"I'm sorry, little sister. But I must entrust this mission to you."
Her smile was filled with bitterness, and she was in immense pain over the inadequacy of her own abilities, because she had to pass this fate on to her younger sister.
"Big sister!"
Chizuru could not help but cry, her heart filled with sorrow. But just as the light on the Yata Mirror grew brighter and brighter, and Goenitz's eyes finally opened completely, revealing the will of Orochi, Ryu moved.
"This world…"
Orochi looked at this polluted world and the Kagura shrine maiden who was using her life to activate the sealing formation without the slightest emotional fluctuation, because nothing would change.
He would destroy this world.
Then he saw Ryu, the ninja whom he had not noticed at first. But he did not take Ryu seriously at all. After all, he was just a ninja.
"Are you here to stop me?"
Watching Ryu charge toward him, Orochi noticed that the ninja neither shouted about protecting his family nor cried out for the sake of his world. He didn't even call out the name of his technique, nor did he display any particularly intense emotions.
Therefore, Orochi cared even less.
He simply extended his hand, not even bothering to attack with any serious effort, intending to kill Ryu instantly and offer his body to his chosen servant, Goenitz.
But...
Art of the Piercing Void!
Ryu unleashed his ultimate technique.
Orochi's attack was annihilated in an instant. He did not even see how Ryu had attacked before a dark sphere suddenly slammed into his face, and then he felt a piercing pain!
This feeling!
The Dragon Power!
It's the True Dragon Sword!
Orochi naturally knew about the Dragon Sword, but by the time he realized what was happening, it was already too late. Ryu had been charging up this attack even while fighting Goenitz, so Orochi had no time to react. His head flew from the top of his body, then was torn apart into minced flesh by the black hole Ryu created on the spot.
At this moment, the sealing technique created through Maki's sacrifice of her life also lit up, sealing a huge mass of air.
Maki and Chizuru were both stunned, staring at this scene in disbelief. Maki in particular looked at the Orochi who had been instantly killed, then at the knife she had personally plunged into her own heart, and did not know what to say.
Although the Orochi that had descended this time clearly lacked sufficient energy, and had not even managed to unleash that terrifying technique when it attempted to counterattack, it was still not something an ordinary person could deal with.
But… but it had just been killed in an instant by this ninja. How was that supposed to make any sense?!
I absolutely cannot die this stupidly!
She really wanted to curse herself for being stupid, but for the sake of her dignity, this was the only thought Maki could cling to at this moment.
"Mr. Hayabusa, thank you very much… The world will be safe for a long time again…"
Covering her chest, Maki ignored her younger sister's silent efforts to call the Kagura Group's medical team and instead looked toward Ryu with the bearing of a saint.
Although with the medical technology of this era, a damaged heart was not considered a fatal injury, Maki knew very well that her heart was not the problem. The problem was that she had sacrificed her life force.
Even if she were fitted with a mechanical heart, she would still die from exhaustion of her life force.
"To repay you, I am willing to have all of my power reside within your sword…"
But Ryu interrupted Maki. He looked at her chest, which was gushing blood like a fountain, thought for a moment, and then spoke in a calm tone.
"If you stop the bleeding now, go to the Shiranui-ryu dojo and find a man named Ryuji. He can heal all of your injuries. And I didn't actually kill Orochi. I only delayed the time when he will awaken again. He'll probably awaken again in about a few hundred years."
Why are you so much more professional than me?!
And you mean this man named Ryuji can actually heal me?!
Maki's expression remained indifferent, but inside, she was already roaring.
However, she still felt that it was somewhat unreliable. If the loss of life force could be restored so easily, there wouldn't be so many powerful warriors who eventually exhausted themselves to death.
So, she gave a bitter smile, forced herself to remain standing, continued allowing her blood to gush out, and spoke.
"No, an item capable of restoring lost life force is far too precious. This is my destiny and I must accept it…"
Hearing this, Chizuru's tears immediately began to flow uncontrollably, and the hand holding the phone also stopped, because she understood this as well.
So, she hesitated, wondering whether she should let her sister struggle painfully for another week before dying, or allow her to leave this world peacefully right now.
But…
Ryu continued speaking.
"It's not precious."
"Huh?"
Maki's expression became blank with confusion, while Ryu added another explanation.
"Because that man is very lustful. If the two of you sisters go together, there is a high probability that you will lose your virginity, but he won't force you. Instead, he might even heal you for free."
Ryu thought of Ryuji's 'Surge of Killing Intent' (Satsui no Hado), which were full of vitality or life force. Strictly speaking, it couldn't even be called Surge of killing intent anymore. It should be called Surge of Life Force instead.
Healing a damaged heart and injuries caused by sacrificing one's life force is basically child's play for him.
In reality, Ryu could do it as well. But unless the other party had an enemy they absolutely had to fight, or possessed some great mission they needed to fulfill, he would absolutely not interfere and disrupt the balance.
Chizuru and Maki: "..."
Looking at the blood gushing from her chest like a fountain, Maki let out a scream and collapsed onto the ground. But she didn't die; instead, she shouted in panic.
"Stop the bleeding! It hurts! It hurts so much! Ah! Chizuru, am I going to die?!"
The same Maki who had just been righteous and fearless in the face of death now looked at her younger sister with tears in her eyes, her gaze filled with reluctance to part with her life.
Meanwhile, Chizuru used her qi to stop her sister's bleeding and buy time until the professional medical team arrived. She was both anxious and amused. Thinking about how her sister had been willing to sacrifice herself just to protect her, she was deeply moved. But when she thought about how her sister had nearly thrown her life away without even thinking things through, she couldn't help finding the whole thing absurd and hilarious.
And seeing her usually composed elder sister so panicked and frightened was a rare sight. So while using every bit of her qi to seal the wound around her sister's heart, she spoke with a cold expression.
"Yes, because you're too stupid."
Her words hurt more than a knife, instantly reminding Maki of something she really didn't want to think about.
"Waaah!"
And so Maki actually started crying.
Ryu simply turned around in silence, preparing to leave.
If this matter hadn't involved the Mugen Tenshin clan, he wouldn't have bothered interfering at all. And now that everything had gone so smoothly, he had another matter to attend to.
Preparing to participate in the World's Martial Arts Tournament!
And there was another person who was doing the same thing.
Akuma.
But Akuma was also very busy at this moment. With a single punch, he smashed his son's friend into a stone wall, then beckoned to his son, Ryu.
"Come to the World's Martial Arts Tournament and find me! And when you fight me in the tournament, attack me with the Satsui no Hado. Otherwise, everyone around you will die!"
A red aura began to radiate from Akuma's body. Under the influence of this red aura, Ryu's eyes suddenly lit up with a red glow as well. But he strongly resisted this power, causing Akuma to let out a cold snort.
Then he casually threw a punch.
It was Ryuji's punching technique. The powerful blast of wind carried an immense pressure, using a method of intimidation similar to Conqueror's Haki, causing Ryu's consciousness to completely fall into slumber.
After watching his son collapse and confirming that the Satsui no Hado was beginning to spread through his body, Akuma walked out of Ryu's residence and looked up at the moon in the sky.
He believed that at the World's Martial Arts Tournament, after witnessing the battle between himself and Ryuji, Ryu would certainly understand that the Satsui no Hado was the true source of power!
~~~~~~~~~~
You can support me by subscribing on Patreon and read up to 20 chapters ahead.
patreon.com/Ranabir_20