A System That Beats Death 15 Power Over Memories

Due to this world's irregular day and night cycle, there was no such thing as a morning routine. People often went to sleep whenever they felt tired and woke up as soon as possible to continue working. Nights could last entire months which destroyed the concept and possibility of a circadian rhythm. At first, it was jarring to someone like Itsuki but after years of living in this world, he eventually got used to it and slept at the slightest whim.

As soon as Kirei roused from her slumber, she would initiate her somewhat mundane daily routine. After eating breakfast made by Itsuki, she would explore the town to learn about society or find something new. Then she would spend one to two hours swinging a heavy katana to get the hang of using a weapon. She would then take a bath to rid herself of sweat and relax. Before going back to sleep, she would accompany Itsuki as he wasted silk.

Now that Itsuki had finally finished his tailoring, he decided to get back on track and begin teaching Kirei. He folded the newly made garments and wrapped them.

[Task Completed:

Minor Healing Acquired]

[Task Completed:

Silk Production Acquired]

Slightly embarra.s.sed by the contents of his present, he activated Silk Production and wrapped it in a coc.o.o.n by accident.

He then sensed a hidden presence and immediately left while forgetting to leave the coc.o.o.ned gift.

Finding Kirei in the woods, he silently watched as she began her routinely swings. Her swings were steadfast and powerful but was lacking variety. After an entire hour of identical swings, Itsuki felt his face twitch from annoyance. Her breathing intensified as she depleted her stamina and she continually gasped for air. Her hands were partially calloused but she endured as she persistently moved her sore arms.

I don't think she knows what taking a break means, Itsuki sighed. Although her work ethic was worth applauding, breaks were needed for both review and rejuvenation. The sword he had given her was to gain strength and for her to familiarize herself with weaponry but her training method was ... awful.

"Breathe with your nose instead of your mouth. Controlling the amount you breath allows you to remain calm", Itsuki advised after appearing out of thin air.

Surprised by his sudden and undetected arrival, she stumbled greatly. The blade slipped from her sweaty, shaking palms and she closed her eyes in antic.i.p.ation of being floored by herself. She waited to feel the impact of a rough landing. As she never fell, she opened her eyes to find Itsuki's face a few centimeters away from hers.

Her hair and body were plastered against Itsuki's which caused him to unintentionally take in her scent. It was soothing yet arousing which gave him contradicting moods.

As Kirei was exhausted, he held a flask of water which she obediently drank from. After a few minutes of laying on his lap, she reluctantly separated.

"Go back and rest. I will properly instruct you tomorrow", Itsuki sternly said while hiding his heated ears.

He then gave her the coc.o.o.n which confounded her as she could not fathom what she could do with it.

"What is this?", she asked.

"It's a present. Open it and you will find out", Itsuki stated. He then remembered his new ability and took her hand in his. He then began to heal her calloused hands which she couldn't tell as his entire hand covered hers. When he loosened his grip, she immediately took back her hand and ran back to their residence while trying to conceal her face which felt like an erupting volcano.

Once she ran a considerable distance, Itsuki turned towards the forest and his tone became cold and dominating. He then brandished Dark Revelation and pointed it at a cl.u.s.ter of trees.

"Come out. You can't hide from me"

Itsuki waited a while for a response. When he got none, he turned away and walked away.

Hah! As if a mere human could detect me! If he knew what I was then he'd definitely run, the Demon Baron thought. He still had to a.s.sess this realm and had already seen the civilization. It wasn't anything special as primitive towns were common amongst the human realms he had visited. That human female is quite attractive though. I should a.s.sess her physiology, he sneered.

Intent on capturing his prey, he furtively uncrouched. As he began to get up, a chill went up his spine. He quickly turned his head to find a blood red eye filled with killing intent. Suddenly, he felt a fist strike his spine with immense force. The powerful blow sent him flying. His back collided with a tree which was at least 100 meters away from where he hid. The tree immediately shattered as the Demon Baron was far too heavy for it to withstand.

The impact prompted him to spew blood which began to hover in midair.

"How considerate of you", Itsuki sneered.

"W-w-wait! Venerable one, if you kill me-"

Itsuki interrupted his desperate plea by kicking his abdomen.

"A scout who is caught can only be killed. After all, the less information an enemy has, the more vulnerable they are", Itsuki said as he began to lift Dark Revelation.

"Since, you know what I'm doing then you definitely can't live", the Baron growled before charging.

Itsuki effortlessly dodged which the Baron had antic.i.p.ated. The Baron immediately made a right turn and suddenly quadrupled his speed.

__________________________________________________________________________________

Contrary to what Itsuki believed, she had already noticed the Demon Baron lurking around. The realization of the Baron's presence had petrified her but she feigned ignorance.

She pretended to focus on doing what she was originally doing and hoped that the Baron would leave. However, the Baron did not leave and continued to spectate her for an hour which made her feel hopeless and powerless.

After running away from Itsuki, she began to ruminate in the bathtub. Droplets of water clung to her silky hair and the slight steam reddened her jade skin.

Examining her smooth fingers, she felt a pang of disappointment. She had misunderstood the hand holding to be an intimate gesture. Once again, she began to doubt herself.

He stands at the peak while I can only dwell in his shadows. Am I worthy of him? That demon didn't even faze him, she thought.

She dragged her finger across the Ring which gave her a sense of comfort yet also a feeling of loss. Technically, the rings meant they were engaged but it was also a forceful method. What if he despised the fact that they were forcefully engaged, she thought.

She then realized that from their interactions that he probably didn't even realize the significance of the rings.

I'll become stronger in order to stand by his side, Kirei decided and felt her resolve manifest.

[Power or Memories]

[At the expense of power, you can retain your memories and ident.i.ty. However, you will remain weak as you always were and have to scheme. At the expense of memories, you can retain your talent and strength. However, you won't recognize people and have to restart life many times]

Kirei was startled by the Ring's interjection. It hadn't done anything in a very long time which was why the prompt surprised her. Then again, it was the Ring of Resolve which meant that it only responded to determination.

I will choose to lose my memories, Kirei thought with a slightly bitter smile. Having memories were useless if she remained powerless. Only with power could she achieve great things.

Grasping the iridescent pearl close to her bosom, she whispered to herself. Even without memories, I will find my way towards you, Itsuki.

She chose memories and waited for her sense of self to disappear. After 10 minutes, nothing happened which made her sigh in relief. She then got out of the bathtub and noted that she felt stronger.

No longer feeling hopeless, she looked forward to the future once again. She then remembered that Itsuki had given her a package.

The coc.o.o.n was light but securely wrapped. Confused as to how to open it, she sighed before trying to unwrap it conventionally. She dexterously untangled the string which took a while.

The coc.o.o.n unfurled to reveal a beautiful kimono which stunned Kirei.

Even the ones made by the seamstress could not compete with her gift. Her new kimono had the color of rubies and on it was embroidered a lifelike phoenix which seemed to rise from ashes. The obi which accompanied the kimono resembled the golden sun and s.h.i.+mmered when she s.h.i.+fted it.

The apparel was fit for a G.o.ddess, let alone an empress.

She then noticed that the kimono wasn't the only thing she was given. She then found the Concealment Mask which could hide one's presence. Wearing what Itsuki wore made her blush, but then she saw the undergarments.

Holding up the bra.s.siere, she thought,"So this is the lingerie that Itsuki likes"

Kirei then began to smile mischievously. So he was just too shy to take action, she thought and felt elated. Then I can't be shy or we can't progress, she said with eyes radiating pa.s.sion.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________

In front of the Fallen PaG.o.da, the Yamato and Akagi Clan gathered in order to take down the new menace. They only let the Demon Generals live because the Generals were weaker than they were. Now that the new demons were stronger than they were, they could only unite to stand a fighting chance.

The Demon Baron charged out of the forest and straight into the battlefield. He then ran towards the Demon Earl and was about to scream for help.

As his jaw creaked, his throat split in two. A nearly invisible thread glistened red and a figure emerged.

"I didn't expect to see the deadbeat dad here"