In the Sand Village, the clones are everywhere, and the Arkham game begins

Chapter 446 The Snowstorm of Hell

"King Shimizu, your swordsmanship is very solid and your methods are quite unique. I know you must have other tricks up your sleeve, but if this continues, I'm afraid I'll have to use my killing move. If I can't stop myself then, it might be difficult to handle."

Fukiri steadily sheathed the Tiger Soul Sword and spoke to Shimizu.

"it is good."

Upon hearing this, Shimizu sheathed his black steel sword and dispelled the Black Warrior.

"I wonder how much force you used, seppuku-senpai?"

"More than 70%, Shimizu-kun. Your swordsmanship is already quite high, but your strength is still lacking. Otherwise, you would be qualified to join the Sword Saint Association."

Fukiri put his hands behind his back and looked at Shimizu with a somewhat surprised expression.

Shimizu's swordsmanship was even better than he had imagined.

The only problem is that her physical fitness is a bit lacking. Even with high-tech armor, her basic physical abilities are still a level below his.

The training of Kendo not only includes swordsmanship, but also physical training. Without a sufficiently strong physique, one cannot bear the weight of powerful swordsmanship. Whether it is the speed or strength of the sword swing, or the agility of the footwork, one cannot compare to the enemy.

No wonder this Kokukyu style of swordsmanship has been passed down for over three hundred years without gaining much fame.

His skills were indeed superb, and I felt that his swordsmanship was not much worse than mine, but his physical training and muscle strengthening were too ordinary.

It seems that his purpose in coming here for the exchange, besides the swordsmanship competition, was also to make up for the shortcomings of his family's swordsmanship in this area.

Fukukiri had already discerned Shimizu's intentions, so he invited Shimizu upstairs to continue their conversation.

He didn't want anyone to surpass him, and Shimizu's swordsmanship was already very close to his. If Shimizu's physical abilities were to reach a similar level, then it might not be impossible for him to defeat Shimizu.

After all, the other party was young, while he was over sixty. Although he was more experienced and shrewd, his physical condition was not as good as when he was young.

Out of respect for the Tiger Soul, Fukiri is willing to share some sword techniques and some secret training methods to strengthen the body, but he will absolutely not pass on the most essential part.

If someone were a prodigy like Superalloy Darkshine, with exceptional talent in the realm of physical strength, they might only need some knowledge of body tempering to hone their body to a strength a thousand times stronger than steel. However, Fukiri felt that Shimizu clearly didn't have that talent; otherwise, he wouldn't have learned his family's swordsmanship from a young age and still only had this level of physical strength when he was over thirty.

Even if the two sword manuals could make him stronger, Fukiri clearly believed that he could still easily defeat Shimizu.

He had no idea that the young man opposite him had only spent a little over a month transforming from an ordinary person into someone who could fight him on equal terms when he was using 70% of his strength. The so-called family swordsmanship was nothing but a complete fabrication.

And so, two kendo manuals belonging to advanced students of the Fukukiri Kendo School, along with a book annotated by Fukukiri himself, ended up in Shimizu's hands.

"In that case, thank you very much, seppuku-senpai."

"It's alright. By the way, I wonder if Shimizu-kun would be interested in becoming an instructor at the seppuku-kijutsu dojo?"

"This... Thank you for your kindness, sir, but I'm afraid I don't have the time."

Shimizu took the two sword manuals and shook his head at Fukukiri.

How much benefit can one get from being an instructor at your small fencing school?
In time, even if you were to commit seppuku, you might not be as strong as me.

"No, Mr. Shimizu misunderstood me. My idea is that you can register your name here and help me advertise. You can come for a class whenever you have time, or it's fine if you don't come. As long as you don't deny that you have experience learning swordsmanship at the Basakiri Swordsmanship Hall, the price is negotiable. I can give you this amount."

He gestured "one" towards the water.

He thinks highly of Shimizu.

If he could use more than 70% of his skills in the seppuku, he would at least be able to become a top-tier A-class hero, just like Atomic Samurai's three disciples.

That's a powerful and effective advertisement.

As for hiring an S-class hero to endorse him, not only would it cost a fortune, but whether the hero would even be willing to do so is another matter entirely.

Now, while Shimizu is still only a B-rank hero, being able to sign him at a relatively low cost is a great achievement with minimal expense.

Shimizu looked at the gesture of seppuku and lowered his head to think for a few seconds.

Ten million yen?
That's alright. Adding the six million yen he earned yesterday, it should be enough for him to fully build up the Black Knight.

"If it's a commercial endorsement like Sweet Mask, I have no objection."

“Alright! Mr. Shimizu, you can tell me your bank card number now, and I can transfer 100 million yen to you on the spot. Then we can draft the contract right here. If you are not comfortable with that, Mr. Shimizu, you can also ask a trustworthy lawyer to draft the contract.”

One billion!

That old man, Fu Chuan, is actually quite wealthy.

Soon after the lawyer they had contacted arrived, Shimizu and Fukiri quickly signed the contract, stamped it, and even hired a photographer to take promotional posters.

After taking the poster photos and saying goodbye to Fukukiri, Shimizu hurriedly ran home.

Such a large sum of money is enough for him to upgrade Darth Vader to its current full potential.

At that time, the time required to advance to S-class hero probably won't be too long.

Shimizu never expected that he would be ambushed on his way home.

"Nice to meet you. You must be the fourth-ranked newcomer in Rank B, the hero known as the Black Whirlwind Samurai, Shimizu?"

A beautiful, mature woman with medium-length hair and a pair of magnificent breasts stood in front of Shimizu, wearing a dark green dress and crossing her arms. She looked at Shimizu and asked.

Behind him were Mountain Ape and Eyelash, dressed in suits and looking like a pair of bodyguards.

Shimizu recognized the beautiful woman in front of him at a glance.

There was someone else's poster right across from his bedroom, and the original owner of this body might have even used that poster as a spellcasting material.

"Miss Fubuki, please step aside. I have urgent business to attend to and need to go back."

"Sure, but you have to join the Fubuki Group first."

Fubuki raised her head slightly, gracefully lifting her swan-like white neck, and looked directly at Shimizu.

Standing at 167cm tall, she wore a pair of black high-heeled boots, the heels of which made her only a few centimeters shorter than Shimizu.

To make herself look more imposing, Fubuki often makes a point of wearing shoes that make her appear taller.

"Let's forget about the Blizzard Group."

Shimizu shook his head at Fubuki.

He doesn't mind joining some organizations; it's a good way to gain good fortune, provided that the organization doesn't hinder his own interests.

For example, he is now willing to join the Hero Association.

But what level is the Hero Association, and what level is the Fubuki Group?
The former is a super organization with a huge influence across the entire One-Punch Man universe, possessing multiple world-class combat forces. And what about the Fubuki Group?
It's just a small faction within the Hero Association.

There are neither high-ranking members of the association nor S-class heroes representing top combat power. Only Fubuki is somewhat presentable. Because of their obsession with the so-called "number one" title, Fubuki's group is naturally limited to the B-class category.

What is this if not a small hill?
They're not even as good as the Tank Top Gang next door. At least their leader is the S-rank Tank Top Master, and they also have a mid-to-upper-rank A-rank core member like Tank Top Vegetarian. They seem to have a much brighter future than the Blizzard Group.

Anyone who believes they are capable of rising to A-rank would never confine themselves to the Fubuki group.

If Fubuki were willing to step down and let Shimizu become the leader of the Fubuki Group, Shimizu might be somewhat interested in mentoring him and seeing if he could help develop the Fubuki Group after becoming an S-class hero.

As for now...

Forget it.

"In the Fubuki Group, every member helps each other. Here, we can help you maintain your position in the top B-rank. You know, not everyone gets an invitation to the Fubuki Group. The fact that you've become fourth in B-rank in such a short time after joining the association shows that you have a lot of talent..."

"Thank you, but no need, I'm not interested, and I'm not joining. So, could you please move aside?"

"I can't stand it," Shimizu said impatiently.

The original owner had a good impression of Fubuki from Hell, but that's not a reason for Fubuki to be so aggressive here.

Otherwise, Shimizu would have already started to kick them out.

"Hey, you, don't get too cocky. Don't underestimate the Fubuki Group. According to the rules, heroes who reach Rank B must come and greet Lady Fubuki!"

My eyelashes couldn't help but pop out.

"Hello, can you get out of here now?"

Shimizu's gaze gradually turned hostile, and the Black Warrior was summoned, covering Shimizu's body.

He was disgusted by some of the dregs in this Japanese workplace culture.

Others who have grown up in this environment may take it for granted, but Shimizu will not.

Having emerged from the wars of ninjas, he believes only in the supremacy of strength.

"Looks like you haven't realized what the Fubuki Group means yet, newbie..."

"Hurry up if you want to fight, I'm in a hurry."

Shimizu gripped the black steel sword tightly, his tone impatient.

Fubuki took a step back and pointed.

"Go, Mountain Ape, Eyelashes, tell this newbie that the Blizzard Group is not someone he can belittle!"

"Yes!"

Two figures, one tall and one strong, rushed towards the clear water in unison.

The latter was well-prepared and had been gathering momentum, unleashing its full power from the outset.

Five physical clones instantly appeared from behind, throwing chakra-based chains at the mountain ape and eyelashes, which then wrapped around their hands and feet.

Taking advantage of this opportunity, Shimizu lunged forward and unleashed a bright, mirror-shaped slash from left to right.

Eyelash and Mountain Ape are considered decent B-class heroes, but only at an upper-middle level. They've secured their second and third positions in B-class thanks to the contributions of their leader, Fubuki. In terms of strength, they're not much stronger than the Pineapple Warrior. If they teamed up to fight a Tiger-level monster like the Rampage Deliveryman, they'd probably only be able to defend themselves. To defeat the opponent, they'd need another fighter of the same level.

However, this Tiger-level monster couldn't last even a minute in Shimizu's hands.

The gap between these two and Shimizu is more than one order of magnitude.

His speed and swordsmanship are no less than those of Abikiri, but he lags behind in other physical attributes such as strength.

If the mountain ape and the eyelashes were faced with a sword that was about to cut through their abdomen, would they have been able to react in time?

The round mirror shattered instantly, revealing the disheveled figures of the mountain ape and eyelashes—their once neat black suits were now tattered strips of cloth, and bloody sword marks appeared on their skin.

Shimizu lunged forward again, and Fubuki, after her initial surprise, reacted quickly, raising her hand to unleash her superpower and rushing towards Shimizu.

However, since Shimizu had already taken the initiative, how could he not be wary of Fubuki?

A gust of wind flashed by, and Shimizu's figure floated forward like a black phantom, unleashing a magnificent sword aura that shattered Fubuki's superpowers.

At this moment, the five clones also took this opportunity to draw mysterious patterns in the air and cast Five Thunder Talismans at the mountain ape and eyelashes.

The two unfortunate individuals had already suffered significant injuries to their limbs from Qingshui's swordsmanship during their hasty reaction to his attacks. They were now severely injured and unable to move freely, and could only try to withstand the lightning talismans from the five clones.

Since they both belong to the Hero Association, Shimizu naturally couldn't kill them. Although he disliked these people, they didn't deserve to die.

However, as long as you don't kill or cripple someone, you can beat them as hard as you can, until they develop psychological trauma and have to avoid you the next time they see you.

The mountain monkey's eyelashes are nothing to worry about, but Fubuki is indeed quite skilled.

"Hell Storm!"

A violent whirlwind was whipped up by superpowers, and Fubuki's white shawl fluttered in the wind.

Countless pebbles and rubble flew up, enveloping the clear water, as if to shatter his flesh and bones.

"Wind Release: Tornado Hurricane!"

Shimizu held the sword in his right hand and formed a hand seal with his left hand. He gathered his internal chakra, opened his mouth and blew, which stirred up an even faster and larger whirlwind, but in the opposite direction to the blizzard.

Opposing forces collided and canceled each other out, causing fragments of stone and tile to fall haphazardly in all directions.

In the next instant, countless wind blades, carrying lightning, attacked the snowstorm from all directions.

Fubuki instinctively used her superpowers to quickly retreat backward, her magnificent breasts heaving up and down.

With a raise of both hands, the hem of her dark green dress billowed up, and the ground in front of her shattered instantly, sending out a giant rock, enhanced by superpowers, to block Fubuki's path.

Thunder roared, and the boulder shattered.

When Fubuki came to her senses, her two underlings were already lying at Shimizu's feet like dead dogs.

A large, shiny black metal foot, size 44, was now pressing down on the mountain ape's massive head, while a trickle of bright red blood dripped from the tip of a sharp sword against the eyelashes' neck.

The two underlings from the Blizzard Group immediately broke out in a cold sweat.

Now he is obedient.

(End of this chapter)