War Grounds

Meanwhile, Dreaming Blade"s lifeless figure slumped on the ground that was strewn with green bamboo leaves. The match was finally settled at the death of the remaining Demon Samurai. In addition, the map, Bamboo Grove started to disintegrate, returning to the original circular cobblestone arena quickly.

"Hehe. So, who do you think was the MVP of the game if this was a rank match?" Udil turned around as the longish red dagger in his hand transformed back into a black flamberge.

"It was me, obviously. I"m the only one who had the guts to fight them head-on, instead of lying wait for an ambush." Inside the yellow tengu mask, Osho"s brown eyes rolled as he smugly claimed. However, deep inside, he had admitted that if this were indeed a rank match, Al would be the undisputed MVP.

Dreaming Blade and Battousai were already resurrected; their demonic purple faces were gloomy at their defeat.

"We accept our defeat. In exchange, we"ll keep our word of teaching the movement technique, Silent Forest." Dreaming Blade broke the ice as he and Battousai bowed before Udil and the rest of the gang.

"Nice! But wait. I"m a bit confused. Three things! First, what happened between the two of you and Osho"s teacher? Second, what"s the story of Mikoto? Lastly, why did I feel that Osho had used the same technique as yours awhile ago?" Al quickly asked.

Meanwhile, those who were seated on the bleachers finally came down.

"Haha! Serves you right, Battousai! Now, come. Let"s have a rematch! I"ve been itching to smash that skull of yours! Rawrr!" The deep, taunting voice that boomed came from no other than Papa Bear.

Battousai could only shake his head out of embarra.s.sment. The losers have no right to protest.

"Wait. That"s too many questions! Plus, your Orc friend is pestering us. Make him shut up." Battousai finally found the words to say.

"Haha. I really can"t make him shut up. He won"t calm down unless you give him a rematch." Udil helplessly scratched his head.

"Fine. Dreaming Blade will answer your questions while I mince that Orc first until he shuts up!" Battousai suddenly disappeared in a blur as he charged towards Papa Bear, who happily welcomed him.

"That"s it! Man-to-man. Come, I"m going to smash your skull! Everyone don"t interfere. This is my fight!" Papa Bear happily grinned as his body transformed into a blue streak of lightning.

"Haha. It"s okay, everyone. Let them enjoy the fight to their heart"s content." Udil broke the tension as a round wooden table and chairs suddenly appeared out of nowhere in the middle of the arena. "Sit, let"s talk about life."

Dreaming Blade simply smiled in response to the sudden events as he took a seat with Udil and Osho. The other three remaining members followed suit.

Meanwhile, Battousai and Papa Bear screamed and jeered like battle maniacs as the clash of their weapons echoed from the background; they were indeed fighting to their heart"s content.

"I hope you won"t mind our background music. Hehe." Udil shot an apologetic look to everyone; he had no better way to appease Papa Bear"s demand.

"It"s okay. A sound-proof and defensive barrier would suffice." Dreaming Blade suggested.

"Yeah. Can you add that, Osho? We don"t want them to bring their fight over here." Al glanced a look at Papa Bear, who had already summoned Ursun as only 10% of his HP was remaining. He was sure that he had heard the Demon Samurai grumbled about an issue regarding "man-to-man" before the dark blue barrier blocked his view.

"Alright! Let"s wish those two a happy fighting. Hehe. Going back to my first question. What happened between the two of you and Osho"s teacher?" Al asked Dreaming Blade.

"That"s a personal matter between my father and me. It"s not your concern anymore. However, let me jump to your second question. The story of Mikoto." Dreaming Blade responded as he shot a glance towards Osho.

"Ehem. You go first. What do you want to add?" Osho cleared his throat as Dreaming Blade seemed to have something to share.

Dreaming Blade smiled. "Your story about Mikoto being the Water-s.h.i.+nto, who was forced by Hachiman to learn Bus.h.i.+do seemed to be a parable. I"m no dumb kid. I know that you"re trying to relate it to our story. Tell me more about it."

Osho returned the smile with his own grin. "Yeah. Actually, Al"s questions seemed to be timely. They are all connected if my a.s.sumptions were correct. First, from what I knew, you, Ebner Ichibana, together with your little brother, Crei Ichibana were banished from your clan by your own father, Hyuda Ichibana. Is that correct?"

"That"s correct. My father, Hyuda, who"s famously known as Sakuretso in War Grounds indeed banished us from the clan. Continue with your a.s.sumptions." Dreaming Blade confirmed.

"From what I"ve heard, the two of you were banished because you have contracted the a.s.sistance of Sultan Kudarat, your father"s rival. Aside from that, Sultan promotes the use of forbidden techniques such as the Silent Forest, giving your father a more objective reason to kick you out of the clan. Is this also correct?" Osho continued.

Meanwhile, Macca, SwitchFoot, and CancerIsLife were at a loss with the ongoing discussion. Their eyes were enlarged and full of confusion.

"That is correct, too. However, fine. Allow me to justify our side. With the advent of equipment that could help the human body and brain breakthrough limits, Sultan Kudarat finally found a way to address the issues of Bus.h.i.+do"s forbidden techniques. I a.s.sume that you knew why these technical skills were prohibited in the first place, right?" Dreaming Blade"s playful face finally turned serious as he asked Osho.

"Yup. It"s because these techniques are harmful to their user"s body." Osho answered.

"Correct. The un-updated Sleeping Forest technique distorts the flow of oxygen in one"s body, especially those that flowed through the vessels in the lower parts. This allows one to walk on air with a feather"s weight briefly. However, as a consequence, the rate of injury in one"s lower body is significantly increased. As a countermeasure, the Samurai Masters developed the technique called Inorganic Net, where the surface of the user"s feet would release a light breeze of air that will serve as an invisible spring. The only disadvantage was that it makes a lot of noise and from what you have just experienced first-hand, it betrays your stealth when you"re walking over light materials like leaves." Dreaming Blade explained.

"s.h.i.+t. Are they talking about rocket science? Get me out of here, please." Macca wanted to cry as he whispered to Patrick. He did not understand anything that Dreaming Blade had said.

Meanwhile, Osho just nodded as he listened to Dreaming Blade"s explanation. Everything that the Demon Samurai had said made sense to him.

"Sorry if I"ve talked a lot. To make this short, here"s my answer to your questions, Udil." Ebner Ichibana"s smile was finally sincere. "I was banished by my father because I tried to introduce the updated version of the forbidden techniques to our clan. Unfortunately, his cling to tradition and hatred towards Sultan Kudarat stopped him from embracing growth and development." Dreaming Blade"s tone was starting to get emotional. To be cast away by your father is not an easy emotional state to endure.

Find authorized novels in Webnovel，faster updates, better experience，Please click for visiting.

"As for the story of Mikoto, I believe that the Water-s.h.i.+nto developed a better way of fighting than upholding the Bus.h.i.+do, and that"s the infusion of elemental spells to his sword or what Samurais called as "Makoto" - magic swords. Lastly, on why did you feel that Osho used the same technique as mine awhile ago? Tell him, Osho." Ebner continued as he pa.s.sed the last question to Osho.

"It"s better than Inorganic Net. I"ve noticed that when your blood spluttered, some of them stopped in the air before finally falling when they were just a few inches away from the ground. The reason for this was that there was an air barrier that blocked their fall." Osho answered.

Clap. Clap. Clap.

"Genius. To be able to quickly discern the principles behind the technique after a few observations are exceptional. I"m honoured to fall under your hands." Dreaming Blade slowly clapped before bowing his head towards Osho.

"Ehem." Al immediately coughed to correct Ebner"s last sentence. However, the Demon Samurai simply ignored him.

"It was the breakthrough that Sultan Kudarat discovered. Instead of coating the air on one"s feet, the user releases the breath from his soles just a few inches from the ground before he lands, creating thin footholds that would serve as a brief invisible platform." Dreaming Blade continued to explain the principle behind his technique. "All good. It"s time to start your training, Udil. We don"t have much time left."