Liuli nodded as instructed.
She abruptly unleashed the Echo she had long been preparing in secret at Qiji.
At the same time, Kamishiro Seigen drew the longsword at his waist.
The longsword hummed as it left its sheath.
He recognized Qiji-
According to the information the Kamishiro Family had given him, this masked brat was a monstrous newcomer with a potential rating of three S's in the City of Kindling!
But no matter how great his potential was, it was still only potential.
A genius who had yet to grow was nothing more than a fragile seedling.
Of course, Kamishiro Seigen did not let his guard down because of that.
He knew full well that even a lion used its full strength to hunt a rabbit!
If he could kill Qiji in one stroke without leaving any loose ends, there was no need to drag things out and invite complications.
Liuli's Mind Echo, combined with his superb swordsmanship-
Never mind that Qiji was only a newly enrolled student. Even if he were one of the academy's teachers, taking that attack unprepared would leave him in serious trouble.
However, just as Kamishiro Seigen swung the sword he was certain would secure his victory, his body jolted and froze in place.
"?!"
Liuli?!
That bitch!
The Mind Echo she had unleashed was not aimed at Qiji, but at him!
Caught off guard, Kamishiro Seigen felt a buzz in his head as countless chaotic, maddening negative emotions erupted in an instant!
Above all was the resentment that had been buried deep in his bones since birth.
Why?!
As the eldest son, he had the most legitimate birth and should have inherited the Kamishiro Family's most fundamental and glorious Mind Echo!
Yet fate had played a cruel joke on him-
That gift, envied by the entire family, had fallen to his sister, a child of impure blood born to that wretched maid!
And he, Kamishiro Seigen, the future family head, could only pick up the family swordsmanship deemed "second-rate," the art that those "without talent" had to practice, as though he were a defective product!
Fortunately, he possessed exceptional talent in the way of the sword.
To this day, he could not forget the almost shuddering pleasure he had felt as the woman who had shamelessly borne his sister wailed beneath his sword while he sliced her to death, piece by piece.
It was then that he had finally understood that Echoes were not everything.
The sword in his hand was a treasure that belonged to him alone, one no one could take away!
Just as he was about to lose himself in the spite and pleasure amplified by the Echo-
Clang!
The longsword in his hand hummed.
It snapped him back to his senses in an instant!
But his sword draw was still a moment too slow.
Almost at the same time Liuli launched her attack, Qiji vanished from where he stood.
When he reappeared, he was already at Kamishiro Seigen's side.
He delivered a high side kick, utterly straightforward but as fast as lightning!
Kamishiro Seigen hurriedly raised his arm and blocked with his scabbard.
Bang!!
A heavy thud rang out.
The immense force sent a violent shock through Kamishiro Seigen's arm, and he staggered backward.
But at the same time, the scabbard in his hand gave a low hum.
Clang-!!
An invisible ripple seemed to spread through the air.
Qiji was about to press his advantage when it felt as though a fine needle had suddenly pierced his brain, and his attack faltered.
Liuli called out a quick warning: "Watch out for that sword! It's an Echo creation of the Kamishiro Family. The 'Sound of No Thought' produced by the scabbard's vibrations can disrupt a person's mind!"
A cool sensation came from his mask, and Qiji's mind cleared at once.
"Thanks."
With his back to Liuli, Qiji raised a hand to show he understood.
Kamishiro Seigen took the opportunity to put some distance between himself and Qiji.
He took an iron box from inside his robes.
Looking at the sister who had betrayed him, Kamishiro Seigen could not understand it:
"Liuli, have you gone mad? You're actually helping an outsider against your own brother?!"
Liuli said nothing.
Seeing that his sister would not listen to reason, Kamishiro Seigen resorted to a direct threat:
"Do you want to die? Don't forget the curse binding you!
"Surely you don't want to die a slow death while your soul is torn apart inch by inch!
"Attack that brat with your Echo right now, and I can still overlook what you've done!"
Kamishiro Seigen believed that because he controlled Liuli's life and death, she would obediently do as she was told.
After all, Liuli was ultimately nothing more than a tool created by the Kamishiro Family.
And how could a tool defy its master's orders?
Yet Liuli acted as though she had not heard his threat. An illusory butterfly appeared at her fingertips once more as she began to gather a second Echo, still aimed at him.
"You-!"
Kamishiro Seigen could hardly believe it.
"You bitch, aren't you afraid to die?!"
His tone was so self-righteous and condescending that Liuli could bear it no longer, and she answered him:
"Why... should I be afraid to die? Are you alive because you're afraid to die? Is there any benefit to being alive?
"I can't think of any.
"In all the years I've lived, I've never once felt happy to be alive-
"Not for a single moment!"
Hearing Liuli's words, Kamishiro Seigen laughed in anger.
She was just a tool, yet she was actually thinking about whether she was happy to be alive...
Had calling her his sister a few times made her think she was really a person?
"You're a tool, so know your place as one! Don't go having such senseless thoughts on your own!"
Kamishiro Seigen's face contorted in an instant.
"Fine. Since you want to die-I make your wish come true!"
Kamishiro Seigen pressed down with his fingertips, preparing to turn the winding key on the curse-sound box.
But just as he was about to act, Qiji had already closed in again.
He kicked the wrist holding the curse-sound box with pinpoint accuracy!
Whoosh-!
The curse-sound box flew from his hand and sailed far away.
At the same time, Qiji did not forget to turn his head and chide Liuli:
"Hey, you shouldn't say such negative things... You'll be happy. You'll feel happy to be alive. I promise you."
"Bastard!!"
This damn brat, who had appeared from who knew where, actually dared to flirt with his tool right in front of him while fighting him, as though he did not exist.
Kamishiro Seigen was truly angry now, but before killing the damn brat, he had to retrieve the curse-sound box.
After all, it was an important artifact of the Kamishiro Family.
However, Qiji clung to him like a persistent affliction, blocking his path again and again.
"Get lost!"
Seeing this, Kamishiro Seigen's eyes flashed viciously. He finally gave up on retrieving the curse-sound box and chose instead to directly activate the restriction engraved within Liuli's body!
"Argh-!!"
Liuli suddenly clutched her head, her face twisting in agony.
This was another of the Kamishiro Family's methods of controlling its "tools."
A useful tool had to be bound with multiple chains.
Only then could they ensure it would not turn on its master.
"Though I don't know what means you used to bewitch my sister...
"If you think that will let you get the better of me, you're sorely mistaken!
"Let me tell you, making me angry will be the thing you regret most in your entire life!"
Qiji snorted without wasting words, and the two instantly plunged into battle!
Kamishiro Seigen's swordsmanship was indeed formidable.
Swift, treacherous, and ruthless, every move aimed at a vital point.
More troublesome still was the Sword of No Thought. Each time it struck the scabbard, it produced that mind-disrupting hum.
Qiji could not help feeling a little surprised. In the original story, Kamishiro Seigen had ultimately died at Huomu's hands.
Huomu had beaten him to death in just two or three punches, and his showing in combat could only be called abysmal.
Before the fight, Qiji had thought the guy was just some roadside nobody. He had not expected him to have some skill after all.
Of course, Kamishiro Seigen was even more surprised.
In fact, he grew more alarmed the longer they fought.
He was certain that the young man before him was not using any Echo, yet his physical body alone was putting him under tremendous pressure.
This completely overturned his understanding!
But pressure was all it was.
Playtime was over.
Chapter 16: So You Were This Weak
A cold gleam flashed in Kamishiro Seigen's eyes. After deflecting another of Qiji's fierce kicks, he used the force to leap backward, opening a distance of ten meters in an instant.
He took a deep breath, and the aura around him began to grow solid and sharp, like an unparalleled, deadly sword slowly leaving its sheath.
Kamishiro Seigen looked at Qiji, a trace of cruel appreciation appearing on his face.
"You're good. Really good.
"Among people your age, you're the strongest I've ever seen...