Makoto is able to continue to pressure Ken, and further their stamina levels difference until Ken starts to get overwhelmed. Makoto deflected Ken's katana with his own, sent the katana in Ken's grip flying a few meters to the side, and landed hard on the concrete surface. Makoto then positioned his katana sword in front of Ken's neck. Seeing this, Ken's expression looked surprised, he then closed his eyes for a moment while saying
“I lost again, huh?”
Makoto lowered his sword from the front of Ken’s neck
"You might defeat me if you don't hold back"
Ken looked surprised, because of his grandfather's words. Seeing Ken's reaction, Makoto seemed to have expected it, he then continued talking
"Why? You didn't think I would notice?"
Ken smiled awkwardly
"Sorry Grandpa, I didn't mean to disrespect Grandpa"
Makoto smiled
“It's fine, if I were in your position, I would do the same. But… don't you want to know, to what extent can you fight me with all your might?”
Ken's expression turned nervous. Makoto smiled as he closed his eyes for a moment. Ken walked over to pick up his katana sword, which had been thrown. The concrete surface where Ken's katana sword landed appeared to be scratched and cracked, but Ken's katana sword was not scratched at all, even though it also had collided with Makoto's katana many times. Makoto walked over to Ken, then crossed his arms
“You're so quick to learn things, I'm surprised at your quick development. You look like someone who is used to fighting”
Ken remembered again, if indeed he often fought with other school delinquents, also Ryo Muramasa, the person he thought was his toughest opponent in all he had ever fought, not counting Makoto. Ken thought to himself
"It's also good that I have a rival with him..."
Seeing Ken looking lost in thought, Makoto said
"Are something bothering your mind Ken?"
Hearing his grandfather's words, Ken immediately came to his senses. Makoto said
“We have enough training for today, I could say you are already proficient with the sword and mixed martial arts techniques I taught you. But your doubts don't seem to be going away. You have to start getting used to it, or this will backfire on you someday”
Ken looked nervous
"I understand, Grandpa..."
Makoto replied
“But I won't force you to rush about it because it has to be trained in actual combat”
After saying this, Makoto's expression turned troubled, as if something was bothering him. Seeing his grandfather, Ken looked curious
“This actual combat, what is it like?”
Makoto's expression looked taken aback, which then turned doubtful
“It could mean against Yokais or… other Yokai controllers”
Hearing this Ken looked surprised, and made him remember Suga Hisoka with his owl Yokai, Nellson. Ken replied
“Against other Yokai controllers?”
Makoto gave a nod
“The causes can be various, but tend to be not good…”
Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.
Ken looked curious
“Come to think of it, if there were Yokais other than Asanuma, there's no way he could be the only Yokai who has controller… but, doesn't it sound tragic?”
Makoto replied
“Right, it can even be said, something that nearly caused the destruction of mankind long ago was not Yokais, but Yokai controllers…”
Hearing this, Ken was silent for a moment. Ken then appears to realize something
"Apart from fighting the Yokai controllers, how about Yokai without a controller? didn't this happen over a thousand years ago, I thought all the Yokais were sealed?"
Makoto's expression turned serious
“Oh right, not all of the books in the library you read, there's a hidden passage in the locked library that you haven't seen"
Ken's expression turned curious
“There's still another part? But, why was it hidden?”
Makoto appeared confused to answer it
“How to put it… it's something that's forbidden to spread for some reason. But in my opinion, if it were to spread now, no one would believe it…”
Makoto was silent for a moment in thought, he then continued speaking
"Okay, tomorrow our training is to learn about Yokai and Yokai controller history properly"
Hearing this, Ken's expression grew even more curious.
The time now shows 5:00 pm, and the evening sky looks increasingly orange. Ken and Makoto walked side by side, passing the stairs down the hill from the shrine where they trained, they walked together while talking to each other. Makoto said
"Oh right, maybe for your training reference tomorrow, you can talk about it with Asanuma"
Ken looked curious
"Okay Grandpa, tonight I will ask him"
The two of them continued walking together towards the main house.
The current time is 7:30 pm. Ken appears to open the door and walk into his room, he just finished having dinner with Makoto. In his right hand, Ken is wearing the glove puppet Asanuma
“I brought Asanuma to dinner last night, come to think of it, it wasn't good either because Asanuma couldn't eat…”
Ken started to concentrate, he then said
“Come Asanuma, in energy saving mode”
Not long after, black smoke began to evaporate from the glove puppet and quickly enveloped it, this glove puppet then fell, and the smoke that enveloped it then grew as big as a wolf in general. From behind this black smoke then emerged Asanuma, only as big as a wolf in general. Asanuma looked at Ken, with a slightly surprised expression
“Wow, you can now even determine my form when I appear huh?”
Ken smiled
"This is because our bond is getting closer Asanuma"
Hearing this, Asanuma's expression turned astonished
“By the way, if it was because you summoned me inside the room, I understand enough of the situation to adjust to my size, even if it was only a few moments before my appearance”
Ken appeared to be embarrassed
"Hahaha, so that's how it is, but still, I really want to test it, and it worked"
Ken then smiled happily for some reason. Asanuma sighed as he closed his eyes for a moment. Asanuma opened his eyes again, then said
"Why do you call me?"
Ken appeared to remember something
"Oh right, there's something I want to talk to you about"
Hearing this, Asanuma's expression turned curious.
Ken and Asanuma are now back on the balcony of Ken's room, looking at the night sky which looks clear and the stars are also visible quite clearly. Asanuma also appeared to be looking up at the night sky, with a flat expression
"So, what did you want to talk to me about?"
Ken's attention, who looked up at the night sky, then turned to Asanuma
"This is about my training, tomorrow I will study the complete history and theoretical knowledge of Yokais and Yokai controllers"
Asanuma appeared to have realized something
"And you want me to explain it to you?"
Ken replied
"Yes, something like that"
Asanuma replied
"Didn't I tell you? We don't even know where we came from"
Ken replied
“That's true… but grandpa said if there were secret books that recorded something about it”
Asanuma was silent for a moment in thought, he then appears to realize something
“A long time ago, there was a monk who was known as “the first sealer”. All that knowledge, probably came from him”
Ken looked surprised
"From him? Even more than what you know?”
Asanuma replied
"I'm a Yokai, but I've never met him. In the course of his investigation, the monk may have discovered something while he keeps sealing one Yokai after another"
Ken appeared to be aware of the possibility as well. Ken's expression turned curious
“Then… how did you get sealed?”
Asanuma appeared a little surprised
"It was so long ago that I can't even remember. About more than a thousand years ago”
Hearing this, made Ken surprised
“A thousand years ago? Are you serious?"
Asanuma gave a nod, but his expression showed that he had something else on his mind. Asanuma thought to himself
“Actually, I remember it…”
Asanuma looks lost in thought.
Flashback, Asanuma remembered back then, the one who first defeated and sealed him was none other than monk Rengoku Shinokuro. These flashes of memory appeared to be blurry, only Asanuma looked at the person in front of him with an indistinct image. This person appears to be holding a monk's staff in front of him. The top of this staff has been modified with a naginata blade patterned with flames on the surface of the blade. This monk's staff was taller than this person's body, with 6 chains from this person's right and left forearms, extending towards Asanuma's gaze, and 2 other chains wrapped around this monk's staff. This person then stomped his long staff to the ground and caused a blast of wind and white light, as well as a sound that echoed from the earring on the monk's staff. Before long, Asanuma's vision became more and more blurry, and everything turned white. Flashback ended.