"Dad?!" Ayaka looked at her father with an expression of surprise that turned into hatred.
"Dad?" Keiichi looked at the middle-aged man with a strange expression.
'Where the hell was this guy while her daughter was fighting an otherworldly being?'
"Ayaka, go back to the sect now. You owe me an explanation." The man said as he looked at Keiichi with a suspicious expression.
"...Explanations? Explanations?! Where the hell was you when I needed you?!" Ayaka screamed.
"Ayaka-" The man was about to give a sermon, but his words stopped when he saw someone familiar inside the hut.
"That…" The man approached and saw Azumi's dead body. His expression instantly changed.
"What the hell happened?!" He exclaimed as he examined Azumi's body.
"She-" Keiichi was about to explain, but Ayaka cut him off.
"This is your fault!! If you were standing next to me, it wouldn't have happened! If you cared once about your only child..." her voice weakened as she cried.
"Ayaka-" The man tried to get closer, but she grabbed Azumi's body and darted in a certain direction.
"Ayaka, wait!!"
Keiichi watched the whole situation with a strange expression. He didn't expect to see such a complicated situation between father and daughter.
"You, come with me!" The man took Keiichi into his arms.
"Wait, what-"
Without giving Keiichi a chance to speak, he dashed after Ayaka.
'Damn, I'm glad I got all those people off the island.'
-
Ayaka flew to the Blue Dragon Sect. When she arrived at the sect, she ran straight to her room and locked the door. All she wanted was time alone to organize her thoughts. She also left Azumi's body in a separate room, thinking about planning her funeral.
-
"So this is your Sect?" Keiichi said.
Blue Dragon Sect. Despite being the most powerful sect in the country, the mood within the sect was one of distress. The disciples received a warning that an unknown creature was attacking the cities and causing genocide. The biggest problem with all of this was…
"The situation is bad. We won't be able to contain the information because the incidents were too big." The man replied with a serious expression.
"This is useless now. The demon has fled and will likely attack more cities. Don't waste your efforts trying to hide the existence of Cultivators." Keiichi gave sincere advice.
"Can you tell me everything that happened?" Ayaka's father had already received some information but didn't know about Azumi's death.
Keiichi nodded and told him everything that had happened.
-
"I see…" Although he found it unbelievable, he knew Keiichi was telling the truth.
"Why was Ayaka so shocked at this woman's death?" They didn't seem so close when I first met them." Asked Keiichi, looking at the Sect disciples.
"This is a long story, boy. Over a decade ago, there was a troubled sect in this country. Due to some conflicts, we started a war, and eventually, we won. That's when I met Azumi. Azumi at the time was one of the top disciples and a bright young girl, so I decided to capture her to be Ayaka's bodyguard. I took precautions in case she tried anything against Ayaka, but my precautions were unnecessary. Over the years they became very close, and despite Azumi still hating me, she loved Ayaka very much."
Keiichi looked at him strangely.
''I can understand her hatred, this guy looks like a bad guy.'
*Sigh!*
"I know what you're thinking, boy. It was a war, the loser loses all, and the winner takes all. All I wanted was someone capable of protecting Ayaka, and my hypothesis was right. Azumi became stronger than the other elders in a short time."
"I-"
"Sect Leader! Bad news. The Cultivators union is requesting an urgent meeting." A man approached, panting.
"So those bastards already know what happened."
"Cultivators Union? What is it?" Keiichi asked.
"It is a worldwide organization. They regulate the actions of Cultivators and Sects. They say their purpose is to protect civilization. But they are power-hungry bastards." Ayaka's father responded with an expression of bitterness.
Keiichi was a little surprised to hear about this.
'A world organization, huh.'
"Boy, what do you think about following me?" Ayaka's father suggested with a smile.
"What?! Why the hell would I want to be a part of this?"
"You are the person who has the most information about this demon. Besides, I'm sure they'll come after you when I tell them what happened."
Keiichi frowned with a thoughtful expression.
…
"Fine, but I have one condition."
"Say."
"Help me find information about my family's killer."
"Hoh…" Ayaka's father was surprised. "May I know your name, boy?"
"Keiichi Otake."
'...Otake? So he's the son of that family that was murdered, huh.'
"My name is Takahiro Matsuzaki. Just call me Takahiro."
Takahiro and Keiichi talked for more than 30 minutes about various topics. Despite the brief conversation, Keiichi realized that Takahiro was not a bad person.
-
Keiichi was walking to Ayaka's room. He had asked why Takahiro didn't show up in the fight against the demon, and it seems he was at a meeting with several sects in another country. The demon attack was too sudden, so he couldn't arrive on time.
'I hope she is calmer'
Takahiro knew that Ayaka was very angry with him, so he decided to plan a proper funeral for Azumi. Well, the Blue Dragon sect was also in chaos due to the death of several elders. The death of so many elders means that the sect has lost a lot of power. This is very troublesome.
*Tock!* *Tock!*
Keiichi knocked on Ayaka's bedroom door but received no response. He insisted a few more times until he heard footsteps.
"Dad didn't I already say that-" Ayaka opened the door complaining, but was surprised to see Keiichi. "What are you doing here?"
"We can talk?"
