The Power of the Sun

Senju Kyogawa looked at the shards of kunai scattered across the ground and couldn't help but sigh inwardly.

It seems kunai can't be used as Nichirin Swords. What am I supposed to do now? Without a Nichirin Sword, isn't this skill just a useless ability? Senju Kyogawa thought, speechless.

If that was the case, then it would be better not to have the skill at all.

The sky was gradually brightening, revealing a pale, fish-belly white on the horizon; it seemed sunrise was imminent.

He only hoped for clear weather, with a scorching sun to burn all those demons to ash.

Senju Kyogawa continued to practice his breathing technique while lost in thought.

Although "Sun Breathing, First Form: Waltz" might be useless, the physical strength gained from the breathing technique would surely be a great help to his taijutsu.

Time passed quickly, and soon the sun rose. As a deep red glow appeared on the distant horizon, the sea of clouds was dyed in shades of orange and yellow. The sun had ascended.

Senju Chenghe had also woken up. His sleep had been restless, as he constantly felt that the monsters might launch a surprise attack. However, after a few hours of rest, he felt quite refreshed.

Ninjas were always like this; their day-and-night missions had conditioned them with the unique skill of feeling fully energized after only a short nap.

"Kyogawa-kun, do you want to rest for a while? If you keep your eyes open without resting, your body won't be able to take it, right?" Senju Chenghe asked with concern.

He was genuinely afraid that Senju Kyogawa's four-year-old frame wouldn't withstand the exhaustion of the past day and night.

However, having practiced the breathing technique for several hours, Senju Kyogawa had self-taught the Total Concentration Constant Breathing. This method of breathing allowed him to absorb various energy molecules from the air at all times, leaving him feeling invigorated and completely devoid of fatigue.

Senju Kyogawa felt he could punch ten "demons" to death right now.

However...

"Gurgle, gurgle..." Senju Kyogawa's stomach suddenly let out a sound, as loud as thunder.

Senju Kyogawa couldn't help but feel embarrassed, his face flushing slightly.

That was right; although Total Concentration Constant Breathing was constantly absorbing energy from the air, it also consumed a great deal of energy from his body. Senju Kyogawa was starving; he felt he could eat ten cows in one sitting.

Hearing the sound from Kyogawa's stomach, Senju Chenghe couldn't help but chuckle.

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

He wasn't just saying that to ease Senju Kyogawa's embarrassment; having been terrified throughout the previous night, Senju Chenghe was indeed famished.

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

Senju Kyogawa pondered for a moment, then asked, "Do you dare to eat the food here, Chenghe-ge?"

Senju Chenghe thought about those monsters, and the corner of his mouth twitched. "I don't. We might have to look for food in the carriages."

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

Seeing the sun rising higher and higher, Senju Kyogawa understood immediately.

It seemed the sun had already "dealt" with these monsters!

Senju Chenghe lay on the eaves, looking at the monsters outside the wall.

Any skin not covered by clothing—that greenish-black, exposed flesh—began to burn the moment it was touched by sunlight, and the flames quickly spread across the monsters' entire bodies.

The monsters could only wail incessantly before being consumed by the growing fire, leaving behind only piles of black, charred ash that scattered into the air and were swept away by a light breeze.

Seeing the ash vanish into the air, Senju Kyogawa couldn't help but sneeze.

If I breathe in the air contaminated by the monsters' "corpses," will I turn into a monster too? he wondered.

However, if the sun could destroy the monsters, it should also be able to eliminate the virus that caused this human-to-human transmission, right?

The night had been too dark to see anything clearly, but now, in the bright sunlight, he could finally make out their appearance. To his surprise, their skin was a greenish-black. They didn't look like the "demons" described by the system, but rather like the zombies from the movies he had watched in his previous life.

Senju Chenghe also witnessed the monsters turning into ash and was both shocked and delighted. "It seems these monsters fear the sun. Now we can safely go down and look for food."

Senju Kyogawa scouted the situation below before carefully climbing down the ladder.

The moment he reached the ground, Senju Kyogawa was startled.

Several "monsters" were wandering around in the house directly in front of him.

The monsters had been wandering aimlessly, but the moment they spotted Senju Kyogawa, they became visibly excited.

However, most of the monsters only paced back and forth, never crossing the shadow of the house; their timid behavior made Senju Kyogawa want to laugh.

Only one monster leaped forward, drooling as it lunged toward Senju Kyogawa, looking truly famished.

Senju Kyogawa dodged in a panic, quickly drawing a kunai to block his chest.

The moment the monster stepped out of the house's shadow, the sun hit its greenish-black skin, and it immediately began to burn.

The monster shrieked and scrambled back toward the shadows of the house.

But such evasive maneuvers clearly couldn't save it from the power of the sun. The flames on its body quickly engulfed it entirely.

Unsurprisingly, it too turned into a pile of black ash.

Senju Kyogawa couldn't help but burst into laughter.

Hahaha, it was hilarious. Both he and the monsters were hungry, yet he could go down to find food, while these "monsters" that couldn't face the light—no different from rats in a sewer—could only hide in the darkness, lest they be killed by the sun.

Senju Kyogawa felt the frustration of being trapped on the roof all night vanish instantly; his heart felt clearer and more refreshed than ever before!

Fortunately, those carriages were left out in the sunlight, making it easy for Senju Kyogawa and the others to locate where the food was stored.

Senju Kyogawa hadn't even had a chance to celebrate finding the spot before he discovered that the grain bags were devoid of dry rations, leaving behind only a few military ration pills.

Staring at those few pills, Senju Kyogawa suddenly felt that he had been a complete idiot for laughing out loud at those monsters just moments ago; what was there to be so happy about when he couldn't even get a bite of food?

Both Senju Kyogawa and Senju Chenghe were speechless for a moment.

Suddenly, Senju Kyogawa caught a faint, peculiar fragrance—the very same scent he had smelled earlier near the noblewoman and that chest of jewelry.

Following the trail of the scent, Senju Kyogawa discovered...