My Gang of Swordsmen

Chapter 382 - 144: Yet Another Instant Kill! Swordsmanship Talent Amplification x62! [8600]

Maybe Mr. Kiryu is really busy with something important... After slightly calming down her worries about Kiryu’s delayed return, Mukiwa gently brushed Dodo’s fur in her arms.

Unconsciously—Mukiwa’s mind drifted further away, drifting to Asakusa, which she couldn’t visit today, and to the Swordsmanship Competition she couldn’t see today.

"I wonder how Mr. Tachibana’s competition went today..."

...

...

At this moment—

In a very remote and small bathhouse in the West Suburb of Edo—

In this small bathhouse’s bathhouse room, steam swirled and thick mist lingered.

In this wide bathhouse that could accommodate more than fifty people soaking at the same time, there were only two elderly men sitting shoulder-to-shoulder soaking in it at the moment.

One of the elderly men was the very Kiryu that Mukiwa was just thinking about.

As for the other elderly man sitting shoulder-to-shoulder with Kiryu... If there was a third person present, they would surely be amazed at this man’s physique.

This elderly man, like Kiryu, appeared to be about 90 years old.

He had long hair that had turned completely gray, tied up in a towel on top of his head for convenience in bathing.

With a towering height nearing 1.9 meters, he was definitely a "giant" in this era.

His body was very robust, solid, with muscles like granite that were large and tough, not showing any signs of shrinkage or slack despite his age.

His eyes were bright and clear, with none of the murkiness typical of the elderly.

The bright and spirited eyes made him look energetic, with no trace of aging.

Kiryu scooped up a handful of warm bath water and slapped it onto his face, then leaned back against the pool wall, speaking to the elderly man beside him in a neutral tone:

"...Makimura, I suddenly realized something."

"Hmm? What is it?"

"Why do you like discussing things in the bathhouse so much?"

"Haha." The elder man called Makimura by Kiryu chuckled a few times, "Because it’s killing two birds with one stone."

"Discussing matters while taking a bath, how wonderful."

Makimura stretched lazily and then, like Kiryu, leaned back against the pool wall.

"Ah... so comfortable..." Makimura half-closed his eyes with a contented expression, "From Osaka to Edo, I hardly rested... Tonight, I can finally have a good sleep..."

"By the way, Kurō, I haven’t thanked you yet."

"Thank you. For coming all the way to Tokaido to welcome me this afternoon."

"If I hadn’t come to pick you up, you wouldn’t know where our Gourd House’s secret base in Edo is, right?" Kiryu pointed to the warm bath pool beneath them.

"By the way... this bathhouse is really nice." Makimura looked around, "Compact and exquisite, just my type."

"Alright. No more chit-chat." Kiryu interrupted Makimura’s praise of the bathhouse, "It’s about time we talk business. Makimura, what brings you all the way from Osaka?"

Seeing Kiryu getting straight to the point, Makimura did not hesitate.

He scooped up a handful of hot water, slapped it onto his face, then looked up and half-squinted his eyes at the ceiling, speaking quietly:

"Kurō, I’m here to deliver some information to you."

"Along with delivering the information, I’m also preparing for my upcoming ’Aoyu journey’.

"Information?" Kiryu’s eyebrows furrowed slightly.

"Yes." Makimura nodded heavily, then let out a long breath, "Asai has gathered the latest information on the Law Punishment Faction."

Hearing the name Law Punishment Faction, a touch of seriousness appeared on Kiryu’s face.

"Through Asai’s investigations, it can be confirmed: the leader and all cadre-level members of the Law Punishment Faction give themselves code names."

"Their code names are all taken from those fierce monsters in mythical stories."

Saying this, Makimura gestured at his back.

"While using demon-like beings as their code, they also tattoo the demons they use as their code name on their backs."

"The leader of the Law Punishment Faction, Orochi, has a tattoo of Japan’s most terrifying monster: ’Orochi’ on his back."

"Asai is still tracking down the identities of all cadre members eligible to use demon code names and have demon tattoos on their backs."

"Apart from our old acquaintances Rakshasa, Scythe Weasel, and Yoshitsune, we have recently confirmed the existence of two more Law Punishment Faction cadres: Ōtakemaru and Yumizakae."

"Ōtakemaru... Yumizakae..." Kiryu’s eyes narrowed slightly, "Have you found out what they look like, their gender, or age?"

"No..." Makimura shook his head with a wry smile, "These Law Punishment Faction cadres, one more mysterious than the other. I really don’t know how the Law Punishment Faction keeps its secrecy so well."

"Asai and his subordinates expended great effort and conducted long-term investigations, just to finally confirm that Law Punishment Faction has two cadres named Ōtakemaru and Yumizakae."

"As for what they actually look like... It’s still completely unknown."

"... So, it’s just like the leader of the Law Punishment Faction, Orochi." Kiryu murmured as if talking to himself, "Known by name but never seen in person..."

Makimura nodded: "However—though we don’t know what this Ōtakemaru and Yumizakae look like, we do have some specific information about them."

"Ōtakemaru, Yumizakae, and Yoshitsune—they are the three major cadres with status only below that of Orochi, holding considerable power within the Law Punishment Faction."

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Yesterday was the Qixi Festival. Who spent this auspicious day hiding at home writing instead of having fun? Oh, it’s me...

The author spent yesterday’s Qixi Festival staying home writing... with such dedication, it’s really unreasonable not to get any monthly tickets! (Crying Cat.jpg)

I originally planned to release 10,000 words today, but my state wasn’t too good yesterday, so I only managed to write 8,600 words.

Although not 10,000, there’s still a lot of words and explosive plot points, so asking for monthly tickets! Asking for recommendations! (Crying Cat.jpg)