Chapter 97: A Swordsman's Battle is a Battle of Reiatsu
As the training took a breather, the three juniors sat around Natsuya, huffing
and puffing.
Obanai wiped the sweat from his eyes, his heterochromatic gaze fixed on Natsuya.
"Hey, Senior Kokonoe... how exactly did you become this strong?"
They were roughly the same age—Natsuya might be a year or two older at most—but
none of them felt they could close the gap between them in just a year or two.
Natsuya answered matter-of-factly, "Unrelenting effort, and a little bit of
superior willpower."
The three exchanged a look. They had seen his daily grind; his self-discipline
was bordering on the pathological. But they were looking for a different answer.
"Is there... a faster way?"
What, you guys want a 'Deep Blue' stat-allocation system too? Natsuya wondered.
If his [Mentorship] skill hit LV.4 like his medical skill, he might actually be
able to "Power Level" them. He rubbed his chin. "The standard path is simple:
Grind, Fight, Recover, Enlighten."
"Level up your basic Breathing Style, break your limits in real-time
life-or-death combat, manage your biological uptime, and discover your own
unique 'Logic' or 'Forms' in a cornered state."
The explanation was textbook perfect, but Obanai wasn't satisfied. "I mean
something faster. Something that makes a person strong instantly."
Natsuya's eyes twinkled with a mischievous, mysterious smile. "Oh, there is. The
Ultimate Secret Technique."
The three immediately leaned in, ears perked.
Natsuya cleared his throat, his tone becoming solemn and grand. "It is the
secret of Blade Liberation."
"Once mastered, your combat power can jump five-fold, even ten-fold in an
instant."
Kyojuro and Obanai's eyes lit up. Shinobu, who had spent the most time with
Natsuya, felt a "BS Warning" ping in her gut.
Natsuya picked up his Nichirin Sword and held it vertically before his face.
"Roar with hatred, storm of flesh and blood... SHRED THEM!"
"BAN... KAI!"
"MEGA-SIZE JINMAI-GIRI!"
As the words left his lips, his breathing rhythm underwent a violent shift. A
heavy, crushing pressure—far exceeding a normal "Total Concentration"
burst—erupted from his body!
The air felt like it had turned into lead. The three juniors broke out in a cold
sweat, their instincts screaming at the terrifying presence emanating from
Natsuya. It was a shivering, absolute pressure.
Kyojuro stared wide-eyed, his face full of conviction. "Natsuya-aniki! I want to
learn the Bankai!"
Natsuya grinned, keeping a straight face. "Before you learn it, you must
increase your Reiatsu. After all, the essence of a swordsman's duel is a battle
of Spiritual Pressure."
The Owl Cub nodded solemnly. "YES, ANIKI! Also... what is Reiatsu?!"
Obanai felt a vein throb on his temple. Is Rengoku actually buying this? "Can we
get a serious answer? A real method?"
Shinobu was already shaking with suppressed laughter. The bruise on her forehead
didn't even seem to hurt as much.
Natsuya dropped the act and turned serious. "A real method? Of course."
"If your base stats and skill damage have hit a plateau, where further
investment of resources yields diminishing returns... then the most efficient
way to grow is to open a New Damage Bucket."
The three froze.
Zero comprehension.
Natsuya saw the lack of a "Understanding" buff on their faces and re-explained.
"Imagine your body is hit by a level cap. Your Breathing Style won't break
through for years. You could spend ten years of bitter training just to get 10%
stronger. But even then, once you hit a certain age, your physical stats will
start an irreversible decline."
"At that point, the 'Bang for your Buck' of training is trash. It's better to
just upgrade to a High-Frequency Nichirin Blade or take a Gen-Mod Serum. That's
called the Law of Diminishing Returns."
You're Level 15 and your skills are maxed. What do you do? You buy better gear
or look for a multiplier buff.
"Gen-mod serums and sci-fi blades might not be realistic in this era," Natsuya
continued, "but there is something that exists right now."
Natsuya looked at Shinobu. Kyojuro and Obanai followed his gaze, looking
curiously at the purple-haired girl.
"The Wisteria toxin she brews is harmless to humans but a lethal debuff to
demons. Even if it can't solo-kill a Twelve Kizuki right now, it can be a 'Trump
Card.' If you have a poison that can parry a demon's regeneration for even a
second, or slowly melt their internals, and you hide it in your blade or a
hidden projectile..."
"Then victory over a higher-level foe is no longer a math problem. It's a
mechanics problem."
Theoretically, if a human was fast enough and a demon was careless, a regular
human with a Wisteria-coated blade had a "One-Shot" win condition.
"NATSUYA-ANIKI! I MUST REFUSE!" Kyojuro shouted back instantly. "How can a duel
of honor be tainted by such underhanded tricks?!"
Classic Paladin build, Natsuya thought. He didn't push it and turned to Obanai.
The bandaged boy looked thoughtful, his hand resting on his hilt. Poison? He was
a pragmatist. If it killed the monster, he didn't care if it was "dishonorable."
Obanai nodded. "I don't care about the methods. I think... it's worth a try."
Shinobu's eyes brightened. Her smile became sweet and genuine. "My, Natsuya-kun,
that suggestion is quite to my liking."
It was the feeling of a lonely pioneer suddenly having her path validated by a
top-tier player. I'm not the only one who sees the meta!
"Iguro! I don't forbid you from using poison, but I will not! I will stay the
course and learn the Bankai from Aniki!"
"You idiot, he already said he was joking about that part—"
While Kyojuro and Obanai bickered and Shinobu laughed, Natsuya thought to
himself: The joke wasn't entirely wrong. If you swap 'Reiatsu' for 'Physical
Constitution,' the logic holds up. Breathing Styles are just 'Physical Stat
Multipliers' specialized in different branches. A fight between Slayers and
demons is just a contest of who has the bigger Stat Stick.
Natsuya decided not to say it out loud and crush their morale. Instead, he
clapped his hands.
Once he had their attention, he continued. "Alright. Aside from sparring, we
have a new subject today."
He looked at them intently.
"Is it bandaging practice?" "New recipes?" "Are we going on a raid?"
Natsuya shook his head. "It's about your Breathing Styles."
"Iguro, Shinobu... you both want to find a path that fits you, right? I happen
to know a thing or two about 'Modding' and developing Breathing logic."
None of them doubted him. Natsuya mastered six styles; he was basically the
Corps' Resident Ph.D. in Breathing Mechanics. Even Lord Shinjuro, watching from
the porch, couldn't deny it. In terms of Total Concentration mastery, Natsuya
was already pushing boundaries even he hadn't touched.
Kyojuro raised his hand. "NATSUYA-ANIKI! WHAT ABOUT ME?!"
Natsuya thought for a moment. This kid's compatibility with Flame Breathing was
cracked—at least 90%. The Rengoku bloodline had been "tuned" for generations.
"You don't need a new path, Kyojuro."
"However... compared to your father's Flame Breathing, yours is... well, it's a
bit stiff."
Flame Breathing was a killing art. It required deception and subtle shifts in
timing. Even Thunder Breathing, the most direct style, used various forms to
support the main dash. It wasn't all just "Straight Line Unga-Bunga."
But Kyojuro's Flame Breathing? It was even more "Honest" than his dad's. He
never used feints. He never tried to bait. He just charged.
Hearing the critique, Kyojuro didn't get mad. He straightened his back, his
expression intensely serious.
"UNDERSTOOD, ANIKI! I WILL GRIND UNTIL I AM NO LONGER STIFF!"
☆☆☆
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