“Hmm… This house hasn’t changed a bit since the last time I left it!” muttered Kazan, standing under a tree in front of Enjou’s house.Kazan was about to step inside when suddenly three guards stopped him.“Wait—who are you, and what business do you have here?” asked one guard.Three hands settled on sword hilts. The guards spread across the entrance.“I want to go inside!” replied Kazan.“I’m sorry, sir, but we can’t let just anyone enter Lord Enjou’s residence unless you have an appointment with our master. If not, please leave!” said one of them.The guards spoke politely, fearing that the masked visitor might take offense if they were rude.Kazan glanced from one guard to the next. After the Yingwei attack, he could hardly blame them for barring a masked stranger.“I’m Shinra Kazan, Lord Enjou’s adopted son. Please tell my parents I’ve come home.”The guards exchanged glances. All knew the name; none had been there when the boy disappeared.“Who’s here?” Enjou’s voice suddenly rang

The two arrived in the living room, where Enjou and Arata were waiting. Kazane appeared to have just come in as well.Arata stopped chatting with Enjou when he saw Kazan and Rika enter.“Teacher!” Kazan saluted Arata, who had already risen from his seat.Arata returned the salute. He searched for his student’s Ki, then frowned when he could not gauge it.“How are you, Teacher?” asked Kazan.“I’m fine, Kazan! I should be the one asking you that, considering you’re such a naughty student for leaving without telling me!” said Arata as he gently tugged on Kazan’s ear.Rika chuckled at the sight, joined by Enjou and Kazan.“Arata Sensei, if you so much as hurt Kazan, I won’t forgive you!” said Kazane, joining in the soft laughter.Two servants came over carrying snacks and hot ginger tea for everyone.“Kazan, where have you been all this time? I heard from your father that you met a knight who taught you martial arts! Who is that knight?” asked Arata.Kazan sat next to Rika, sipping a littl

“He’s just a young man—what is there to fear? At most, he’s still a knight at the Middle Level, so the other participants will surely be able to defeat him easily,” said Tatsuya.Kaito glanced at Kazan, then nodded. Neither he nor the king could gauge the reserves hidden behind the young face.“Your Majesty, Lord Zhen has already prepared two Kishi over there, so all you have to do is tell them when to move!” said one of Zhen’s messengers.“All right, thank you!” said Tatsuya. Then he looked over at Zhen, who was sitting there and grinning at him.When the dancers withdrew, Souta returned to the platform with the match list.“Now the moment we’ve all been waiting for has arrived. I’d like the representatives I call to stand over here. Once I say ‘go,’ one knight from each side may step up, while the others wait below.”“Teammates may take turns, but only one knight from each side may fight at a time. A defeated or withdrawn knight cannot re-enter. A candidate is eliminated when no repr

“Are you finished speaking, sir?” asked Kazan with an icy stare.The knight laughed. The boy looked no stronger than the Middle Level to him; as an Upper Knight, he expected a short fight.“All right, young man, don’t blame me if anything happens to you,” said the knight, then attacked Kazan.“White Crane Technique!”The knight advanced in a weaving line. Three fingers formed the upper beak of his crane-shaped hand, with thumb and little finger folded beneath.The hand darted toward Kazan’s face. He waited until it passed his shoulder.Then he caught the wrist and turned it across the man’s balance.CRACK!“Aargh!”The scream carried over the barrier. The knight clutched his forearm as Kazan released him.The broken arm hung at an angle. He tried once to lift it, then stopped.The calls for Kazan to retreat died away.Enjou gripped the edge of his seat. Beside him, Arata stared at the injured arm. On the dais, Tatsuya leaned forward.“That’s what happens when you underestimate others!”

Arata came up beside Kazan, moving carefully. “You recognized that move?”“It’s one of the Demon Forest Sect’s forms,” Kazan replied.“How do you know this move comes from the Demon Forest?” asked Arata.“Have you forgotten, Master? I’m a student of one of the knights from the Demon Forest.”“I remember. But many sects use demon arts. Are you certain it isn’t a similar form?”“My master told me about his four fellow disciples. He described their arts, including that palm strike.”“If I’m not mistaken, one of his fellow disciples was called the Death Reaper Demon. He often wielded a large sickle, didn’t he?” asked Arata.“Yes. His second senior brother wielded the Soul-Reaping Sickle. My master told me that palm form was one of the man’s first techniques.”Taoji’s remaining two representatives looked from their dead companion to the waiting woman. Neither advanced.“Neither of you wants to fight?” she asked. They shook their heads.“Commander Souta, none of them want to fight. Does this