Chapter 49: Ikki Kukuzuru

"You?"

Elder Matsudaira was greatly astonished.

"Wait a minute, Hyakusuke... This is not something to speak nonsense about!"

"Matsudaira, do not interrupt."

Ikki cut the old man off, narrowing his eyes.

"And you, kid... What is your background?"

"I am a Chunin of the Black Hime Mountain clan."

Hyakusuke said in a deep voice, "From my position, I ought not to have spoken up, but under the circumstances, rather than hesitating, it is better to make a prompt decision."

"That makes sense."

Ikki nodded, then turned his gaze back to Yomei.

"Then what are your thoughts?"

"I... I have decided. Lord Hyakusuke is entirely right. If that is what Big Brother wishes, then let the successor to the headship be decided by a duel."

"Very well."

Ikki nodded with satisfaction.

"Please wait a moment."

Hyakusuke chimed in again. "Lord Ikki, you are a powerful exorcist, whereas Lord Yomei is still lacking in spiritual power cultivation. I believe this duel should be made as fair as possible... Would it not be better for the two Lords to forgo spiritual power and spells, and duel purely with swordsmanship?"

"A swordsmanship duel?"

Ikki stroked his chin, closing his eyes to ponder for a moment before nodding. "That works too~~ In any case, I will not lose."

Hearing this, the young girl's shoulders trembled, and she cast a pleading look toward Hyakusuke.

*'This is bad. Even if it's purely swordsmanship... I—I cannot beat Big Brother... What should I do?'*

"Do not worry."

Hyakusuke pressed a hand on her shoulder.

"Lord Yomei, I will find a way for you."

"But..."

She stood in place, looking hesitant and tongue-tied.

"It is fine, I have a way."

His voice was filled with unwavering certainty.

Yomei turned her head, revealing a slightly surprised expression.

"However."

He coughed again. "I have a proposal. Could everyone pause for a moment and first send Master Shando for medical treatment?"

Only then did the others remember that the abbot of Gogen-ji Temple had been slumped nearby the entire time, wearing an expression that seemed to say, *"I can still be saved~"* and *"Please stop talking and let someone save me."*

...

"Are you all unharmed?"

Hyakusuke took a moment to check on his second-in-command, Tomisaka, and the accompanying Genin.

Fortunately, no one was injured. The Genin had been lucky enough not to encounter the insect demon Hojikaku, which had breached the barrier.

"We ran into several low-tier insect demons. Their numbers were small, but their strength was not insignificant... Several monks were killed along the way, and we were powerless to stop it."

Tomisaka reported that they had nearly been killed themselves when suddenly a group of figures dressed in black appeared out of nowhere, saving them and the monks.

I see. It seems they were the "Yagyo-shu" under the command of his future brother-in-law, who were also secret agents of the Hidden Kagemuro Agency.

Although Kugutsu Ikki had become one of the "Twelve Guardians of the Holy," his official role was to serve as the leader of these secret agents.

Earlier, when the insect demons invaded the temple, those who saved the Genin and monks were indeed those secret agents known as the "Yagyo-shu."

After confirming that his subordinates were safe, Hyakusuke instructed them to help care for the wounded monks.

Afterward, he inspected the damaged barrier and found that the black-clad "Yagyo-shu" were already at work repairing it.

"Very well, these people are professionals, elites of the imperial court, and among them are experts proficient in barrier arts. We can leave it to them."

Hyakusuke made a round and arrived at a larger Buddha hall within the temple.

Abbot Shando had been brought here to receive treatment from Banya Tomoe.

The eldest young lady and acting head of the Banya family was a professional spell-tag caster, and spell tags belonged to the category of "versatile" arts.

Regardless of one's personal physical abilities, a variety of spells could be cast simply by utilizing tags. Abbot Shando was wrapped from head to toe in bandages, covered entirely in pain-relieving and bleeding-stop tags.

At this moment, Tsukigaro Yomei, Elder Matsudaira, Ayaka, and the others were also staying inside the Buddha hall, which had been secured with a makeshift barrier.

"Hyakusuke, you were far too reckless just now... That proposal is extremely disadvantageous to us."

Upon seeing him return, Elder Matsudaira immediately voiced his grievances.

"Kugutsu Ikki's swordsmanship is not weak. Although he is not a Demon-Slaying Swordsman, he possesses first-rate swordsmanship."

"I am aware."

Hyakusuke nodded.

"The Black Hime Mountain clan also possesses intelligence on Lord Ikki. After all, he is one of the Twelve Guardians of the Holy originating from Mutsu, practically a major figure in the imperial court. I know he excels in 'Cursed Speech spells' and possesses formidable swordsmanship... Furthermore, the Kugutsu family has a peculiar constitution."

He glanced at Ayaka, coughed lightly, and lowered his voice. "It is said that the ancestors of the Kugutsu family utilized the blood of demons and aberrations to produce extremely powerful descendants. Relying solely on their superhuman physiques alone, they can easily overpower ordinary demons."

"There is no need to keep secrets about that."

Banya Tomoe chuckled dryly. "It's just the practice of mixing the blood of demons and monsters into the lineage, then using various arts to strengthen the descendants. Heh, the ancestors of most contemporary prestigious exorcist families tried methods similar to this at some point. It is said that some even offered women to ogres so they would bear monster children, all to acquire aberrant power."

"Big Brother Ikki has a superhuman physique; even without employing any techniques, he is stronger than me..."

Her gaze dimmed somewhat.

"I... although I have confidence in my swordsmanship, both his monstrous strength and sword techniques are capable of overwhelming me."

"It does not matter."

Hyakusuke said calmly, "I never intended for us to win through normal means anyway. To secure the throne of the family head, one must stop at nothing to achieve victory. Miss Tomoe, would you be willing to lend a hand? Surely it benefits the Banya family in no way to let Lord Ikki become the head, does it?"

"Oh? What do you have in mind?"

Banya Tomoe asked curiously in return.

"I must ask Miss Tomoe to use spell tags to strengthen Lord Yomei from the sidelines."

"Eh? Chunin Hyakusuke, are you telling me to help Yomei cheat?"

"Precisely, it is cheating."

Hyakusuke nodded.

"My previous proposal merely stated that Lord Yomei and Lord Ikki would not use spells or spiritual power during their combat; it never stated that outsiders were forbidden from providing support and reinforcement to her."

He continued, "As a professional spell-tag caster, Miss Tomoe should be proficient in all kinds of strengthening tags. If any of them can be of use, please apply every single one of them to Lord Yomei."

The red-haired girl thought for a moment before suddenly grasping his intention, unable to help bursting into a mischievous laugh.

"Hahahahaha... That sounds like a lot of fun! Very well! I will help you all..."

"However."

Elder Matsudaira asked with hesitation, "Lord Ikki is no fool. If he discovers that the young master is using spell tags to strengthen himself, he will be able to resort to spells as well..."

"Then he loses."

Hyakusuke stated flatly. "Our proposal stipulated that both parties could not cast spells themselves, but it never mentioned that outsiders could not provide support using spell tags from the sidelines. Moreover, to my knowledge, Lord Ikki can only use the Kugutsu family's 'Cursed Speech spell.' While this spell is immensely powerful, it has a single flaw."

"The flaw is... Big Brother must make a sound to activate the spell."

Ayaka suddenly spoke up. "Cursed Speech is a high-tier Word Spirit art, but when it boils down to it, it is still a Word Spirit. As long as he speaks to activate the Word Spirit, everyone will be able to hear it."

Word Spirit was a fairly common type of art.

Its essence was an art that produced effects through spoken words.

Among exorcists, those proficient in this path could deter ordinary people with a single shout, or freeze a demon's movements simply by shouting "Stop!"

Cursed Speech was an art specifically researched and perfected by the Kugutsu family. Its practical method involved concealing spell tools and objects inscribed with "characters" on one's person, tossing them out during battle, and loudly chanting that "character" to activate its effect.

A spell tool inscribed with the character for "Fire" would generate flames; one inscribed with "Blast" would trigger an explosion.

Ikki's combat style involved wielding a special precious sword known as the Cursed Speech Blade, which had eight characters carved along its edge: "Life, Death, Illusion, Impermanence, Swiftness, and Ferocity."

Each character, when chanted individually, produced a different effect. For instance, chanting the character for "Life" produced a healing effect; chanting "Constant" created barriers and wards; chanting "Swift" multiplied one's speed several times over...

*'Additionally, Ikki also carries a long string of prayer beads inscribed with various characters... These prayer beads can likewise produce different spell effects at will.'*

Recalling Kugutsu Ikki's combat style, the opponent was effectively a unit specializing in spellcasting. However, because his baseline stats were exceptionally high, his individual sword techniques were also formidable, and his support options were numerous, he would undoubtedly become a troublesome enemy in a game scenario.

"Conversely... spell tags can be concealed on one's person. Lord Yomei can hide the strengthening tags inside her clothing. Once activated, the tags will self-destruct, leaving no evidence even if an investigation is conducted afterward."

Hyakusuke's lips curved upward slightly. "Lord Ikki may suspect that we cheated, but he will not obtain any substantive proof. In other words, this is a battle where only our side can cheat while the opponent cannot."

...

"To think she really became a woman... Yomei, that child..."

Despite maintaining a cold and stern demeanor in front of outsiders, Kugutsu Ikki had received a tremendous shock inside upon seeing his sworn younger sibling.

"I thought that intelligence report was merely a joke, a prank..."

As one of the directors of the Hidden Kagemuro Agency, Ikki's responsibility—or rather, the task entrusted to him by the imperial court—was to monitor the movements of the prestigious exorcist families in the Eastern Country and prevent any rebellions.

Naturally, he frequently received confidential intelligence, which included the events that had transpired at the "Spider's Lair."

"Sex-change transformation... What kind of bizarre curse is this?"

To shake off his inner turmoil, Kugutsu Ikki sat down outside the veranda.

"Lord Washizu, no... What kind of expression would Father make if he knew about this...?"

Given that man's cheerful, carefree personality, who would calmly accept any trouble that came his way, he would undoubtedly just burst into laughter and accept the changes in his child with equanimity.

"No matter what, he's still my son, no—" That man would definitely burst out laughing with a "Pfft," and then find an opportunity to mock Yomei.

"Now I have to call her a daughter... Hahahahaha!"

Kugutsu Ikki shook his head, vividly imagining his adoptive father's attitude with the man's laughter echoing in his ears.

That cheerful man would surely laugh heartily and say, "Becoming a woman actually suits you pretty well~~," "As expected of inheriting the excellent bloodline of myself and your mother," and "You're actually quite pretty..."

"Stupid old man, stop making fun of me over something like this!"

Yomei would puff out her cheeks and voice endless complaints.

"Still, it's going to be difficult to take a wife from now on, or should we start looking for a son-in-law instead?"

Washizu would continue teasing his son until Yomei was genuinely driven to anger.

Then, the two of them would argue endlessly.

Meanwhile, standing nearby, his younger sister Ayaka—dumbfounded by this comedic father-son duo—could only stare expectantly at him, hoping he would step in to rescue the situation.

——Of course, these were all recollections of the past.

Ikki knew that life could never return to how it used to be.

Even so, he always cherished his life in the Tsukigaro household and remained deeply grateful for the kindness shown to him by his adoptive father and the Tsukigaro clan.

"Precisely because of that—"

He needed to play the role of the "villain."

Yomei, forgive me for being unable to tell you the truth. After all, everything is far too cruel.

Becoming the family head was not necessarily a good thing.

Therefore, he could only find a way to stop her.

Conversely, even if she could not become the family head or an exorcist, it was not a bad outcome for her.

Even if she became a woman, living on as a woman was perfectly fine... After all, she was someone who had hated combat since childhood, disliked contending with others, and despised bloodshed.

Ikki felt that for the sake of his younger siblings' future happiness, even if he had to use coercive means to pull them away from this "maelstrom," it would actually be for the better.

"Unless."

Ikki drew the Cursed Speech Blade from its scabbard.

"Yomei, you have truly resolved yourself, harboring the determination to stop at nothing to achieve victory. When that time comes, I will—"