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Progress!
I was able to find some of the herbs that Mother wrote down in her journal and honestly, I feel a little bit giddy about this, in fact, I'm glad I have this journal right next to me.
So far, among the multitude of herbs I gathered, I came across three main ones that I can use as of the date that I'm writing this…
And what date was that…? June? September? I don't know, the year 2001..? I guess…
The first is a herb called 'Gobo/ Greater Burdock'. You could find it in places around North America, Europe, and Asia. It usually treats sore throat and skin issues such as boils, rashes, acne, and is said to even help in healing wounds.
Secondly is a root called 'Makino', which sounds awfully familiar to a character of one of my comic books about the journey of a quirky pirate, but hey who knows. This one grows throughout places like Japan and the eastern side of North America, and the roots are used as a traditional treatment for burns and ulcers and also for wound closure.
Pretty nifty, I gotta say.
Lastly, for now, I have the 'Three-Seven-Root'. Now this one's a herb that's commonly found all over China and is used to stop bleeding, reduce bruising, and reduce pain.
Don't get me wrong though, I'm aware that it's not magic by any means, it won't do shit if someone blasts you in your freaking head, but they've been proven to work in the correct means that they can be used in, which is nothing but good news to me.
With this, I'm sure that I can even help save people, provided that their injuries aren't severe.
Anyway, I should stop acting like some nerd over a bunch of plants because even Shintarou who can get drunk at will is looking at me as if I'm strange, though he thinks that I can't see him.
Speaking of Shintarou, sooner or later I'll get strong enough to defeat him, and I'm gonna do it by using his own style at that.
He likes to say that I'm closer to defeating him using my cooking as a weapon versus my fists, acting as if my cooking is bad or anything, but I'll soon show that drunkard my true strength…
But that's in the future, though. As of now…
I have to partake in grooming and men's care.
That's right, I have to trim my toenails cut my hair low, and take long herbal baths.
I've got nothing against long hair, but it's just not for me.
Besides, it would be disastrous for a handsome lad like me to end up looking sloppy.
After all, it's good hygiene to remain clean.
Though if I'm being honest, I think I'll keep that part of my routine a secret from others.
What I need to do now, is to cultivate my cool and cold image to the max.
After all, the 'Maou/ Demon King' can't be found out to be doing stuff like that…
Wait, or can he…?"
-Myoujou Kurogami's Journal Entry (Excerpt), 2002
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-THUD!-
Dust rose to the air as the body of a martial artist belonging to the Kuremisago clan dropped to the ground unconscious after being sent flying by a vicious kick.
'As expected of a clan like this…' Myoujou eased his legs downwards as he reviewed the fight's current progress. 'This man... He should easily be around the level of a 'High-Class Disciple' or maybe even higher...'
'I took too long when applying certain moves which hampered my speed, though not by too much… And once again I need more on-site practice with grappling …'
He dodged a spear strike from another Kuremisago Clansman as he kicked forward, using the clansman's eventual attempt to block with the spear to create distance between them.
"Woah," Myoujou exhaled. "These guys are something else!"
He had to admit, at this point in time, these clansmen were quite tough in their own right.
And he didn't know why exactly, but for some reason, he could tell that the Kuremisago Clan detested outsiders.
"Die, Outsider!" The clansman rushed with a spear which Myoujou dodged, before uppercutting the man in the jaw, sending him flying back.
And no, it wasn't because they were yelling it out loud.
-But, this scenario wasn't anything new to Myoujou.
According to Shintarou, fighting others out in the real world as opposed to just training is the best way to get used to the idea of violence and danger, and to be able to handle it when you encounter such in the future/
'Normally in the 'public' martial arts, you aren't s'posed to be fighting a bunch of people at once, but over here there ain't no such rules! Do your best to survive, kid!' Shintarou would say casually with a wave of his hand.
'If you say so.' And with these words, he would routinely get hot and sweaty as he fought with a bunch of old men on the street.
But the truth is, whilst multiple numbers versus one may be a bad idea to teach someone in practice, the style that eventually birthed Shintarou's Tenrai-Shikyo-ken/ Heavenly Mirrors Style, which was a mixed martial art style crafted within the slums of The Inside that was tailor-made for constant battles in both opportune and inopportune places and times, and could be used even when the practitioner may be injured and unable to perform at peak performance.
And even less may know that the style that preceded it was once known to be a martial art under the branch of Jujitsu that was tailored to cowards with its deceptive nature and sneak attacks during the warring eras.
In other words, a style like that was one in which ambushes and sneak attacks were expected, awaited, and then guarded against.
"Huh? So you're not dead yet, brat?" Shintarou said offhandedly as if he was asking about the weather.
"Rude." Myoujou scoffed. "When you say it like that… It sounds like you were wishing I were dead!"
-whip!-
"Alright, alright." Shintarou backhanded the clansmen who came rushing at him with a long katana blade, leaving a deep knuckle imprint in the man's face as he dropped to the ground like a bag of rice.
"You know, Kuremisago fellas..." Shintarou lazily drawled. "If you guys were a hotel, you'd go out of business. Horrible hosts with not a shred of hospitality in sight!"
"Alrighty then." Stretching his robust musculature as he warmed up, Shintarou got into a battle-ready position, lowering his center of gravity as he awaited the furious mob. "Get ready kid, these folks ain't just wanna spar, they're outright aiming to kill."
"Yeah, I can tell. I haven't seen people with hard sticks in their hands so 'happy' to see me since the old days..." An exasperated sigh left Myoujou's mouth, but even though he said such things, truthfully he had no issues since he was looking forward to showing off what he learned on 'live' targets.
"Quickly get in there and kill those outsiders!"
"Leave none of them alive!"
Shouts from angry clan members that were out for blood entered the ears of the duo.
"-What on Earth are these guys talking about?" Myoujou said exasperatedly, He knew that he was from around here, but this is a bit much for an outsider, no?
"Quickly get rid of them and move on! The sooner we find that bastard Saiga the better!"
Shintarou raised an eyebrow at those words. 'Saiga's in trouble with these guys?'
'I guess love doesn't conquer all, huh?'
"How unlucky." Myoujou looked back to the sky. "Shintarou. Do you believe in 'Luck'?"
"Hahaha! What are you even asking at this point in time? Don't you see what's happening?" Shintarou took an incredulous look at his pupil. "But don't worry, 'cause you're not unlucky. After all, no unlucky person would've lasted this long in these parts!"
"Besides, look on the bright side! You and yours truly, your cherished Master right next to you get to go 'Tag-Team' battle with some idiots! Ain't you aware of how wonderful this is, kiddo?"
"Back to back, and shoulder to shoulder, and murder to murder-!"
"Okay, okay, I got it." Myoujou said as he shook his head. Shintarou was with him, yes. But he wasn't the type to coddle him whatsoever; meaning that he expected Myoujou to hold his own, and that was fine with him.
He studied the crowd of a dozen or so people, barehanded whilst others wielding weapons readied themselves to attack the duo of Master and Disciple, going over many methods of fighting within his mind.
-Positions.
-Movement.
-Weapons.
-Breathing.
-Body Type.
All of these were recorded within his head. And so he formulated a method of battle.
"Let me say this, fellas…" Myoujou muttered at the attacking group as they leapt at the two, ready to enact their personal 'justice' and 'vengeance'.
"-There's nothing more I hate in this world than losing."
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'What is ki, anyway?'
Standing back-to-back with his Master Shintarou as he fought the group of bloodthirsty savages… Ahem, clan members, Myoujou silently pondered on this question as he defended himself from the wave of Kuremisago fighters.
Ki was the circulating life force whose existence and properties were the basis of much of Asian philosophy and medicine.
It is the willpower hidden deep within oneself which that can be used for many different results, whether mental or physical.
And as a latent phenomenon nestled deep within the 'core' of mankind, Ki was something that most Martial Artists were able to utilize in some manner of fashion within battle and confrontation, allowing users to drastically increase their attack and defense power to inhuman levels with proper training and control.
'Though unfortunately, it's impossible to use Ki to do 'K*meh*meh* Waves' or 'Sp*rit B*mbs' to get rid of your enemies...' Myoujou sighed.
'Alright, Myoujou! Time for a little self-study session.' Dodging a blow aimed at his head, Myoujou swiftly swept his opponent off their feet with his right leg, before delivering a fierce stomp to his attacker's temple.
'From what Shintarou told me a good while ago... There are two types of Ki that exist in this world… 'Sei' Ki, and 'Dou' Ki.' Still deep within his thoughts, Myoujou quickly rolled to the side as he narrowly dodged a sudden spear thrust that tore apart the very wind in the area he previously stood at.
But before that, what does the aforementioned categories of Ki even mean? And what about the martial artists that use them?
'Well, fighters that use 'Dou-Type-Ki' tend to be much more aggressive when they fight, being the type that are always on the offensive, and though they aren't always 'brute-forcing' it, they almost never miss out on an opportunity to go wild when fighting.'
'These types of Martial Artists seem to rely heavily on their instincts and brute strength when fighting, focusing on making their Ki "explode" after channeling it through their opponent to deal major damage.'
'Kinda like this guy.' The spear-wielding clansman closed in on him immediately, letting out a near-unending volley of spear thrusts one after the other.
-Power.
-Speed.
-Skill.
-And finally, Intent.
These spear thrusts were performed with an intensity that contained all of the above and even more, filled to the brim with the sole intent of killing Myoujou behind each thrust, and with each attack that Myoujou evaded, portions of his clothes were being nicked and torn.
"Really? Tearing my clothes? What are you, a bloody pervert?" Myoujou clicked his tongue.
'As expected, it's always a new experience fighting guys like this…' Tilting his head slightly, Myoujou escaped the trajectory line of the spear, stepping into his opponent's guard before starting his counterattack.
'Let me deal with these guys first... Since there's no need to stretch this out any further...'
Myouoju's moves were swift, fast, deceptive, and fine-tuned. The very form he performed was dedicated to such maneuvers and attacks that allowed him to fight whilst redirecting the moves of whichever opponents the user may face.
It was the principle he held of 'Using your enemies' force and strength to knock them off balance, before dealing with them promptly', and that was something he fondly preferred when in a fight.
-[WATER MIRROR; OVERFLOW]-
Shifting slightly to the side, Myoujou deflected the spear from the shaft right down to the base with his forearm while controlling his center of gravity and pulling the attacker past him.
"Hu- Huuh-!?"
Effectively using his attacker's own weight against himself and intentionally causing the attacker to rush past him and crash into the mountain of a man known as Shintarou, Myoujou bore witness as he saw the untimely demise of his foe in the hands of Shintarou, who simply held the poor man's head before delivering a not-so-delicate headbutt that may have caved in his skull if not broken a few of the man's orbital bones.
'Moving on...' Myoujou took his gaze off the twitching felled clansman, choosing to survey his surroundings as he saw more fighters approaching him this time wielding katanas, a series of blades native to Japan.
'On the other hand, a 'Sei-Type-Ki Martial Artist usually hides their intention to fight, like they're going on incognito mode or something, instead 'focusing on sensing the environment around them', then 'responding accordingly' as they quickly react to danger.'
'Once again.' Slipping under the slash of the finely crafted katana, Myoujou quickly slid past a flurry of slashes from several foes, jumping backwards to make distance between himself and his not-so-unexpected opponents. 'Like these guys right here.'
'This means that instead of fighting with pure force and anger, Martial Artists in this group mainly fight with tactics, skills, and wit.' Myoujou clicked his teeth as his chest was nicked by the katana's trajectory, beginning to bleed slightly. 'Tch. Almost didn't see that one coming.'
"How you doing, kid? Still alive?" Shintarou added whilst nonchalantly catching a fist aimed at his face with a single hand. "Don't die on me yet kid, raising disciples ain't easy, y'know?"
-CRACK!-
"Gyaaaaarrrgghh-!"
A sharp crackling sound resounded within the ruined manors as with one hand, Shintarou crushed the fist of his opponent, leaving a mess of torn skin and bones, before silencing the screaming fighter with a heavy kick to the chest, sending the man airborne, flying meters into his group of fellow clansmen.
"Thanks but don't worry about me, old man. Worry about the health of the guy's chest you just caved in."
"Besides, if these guys were able to put me six feet under right here and now, then I'd never be able to fulfill my dreams."
"Haaaaa-"
Myoujou breathed out heavily, turning a wide arc before planting his feet firmly onto the ground with his feet slightly spread apart.
Just how many people were there trying to end his life before him?
-Five?
-Ten?
-Fifteen?
-Twenty?
Either way, they really wanted a piece of him, and Myoujou wasn't about to let them get it.
"You won't get away with this! You messed with the wrong group, now pay for your sins with death-!"
"How cliche. How could he say stuff like that without being embarrassed? Even I would have 'some' shame…"
'These guys should generally be around the same level as I am, though...' Licking the blood that trailed down his face as he evaded a deadly slash from his would-be murderers, Myoujou stared at the surrounding fighters as he started to hop up and down as if he was warming up mid-battle.
"Haiya- What a pain..."
"Man... I want to eat some 'Sakura-niku'/ Cherry Blossom Meat', do you folks have it around here?" Myoujou asked. Whenever he started to get into his element, he would start to lighten up, his mouth loosening up somewhat as he became much more receptive to the idea of trash talk and the likes while in battle for some reason.
"Don't worry about food, boy… You'll have plenty of chances to eat in hell!" Unfortunately for Myoujou, his foes weren't in the mood to entertain him, and the hints of Shintarou's easy-going nature that was starting to affect him.
"Well, I don't blame you for not knowing it, since you guys seem so stuck up, after all…"
Beginning to freely taunt his enemies, Myoujou slowly yet surely started to feel the heat of battle as a small smile began to grace his face, brightening his youthful countenance somewhat.
"But maybe after I deal with you guys, some 'Bird-Nest's-Soup' would do…"
"Eat this, you brat!"
"Kill, kill, kill, kill, kill, kill, kill, kill, kill, kill, kill, kill, kill, kill, kill, kill, kill, I'll kill you till you're dead-!" A perfectly same man said calmly without a hint of aggression and anger in his voice.
"As opposed to what? Killing me 'till I'm alive?"
"I'm gonna kiiiiiiiiiiiiillllllll you-!"
"Aren't you supposed to be emotionless killers? I mean, for people that invest in Martial Arts, and killing without emotion, you folks are pretty screwed in the head..." Myoujou said, actually somewhat 'concerned' if one could call it that.
"And speaking of investments, instead of 'Martial Arts', why don't you folks invest in a therapist? I can clearly see that you people, more specifically, 'this one' needs it."
"We'll do just that…" The clansman chanting 'kill' over and over said...
" -After we invest in your casket before sending you to heeeeeell-!"
"You know what? Whatever." Myoujou didn't know whether he should be insulted that they were going to such lengths to kill him, or feel appreciated that they would actually get a casket to bury him in.
'Those guys in The Inside, would never do something like that for me... If I was slightly less sane, then my heart would sorta go 'doki-doki'...'
'But-!' Myoujou delivered a spinning backfist to the man that Shintarou sent flying in his direction with a simple punch, dropping him on the ground before stomping his neck passionately.
'I'm much saner compared to most, especially these guys.' Myoujou inhaled sharply.
"Alright... Here I go..."
According to Shintarou, who possessed a 'Dou-Type-Ki', Myoujou on the other hand had possessed 'Ki' of the 'Sei' nature, and in due time, would be able to better utilize it to an even greater degree in the future.
But besides its definition, there are various stages of Ki usage, including:
'Concentration, Invocation, and Release.'
For the past three years Myoujou faced scary situations that required extreme effort from him for him to stay alive, and with such experiences came results that would never betray the effort he placed into his training.
Whether the foes were armed or not, or the countless handicaps placed on him while training, the mission and the criteria for victory were still the same.
-To win, and do so while remaining alive.
After all, this wasn't some kind of brave selfless sacrificial hero story, was it? Dying after winning? Leave senseless sacrifices to the heroes of the world. What was the point of vagabonds in this world to strive for becoming the strongest if they don't get to experience the feeling of the strength that comes with it?
From what he could remember from conversations he had with Shintarou, what he had learned was specialized to use power, skill, flexibility, and speed alongside his ideas to further boost his strength.
"Die-!"
Evading and redirecting the stream of nonending attacks, Myoujou felt the corners of his lip tug up in elation, getting the hang and flow of the current atmosphere he was currently planted within. And while his brain still went at nearly a million miles per hour, thinking of every possible choice he or his adversaries could make, his body moved on nonetheless.
-[MIZUKAGAMI/ WATER MIRROR]-
'To exist with stillness and with calmness but arise with viciousness…'
'With softness, and hardness…'
'Meekness, and boldness…'
"!"
Those near him wasted no time in attacking him before he tried anything suspicious, but as he moved from his spot, it was as if he suddenly vanished into thin air, nowhere to be seen.
Putting strength in his legs, he moved at a speed that their eyes had trouble even seeing, barely catching on the already fading way blurs of his afterimage as he struck out, ruthlessly attacking these areas of interest without holding back whatsoever.
-Two times.
-WHAM!, WHAM!-
-Four times.
-WHAM!, WHAM!, WHAM!, WHAM!-
-Six times.
-WHAM!, WHAM!, WHAM!, WHAM!, WHAM!, WHAM!-
-Eight times.
WHAM!, WHAM!, WHAM!, WHAM!, WHAM!, WHAM!, WHAM!, WHAM!-
-Ten times.
WHAM!, WHAM!, WHAM!, WHAM!, WHAM!, WHAM!, WHAM!, WHAM!, WHAM!, WHAM!-
-And even more.
WHAM!, WHAM!, WHAM!, WHAM!, WHAM!, WHAM!, WHAM!, WHAM!, WHAM!, WHAM!-
WHAM!, WHAM!, WHAM!, WHAM!, WHAM!, WHAM!, WHAM!, WHAM!, WHAM!, WHAM!-
All vulnerable spots he could reach, he attacked rapidly and repeatedly. The neck, the eyes, the groin, and the throat.
It was all fair game. After all, when it came to the game of life and death, there were no rules...
-There were only winners, who survived, and losers, who didn't.
And as he performed these moves whilst weaving through the barrage of attacks aimed at him from his foes around him as per Shintarou's instructions, a silvery mist that was near imperceptible to the human eye had begun to form, and with that, Myoujou's technique had reached its climax.
And its results were...
-[WATER MIRROR; RAPID PHANTOM WAVES]-
"..."
"..."
"..."
-The complete and utter defeat of those that lay before him.
-THUD!-
"Not bad." Shintarou smirked seeing his disciple strike out with a fast and furious flurry of blows. This move was truly but a mere glimpse into the power that Shintarou wanted to create with this new style of his, and seeing that his disciple managed to perform the techniques with such skill made his choice in training him worth it. "Though, it'll take a while before you get on my level, haha!"
"Haa…. Haa…. Hmm? Everyone else is done for?" Myoujou exhaled as he observed the land before him.
'Holy cra-'
'Whoa... It's a total wipeout...' Myoujou thought. Bodies that looked battered and broken with all sorts of indentations that shouldn't be seen in humans lay convulsing around him and littered the outside area around Shintarou.
When he looked at those around him, he could see the same situation, but to a lesser degree, as most of those that attacked Shintarou not only didn't seem to be breathing, but their very anatomy seemed... Caved in? Bent out of shape? Ruined?
'I hate to say it, but you guys got off lucky by facing me…' Myoujou thought, casting a downward look at the figures at his feet.
Calming down, Myoujou took a deep look at his hand, or rather… The power within it.
'This… This power…'
To be able to make it this far... It was wonderful... Nearly intoxicating to Myoujou, that is.
'I... I can do a hell of a lot with this, haha…' Myoujou's face threatened to split into a wide grin he didn't even know he could pull.
'With this power, I can even become the Prime Minister of Japan and then from there change the world, and I can even defeat that man, The Ogre with this strength and his own genes at that too…'
"I think I have it down pack now… I really mastered this technique, haven't I?" Myoujou spoke as he grinned at Shintarou.
"Ding dong, yer' dumb and wrong~" Shintarou hummed in a sing-song tune, gaining a questioning glance from Myoujou.
"Huh? In that case, what's my score?" Myoujou asked.
"Five out of Ten." Shintarou said.
"?"
"Five? Out of... Ten? Eh? How so, I thought I took care of those guys real good…" Myoujou murmured as they started to head out of the ruined villa as they conversed.
"Many reasons kiddo, but for now, I'll only focus on the main ones." Shintarou sighed, crouching down to check if the felled clansmen had any valuables on their person.
"First of all, it's the wasteful movements you made. You took many movements leading to wasted actions..." Shintarou said, beginning his 'post-game' lecture, surprising Myoujou with things he hadn't even really realized. "Since your mind's running in overdrive before your body can move, it's most likely to cause a delay of sorts between your mind and body."
"And thirdly," Shintarou pointed at the cuts and scrapes on Myoujou's person. "You took too much damage, going against fodder like them."
"Fodder? Aren't they around my level? How are those guys..." Myoujou trailed off.
"That's why, it's such an unreliable and disgusting performance that I have to give you a lower grade y'know~" Shintarou waved his finger, poking fun at his disciple Myoujou.
"Heh. If you say so, Old man. But the only thing disgusting is that shitty accent of yours-"
-BONK!-
"Ouch" Myoujou yelped as he felt Shintarou's fist nearly made an indent on the top of his skull. "What was that for…?"
"Say what my dear disciple~?" Shintarou affectionately called out to his disciple as he cleaned his ears with his pink finger.
"Stop that, old man!" Myoujou gagged seeing Shintarou use that tone. "The only ones I can accept doing that, are those ladies in the magazines! Yeah, I bet they would soon better doing that than some geezer!"
"Hahaha-! Damn, you're one perverted kid! That's what you're thinking of?"
"Huh? But you're the pervert that supplied me with those magazines though?"
-BONK!-
"Gyaaaack-!" Myoujou yelped in pain as another firm fist landed atop his head.
"But hey kiddo here's the good part, yer' getting better, so don'tcha cry too much now." Shintarou ignored what the boy said as he chuckled lazily, getting ready to lecture Myoujou.
'And here this geezer goes again.' Myoujou this time kept his thoughts in his head, remembering his Mother's advice of 'If you have nothing nice to say, then don't say it',
However, the truth of the matter regarding Misao Kurogami was much different than what Myoujou thought it was. In truth, she usually held off on such things because a young Myoujou was around.
-And she didn't hold back, she would swear like a sailor. No, worse than that. It was to the point where even a sailor would blush.
Looking at Shintarou lecturing him, Myoujou realized that If there was one thing he picked up due to living with Shintarou, was that despite looking like he just rolled out of bed 24/7 and appearing like your air-headed uncle, it was that Shintarou was quite a prepared person in his own right.
And looking at Myoujou zoning out, Shintarou realized that if it was one thing that he picked up on… Or rather, understood due to living with Myoujou, was that the boy overanalyzed nearly every single detail for months on end.
-One guy moves slightly to the right? Better make five million contingency plans for if he moves to the left the next time.
It was honestly funny yet concerning for him to see.
-The rain is falling? Better count the individual chances of being blindsided by hidden rain assassins taking advantage of this moment inside a potential hurricane or tornado and keep warm and try not to catch a cold.
He understood that it was because of the youth's years of living in a land ruled by chaos and violence, but...
-What was it, a childlike imagination, or just pure paranoia?
The kid would even start talking to himself for long periods of time if left alone long enough.
'A laid-back guy like me, having to teach this worrywart of a brat, huh… What a life.'
"When I get back…. I wanna eat… I'm feeling some Sakura-Niku..." Myoujou yawned as they prepared to head down the Kuremisago Mountain.
'Ahhh, some 'Sakura-Niku/ Raw Horse Meat' huh, the old classic…' Shintarou nodded. 'Wait, huh?'
Once again the master was baffled at his student.
"You again with your shitty taste in food" Shintarou bluntly said
"Hey!" Myoujou replied, offended at his own Master slighting him. "It's an acquired taste."
"-Yeah, an acquired taste of shitty food." Shintarou retorted without missing a beat.
"Yeah, yeah, old man. You've made your point."
"What's this? Not gonna answer?"
"Hn."
Hearts of snakes, brains of pigs, larvae, turtles, spiders, scorpions, frogs, centipedes, grasshoppers, and his often favorite, raw cuts meat, especially the liver, Myoujou had a firm bond with food.
-But what he really couldn't understand was why the people around him didn't like to eat the same things he liked to eat, and often found their reaction of gagging to be somewhat over-exaggerated.
He didn't eat like this when he lived back with his mother as he was sure that she'd throw a fit, but he couldn't help but feel grateful to God that he had the chance to partake in such cuisine
In fact, when he lived in The Inside, he came across this random boy with seaweed hair who had a similar palette to his.
And just like that seaweed boy with one of the meanest glares he'd ever seen, he simply had a broad palette, so why couldn't they understand that?
"Anyway kid, this whole deal is a bust. So let's head further up, so we can leave this hellhole. But before that..." Shintarou hummed. "Let's ransack whatever building we come across on the way down. The Kuremisago got a lot of history, so they should have some valuables as well..."
"Thievery again, huh." At this point, he was used to seeing Shintarou doing some drastic things to recoup on a potential loss, so without any complaints, Myoujou nodded whilst walking.
'What's the worst that could happen? Getting even further dragged into a family feud? Having to fight someone way out of my league? Please. That's already happened.'
"I'm in." Myoujou said. He was confident that he'd leave this place alive anyway.
Shintarou, declaring this mission a bust, made his way alongside Myoujou down the Kuremisago Mountain to escape all this drama that they weren't being paid for, but unbeknownst to them…
Their attempts to avoid any further issues at hand by doing the most sensible thing to do and leave, would not only serve to draw them in, but also involve them in the problem even more than they had already expected...
-And it would also cause them to make direct, 'up-close-and-personal' contact with the very culprit of this suspicious situation.
But as some would say...
-Blind is Fortune, and blind is Lady Luck, yet blind, too, are those that seek refuge in their light.
A lesson, that Myoujou would surely learn, in due time.
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Chapter 8: Advent Of A Deadly Storm (REDUX) END
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And So, The Plot Thickens Even More!
Apparently, The Kuremisago Clan Has Some Real Vicious Snakes In Their Lawn.
Finally, A Master-Disciple Team Up!
I Wonder If I Did A Good Job In Laying Down Hints On What The Style Myoujou Uses Was Created/ Inspired From In-Universe.
Now That I Think Of It, The Whole Plot Of The Kuremisago Clan Is Really Reminiscent Of The Drama And Fights Of Early Japan When They Were A Closed Nation And Didn't Want To Mingle With The 'Foreigners' That Pull-Up And Try And Change Stuff. Okay, I'm Kidding.
Once Again Thanks For Your Continued Support For This Fanfic Which Is Total Amateur Hour Over Here LOL.
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(WARNING! 100% BULLSHIT ANIME SCIENCE AT WORK.)
(ALTHOUGH THEY HAVE HEALING PROPERTIES IN REAL LIFE, THEY ARENT MAGICAL!)
(DON'T TRY THIS UNSUPERVISED AT HOME!)
Herb Names And What They're Known To Do:
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Gobo/ Greater Burdock/ Arctium Lappa:
A Widely Cultivated Perennial Herb Used In North America, Europe, And Asia To Treat Sore Throat And Skin Pathologies Such As Boils, Rashes, Acne, And Is Also Known To Be A Key Regulator Of Wound Healing.
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Makino/ Ampelopsis Japonica:
Growing Throughout Eastern Asia And Eastern North America, The Roots Of Ampelopsis Japonica Are Used As A Traditional Treatment For Burns And Ulcers, Amongst Other Indications Of Wound Closure
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Three-Seven-Root/ Panax Notoginseng:
Panax Notoginseng, Not To Be Confused With Panax Ginseng And Other Ginsengs, Is A Herb Commonly Found In Asia And Is Used To Stop Bleeding, Reduce Oedema, Reduce Bruising, And Reduce Pain.
(Info Abridged For Easy Reading. It'll Pop Around Sooner Or Later.)