Kenbu 128 Strike
The sun began turning red with bloodshot veins. I dashed off quickly, scouring the forests and mountains near the capital. There has to be at least one bandit hideout around here...
According to the original novel Star-Eyed Sword, the area around the capital was crawling with all sorts of riffraff. The capital focused its security efforts inward, relying on the city walls for anything outside, so the forests and mountains beyond were dangerous spots invisible from the ramparts. Not just monsters of every kind, but wanted criminals with bounties on their heads, and bandits preying on passing travelers... plenty of threats lurked there.
And as I'd figured, bandits who targeted travelers would have stockpiles of loot. Robbing them would let me easily earn enough for macarons.
"Creative economy, indeed."
It was a perfect creative economy with no losers. Better security outside the walls benefited the empire, I got rich, and the dead travelers got their revenge through me. I grinned at the delightful image of devouring the bandits' spoils gluttonously, my steps light and eager as I combed every inch of the forests and mountains near the capital.
Then, thanks to the thieves who mistook me for a traveler, I didn't even have to hunt them down.
"Hey. You there. Stop a second."
"Whoa~ Jackpot, huh? It's a girl? And check out that smooth skin and those long lashes!"
"Wandering alone on a night like this... You think we're a joke, huh? We'll teach you what happens when you're not careful."
Three bandits lunged at me in the middle of the forest, blocking my path. One of them calling me "top-grade goods" even lifted my spirits.
I am top-grade, after all... I smirked, quietly drawing my sword.
"Hey? That girl... she looks like an academy student up close."
"So what? No one's gonna complain about a pretty face."
"Still, let's be careful. A beauty like her's valuable, y'know."
The guy's fondness for complimenting my looks shot up another five points.
"I'll take you on with my eyes closed."
Slash—!
I instantly severed the necks of the two bandits who weren't the friendly one. Just one strike. Taking out two heads with a single strike could be called a two-for-one deal, in a way.
"Gasp...?!"
Then I pointed my Black Demon Sword at the bandit who'd praised my appearance. The blade wriggled eagerly after tasting blood.
"Wh-what the hell?! Y-you... monster bitch!"
"I'll spare you, sir. Just tell me where the other bandits are hiding nearby."
"Y-you'll... let me live? H-ha... Haha... Th-that way! See that red tree? Follow it, then veer right, and there's a cave! Th-that's where they are, so let me go! I swear I'll go straight from now on!"
"That won't do... I need more bandits like you around to keep the loot coming..."
I licked my lips. A light tap on his leg sent him scrambling away like a madman.
Yeah. Live right from now on. Prep some "heartwarming support" for a poor girl like me.
Heartwarming support tastes so good...
I followed his directions, heading slowly toward the red tree. At last, I reached what looked like the bandits' hideout—a cave.
Rather than charging in recklessly, I decided to scout first and see what was worth looting.
If I draw my sword and rush in, they might make off with the goods... All their loot was mine.
"Hey, move it! We gotta get this inside the capital before the deadline!"
"Handle that carefully! Mess it up, and it could blow us all to hell!"
Inside the bandits' hideout, things looked hectic. They were loading something onto a cart—probably transporting stolen goods.
Blow up...? Flammable stuff?
The odd part was how tense and cautious they were while handling it. Not very bandit-like.
Eh, whatever... It had to be valuable. And if it was valuable, it was worth taking. Robbing thieves and plundering plunderers—that was the law of the world.
I licked my lips again, drawing the Black Demon Sword. It almost seemed to quiver in anticipation of more blood.
"I'll take you on with my eyes closed."
I uttered the line even if they couldn't hear it, committing to my best effort. Then I stepped out from the bushes, walking forward slowly.
"Hold up... who's that?"
"Huh? Hey, you! What're you doing?"
"Times are good these days... Goods walking right to us."
"Wait. Something's off..."
The bandits stopped pulling the cart and eyed me, drawing their swords. As I strode toward them confidently with the Black Demon Sword in hand, a few caught on that the vibe was wrong and went on guard.
But there's always a couple who don't get it.
"Hey, missy. This ain't a place for you to wander in. You trespassed, so we'll need an entry fee. Huh? Blind girl?"
Slash—
Of course, he never got his answer. I grinned, surveying the hideout. Looked like plenty to loot. These rich bastards... stocking up so much heartwarming support for me!
"Uh... h-hey, battle stations!"
"Damn! Plan leaked? What's this bitch doing here?"
"She's tougher than she looks! She came hunting us for sure!"
"Heard about her. The blind girl... that's her!"
"You know her?"
"It was in the intel from that adventurer we sent scouting nearby. Said there's a blind slaughter-crazed powerhouse..."
"Blind, huh... Everyone, spread out! Keep your distance, stay quiet, and rush her all at once!"
What are these idiots doing...
Suddenly, the bandits changed tactics. Mistaking me for blind, they started moving silently. I'd planned to cut them all down, but this was too ridiculous—I decided to play along for a bit.
"..."
I stood still, gripping the Black Demon Sword. Thinking it worked, the bandits circled and closed in slowly.
Now.
I spoke with a cheerful grin.
"Kenbu 64 Strike."
64 strikes. Doing 32 twice over. Normally, even 32 would strain the sword or demand intense focus, making it tough—but perfect for testing my growth now. An ideal chance to debut a badass new technique.
I swung at the bandits encircling me, intoning the skill name.
"D-dodge...!"
"Run...!"
Slash—! Slicing—! Crunch—! Growl—!
By the fifth strike, the Black Demon Sword had cleaved every approaching foe. In just five strikes, I'd indifferently shredded the eight bandits surrounding me.
Seventh strike. It caught a fleeing one too. I hadn't moved, but the air exploded like sword ki, hitting from afar. Need to research that later.
Ninth strike. Nothing left worth calling an enemy.
No need to go to 64. But I didn't stop. I wanted to test my limits.
I swung on, declaring,
"Kenbu 128 Strike."
Slash—! Stab—! Boom—! Rumble—! Crash—!
37th strike. The cave began collapsing.
46th. A massive boulder fell but was pulverized to dust under the strikes.
64th. Moonlight pierced through from above.
128th. Only craters remained around me.
The instant 128 strikes ended, I collapsed to the ground.
"Huff... haa..."
Kenbu N Strike wasn't just wild sword flailing. It was hyper-precise strikes on weak points, repeated N times with total focus. Each one demanded immense power and control—and 128 of them? No wonder I was wiped.
"Guess 64's my limit for now..."
I murmured, standing again. Part of the cave had caved in, craters pockmarked my surroundings, but luckily, loot remained. A bit further, and I'd have sliced up the bandits' generous heartwarming support too.
Hmm... what's this? A gem?
After catching my breath, I started gathering. I picked a medal with a strange insignia from a bandit's corpse—gemstone, so I pocketed it. Fancy jewelry too, mostly.
"Ugh... bloodied..."
Bloody stuff? Wiped on dead bandits' clothes. Stuffed my pockets full, finished farming, and turned to leave when I spotted the cart they'd been hauling.
Like a moth to flame, I approached. Opened the box on it—full of weird stones.
Sparkly...
They glittered mysteriously in the moonlight. I grabbed a few. Definitely pricey.
Done looting and heading out, I sensed someone approaching. I closed my eyes again.
Then drew the Black Demon Sword.
"What the...?"
From beyond the cave mouth, a man in a black hood and mask spotted me and walked over slowly. Realizing something was wrong, he drew a dagger from his cloak.
That dagger... silver gleam screamed expensive. Everyone's giving me heartwarming support. It almost moved me to tears.
Sell that for macarons.
I grinned.
"Oh, lucky me. Still one left..."
"Hah, all this carnage—you did this?"
"Afraid so. I'll take you on with my eyes closed."
Today was a good day. Bountiful harvest.