Rebirth From Ordinary Person To The Strongest

"Reverse the cut—Shadowlight Kagemitsu!"

What I saw was the World's Master swinging his sword horizontally, a clean stroke through the air.

Given his current condition—barely managing to stand—it seemed impossible for him to muster the strength for such an attack. Swinging the blade alone must have taken everything he had.

The distance between us, Raikou Douji, and Harunaga was far too great. There was no conceivable way his strike could reach any of us. Thus, in that moment, I thought he had succumbed to desperation.

But I quickly dismissed that thought.

This wasn't a man who would recklessly swing his sword in despair. Not after what I had witnessed in our battle so far. He wasn't the type to act without reason.

So, what could this mean?

Before I could decipher the purpose of his action, a powerful gale swirled around us. No, it wasn't swirling—it was reversing.

The wind magic I had conjured to scatter the black smoke was coming back. The smoke, the flames, everything began retracing their paths as if someone had rewound a video. The very fabric of time itself was rewinding.

Amid this surreal spectacle, the words of the swordsmith echoed in my mind.

Back when we first met the swordsmith, he had told my father about certain cursed blades. Among them was one with the exact name the World's Master had just invoked.

It was said that during the Genpei War, a blade was forged for the Genji clan to cut through time itself—allowing them to reverse time.

And if that legend was true…

Why wasn't I caught in this reversal?

Why was I the only one observing this impossible phenomenon?

Unanswered questions raced through my mind when a voice broke the silence.

"Once, there was an oni called Kimidouji," the World's Master began.

Ah. So it's not just me.

The World's Master himself was aware of the reversal.

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"This blade was forged after I exorcised that oni. With one swing, it can rewind time for anything the wielder desires to restore."

The flames and smoke returned to their origin: the shikigami Harunaga had summoned. Raikou Douji's retreating form reversed further, pulling him away from the fight.

Even the wounds on the World's Master began to close as time unwound itself.

"The water-coated explosion was excellent. Truly an eye-opening spell. What do you call it?"

"…I don't have a name for it yet. I just came up with it."

"Unacceptable!" he exclaimed. "Names are curses, boy! They give power to spells, instilling terror in the hearts of 'monsters.' You must name your technique—give it a title worthy of fear!"

The Master stretched, his movements filled with vitality, an almost euphoric expression spreading across his face.

"Ah, my body hasn't felt this good since I exorcised the demons during the Tenpō Era. Marvelous… simply marvelous!"

Fully healed, the World's Master stood before me, exuding an overwhelming aura of magical energy. It was so dense that my skin prickled just standing near him.

This magic was so thick that it rendered fairy magic useless.

With one more swing of his cursed blade, Kagemitsu, the rewind ceased. Time resumed its normal flow.

Raikou Douji remained at a distance, and Harunaga stayed concealed in the forest. Meanwhile, the one-eyed monster lay discarded near me, just within reach of the Master's gaze.

The Master glanced at the monster before extending a hand toward Raikou Douji in the distance.

"Stay back, demon. This is a duel between men."

"Hm. If that's the case, I shall honor it," Raikou Douji said, crossing his arms and standing still.

Hey, don't just agree with him!

Before I could voice my frustration, the Master spoke again.

"Forgive my rudeness, boy. I have yet to introduce myself. I am a Kōshu—a practitioner of the highest rank. My name is Otsu Norimitsu."

With the confidence of someone who had introduced themselves this way countless times before, he declared his name proudly.

"Now, state your name. When one introduces himself, the other must follow, even if you're but a child."

"…Itsuki. Kisaragi Itsuki."

"A fine name."

With a satisfied nod, he let his Silveit threads dangle loosely.

"A true battle between men should be fought without hesitation, boy. No underhanded tricks, no petty feints—only an unflinching clash of strength. Surely you agree?"

And as he finished speaking, the sky darkened.

When I looked up, I saw an enormous mass of rock descending from the heavens.

"…!"

It was a massive spell, reminiscent of Meteor Shower, but far larger. My breath caught in my throat as I began weaving Silveit threads to counter it.

But before I could act, Norimitsu's voice interrupted me.

"Why not seal your magic first?"

With a smirk, he extended his hand. From it, a torrent of water erupted, surging toward me.

"Woah!"

The flood swept me away, forcing me to flail helplessly in its wake. It wasn't a complex spell—just an overwhelming torrent driven by raw magical power.

I quickly shot Silveit threads into the ground, anchoring myself. Stabilizing my position, I hid another thread within the water and extended it backward.

"Show me, boy. What else can you do?"

The water continued to surge, washing away everything in its path. Trees, debris—anything in the torrent's way was obliterated.

Amid this magical disaster, I stared at Norimitsu.

"…No."

I couldn't use any half-baked spells. If he could rewind time to heal, I needed something he couldn't recover from—a single decisive strike. But my options were limited.

My strongest spell, Oboro-tsuki, wouldn't work here. He'd see it coming.

In that case…

I needed something that combined raw power with invisibility.

"This ends now," I declared.

The spell I crafted was a refinement of Oboro-tsuki. Its major drawback was its indiscriminate area of effect—I could get caught in it as well. Moreover, the need to attach Silveit threads to the target made it vulnerable to detection by those with heightened perception.

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But if the problem was visibility, then the solution was simple:

Make it smaller. Make it faster.

And deliver it with precision.

"Pierce through—Moonbite!"

FWOOOSH!

A sharp, cutting sound ripped through the air, passing mere inches from my ear.

The projectile tore through the raging torrent, creating a perfectly round hole in the water. The hole disrupted Norimitsu's spell entirely, carving a path through the flood.

At the end of that path stood Norimitsu, a gaping black hole punctured through his chest and abdomen.

"…Hah! Ha-ha-ha! So that's it," he said, laughing through the pain. "You've reached such a level already… astonishing."

The dark void in his body began consuming him from within, devouring his magic and essence.

This spell's nature was absolute. It nullified magic, drained energy, and obliterated its target entirely.

That's why I called it Moonbite.

"In every age, promising children grow stronger without our guidance. And yet… what could I possibly teach someone like you?"

The expanding void in his chest began to pull in the surrounding scenery. Everything was being drawn into the black hole.

At the same time, I felt myself being pushed back, as if repelled by the void's force.

Slowly, the thick magical energy enveloped me, just like when I first entered this realm.

"As a final gift… take this, Itsuki," Norimitsu said, extending his hand toward me.

Before I could comprehend his words, my vision was flooded with blinding light.

Amidst the brightness, his voice rang out one last time.

"Let's play again sometime."