Yabuki Eishirou emerged from the building, rubbing his chest as he surveyed the chaotic scene before him. His head throbbed intermittently—how had things escalated to this point?
"Eishirou, why are you here?"
Bujinzai glanced briefly at the other two before turning his attention to Yabuki, who was approaching with an unmistakable look of discomfort.
"Well, I couldn't win. Faced with death, I had no choice but to obediently show the way," Yabuki replied, his expression stiffening momentarily before he awkwardly scratched the back of his head, feigning innocence.
"You wouldn't actually want me to die there, would you, old man?"
"Utterly useless."
Bujinzai frowned, shooting him a cold glare.
"Still, your blunder turned out to be fortuitous this time—consider it a contribution. I won't say more."
Bujinzai understood perfectly.
His son had likely been given an out—their confrontation was probably just for show, with Yabuki conceding defeat and using the threat of death as an excuse to reveal the secret meeting location to Roy.
Under normal circumstances, he would have at least taught him a lesson with broken limbs, but given the favorable outcome, his son had inadvertently done them a favor.
"So… he really is the Evil Eye Sorcerer?"
Yabuki relaxed momentarily before tensing again. He swallowed hard, cautiously addressing Bujinzai.
"Without a doubt."
Bujinzai turned his gaze back to the other two, a satisfied smirk curling his lips.
"To think we'd stumble upon such an unexpected windfall. Eishirou, join in—consider this your chance to redeem yourself!"
"Huh? Uh… I'll play support, just support."
Yabuki blinked in surprise, then quickly forced an ingratiating smile under Bujinzai's icy stare.
Internally, he cursed. The old bastard truly treated him as expendable. While he prided himself on mastering the family's blood arts, facing someone like Roy was a far cry from the effortless dominance Bujinzai displayed. If things turned serious, the old man would walk away unscathed, while he'd likely end up in pieces.
He wasn't opposed to attacking Roy—he was a hedonist, after all, and wouldn't hesitate to discard a friend or two for pleasure.
But pleasure required being alive.
Best to slack off and not exert himself too much.
"Allowing us time for this little chat—does that mean you're confident you have the upper hand?"
By now, Roy had restored Claudia's heart, his smile not reaching his eyes as he stood and faced Bujinzai.
"Partly. You're strong, but too young to defeat me."
Bujinzai smirked coldly, his gaze brimming with unshakable conviction.
"Consider this an opportunity—surrender now, Evil Eye Sorcerer. Lay down your weapons, and I'll spare your life."
"How magnanimous!"
Roy nodded with a smile.
"Should I express my gratitude?"
"If you're so inclined, I won't refuse."
Bujinzai snorted dismissively, his expression making it clear he didn't take Roy's words seriously.
"Evil Eye Sorcerer, you should understand your own worth. The most precious things in this world are always those abilities that can be mass-produced, like Seisenjutsu or your Rune Arts. The only reason you're standing here speaking to me is because my techniques cannot be replicated, while yours can."
"Hand over those Rune Arts to Ginga, and not only will your past crimes be pardoned, but Ginga will also provide you with a life of luxury, elevating you to heights others can only dream of. Isn't that far better than living in constant fear and hiding?"
Rune Arts?
Mass-producible?
Is it something similar to Seisenjutsu?
Though the speaker meant nothing by it, Claudia and Yabuki Eishiro were visibly intrigued, their attention drawn as if struck by a chord.
"So this is why Ginga has been hunting me down relentlessly. Now I understand."
A look of realization dawned on Roy's face.
"No wonder, out of all the countless psychics in the world, they've fixated solely on me. I thought it was about the inviolability of their top brass, but it turns out they see my runes as comparable to Seisenjutsu—believing they can be mass-produced like it?"
Seisenjutsu, left behind by the Banyuu Tenra, grants abilities akin to witches and sorcerers, even standardizing and democratizing them to the point where anyone can use it. With Seisenjutsu, one can unleash flames, lightning, and more, just like an ability user.
This technology belongs solely to Jie Long, with fewer than twenty instructors qualified to teach Seisenjutsu.
Do the other five great conglomerates covet this power? Of course they do. In fact, they've repeatedly tried to lure Jie Long's Seisenjutsu instructors to their own academies, hoping to uncover its secrets. Yet not a single instructor has succumbed—each one treats the conglomerates as insignificant, refusing to leave Jie Long. And with none daring to offend the Banyuu Tenra, the conglomerates can only watch Jie Long's Seisenjutsu with envy.
Now, here stands Roy, capable of wielding runes. His Rune Arts bear an uncanny resemblance to the Banyuu Tenra's Seisenjutsu—both can replicate the phenomena of ability users, both can be inscribed on paper as talismans to strike down enemies... Naturally, Ginga sees Rune Arts as a counterpart to Seisenjutsu, sparing no expense to obtain its secrets. That's why they've relentlessly pursued Roy, disregarding all consequences.
"'Believing'? Are you saying your Rune Arts cannot be mass-produced?"
Hearing this, Seisenjutsu frowned, his expression tinged with displeasure.
"Think carefully before you speak. This time, the pursuers aren't just from my Yabuki clan—Ginga has deployed multiple combat units patrolling the lake. At my signal, they'll descend upon this place immediately. There's nowhere for you to run!"
Upon learning the Evil Eye Sorcerer might be in Asterisk City, Ginga's higher-ups saw it as the perfect opportunity to trap their prey. They invested heavily, dispatching several combat units to Asterisk City.
While this might alert the other conglomerates, as long as they act swiftly—capturing the Evil Eye Sorcerer and extracting him—they can brush it off with a flimsy excuse later. The other conglomerates wouldn't risk a fallout with Ginga over mere speculation.
Of course, if this matter isn't resolved quickly, Ginga would undoubtedly become the target of public criticism. Not only might their rune techniques be exposed, but Ginga itself could face condemnation from other conglomerates.
At its core, this was also a high-stakes gamble for Ginga.
"Is that so?" Roy raised an eyebrow slightly.
"It's true," Claudia confirmed from behind him, validating Seisenjutsu's words. "During our previous communication, I managed to extract this information from him. Currently, there are at least two hundred members of Ginga's combat forces lingering on the lake's surface outside. That's precisely why I didn't want you to come here..."
Don't underestimate this number. Modern warfare isn't about who has more soldiers, but who possesses more Genestellars.
Over two hundred Genestellars, each with extensive combat experience and at least the level recorded in various academy's Named Charts—even a nation would need to carefully consider how many pieces its territory could be divided into when facing such a force.
***
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