"What a touching display of filial piety and parental love."
However, neither party seed surprised by the other's attitude. Ogi wasn't angered by his son's sarcasm, nor did he care about the boy's undisguised murderous intent.
The man stood before his son, katana drawn, his face a mask of cold indifference.
"Do you know why the forr Clan Head chose Naobito as his successor instead of ?" Ogi asked, his voice low. "It's because you are an animal, not a human being."
"Is that so?" Mirai responded, a playful glint in his eyes. "Or maybe you're just weak?"
Upon hearing this, a murderous light flashed in Ogi's eyes. He silently channeled his Cursed Energy into his blade, preparing his iaido stance.
"Falling Blossom Emotion."
In the dark, cramped room, a brilliant flash of Cursed Energy vanished in an instant. Even when facing his own flesh and blood, Zenin Ogi showed no rcy.
He moved faster than the eye could track. Appearing in the corridor behind Mirai, Ogi slowly began to sheath his sword.
"I failed to beco the Clan Head because of you," Ogi said to the boy's back. "And those twins—Maki and Mai—are worthless trash too. As a sorcerer, the only thing where I fall short compared to Naobito is in the quality of my children."
Click. The katana locked into its sheath.
"Children shouldn't hold their parents back," Ogi finished, letting out the bitterness that had weighed on his heart for a decade. He turned around, expecting to see his son's body slump to the floor.
But the body did not fall.
"How...?"
Ogi stared at Mirai's back. The boy stood perfectly still, his body completely intact. There was no blood. No wound.
Ogi's expression shifted from cold arrogance to utter astonishnt. He knew he hadn't missed. In the dim light, he had clearly seen his blade slice through Mirai's abdon. He had felt the resistance of flesh.
"Hm?"
Mirai turned to face his father.
Seeing his unfilial son's eyes in that mont, Ogi frowned in confusion.
Crimson pupils. Intricate, indistinguishable geotric patterns. Three blade-like shapes slowly rotating around the iris.
If Ogi didn't spend all his ti training with the "Hei" unit, he might have run into this rebellious son more often. He might have noticed the change sooner.
Those eerie eyes... and the vile, sinister Cursed Energy surging from the boy...
For a mont, Ogi almost thought the boy standing in front of him wasn't human at all, but a Special Grade Cursed Spirit wearing his son's skin.
Clang!
Ogi drew his katana again, his gaze turning icy and sharp.
"It seems you've awakened so unknown Cursed Technique," Ogi sneered, trying to mask his unease. "That's what has emboldened you, isn't it? You piece of trash."
Mirai slowly ford a hand seal. The wicked smile on his face intensified.
"Don't worry, Father. I have another surprise for you."
Ogi stared directly into the crimson spinning in the boy's eyes. "Arrogant and ignorant. Laughable. You overestimate your own abilities."
"Great Serpent."
BOOM!
The floorboards shattered. An enormous white serpent erupted from the shadows beneath Ogi's feet, smashing the narrow room to pieces in the blink of an eye!
Before Ogi could react, the Great Serpent's gaping maw snapped shut around him!
Ogi was a beat too slow. He couldn't dodge in ti. He could only flare his Cursed Energy, reinforcing his legs to press firmly against the crushing walls of the snake's throat, struggling to keep the jaws from snapping him in half.
"Divine Dog: Black."
Another shadow surged.
—ROAR!
A beast's howl tore through the night, deafening in the darkness.
The sa monstrosity from the branch family massacre burst from the shadows. Standing nearly five ters tall, its fur was pitch black, blending perfectly with the night.
Its claws glead like steel in the moonlight. Its eyes burned with the sa scarlet pattern as Mirai's.
Having declared its presence, the giant Black Divine Dog leaped onto the roof, its massive claws tearing through tiles as it sprinted toward Ogi, who was still trapped in the snake's mouth.
"The Ten Shadows Technique?!" Ogi gasped, his pupils trembling. "Two shikigami at once?!"
How could this be?!
How did that rebellious son suddenly awaken the Clan's most prized ability?
And the size of that Divine Dog... it's a monster!
The sheer scale of the shikigami—far exceeding the standard Ten Shadows—was silent proof of his master's unfathomable power.
Trapped in the serpent's mouth, Ogi watched the black wolf descend. He twisted his body desperately, narrowly avoiding the claws aid at his head.
Slash!
Pain flared in his shoulder as blood sprayed into the air. The reality of the wound snapped Ogi back to his senses.
He gripped his katana tightly, channeling a surge of Cursed Energy into the blade. He prepared to slash upward—to kill the wolf.
But then, realization struck him like a bucket of ice water.
Wait! Although I hate him... although he is trash...
He has the Ten Shadows!
The Ten Shadows is the only technique capable of rivaling the Gojo Clan's Limitless and Six Eyes! If my son possesses this... I can use him! I can finally beco the Clan Head!
With this realization, Zenin Ogi, facing imminent death, quickly flipped his blade, choosing to strike with the dull spine instead.
He perford a feat worthy of a Sichuan Opera face-changer. His expression shifted instantly from murderous rage to desperate paternal affection.
"Mirai! My son! My good son!" Ogi scread, his voice cracking. "Stop right now!"
"If I accidentally kill your shikigami, the loss will be too great! My good son, please stop!"
This was the real reason Ogi had turned his blade.
If a shikigami of the Ten Shadows Technique is destroyed, it is gone forever. It cannot be summoned again. Ogi couldn't bear to destroy such a valuable asset—an asset that was his ticket to the throne.
Ogi's fervent shouts echoed through the night. Hearing them, Mirai's smile abruptly vanished. His expression twisted into a look of pure revulsion.
"Disgusting," Mirai muttered.
It wasn't just the fake concern. It was the sickening shift in attitude.
Good son...
Mirai vaguely rembered hearing Ogi call him "disgusting" while he was still in his mother's womb. Since birth, the only words Ogi had for him were "waste," "trash," and "failure."
Sensing its master's disgust, the Great Serpent increased its crushing force exponentially. The Black Divine Dog's attacks beca even more ferocious, tearing at the roof to get to Ogi.
Ogi, still refusing to use the sharp edge of his sword for fear of killing the shikigami, felt the pressure mount. He was being overwheld.
Boom! Boom!
The enormous snake thrashed, leveling another section of the house. The Divine Dog stomped on the rooftops, kicking up clouds of dust and debris.
The commotion finally drew the attention of the heavy hitters.
BANG!
A sudden, imnse force struck the Great Serpent's lower jaw. The blow was so fast and heavy that the massive shikigami was knocked sideways, its mouth forced open for a split second.
Ogi scrambled out, gasping for air.
Standing amidst the billowing dust was a burly old man.
He had long, white hair slicked back past his shoulders, thin eyebrows, and a distinctive mustache. He wore a simple dark yukata with wooden clogs, and a sake gourd hung lazily at his waist.
Zenin Naobito. The 26th Head of the Zenin Clan.
Known as the "Fastest Sorcerer" (second only to Gojo Satoru), Naobito glanced around the scene with a bored expression.
He looked at the two massive shikigami—Orochi and the giant Divine Dog: Black. He looked at the battered Zenin Ogi. And finally, his eyes landed on Zenin Mirai.
Naobito's eyes narrowed, filled with complicated emotions.
Without needing a single word of explanation, Naobito understood the situation.
The blood seeping from the collapsed houses? The pervasive stench of death? The massacre of the branch mbers? None of that mattered to Naobito.
The only thing that mattered was what stood before him: The Zenin Clan finally had a user of the Ten Shadows Technique.
This was a fait accompli. It couldn't be changed.
The priority now, Naobito thought, taking a swig from his gourd, is to save Ogi's pathetic life, quell the boy's anger, and ensure his loyalty to the Clan.
Even if... that boy looks like he wants to kill us all.
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