Makoto was not certain the other party was the mastermind who had sent a killer after him.
The Black Dragon Association was simply highly suspicious.
After all, he had truly made too much money that afternoon.
From 10,000 yen to 800 million, and in only half a day.
Countless casinos had been pushed to the breaking point by him.
At the moment, too many people wanted him dead.
It had to be said that, in a sense, Epitaph’s ability was truly absurd.
Once activated, the destined future could not be changed.
Even if the other party wanted to cheat, they would encounter all sorts of accidents.
There was even a dealer who tried to cheat by activating a hidden device in the table to shake the dice.
The mechanism malfunctioned, and he half-electrocuted himself instead.
Once he had money, Makoto immediately called Naobito Zenin.
“Let’s complete our transaction.” When Naobito Zenin heard Makoto’s words, his mind went blank.
If Makoto were the kind of person who liked jokes, he would have thought the boy was messing with him.
He had said 500 million yen, not fifty thousand or five hundred thousand, but five hundred million.
And yet one afternoon passed, night arrived, and the other party called him.
Did you rob a bank?
“You have money?” “Eight hundred million.” Pfft.
Naobito Zenin sprayed out a mouthful of old liquor on the spot.
Not 500 million, but 800 million.
He definitely robbed a bank, right?
“What did you do this afternoon?” “Casinos.” “You’re that plague god from this afternoon?” Plague god?
Makoto froze for a moment.
Thinking back to what had happened that afternoon, the casino lookouts had indeed sprinted to close their doors the moment they saw him, almost like they had seen a plague god.
“That was me.” “It really was you.
In that case, come over tomorrow.” Naobito Zenin gave Makoto an address.
No matter how Makoto had won so much money, as long as he had not robbed a bank, it was fine.
Makoto memorized the address and stood at a crossroads, one hand in his pocket, the other carrying the massive sum of 400 million yen.
“So, where should I spend the night?” He turned to a woman whose gaze had been following him for a while and asked, “You’ve been watching me for a long time.
Need something?” The woman did not shrink back.
She walked over with a smile.
“I saw a homeless kid worrying about where to sleep tonight.
Big sister felt sorry for you.” She was very familiar, leaning in on her own initiative.
Her eyes revealed desire, greed, and more.
Seeing Makoto’s gaze fall on her, she immediately showed off her assets and naturally looped her arm around Makoto’s.
…
The next morning.
In an ordinary apartment, Makoto rose early with his upper body bare.
Beside him was the older woman from last night, around twenty-five or twenty-six.
Her hair was messy, exhaustion hung on her face, and one pale arm lay casually exposed in the air.
Clearly, the night had not been uneventful.
Awakened by Makoto getting up, she opened her eyes in a daze.
The first thing she saw was Makoto’s solid muscles, every piece hard and defined, along with several scars.
She did not think there was anything bad about it.
Instead, it made Makoto look even wilder.
“No wonder,” she murmured, licking her lips with lingering satisfaction.
But it was almost time for work, so she quickly dressed herself again.
Before leaving, she gave Makoto a kiss, then handed him a key and some money.
Clearly, she wanted to keep Makoto around like a pretty boy.
“Wait for me to come home for dinner tonight, okay?” she asked expectantly.
“Depends.” With that, he accepted the key and walked out of the apartment to begin his daily training.
The woman went to work perfectly satisfied.
…
That afternoon.
At a high-end private club in Tokyo.
Makoto carried his suitcase to the front desk.
After giving his identity, he was brought by an employee to a suite.
“Makoto, you caused quite a stir in Tokyo yesterday.
The entire underworld knows your name now.
Nothing unexpected happened, I hope?” “I killed it.” “I thought so.
Even without cursed energy or cursed techniques, a Heavenly-Restricted Tyrant isn’t easy to provoke.” Toji Fushiguro, whom they had driven away, was the best example.
He had killed so fiercely that even the higher-ups of the Jujutsu world feared him.
They were afraid that one day their own bounty notices would appear in Toji Fushiguro’s hands.
“Did you bring the goods?” Makoto tossed the suitcase in front of Naobito and opened it.
A full 400 million yen made everyone else in the room swallow unconsciously.
“Of course.” Naobito Zenin was calm.
Among the cursed tools he had recently sold to Toji Fushiguro was a Special Grade cursed tool, Playful Cloud, worth 500 million.
He beckoned, and his subordinate brought out the items he had prepared.
“First, this one.
It hasn’t been officially named yet.
Compared with ordinary weapons, it’s thirty times sharper and harder.
Grade 2 cursed tool.” “Then this one.
It also has no official name.
Its sharpness is fifty times that of an ordinary polearm.
With the physical potential of a Heavenly-Restricted Tyrant, in your hands, this spear could pierce steel with a casual strike.” “…” Naobito Zenin talked at length like a salesman, introducing Makoto to the cursed tools he had prepared.
There were lances, spears, tachi, and all sorts of weapons.
Most of them were Grade 2 cursed tools, none above Grade 1, but their prices were enough to kill a person.
Every one started in the tens of millions.
Neither of their expressions changed.
Both knew this was only the buildup for the Special Grade cursed tool that would appear last.
Naobito Zenin kept observing Makoto’s expression, paying attention to any change.
Business was business.
Naturally, he had to pay attention to every movement of the customer.
Unfortunately, Makoto’s face remained expressionless from start to finish, which instead made Naobito look like a clown.
“What a boring brat.
Fine.
Go bring the Heavenly Imperial Sword.” “Yes.” The subordinate nodded solemnly.
A short while later, he walked out holding a simple, ancient-looking long box with both hands and placed it on the table in front of Makoto.
Naobito Zenin did not ramble.
He said directly, “Special Grade cursed tool, Heavenly Imperial Sword.” Makoto opened the box.
Inside was a strangely shaped weapon.
It was called a sword, but it looked more like a Japanese tachi.
The blade was one meter long, the total length 1.5 meters, and the handle alone was a full fifty centimeters.
In Japan, however, discussing the difference between swords and blades had little meaning.
A Japanese tachi could be called a sword or a blade depending on what you chose to call it.
Makoto picked it up.
It felt light in his hand, but immediately changed.
The weapon seemed to adapt to its wielder, automatically matching the weight Makoto found most comfortable.
“What’s its effect?” “Weight.
When any object, including living beings, comes into contact with this sword, none of that object’s weight can be applied to the wielder’s hand.” “Of course, it isn’t limitless.
In the hands of an ordinary person, the Heavenly Imperial Sword can withstand up to ten thousand jin.” Ten thousand jin.
That was already astonishing.
After all, that was ten thousand jin for an ordinary person, and Makoto was no ordinary person.
How much weight his limit could withstand still needed to be tested.
Makoto held the sword and lightly lifted the table in front of him.
Sure enough, without needing to exert almost any strength, the stone table, which had to weigh at least five hundred jin, was lifted by Makoto with effortless ease and held suspended in midair.
During the whole process, he barely used any strength.
Makoto was instantly moved.
If the Heavenly Imperial Sword could withstand ten thousand jin, did that mean that as long as an enemy’s attack did not reach the level of ten thousand jin, even an ordinary person could block the impact of a cursed technique?
Could he use the Heavenly Imperial Sword to defend against attacks the way Toji Fushiguro used the Inverted Spear of Heaven?
“Strictly speaking, yes.
As long as the ten-thousand-jin limit isn’t exceeded, the Heavenly Imperial Sword can block any attack, even in the hands of an ordinary person.
But only physical impacts.” In other words, any cursed technique attacks that did not include physical impact could not be blocked by the Heavenly Imperial Sword.
“What about offense?
Can it also reach ten thousand jin?” “That depends on your ability.
The Heavenly Imperial Sword’s maximum offensive amplification is tenfold, limited to physical strength.” Cursed energy had no effect on the amplification.
This was the main reason Naobito was willing to bring out the sword.
Within the Zenin clan, people without cursed energy and cursed techniques basically did not exist.
“Meaning if it’s one hundred jin, the most it can output is one thousand jin of force.” For ordinary people, including Jujutsu sorcerers, the Heavenly Imperial Sword’s tenfold amplification seemed high, but in reality, it was not as much as one might imagine.
It had one restriction: physical strength.
It did not accept cursed technique enhancement.
Makoto had no such concern.
He had no cursed energy enhancement to begin with.
This was the weapon most suited to him.
“Enough.” With his current arm strength, a casual swing could reach several hundred jin.
With tenfold amplification, that became a slash of several thousand jin.
And as his physical potential was dug out step by step, that number could continue to rise.
Makoto gripped the sword and casually swung it downward.
The instant the Heavenly Imperial Sword touched the stone table, its tenfold amplification erupted.
The stone table struck by the blade exploded in an instant.
Yes.
It was not cut apart, but exploded.
The several-hundred-jin stone table could not withstand that force at all.
Before it could be split, it was shattered by the impact.
“A monster through and through.
He even shattered a five-hundred-jin stone table.
That slash had to carry three thousand jin of force.” “Even a Jujutsu sorcerer reinforcing themselves with cursed energy would have a hard time blocking a thousand-jin slash like that.” Even Naobito Zenin, the clan head, was shocked.
A slash of three thousand jin; even if one blocked it and avoided being cut in two, one’s internal organs would be shaken out of place.
And this was not even Makoto’s full strength, only a casual strike.
If he used his full power, then by conservative estimate, the boy’s single-arm strength was close to one thousand jin.
With tenfold amplification, that was ten thousand jin.
Still, using a Special Grade cursed tool to befriend a monster with bottomless potential was not a bad deal.
At the very least, if this brat engaged in curse user work in the future, he would give Naobito some face and avoid members of the Zenin clan as much as possible.
Add Toji Fushiguro, a former clan member, to that.
In this way, the Zenin clan would effectively avoid the two strongest among the curse users.
“I’ll take this sword.
How much?” “Eight hundred million isn’t enough if you want this sword.
But you suit my taste, kid, so I’ll only take 800 million.
Consider it me making a friend.” Makoto frowned slightly.
He did not want to owe the other man a favor, but with Naobito’s current attitude, if Makoto did not owe this favor, he would not be able to take the Heavenly Imperial Sword away.
It was not a matter of money.
Even if he brought two billion today, the other man would only say it was not enough.
“Fine.
I’ll make this deal.” Makoto was decisive and threw all 800 million yen he had not even had time to warm up over to Naobito Zenin.
“Refreshing.
Hahaha.
Another big deal completed.
We ought to celebrate.
Makoto, come drink with me.” Naobito Zenin always believed drinking was the best way to build relationships.
Every clink of cups could bring two people a step closer.
Makoto indicated that their business was not finished yet.
He took out the concealed weapons he carried with him.
“Can you make throwing knives of this type for me?
They need strong piercing power.” “Aren’t these the weapons of that kid from Jujutsu High?” Naobito Zenin recognized these throwing knives.
They had belonged to a Grade 2 sorcerer from Jujutsu High.
Because they had come from his side, he remembered them.
Had that person already been killed by Makoto?