It was the Himejima family’s final group of pursuers.
After spending a few seconds assessing the situation, Shinki got out of bed, put on his jacket, pushed open the door, and walked outside.
The area beyond the room was completely silent.
Unlike the city, where even the nights were bustling with activity, a small town after midnight carried an eerie stillness.
Under the darkness of the late night sky, it felt as though all life had vanished.
But this silence was too complete.
Far too complete.
“I wonder…
when you set up a barrier to drive people away, do the sounds of insects disappear too?” Shinki chuckled softly as he spoke toward the darkness.
At those words, the onmyoji hidden in the shadows stepped out.
One, two, three, four…
There were roughly twelve of them.
Compared to before, their numbers had increased.
Perhaps it was because Shinki had stopped holding back after leaving Tokyo.
He had no intention of showing mercy to people who wanted him dead.
Along the way, he had even used them to test the power of his enhanced body.
“Himejima Shinki, your betrayal of the Main Family has already been exposed.
Come back with us peacefully.” One of them spoke.
“And then be executed according to clan law after returning?
Why waste your breath?” Shinki replied with a smile.
Perhaps they were only attempting persuasion because they had already suffered losses.
But how could he possibly agree?
As long as Himejima Suzaku had not yet taken control of the Himejima family, returning meant certain death.
No one would be foolish enough to choose that outcome.
“You brat.
If that’s your answer, then die here.” These were all elite operatives loyal to the Himejima family.
The moment negotiations failed, they immediately switched tactics.
Five men separated from the formation and drew exorcism-grade katana from their scabbards.
Previous encounters had taught the Himejima family that Shinki excelled in close combat.
None of the onmyoji who had approached him directly had survived, so they had specifically selected several melee specialists for this mission.
The next moment, their blades descended toward him.
The sharp katana reflected the silver moonlight, illuminating the cold, merciless expressions of their wielders.
Talismans had been attached to the swords, granting them supernatural properties capable of splitting stone apart.
They were weapons commonly used for exorcising spirits.
Using them against a human was almost excessive.
However, before the blade could even touch him, Shinki seized one attacker’s wrist.
A crisp crack echoed through the night.
Then, using the man’s own sword, Shinki drove the blade through his throat.
The others froze in place.
The sudden loss of a comrade was difficult to process.
But the dead did not joke.
The sharp katana had pierced straight through the man’s throat.
Blood flowed down the silver blade, trickling along its length before dripping onto the grass below and staining it red.
Choosing skilled close-combat fighters to deal with him had indeed been a good idea.
But there was a saying: When God closes a door, He opens a window.
His lack of talent for Shinto arts and Shinto Arts had led Shinki to discover something unexpected—he possessed an extraordinary aptitude for close combat.
Now, empowered by the blood of the Winged Dragon, that talent was steadily being developed and would continue evolving.
“Your turn.” Shinki smiled at them.
The men felt both humiliated and enraged, but they maintained their formation and charged at the strange young man.
Bang!
Steel collided with steel, sending orange sparks flying.
But in the very next instant, a serpent of fire erupted from Shinki’s fingertips.
Like paint spreading across a canvas, the flames instantly stained the steel blade crimson.
Sizzle!
Sizzle!
Sizzle!
The fire ignited.
Golden flames burst into existence along the sword’s surface.
The intense heat melted the opponent’s katana almost instantly.
Molten metal dripped onto the man’s hand, causing him to scream in agony.
At the same time, the flaming blade sliced through his neck.
The wound was charred black.
No blood sprayed outward.
The flesh had already been burned into cinders.
With that, another pursuer fell during the second exchange.
The remaining attackers stared in shock at Shinki’s methods.
This ability had never appeared in any of the intelligence reports.
The three surviving swordsmen immediately tried to retreat.
That flaming sword technique was simply too bizarre.
It could even enchant weapons with fire.
What exactly was going on?
Could the rumors be true?
Was this traitor of the Himejima family really some rare wielder of a magical artifact?
Unfortunately for them, Shinki was faster.
Enhanced by his strengthened physique, his speed far surpassed that of ordinary humans.
The flaming katana reached them almost instantly.
Then it harvested lives with ruthless efficiency.
Seeing the situation turn against them, the remaining onmyoji immediately summoned shikigami and unleashed attacks through their talismans.
Flames and beams of light surged toward Shinki.
But enchanting weapons was far from the only trick he possessed.
Holding the katana horizontally before him, he placed his fingers upon the flames without suffering any injury.
Then he shattered the blade, now glowing red like molten blood.
The fragments exploded outward.
Like bullets, the crimson shards tore through the air.
In an instant, they destroyed the shikigami, pierced through stone, and punched through human bodies alike.
And thus, all twelve pursuers were annihilated.