his swordsmanship in silence. Once Baa-san left to prepare lunch for us, he took her place.

He watched me read without saying a word. All he would do was ruffle my hair, but that was enough to make me feel happy.

I loved my grandparents.

“Shunny, Bu-Bu and I promised your mother we wouldn’t force you to learn of our ways. But...”

He closed one eye to gauge my reaction.

“...Do you want to learn Kenjutsu from me?”

“Not really, Ji-ji.”

His head slumped back against the wall, followed by a defeated sigh. My grandfather had tried to sweeten me up so that I would give him the answer he wanted to hear.

It was funny.

“Fine, fine. How about this then? If I write a 4,000 page book of all my techniques, training, and knowledge, would you read it? Would you memorise it?”

I shifted my gaze toward his eager face, awaiting a positive response.

“I would because you wrote it, Grandad.”

***

“Vojiq.”

I drew the blade, and the shadow fell. What should have been light was heavy, so I let it fall.

“!!!!”

The Ninjatō cratered the entire arena before quaking the dungeon itself. 2,000 pages of the book my grandfather wrote on Kurosawa Kenjutsu formed the basis of this weapon. That was the limit; otherwise, it would break apart.

This benefit of Codex Knowledge was only possible if the author was related to me. It used up half of the CK resource, with an additional quarter needed to first lower the restriction on utilising the creation, then raise my base if necessary. The latter led to a 4x increase of all physical attributes in this case.

Knowledge was power.

I picked it up before flickering back to the surface. The stone floor was soon restored by the sweating Armoured Sentri Knights while Vojiq’s grin widened.

“I’m going to...”

I shifted into a stance.

“Kill you.”

Vojiq’s Ki erupted out of him.

“Sentri Style: Ultimate Sentri Blur.”

“!?”

Strikes missed their target. They were deflected. They were parried and redirected. Vojiq’s imposing frame leaned forward, speeding up his ‘Blur,’ but the results remained the same.

He took his hands out of his pockets and shifted into the Sentri stance. The arena became his domain. It accommodated the new positions Vojiq blurred into.

The crowd cheered. They chanted his name in unison, hoping to one day reach Vojiq’s level of mastery.

5 metres.

That was the range I limited myself to. Any more than that, and the burden would be too much for me to handle. Vojiq had demonstrated all three levels of Sentri Blur in an attempt to complete his new assessment of my growth. His idiocy guided me to the next actions he would take.

“Sentri Style: Blur Zone.”

It was as I expected.

The ultimate variation of Sentri Blur allowed Vojiq to elevate other techniques to their ‘Blur’ form. His prior evaluation method also set the foundation for additional techniques to be used. In other words, Ultimate Sentri Blur could stockpile the ‘Blur’ as a separate resource that was then used to empower the Sentri Style.

Within the Blur Zone, Vojiq’s base would rise as well as the power of those techniques. The biggest benefit was the speed of conversion; Vojiq was able to form the ‘Blur’ resource 2x faster than before.

This was my current hypothesis.

“Sentri Style: Blur Charge.”

‘Good. Very good.’

Our high-speed clash continued. I switched from defence to offence to help Vojiq achieve the plan he had in mind. He recognised my intentions and was thrilled by it.

“Good. Wonderful!!”

His tinted grey scales began to glow. Unlike Sentri Charge, Blur Charge wouldn’t be dispersed after one attack. As for what other benefits it gave him, that was unknown due to the Blur Zone.

“Sentri Style: Blur Wave.”

I spun the Ninjatō around my fingers before transitioning them into the half seal for Rin. The assault waves of Ki arrived in flickering fashion, but the straight blade slid along them. The more he threw, the more power coiled around the weapon.

Kurosawa Kenjutsu used the Kuji-kiri.

So when I swung the sword down and lacerated his entire body with the expulsion of Rin, Vojiq understood his mistake. His knees caved in the stone floor, decorating the area around him with blood. My eyes curved upward underneath the shadow of darkness.

“Come on. Did I scare the little maniac too much? Should I not use my Ninjatō?”

The Sentri were silenced once more.