Chapter 22

"Your humble servant is a secret agent of the Edo Okachimachi, named Hannya. I have been ordered by the leader to defend this place with my life." Hannya stood in front of Kenshin and Sano, assuming a fighting stance.

"I hope we can avoid unnecessary conflict. Can you step aside?" Kenshin tried to resolve the matter peacefully, though he didn't hold much hope.

"No, I cannot disobey the leader's orders." As he spoke, Hannya struck his fists together, producing a clear metallic sound.

"The metallic sound, this guy is wearing guards under his clothes. No wonder he can block Kenshin's sword with his bare hands." Sano, quick to react, had already deduced the opponent's tactics.

The two approached each other, and Hannya launched an attack, his fist quickly striking at Kenshin. Kenshin dodged, but the punch still grazed his right cheek. Hannya's subsequent punches, though not landing directly, still grazed Kenshin's body.

"What's wrong, Himura Kenshin? Is this all you've got?" Hannya asked. Sano and Yahiko were also puzzled.

"Kenshin, what are you doing? Use your reading technique already."

"No, I can read all of his moves, but for some reason, his fists seem to extend. If it weren't for the sword aura covering my body, which allows me to sense the position of his fists, I would have been hit directly." Kenshin's words shocked Sano and Yahiko, and Hannya's next statement shocked them even more.

"Since a week ago when you saw me, you have already been under my illusion, though you are not aware of it."

"Is that so... Then come again, this level of illusion is useless to me." Kenshin stood up, and upon closer inspection, it was clear that he had closed his eyes.

"Arrogant, die, Himura Kenshin." Seeing Kenshin underestimate him, Hannya quickly rushed forward and struck with a punch. However, this time Hannya's punch was ineffective. Kenshin easily dodged and slashed at Hannya's mask, causing Hannya to retreat in pain, clutching his mask.

"How did you do that, Kenshin?" Sano asked as he approached.

"It's simple. The essence of his illusion is the horizontal stripes on his hands, which create an optical illusion. Since the eyes are deceived, I just didn't use them. The Ame no Tori Ken style's Ki Shocker technique emits a wave of sword aura to detect the opponent's position. Even if the eyes are deceived, the sword aura is not."

Kenshin looked at Hannya, continuously exposing the truth behind his ninja techniques.

"From the moment I first saw you, I noticed something was off about your clothes. The clothes of a secret agent are designed for concealment, but your striped clothes were too conspicuous, which made me suspicious. Additionally, your mask can hide your facial expressions, making it difficult for others to judge your tactics. Your appearance, though strange at first glance, is actually a meticulously prepared top-tier combat outfit. You are indeed a formidable secret agent, Hannya."

"Actually, this mask has another function."

Hannya's mask began to fall off, revealing a face without lips, ears, and resembling a monster. "To allow my face to undergo various disguises, I burned my lips, cut off my ears, and chiseled away my nose, and then shattered my cheekbones to become what I am now."

After briefly recounting his story with Sōshi, a pair of sharp steel claws extended from Hannya's gauntlets.

"As long as it benefits Mr. Sōshi, I am willing to sacrifice my life."

However, with the illusion exposed, Hannya no longer posed a threat to Kenshin. Kenshin raised his sword to block an attack, and the two leaped into the air, clashing swords. They landed, with Kenshin's clothes torn slightly and Hannya's steel claws broken, falling heavily to the ground. "With your skills, you can't even touch a single hair of Mr. Sōshi..."

On the other side, Shinjin wielded his swords, cutting down the private soldiers. Using both hands, he created a web of death with the Ki Rantai technique, dismembering any soldier caught in it into bloody chunks. After cutting down dozens, Shinjin wiped the blood from his swords and sheathed them. Despite not knowing why, the soldiers, seeing an opportunity, charged again.

"So, soldiers are just soldiers. Even with such a clear disparity in strength, they still dare to charge to their deaths."

Shinjin deflected two swords with his hands, then with a slight effort, broke them. He then punched the two soldiers, sending them flying. The Combat Master ability was not exchanged in vain; even unarmed, each of Shinjin's strikes had incredible destructive power. Each punch on a soldier's body produced a crisp sound of breaking bones. With the principle of minimizing casualties, the number of soldiers had significantly decreased, leaving fewer than a hundred. Shinjin decided to test the effectiveness of his newly exchanged ability.

The results were satisfactory, as evidenced by the groaning and unconscious soldiers on the ground. The Mu no Ken style included numerous techniques for disarming opponents and destroying their weapons, though Shinjin found it challenging to destroy top-tier and elite weapons.

After breaking through Hannya's defense, Kenshin prepared to ascend to the second floor. On the stairs, they encountered another member of the Okachimachi, Shiki. The large iron ball in Shiki's hand was quite intimidating, weighing around 50 to 60 pounds. It was only thanks to Shiki's drug-enhanced body that he could wield such a weapon.

However, the large iron ball was quickly cut from its chain by Kenshin's reverse blade, leaving Shiki somewhat embarrassed. Sano decided to let Kenshin go upstairs to face Sōshi while he dealt with the muscular giant. The two first tested their wrist strength, which was evenly matched. Shiki's drug-enhanced muscles were no match for Sano's battle-hardened muscles, so even though Sano was smaller, he could match Shiki's strength. However, Shiki's headbutt knocked Sano to his knees.

"Your strength is impressive. Would you like to join the Okachimachi? You have much potential that can be unlocked with our secret drugs, and you could even surpass me and Hannya."

Feeling his hand go numb from Sano's impact, Shiki decided to recruit him. However...

"The Okachimachi may gather many strong individuals, but that's all it is. Kenshin is different from you. Everyone who meets him respects him from the heart. Kenshin never wields his sword for himself but to protect others, making him far more noble than you, who fight for the sake of fighting."

Hearing Sano's rebuttal, Shiki didn't waste words and swung a punch at Sano. This time, Sano used a clever technique to break Shiki's fingers and then punched him in the head.

"Even with a strong body, the brain is still vulnerable."

The impact to the skull also affected the brain, and Shiki lost consciousness. Sano, however, was not unscathed. Hit by Shiki's headbutt and several heavy punches, even the experienced fighter Sano was forced to the ground.

Kenshin, carrying Yahiko, reached the second floor and met the leader of the Okachimachi, Sōno Sōshi. After a conversation, Kenshin learned that Sōshi wanted to challenge him for the title of the strongest. With that, Kenshin had no reason not to fight. Sōshi drew his sword, a wakizashi, which is between a katana and a tanto and excels in defense. The battle was about to begin...

Current status:

Heart Coins: 880

Rurouni Kenshin World

Name: Tenshin Shinjin

Gender: Male

Physical Attributes:

Physical strength is about nine times that of an average person.

Detailed Attributes:

Strength 91 (10) - Affects burst strength, pure strength, and strength beyond limits.

Agility 100 (10) - Affects speed, reaction time, and intuitive strength.

Endurance 95 (10) - Affects stamina, recovery speed, and the ability to withstand certain techniques.

Abilities:

Swordsmanship - Ame no Tori Ken style

Mu no Ken (Costs 10 Heart Coins to use against weapons)

Mastery of all cold weapons (Costs 200 Heart Coins)

Mastery of all firearms (Costs 200 Heart Coins)

Combat Master (Costs 10 Heart Coins)

Acquired Heart Powers:

Killing Heart LV2: Does not waver in most situations when killing others, has some resistance to illusions, and gains minor recovery from killing.

Compassion Heart LV1+: A necessary heart for a strong individual, has some resistance to illusions, and gains minor recovery from helping others.

Ordinary Heart LV1: Daily life can cultivate one's character, has some resistance to illusions, and can gain the favor of ordinary people.

Other abilities not yet unlocked.

PS: Requesting recommendations, favorites, and reviews.

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