"...damn system!"
Running a hand over his face, Takeshi struggled to keep his eyes open, his vision blurry as the pain gradually faded. Fortunately, there was no one around losing consciousness in wartime was a terrible idea.
'Let's at least see if this pain was worth it…' he thought as he got up and took a lotus position. It had become a fairly familiar movement: entering maximum concentration, shutting out external noise, and it had a double advantage.
Not only did it help him think more clearly, but thanks to the miracle of chakra, it also helped fight fatigue. If modern soldiers had had access to something like this, it would have created superhumans armed to the teeth, ravaging everything in their path… maybe in the end, it was a good thing they didn't have something like that.
'My injuries have healed, I don't feel any pain anymore, and my chakra reserves have increased significantly…'
Raising an eyebrow, Takeshi examined the results of his new body's modeling. '…not so useless after all.'
[System] — The modeling of the host's body has been successful.
"You almost killed me and now you're bragging," Takeshi cursed, glaring at the system message. "…piece of shit system."
At least he no longer needed to spend PM on elixirs at least not for now… nevertheless, something was still bothering him.
After searching a bit, he found the piece of metal that had saved him earlier.
"There you are."
Grabbing it, he swung it slightly from left to right, testing his grip. Of course, it wasn't a weapon, but still, it wasn't that bad the proof was that he'd made it out alive thanks to it.
"Alright… let's test this now."
Takeshi focused, circulating his chakra and coating the metal with it. But that wasn't all after a few seconds, the piece of pipe began to glow red, growing hotter and hotter.
"It worked… this feeling… I'm not burning, it's actually pleasant," he said, raising his improvised weapon as it neared its melting point.
Suddenly, he made a horizontal slash, just as he would with a blade. The pipe cut into the stone like butter, but before Takeshi could rejoice, his weapon twisted, almost threatening to melt.
'I guess you weren't made for this… or maybe I poured too much chakra into you?' he thought, letting the metal fall.
He wasn't completely disappointed. He had tested it now he just needed to find a proper weapon and infuse it with Yōton to increase the lethality of his strikes. And speaking of a proper weapon, the image of a big pig came back to his mind.
'…what if I go back?' he murmured, turning around toward the room where his last fight had taken place.
As he entered, the metallic smell of blood was the first thing to greet him. The bald man was still there, sprawled out, the pool of blood slowly spreading across the wooden floor.
After a brief glance, Takeshi saw what he had come for: the katana his enemy had used earlier. Without hesitation, he stepped forward and picked it up, lifting it to examine its edge.
"You wounded me earlier now you belong to me!" he said, as if addressing a person.
Once again, he infused chakra into the weapon, but this time the blade didn't melt. Instead, it took on a dark hue, with red veins running through it, vaguely reminiscent of lava flowing between rocks as it crackled.
"…Wonderful," Takeshi exclaimed as he swung it. It was perfectly balanced almost as if it had been made just for him. "…Don't worry, I'll take good care of you."
He released the pressure and walked toward the man's body. At his waist, the katana's sheath was still secured. Takeshi bent down and pulled it free, taking both the sheath and the sword.
As he stood up, he noticed the man's eyes were still open.
"…Don't look at me like that, I earned them," he said while sliding the blade back into its sheath. "You're the one who gave me trouble. If you hadn't tried to play the tough guy, you might still be alive, playing the role of Mei's loyal lapdog."
As he spoke, he tore off a piece of cloth to secure the weapon at his waist. He was finally ready to leave and face any idiot who dared stand in his way.
"Anyway, man, I'll leave you in your beloved prison I'm off to explore this world…" he said, waving as he left the room.
Did he have no scruples? Looting a corpse while casually talking to it what nerve… if he could see spirits, he might have witnessed the agitation of the bald man's soul.
Several minutes passed as Takeshi continued, unwillingly, to explore this labyrinth. He wanted to get out, but the problem was that he didn't know the damn way.
"I should've asked him for directions before killing him…" he cursed, standing at an intersection. "Which way now… I feel like I've been going in circles."
During his journey, he hadn't encountered anyone. It was supposed to be a prison, yet there wasn't a single soul around… it was frustrating. Just as his patience wore thin, he heard voices approaching. It should have been a relief.
"Finally, some humans in this mess…" Takeshi exclaimed, relieved.
"Who the hell are you?" a deep voice echoed from the end of the corridor. There were three of them, all wearing the same black coats that covered their bodies.
After spotting Takeshi, the one who had spoken drew his sword. "You're not one of the rebels… which means you're one of theirs," he continued in a hostile tone.
"Hey man, no need to get worked up. I'm just a poor guy who was locked up here and exploited…" Takeshi replied amicably.
"A prisoner…" another man repeated, perplexed.
"Either way, the order was to eliminate everyone here," the third finally spoke. "…Besides, this bastard really takes us for idiots. He's carrying a weapon and claims to be a prisoner… are the regime's soldiers all this cowardly?"
After those words, they burst out laughing, their voices echoing through the corridor.
"Kid, fight… or just die!" the first one said, stepping forward.
"I wasn't particularly eager to kill you, but it seems you're rushing toward your deaths…" Takeshi replied, scratching his head. "Don't regret it later…"
He slowly raised his right hand, palm turned sideways. His fingers curled, his index finger pointing forward with his thumb raised.
An almost childish gesture, which made the men laugh as if he were mimicking a gun.
[Futon: Lava Bullet]
Before they could even understand what had happened, the man standing slightly back on the right suddenly felt his face burning.
"What's happening to me…" he murmured, trying to touch his right eye, where he felt the intense heat.
But what he touched was nothing but emptiness. The projectile had cauterized the wound, delaying the bleeding by a few seconds. He spat a mouthful of blood.
"Hey man, what's wrong with you?" asked the comrade beside him, turning around only to see a gaping hole where the eye had been, as the man collapsed almost at the same time.
Everything became blurred the sound of the man next to him screaming at the top of his lungs to kill the bastard who had dared touch him, the rushed footsteps of the first one charging at Takeshi. The man didn't even have time to feel the pain as he exhaled the air in his lungs for the last time.
"Well damn, it really worked," Takeshi snickered as he dodged a vertical strike aimed at his shoulder.
"I'll kill you, asshole!" his opponent roared, continuing his relentless assault.