Solitary Sword Sovereign

"Lord Hanzo I have already said this countless times. I have no intentions of joining the Nine Rings Clan!" Exclaimed Letty with a stern face. The dark-haired man chuckled in response, "And like I have said countless times, I never take no as an answer." The man grabbed Letty"s hand and forced her to face him. "Especially from one as charming as you "

Letty bit her lip in frustration. She really wanted him to go but he was one of the few people on earth she had to give face to. Thus she knew she had to handle this matter carefully, especially considering that Will was on his way.

"As I have said, Lord Hanzo, I have already sworn my allegiance to another." Pleaded Letty. Hanzo frowned, "I"m sure if I talked to this man I would be able to gain his approval regarding my request. He would probably want to even follow you and serve the clan as well."

Hanzo had a proud look on his face, and rightly so. The Nine Rings Clan was the Guild that was under Miyamoto Musashi. It was the only existence among users capable of challenging The Dragonheart Empire. Hanzo had no doubt that if he was to invite her master along he would no doubt jump in delight. After all The Nine Rings Clan had the most stringent requirements among all guilds. There was a reason it was able to contend with the Dragonheart Empire, despite having fewer numbers.

"I"m afraid he would definitely say f.u.c.k you and your clan." A loud voice boomed from behind the duo. Hanzo looked back in surprise and saw that someone had already entered the hallway.

"Impossible!"

Hanzo was the world"s foremost expert on stealth detection, thus he knew well that the number of people who could sneak up on him were less than the number of fingers on one hand.

Will gazed upon Hanzo with a shocked expression as well. A beautiful kimono with floral designs. A face that looked as if it had been carved out of jade, and a vicious aura that did not fit his appearance at all. It took Will less than a second to realize two things. One was the fact that this man had taken countless lives. Two…

"He is way stronger than I am."

This was the first time Will received such a feeling just from seeing a person. Modus and Adelda were too far above him thus he could sense nothing from them. However, the man before him was definitely within reach. For the first time, Will knew what it was like to fear a human, and he loved it!

"Who are you?" Said Hanzo with a displeased expression. Will seemed like a rogue youth who got lost. To Hanzo, it didn"t occur that this was Letty"s master. Especially considering that he had also failed her test. As one of the few people who knew her true background, he a.s.sumed that her master was someone regal and refined like he was.

Alice was unconscious in Will"s arms and was being held like a princess, much to Letty"s chagrin. The latter had received word from Will that a new member would be joining them, but she never thought she would be so breathtakingly beautiful. Letty was confident of her appearance but she could not help herself as she compared herself to the beauty in his arms.

"Wait, why is she unconscious?"

As Letty pondered, Will opened his mouth, only to close it again.

"What was that?" Said Hanzo as he raised a brow. Will ignored him and walked to one of the walls in the large hall. He placed Alice on the ground and walked toward the surprised duo.

Hanzo was never a patient man, and whatever patience he had left was wearing thin. "Answer me you ingrate!"

"I"m too lazy to answer strangers. Besides, isn"t it common courtesy to say your name before asking for someone else"s?"

Will"s response shocked Hanzo, not just because it was rude, but because he had replied in Hanzo"s home tongue.

"He can speak j.a.panese?"

"You think learning a language or two gives you the right to be haughty in front of someone like me?" Hanzo put both hands behind his back as he stared daggers at Will.

"You think dressing like a woman gives you the right to put on makeup?" Replied Will.

Letty giggled at Will"s witty response. Hanzo had been smacked in the face, right in front of the woman he desired the most, few men could take such an insult living down. As Will approached the duo Hanzo prepared to bounce back, only for Will to completely ignore him.

Will grabbed Letty"s hand and walked in the opposite direction.

"Who said you could ignore me!"

Will stopped but didn"t even look back. "Who said you could touch one of my subordinates?"

It finally clicked in Hanzo"s mind. His anger disappeared and his gaze cleared.

"I was going to invite him to join the clan, not to mention he is quite skilled, but I have lost too much face today. I have to regain it."

"Hattori Hanzo, 3rd Ring of the Nine Ring Clan." Hanzo"s words made Will halt his steps. He looked at Hanzo with shock in his eye. He figured that he was a big fish but he didn"t expect him to be that big.

The Nine Rings Clan had a very simple structure. It was a group composing 9 elite guilds that had banded together to form a powerful behemoth. Even though they had joined together, each guild or ring as they were now referred to acted separately. And so long as they did not go against Musashi"s wishes they could do as they pleased.

The rings were ruled by Numbered Rings. From 1 to 9. With 1 being the strongest and 9 being the weakest. Anyone in the clan can challenge a Numbered Ring and take their place if they win. Such was the nature of their clan. Survival of the fittest. In other words, before Will was the third strongest user under Miyamoto Musashi.

"Solitary Sword Sovereign. Leader of Senbonken." Said Will after thinking for a while.

Hanzo raised a brow, "Senbonken? Never heard of it."

"You just did. Now if you may excuse me I have a discussion to have with my subordinates." Before Will could turn around, an immense pressure filled the whole room. Letty, Will and the unconscious Alice were all caught by it. Alice Immediately coughed up blood as a result, were as Letty fell to her knees. "Did I say you could leave?" Hanzo"s cold voice had an added force that superimposed with the pressure he was releasing. Letty swallowed the vomit that was coming up her throat and was about to beg Hanzo for forgiveness. It finally dawned on her who they were really talking to. She started to regret her previous actions, as they had no doubt fanned the flames in Hanzo"s heart.

"Lord Hanzo"s level is too high! Just the pressure from releasing a small amount of qi is making unable to move. Master may have more potential but he is still too weak. I need to help him-"

"Letty stand up. You are fine now." Will"s words made Letty look to the former in confusion. Will remained as he was. Standing tall unabated. "Letty I said stand!" Will"s tone made Letty realize something crucial. The pressure that had been weighing on her body had disappeared!

Wobbling slightly, Letty stood up and wiped her mouth. She looked at Will with wonder evident in her eyes. "See? I told you-you could stand." Will gave her a rea.s.suring smile. Letty knew the disparity between Will and Hanzo, yet for some reason, she could not help but be soothed.

Will turned around and faced Hanzo with eyes so narrow they looked like slits. "You can kill me, that I have no doubt, but you better be prepared to lose a hand or two doing so." Hanzo whistled, few had the courage to say such words to him.

Flash!

Hanzo"s silhouette flashed and within moments he was in front of Will, choking the latter"s throat. "I"m not sure what trick you used to alleviate the pressure I placed upon you two but I have to say, I am impressed." Letty wanted to react but Will signaled for her to remain still. There really wasn"t much she could do in this situation.

"Do you think I, The 3rd Ring of The Nine Rings Clan, would be intimidated by words from a puny existence such as yourself?" Hanzo increased the strength of his grip on Will"s throat, yet it received no reaction from the latter. Will"s expression remained cold and his gaze sharp.

Will intentionally withheld his killing intent and did nothing, because he could tell that the man in front of him held little value for life. Thus for the first time since he became a cultivator Will decided to fight with the only weapon in his a.r.s.enal he had never really used, the only one that had any effect at this moment, his mouth.

"Letty, if this man kills me, I order you to commit suicide on the spot. Do you understand?" Hanzo found Will"s order outrageous. Ordering a subordinate to prepare for suicide? Hanzo found it ridiculous considering Letty"s background. He doubted she would agree but he was proven wrong within an instant.

"Understood. I will bite off my tongue the moment Master dies." Letty spoke with conviction in her eyes, a conviction Hanzo had seen many a time. He had no doubt she would follow through with her words, thus he looked to discourage Will.

"What makes you so sure I value her that much? I only liked her because she was skilled." Said Hanzo with a savage grin. "Her death would mean nothing to me."

"You know who she really is. I can tell from the way you look at her. A Numbered Ring coming personally? You could have just ordered your subordinates to kidnap her. But you needed her consent. You know her people are coming, and so do I. She is an extremely important source of information regarding our invaders. So her cooperating with your clan would give you an advantage." Hanzo grimaced as Will hit the spot.

"Odds are you have been close by all along. You are famous for your detection skills and can even target anyone in the next State according to rumors. With such an ability, you have probably been stalking her for quite some time. You decided to take action once you learned she left the IB, but first, you decided to do some research on me, only to come up with nothing."

Once again Will was correct. Letty"s test was unfathomable for everyone who had attempted it. Hanzo included, thus he a.s.sumed that someone capable of pa.s.sing it was very strong, thus he decided to do a little research. After finding out that Will was a user from the earth and that no one knew who he was, Hanzo was baffled as to how he had pa.s.sed her test. Or rather what Letty"s test was.

"You think you are smart? You think I won"t kill you right here right now?" A dense killing intent wafted from Hanzo"s body directed at Will"s body. To most, this chilling sensation would send shivers down their spine, but to Will, this was no different to a refreshing breeze. As one who possessed bloodl.u.s.t, Will was naturally attuned to death.

"I"m not afraid of dying. I also don"t doubt that you might kill me. The scent of blood on you is so thick it almost makes me jealous. You are clearly crazy. But ima let you in on a little secret." Will changed his tone to that of a whisper and moved a bit closer. "I"m crazier."