Shimotsuki Koushirou's appearance at the dojo entrance immediately drew everyone's attention.
Kyros and Issho were still reeling from the bizarre effect of Tsugikuni Yoriichi's "Demon Blade" when they heard from the old man at the door that Yoriichi possessed another Demon Blade.
One Demon Blade had nearly cost Shimotsuki Koushirou his life, yet Tsugikuni Yoriichi actually wielded two such blades? Did that mean this man's life was freakishly hard to take?
Kyros had heard people say that those with stubbornly strong lives could easily bring misfortune upon those around them.
This world believed in fate.
"Tsugikuni Yoriichi?"
"Marine, where are you from?"
As he spoke, Shimotsuki Koushirou removed his straw sandals and set his fishing rod outside the door. Barefoot, he entered the dojo, sat on the tatami, brushed the dust from the soles of his feet, and turned to Yoriichi.
"The New World. Marine Headquarters."
"Is there some reason you ask?"
Hearing Yoriichi's reply, Shimotsuki Koushirou turned away without answering. Instead, he looked outside and said in a low voice:
"Any famous blade chooses its own master."
"And the reason Demon Blades are called Demon Blades isn't because the blades themselves possess some strange ability. It's because they infinitely amplify and manifest the trait of 'a famous blade choosing its master.'"
"Those without sufficient strength or talent will be killed by the blade!"
"The blade did not choose you, yet you possess it. It believes it has been buried beneath your worth."
"In order to find a master it favors, famous blades are capable of anything."
As he spoke, Shimotsuki Koushirou slowly rose to his feet and ambled over to Yoriichi. He reached out and stroked Enma's blade.
When he spoke of blades, he did not treat them as mere objects. Shimotsuki Koushirou's tone was more like that of