“Uncle, as long as you spare Akeno, I’ll do anything.” Himejima Shuri held her daughter tightly and pleaded in a humble voice.
“I am not your uncle.
Before clan law, there is no room for personal feelings.
You were the one who broke the rules first.
Now, don’t blame me for being merciless.” Himejima Shuhuang looked coldly at the mother and daughter, without the slightest trace of pity in his eyes.
“Mom…” Still very young, Himejima Akeno didn’t fully understand what was happening.
But the scene before her filled her with fear.
Seeing her mother kneeling before a stranger made her body tremble.
Standing beside them, Shinki watched as Shuri continued begging for Akeno’s life.
He stepped forward, grabbed her arm, and pulled her to her feet.
“Big Sis Shuri, there’s no point reasoning with this stubborn old fossil.
He’s already decided to use Akeno’s death to establish his authority.” There was no way Shuhuang would spare them because of Shuri’s pleas.
In the original story, after Akeno escaped, Shuri was driven to her death by the clan.
Even after Akeno fled Tokyo and escaped the control of the Five Great Noble Houses, Shuhuang personally led people to hunt her down.
In the end, Akeno happened to encounter Rias while she was away from home and was only saved because Rias protected her.
The truth was that if Rias hadn’t invoked the authority of her brother, Sirzechs, Shuhuang never would have let Akeno go.
“And who are you?” Shuhuang asked with a cold expression.
He had no intention of sparing Akeno, but he was extremely displeased that this young man had openly exposed his intentions.
“Himejima Shinki.
Just an insignificant nobody from one of the branch families.” A faint smile appeared on Shinki’s face.
The situation might be unfavorable, but he wasn’t about to lose in terms of presence.
“A member of the Himejima Clan?
What exactly do you mean by this?” Shuhuang’s expression stiffened before his gaze turned icy.
This generation of the Himejima Clan had produced one traitor after another.
To him, it was a direct slap to the face.
“Nothing much.
I’m just asking the great clan head to do me a favor and let them go.
It might even help salvage what’s left of your already dwindling authority.” “You—!” Shuhuang could not comprehend how a mere branch family member dared speak to him this way.
Then again, the Himejima Clan had been discarding the unqualified for generations.
He could punish even his own direct relatives without hesitation.
A traitor from a branch family meant even less.
“Capture them.” Shuhuang gave the order mercilessly.
“How pitiful.” Shinki glanced at the Black Ops unit.
Just a bunch of brainwashed kids.
Taking a deep breath, he circulated golden energy through his meridians.
It surged throughout his body and flowed into all four limbs.
Then he moved.
The muscles in his legs tightened before exploding with tremendous force.
His speed was astonishing as he charged toward the nearest operative.
The rushing wind itself carried a sense of danger that made the man instinctively want to react.
But Shinki was faster.
His body dipped slightly.
Then he threw a punch.
The blow landed directly in the man’s abdomen.
The tearing pain felt as though his internal organs had shifted out of place.
A moment later, he lost consciousness.
The Black Ops unit were stronger than ordinary exorcists and had received physical combat training.
However, ever since realizing he had little talent for Shinto Arts, Shinki had never neglected his physical conditioning.
Even setting aside his physique, his combat skills and techniques far surpassed those of ordinary people.
Unfortunately, the Five Great Noble Houses were primarily exorcist families.
Their close-combat training was sorely lacking and nowhere near as balanced as the Taoist traditions of China, which excelled at both ranged and melee combat.
Even their talismans and shikigami weren’t particularly impressive.
Getting back to the point— After saying all that, Shinki simply wanted to make one thing clear.
Close combat was the weakness of the Five Great Noble Houses.
“You brat!” Seeing their companion collapse so effortlessly, the remaining operatives charged forward in anger.
At such close range, they couldn’t freely deploy shikigami.
Instead, they drew katanas and kunai, aiming directly for Shinki’s vital points.
But he had anticipated this.
As several attackers rushed him from the side, Shinki suddenly spun.
Using one foot as a pivot, he lashed out with a powerful kick.
The strike connected directly with one man’s head.
It wasn’t enough to shatter his skull, but it instantly knocked him unconscious.
Cries of pain and the sounds of impact echoed one after another.
The dozen-plus operatives Shuhuang had brought quickly fell to the ground.
Shinki slowly straightened up and looked toward Himejima Shuhuang, whose expression had become increasingly cold and ugly.
Shuhuang’s face was so dark it seemed ready to drip water.
“Who exactly are you?” “Just an ordinary person.” Shinki subtly motioned for the stunned Shuri and Akeno to step back.
“An ordinary person?
I highly doubt that.” Shuhuang raised his right hand.
His fingers rapidly formed seals.
After muttering an incomprehensible incantation, two giant wolves, each as large as a lion, appeared beside him.
Under the night sky, the wolves released ferocious howls.
Even knowing the situation was dangerous, Shinki found himself growing increasingly excited.