"My name is Takatsuki, a martial artist traveling the world. What's your name?"
Amidst a large area of monster corpses and a burnt forest, Takatsuki sat in front of Tenza and asked.
"Ah, ah... you're amazing! My name is Tenza, Tenza of the Yamada Asaemon family."
Tenza exclaimed in surprise. If it weren't for the blood on his body, one wouldn't be able to tell that he had just survived a near-death experience.
"Yamada Asaemon, you are from Japan, right? Where is this place? I was inexplicably brought to this island by boat. Is this part of Japan?"
Takatsuki said casually.
"No, no, this is the Immortal Realm, Hōrai! We were ordered by The Shogunate to bring criminals here to search for immortal medicine."
Tenza quickly denied, saying, "But this island is full of monsters, it's too dangerous. And there was that monster just now, it looked like a human but was completely not a human monster, and humans can even turn into flowers."
Tenza, like a chatterbox, rambled on and on, even revealing everything he knew without Takatsuki needing to ask.
It was also through Tenza that Takatsuki learned that the deceased he had encountered earlier were criminals.
Because legend had it that there was immortal medicine here that could grant eternal youth and immortality.
To find the immortal medicine, The Shogunate dispatched the Yamada Asaemon to escort criminals here to search for it, and those who brought back the immortal medicine would receive a pardon.
Upon arriving on this island, they discovered countless monsters and strange insects here.
"Monsters, are those them?"
Takatsuki pointed at the large piles of giant-like monsters lying in the distance. They had the appearance of gods and Buddhas, and also animal forms, but rather than gods and Buddhas, Takatsuki felt they were more like sacrilegious beings.
They could even speak.
But they could only say a few words, like 'killing is a sin,' and 'insects are also life.'
When Takatsuki saw these monsters, he was worried that their blood might be poisonous or something, so he killed them with long-range attacks.
They didn't have the regenerative abilities of that humanoid monster earlier; they just looked disgusting.
"Yes, and not just these, there are also centipede-like monsters with fingers, and butterflies with human faces."
"Oh, right! Master! We must quickly find Master and Nurugai!"
Tenza suddenly remembered something and jumped up.
"Whoa, whoa, wait. If you just go looking, do you know where they are?"
Takatsuki quickly stopped the restless Tenza.
"Ah, although I'm not sure where Master and the others are now, it should be in that direction. I remember Master and the others ran that way then."
Tenza pointed in a direction and said, "Master's throat was injured, so we might still be able to catch up. And since the island can't be left, they must still be on the island."
"In that case, leave the searching to me. To be honest, I found you here because I was tracking the trace left by someone who killed a female prisoner in a kimono."
"Female prisoner?"
Tenza thought for a moment: "Oh, that must be the criminal Master was in charge of."
"Master said that criminal tried to tempt him before, and then he cut her down."
Is that so?
It seems that his Master is indeed a very skilled swordsman, which can be seen from his precise swordplay.
"Is that so? It seems your Master is a very strong person. Let's go, their tracks went in this direction."
Takatsuki led Tenza in the direction the two had left.
But neither he nor Tenza noticed.
In that scorched soil, a black sphere drilled out of the ground.
Several vines grew on the sphere, supporting it like legs, and it fled in the direction away from here.
It must be said...
This island is very magical.
Everywhere on this island is filled with powerful vitality.
And this vitality diluted Takatsuki's perception and discernment of everything around him.
Even the scorched earth was filled with a large amount of vitality, and what was concealed by that vitality was naturally not perceived by him.
The Nen left on its body also lost its carrier because its body was completely destroyed.
Meanwhile, Takatsuki and Tenza quickly found Tenza's Master and the criminal named Nurugai.
"Master!"
The two, who were slaughtering monsters, trembled when they heard Tenza's voice.
They turned around somewhat shakily.
"Tenza... you... you're still alive..."
"Tenza!"
Tenza's Master, Shion, was a blind swordsman, and his clothes were the same style as Tenza's.
Unlike the reserved Shion, Nurugai cried out and rushed towards Tenza, hugging him tightly, as if afraid he would disappear again.
Takatsuki noticed that although Shion showed no obvious expression, a few tears flowed from his eyes.
"Master! Let me introduce you, this is Takatsuki, a martial... martial artist traveling the world!"
After calming down the overjoyed Nurugai, Tenza introduced his savior to Shion.
"He healed my wounds and also killed that monster."
Hearing Tenza's words, Shion looked at Takatsuki with some surprise.
Although Takatsuki didn't know how he could see, being blind.
But he clearly felt Shion scrutinizing him.
"You are very strange." *2
Takatsuki and Shion spoke the same words simultaneously.
The two were briefly awkward. Takatsuki, at Shion's signal, spoke first: "You have a strange fluctuation on your body, and if I'm not mistaken, you should be blind, but I feel a distinct sense of being watched."
Could it be... Asura!?
This was Takatsuki's first reaction.
Shion, upon hearing this, did not hide his abilities: "I can perceive a special fluctuation, which I call 'wave.' Everything has a wave, and I can sense special scents and sounds from it. On your body, there is something clearly different from ordinary people, yet also different from that monster just now."
"What you feel should be the special power I practice, which can generate special energy within the body."
Takatsuki said, demonstrating Armament Haki to the others.
His darkened body made Nurugai gasp in surprise.
Although he couldn't see, Shion clearly detected this special fluctuation as well.
"I see. Thank you for saving Tenza; he is my most important disciple."
Shion bowed slightly to Takatsuki to express his gratitude: "We are planning to find a way to leave here. Would you like to come with us?"
"Leaving... I'm not in a hurry, but we can walk together for a while. However, I want to ask, do you know what the 'source of life' is?"