Not a detective

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The Autumn of Orochi: Chapter Twenty-Four - The Final Obstacle

The old monk, transformed from a tapir, circled around Asakawa Riku, speaking as he did so:

"Asakawa Riku, the last time I saw you, you were still immature and flawed. I never imagined that in just two years, you could grow to such an extent. Are you really human?"

"Two years ago, your physical and technical skills were only approaching perfection, but now they are complete. Even your most backward aspect, your mind, has just undergone a transformation and sublimation."

"Trinity, what opponent do you have now? Even if I unleash my full power, this illusory dream will be torn to shreds in a second. There's no chance."

"You weren't trapped in this dream by me; you just wanted to come in on your own. You wanted to use my dream to get closer to that goal, am I right?"

Asakawa Riku didn't even turn around, just stood there, his gaze no longer following her, showing some impatience:

"Fight if you want, or step in. What's with all the nonsense?"

He was really into the previous rounds, but he didn't expect to run into this old guy who only talked big and was so slippery that he refused to fight, which greatly disappointed him.

"Haha... Sorry. As people get older, they see enough of the world and become more interested in unusual things... Bliss~"

The tapir stroked its chin, chuckling softly, then its expression suddenly changed: "But... Asakawa Riku, your inner demons haven't been completely resolved, have they...? You still have secrets that bind you..."

His voice came softly from behind:

"I know your secret. You're from another world, that's why you're so powerful. Am I right?"

The air seemed to fall silent for a moment.

Without warning, Asakawa Riku turned around.

By removing all the "actions," it's as if we've fast-forwarded directly to the "result."

"...!"

The tapir's movements were also startled by this gaze, and it took a step back under the pressure of the invisible aura.

In an instant, the white space seemed to be swallowed by darkness, and an invisible monster grew out, pressing down on him from above.

Yes, the tapir knows Asakawa Riku's secret and his identity as a "time traveler".

Because of the reading of memories... otherwise the previous supreme god could not have conjured such a scene, and Nue could not have appeared to interrogate him with "past events".

The tapir has already discovered an important secret.

He took one step back... two steps back, and the old monk found himself uncontrollably retreating, unable to stop, his breathing becoming increasingly rapid.

"Don't rush to kill me to silence me... There are deeper things I can't see, it's like they're shrouded in a thick fog, your previous world..."

The pressure has dissipated.

He finally stopped and took a deep breath.

The black shadow retracted, and Asakawa Riku calmly asked, "What do you mean?"

The tapir clutched its chest and paused for several seconds before recovering.

"...I can't see through your original world. Not only that, but if I look at it for a few more seconds, I'm afraid my life will be in danger. It's like it's been specially covered up by some kind of force."

His eyes were serious as he said earnestly, "Asakawa Riku, we've met before. Even if you think I have ill intentions, just consider it my attempt to curry favor with you. Consider this advice a gift: stop pursuing this. No matter where you're from, no matter who Asukai Shi really is, you can't touch them... You'll die."

"I know."

Riku Asakawa roughly understood... The tapir must have glimpsed a moment of "Earth," then couldn't process the amount of information and almost died once.

That's why he gave that advice, whether it's because Asu's power is sealed, or because of the difference between the two worlds...

Just like the "mirror that could foresee the future" that he had looked into before, it was also unable to bear it, and so it shattered.

"As long as you give up now and turn back, you will still be the powerful Asakawa Riku. No organization or person in this world can threaten you, and you can live whatever life you want."

The tapir continued its earnest advice: "But if this continues... this dream will slip out of my control, and then I won't be able to save you."

"I know."

Asakawa Riku repeated these words: "But I have to go."

Just like the promise he made to Nue, and to himself.

He didn't forget.

He has to go.

The tapir was speechless, stumped by the boy's stubbornness, and didn't know how to persuade him.

The yokai, who always cherished their lives and considered survival as their top priority, simply could not understand what could be more important than living, which would drive Asakawa Riku to move forward so recklessly.

He could only sigh:

"Alright. Anyway, I can't beat you. If I could, I'd really like to knock you out and drag you back... We should be able to become friends in the future."

"Let's move on to the next level." Asakawa Riku was no longer so hostile. After realizing that Baku's true intention was just to persuade him to stop, he smiled and said, "I'm in a hurry."

It's quite noticeable that his personality seems to have changed somewhat since his battle with "Nue".

He's no longer so lively and outgoing; instead, he's become more composed, as if he's shed his boyish nature and acquired the demeanor of a master—cool yet peaceful.

It's as if I've accepted some memories from the past.

It's not about cutting off, it's about accepting.

"Ok."

The tapir knew that things had come to this point, and there was no point in saying anything more. Observing this person over the past two years, it was clear that he was determined to achieve his goal, and there was no room for negotiation.

As the old monk's figure faded and disappeared, he left behind one last sentence:

“I can’t stop you, Asakawa Riku, but there’s one more person who definitely doesn’t want you to continue. We can only pin our hopes on her.”

"Let's see if she can stop you."

...

Upon hearing this, Asakawa Riku's resolute expression finally showed a brief moment of emotion.

He saw a figure slowly walking towards him from the depths of the distant mist.

“I didn’t mean to eavesdrop, but it seems I arrived a little early.”

Kirisame Aoi wore a dashing black trench coat, with two scabbards at her waist. Her eyes, like Asakawa Riku's, held a resolute calm.

"When I first heard Ms. Sagawa say these things, I thought it was... a joke. I never expected it to be true, Asakawa."

The seventh trial of Orochi is against Kirisame.

She is the final gatekeeper. If Asakawa Riku can defeat her, he can proceed to the final trial and see his strongest opponent, Asukai Shi.

"If you don't want me to see her."

Asakawa Riku smiled bitterly. The two looked at each other from a hundred meters apart, but his voice was loud enough to convey: "You shouldn't have brought me to the Inspection Department, and you shouldn't have told me about this method."

Once he was given hope, it was impossible to stop him. Knowing this method, Asakawa Riku would never give up.

"I am someone who likes fair competition."

Kirisame simply placed her hand on the sheath, smiled, her short hair swaying slightly, as if awakened by the aura of the blade breaking through the sheath: "Even if I want to stop you, this is the only way."

Without further ado, the two conveyed everything with their eyes the moment they met.

For martial artists, combat is all they need to communicate.

The Autumn of Orochi: Chapter Twenty-Five - Dissipation of Power

Moonlight pierced through the broken clouds, casting dappled silver patterns on the bluestone ground.

This was originally just a virtual space with no scenery and no moon, but after Asakawa Riku "took over" it, it could be projected according to his ideas.

He always felt that the battle with Kirisame Aoi was inevitable, so he might as well make it a little more romantic.

Asakawa Riku gently rubbed his toes, his body extremely relaxed, as if he had turned into water and melted down.

Twenty paces away, the hem of a black trench coat swept across the blue bricks, and Wu Yu Kui's left thumb pushed the hilt of her knife half an inch out.

"Mist and rain flow, mist and rain sunflower."

A clear, cold female voice rang out simultaneously with the sound of friction. Asakawa Riku slightly bent his knees, watching the crescent-shaped blade of light pierce through the air.

The two had always clashed in the realm of imagination, but this was the first time their real bodies clashed with swords, and this was undoubtedly Asakawa Riku's territory.

The first slash was a diagonal cut to his right shoulder, but Asakawa Riku didn't retreat; instead, he advanced. His right arm muscles tensed instantly, like iron, and the outside of his forearm met the blade—

Amidst the trembling sound of metal clashing, the blade cut half a millimeter into the skin before failing to advance any further. Kirisame's pupils constricted slightly, and using the recoil, she spun around and unleashed a second slash.

"Wind and Flowers".

A tremendous force struck, and sparks flew from the ground as Asakawa Riku's cloth shoes scraped against the ground. He leaned back following the momentum of the blade, his nose grazing the back of the blade, while his left hand gripped the opponent's wrist like a tiger's claw.

Suddenly, Kirisame Aoi released her sword and unsheathed her second sword, sweeping it across her lower body. Asakawa Riku leaped into the air, his right leg slashing down like a battle axe, but was precisely blocked by the scabbard.

"Good waist strength," Asakawa Riku exclaimed as he landed.

This is by no means just a fancy display of techniques; without honing one's physical skills and developing fundamental abilities, it would be impossible to achieve this.

Kirisame Aoi's right leg was straight in a mid-body stance, and the hem of her trench coat was rolled up to reveal tabi socks tied with black straps.

The two clashed without result, separating after a brief collision. The sword fell from the air and clicked precisely back into its sheath.

"I can't believe what you said is true... How did you manage to keep a knife from cutting through your body?"

"This is the realm of 'invulnerability'. In your words, it's like tempering your body like a sword being forged; your body is your weapon."

Asakawa Riku patiently explained.

This is something only martial artists, or rather, only boxers, can achieve; it is the ultimate achievement gained by abandoning weapons.

Like Kirisame Aoi, who can parry attacks with her blade, Asakawa Riku is unarmed and can only rely on himself to defend.

Therefore, without training one's physical strength to the extreme, there is simply no way to compete.

Not only is it "invulnerable to swords and spears", but it is also "impervious to water and fire", which is the power of dissipation.

Ordinary sharp weapons couldn't harm his body, and even elemental magic like that of Kazamatsuri Akihisa had limited effect.

The so-called fist can only be broken by a fist, like the powerful and heavy blunt weapon impact of Shuten-dōji, so that it can penetrate the skin and reach the muscles and internal organs to be effective.

Only martial artists who share the same lineage and possess the profound understanding of the "strength to strike from a distance" technique, like Nue, can pose a threat to Asakawa Riku himself.

Kirisame Aoi's expression was still somewhat incredulous; clearly, this incident had greatly impacted her worldview.

Her blade was always invincible; no matter what kind of metal shield it was, it could not stop her from taking a single blow. How could an ordinary body remain unharmed?

"But didn't you say you were afraid of guns and bullets...? My knife is just as powerful as a bullet."

That's the truth. Kirisame once demonstrated the ability to slice through the wall of the interrogation room of the Ministry of Supervision with a single knife. That level of skill is even more exaggerated than a bullet.

Asakawa Riku laughed:

"Maybe I didn't explain clearly. Regular handgun bullets don't pose much of a threat to me. Machine gun bullets, on the other hand, can injure me and force me to dodge. If someone wanted to kill me in one shot, it would probably have to be a 12.7mm tungsten-core armor-piercing bullet aimed at my heart or brain before I could dodge... That would still scare me a lot."

"Are you an armored vehicle or a tank...?"

Kiri Aoi couldn't help but laugh. If someone else said that, they would probably think it was just nonsense or a joke.

But the way this person said it didn't sound like a lie.

Asakawa Riku held his right hand up to his eyes, where a clear bloodstain could be seen, running through the muscle and deep enough to expose the bone.

Blood flowed from the wound, and the stinging pain was obvious. He was not as relaxed as he looked, and Kiri Aoi's slash was by no means ineffective.

Ordinary blades would only break when they hit him. The last time someone used a bladed weapon to cause him such obvious damage was not when it was Morita Hayato, and even her master could not do it.

Weapons of such poor quality are utterly harmless except for the bullets.

It is [Nekomata].

That dangerous monster with sharp teeth and pointed fingers was a master of cutting, and had once broken through the limits of impenetrable defense.

But now, Kirisame Aoi's blade is inflicting deeper damage than Nekomata's, and Asakawa Riku is already feeling threatened.

"That's really good..."

Asakawa Riku smiled. He wasn't wrong; Kirisame Aoi was indeed an interesting woman.

If it were her knife... maybe it could fulfill the prophecy in the mirror, cutting him into pieces, slicing him into those shapes...

"continue."