We agreed to be in a band for life, what the heck is Dragon Raja?

"Is this... the real me...?"

"Sanjiao Chuhua murmured."

She chuckled softly.

Those who have experienced despair and returned are not afraid of death.

………………

………………

at the same time,

"Snapped!"

The two wooden swords clashed and struck each other, then suddenly separated.

This was the first and only time the wooden swords clashed.

Then, sword shadows flashed repeatedly, and a whistling wind arose.

The air was filled with the sounds of robes rustling and footsteps lightly brushing the ground, but there was no second sound of wooden swords clashing.

The two fighters were moving incredibly fast, thrusting, parrying, slashing, and shifting to the side... Despite it being close-quarters combat, they maintained a tight, unbroken rhythm.

If a master of classical Japanese swordsmanship were to come here, he would surely exclaim in amazement.

The duel between the two was entirely conducted using ancient sword techniques with a killing intent; every move was not just for show, but aimed at a vital point.

Swish!Swish!

The middle-aged man on the left used a move called "Xiaqie" (霞切), his sword tip seemingly emerging from the clouds, aiming straight for his opponent's throat.

The person on the right looked slightly older, with short black and white hair, but his speed was by no means slow. His "Eight Directions Slash" was executed in one smooth motion, combining turns and angles.

Swish!

The two swords stopped in mid-air, neither falling.

Inuyama laughed and said:

"Qing Gaojun truly lives up to his reputation; he is indeed a top student who graduated from Kassel College,"

"Your 'moment' must have been guided by Principal Angers."

Chapter 58 It's not that easy to give up.

"The head of the Inuyama family accepted the inheritance."

Toyokawa Kiyoshi said.

“I was once fortunate enough to be invited to afternoon tea by Principal Angers, where he gave me some pointers on how to exert my power through words.”

He twirled the wooden sword in his hand, then sheathed it and stopped in his tracks.

The two bowed in greeting.

Stand with your feet together, hands on the sword, and bend your waist and abdomen to the perfect position.

This is the most formal etiquette in Kendo; after the greeting is completed, the two people raise their heads to each other.

Inuyama He, dressed in a light blue kimono, looked at Toyokawa Kiyokazu in front of him and smiled:

"I was right. I saw Principal Angers' shadow in that move just now."

"You must have practiced hard to hone this move to such a high level."

"Master Inuyama, your 'moment' skill is even better than mine..."

Before Toyokawa Kiyoshi could finish speaking, Inuyama He interrupted him:

"No need to be modest. Your instantaneous skill level is already very high. It's clear that you've been tempered by blood and fire to get to this point."

"The final moment when I released and released my sword intent was actually something I had gradually built up by virtue of my long life."

"You are so young, Qinggao, your future achievements in this field will surely far surpass mine."

Inuyama He appeared to be very generous.

As the head of the Inuyama family, one of the five families outside the Snake Clan, and the first branch manager of the Japanese branch of Kassel College, his Word of Power is also "Setsuna".

He was Angers' 'student' and had been taught by Angers countless times, so he could naturally see some of the techniques in his teachings.

He walked to the corner of the room and put down the wooden sword he used for practice.

"Speaking of which, the reason the patriarch summoned you here this time is still related to family matters."

"Patriarch?" Toyokawa Kiyotaka remembered the name. "What does the patriarch want with me?"

There are two.

Inuyama He's expression turned serious, the nonchalance he had shown during the sparring session vanished, and his demeanor returned to that of a family head.

"The first thing."

He pulled an envelope from the corner, tore it open, and found a piece of paper covered in writing.

"You can take a look."

Toyokawa Kiyoko stepped forward, took the paper with both hands, and looked down at it.

This is just an ordinary piece of white paper, seemingly intended for office use.

The document above is a summary of his battle report after he first fought for the Snake Clan and obtained the 'key'.

The densely packed text was filled with the gains and achievements of this operation, as well as some possible follow-up impacts and predictions of the next strategic steps...

The text was so long that the font was extremely small, so much so that Kiyoshi Toyokawa had to concentrate to avoid reading the wrong lines.

"This is..." Toyokawa Kiyoko asked, somewhat puzzled, "This is the family's action report?"

"Shouldn't this kind of document be handled by the executive bureau's specialists and then secretly stored away? Why did the head of the family specifically give me a copy?"

Toyokawa Kiyoshi asked.

"Please note that you forgot to look at the back."

Inuyama He smiled.

Upon hearing this, Toyokawa Kiyotaka suddenly remembered that there was some writing on the back of the paper.

He subconsciously assumed the other side also contained a report-like document, so he didn't have time to turn the page.

Now, listening to the Inuyama family head seems to indicate that something is very important?

While thinking this, he explained:

"There were too many words at the beginning, and they were too dense, which drew my attention away from me, so I forgot about them."

Toyokawa Kiyoshi looked to the other side.

Unlike the front, the back has very few words, just three simple lines.

Furthermore, unlike the printed font, these three lines were handwritten, with a bold and powerful style that appears to have been written in one continuous stroke.

[The Inuyama family head's success in retrieving the 'key' from the demons owes much to the Toyokawa family's Kiyoko.]

Rewarding the family warrior with money is too vulgar. Please deliver the battle sword I have been keeping for so long to him.

【Tachibana Masamune】

Inuyama He saw that Toyokawa Kiyotaka was staring at the text above and laughed:

"You have rendered meritorious service to the family, and the family will naturally not treat those who have made contributions unfairly."

"After each mission, the family will give you a reward. This is the knife that the patriarch instructed me to give to you. Please accept it."

As if by magic, he produced a wooden box from where he had been standing.

"This is... a fleeting moment!"

Toyokawa Kiyoko was startled. Even though they were both users of the Instantaneous Word of Power, he realized just how much Inuyama He had held back when they sparred.

Inuyama He opened the wooden box, and inside lay a knife.

He held up the black scabbard with both hands. The scabbard was plain and unadorned, but the hilt was wrapped in a layer of dark blue and gray-white silk cloth. It was obviously an old item, but it was very well maintained.

At the end of the scabbard, there was a thin red line, as fine as a hair, which looked like a mark left intentionally.

He walked up to Toyokawa Kiyotaka and said softly:

"This sword is named 'Crescent Moon'."

After he finished speaking, he slowly pulled the knife out.

A flash of light appeared on the blade, like moonlight on a lake being suddenly broken.

The knife is rather slender, with a clean and sharp blade and a slightly curved spine, unlike traditional fighting knives.

Inuyama congratulated:

"This sword was originally called 'Mirror Moon'. But the first person to wield it accidentally broke an inch during an assassination mission, causing the mission to fail. In his grief and anger, he re-welded the broken sword and renamed it 'Folding Moon'."

Inuyama He spoke, his gaze slightly somber.

"Finally, after an unknown amount of time, this 'Crescent Moon' fell into the hands of our Snake Clan,"

"The patriarch specially reforged this knife so that it could unleash its former power."

He presented the knife to Toyokawa Kiyotaka and slowly said:

"The patriarch asked me to relay this: How can a hidden dragon remain hidden in the abyss or be trapped in the mire for long?"

"Qinggao, you have rendered meritorious service to the family, so this knife is just right for you."

Toyokawa Kiyotaka took the sword, looked down at the water-like blade light, and felt a strange sense of calm.

Originally, his first instinct was to refuse the reward from the Snake-Headed Eight Families.

His previous act of seizing the 'key' for his family and fighting the 'Dragon King' of the Fierce Ghost Clan had already deviated from his life's trajectory.

But... this knife looks too much like the one he broke after his mission at Kassel College.

So much so that he subconsciously recalled some past events he didn't want to mention, and naturally he didn't refuse to take the 'Crescent Moon' into his hands.

Since they've already taken it, it naturally means they've accepted the family's reward.

"Ugh……"

Toyokawa Kiyoshi sighed.

Originally, he no longer wanted to get involved in the conflicts between mixed-race societies and preferred to be a stay-at-home husband, but these kinds of things can't be stopped so easily.

Therefore, Toyokawa Kiyoko had no choice but to bow and express his gratitude.

Chapter 59 Invitation, Execution Bureau, Genjiro

Inuyama He reached out and helped him up.

"No need."

Toyokawa Kiyoko knew he hadn't finished speaking, so he looked up.

"And one more thing."

Inuyama congratulated:

"It's about the latest developments of the Ghost Gang."

"The Demon Gang has a new operation?" Toyokawa Kiyoko was startled.

“You could say that,” Inuyama Hedo said.

"Recently, the Ghost Clan has been helping families with unstable bloodlines to escape on a large scale, and several people have already succeeded."

"If nothing unexpected happens, these people will all be transformed into 'ghosts' under the guidance of the Fierce Ghosts."

Toyokawa Kiyoshi listened silently to Inuyama He's story.

How to deal with members of an unstable bloodline within a family has always been a controversial topic.

Executing them outright would alienate other family members, as most of them are relatives and friends, or even childhood playmates or sweethearts. Such a drastic measure would undoubtedly create a threat to the stability of the family.

If left unchecked, members with unstable bloodlines could easily spiral out of control... If this were within the family's territory, it would naturally be brought under control immediately.