"What's going on?"
Kamo Itsuki stopped mid-breath, eyes widening as confusion flickered across his face. This unexpected change wasn't something he could ignore. Instead, it pushed him into deep thought.
He began to test it methodically—training, exhausting his Cursed Energy, recording the results, then repeating the cycle again and again. Each time, he pushed himself right to the edge, observing carefully the next morning.
Eventually, he discovered the cause.
If he consumed his Cursed Energy down to a precise critical point, the total upper limit of his Cursed Energy would increase exponentially.
For example, if he had previously been able to extract one hundred units of Cursed Energy from accumulated negative emotions, then after one perfect depletion and recovery cycle, that limit would rise to two hundred.
But this critical point was extremely difficult to master.
If he pushed too far, he would only collapse from physical exhaustion with no improvement.
Too little, and nothing would happen at all.
So he practiced relentlessly, adjusting the threshold again and again, until he could pinpoint that exact moment with precision.
From that day onward, he cultivated daily until his Cursed Energy reached the perfect level of depletion—no more, no less. Then he would simply wait quietly for it to recover, watching its total capacity double each time.
"Itsuki," Kamo Masaki told him one evening, a warm yet admonishing tone in his voice, "cultivation requires perseverance, but you must also understand balance."
He folded his arms as he continued,
"Excess is harmful. A rhythm of tension and relaxation leads to longevity. Your physical techniques have improved greatly, but your body also needs time to adjust to these changes."
Masaki gave him a gentle wave.
"Today's training ends here. I'm giving you a special day off. Go enjoy life a little. And remember—no training."
"Yes," Itsuki replied with a bow.
He left the dojo in a crisp white training uniform, sleeves fluttering behind him. Masaki's advice seemed reasonable, so he decided to take a walk through Mount Chiba. Fresh air, sunlight filtering through the leaves, and the quiet of nature would clear his mind.
"Kamo Yu," Masaki called to a guard at the edge of the dojo, "take a small team and protect Itsuki in secret."
Kamo Yu—a tall, broad-shouldered Grade 1 sorcerer with a stern expression—nodded and departed immediately.
As Itsuki walked, the forest enveloped him. Birds sang overhead, the breeze whispered through the trees, and the scent of leaves and earth calmed his senses. His mood softened, and for the first time in a long while, he felt fully at ease.
"It's rare to live a second life," he thought. "Always staying tense isn't healthy. Sometimes I need to breathe."
His cultivation had advanced rapidly, and ordinary Cursed Spirits were no threat to him anymore. Even Special Grade Spirits had no reason to target a child, so he felt comfortable slowing down for once.
A gentle wind rustled the canopy.
Then—without warning—a shadow darted behind him.
A tachi glinted as it thrust straight toward his back.
But the blade never reached him.
Kamo Yu lunged out of nowhere, intercepting the strike and clamping down on the assassin's wrist with lightning-fast reflexes.
"Who are you to dare attack the Kamo Clan's Child of God?"
Yu's roar echoed through the mountains like a warning bell.
His team burst from hiding, clashing instantly with another group of assassins emerging from the underbrush.
"Behind you!"
Yu caught sight of another attacker creeping toward Itsuki. But the enemy in front of him suddenly launched a desperate, vicious assault, forcing Yu to defend with his full strength. He couldn't break free in time, so he could only shout the warning with all the force he had.
However, Kamo Itsuki's reaction was nothing like what Kamo Yu expected.
Instead of fear, a faint smile tugged at Itsuki's lips, as if he had been waiting for this exact moment.
"Crimson Scale Flurry — Speed," he whispered.
In an instant, his eyes turned a vivid blood-red. His speed erupted like a released arrow, and rather than retreating, he stepped forward to meet the second assassin head-on.
The clash that followed was sharp and rapid. The assassin's swordsmanship was vicious, but in front of Kamo Itsuki, it seemed insufficient—almost crude. Itsuki moved like a seasoned fighter; each strike was concise, deliberate, and aimed directly at the assassin's vulnerabilities.
"Impossible… I underestimated you!"
The assassin's expression twisted in disbelief. He had been certain he could dispatch a mere six-year-old child with ease, yet now he was locked in a battle he could barely control. He swung his tachi wildly, trying to break through the pressure Itsuki exerted.
But Itsuki didn't budge.
His gaze was calm, almost cold, as he deflected each attack and continued searching for a decisive opening.
"Damn it… this brat is playing with me!"
The assassin's fury burst out in a hoarse roar. He felt like prey trapped between a predator's teeth—unable to escape, unable to fight back effectively. Shame and unwillingness flooded his eyes. To lose to a child was a humiliation he could not accept.
"Blood Manipulation — Crimson Blade."
Itsuki's low voice cut through the air. His body surged forward, accelerating with violent force.
The assassin felt a sudden chill across his neck.
A heartbeat later, his vision spun. The world tilted and tumbled, and as his eyes descended, he saw a horrifying scene: his own body collapsing to the ground, headless. Blood dripped steadily from the blade of crimson energy extending from Itsuki's arm.
The battle had ended so swiftly that even the forest seemed to fall silent.
Not long after, Kamo Yu and his team concluded their fights and hurried to Itsuki's side. They began investigating the battlefield, and the truth surfaced quickly: the attackers were Curse Users drawn by the bounty placed on Kamo Itsuki's head.
Curse Users differed greatly from ordinary sorcerers. They wielded Cursed Energy for greed, pleasure, or violence—and they did not hesitate to kill.
"It seems the Child of God has already attracted attention from outside forces," Kamo Yu said gravely. His stern gaze swept across his squad. "We must stay alert from now on."
"That's right. Curse Users are cunning and cruel. We can't afford to relax," another guard agreed.
Kamo Itsuki stood quietly to the side, expression unreadable. The earlier battle seemed to have left no impression on him, as though it were only a minor disturbance.
In truth, he had detected the assassins long before they struck. But he maintained his carefree façade deliberately—letting those hungry predators believe he was defenseless, coaxing them out of hiding.
His cultivation of Blood Manipulation had heightened his sensitivity to blood. Even though the assassins hid themselves well, the metallic scent clinging to them had already betrayed their positions.
Revealing his awakened technique had indeed earned him the clan's full support—but it had also placed a target on his back. Internal factions and external enemies alike had reasons to eliminate the Child of God before he matured.
A bounty had been circulating on the black market for some time. Ten million for the head of a six-year-old prodigy—absurd, yet irresistible to many Curse Users.
Each one of these attackers had long histories soaked in blood. It was impossible for someone like Itsuki not to sense them.
After facing an assassination attempt by a group of Curse Users, Itsuki could no longer continue his relaxed outing. Under Kamo Yu's protection, he returned to the Kamo Clan.