SC1 15.4 – Karmic Retribution
Unlike his first attempt, for his second sneak attack the Sly Shouji didn’t immediately attack me. It seemed he wanted to crack my nerve by making me waited in uncertainty. It was excellent tactic, but it wouldn’t work on me.
Blink Step would enable its user to teleport to a short distance. Therefore, it would be really hard to track Blink Step user using five senses alone. Fortunately, I had Essence Pulse and I never put it in pause even for a second.
With the help of Essence Pulse, I could track the Sly Shouji’s movement with ease. After he circled me in silent, he took high position in the biggest bamboo stalk in my left. Then, he casually waited for me to become impatient and restless.
I guessed he would stay in his place forever if I kept maintaining my calm. Wasting no time, I made a slash to my left, and then to my right, before turning around and watched my surrounding vigilantly.
As my eyes darted around searching for his presence, the Sly Shouji finally made his move. From his position, he launched a double-hand vertical slash right to my head. What a nasty old dude. In a blink of one eye, his short sword was already arrived just a half-meter above my head. Fortunately, I was fully ready to welcome it.
BAAAMMM!!
A loud thud echoed as my Shadow Hand hit the Sly Shouji from the side and sent him crashing to the nearby bamboo groove, but it was not over yet. Before the Sly Shouji got back to his feet, I already arrived behind him and without delay I killed his mobility.
“Keuk!!”
The Sly Shouji made a small groan as my kodachi skewered his calves together. The pain must be unbearable. However, from his clear eyes I could tell the Sly Shouji didn’t lose his clarity, and my judgment was correct.
While gritting his teeth and gave me a sharp glare, the Sly Shouji tried to swing his short sword to my leg, but with ease I blocked and held his arm using Shadow Hand. Then, I folded both his arm to his back, and skewered it together using his short sword.
Now, with all his limbs were being skewered and immobile, I could leisurely talk to the Sly Shouji. But before that, I took a tube of fresh water and moistened my throat with a few big gulps.
“Do you want some?” I casually offered the fresh water to harmless Shouji.
“No,” Shouji replied while maintaining his sharp gaze on me. “Once is luck, but perfectly countering my ambush twice is definitely a skill.
What trick do you use to track my movement?”
“It’s me who in position to interrogate you, not the other way around,” I calmly replied.
“You will get nothing from me,” Shouji confidently said. “Master put a Soul Binding on me. It will prevent me from spiting any information about him.”
“Actually, the Soul Binding your master put on you is the reason I don’t kill you.” After a smile I added, “I knew a trick to make the Soul Binding work on my favor.”
Wasting no time, I checked the black sword tattoo on Shouji’s neck. As I suspected, it was not ordinary tattoo, but a Soul Binding. Most of all, it was only Soul Binding on the most basic form so I could hack it with ease.
By using my blood, I rewrote the Soul Binding without severing the master and slave relationship between Shouji and Wanderer Oracle. It was just that now, the relationship was one level lower than the master and slave relationship between me and Shouji.
As soon as the modification on his Soul Binding went active, Shouji immediately felt the difference. In an instant, he gave me a puzzle look.
“How did you do that?”
“Do what?” I calmly replied.
As the question mark in his face grew larger Shouji said, “It’s impossible to modify Soul Binding.”
“Actually, it entirely depends on the level of the rune being used to carve binding. If the rune master use only basic rune, it’s entirely possible to alter the Soul Binding without any consequence.”
“Who is your real identity?” Look of wary filled Shouji’s face to the brim as he continued, “In the whole continent, Master’s rune art is among the top.”
“I don’t know how high the standard of rune art in this continent, but I can assure you, your Master’s rune art is only at basic level of true rune art.”
The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.
“Impossible!”
Surprise looks filled Shouji’s face to the brim, but I ignored it.
“Give me the detail about your master and his plan for Yunno and Yui.”
“…”
Shouji tried his best to seal his mouth, but it was futile. Now, he was under my Soul Binding. He couldn’t defy my order. Like a happy singing bird, he spat out every piece of information I asked for.
---
Shouji’s master was well known in martial world. People called him Wanderer Oracle, a righteous warrior from orthodox path. Of course, it was only his front, a convenient identity to enable him to move among the orthodox warrior with ease.
It was not new thing for me. Demonic warrior loved to use this way of living to ensure their survival. I was also not surprise that Wanderer Oracle reached Level 14 when he was 25-year-old.
It’s just that if right now, 20 years later he still didn’t have another breakthrough, it meant his innate talent was mediocre. Of course, compared to my current level, he was still a warrior that could kill me with a single move.
Fortunately, right now he was busy with something else so he couldn’t go to check the latest development on his plan for Yunno and Yui.
The plan itself was simple. The Wanderer Oracle wanted Yunno to become demonic warrior, by putting her into misery through her own family. To do this, he ordered Shouji to kill my brother-in-law and my older sister.
My brother-in-law’s murder was being faked as robbery, while my sister had been killed using poison that eroded her health a bit by a bit. Once Yunno and Yui lost their parent, Shouji only had to encourage Kazuyori to put the two into misery.
Most of all, the reason why Manno didn’t graduate even after years of study and total support from the whole family, was because Wanderer Oracle used his influence to ensure everything was staying that way.
If Manno didn’t graduate, then with Kazuyori’s unreasonable obsession to make Manno became government official, the Tadaoka’s household condition would only worsen as time went on, and Yunno and Yui would become the ones who suffered the most.
“Does Kazuyori or other member of Tadaoka Household know that you killed my brother-in-law and my oldest sister?” I calmly asked.
“No, they don’t.”
“Did the Wanderer Oracle ask you to make a move on me after I bought Yunno and Yui?”
“Master only asked me to observe you until I know your real identity and purpose.”
“Who do you think I’m?”
“Initially, I suspected you just demonic warrior from other continent,” The Sly Shouji casually replied.
“What made you think that way?”
“You have no traces or trail, and just appeared in Rokube out of nowhere. You also build a hut in remote area, and clearly know nothing about the martial world in the area. All of that is the sign of demonic warrior on the run.” After a pause Shouji added, “That’s until our encounter in Tadaoka Household today.
After seeing the care you show for Yunno and Yui, I’m sure you are not demonic warrior and will definitely disrupt master’s plan.”
“Have you notified Wanderer Oracle that I try to upset his plan?”
“Not yet,” Shouji calmly replied. “I plan to send the words after I interrogate you and fully grasp the situation.”
“Well, in that case, just inform your former master that I’m truly a demonic warrior who plans to turn Yunno and Yui into the worst nightmare possible for orthodox warrior.”
After a short silence Shouji said, “Let me guess, after I send the words, you will ask me to kill myself and make it as if it’s a suicide.”
“Nope, why the fuck I order you to do such useless thing,” I calmly replied.
“Don’t tell me you want me to become your slave.”
“Why not?” I openly admitted my intention. “You make Yunno and Yui lost their parent. It’s only natural that now you become their dharma protector. It’s your karmic retribution.”
As Shouji fell into silent, I took out my kodachi from his calf, along with the short sword from his arm.
“Let me check your spatial ring,” I said as I return Shouji’s short sword.
“Here.”
The Sly Shouji obediently gave me his spatial ring, and I immediately checked it. Then, I couldn’t help but dropped my jaw. In his spatial ring, I found 115 essence cubes, money up to 63.500 Monn, 8 pieces Healing Scroll, and dozen 50-gr gold bars.
“How can you so rich?”
“Like I said earlier, master sends me essence cube two times a year,” Shouji casually replied. “But my breathing technique can’t absorb it, so it keeps piling up in my spatial ring.”
“What about the money? I curiously asked. “Your monthly income as a head constable in small town like Rokube, I believe is no more than 700 monn.”
“I sell loots from warrior I kill in Kamakura underground bazaar, and because I don’t have family I can spend the money with, it also piles up in my spatial ring.”
“I see.”
Without delay, I took almost everything. I only left behind the gold-bars, six money bags worth 500 monn each, 6 Healing Scroll, and 10 essence cubes. Shouji instantly gave me a sharp glare as soon as he realized I just robbed him.
However, after I perfectly healed his wound using Healing Spell, he immediately reduced his sharp glare significantly. Then, question mark filled his gaze after I imprinted the full and perfect version of Blink Step to his mind.
And after I found that his soul mark was White Tiger, I imprinted White Lightning as his breathing technique, and Lightning Bolt as additional offensive means. In an instant, the curiosity on Shouji’s eyes turned into astonishment. It seemed he recognize that White Lightning and Lighting Bolt was not ordinary art.
“Warrior Deitoro, who is your true identity?”
“Just a warrior who tries to retire in peace.” I could tell Shouji didn’t believe me at all, but I didn’t give a damn and added, “Honestly, you have passed the most ideal time to have White Lightning, but it will still more than enough to help you reach Level 18 in a few years.
It will also booster your Blink Step and slash & parry into a new whole level, so don’t be lazy and continue your training.”
“Understood.” After a short pause Shouji asked, “But what about my job as hidden mule?”
“Continue it as usual, and help me prevent Wanderer Oracle from come here personally, for a few years at least. Just tell him his plan for Yunno and Yui go according to his wish, even after I have bought Yunno and Yui.” After a short ponder I added, “Does Wanderer Oracle have another mule in Rokube?”
“As far as I know, he doesn’t,” the Sly Shouji firmly replied. “But he has a dozen loyal men in Kamakura.”
“I see. Let’s talk about it later, and don’t contact me unless it’s emergency. When I need you, I will secretly contact you.”
“Understood.”
Without delay, I and Shouji then parted our way. I returned to the hut, while Shouji returned to Rokube. We walked in casual steps as if our previous deathly fight was never happened.
*****