864——————==

True Martial Home

Miyamoto Musashi knew that Tokugawa Ieyasu, the commander of the Eastern Army, was not far from his camp. Since the start of the war, he could feel the presence of upper-level warriors swarm around like ants, instinctively knowing where the mass of troops was heading. His gut told him that Ieyasu’s camp lay somewhere within seven ri. And to him, that was practically right in his face.

Stop

He suddenly halted.

The reason? He sensed a killing intent trailing behind him.

Musashi instinctively gauged the strength of the source of that intent, and soon realized one thing.

‘Strong.’

Why? He knew that in a clash, one of them would definitely die, and the odds of him walking away were not that high. It was rare for an expert to glean such insight just from sensing intent, but Musashi had that sixth sense.

He cleared his mind for a moment and glanced down the hill at the circular camp below. Just as he suspected, it was overflowing with the Tokugawa clan’s flags, and most likely, the top expert of the Dongyoung, Tokugawa Ieyasu, was there. But rather than continuing down, Musashi turned his head toward the canyon opposite him.

Tydaht

Miyamoto Musashi climbed onto a rock halfway up the canyon and focused on the babbling brook below.

Swoosh

The sounds of the brook echoed restlessly in the darkness of the forest. As he picked up on the faint remnants of killing intent mingled with the water’s sounds, he realized that his opponent had finally appeared a short distance downstream.

The armored upper-level warrior—donning a horned helmet—slowly removed his helmet and spoke. He looked to be in his late forties, his thin frame contrasted sharply with the piercing gaze he bore.

“I am Ono Jirouemon Tadaaki. If you know me, just call me Ono Tadaaki.”

“……”

“What’s your name?”

“Miyamoto Musashi.”

“Good name.”

Ono Tadaaki mulled over the name for a moment before raising his sword into an intermediate stance.

“I want to know your sword. Come at me.”

Come at me? What nonsense.

Musashi thought to himself. He didn’t want to engage in a brawl, but he had lured this guy into the terrain with plans to make a mess of it if needed. He wasn’t keen on impressing anyone or making the rookie mistake of attacking someone who might be stronger than him first. As Musashi took a subtle step to the side, Ono Tadaaki smirked. Musashi had accurately sensed “his distance” and stepped into a safer spot.

“Your observation skills are sharp. No matter how I look at it, you’re just a copycat swordsman. How did you gain that insight?”

Musashi didn’t reply. Instead, he stole a glance at the pebbles in the brook, then planted his feet solidly and kicked the water.

Swish

The stones underwater erupted, flying toward Ono Tadaaki. Not just small pebbles, but even boulders the size of a human head were launched; Tadaaki couldn’t simply ignore that surprise attack. He forced energy into his sword to cleave through the stones while simultaneously rolling on the floor to kick stones right back.

Bang!

“Ugh.”

When Ono Tadaaki countered with the same tactic, Musashi felt a surprising sting in his forearm. When a rock hit Musashi’s arm, Ono Tadaaki quickly closed the gap with two strides and aimed for Musashi’s neck.

Crash!!

The first strike!

When Ono Tadaaki’s sword clashed with Musashi’s, the tip of Musashi’s blade shattered, and a crack appeared near the bloody alloy. Realizing his sword was weakened, Musashi quickly pulled back while tossing a dagger he had picked up from the battlefield at Ono Tadaaki.

Ono Tadaaki parried the dagger with a step back and laughed heartily.

“Hahaha! To absorb my strong blade, Kamewari, head-on and still have your sword intact… Hahaha!! Who are you really?”

That was quite something. His strong move, Kamewari, could shatter the solid Osaka Castle walls. Anyone who tried to block it would end up with their weapon shattered and their body exhausted. You’d need to reach the level of a swordsman to leave behind even a corpse.

But to think a teenage kid could stop him head-on!

“Now I want to ask you. Why are you chasing me down to kill?”

“I told you, I want to see your sword. And I’m quite satisfied!”

Flare

The flames on Ono Tadaaki’s sword began to flicker with intensity. With the preliminary skirmish out of the way, it was clear he was getting serious now.

Musashi gazed at the flames with curiosity, and seeing his expression, Ono Tadaaki felt intrigued.

“Why are you so surprised? Have you never seen sword flames?”

“Sword flames?”

“The power that surrounded my sword when you just blocked it was also sword flames. If you don’t use them, there’s no way you could stop my sword, so don’t play dumb.”

“……”

“Are you shocked to see someone else use them?”

Flare

Musashi too summoned sword flames to his blade. Having survived the brutal battles of war, he had finally reached a level where he could maneuver them freely. Then he asked a question.

“Is there no higher realm than this?”

“Of course, there is.”

Ono Tadaaki smirked and answered, “It’s a level called sword strength.”

“Sword strength?”

“This is what I mean.”

Chime!

Just as he finished speaking, Ono Tadaaki’s sword flames diminished and refined, transforming into a gleaming blade of sharp light. It wasn’t overly bright but glowed as if it was pulling in human gazes.

The moment Musashi was captivated by that glow, Ono Tadaaki lunged forward to slash at him.

He was undeniably a Peak Expert and one of the top sword masters in Dongyoung.

Bang!

With a thunderous sound, Musashi’s iron sword shattered completely into dozens of pieces. Simultaneously, his body flew backward, and Ono Tadaaki leaped up into the air, kicking him in the side.

Crack!

“Kugh!!”

Musashi gritted his teeth as blood surged from inside, but there was no escaping the pain.

Boom!

As he crashed to the ground, covered in blood, Ono Tadaaki couldn’t help but laugh.

“Haha… You can use Self-Defense Qi? That last kick had my Internal Power behind it. If your spine is intact and your wounds are superficial, that just means… where did you learn those martial arts?”

He’d never learned anything like self-defense. He simply instinctively figured out that gathering his Qi would boost his defense, and his instincts led him to develop his own techniques.

He had chosen the wrong location.

Musashi keenly felt that attempting to use the terrain to his advantage in the uninhabited canyon had been a wrong move. It would have been smarter to keep dodging on the battlefield against someone like him. With his sword broken in this desolate area, he felt there was no way he could fight back any longer.

But Musashi refused to give up. He pressed his hands to his knees and quickly rose. Then he glared coldly and spoke, “I have no master.”

“You reached this level with only imitation? You expect me to believe that?”

“Whether you believe me or not, you plan to kill me, right?”

“That’s true.”

Ono Tadaaki had no intention of accepting Musashi as a disciple. Letting such a genius roam free would eventually threaten his own life; in this brutal land of Dongyoung, that was just common sense.

He wasn’t here to hunt down a deserter. He had sensed Musashi’s genius from the wild vigor in his swordplay, and had taken the trouble to follow him down here to crush the budding talent of the young prodigy.

“If I leave you alone for even three years, I can’t guarantee I’ll win. You need to be killed.”

If Musashi’s words were true, he had to eliminate him right here and now.

In this cutthroat world, to have enmity with such a genius was to itch one’s back in a way that would lead to no good in the future. It was a negligible task to kill Musashi without a sword, so as a courtesy for his genius, he decided to give him one last respectful greeting.

“I, Jirooemon Tadaaki, heir of the Itto-ryu of Ito Ittosai! Today, I shall test Miyamoto Musashi.”

“……”

“If you have something to say, say it. Anything but a plea for your life.”

Musashi smirked. Tadaaki noticed that there was no fear of death at all in that expression, making his eyebrows twitch slightly as Musashi opened his mouth.

“Who is the greatest warrior in the world?”

That was strange. Although Musashi was aware he was perilously close to death, instead of inquiring about the Lunar Kill Technique, he had asked about the “greatest in the world” instead.

Ono Tadaaki didn’t mind the question so he readily answered.

“There are three strongest warriors in Dongyoung. One is the Sword Saint Kamizumi Nobutsuna, one is Tsukahara Bokuden, and the last is my master, Ito Ittosai.”

“Which one is the strongest?”

“They’re all on similar levels, but my master is slightly stronger by half.”

“You speak as if you’ve seen them.”

“I’ve seen it for myself.”

“So, is Ito Ittosai the strongest warrior in the world?”

“……”

Ono Tadaaki made a strange face.

Does this kid think he wouldn’t die here?

No way, that can’t be true.

There was no way that someone with such keen instincts could miss the killing intent from him.

Then why was he so obsessed with that title of “greatest in the world” that he would never get again?

Oddly, he found himself not disliking this strange kid either. So he decided to answer the question sincerely.

“No, he isn’t.”

“Is there someone stronger than him?”

“I’ve heard that in the distant Central Plains, the Great Ming Empire has experts who surpass the notable figures of Dongyoung. Moreover, next door in Goryeo, there’s the Master of the Twelve Joules, who is the best in Goryeo and is likely the strongest in the world.”

“…Stronger than the Sword Saint you just mentioned?”

Ono Tadaaki smirked.

“Warriors living in Dongyoung are frogs in a well. Only a handful of masters are aware of that fact. The world is vast, and while there are many experts, it’s hard to reach the essence of martial arts even after countless trainings, as my master often says.”

“Is that so….”

Musashi felt as if he was going mad.

Ono Tadaaki before him was undoubtedly one of the top-tier experts in Dongyoung. However, in the Central Plains and Goryeo were legendary figures who could easily overpower even someone like Tadaaki, and among them stood the Master of the Twelve Joules at the very pinnacle. Thinking that way made him feel like an insignificant bug.

But why was it?

His heart raced.

‘This won’t be boring.’

Before searching for the Lunar Kill Technique, it was a prelude. The ambition and desire to one day eradicate them all began to swirl within young Musashi’s heart.

Swish

Miyamoto Musashi gripped his broken sword into an intermediate stance. Seeing that his posture matched Musashi’s own Itto-ryu intermediate stance, Ono Tadaaki’s eyebrows twitched.

‘Perfect posture.’

Could it be that he learned the stance from just one glance? A mediocre learner would take a hundred days to get the posture right under a master’s guidance, while a prodigy would take at least a month. Yet, even as an expert, it felt like Musashi’s current stance was on par with someone who had practiced for ten years in the Itto-ryu.

However, Ono Tadaaki was even more surprised moments later.

“You said it was sword strength….”

Bang!

Musashi’s broken blade accumulated Qi as it combined, briefly manifesting a form of sword energy. But it quickly faded like smoke.

“……!!”

“Looks like it’s not working…”

Seeing Ono Tadaaki frozen in shock and horror, Musashi grinned widely.

“You’ll understand once I kill you, Ono Tadaaki.”

“Don’t get cocky, brat!!”

Bang!

In the next moment, Ono Tadaaki’s mighty sword, Kamewari, swung down towards Musashi. With his already broken sword and injuries, Musashi knew he had no chance against Tadaaki’s superior blade, thinking this might be the end for him.

But in that split second – Ono Tadaaki felt it. As Musashi’s broken sword formed the sword strength, it gently absorbed energy, and before he knew it, Musashi pulled out a dagger from his robes to add onto his attack.

‘A dagger?!’

It was a ridiculous improvisation, but Musashi’s defense was flawless.

Ono Tadaaki’s strike lost its power and flowed away, and in that opening, Musashi stabbed his thigh with the dagger.

Thud

“Ugh!”

While Ono Tadaaki let out a groan, accustomed to real battle, he tightened his thigh muscles to prevent Musashi from pulling the dagger out. The chances of the blunt dagger coming loose were slim. Without a weapon, Musashi wouldn’t be able to create any further surprises.

But Musashi let go of the dagger at that moment.

Instead, he took the stance with the blade-less use of his sword.

Recognizing that his stance was exactly the same as his own, Ono Tadaaki’s eyes bulged.

Itto-ryu

Kamewari

“Ah….”

Bang!

In that instant, the armor Ono Tadaaki wore shattered, making him tumble five rolls backward. As his armor broke apart, his upper body and skin were exposed to the world, and for a brief moment, he lost consciousness.

“Ugh!”

When he regained consciousness, Musashi was panting heavily.

Bloodlight flickered in his eyes, revealing that the demon mask actively aided in his slaughter.

“Whew… whew….”

“……”

That’s a monster.

Ono Tadaaki looked at Miyamoto Musashi in horror. He couldn’t help but realize his hands trembled uncontrollably.

‘Me… I, known as the Frenzied Swordsman, am trembling with fear before this kid?’

That was impossible.

He had never flinched before the Sword Saint Kamizumi Nobutsuna. He had battled evenly with excellent masters from the Central Plains and Goryeo and was even the representative expert of Dongyoung, the pinnacle of renowned swordsmen. How could he feel fear in front of a mere teenager?

Yet, he came to the realization. He no longer had the courage to lift his sword against Musashi.

He roared.

“I’ll let you off this time, Musashi!!”

Ono Tadaaki’s sword vanished. Musashi, drenched in blood and knowing he bore serious injuries, realized that at that moment, he had triumphed at the crossroads of life and death. Should Ono Tadaaki come at him again, he would surely die, but that was simply a stroke of luck for him. Musashi stood still, laughing grotesquely.

“Hehe… Hahaha…!”

It clicked.

The improvisation he had used to counter Ono Tadaaki’s Itto-ryu – the instinct that he could overcome the shortcomings of the Tachi with the dual swords.

If he could materialize that soft sensation, he would soon reach a state of emptiness, and that would become the void that cultivated his swordsmanship.

‘What should I name my sword technique?’

But besides that realization, he was no longer in a state to continue fighting. He needed to recover for a while and tread carefully.

Musashi staggered and slowly made his way off the battlefield.

‘I’m heading to Honganji.’

A clue provided by Fuma Kotaro, the leader of the Fuma clan!

He would find Honganji Jounoshin there and hopefully acquire more leads on the Lunar Kill Technique.