Chapter 50
When Kazuma Hatori arrived at the Zen-in family's house by car, he was received with great pomp and circumstance.
It wasn't the kind of welcoming ceremony with two rows of flower baskets and a red carpet, but rather servants standing on both sides of the courtyard path, bowing respectfully to welcome the esteemed head of the Kamo family.
Hatake Kazuma's dark eyes flickered slightly as he glanced around, only to find that none of the old men he had seen in the director's office conference room were there.
They were probably afraid he would start killing as soon as he entered the door.
He hadn't received this kind of treatment when he went to the Gojo family's house for the New Year before—that was only after Kamo Chokichi had specifically communicated with them beforehand, and the two families weren't at odds.
Are the rules of Zen monasteries more unique?
So he turned to the side, his gaze falling on Kamo Nokichi, who was half a step behind him. His gaze was dark and filled with a silent sense of oppression.
The meaning behind that look was clear—explain it, and I'll spare your life.
Suddenly, Kamo Nokichi felt a knife flying towards him and pressed against his neck: "…………"
He covered his mouth with his raised hand and whispered quickly instructions to the head of the Kamo family.
“I have conveyed your will to them.”
That was a pretty clever remark. Even Hagoromo Kazuma raised one eyebrow at him, which meant that they would let bygones be bygones for now.
Kamo Nokichi followed behind, letting out a sigh of relief that he had managed to save his own life.
I don't know why, but having lived to this age and enjoyed most of his life in glory, he's now becoming more and more pathetic... Sigh.
Well, looking at his elder brother Changji, he felt that at least he could continue to live.
The Zenin family's architectural style is similar to that of the Kamo family, with almost identical dry landscape gardens and equally winding architectural structures—the only difference being that the gardens of both the Kamo and Gojo families have now been turned into vegetable gardens by Kazuma Hatori.
Following the servant's directions, Kazuma Hatori arrived at the conference room, where the atmosphere was more like deathly silence than solemn, and sat down directly in the specially left-empty head seat.
Before he could even speak, some people expressed their dissatisfaction.
"Hey, hey, hey, have some manners, okay? Head of the Kamo family."
The moment those words were uttered in the meeting room, another elder glared at him, telling him to shut up.
"Straightforward, but mind your limits!"
Kazuma Hatori slightly raised his gaze, even glancing with a hint of surprise at the young man named [Naoya]—his short, unevenly dyed blond hair, his eyes slanted upwards at the corners, and he wore multiple earrings.
The combination of a wide-collar shirt and short, pure black t-shirts was rather unique, and Kazuma Hatake took a second look.
Do you have any objections?
Apart from that, he didn't think the other party had anything to offer that would make them provoke him.
As soon as those words, which were tantamount to "How do you want to die?" were uttered, the elders broke out in a cold sweat, cursing in their hearts the Zenin family head, Zenin Naoya, who had summoned Zenin Naoya to hold the meeting for him.
But if it were a Zhibi person sitting here drinking non-stop and not paying any attention to others... the elders even thought it wouldn't be a bad idea to exclude the head of the family from the meeting.
Since the head of the Kamo family has condescended to come all this way, what if we don't send a Zen temple head to receive him as well, in case we anger this living devil?
Thus, the scene has become what it is today—Zenin Naoya, the son of the head of the family and the designated next head of the family, is provoking the black-haired youth who is about the same age as him.
They even ignored the elder's sharp gaze and didn't look in his direction at all.
"I've heard about you, this new head of the family who appeared out of nowhere. What kind of magic do you use?"
Unexpectedly, after Kamo Nokichi conveyed his harsh words, there was an NPC like Zenin Naoya with a rather frivolous attitude who took the initiative to provoke him.
"Crimson Blood Manipulation Technique".
Out of a slight sense of caution regarding whether this NPC was very strong, Kazuma Hatake tentatively answered his question.
"Hmph... It's just the Crimson Blood Manipulation Technique. I didn't expect that after Lord Xianji, there would still be a sorcerer like you who inherited the family's techniques. No wonder you were able to become the head of the family."
Zenji Naoya took out the transcribed notebook from his pocket, casually swinging it around on his wrist. The yellowed, folded pages rubbed against each other, making a soft sound in the conference room.
"So, you actually went and proposed to Satoru. It's hilarious—come on, you don't actually think that just because you hooked up with Satoru with your looks, you can stand on the same level as them, do you?"
With his other hand, which wasn't holding the notebook, pointing to his own face, Zenji Naoya seemed to be sighing, but his words carried a clear hint of mockery.
"Are you even a man? If someone can be seduced by a pretty boy like you, I think Wu Jun's title of [Strongest Mage] will have to be handed over to someone else, right?"
Upon hearing this, the entire room fell into a deathly silence.
Kamo no Yoshikichi and the other elders were already gasping in shock.
I knew from the start that this kid was always arrogant and domineering. He always believed that he was the next head of the family and had the strength of a special first-level sorcerer, so he didn't take anyone seriously.
But who is the person he is provoking at this moment? The living Yama, who the entire higher-ups are helpless against!
Could it be that he thinks this Kamo family head is about the same age as him, and that his technique is the [Crimson Blood Manipulation Technique] which has already been thoroughly studied by the three main families, so that even if they eventually fall out and fight, he can still win?
Or perhaps he believed that the head of the Kamo family would take their presence into consideration, so even if he provoked them, he wouldn't get angry in public and would always maintain the dignity of the family head?
The atmosphere in the meeting room was so suffocating that even swallowing was considered noisy.
"Give it to someone else?"
In this almost frozen silence, Kazuma Hatori spoke.
"Who do you want to give it to?"
His dark eyes stared intently at the transcribed notebook that Zenji Naoya had casually tossed in his hand, seemingly unconcerned about whether it would be damaged.
In contrast, Kamo Nokichi and the other Kamo elders began to secretly scan back and forth between the table and the door, wondering whether it would be safer to crawl under the table or simply run out the door.
"Ha, it's hard to say—but right now, you really want this journal, don't you?"
Zenji Naoya noticed the other's gaze, and the mockery in his eyes worsened, almost to the point of contempt as he spoke.
"Why don't you show me your skills in seducing men, and see how you win Wu Jun's heart?"
As if that wasn't enough, he added another sentence.
"Oh right, remember to smile. I don't like facing a cold, indifferent face."
Under the other party's consistently expressionless gaze, Zenin Naoya turned his head away with a wicked sense of amusement, as if he were leisurely waiting to see how the new head of the Kamo family would respond.
He may look down on weaklings, but that doesn't mean he'll let his guard down—even behind his provocative words, he has a [projection spell] ready to be used at any time as a way to evade the opponent's attacks.
Anyway, if this guy can't take the verbal provocation and makes a move, not only will we be unable to attack him, but we will also lose face in front of the two elders.
If someone can truly endure without getting angry, then they become even easier to bully.
In either direction, it's a good opportunity for him to increase his prestige.
Zenji Naoya thought casually.
He's just a guy who looks imposing, but how could the attack wind-up disadvantage of [Crimson Blood Manipulation] possibly compare to his [Projection Spell], which is known for its high speed?
Sigh, after all, these guys who can sit in high positions are all old and worn out. Even if they had spells and could fight before, so what? He doesn't really think that these people got to their positions because of their merits in exorcising cursed spirits.
It's only because of the protection of the three founding families that they can still have a place in this system.
As for the black-haired youth in front of him.
Zenji Naoya's face still wore a frivolous smile as he secretly awaited any reaction from the other party, whether it be words or that fist gleaming with black light—
Wait, a fist gleaming with black light?
The thought flashed through Zenji Naoya's mind for only a moment.
The next moment, the immense force sent him flying backward, flipping him over and slamming him heavily into the obstacle—before anyone could react, Zenji Naoya had already crashed through an entire wall and fallen amidst the scattered wood chips and debris.
Choking out a mouthful of blood mixed with broken teeth, Zenji Naoya's mind was completely blank. He couldn't understand why he hadn't reacted in time and had been hit by the opponent before he could activate the [Projection Spell].
What was that, [Black Flash]? Why was he able to use [Black Flash] in his opening move?
Zenji Naoya felt as if he had been hit hard enough to have a concussion. His ears were ringing loudly, and even the images and sounds he saw and heard were out of sync.
Just as he was about to say something, he noticed that the other person had clenched their fist at him again.
—Hatori Kazuma has no intention of stopping after just one punch.
Ultimately, [Crimson Blood Manipulation] is a skill that controls blood. No matter how much damage it inflicts on the opponent, it doesn't have the same impact as a fist.
As for the other party's attempt to retaliate...
[[Obsession with Strict Obsession]: Confusion of the target's five senses and perception for a certain period of time. Specific effects are randomly generated after activation, and can be canceled midway, or continue until the spell's power is exhausted.]
[Current target: Zenin Naoya.]
[Current random effect: Delays the time it takes for the brain to receive visual information.]
[Random time: 2 seconds.]
The randomly generated effect isn't very powerful, and it's completely useless against targets that can fight with their eyes closed and rely solely on their hearing.
But at least for now, it's enough for him to deal with this kind of person.
Seeing Zenji Naoya struggling to escape, Hato Kazuma coldly and mercilessly raised his fist again.
[Black Flash]!
When several more heavy, dark torrents of energy surged through the conference room like thunder, the elders present exchanged bewildered glances, almost none daring to step forward to stop them.
Reveal Naoya's identity as the next head of the family, so that this living devil will be willing to stop?
Come on, everyone here is a high-ranking executive in the director's department, and I haven't seen him hesitate to take action.
And look at this terrifying attack method, a punch is a black flash! It's only because this young man is tough and thick-skinned, who among them could withstand a punch?
Kamo no Yoshikichi had already begun to quietly retreat, trying to get as far away from his family head, who was currently making a move, as possible.
There were also acquaintances from the Zen temple next door who were giving him disapproving looks.
Look at the Kamo family head you brought along, he'll start a fight at the slightest provocation!
Kamo no Yoshikichi glared back without hesitation.
Who provoked first? Do you think the patriarch would want to hear that? We've already forced you to hand over your weapons!
"Who do you think you are, to even compare yourself to Wu?"
When the guy lying on the tatami mat had been beaten half to death and was barely breathing, Kazuma Hatori, who had beaten the guy from the conference room to the corridor and back to the conference room, finally stopped and stood up, his gaze looking down at him cold and contemptuous.
“The people in the Zen monastery are willing to think highly of you, but you really take yourself too seriously and think you can be compared to Wu.”
He bent down and picked up the transcribed notebook from the tatami mat, then tossed it into Kamo Nokichi's arms, telling the latter to keep it safe.
"Wu has a good temper and doesn't care if some filthy flies badmouth him behind his back. But I'm different."
Those usually indifferent black eyes now revealed a sharp and angry look, scanning everyone present one by one.
"Come on, who else wants to spout nonsense at Wu Da? Tell me."
No one spoke.
Not a single person spoke up for Zenji Naoya; all the high-ranking officials in the conference room maintained an absolute silence of indulgence, tacitly condoning Hagoromo Kazuma's atrocities.
"It's nothing but the stuff of a clown, yet he dares to present it to me."
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