Kaito looked at the sword Atomic Samurai handed him and suddenly recalled that classic scene from the original work.
Back then, Atomic Samurai had asked King to cut an apple, but King couldn't even draw the sword—the clasp on the scabbard was stuck. King just froze in place, holding the pose, and eventually had to leave in awkward silence.
Meanwhile, Atomic Samurai had imagined a world-shaking, invisible sword draw… and was terrified.
"Pfft!"
Thinking of that, Kaito couldn't help but laugh aloud.
The laugh instantly made Atomic Samurai's brows furrow. His tone turned sharp:
"King, in your eyes, is my request that ridiculous? Or do you think I, Atomic Samurai, am unworthy for you to draw your sword and test it with me?"
Kaito quickly composed himself and waved his hand in explanation.
"Samurai, you misunderstand. I'm not looking down on you. I just recalled an amusing anecdote unrelated to our current situation, and I lost my composure for a moment. It was absolutely not directed at you."
Atomic Samurai saw that Kaito's face was sincere—but the faint, lingering smile in his eyes made him feel the other man was far more unfathomable than he seemed.
"No matter." He forced down the doubts in his heart and fixed his gaze on Kaito. "Please."
He signaled for Juhe'an to place the plump, crimson apple squarely on the low table in the center of the venue.
Seeing this, Kaito said no more. He reached for the heavy katana.
The moment he took a deep breath, his demeanor changed completely. A chilling aura quietly began to rise.
He stepped back a few paces, putting distance between himself and the apple, then assumed the most standard stance for a sword draw—
Left hand gripping the scabbard, thumb pressed firmly against the koiguchi.
Right hand resting lightly on the hilt.
Body lowered, center of gravity leaning forward—like a fully drawn bow poised to release!
Thump… thump… thump…
A deep, powerful rhythm—like ancient war drums—suddenly erupted from Kaito's chest.
Emperor Engine—activated!
With that iconic, roaring heartbeat, a dark red murderous aura surged from beneath his feet.
It wasn't just swirling mist now—it was thick, almost tangible. Like congealed blood… or molten hellfire.
The aura wrapped around Kaito in slow, viscous streams, forming a dark red domain that distorted the very air. The light dimmed. The air grew heavy.
"Hiss—!"
"What… what is this?!"
The three disciples behind Atomic Samurai gasped in unison, eyes wide with shock.
Iaian's pupils shrank to pinpoints. His voice trembled:
"Bloodlust?! Such a dense, solid aura of bloodlust! How many powerful beings… has he killed?!"
Ding! Successfully intimidated Iaian, Okama Itachi, and Bushidrill. Intimidation Points +60!
Kaito's brow lifted slightly.
Bloodlust? Interesting.
So, to master swordsmen, the Emperor Engine's aura was interpreted as something far more tangible… and terrifying.
He could use that misunderstanding.
Not drawing his sword yet, Kaito poured himself into the "performance."
Thump—!! Thump—!! Thump—!!!
Each heartbeat struck heavier than the last, hammering against everyone's chests. The murderous aura condensed further, darkening until it seemed ready to drip blood.
The temperature in the banquet hall's corner dropped several degrees. Pressure squeezed the air thin. Guests standing too close felt their breathing falter, their faces draining of color as they stumbled backward.
A bead of cold sweat rolled down Atomic Samurai's temple.
Through the turbulence of the dark red aura, he saw something else—
A martial path paved with countless corpses.
Twisted monster limbs, shattered hero armor, grotesque mutant beasts—all piled high into mountains.
And on those mountains, Kaito strode upward, step by step.
Each step matched a thunderous heartbeat, and each was accompanied by a burst of dark red blood mist.
That figure was aloof, absolute—an Emperor walking over the bones of the countless strong he had slain, finally standing atop the summit, tens of thousands of withered skeletons beneath his feet.
It was a pure, undisguised path of slaughter.
The path of an Emperor.
Ding! Atomic Samurai generated extreme fear and awe due to imagining the host's "Martial Path of Mountains of Corpses and Seas of Blood." Intimidation Points +100!
A chill shot from Atomic Samurai's tailbone to the top of his head.
His proud sword intent, compared to this Emperor's slaughterous might, felt like a candle flame in a hurricane—ready to be snuffed out at any moment.
His knuckles whitened on the hilt of his sword.
Kaito felt the system's prompt and knew the timing was perfect. Pushing the act any further might backfire.
Kaito took a deep breath—
And then, the Emperor Engine's heartbeat stopped.
The turbulent, dark red murderous aura around him collapsed in an instant, receding like a tide… as if it had never existed.
Everyone held their breath, bracing for a world-shattering strike.
Instead, Kaito did something that left the entire room dumbfounded.
He slowly set the katana down. The solemn, intimidating expression vanished from his face, replaced by an easy, warm smile. He casually waved to Saitama and Bang as though nothing had happened.
"Alright, alright, don't just stand there—the beef's getting cold. Keep eating."
It was as if he'd only been stretching his muscles.
"Eh???"
Saitama scratched his bald head, staring at the katana on the ground and the perfectly intact apple. His brow furrowed in confusion.
"This… this is it? Weren't you gonna cut the apple?"
He clearly had no idea what just happened.
Tatsumaki's emerald eyes blinked. She leaned toward Chiba Reina and whispered—well, tried to whisper, but her voice carried across the room:
"Hey, Reina, did you see that? Did he… actually cut it?"
She tried to sound composed, befitting the S-Class Rank 2 hero, but there was the faintest trace of uncertainty in her tone.
Chiba Reina hadn't seen a thing either—but her admiration for Kaito was already carved into her heart. She nodded vigorously, eyes sparkling.
"I saw it perfectly! Tatsumaki-sama! King-sama's slash just now… it was so fast it felt like time itself stood still! And—he was so cool! That commanding presence!"
Her words were pure invention, born entirely from faith.
Fubuki, equally clueless, caught Reina's confident tone and immediately joined in, puffing out her ample chest.
"Of course! King-sama's swordsmanship is beyond ordinary comprehension! That slash… it contained the ultimate martial truth—returning to simplicity, silent and imperceptible!"
She tried to make it sound like a professional analysis.
Hearing this, Tatsumaki thought, I can't be the only one who didn't see it if everyone else did.
She quickly lifted her chin higher, her voice taking on an even more tsundere edge to mask her unease.
"Hmph! Naturally! Of course I saw it too! I was only testing your observation skills just now—that's why I asked. It seems you two have some eyesight after all."
Her pride was safe… for now.
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