Looking at the messy room plastered with Ohma Tokita posters, Gusion understood Setsuna's madness even more deeply.
Tonight's battle had ended quickly. It looked like he'd crushed Setsuna in an instant, but in reality, the gap between them wasn't as big as Exchange thought.
As the host of the Origin Seed, Setsuna had all his attributes above 20, giving him a superhuman physique. With his mastery of Koei and Niko Style, he was a top-tier fighter in this world.
Gusion felt that even Agito or Raian would have been utterly defeated if they'd faced Setsuna tonight.
He'd ended the fight quickly for several reasons: his technique was slightly better than Setsuna's, his Shikai gave him an attribute advantage, and—most importantly—he was armed, Setsuna was barehanded.
His master once said that there was a mountain between fighting barehanded and fighting with weapons.
That wasn't just talk. Weapons were created to kill. With Mazuko in hand, he had a natural advantage.
He'd also gone all-out at that moment, covering the blade in Armament Haki. That strike was fast, precise, and ruthless, barely managing to behead Setsuna.
Yes, barely. That was the strangest thing.
He didn't think Setsuna's reaction should be that fast. Setsuna had tried to use Rakshasa Palm to strike his heart, but he was a step too slow—his head came off first.
Setsuna made a misjudgment. If he hadn't tried to go head-to-head, he might have lasted a few more moves.
So what gave him the confidence to go head-to-head?
Gusion suspected the Origin Seed didn't just evolve Setsuna's body—it gave him other special abilities. Setsuna seemed to have a permanent Indestructible status.
And it was a very high-level Indestructible, comparable to his own Armament Haki.
If he hadn't enhanced the blade with Armament Haki, making it tougher and sharper, he might not have been able to decapitate Setsuna so cleanly.
"Origin Seed… interesting. I can't wait to see what power you'll give me."
Gusion mused to himself while searching Setsuna's belongings.
His master said he wasn't the sharpest, but he wasn't a fool. He could handle basic clue investigation.
As expected, he found a key clue—Setsuna's diary.
Who writes a diary, anyway?
Oh right, Setsuna isn't a normal person.
Gusion flipped through it. It was all "Ohma." On some pages, the handwriting grew more and more twisted. It was hard to imagine Setsuna's mental state while writing.
Flipping to the back, Gusion found something strange.
"I am Tokita Ohma. Setsuna, please avenge me. These people are the ones who killed me…"
Below was a list of names—all fighters. Gusion thought these were all Explorers.
His expression turned odd—the diary had been tampered with. Someone imitated Setsuna's handwriting and wrote this segment, making the already hallucination-prone Setsuna think it was a divine revelation.
A normal person would suspect someone broke in and changed their diary. But Setsuna wasn't normal.
He was already crazy. After Ohma's death, he got even crazier. He refused to believe god was dead and longed to die for god.
So when he saw this in his diary, it was no surprise that he acted on it.
"A clever move—using someone else's hand to kill. Are they probing me?"
Gusion frowned slightly. He admitted he wasn't a smart guy and didn't get what the Rulebreaker stood to gain from this.
Since his hunting radar hadn't gone off, the Rulebreaker hadn't been tailing Setsuna—at least not within ten kilometers. So what did they gain by having Setsuna kill Explorers?
Why did the Rulebreaker kill Ohma Tokita?
Gusion felt the enemy's plan was unfolding step by step, weaving a giant net. But he couldn't see the goal.
Oh well, he stopped thinking.
If the enemy comes—he'll fight. In the face of absolute strength, all schemes are useless. He'd just wait for the Rulebreaker to show up, then kill them head-on.
Now that he had the Origin Seed, he wasn't in danger of being erased, so he could start making plans.
He'd gotten the Origin Seed and the Fang of Metsudo position in just six days, a perfect start.
Now, he just needed to maximize his gains in this world.
He glanced at Mazuko. Its growth rate was now 13.2%.
Yes, Setsuna was the first true enemy killed by this blade. According to its description, it would devour part of the enemy's soul, nourishing itself and growing stronger.
One head gave 13% growth. At first glance, upgrading the blade didn't seem hard, but he suspected Setsuna's soul was special, enhanced by the Origin Seed.
He guessed that killing small fry wouldn't boost the blade much; to upgrade his zanpakuto, he'd have to hunt the strong.
Gusion wasn't some happy-go-lucky killer, nor would he kill innocents for personal gain. So, in this world, he'd only hunt the Worms and the Wu clan from the Westward Faction.
…
Thirty km outside Tokyo, in an underground laboratory.
"Damn it, Setsuna is dead! Dead!"
"Useless! How could you die? You should've died by my hand!"
"Who is it? Who? Who but me could kill Setsuna now? There shouldn't be anyone like that among the Explorers!"
A man huddled in the corner, biting his fingers while talking to himself. On the lab table before him was a dissected pale corpse.
His bloodshot eyes darted as he muttered.
"Could it be the Adjudicator? But even for the Adjudicator, Setsuna should be tough now!"
"Damn Adjudicator, always ruining my plans!"
"I'll kill—I'll kill you, I'll kill until no Adjudicator dares to hunt me again!"
"But if he could kill Setsuna, could I beat him?"
"Of course I can! I'll get even stronger, and the seed will be mine—I'm not handing it over to anyone!"
Like someone with a split personality, he finally got up and walked to the lab table.
He stroked the ruined body, a sick smile on his face. His hand seemed to melt, merging with the corpse.
Blood vessels bulged at the junction. His body shuddered, his face twisted with pain and pleasure. He moaned.
About ten minutes later, the corpse shriveled, while he glowed with health.
His hand returned to normal. He gently caressed the dried corpse. "Prime goods. Still two attribute points left. Too bad Setsuna's dead and the Explorer corpses have stopped…"
As he muttered, his phone rang. He answered, smiling. "About what I mentioned before—have you decided? Without the Tiger's Vessel, you must be in trouble, right?"
PS: Hey guys, please read atleast 50 advanced chapters at patreon.com/AbsoluteCode