North American detective: From scoundrel to god among men

Chapter 76 Koji Shimazu's Coercion

A samurai, with the courage of someone about to commit seppuku, charged forward and slashed fiercely from right to left with his robe!

Titus swung his sword to the left with a backhand stroke, slicing the samurai's sword in half as if it were a knife cutting through silk. As he sheathed his sword, he thrust the hilt backward, striking the samurai in the back. The samurai staggered and fell out of the arena.

He thought that if he hadn't used the hilt of the sword, but instead thrust it backwards and pierced the samurai's heart, the sensation of drawing the sword and swinging it to shake off the blood would have been much more intense.

He shook his head, thinking to himself, "Terrorism really does cause a lot of harm."

This slight head sway, coupled with the fact that he hadn't moved an inch from beginning to end, and even his stance with his legs together, was undoubtedly seen by the warriors as a blatant provocation!

With another upward slash to the right, Titus swung his sword straight down, seemingly effortlessly cleaving the samurai's sword in two with a single, seemingly effortless strike. The immense force compelled the samurai to kneel abruptly, the iron sword stopping precisely at the samurai's neck.

Titus looked down into the warrior's terrified eyes, smiled slightly, flicked his wrist, and lightly tapped the warrior's cheek with the blade of his sword.

He said gently:

"Get out of here."

The humiliated warrior left in anger.

Without giving Titus any rest, the warriors launched another fierce attack.

Titus, wielding his sword with one hand, effortlessly slashed, chopped, parried, and thrust backward...

The clanging of swords clashing was deafening, and sparks flew everywhere in an instant!

Titus's steps never faltered, as if he were a swordsman immortal.

The killing moves that the warriors fought with all their might were nothing more than child's play that he could easily handle with one hand.

Outside the training grounds, Shimazu Koji sincerely praised:

"My friend, Mr. Jack's swordsmanship is truly unparalleled!"

"No matter what deadly moves my disciple uses, Mr. Jack still only uses the most basic sword techniques, which means he has reached the realm of returning to simplicity."

John Wick, who was referred to as "friend," paused for a moment.

He had never seen Jack use a sword before, and in his opinion, the guy probably only knew basic sword moves and was just all about brute force.

John nodded thoughtfully and said briefly:

"That's really impressive."

Shimazu Koji then looked at Inuyama Rei beside him and asked:

"Inuyama-kun, how confident are you in defeating Mr. Jack?"

Inuyama watched the "Hundred Battles" trial silently; he would appear as the final boss.

The flashing of swords and shadows constantly shifted within Inuyama's pupils.

He lowered his head and replied:

"There is little chance of victory... but for the sake of the family head, I will do my utmost."

The three stood side by side, with John on the left, Koji Shimazu in the middle, and Rei Inuyama on the right.

Koji Shimazu stood with his hands behind his back and said calmly:

"For the sake of the family head, everything you have done has indeed been for the sake of the family head."

"But I'm afraid it's not for me, the head of the family, but for the position of head of the family..."

Inuyama Rei instantly knelt down on one knee, cold sweat pouring down his face:

"Patriarch, please understand! My actions have not disobeyed the patriarch or the family in any way!"

Hiroshi Shimazu said leisurely:

"I know that, but I also know that Inuyama-kun is a... devoted ronin samurai."

Inuyama looked up at Shimazu. Shimazu Koji was wearing a pair of flat glasses, the lenses reflecting a cold, eerie light under the lamplight, obscuring his face. In that instant, Inuyama felt as if he were crawling at the feet of a vicious jackal.

"She's been dead for so long, it's remarkable that you've been investigating her so diligently."

"I suppose you've already found out the truth—your girl was assassinated by my daughter, Shimazu Akira, whom I sent."

John crossed his arms, his gaze still fixed on the "Hundred-Strike" trial ahead, but his attention had long since drifted elsewhere.

Ignoring the cold Inuyama beneath his feet, Shimazu Koji calmly observed the 'Hundred Battles' trial.

Inuyama remained silent for a long moment before slowly saying:

"The patriarch is wise; he has removed my inner demons."

"Well, it's good that you think that way."

Koji Shimazu didn't look at him, but pursed his lips, giving a forced smile, and said:

"But I know what you're really thinking: secretly grow stronger, recruit samurai, eliminate dissidents, and then replace this old man?"

"How's your grand rebellion going?"

"Master, you've misunderstood me. I just wanted to..."

Inuyama Rei's breathing quickened, and his fingers trembled as he subconsciously reached for the sword at his waist.

Koji Shimazu interrupted him, saying quickly:

"I can spare your life."

Inuyama stopped moving abruptly, unsure of Shimazu's intentions.

If things are exposed, why doesn't the patriarch just send out ninjas to deal with him?

Instead of letting it develop to this point, why bring it up now?

Unless... unless the patriarch is absolutely certain that he can manipulate Inuyama Rei at will.

Or perhaps, the patriarch is bluffing him!

Inuyama Rei racked his brains for a while before finally calming down and saying seriously:

"Master, please give instructions!"

Koji Shimazu narrowed his eyes slightly, looking at Titus, who was leisurely fighting eight rounds in the arena, and slowly said:

"Kill him with a hundred blows, or... commit seppuku on the spot."

"Yes, sir!"

"Go and get ready."

"Yes, ma'am!!"

After Inuyama Rei left, John Wick turned around in surprise to look at Shimazu Koji.

Koji Shimazu calmly said:

"I don't want to lie to you, my friend."

"The demon sword Onikiri isn't something you can just hand over so easily. Who can obtain it without shedding blood?"

"Besides, we all believe in Mr. Jack's abilities, which is why you've made a fool of yourself."

John smiled meaningfully and said:

"You want to use Jack to get rid of Inuyama-kun?"

"You also believe that Jack can pass the hundred-fight trial."

Koji Shimazu's gaze never left Hyakuban-da, and he smiled slightly:

"The Undertaker of the Brooklyn Bridge is a renowned figure, and I look forward to his clash with the Fool."

On the training grounds of the Hundred Battles.

Titus fought to the very end.

His final opponent slowly walked into the ring—Inuyama Rei.

Inuyama Rei, sword in hand, stared coldly at Titus, an invisible killing intent emanating from him.

The two stood motionless, their gazes clashing as if in a battle between celestial beings.

Martial arts novels often depict two top masters exchanging blows through eye contact, seemingly motionless but actually having already been exchanging and countering each other's moves for a long time.

Both sides were waiting for the moment when the other's breathing became disordered and a weakness was revealed.

For a master, victory or defeat can be decided in an instant; the transformation from extreme stillness to extreme movement happens in a single moment!

Inuyama Rei thought to himself, he must seize this life-or-death moment!

And Titus thought:

What's that Sasuke-like blockhead standing there like an idiot thinking about? If you're not going to fight, then get down there!

The next moment!

Inuyama Rei lightly pushed the hilt of his sword with his finger, leaped forward, drew his sword, and slashed. The white blade light flashed out like a crescent moon!

So slow...

Even when he wasn't focused, Titus still felt it was very slow. To an outsider, the seemingly fleeting sword draw was as slow as an old lady waving her cane.

"Just stop him and cut his sword," Titus thought.

He swung his sword to block Inuyama Rei's sword-drawing slash. The swords clashed, and the two swords stopped in mid-air without breaking apart!

Titus, holding his sword in one hand, looked with interest at Inuyama Rei, who was desperately slashing below him.

This guy actually managed to catch a knife strike from my single hand!

Moreover, when the two swords clashed, he didn't draw his sword but instead gripped both swords with both hands and fought him with strength.

You're quite capable, Inuyama-kun!

He recalled Shimazu Akira's words:

Give them a good dressing down...