Before accepting the commission from Toyo Electric Co., the Kure Clan had already learned about Karura's situation.
After Kure Yasha brought Karura back to the clan, Karura immediately went to find her great-grandfather.
The Clan Head of the Kure Clan.
Erioh Kure.
"Grandpa..."
Karura ran up to him and spoke with a hint of shyness.
"I... I have someone I like!"
Hmm...?
Huh!?
Erioh Kure had been wearing a gentle, amiable expression.
The first Fang of Metsudo.
The current head of the Kure Clan.
Leader of a thirteen-hundred-year-old assassin family that specialized in combat enhancement through selective breeding and genetic selection.
And yet, in this moment-
He froze.
His body trembled slightly.
Then, relying on the iron mental discipline forged through countless assassinations, he barely managed to stabilize himself and restore his smile.
An old, withered hand landed on Karura's head.
"That's wonderful~"
"Yes!"
Karura smiled brightly and nodded, then skipped away under his gaze.
The moment she left-
Erioh Kure's eyes shifted.
They locked onto Kure Yasha, who had been following behind Karura.
And in that instant, the warmth vanished.
The kind expression twisted.
It became something vicious.
Something demonic.
"Who the hell is that bastard!?"
"Not even leaving a high schooler alone-!"
The black sclera unique to the Kure Clan expanded fully.
Though his body was that of a shrunken old man, his presence erupted outward, as if something enormous were forcing its way through his frail frame.
For a brief moment, he looked towering.
Terrifying.
Veins bulged across his body.
His pupils burned like ghostly flames.
Kure Yasha lowered her head slightly.
"His name is Jaden," she said. "A new Kengan fighter..."
"It doesn't matter who he is!"
Erioh Kure roared.
"Watch him closely! If he dares to get near Karura again-kill him!"
His aura exploded outward.
The ground beneath his feet cracked.
A circular depression formed, centered entirely on him, as if the earth itself had buckled under his pressure.
Something seemed to be clawing its way out of his body.
Undoubtedly-
Thirteen centuries of selective propagation.
Generations bred with outstanding martial artists and powerful bloodlines.
It had not only produced a combat technique said to surpass all martial arts in the world-
But also bodies capable of forcibly breaking the natural limits imposed by the brain.
Within the Kure Clan-
Dwelled Oni.
And Ma.
Ogres.
Demons.
Not long after that-
The commission from Toyo Electric Co. arrived.
...
Kure Horio stood facing Jaden.
And to be honest, he couldn't understand the old man at all.
Earlier, Erioh Kure had been furious.
He had said that if Jaden dared approach Karura again, he should be killed on sight.
And yet-
He hadn't accepted the commission from Toyo Electric.
Despite that-
He still sent them.
Both of them.
If the goal were truly to eliminate the man in front of them, then this method was neither suitable nor efficient.
He wasn't like the clan's forbidden descendant.
The "Demon."
Kure Raian.
Raian was a monster capable of activating the clan's secret technique-Removal-to one hundred percent, forcibly unlocking the brain's restraints on the body.
Kure Horio couldn't do that.
He could fight powerful martial artists head-on.
But efficiency?
That wasn't his strength.
If assassination were the goal, then having Kure Fuki-standing behind him-take the shot with her sniper rifle would have been far more reliable.
Her version of Removal was specialized for sniping.
One shot.
One kill.
Yet Erioh Kure insisted on "disciplining" the opponent.
He ordered Kure Fuki to follow.
And at the same time-
Explicitly forbade her from using her firearm.
Sigh.
Horio couldn't fully understand the old man's thinking.
But he wasn't completely clueless either.
The Kure Clan had existed for thirteen hundred years.
Marrying into strong bloodlines and exceptional martial artists was normal.
Sometimes it was for skill.
Sometimes it was for blood.
Having him "discipline" the opponent was likely meant to test whether the man was worthy of entering the Kure Clan.
However-
That great-granddaughter-obsessed old man probably didn't want Karura marrying anyone at all.
More likely, he intended to push Kure Fuki-
Raian's sister-
Toward the man in front of them.
Of course.
That was only if the opponent passed the test.
And was willing to be adopted into the family.
But by sending Horio to test him-
Did Erioh want the opponent to pass?
Or to fail?
That part remained unclear.
Horio wasn't underestimating Jaden.
It was simply that he himself was strong.
Not a monster like Raian-
But still capable of activating Removal to eighty percent.
Which made the old man's intentions even harder to read.
But it didn't matter.
He had received an order.
So he would carry it out.
Faithfully.
Kure Horio exhaled slowly.
Then he stomped his foot.
In an instant, Removal activated.
Dark-red, lightning-like patterns crawled across his entire body.
Power compressed inward.
Fists clenched.
He prepared to strike.
Jaden watched the transformation.
And raised an eyebrow slightly.
-So the ones with black sclera really are different from normal humans.
But whatever.
He yawned.
Casually.
At the same time, he applied two curses.
One to the man in front of him.
One to the woman behind him.
He could tell that both had killed many people.
But neither carried murderous intent toward him.
Still-
The woman had a handgun tucked at her waist.
So from the very beginning, Jaden treated this as a two-on-one.
And one of them was armed.
Which meant-
Let's end this quickly.
Curse.
Activate.
The effect on the woman was immediately clear.
Muscle Relaxation (1 hour).
Non-lethal.
As for the so-called "Demon Child"-
Two statuses appeared.
Removal (80%).
And-
Kidney Stones (1 hour).
Non-lethal.
Pain Greatly Enhanced.
No After-effects.
Uh.
"My apologies."
Jaden spoke calmly.
The instant Kure Horio charged forward-
Jaden activated Soru.
At the same moment, the curse fully triggered.
He passed Horio in a blur.
A precise jab landed exactly where the kidney stone pain should peak.
Then Jaden was already behind them.
Kure Fuki didn't even understand what had happened.
She only felt her muscles stop responding.
Her body collapsed to the floor.
All mobility vanished.
As she leaned against the wall, struggling to turn her head-
She saw Jaden standing behind them.
And then-
A scream erupted.
"Aaaah-!"
Her eyes widened.
She knew Kure Horio.
She knew him very well.
The Kure Clan were assassins.
To force a scream like that-
What had this man done?
She tried to speak.
But the muscle relaxation curse rendered even that impossible.
If the effect weren't non-lethal, this level of relaxation could have caused immediate respiratory failure.
Jaden stood with his back to her.
Behind him, Kure Horio twitched and screamed on the ground.
He turned his head slightly and met Kure Fuki's gaze.
"Relax," he said. "It's non-lethal."
"You'll recover in about an hour."
"Though if you're unlucky during that hour and run into a drunk or a homeless guy..."
"Well."
He shrugged.
"Bad luck."
He waved his hand dismissively.
"Goodbye."
"Consider this a small lesson."
"Next time I see people like you-who've clearly killed others-standing in front of me with a firearm..."
"I might not be so restrained."
He paused.
Then added casually-
"Oh. And if you want to kill me next time, try long-range sniping."
"You might be surprised~"
With that, Jaden walked away.
He looked unconcerned.
But quietly-
He memorized the name.
Kure Horio.
Kure.
He had heard Erina mention that the Kure Clan was a fairly well-known family.
So he decided-
When he got back-
He would ask her exactly what kind of clan this "Kure" really was.
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