Chapter 163 (Patreon)

Beneath the Zenin Estate.

Maki Zenin pressed a hand against her throbbing head. When she forced her eyes open, an unfamiliar ceiling came into view.

“This is... underground? The Split Soul Katana? Toji Fushiguro!”

The instant Maki realized where she was, she hurriedly pushed herself upright.

Toji sat cross-legged on the floor nearby, surrounded by the bodies of several Zenin clan guards.

“Finally awake. If you’d taken any longer, I was going to leave.”

As if to punctuate his words, Toji casually swung Playful Cloud and crushed several reckless guards who attempted to approach him.

“Why am I still alive?”

Maki had never met Toji before, but she certainly knew the name of the man once feared as the Sorcerer Killer.

Toji Fushiguro never showed mercy when his opponent was a jujutsu sorcerer. Yet for some reason, he had allowed her to live.

“Why?” Maki pressed.

Toji tilted his head and genuinely considered the question for a moment.

“Weren’t you the one who wanted me to train you? The idea sounded interesting... so I decided to give it a try.”

“R-Really?”

“Take your sister and follow me. Otherwise, I’m leaving both of you here.”

With that, Toji rose and headed toward the exit of the cursed-tool storehouse.

Maki helped Mai to her feet and supported her as they followed behind him.

“By the way... your surname is Fushiguro.”

“And?” Toji glanced back at her. “Do you have a problem with it?”

Maki pursed her lips.

“No. It’s just... one of my underclassmen has the same surname.”

“Is that so? Fushiguro isn’t the name of any jujutsu family. What’s his name?”

“Megumi Fushiguro.”

Toji’s stride halted for a fraction of a second.

Then he continued walking as though nothing had happened.

“I see.”

Although Toji acted as though he did not care about Megumi, he still carried a measure of guilt deep within him.

He had once spent a surprisingly peaceful period with Megumi’s older stepsister, Tsumiki Fushiguro. During that brief time, he had even tried to be something resembling a proper father.

It had not lasted long, but at least he had made the effort.

As for Megumi, however...

Toji had never paid much attention to his own son.

“One more thing,” Toji said. “Once we get outside, you’re going to kill Naoya Zenin with your own hands. Do that, and I’ll teach you how to deal with sorcerers and cursed spirits properly instead of depending on those ridiculous glasses.”

Maki pushed her glasses up the bridge of her nose, her voice turning cold.

“You don’t need to tell me. I won’t leave a single member of the Zenin clan alive... I’ll kill every last one of them.”

“Heh. Now that’s interesting.”

A ruthless smile spread across Toji’s face.

“An answer like that is worthy of my student.”

Mai stared at her older twin in disbelief.

When had Maki become so resolute?

She was speaking of slaughtering their entire clan without the slightest hesitation.

“Be careful... Big Sis.”

Mai’s voice was barely louder than a breath.

“What?”

Maki paused and looked back at her.

“I said, be careful, Big Sis!”

After blurting it out, Mai realized that both Maki and Toji were staring at her. A faint blush spread across her cheeks, and she quickly lowered her head.

“Don’t worry.”

Maki’s expression softened for only a moment.

“I’ll make this heartless family pay for everything it has done.”

Maki lifted the Split Soul Katana.

Her decision had already been made. The moment Ogi Zenin tried to kill both her and Mai, the Zenin clan had lost any right to continue existing.

“This time, I won’t let anything tear us apart again.”

Beyond the storehouse doors, rows of Zenin clan guards waited in formation.

Then—

SWISH!

Maki cleaved through the storehouse door with a single swing. The slash continued through the nearest guard and bisected him before he could react.

“They’re out!”

One of the Zenin clan’s elite sorcerers shouted at the top of his lungs.

“Execute the traitors here and now!”

Dozens of figures rushed toward Maki at once.

“I’ll start with you.”

SWISH!

The blade shrieked through the air.

Maki unleashed a single slash, cutting several Zenin guards in half at the waist.

“That cursed tool...! It cuts straight through our defenses!”

Fresh blood sprayed across the passage, staining both the walls and Maki’s cheeks crimson.

Amid the scarlet spray, Maki resembled a flower blooming in a sea of blood, surrounded by the bodies of everyone who had attempted to stop her.

Moments later, the few remaining guards stared at her in horror.

They hesitated only briefly before charging together.

“Not bad,” Toji remarked.

When the last guard fell, Toji stepped into the center of the corpse-strewn passage and surveyed the devastation.

“Now you can—” Maki began.

Before she could finish, Toji raised a finger and pointed overhead.

“It’s not over yet. There are plenty more above us.”

Maki wiped the blood from the Split Soul Katana. Her gaze remained cold and unwavering.

“They’re nothing but weaklings. Cutting them down won’t be difficult.”

“Big Sis...”

Mai watched Maki from behind.

Even her entire presence had changed.

Mai wanted to say something, but no words came to her.

The passage was drenched in red, and the air had grown thick with the metallic scent of blood.

Maki stepped out of the cursed-tool storehouse.

The instant she appeared, Chojuro Zenin activated his cursed technique.

A pair of enormous stone hands erupted from beneath Maki’s feet and attempted to seize her.

Seeing that the technique had caught her, Nobuaki Zenin and Chojuro rushed forward without hesitation.

“Your cursed energy is far too obvious.”

SWISH!

Maki caught Chojuro by the head. With a backhand slash, she beheaded Nobuaki before immediately turning the Split Soul Katana on Chojuro and ripping his abdomen open.

The next attack, however, carried far greater danger.

Ranta Zenin activated his cursed technique.

His eyes locked onto Maki, and an invisible force clamped down around her body, holding her completely still.

Jinichi Zenin appeared directly in front of her.

“Good work! Keep her pinned!”

“Maki!”

Mai drew her handgun, aimed it directly at Ranta, and pulled the trigger.

BANG!

“Gah... Forget about me! Hurry up and kill her!”

The bullet tore through Ranta’s eye and burst out through the left side of his skull.

“My consciousness... is fading...”

THUD!

Ranta clung to life for several seconds before finally collapsing.

“Mai...”

Maki stared at her sister.

Toji cast Mai a sidelong glance but said nothing.

The instant Ranta’s cursed technique disappeared, Maki tore herself free and brought up the Split Soul Katana.

Overwhelming killing intent filled her eyes.

She would kill them.

She would kill every last member of this family.

Jinichi’s fist came hurtling toward her, but against Maki’s blade, it seemed almost pitifully fragile.

The Split Soul Katana cleaved his fist down the middle.

Then it continued through his neck.

SWISH!

The entire exchange lasted no more than a second.

By the time it ended, Maki had already severed Jinichi’s head.

She seized it and hurled it at Naoya Zenin’s feet.

“You’re next.”

Naoya looked down at Jinichi’s severed head before turning his gaze toward Maki.

“If you made it out of there, then I suppose you killed your own father.”

His eyes narrowed.

“Strange. Toji should’ve gone down there too... Did you kill him? No, that’s impossible.”

After a moment, realization appeared in Naoya’s eyes.

“Ah... I understand. You joined forces with Toji and murdered your father. That’s what happened, isn’t it?”

Naoya stared at her with open contempt.

“Father-killer.”