Volume 5 Chapter 19 Touma Yukinojo Assassination Plot V
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
Suzuri left the preparation room when her name was called, walking down the narrow, aging hallway toward the flower path. The corridor felt dim and stifling—but then, suddenly, the world opened up. The arena was vast and brightly lit, sealed off from the open sky above.
As she stepped into the nearly empty hall, it felt almost surreal, as if watching someone else walk. Still, her pace was steady, her eyes fixed straight ahead.
She bowed once and took her place at the center of the stage.
From the other side, her opponent stepped forward at the same time. Zhang Haoke. He was huge—nearly two meters tall and towering a full head over Suzuri. His name suited him well.
Clad in a black Chinese tunic, his body wasn’t just muscular—it had the heavy, solid build of a sumo wrestler. His shaved head, paired with sunken eyes, made him look like a movie villain. Yet, the aura around him was calm—calm, but undeniably powerful. A real threat.
But Suzuri felt neither fear nor excitement.
For her, strength had once been a way to make Kazuramichi Naoshi notice her. That purpose had borne fruit, once. But now it was different.
Strength wasn’t just a means anymore. It was a requirement.
Each fight became nourishment. Win or lose, it was all part of the process. Her goal was simple: to grow stronger. To keep moving forward. To never fall behind again. To always stay by his side.
At the referee’s signal, she closed her eyes and bowed again. Lowering herself, she placed a hand on the hilt of her sword. When she opened her eyes, she realized she was smiling—not out of joy, but something deeper. The smile of a predator ready to pounce.
The match began.
Zhang dropped into his stance, half-turning his body. His left hand, fingers lightly curled, hovered in front of him while his right fist rested by his waist. It was the stance of the Hong Family Fist, a southern Chinese martial art. Though Suzuri didn’t know the name, she could sense the power behind it. Punches. Just like Naoshi’s style.
He had already stepped into her sword’s range.
Suzuri didn’t move. She knew it would be reckless to strike an opponent who was standing so calmly without a plan. Fear would only lead to mistakes.
Zhang shifted his left foot half a step to the right.
In that instant, Suzuri responded—taking the stance of Kiri-no-kamae, her sword tip aligned directly in front of her opponent. She didn’t swing. Not yet.
Neither moved.
A slow heat began to build in her chest.
It wasn’t adrenaline. It was concentration. The pressure to act rose again—but Suzuri held her ground.
Another feint. Another abort.
She forced away the doubt.
Her blade remained sheathed, her body relaxed but ready. Like a coiled spring.
Then—she exhaled sharply.
”────!”
A flash of pain exploded in her right shoulder as she was hurled backward across the stage.
Zhang’s attack had come without warning. With her left hand, she’d managed to deflect the strike just enough, shifting the blow from centerline to her shoulder. But the impact was brutal.
”Hiiiii────!!”
A cry escaped her lips as Zhang’s follow-up came instantly. Leaping high above her, his downward kick could’ve shattered her skull.
Suzuri rolled to the side and barely dodged.
Her right arm was nearly useless, trembling as she clung to her sword. A counterattack was impossible now.
Despite his size, Zhang moved with alarming speed. But—
(Not as fast as Nii-nii!)
”Haihihihihi──!”
His fingers, shaped like a bird’s beak, slashed down.
Suzuri dropped low, rolled again, and tried to strike from a kneeling position.
(Cut────!)
Her blade paused before she could swing.
Her eyes, dull and unfocused, held no surprise.
More than anything, she noticed how Zhang’s energy had vanished. It was as if the fierce pressure from earlier had been an illusion.
Was this the true essence of ki control?
With a grim expression, Suzuri gritted her teeth, stood, and faced Zhang again.
The sword in her hand felt like lead.
Sweat dripped into her eyes, blurring her vision.
That short exchange had drained her more than expected.
(That’s why—)
That’s why it was worth it.
She told herself again and again.
Steeling her breathing, Suzuri faced Zhang’s silent gaze. He was watching her… as if weighing her spirit.
* * *
”Nao-san brought her here on purpose.”
Touma Yukinojo spoke softly, arms folded.
On the stage ahead, Suzuri stood tall despite the damage. Even now, her sword did not waver.
Among female exorcists, there were only a few stronger than her. Barely enough to count on both hands.
But what had stunned the strongest exorcist in Japan?
It wasn’t her technique. Not her sword.
It was the unshakable resolve at her core.
──True strength is not in victory. It’s in enduring defeat.
Those who build their identity solely on winning—on being strong—can shatter with a single loss.
”I’m different.”
That kind of thinking only deepens the wound.
Even if the pieces are gathered, they no longer fit the same way.
But those who accept pain, who choose to keep walking—they survive. They shove the broken pieces back into their hearts and move forward.
People like that don’t break.
Just like the man Yukinojo called his closest friend—Kansai’s strongest exorcist.
Still, even they feel pain in the moment.
Suzuri was cornered. She was wounded, her movements dulled, her blade heavy. But she stood ready, sword sheathed.
And she waited.
There was no hesitation.
Zhang stepped forward.
Suzuri drew her sword.
A perfect feint.
The black blade cut the air with deadly speed—it even made Yukinojo gasp.
”Impressive.”
The words escaped him before he could stop them.
Zhang had seen through the trap and was already countering. His next strike targeted Suzuri’s neck.
* * *
(I messed up────!)
Bitterness filled Suzuri’s chest.
Her slash—meant to deceive—had taken too much energy. She couldn’t follow up.
Naoshi’s voice echoed in her mind.
’That won’t cut.’
A flashy move like that might work on a training dummy, but not on someone protected by reiki.
”Huh.”
But the outcome shocked her.
Zhang had instinctively raised both arms to shield himself.
Her blade tore through them like paper. One thick arm dropped to the ground.
Everyone froze.
Then—before anyone could react—a brutal uppercut slammed into Suzuri’s chin from below.
Notes:
• Zhang Haoke – Male. A Kung Fu practitioner and Suzuri’s opponent in the psychic battles. Born in Hong Kong before the handover, his background is secretive, and not much is known about him beyond his first-class skills.
• Touma Yukinojo – The head of the Touma family, a prominent exorcist clan from Kanto. At just 21 years old, he is regarded as the strongest exorcist in Japan, known for his exceptional swordsmanship and mastery over fire. He is also referred to by the title ‘Ice Blade’, which scatters spirits, and is noted for possessing the ‘Divine Eye’, a unique ability that further enhances his prowess. Yukinojo is described as a handsome young man with the blood of a snow woman.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
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