The Sun's Power

Senju Kyogawa looked at the kunai fragments scattered across the ground and couldn't help sighing to himself.

[Looks like kunai can't be used as Nichirin Swords. So what am I supposed to do? Without a Nichirin Sword, isn't this skill useless?] Senju Kyogawa thought, speechless.

If that was the case, he might as well not have this skill at all.

The sky gradually brightened, and the eastern horizon turned pale. It looked like sunrise was just around the corner.

He could only hope for good weather and a blazing sun that would burn all those Evil Demons to death.

As he thought, Senju Kyogawa continued practicing his Breathing Technique.

Although Sun Breathing: First Form: Waltz might not be of much use, the strength the Breathing Technique brought to his whole body would greatly improve his Taijutsu.

Time passed quickly, and before long, the sun began to rise. A deep red glow appeared along the distant horizon, tinting the sea of clouds orange and yellow. The sun was up.

Senju Chenghe had also woken up. He'd slept fitfully, constantly feeling as though monsters might attack at any moment. But after a few hours of sleep, he was feeling quite refreshed.

Ninja were like that. Their missions, which went on day and night, had taught them the unique trick of getting a full recharge from a short nap.

"Jingchuan, why don't you get some rest? If you keep your eyes open without taking a break, your body won't be able to take it," Senju Chenghe asked worriedly.

He was genuinely afraid that Senju Kyogawa's four-year-old body wouldn't be able to withstand the exhaustion of staying up all night and all day.

But after practicing his Breathing Technique for several hours, Senju Kyogawa had already learned Total Concentration Constant Breathing on his own. This breathing style constantly absorbed all kinds of energy particles from the air, leaving him full of energy. He didn't feel tired at all.

Senju Kyogawa felt like he could punch ten Evil Demons to death right now.

However...

"Grrrr..." Senju Kyogawa's stomach suddenly rumbled several times, as loudly as thunder.

Senju Kyogawa couldn't help feeling a little embarrassed. His face turned faintly red.

That was right. Although Total Concentration Constant Breathing continuously absorbed all kinds of energy from the air, it also used up a great deal of energy in his body. Senju Kyogawa was starving now; he felt like he could eat ten whole cows.

Hearing Jingchuan's stomach growl, Senju Chenghe couldn't help chuckling.

He said, unable to hold back his amusement, "It's been so long since I ate, I'm hungry too."

He wasn't just saying that to ease Senju Kyogawa's embarrassment. After all the fright he'd gone through the previous night, Senju Chenghe was starving too.

"But we might have to go out and find something to eat. I didn't bring any rations," Senju Chenghe said helplessly.

Senju Kyogawa thought for a moment, then asked, "Are you willing to eat the food here, Brother Chenghe?"

Thinking of those monsters, Senju Chenghe's mouth twitched. "No. We might have to look for food in the carriage."

Just then, the two of them heard the monsters wailing.

Senju Kyogawa looked at the sun rising higher in the sky and immediately understood.

It seemed the sun had started "attacking" the monsters!

Senju Chenghe lay on the roof and looked at the monsters outside the wall.

The monsters' skin, which wasn't covered by clothing and was exposed to the air, was a bluish-black. The moment sunlight touched it, it burst into flames, and the fire quickly spread across their bodies.

The monsters could only wail helplessly before the growing flames burned them to nothing. All that remained was a handful of black ash, which a breeze scattered into the air.

The instant Senju Kyogawa saw the ash blown away by the wind, he couldn't help sneezing.

[If I breathe in air that's touched the monsters' "corpses," will I turn into a monster too?]

Still, if the sun could wipe them out, then it should be able to destroy those people-infecting viruses too, right?

It had been too dark to see anything the previous night, but now, in the bright sunlight, the monsters were clearly visible. He hadn't expected them to have greenish-black skin. They didn't look like the "Evil Demons" the system had mentioned. They looked more like the zombies from the movies Senju Kyogawa had watched in his previous life.

Senju Chenghe had also seen the monsters turn to ash. He was both surprised and delighted. "Looks like these monsters are afraid of sunlight. We can go down and look for food without worrying now."

Senju Kyogawa first checked the area below, then carefully climbed down the nearby ladder.

As soon as he got off the roof, Senju Kyogawa jumped in fright.

It turned out there were several "monsters" wandering around inside the house directly opposite him.

They'd been wandering about listlessly, but the moment they spotted Senju Kyogawa, they visibly perked up.

Most of them only seemed eager to pounce, yet none crossed the line where the house's shadow ended. They looked so timid that Senju Kyogawa almost laughed.

Only one of them suddenly leaped up and lunged at Senju Kyogawa, drooling. It looked like it was truly starving.

Senju Kyogawa hurriedly jumped back and pulled out a kunai, holding it in front of his chest.

The instant the monster stepped out of the room's shadow, sunlight fell on its bluish-black skin, and it immediately began to burn.

The monster screamed, then quickly shrank back toward the shadow of the house.

But dodging like that clearly couldn't save it from the sun's power. The flames soon spread across its entire body.

Just as expected, it, too, turned into a handful of black ash.

Senju Kyogawa couldn't help bursting into laughter.

Hahaha, this was just too funny. They were both hungry, but Senju Kyogawa could come down and search for food. These light-fearing "monsters," no different from filthy rats in a gutter, could only hide in the darkness and watch hungrily. If they came out, the sunlight would kill them.

The pent-up frustration Senju Kyogawa had felt after being trapped on the roof all night vanished in an instant. He felt more exhilarated than ever!

Luckily, the carriages had been left out in the sun, so Senju Kyogawa and the others easily found where the food was stored.

But before Senju Kyogawa could feel happy about finding it, he discovered that the food sacks were empty. There were only a few Military Ration Pills left.

Looking at those few Military Ration Pills, Senju Kyogawa suddenly felt like a complete idiot for laughing so loudly at the monsters. What had he been so happy about? He still didn't have anything to eat.

Senju Kyogawa and Senju Chenghe were both at a loss for words.

Suddenly, Senju Kyogawa caught another faint, strange fragrance. It was exactly the same as the scent he'd smelled earlier near the noblewoman and that box of jewelry.

Following the scent, Senju Kyogawa found that...