Chapter 149: The Enduring Combat Weapon
"Grandpa... Grandpa..."
The calls seemed to come from the edge of the sky.
A worried, tearful voice cried out incessantly.
Was that Suiko? Why was she so flustered?
She was the one he worried about the least; she had a good personality and had learned her skills well, making her much more reliable than her brother.
Looking at her now, she was still just a little girl he couldn't stop worrying about.
Suicho slowly lifted his eyelids.
"Grandpa!"
As soon as he opened his eyes, Suiko pounced on him.
Suicho still looked dazed.
"What's going on?"
"Ahem." Aokiji coughed awkwardly from the side. "I counterattacked using the same level of force as your previous attack, Master Suicho."
"Then... perhaps due to old injuries and your age, it was just a tiny bit too heavy."
Hearing Aokiji's explanation, Suicho also recalled what happened before.
An indescribable punch.
Pure power.
Just by receiving that blow, he could experience an irrational force, released with absolute perfection.
Suicho looked around at his surroundings.
The mountaintop was caved in by a giant crater, which luckily hadn't affected other areas, but the ruins of the Dojo had completely vanished.
Bang stood nearby with a troubled expression.
It was unclear if it was for his unconscious old friend or for his Dojo.
"I've caused you trouble," Suicho apologized.
"It's no matter, it needed to be rebuilt anyway," Bang waved his hand.
He just had to tell those kids who came yesterday that the design for the new Dojo would need to be redone.
Aokiji patted the red bubble beside him.
"Master Suicho, you should feel better now. I've repelled all the pain, though it's not a permanent cure; it'll just give you some relief for a while."
"This..." Hearing this, Suicho tried to move his body in amazement.
"It really is so. This old man's body hasn't felt this light in a long time."
Psychic Power is truly such a convenient thing!
Suicho looked at the red bubble containing his pain, and for a moment, he didn't know what to say in lament.
After confirming repeatedly that her grandfather was fine, Suiko finally relaxed and turned her gaze toward Aokiji.
[Hand of Liberation]
The ability that was praised as miraculous on the internet actually existed.
He defeated her grandfather without even using his Psychic Power. Are S-Class Heroes truly such powerful beings?
Suiryu stood on the periphery of the crowd, like an outsider.
It was impossible to say he didn't care about Suicho.
But he couldn't bring himself to step forward and show concern; the estrangement of so many years wasn't that easy to erase.
"This old man has no more regrets. Thank you, Master Aokiji," Suicho cupped his fists in salute.
"It also helped this old man understand some things. I will stay for my remaining time. First, to supervise Suiryu in fulfilling his duties, and second, I also want to draw closer to the Peak one last time."
"Grandpa, you're not going back to the mountains?" Suiko asked cautiously.
"I'm not going back," Suicho's tone was decisive. "What progress can be made by working behind closed doors?"
"Besides, you're old enough now. You should experience more of the outside world; just don't follow your brother's previous example."
Suiryu sighed and rubbed his head.
How did this get turned back onto him?
"I understand."
Suiko accepted it quickly.
She wasn't as flighty as Suiryu, but she was still a young person and had little resistance to a change in environment.
But to be honest, there wasn't much in the outside world that attracted her.
Except... Suiko stole a glance at the yawning Aokiji.
Interest and curiosity flickered in her eyes.
The Peak of Martial Arts plus a Esper—just how strong would that be?
"If there's nothing else, I'll be going," Aokiji held up the red bubble. "I still need to find a Monster to bear this thing."
After a bit more small talk, he confirmed with Bang that he would have the Cram School construction crew backfill the crater before rebuilding.
Aokiji vanished.
After a search using the massive range of his Observation Haki...
He found a Monster that had recently mutated and was destroying a street.
He poured the red bubble directly into it!
Before it could even scream, it was instantly frozen within an ice block.
Aokiji brought the freshly made Monster ice sculpture to the Ghost Town.
He handed the sculpture over to the members of the Monster Association stationed there.
Aokiji walked into the Ghost Town villa.
The scent of the'sea breeze' filled his nose.
As expected, Psykos had taken the opportunity to take revenge on Mosquito Girl during this time.
Psykos, who was working on affairs in the study, sensed someone entering and adjusted her glasses.
She extended her Psychic Power for a specific perception.
The next instant, she immediately stood up.
That Lord had arrived!
Psykos rushed out of the room to greet him.
She felt a bit of a pity in her heart.
She thought Lord Aokiji had forgotten about Mosquito Girl, but having doubled the revenge was also quite good.
"Lord Aokiji." Psykos bowed submissively.
"Mosquito Girl isn't broken, is she?" Aokiji got straight to the point.
"How could she be? Mosquito Girl is your precious property; I merely gave her some minor guidance and training."
Psykos put on the cold, business-like air of a secretary.
But the words she said next were completely inconsistent with that image.
As she led Aokiji toward the basement, she began her report:
"In view of Mosquito Girl's previous lack of patience and disregard for your orders, I specifically arranged various types of endurance training for her while awaiting your arrival."
"I believe the current Mosquito Girl has grown into a combat weapon skilled in endurance."
"That is to say, your exclusive Shinobi Weapon."
...Z City Ghost Town.
Inside a villa basement that no detection equipment could find was the place where Mosquito Girl was located.
Buzz... buzz... boom boom boom——
Rumble rumble——
Gurgle, squelch, gurgle... on a stage with only Mosquito Girl, a symphony was being performed.
"She's wearing more armor than patterns now; you really went all out," Aokiji couldn't help but say.
"To welcome your arrival, no amount of pre-meal preparation is too much." Psykos walked toward Mosquito Girl.
She removed them one by one.
Returning sight and sound to Mosquito Girl.
Mosquito Girl's glazed red pupils were almost invisible, leaving only a tiny edge.
"Wu hoho—ho eeee——"
"Don't shout! Greet Lord Aokiji already!"
Psykos slapped the ill-mannered Mosquito Girl hard.
The corners of her mouth curled up in a slight arc of vengeful pleasure.
Before the water vapor rushing toward Aokiji could reach him, it froze into ice shards and fell to the ground.
Aokiji sensed her aura.
It seemed Mosquito Girl hadn't sucked any blood during this period, and she had dropped back to Demon Level.
For a Dragon Level combatant to regress so much in strength, he had to replenish it quickly.
"Lord Aokiji, let me perform the pre-meal cleaning for you."
Tying up her wavy long hair, Psykos said respectfully.
It had to be said that as a secretary, Psykos really considered and handled every aspect properly.
After a thorough cleaning.
Psykos then helped Mosquito Girl prepare.
Boo~
Boo~
"Lord Aokiji, please allow Mosquito Girl to return to Dragon Level strength and continue to serve you," Psykos said with a serious, cold, and elegant expression.
"Furthermore, considering that Mosquito Girl needs to feed constantly to maintain her Dragon Level strength."
"As a subordinate, it wouldn't be right to disturb you frequently, so I have specifically prepared many storage bags to ensure Mosquito Girl has an ample food supply."
Psykos stood behind Mosquito Girl, pressing against her cheek.
"Say it with me: Welcome, Lord Aokiji."
"Welcome... Lord Aokiji... Wel—ho ohhhhh——"