Vol 1 Chapter 3 (1/2)

Chapter Three - A Battle with the Past

Part 1

Kazuma stood alone in the darkness

Deep in the night, a dead silence shrouded the park The usual wanderers who occupied the park were nowhere to be found, perhaps chased away by so unknown

French Hill This place etation, it beca place that would make anyone question whether it could be considered a park It seeht, strollers would probably meet with mishap

At the top of this hill, Kazu motionlessly

His black jacket almost completely concealed his existence, even to people that ht in front of him

Just like an experienced hunter, Kazuma had become one with nature

“!”

His eyes opened without warning His body began to shi+ver due to his unconstrained happiness and fear

“Here already”

He h the park entrance, heading straight towards him

Even someone whose senses were not as sharp as Kazuma’s would definitely notice this presence Because the shi+ning energy waves in the dark were so scary, it gave one the impression of daybreak

If Ayano at that evening was said to be the sun, then this could only be described as a supernova’s explosion

The other party did not show any intention of hiding his existence Instead, as though he was boasting it, he walked with the sa would

As “he” stepped into the plaza, his line of vision shi+fted to Kazu in the shade of the trees

“Am I late?”

“No the tiht”

Kazu into the open without a care

A statue sy mother and her child stood between them It was unsure if that was just a coincidence or if Kazu it to mock the situation

“Let's begin, then”

Kazu of the battle

“So you are unwilling to sit and talk this over?”

“He” questioned hesitantly

Perhaps “he” already knew the answer, as his tone slightly ination

As expected, Kazuma taunted back,

“Let me ansith my power 'Father'!!”

Kazuma released blades of wind as he spoke Genma let out flames in retaliation

Both sides had things they could not afford to lose The winds and flaainst each other furiously, perhaps the only way for father and son to co after four years

The residence was shrouded with silence As Genma walked down the corridor alone, he felt like he was in an abandoned house with no one in it

At this point, i residence Every single one of theh afraid to be found, too scared to stay alone They gathered in the

There was a basis for their fears, though Masato, the strongest of the branch fao and Takeya, ere ruether, were murdered one by one Everyone was scared, afraid that they would be next

Genma called them cowards for that, but not everyone was as powerful as he was

“I am late”

Gen permission to enter, slid the paper door open Gen, and stopped before Juugo, still kneeling Juugo showed deep hatred in his eyes

“You are really late”

(You old sly fox, running away on your own)

Juugo said, without even bothering to keep his unpleasant thoughts to himself

“By the here is Ayano?”

Gen had happened

“She was too noisy, so I sent her out”

Juugo’s voice sounded even more displeased because he had just pacified Ayano several one to the hotel where Kazue

“This is so that cannot be helped She had been in such close terms with Masato after all”

Gen to do with it Consequently, Juugo became even more furious

“Oh, I didn’t know you were so lenient Since you're so concerned about Ayano, wouldn’t it have been better to calm her down earlier?”

Before, when Ayano was , Gen and had left his seat And to be so thick-skinned as to co that even Juugo would grumble about

“That's because I had to give instructions to everyone in the clan I also wanted to hear the reports froa clan”

Gens because they were of no relevance, sio knew this as well, so he stopped pressing Genma as there were other matters that required discussion

”So what do you think? Most of the people in the clan pinned the crimes on Kazuma”

“Killing Masato and Takeshi+ without Ayano noticing, then deliberately revealing hi his escape, he spots shi+ngo and Takeya and kills both of theh it is theoretically possible considering the ti it is too difficult to be done”

“Hearing you say that ht I was the only normal one”

After hearing such words froo, who didn’t normally mock others, Genma smirked

“It's because everyone feels insecure Rather than facing some unknown enemy, they find it easier to believe that Kazue”

“Does Ayano feel insecure as well?”

”She just lost her rationality due to Masato’s death That’s all”

Genht the issue across faintly It was a critical period now, so there was no tiirl

(Once we know the true identity of our enery as much as you want!)

Geh it would be difficult to say such things out loud

“Compared to this, a problem still lies with Kazuma No matter what, his actions are too suspicious Maybe he is in league with the enemy!”

“That could be true If he really didn’t do it, he should have coht kill hi you aside, he should still trust me a lot”

“Indeed”

Geno’sto deserve Kazuo's words at that time

“However, I am the only one who can capture Kazuma”

“Were shi+ngo and Takeya really killed by Kazuma?”

“Even though this is just speculation, I believe the murderer was someone else perhaps the person who Ayano saw But Kazuma did defeat the two of therazed the ground and the position of shi+ngo and Takeya's bodies, they were definitely lying on the ground when they were attacked”

Geno’s ears If Genma’s assuth that rivaled the main branch

“You seem really happy, Genma If this is true, why did you abandon Kazuma back then?”

Juugo finally asked the question that he had held back for four years He had alondered about it

Nohi, Juugo had come to realize that Genma actually loved Kazuma a lot

“I was born as a Kannagi and live as a Kannagi I a it is the same for my son as well”

“So is that why you threw him somewhere you couldn’t reach? So he could choose any path he desired? Even so, there was no need to leave him all alone! What if he had starved to death by the roadside?”

“H about? He is my son”

“Sigh So that’s it”

He had no strength to continue asking after that boastful stateo decided to return to the main topic once more

“So, can you defeat Kazuma?”

Geno Eyes that were“there is no way I can lose”

“I understand I shall leave this matter to you then! When will there be results?”

“It should be settled today If we give our ene Kazuive them an inch and they will take a mile”

“I look forward to your performance”

Genma, without reply, showed his respects and quietly left the roo his son with his very own hands

Part 2

Kazu his dessert on the 67th story of Yokohama’s Landmark Tower, the hotel on Royal Street that came closest to the skies

Be it a threat or a coax, Kazuma intended to squander off all the cash he obtained by any means possible, no matter how evil or horrendous said methods may be

However, as though toKazuma looked, irritated, at the hand phone on the table

Pirorororororororo

Staring at his consistently ringing hand phone, Kazuma cursed himself

Why did I forget to set it to voicemail?

Even with that said, Kazuma could not just turn off his phone

Pirorororororororo

Thecontinued Kazu all the people who know his nu to avoid reality

Pirorororororororo

“Ahhh! It’s too noisy!”

He finally gave up, and pressed the button to receive the call

“Who is it?”

Kazuma did not bother to hide his unhappiness He used a very rude tone, which was sent to the ears of the person at the other end through electronic waves

”Watashi+ (It is me)”

The other party was even ruder Upon hearing the caller's voice, Kazuretted his decision to pick up the phone from the bottom of his heart, as it was the voice he least wanted to hear in the world

“Oh, Mr Watashi+? What a weird name Did we meet somewhere before?”

”Quit joking around with me”

Though Kazuma tried to joke his way around this, the voice in the phone spoke just as arrogantly as before Kazuma took a deep breath and prepared himself to duel with the man who had abandoned him in the past

“It has been a long time I wonder, can I still call you 'Father'?”

Genma’s voice caused his memories of the past to painfully reawaken

I was still Kazui back then, as pathetically weak

Back then, I could never defy my father I could only , even though he knew I had no talent

“You lost?”

It was neither a question nor verification It was an unbelievably caler and disappointreat blow upon the pitiful loser

“You lost to soirl?”

The voice repeated, as though speaking purposely

“……I am……Really sorry……”

The boy placed his forehead on the tata out a very weak voice Theboy with ice cold eyes

“……So be it It was a mistake to even want to train you to be a Enjutsu practitioner”

The ave up on the boy But somehow, the boy seemed happy about that

“You don’t need to practice Enjutsu anymore from now on”

The boy, about to faint at first, suddenly brightened The man, upon verification, said the most crucial sentence

“Someone who is not an Enjutsu practitioner has no need to stay in the Kannagi family”

“……Huh?”

The s as though it was a natural thing to do

“Froer my son Get lost! Go to some other place!”

“……What……Fath……Father!”

“I aer your 'Father'”

The man said coldly

“Get out of my presence immediately”

With that blunt statelance at the boy

“Fath…Father! Please wait!”

The ed his ar him away The boy was thrown so hard that he almost hit the wall

”Fath…Father! Father!”

The boy was unable to stand up and could only cry out in pain and misery He reached out his hand, but was unable to touch anything Even so, the boy refused to give up and continued to extend his arm

“Father!!!!!!”

Thehis head

There was no one who could reply to this boy who had lost everything now

”Call me whatever you want”

The voice that would ree of death pulls Kazuma back to reality

“How about Gen-chan?”

“Why did you come back to japan?”

Ignoring Kazuht out the main topic

“I believe the youngest child of the Yuuki family should have mentioned that I came back 'on a whim' Didn’t you hear?”

“Surrender! It is not too late!”

“You guys see me like the crii fa on my door, I won’t be merciful”

The chat wason their own than a conversation After all, a conversation requires people to understand, or at least try to understand, each other and give so like a reaction However, the phrase “understand each other” didn’t seem to apply to these two

“Do you think you can win against the Kannagi family?”

“No one will know unless I try, right?”

Kazuer afraid of Genance, Kazuma felt a certain sense of warmth from the absence of fear

(This stubborn old e a bit…)

Kazu attention to whatever Gening himself in his own emotions

“Kazu?!”

Genht have been kneeling next to the phone begging for forgiveness Their relationshi+p was one of absolute orders folloith absolute obedience

“Huh? Oh, of course I' What is it?”

The sound of Genh came out of the phone as he said,

“Iover to you now, is that okay?”

(Good chance)

Kazu ever since he heard his father’s voice again after four years

(I want to knohether I have surpassed that er than the man who ordered me around in the past No matter how, I must verify this)

“No, now is not a convenient time”

Kazuing his cheeky way of speech, he said,

“Tonight at twelve, let’s meet in French Hill”

“What kind of tio!”

“Then no one will coht?”

With those words, Kazued

“So you really want to kill e, then”

To Geno easy even when executing punishment on me

“I realized what you took er that little boy I won't let you order me around anymore”

“Foolish kid Fine, then I shall let you understand the lith”

Genh he knew clearly that his son has misunderstood him, he was unable to think of any other reply

“I shall look forward to it then, 'Father'”

After bidding fareith excitement, Kazuma ended the call He switched his phone off immediately and threw it at the desk beside him

However, the phone et and rolled onto the floor

Looking at his treave a bitter s so th, but he was not ashamed of that

(Yeah, of course I'est practitioner of the Kannagi clan)

He clenched his left fist tightly, as though intending to trap his fear within it

No matter how afraid I am, I i clan and to surpass the oldmy father, who symbolizes my past

He did not hate Genma In fact, now he found the stubbornness in Genma rather pleasant

But this and that are two different ive in to, no matter what

The tre stopped With a deterhtly held left fist, Kazuma muttered to himself,

“I will not run or hide anyo easy on you oyaji”

Part 3

The flames that Genma summoned easily sed and melted away Kazuma's wind blades

“Did you do so just now?”

With his entire body wrapped in golden flames, Genma descended like a God, with the identity of a nificent power less

The h to instill such feelings into his opponents With such power, he definitely had that “right”

“It’s not over yet!”

Kazu as if to encourage hi wind blades

“The fun only starts now!”

Almost a hundred wind blades fleards Genma from all directions However, the blades did not attack simultaneously Instead, the wind blades skillfully developed their own paths and speed, flying around the sky

“Hmmm”

Genma observed the blades calmly No matter how he moved, there was no way to fully avoid an attack like that However, he noticed that each individual blade was no stronger than the ones that came at him earlier

Gen there as the blades came at him As the wind blades flew into the flames wrapped around his body They vanished without a trace

(This cannot be)

Realizing the huge gap between their strength, Kazuma was so shocked that he was at a loss for words Genma leisurely watched Kazuma’s expression

“I'ht? I have no time to play with you, so let me end this now!”

As he announced this, his flames increased at an explosive rate

Several fire pillars shot out with fierce roars, aion with an arched body, the reat power

Genlare fro with fear, Kazuht

In the blink of an eye, the place where Kazuh he escaped it, the flames that hit the floor becae violently

Though they were tiny pieces of flame, they were still flames that Genh, and a direct hit would turn any target into ashes

Kazu them He used the flow of air to understand the situation and, by synchronizing with the wind spirits, “saw” every single direction at once

He accurately grasped the ing at ti them with his wind at other times

Forcefully taking down all of the flames was not an option The power of the branch family could not be compared with that of the main family, so Kazuma had no confidence to survive for even one second with his wind barrier

(Well, it's not like I can't do it But now is not the time)

Having escaped from the firestorm, Kazu to Gen at all There would have been nothing to be proud of even if he had blocked that attack

“Oh, you dodged it?”

Gen all the flames As if it was all just an illusion, there was no trace of what had just happened Not even a leaf was burnt

“To burn nothing but the intended target? That’s not a simple trick”

The higher the level of the Enjutsu practitioner, the easier it was to fully control the spirits and their fla on water without boiling the water or foret

“I should say the sainally intended to kill you But it seems I went too easy on you You should be proud, I adht me”

A gallant smile appeared on his strict face as Genma praised his son But his son simply scratched his nose tip with a bitter smile in return

“Ah Ermm Actually, you don’t need to be so serious I am, after all, just a failed product So why don’t you relax a bit?”

Genan to concentrate He gathered his power attentively, creating an even stronger power

(I can see it clearly)

In contrast to his earlier, flippant expression, Kazuh Genma's attack There would only be one chance, so there was no room for failure

“Don’t die, Kazuma”

Genet that his main objective was to capture Kazuma Therefore, Gen it at a level that would leave the target barely alive

(Now!!)

Kaboom!

The flames that appeared in front of Genetation in the area, sent chairs and dustbins flying, and broke streetlights in all directions

“I succeeded?”

Genh the results were still unclear, the surroundings looked as though a bomb has just exploded The plants fluttered away froht

(Even though it wasn't a fatal hit, he should have at least taken soe!)

As the flame subsided, the scene inside became clear What Kazuma saw inside was

“So that is your killer shot?”

Genma, completely unharmed Even his coat was as tidy as before

Genma looked at Kazuma calmly

“And I thought you grew up after these four years… So you only i such cheap tricks? What a disappointment”

His words were as huo, the day when he looked down upon Kazuma and said, ”I have no use for trash”

“Stop joking”

Kazu out his voice with his fist held tight and tre as the dreadful scenes of the past appeared in his

”What a joke!! Disappoint fro now? You, who abandoned me back-”

Genma’s insults were too painful for Kazuo still caused pain in his chest

“Shut up!”

But Genma only coldly interrupted the screams of the boy as reminded of the past

“If you want to ive you time to do so later Now you have only two options: either co you back You decide!”

“I choose neither”

Kazu He caler the kid who cried because his father had abandoned him

“Only you! I would rather die than lose to you! I will definitely defeat you!”

Kazuer Maybe he was still a kid after all!

“So you still think you can defeat ainst shi+ngo and Takeya!”

“Oh, so you noticed?”

Kazuhtly as if to say, “I don’t care about such a thing”

“By inspecting the corpse, one can notice it easily It was just a sien to cause coht have been effective against second rate Enjutsu practitioners and below”

Genh Kazuen around shi+ngo to Takeya’s surroundings as they were about to release their flames

The sudden increase in oxygen concentration had caused Takeya’s flao suffered froen out

This was the killer ainst Enjutsu practitioners If there were two opponents, it would work even better, as it could kill two birds with one stone

But as Genma had pointed out, this trick would only work if the opponent was caught off guard

As mentioned, Enjutsu practitioners can defy the laws of physics To light a flaen was one of the basics of Enjutsu

“So be it Since you intend to fight no matter what, I shall show you what irresistible power means!”

Genma raised his ki to the y burst out from his body, and the fire spirits around him were dyed blue one by one

The spirits that were soaked in the azure ki si the originally glaring golden flalow

Kazu a few times, he mumbled in a hoarse voice

“This is the first tii Genma…”

The flai clan were flaolden”

That was absolutely true However, theforces in the main family may sometimes surpass this limit

The “Divine Flame”- This was the invincible power that only the true chosen ones could attain Adding the color of their own “ki” to their flames was an ability that only eleven have obtained in the past thousand years The only ones ere able to attain this level after a period of two centuries were Geno with his “amethyst flame”

“Watch this closely! This is the true power that your cheap tricks are coainst”

“Oh This does indeed seeainst”

Hearing what sounded like a loss declaration, Genhtly affected However, Kazuma was not finished with his words

“So then, let et a little serious too!”

With that, Kazuht hand up and pointed to the sky

“Stop sounding so”

Genathered at Kazuma’s command with unbelievable speed, and Genma was attracted to this phenomenon

“How How can that be”

His shock came out as words from his mouth At that moment, Genma realized for the first time that he had underestimated his son’s powers

Kazuht He was soainst even if he went all out

Genma was stunned for just a few seconds, and those few seconds were just what Kazuma wanted

Gen, but Kazuma informed him calmly

“It’s useless,speed is faster”

To tell the truth, Kazuth In ter the four eleht an equally powerful Fuujutsu practitioner and both attacked at full strength, the Enjutsu practitioner would definitely win

In that case, all the Fuujutsu practitioner needed to do was to not let the Enjutsu practitioner attack at full strength

In terms of speed, wind spirits were the fastest If the Fuujutsu practitioner began his suathered enough strength So if he aimed for such a time difference, there was no way to lose

To act weak at first, but reveal his true capabilities when the eneth

Sohteousness” doesn't exist in Kazuma’s dictionary “A winner is a winner, no matter how it is as his philosophy

Kazuathered more power than Genma had, and all that was left was to release it

“I will spare your life Be grateful for that!”

As if condensing the size of a large typhoon by ten thousand tied violently The frantic winds turned into countless blades dashi+ng across, cutting the azure flames into tiny bits

“Argh Ahhhhhhhhhhh!!”

Even so, the frenetic winds did not see at all went through

The blades were so fast and sharp that there wasn’t even ti chill was felt That was the last feeling Genma had as he succumbed to the darkness

“”

Kazuma e flat on the ground with blood flowing out from all over Genma laid on the red-stained floor, motionless as if dead

“!”