Chapter 14: The Art of Zen'in Manipulation
Ogi Zen'in was advancing through the clan corridor with dry, exact steps, as if each one were calculated to leave no trace. Silence obeyed him. The walls, loaded with centuries of tradition, seemed to bow to his presence. There was no trace of doubt or affection on her face; there had never been any trace when it came to her daughters.
For Ogi, Maki and Mai were not people.
They were miscalculations.
Genetic failures.
Unworthy residues of the surname Zen'in.
I did not remember the day they were born. I had never considered it necessary. But he did remember something with absolute clarity: both could serve as a bargaining chip.
So I was there.
Hours earlier, Naoya Zen'in had come to him bluntly, with that crooked smile that confused arrogance with natural law.
Ogi said, folding his arms. I love your daughters.
Mai as a personal assistant. And Maki... took a short pause, full of intention and I will see what it is for.
Ogi did not even frowned.
In exchange for what? he asked, with the coldness of those who negotiate cattle.
Influence. Position. A better seat on the clan's inner council.
There was no discussion.
There was no bargaining.
Not even a second of reflection.
Ogi instantly accepted, as if getting rid of a faulty tool that can still yield one ultimate benefit.
That was the real value he gave to his daughters.
In the room they shared, the news fell like a sentence.
Mai was the first to fully understand it. His body reacted before his mind: his shoulders tense, his hands trembling, his eyes tarnished. He did not want to cry, but fear accumulated in his throat like an impossible knot to swallow. Naoya terrified her. I always had. His way of looking at them, of talking to them, of constantly reminding him where he was. He knew how powerful semi-grade 1 was, a golden promise from the clan, and that just made the idea of being close to him more unbearable.
I didn't want to go.
I did not want to belong to him.
Maki, on the other hand, reacted with anger.
When her father spoke to them, when she pronounced the decision with the same indifference with which a domestic order is issued, something broke inside her. He advanced impulsively, without thinking, his body burning with fury. He tried to attack him.
It failed.
The coup was quick, humiliating. Ogi reduced it effortlessly, without passion, without even hatred. Only technique. Just correction. The bruises he left on his skin were mild, almost careful.
He did not want to damage the product.
That was what hurt the most.
Maki gritted his teeth, swallowing helplessness, and when it was all over, when his father left the room without looking back, all he could do was surround Mai with his arms. He held it tightly, as if his own body could protect it from a sealed fate.
Mai was shaking.
Maki was breathing deeply, containing his own tremor.
They could not escape.
They could not negotiate.
They could only resist.
In the Zen'in clan, love was worthless.
But manipulation that was a perfectly mastered art.
Top... Top...
The dry sound of a few steps in front of the door put an end to the heavy silence of the room.
Ogi did not turn immediately.
What is it? he asked annoyed, as if he already knew the answer and still bothered to listen to it.
It is me, Ranta answered the voice from the other side. I come to report that Naoya-sama and young Kuro are about to face each other.
He paused briefly before adding:
Naoya-sama asked that Maki be present. He wants me to see him fight...
And win.
Ogi let out a slight, barely audible snort.
Of course. "I think" Ogi.
Zen'in Ranta. Semi-degree 1. Useful technique. Promising future.
A "right" sorcerer.
Not like them.
His gaze descended, crossing for a moment with that of Maki and mai, who watched him in silence, his body stiff, his fists clenched. Mai was hiding half a step behind her sister.
So Naoya, Ogi muttered, wants public.
A minimal, crooked smile crossed his face.
All right. Let them go.
He turned to the door, but before leaving, he cast one last glance at his daughters.
There was no hatred. There was no anger.
Just disappointment.
One was born with almost no cursed or technical energy.
The other, although a little better, is still garbage; it was born with very little energy, damn it, that barely allows him to use his technique. Both are defective.
to move, he ordered. Don't make someone important wait.
The door closed behind him.
Maki swallowed saliva.
I knew what it meant.
Naoya did not want him to be there to witness a fight.
I wanted him to see his place.
Mai tightened the sleeve of her uniform.
Maki... whispered.
Maki did not respond immediately. He looked forward, his jaw tense. "Look at me," he said at the end. "Whatever happens... do not look away.".
In a training camp, you could see two people, even adults, and a child.
The young man is warming up...
The man has his hands in his pockets as if what was happening was not very important.
Imagine that the child, under the tutelage of the strongest, would be someone so softened as to carry trade.
Well, what can I say? I have a good habit that idiots like you, you have to be them and wait, finishing their warm-ups, felt the crunch of each of their limbs, feeling much lighter, their body was already ready to give its 120% in the fight. He put himself in a position for combat. Naoya only gave a sigh: "I will make sure I eat more soil, child.".
How afraid I tremble, Naoya.
It did not take being a genius to notice that the child was not nervous...
Ahem.. A member of the clan stepped forward.
Simple rules announced. Fight one-on-one. Surrender or incapacity. It's forbidden to kill...
Although accidents.
There's no need for rules, Naoya interrupted, turning at last towards Kuro. He won't last as long.
Kuro tilted his head. I agree with him, you won't hesitate much, a confident smile.
All right, if you still agree on thinking.
Naoya wasted no time and used his Projection Technique, moving so fast that, even with his guard high, the boy could do nothing but receive his blows, like the idiot who is for believing that he could get away with it.
For the viewers, Naoya was with her arms in her pockets and, at another point, Kuro had his head buried in the ground.
And Naoya seemed to be cleaning her hands.
That is it, boy. I hope you can get out of that. I will make sure not to hit you hard, Naoya would realize that the son of Toji is so weak,
"If that were the case, I would have no choice but to kill him...".
Kuro wasted no time getting up quickly, although he could not help being stunned for a few seconds.
A combination of the blows of Naoya and the sudden movement he made.
It is fast, very fast. Is it the technique of naobito projection? Haha, it happens to me not to read the manga and just watch the anime. There is the second season of the anime. Well, it does not matter too much.
Ignore a slight pain that ran through your body. Very good technique. I suppose that, in order to win, I need to use my technique beyond what my current self allows me, and since Gojutei, is taking care of my brother, I cannot invoke him at the moment.
The shadow of Kuro in weight spreads out creating a circle with its shadow.
Renka, when pronouncing that name, describes a kind of lizard with a bluish skin. He came out of the shadow of the child;
The lizard wasted no time. Slightly, in his mouth, an icy wind was condensing, creating an incredibly dense ice. When Renka opened his mouth, a beam of ice shot out of the reptile snout.
Naoya, seeing this, is insecure. For a moment, his technique had nothing to do with shadow manipulation because he can invoke shikigamis. As if his technique was really...
This confusion was not unique to Naoya in the stands; this noise only intensified.
Impossible, perhaps the user! Of the ten shadows, was he not born anymore? Is Megumi not the current user of the ten shadow technique? Was he not born anymore? Is Megumi not the current user of the technique? Jinichi Zenin, the uncle of Megumi and Kuro, could not help but lose his cool, despite being a calm man who rarely shows his emotions.
A cheerful laugh was heard by everyone; he was none other than Naobito, the current clan leader. How wonderful this day is, it's very beautiful for the clan!
Unlike the clan chief, the
The thoughts of Ogi boiled with silent anger as his eyes gazed at that scene.
I did not want to see what I was seeing.
He did not want to accept what the world was trying to show him.
The son of man rejected by all jujutsu.
The descendant of someone without a single hint of cursed energy.
Toji Fushiguro, An outcast A system error.
And yet, strong enough to annihilate the Zen'in clan if he wanted to. Monstrous enough to face the most powerful sorcerer of the age... and almost kill him.
That was already an unbearable humiliation.
But it was not the worst.
What was really intolerable was that this same man had children. And not just any children, but heirs born with the most coveted technique, the most revered, the absolute pinnacle of the Zen'in lineage.
The Ten Shadows technique.
Ogi saw it clearly. The way the boy used the shadow as a threshold, as a channel of invocation. The Shikigamis emerging with the same cruel elegance described in the ancient scrolls of the clan.
There was doubt. It was authentic, it was perfect.
It can't be... he thought, with clenched teeth. This shouldn't exist.
Why had the world given so much to Toji Fushiguro?
Why him, who believed in nothing, who respected nothing, who was expelled as garbage?
He did not deserve it.
I had never deserved it.
And yet, I had it all.
Ogi felt the bitterness rise through his chest.
Naoya turned his head aside to avoid lightning, but still did not manage to dodge it completely; it passed closer than he would have liked. The ray of ice grazed him without causing any harm.
From the side where he passed, he felt something descending down his cheek, but not enough to become an impediment.
Here it doesn't matter that you have the technique; nothing will change. Just change the number of tricks you have.
Quickly, he resorted to his cursed technique to counterattack.