Miyamoto Musashi

"Demonic Blade Monk Liaochen, you have nowhere left to run. Hand over Murasame obediently."

Demonic Blade Monk Liaochen.

Hearing the nickname those people had given him, Fujimaru Kyoya could not help thinking that anyone unaware of the truth might mistake it for a localized version of Demonic Blade Princess.

"This time, I finally understand it. Casually giving people nicknames like that is really kind of disgusting."

Perhaps giving someone an impressive nickname made their own defeat seem less humiliating. In this Warring States Period, anyone with even a little reputation had a nickname of their own.

Not to mention a commoner like Fujimaru Kyoya—even the Daimyo were called things like the Dragon of Echigo, the Tiger of Kai, Kihōshi... Anyone would think they were living in the Age of Gods.

"Those who kill must be prepared to be killed. You came carrying swords, so I'll take that as proof that you have that resolve."

Fujimaru Kyoya looked at the people surrounding him. The best way to resolve this would have been to hand Demonic Blade Murasame directly to them.

After all, if he surrendered the Demonic Blade in full view of everyone, he would no longer be their target. But that path was impossible.

[You could not hand Demonic Blade Murasame over to them. You understood how bloodthirsty the blade in your hand truly was. In an era of war like this, allowing such a Demonic Blade to roam free would surely lead to disaster.]

Not everyone could comprehend "Non-form" as Fujimaru Kyoya had. Once they held this blade, they would most likely become like that ronin leader and seek someone out to test whether the blade was real.

As for avoiding battle and fleeing directly with "Supernatural Footwork," that was not his style either.

These people could hunt down a stranger today for the sake of a Demonic Blade. Tomorrow, they could raise butcher's blades against strangers for wealth.

[You severed a man's head. Murasame harvested his life and gradually grew stronger. The effect of "Man-slayer" increased.]

[You pierced a man's heart. Murasame harvested his life and gradually grew stronger. The effect of "Man-slayer" increased.]

[You cleaved a man in two with a single stroke. Murasame harvested his life and gradually grew stronger. The effect of "Man-slayer" increased.]

One life after another withered like flowers in Fujimaru Kyoya's hands. To those watching nearby, he seemed to see through the weaknesses of the human body, effortlessly striking its most vulnerable points with his blade.

Murasame was part of the reason for that, but so was the improvement of Fujimaru Kyoya's "Man-slayer" talent.

"M-monster!"

Someone cried out like that. Perhaps, in that person's eyes, Fujimaru Kyoya—who killed cleanly and decisively without the slightest emotional fluctuation—was a humanoid monster. But those words truly cast a shadow over the ronin's hearts.

Humans were such vicious creatures. When faced with trouble, most of them first thought about external factors rather than their own problems.

Even if I'm 99% at fault, don't you have 1% of the problem too? .jpg

One could already glimpse this from the nicknames of the Daimyo.

They praised the strong to make themselves seem less incompetent. What a pitiful, base nature.

[You deliberately let several ronin who had surrounded you escape. You needed those "lucky" survivors to boast of your strength and make more people afraid to challenge you.]

[You sensed something unusual happening to your body. It seemed to have begun with that cry of "monster."]

[Talent "Innocent Monster" awakened: Your body will undergo certain mutations because of rumors. The stronger the rumors, the more obvious these traits will become.]

Innocent Monster?

Fujimaru Kyoya could naturally sense the subtle changes in himself, but in his eyes, this was not merely the result of rumors. It was karma.

Heroes underwent trials. Saints overcame temptation. Only then could heroes be heroes and saints be saints.

In this life, Fujimaru Kyoya was less a swordsman than a Buddhist Practitioner. As his realm improved, the hardships meant for him began arriving one after another.

At first, the trial had been whether he would break the precept against killing in the temple. Now that he had entered the world, whether he could resist the troubles brought by gossip and slander was also a trial.

[Your reputation gradually spread. Your crisp, decisive fighting style frightened people. More and more rumors claimed that you were not human. The effect of "Innocent Monster" increased.]

[In the mouths of others, you no longer seemed human, but a handsome demon controlled by a Demonic Blade. The effect of "Innocent Monster" increased.]

[You sensed the mutations beginning in your body. As your karma grew stronger, your strength increased, your features became more handsome, and you looked less and less human. The effect of "Innocent Monster" increased.]

When Heaven was about to entrust a great responsibility to a person, it would first burden his mind, exhaust his muscles and bones, leave his body hungry, and thwart and confuse his actions. Only then could it strengthen his resolve and expand what he was capable of.

Fujimaru Kyoya inexplicably recalled those words. Considering that his luck in every life had been poor, could this be Heaven's test for him?

But why did this test keep targeting him alone?

At first, only some ronin had come after Fujimaru Kyoya. Later, warriors under several Daimyo also began hunting him down. Fortunately, Fujimaru Kyoya possessed "Heavenly Eye," and as long as he wanted to hide, he could evade them.

The only flaw was that "Heavenly Eye" consumed too much Mana. He could not keep it active all day, so occasionally, small groups of enemies still blocked his path. Those were the times to kill.

For example, right now, someone had stopped him.

"Demonic Blade Monk Liaochen?"

A woman?

Fujimaru Kyoya looked at the person trying to seize his blade in surprise. Women held very low status in this era, and martial arts were generally not passed down to them.

Could this woman use Swordsmanship?

"You are?"

"I came to become your disciple. No matter what, please accept me as your student."

Fujimaru Kyoya barely had time to react before the girl before him performed a Fierce Tiger Landing Pose, sliding all the way over to his side on her knees.

"Actually, I don't know Swordsmanship."

Fujimaru Kyoya had nearly drawn his blade, only for her to pull this on him. Although he had killed countless people since leaving the mountains, he had never killed an innocent person.

As for not knowing Swordsmanship, that was not exactly a lie. His so-called Swordsmanship was merely something like "Dismembering an Ox."

It was only a habit, not Swordsmanship.

Unfortunately, such an answer could not drive off the person before him.

Miyamoto Musashi 16/28

Just as Fujimaru Kyoya had thought before, women held very low status in this era, and the girl before him was no exception.

She seemed to have been born into a samurai family and had wanted to learn Swordsmanship from childhood. But her father apparently had no intention of teaching Swordsmanship to his daughter, and the dojos of other schools had no intention of taking in a female disciple either. Then...

"So you went and secretly learned it?"

Fujimaru Kyoya truly did not know whether the woman before him was bold or simply careless. Stealing a master's teachings was a serious matter in any era. If discovered, having one's hands and feet cut off was not considered excessive cruelty.

"I only watched occasionally."

The white-haired girl's gaze wandered. It was obvious that it had absolutely not been "occasionally." This girl had definitely gone out of her way to secretly learn.

"Though it may sound unbelievable, I still have to tell you that I'm only a monk. I don't know any Swordsmanship."

Fujimaru Kyoya had been a monk throughout this life. Even after killing people, he would recite the Rebirth Mantra for them. He knew nothing about Swordsmanship.

Even if he insisted that he understood something, the school of Flowing Water Sword had no relation to Japanese Swordsmanship.

"How could that be? I heard you were a Swordsmanship master. Quite a few swordsmen have already come to challenge you."

The white-haired girl then told Fujimaru Kyoya the latest rumor. Clearly, someone was pushing this matter from behind the scenes.

Someone wanted Fujimaru Kyoya to keep killing, using human blood to nourish this Demonic Blade.

"Since you know countless swordsmen will come challenge me next, aren't you afraid of getting caught up in it?"

"I'm a little afraid, but I'm quite confident in my ability to run away. When the time comes, I'll definitely flee far away and won't cause Master any trouble."

What a shameless girl. Fujimaru Kyoya... greatly appreciated that.

Fujimaru Kyoya had been in this world for so many years. Even counting the lives he had simulated, few people could compare to him in shamelessness. The girl before him truly had an affinity with him. Ordinarily, taking her as a disciple would not have been an issue, but he was being hunted right now. There was no need to burden himself with dead weight.

He would let her retreat in the face of difficulty.

"You can follow me, but you must obey several conditions."

"Of course, Master. Please, tell me."

The moment she heard that she could stay, the girl's eyes immediately lit up. When she left home, she had decided to learn real skills so she could properly slap that bastard father of hers in the face.

"First, I am not your Master."

"Yes, Master. No problem, Master."

Great. It was the same as saying nothing.

"Second, when fighting enemies, take care of yourself. I am not responsible for your safety."

"No problem."

Fine. Even threats to her life could not scare her off.

"Third, from now on, draw your sword a thousand times every day, swing it a thousand times, and sheath it a thousand times. If you fail to do so on any day, get lost that very day."

Drawing a sword a thousand times, swinging it a thousand times, sheathing it a thousand times—it did not sound like much, but the difficult part was persistence. The day this girl failed, Fujimaru Kyoya would have a reason to drive her away.

As for why Fujimaru Kyoya did not simply leave with Supernatural Footwork?

It was because he could see the girl's determination. Unless she achieved her goal or gave up completely, she would definitely keep pestering him.

Supernatural Footwork would only treat the symptoms, not the root cause.

"Of course I can. But what's the point of practicing all that?"

"So-called Swordsmanship is nothing more than drawing the sword, swinging the sword, and sheathing the sword. If you cannot even do those things, then do not speak of Swordsmanship."

"As expected of Master. Luckily, I stole a sword from home, or I wouldn't even be able to train."

The white-haired girl did not seem intimidated by such training. Instead, she proudly showed off the katana she had stolen from home.

Looking so pleased with herself, she truly was an Unfilial Daughter.

"By the way, I still don't know your name."

Although Fujimaru Kyoya did not think the girl could persist for long, he still had to ask her name.

"Miyamoto Musashi. Master can just call me Musashi."

"Musashi?"

Fujimaru Kyoya looked at the girl before him with faint suspicion. Meeting someone named Miyamoto Musashi in this era—aside from the gender being wrong, everything else seemed to fit.

"It's strange, right? Actually, my father always wanted a son, but he never expected to have a daughter."

Musashi did not care about Fujimaru Kyoya's surprised gaze. Clearly, her name had caused this sort of situation many times before.

[You once considered the possibility that she merely shared the same name. After all, the notion that the famed swordsman was actually a woman was simply unimaginable. But you quickly rejected that guess.]

[Musashi did not slack off in the slightest on the training tasks you assigned her. Even without systematic instruction, you could sense that the girl before you was improving every day at an astonishing pace.]

[You began considering whether you should seriously teach the person before you.]

It was really her. It was really her.

Fujimaru Kyoya sat beneath the shade of a tree, watching the girl continue her tedious practice. By now, he had completely confirmed that the girl before him was Miyamoto Musashi.

Though she was not the strongest swordsman of this era, she would become the greatest under Heaven in the eyes of later generations.

That alone proved the girl before him had extraordinary potential and absolutely should not be buried.

Fujimaru Kyoya had told her to practice the basics, yet he had no Swordsmanship to teach her. Perhaps that would only harm the girl.

But it did not matter. Today, Miyamoto Musashi would have to leave as well.

"That's enough."

Fujimaru Kyoya interrupted Musashi's training. The drenched-in-sweat girl did not understand why her Master had told her to stop practicing. This was the first time it had happened.

"A powerful swordsman will come challenge me today. Rest well, then watch from the side."

"A powerful swordsman?"

Fujimaru Kyoya's reputation was gradually spreading. What level of swordsman could be called powerful by him?

Miyamoto Musashi desperately wanted to know.

"Yagyu Shinkage-ryu. Yagyu Munenori."

"Munenori? The disciple of that Sword Saint, the founder of Yagyu Shinkage-ryu, Yagyu Sekishusai?"

Miyamoto Musashi was astonished. That Yagyu Munenori had never suffered a defeat before meeting Kamiizumi Nobutsuna. He had founded Yagyu Shinkage-ryu and now served as the Tokugawa Clan's military strategy instructor, Yagyu Sekishusai.

"Little girl, you have heard of my name as well?"

Just as Miyamoto Musashi finished speaking, a swordsman with somewhat graying hair arrived nearby. Behind him stood a younger man who resembled him.

"Yagyu Shinkage-ryu, Yagyu Munenori, here to claim Demonic Blade Murasame."