"That boy just now… he's the judge the Yukinoshita family invited?"
Yuuki Kyouko was caught off guard.
She had assumed the judge attending would be Awashima Seri. Never had she imagined it would be a boy around the same age as her daughter.
Awashima Seri, who was acknowledged by Kocho Kanae as having swordsmanship far beyond ordinary, now followed this boy like a maid.
Kyouko recalled how Madam Yukinoshita had addressed the youth with such respectful deference—it was unlike anything she had ever seen.
"Besides... if he were merely a judge, would Madam Yukinoshita need to treat him that respectfully?"
The Yukinoshita conglomerate had risen rapidly in recent years, and the Yuuki family had witnessed it all.
Kyouko respected Madam Yukinoshita's business acumen.
But in this world, business skill alone wasn't enough—supernatural power was the true foundation for a family or conglomerate's survival.
Judging from the peaceful rise of the Yukinoshita group, there had to be an extraordinary force supporting them from the shadows.
"Could it be that this boy is the hidden supernatural power behind the Yukinoshita family?"
Kyouko fell into deep thought.
Originally planning to leave and return only after the semifinals, she now changed her mind.
"It's necessary to observe this Kuzeha Yuu carefully."
At that moment, her daughter approached.
"Mother, I'm going to my match."
Kyouko didn't even turn her head—only responded with a curt,
"Mm."
Yuuki Asuna took a deep breath.
She was used to this.
Only when she produced outstanding results would her mother offer praise.
"Swallow the Yuuki family and absorb the Demon Slayer Corps?"
Yukinoshita Haruno repeated in shock after hearing Awashima Seri.
"Yes. Lord Kuzehas expressed such an intention," Seri nodded.
Haruno's first thought was that it was feasible.
But the Yuuki family was a hundred-year-old powerhouse, and the Demon Slayer Corps had a thousand-year legacy of hunting demons—absorbing them completely would require a detailed plan.
As she was considering this, her mother's voice came softly to her ears.
"If that's Lord Kuze's will, then execute it immediately."
"Awashima, withdraw the recruiters. We won't be scouting talent today."
Haruno turned in surprise.
"Mother, aren't we recruiting talented kendo practitioners anymore?"
"There's no need."
"Let the Yuuki family and the Demon Slayer Corps handle that. Once they're absorbed, they'll all belong to Lord Kuze."
Haruno was stunned.
While she was still thinking about how to take over the Yuuki family, her mother had already accepted it as a foregone conclusion.
"And the Demon Slayer Corps—no plan needed there?"
Haruno hesitated.
But in response, Madam Yukinoshita's eyes shone with awe and devotion.
"To Lord Kuze, such things are trivial."
"We only need to believe in him and carry out his will."
Having seen Kuzeha's divine might firsthand, she had become a fervent believer.
Yuuki Asuna, dressed in her white keikogi and carrying her wooden sword, finished changing in the locker room.
This year's kendo tournament was divided into four divisions—elementary through university—with 64 slots per group.
Despite the large number of entries, the prizes set by the Yukinoshita and Yuuki families attracted a flood of applicants.
Only those with results in national competitions in the past three years could qualify.
The high school division was split into A and B blocks.
Asuna drew Block B.
She scanned the list—few strong opponents.
Only one name caught her attention: Busujima Saeko.
They had fought years ago in a middle school tournament—Asuna had lost.
But now, with years of harsh training and mastery of Total Concentration Breathing, she was far stronger.
She was confident she could beat Saeko in the semifinals.
Before the final four, Kuzeha and Kanae wouldn't appear as judges.
There was only one referee per match.
Since students lacked the stamina for extended bouts, matches progressed quickly.
Within two hours, it was already down to the final eight.
Wearing her white uniform and high ponytail, Asuna stepped into the arena.
Her opponent was another girl in the final four—a school kendo club captain, if she recalled correctly.
"Please guide me."
After the bow, the referee gave the signal.
The girl lunged immediately, closing three meters in an instant.
Asuna didn't flinch.
She twisted her body, vanished from sight, then reappeared behind the opponent.
A sharp crack rang out.
The opponent's sword was knocked away, and Asuna's blade touched her shoulder.
"Match over!"
"Asuna wins!"
A crushing victory.
Four matches in, and not a single opponent had lasted more than thirty seconds.
"I heard the Yuuki family will start a kendo training program after this..."
Asuna heard whispers from fellow students.
She glanced over.
Familiar faces—probably family plants.
Unlike the Yukinoshita side, the Yuuki family's training program was essentially a pre-recruitment process for the Demon Slayer Corps.
"Asuna, how was the match? Any promising candidates?"
Shinobu approached her.
Asuna looked at the girl she had just fought.
"She's got potential."
For a normal person, her performance was excellent.
Even many Demon Slayer Corps members without breathing techniques couldn't do what she had done.
"If she learns breathing techniques, she could become strong," she added.
Shinobu nodded.
"I'll send someone to speak with her."
With Asuna as a shining example, promises of supernatural resources would easily draw in students—even those who lost.
Still, she couldn't help but wonder—why hadn't the Yukinoshita side made a single move?
Were they really handing all these kendo talents over to the Yuuki family?
"What's that woman thinking?"
Kyouko tapped her armrest, visibly uneasy.
She knew Madam Yukinoshita well—there was no way she'd go through all the effort to host a tournament only to give up at the most critical moment.
"Does she look down on anyone outside the top four?"
But even those in the top 64 had strong credentials—this was a national-level event.
"Or... is she planning something far bigger?"
Kyouko frowned, deep in thought.
Meanwhile, the middle school division progressed faster than high school.
It had already reached the semifinals.
Kanao and Suguha had each won their brackets, setting up for a showdown in the final.
No one else had come close to threatening them.
After qualifying, both girls winked at Kuzeha in the stands.
He gave them a thumbs-up.
Just then, he felt someone staring at him.
He turned.
Busujima Saeko.
Having just won her quarterfinal, she entered the arena where the judges were seated.
She had heard that once the semifinals began, the judges would start issuing personal challenges.
Both judges were said to be extremely powerful.
She had wanted to test herself against them.
But she didn't expect to see a very familiar figure seated among them.
"Kuzeha?!"
She was stunned.
The guy she trained with every day… was one of the judges?!
Then again, considering his strength, it wasn't surprising.
"He totally did this to surprise me…"
She glared at him, catching the smile on his face.
Saeko walked over.
"Long time no see, Busujima-senpai. It's strange seeing you in a proper kendo uniform for once!"
Her face turned red.
She remembered all the outfits she'd worn while training with him—kendo gear wasn't usually one of them.
"Good luck. I'm looking forward to your championship reward," Kuzeha teased.
Saeko blushed and walked away.
From a distance, Asuna watched in disbelief.
"Busujima Saeko knows that Kuzeha?"
And judging from their interaction, their relationship wasn't normal.
"She's the one who beat you before, right?"
Shinobu asked curiously.
"Yeah, she's the eldest daughter of the renowned Busujima kendo family."
Shinobu's eyes lit up with understanding.
"Maybe... that judge representing the Yukinoshita family is connected to the Busujima clan."
With that thought, she walked over to her sister.
"Big sis? You okay?"
Kanae didn't respond until Shinobu called twice.
"What are you looking at?"
She followed Kanae's gaze—it was on two girls chatting and laughing.
"They're… together?"
Shinobu was surprised.
"They both made it to the finals?"
"Big sis, how's their talent?"
Kanae hesitated, then said softly,
"I think… they know breathing techniques."
Shinobu froze.
But since none of their opponents had posed a real threat, it was hard to confirm.
"We'll find out during the judge challenges."
"Let's focus on Asuna's match first."
"She'll win for sure!" Shinobu said confidently.
The high school semifinals began.
Two distinct beauties stood face to face, swords drawn.
"Please guide me!"
As soon as the words left her mouth, Asuna moved!
Her ponytail trailed behind her like a banner.
For her former rival Busujima Saeko, she went all out—
Flower Breathing, Fifth Form: Peony of Inescapable Fate!
Her blade multiplied into nine phantom images, striking with blinding speed.
Aiming directly for Saeko's chest.
Saeko's eyes lit up in surprise.
She'd seen this technique before—from Kuzeha's younger sisters.
But Asuna's version was sharper, more refined—clearly a polished upgrade.
Saeko smoothly sidestepped and parried.
Then launched a counterattack.
Below, the audience was stunned.
Most were fellow students or family members of participants—people with a good eye for kendo.
What they witnessed now shocked even them.
Among them, the dark-skinned girl rain watched with interest.
"Finally, a decent match!"
"The girl named Yuuki is using a breathing technique… not bad, but her swordplay's lacking."
Her gaze shifted to Saeko, eyes widening.
"Didn't expect someone in this kind of tournament to have swordsmanship at this level!"
"She's reached the supernatural realm through swordsmanship alone!"
That was no small feat.
Plenty of people became supernatural through strength.
But achieving it solely through sword technique?
That was rare.
In their Council of Swordmasters, that was the gold standard.
"Busujima Saeko… she must be from that famous Busujima family. Didn't expect their generation to produce a true sword master."
Shido nodded.
"She's going to win."
And she did.
Asuna's sword was knocked away. Saeko's blade pointed between her eyes.
"Busujima wins."
Saeko helped Asuna up.
Asuna's gaze was filled with complex emotion and frustration.
She didn't understand.
She had trained under a Pillar of the Demon Slayer Corps for two years.
How was she so thoroughly suppressed?
It was like Saeko could read her every move.
A complete suppression in technique.
"Saeko-senpai... how did you reach this level?"
Asuna asked after a pause.
Saeko looked toward Kuzeha, then smiled.
"Because I have a teacher who's reached the pinnacle of kendo."
A teacher at the pinnacle?
Asuna froze.
If someone as strong as Saeko said that…
What kind of monster was her teacher?
She followed Saeko's gaze—
To the boy whom even Madam Yukinoshita bowed to with reverence.
Read advance chapters on: patre on.com/Bored_Mortal