Fate: Hero Simulator

[3rd POV]

Kyouya didn't just randomly choose someone for Miyamoto Musashi to become a disciple.

According to his observation through Divine Eye, Munetoshi was not only the disciple of Sword Saint Kamiizumi Nobutsuna but was also a powerful swordsman in his own right.

Moreover, he created the Yagyū Shinkage-ryu style, one of the biggest sword schools at the time, and had the support of the mighty Tokugawa clan.

In terms of family, skill, influence, and power, Munetoshi was the perfect teacher for Musashi.

However, the real reason Kyouya chose him was because this man was currently holding a sakabato.

A sakabato has its sharp edge on the wrong side, making it almost impossible to kill anyone.

This was a symbol of a "no-kill" vow, which also explained why Munetoshi fought fiercely but he never struck to kill.

This existence of "goodness" was enough to calm the restless Murasame and allow the person before him to guide Musashi onto the right path.

This was Kyouya's first impression of Munetoshi.

As for Munetoshi, he wasn't nearly as calm inside.

He had encountered many strong warriors, fought many battles, won some, and lost some. He even had a sword saint as his master.

But even with all that experience, he couldn't understand how this young monk standing before him could be so powerful.

Was the rumor true?

Was this monk actually some kind of monster in disguise?

The last time Munetoshi had felt this much pressure from an opponent was when he faced his own master, Kamiizumi Nobutsuna.

But instead of fear, he felt excitement.

"This is my chance to see how strong I've become… ever since my last defeat."

The long-forgotten fighting spirit surged inside him once again, and Munetoshi was now determined to use a technique he had only recently created.

"Yagyū Shinkage-ryu…"

Suddenly, everything fell silent.

Unlike the peaceful silence of Kyouya's meditation, Munetoshi's sword seemed to bring the "world" stop.

In the eyes of Musashi and Yagyu Munemori, the world froze as if time itself had frozen.

Kyouya, who had been attacking, suddenly froze in place as if an invisible force had stopped him.

Musashi and Munemori felt it too. They could still think, but their bodies refused to move.

"Shinmyōken."

A shadowy figure emerged from Munetoshi's body, its vague features gradually taking shape, revealing another him.

Yagyū Shinkage-ryu's philosophy was the "Living Sword", a style focused on protecting oneself while avoiding unnecessary killing.

The Shinmyōken technique is a manifestation of Munetoshi's ideology.

Instead of cutting an enemy's body, this technique cut their fighting spirit. If successful, the enemy will feel completely defeated and lose the will to fight.

The ability to stop the world displayed at this moment was merely an illusion.

Both Musashi and Munenori are geniuses of swordsmanship, which is why they could perceive the existence of this spiritual realm.

In this space, the thoughts move much faster than the body, making it seem like time has stopped.

In this spiritual world, Munetoshi plant to cut Kyuoya's fighting spirit, forcing him to hand over the cursed sword Muramasa.

[You are amazed by this person's incredible mental power, and attacking another's consciousness with your own awareness is not simply about power or technique. You realize you must give it your all.]

A soft golden light appeared behind him, and a figure dressed in a moon-white robe slowly emerged, holding the cursed sword.

The figure stood as the Buddha's light radiated from behind.

Then, the world began to change.

In the spiritual realm, anything was possible.

The once-solid ground collapsed into an endless starry sky, and pale sword lights enveloped Munetoshi as he charged toward the giant Buddha figure.

"All conditioned phenomena are like a dream, an illusion, a bubble, a shadow, like dew or a flash of lightning. Thus should one view them."

As Kyouya chanted the Buddhist sutra, he slightly raised his arm, and the enormous Buddha figure behind him did the same thing.

A gigantic dharma sword appeared in its hand, and with a single swing, it slashed toward Munetoshi.

The moment the sword struck him, the countless blades of light collapsed in an instant and then exploded with overwhelming force.

The pale sword lights desperately tried to devour the giant Buddha, but at the same time, the massive dharma sword continued to move closer to Munetoshi.

The outcome of this clash, however, remains uncertain.

The clash between the two erupted in a blinding flash of light.

Not only did it prevent the two spectators from observing the result of the battle, but the light also tore apart the "universe" itself.

When the two of them regained their senses, they found themselves back in their original positions.

Kyouya's sword was now resting on Munetoshi's neck.

"Sigh~ Using an unrefined technique in an actual battle was indeed too risky."

Kyouya muttered.

Munetoshi slowly sheathed his sword.

The outcome was already clear, and there was no point in struggling any further.

"Father."

Seeing his father's life in danger, Munenori couldn't help but feel anxious, but his father's sharp gaze immediately stopped him.

This was not a fight he could interfere with.

"You lost, and now you must pay the price."

Kyouya actually understood that this wasn't really a win for him, and his many years of meditation made his mind incredibly strong.

Even though he got pulled into the spirit world by the Shinmyōken, he wasn't really at a disadvantage.

Even so, "Thus I Strike" still couldn't compete against Shinmyōken.

He only won because he quickly recovered from that state. Otherwise, this battle would never have ended so easily.

"If you don't kill me, it means you want to use for me. Even as the loser, I have no reason to refuse."

"I want you to take that girl as your student."

Kyouya finally said what he really wanted. He pushed aside Musashi so that his own journey could go more smoothly.

"Master, do you no longer want me?"

"I already told you, I'm not your master."

He refused to acknowledge the teacher-student relationship between them.

This made Munetoshi even more curious because not everyone can be affected by the Shinmyōken.

The girl in front of him clearly possessed extraordinary talent.

How could he refuse to take a student like her?

However, considering Kyouya's current dangerous situation, it seemed like a good choice for him to offer protection.

"That old man's swordsmanship isn't that special. Those moves earlier, except for the last one, I already learned everything just by watching. If I go there, I won't learn anything new."

She learned them?

This time, both Kyouya and Munetoshi were shocked.

While Yagyū Shinkage-ryū's sword techniques were not known for their difficulty, but learning it just by glancing at it once?

That was ridiculous!

He was momentarily unsure whether he or Musashi was the real cheat here.

"You bastard! I won't let you insult Yagyū Shinkage-ryū like that!"

At this moment, Munenori truly couldn't stand it any longer.

The Demon Blade Monk had already defeated his father in a direct fight, and now, she was not only refusing but also arrogantly saying that she had learned Yagyū Shinkage-ryū just by watching.

Now, Munenori could no longer sit still.

To be continued...