"Very few people know the story I am about to tell you," Muzen began, his voice steady and firm, carrying the weight of history itself.
"Many years ago, my magic had reached the apex of what Japan's magical society knew.
I believe in your country, they describe this level as Grandmaster.
I stood at the peak of all Grandmasters in Japan, yet I felt a bottleneck in my improvent.
Instinctually, I knew that if I could not comprehend sothing deeper than the magic I wielded, I would never step into the fabled Legend realm.
Unfortunately, there were no Legend-rank wizards in Japan.
And with the Muggle world teetering on the edge of chaos, with wars erupting across nations, I had no ntor to guide . I could only rely on myself.
Thus, I dedicated myself to training in Magic Martial Integration.
I sought to apply my magic in a different way.
For instance, I would channel magical principles into a katana.
This was a simple feat for soone of my level.
Yet, I couldn't stop thinking about a story passed down in my clan.
You see, my lineage traces back to a long line of samurai.
Most of them were born without magic, yet my clan was regarded as one of the most valiant, resilient, and formidable among the samurai.
Deep within my clan's archives lay ancient scriptures, so as old as the 8th century.
Within those archives, I found the story that had been nagging the back of my head, the tale of Kabutowari, or as you might call it in English, helt-splitting.
Kabutowari was a technique used by samurai, involving a specific type of weapon designed to pierce or crush helts.
In battle, armored helts were a formidable defense, but the greatest warriors could split them with precise strikes, demonstrating supre skill and strength.
To achieve this feat was to attain mastery over the sword beyond normal human limits.
My clan took this legend and forged it into a training regin.
Those who passed the test would gain swordsmanship skills unrivaled in all of Japan.
My ancestors called this path Muga and Muso.
Muga (Absence of Self): This is a state of absolute flow, where one becos completely devoid of ego and self-conscious thought. In this state, the warrior moves instinctively, free from doubt, fear, and hesitation.
It is the rging of the self with the act, achieving a unity between body, mind, and weapon. In Muga state, the swordsman does not think, he simply acts with flawless precision, guided by deep instinct and experience.
Muso (Peerlessness / Unrivaled State): This is domination and total awareness. A warrior in Muso sees everything with absolute clarity. It is a state of supremacy, where all movents, all intentions of the opponent, beco predictable.
In Muso state, the fighter stands above all others, untouchable, unchallenged, and utterly superior.
To put it simply, Muga is absolute instinct, while Muso is absolute dominance.
The scriptures vaguely described how a warrior could enter either Muga or Muso to accomplish a feat beyond human capability: splitting a helt with a wooden katana.
To the outside world, it would seem impossible.
But for those who walk the path of Muga and Muso, the impossible is rely another threshold to cross.
Throughout history, few ever reached these states.
But those who did beca legends.
One such ancestor of mine, Minamoto no Tsugihiro, was said to have fought fifty n alone, cutting them down in a blur of motion without a single wasted movent.
Witnesses claid he did not hesitate, did not falter, it was as if he had beco the sword itself.
That was Muga.
Another ancestor, Takeda Jinsuke, was said to have defeated three of the greatest swordmasters of his ti without drawing his blade.
His sheer presence alone forced them to submit, as if their movents had already been anticipated and countered before they even began fighting.
That was Muso.
They were warriors who transcended human limits.
And so, I dedicated myself to this path, forging my own way to reach the realm beyond Grandmaster.
I trained ceaselessly, pushing my body and mind to the brink of collapse, challenging the limits of what magic and martial skill could achieve.
Day and night, I would picture myself, sotis as a master of Muga, one with the sword, with no conscious thought, only the pure act of cutting.
Body, mind, and weapon act as one, flowing without hesitation or interference.
The wooden katana, though not designed to break tal, would ignore limits, the helt would not split, it would shatter violently as if struck by an unstoppable force.
I would beco destruction itself, not controlling it, but allowing it to manifest fully.
Then, I would picture myself as a master of Muso, at the peak of perception and control.
Understanding the perfect strike, the most efficient angle, the precise mont to apply force, and the way the helt's structure will yield to my katana.
The katana would strike exactly at the weakest point of the helt.
The force applied would be minimal yet perfectly efficient, ensuring that no energy is wasted.
The helt would split cleanly, as if it were ant to break apart at that mont.
It would seem effortless, yet the cut would be flawless.
Days turned into months, months into years.
Yet the mont I finally understood, it was as if everything had beco clear in an instant.
And in that silence...
"CRACK"
The world answered.
I opened my eyes.
The helt was shattered.
"It was Muga, the absence of self."
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50 Chapters ahead on Patreon (Suiijin): Chapter 99: State of Mind
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