Rebirth From Ordinary Person To The Strongest Chapter 168 Master of the World Part III

"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 seed 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 mont, 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 an?

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 flas, everything began retracing their paths as if soone had rewound a video. The very fabric of ti itself was rewinding.

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

Back when we first t the swordsmith, he had told my father about certain cursed blades. Among them was one with the exact na 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 ti itself—allowing them to reverse ti.

And if that legend was true…

Why wasn't I caught in this reversal?

Why was I the only one observing this impossible phenonon?

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 .

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

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

The flas 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 ti unwound itself.

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

"…I don't have a na for it yet. I just ca up with it."

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

The Master stretched, his movents 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 , 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. Ti resud its normal flow.

Raikou Douji remained at a distance, and Harunaga stayed concealed in the forest. anwhile, the one-eyed monster lay discarded near , 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 n."

"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 na is Otsu Norimitsu."

With the confidence of soone who had introduced themselves this way countless tis before, he declared his na proudly.

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

"…Itsuki. Kisaragi Itsuki."

"A fine na."

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

"A true battle between n 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 teor 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 .

"Why not seal your magic first?"

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

"Woah!"

The flood swept away, forcing 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 , 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 ti to heal, I needed sothing 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 sothing that combined raw power with invisibility.

"This ends now," I declared.

The spell I crafted was a refinent 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.

Find adventures at empire

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 re 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 abdon.

"…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 soone 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 sa ti, I felt myself being pushed back, as if repelled by the void's force.

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

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

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

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

"Let's play again soti."