Chapter 88: A Peck At The Level Of Perfection
Kimura Kazuki smiled a little as he looked at Ono Nakamura who lay on the ground with praise in his eyes.
To prevent himself from falling off the exhibition stand, Ono Nakamura had ultimately used up the last of his strength to resist Kimura Kazuki's blow, so the previous blow he dealt was somewhat weak.
However, even if the last blow was a bit weak, the refinement of spirit in it had triggered the reiki in the air, entirely elevating this ordinary skill. Although he only needed to block it lightly without exerting any force to send the bamboo knife in his opponent's hands flying, he did not wish to break the enlightenment he had gotten from the action. After all, it was his last resort attack and moreover, he had triggered the reiki in the air.
Although there was a weak sword power within Ono Nakamura, it did not mean that he could practice now. Only when his internal sword power had gradually developed with quiet meditation and had stabilized with time to reach a certain level could it trigger reiki. And if he were able to trigger reiki, he would be able to absorb reiki as well.
At that time, he could be called a cultivator. However, during the period of formation of the sword power, it was best to meditate. This was why Kimura Kazuki had reminded him to not participate so much in these kinds of activities, as it would pollute the sword power.
In ancient Huaxia, only Taoist and Buddhist monks were able to become cultivators simple due to the living habits of these two types of people. For Buddhist monks, they usually lived in the mountains with a peace of mind and therefore, their emotional state was beyond that of average people. Furthermore, reciting scripture helped to eliminate any distracting thoughts, making it easier to refine spirits as well as condense the Buddhist heart.
However, there were very few who could condense the Buddist heart or Taoist heart, because condensation of the Buddhist or Taoist center meant the potential for cultivation. Yet most Buddhist monks or Taoists did not have such potential and thus became the cause of numerous people not even being able to step into the threshold of cultivation. Therefore, most monks, hermits and Buddhists in ancient times stopped at the point of normalcy and spent their entire lives in remorse because they did not own the potential for cultivation.
Although there was Bone Touching in ancient times, it only served to tell the potential for martial arts whereas the potential for cultivation was undetectable. Most people would only joyfully discover that they had become cultivators when reiki was produced in their bodies.
Regardless of whether it was the Buddhist heart, Taoist heart or sword power, they were all just different routes to virtually the same destination.
Ono Nakamura was undoubtedly lucky as he could condense sword power, meaning that he had the potential for cultivation. This was also the reason why Kimura Kazuki had given him pointers generously, because in the age before the recuperation of reiki, every cultivator was precious.
As he thought of this, Kimura Kazuki suddenly realized that the atmosphere was too quiet and he subconsciously looked down the stage. He saw countless pairs of eyes staring at himself with utter admiration and enthusiasm. In Japan, its citizens had great respect for powerful people. The more outstanding your ability was, the more respected you would be.
Kimura Kazuki who currently stood on the stage was the strongest person in their eyes. Didn't you see that the worn out bamboo sword in his opponent's hands? Some of the tied bamboo pieces had fallen onto the ground and the complete sword form had already broken apart, unable to withstand the force previously exerted.
Kimura Kazuki looked at Muraoka Hiroshi as he looked foolishly at him and could not help but speak out, "Mr. Muraoka, you should hurry up and get a medical staff, Ono has passed out."
Muraoka Hiroshi came back to his senses once he heard his voice and after seeing Ono Nakamura lying on the stage and not getting up, he held up his phone panickedly to make a phone call.
Soon, a team of medical staff came to haul away Ono Nakamura who had fainted on the ground.
Upon seeing the worry in everyone's eyes, Kimura Kazuki said calmly, "Don't worry, he's just unconscious from over-exhaustion. Ono-kun has no serious problems and just needs a short break to recover."
The voice that rang calm and powerful managed to convince everyone. Muraoka Hiroshi was also relieved and as he looked at Kimura Kazuki who stood on stage, he suddenly reacted to rush onto the scene with his microphone in hand. In an excited voice, he said, "I now announce... the winner of the Peak Kendo Showdown is... Thunder Master!"
Muraoka Hiroshi's emotional intelligence was very high and he did not disclose the real name of Kimura Kazuki. Since this was a comic con in the first place and Kimura Kazuki was cosplaying as the Thunder Master, so it was natural to lead the topic to The Sword Saga.
As soon as Muraoka Hiroshi's words came out, a thunderous applause sounded from beneath the stage and numerous shouts of "Thunder Master!" echoed from the mouths of the audience, attracting even the people who just arrived at Akihabara Square.
In the eyes of most people, cosplayers of characters at comic cons in general were merely dressing up and would obviously not own the skills that their character played.
Kimura Kazuki was different and his sword skill was unmatched. He was the real Thunder Master in many people's eyes. Some loyal readers of The Sword Saga were pumped with excitement and kept applauding until their hands became red, their eyes glued on Kimura Kazuki without blinking, wanting to engrave this moment in their hearts.
In no time, Muraoka Hiroshi handed over 150,000 yen to Kimura Kazuki.
He had initially intended to give this 150,000 yen to Ono Nakamura. After all, he was his wife's younger brother and benefits should be kept within the family. Ono Nakamura had actually come over to fight against Yuma Sugawara, but Yuma Sugawara had blew him off. Hence, without a choice, he was forced to help cheat. It was entirely unexpected of Kimura Kazuki to appear halfway and battle with Ono Nakamura until fainted from over-exhaustion.
However, Muraoka Hiroshi was happy to give out this 150,000 yen because it was worth the money. At this moment, he believed that no one could ever surpass Kimura Kazuki's cosplay of Thunder Master.
In addition to fitting aura, the display of strength at the kendo showdown on stage ultimately increased marks in the eyes of fans. As long as the publicization was right, the image of Kimura Kazuki as the Thunder Master would become the cosplaying classic of The Sword Saga, so Muraoka Hiroshi was very excited.
After Kimura Kazuki took the 150,000 yen, he decided to go to the lounge to find Matsukawa Chisato to ask for another 100,000 yen. However, as soon as he walked down, he was blocked by a pretty girl.
"Erm... erm, Thunder Master, can I have your autograph?"
Kimura Kazuki was stunned. He wanted to refuse since he was not an idol, but her notebook and pen was shoved to his chest. Her cheeks were red and she was staring at him with watery eyes that revealed her eagerness.
"This... alright." Kimura Kazuki took the notebook helplessly and picked up the pen. He did not write his name but signed the words of "Thunder Master" since he knew that this girl had to be a fan of either the novel or comic Thunder Master, otherwise she would not have been so excited.
"Thank you, Thunder Master."
"You're wel..." Before he could finish his sentence, Kimura Kazuki's body froze and he touched his face of utter confusion as he watched the girl jump back into the crowd. The girl's quick peck had obviously reached the level of perfection from the looks of her extreme speed that even Kimura Kazuki could not avoid. Or rather, Kimura Kazuki did not have his guard up at all... He did not have time to react.
"Sh*t ! She's too cunning, how can she take advantage of people..."
"Ahhhh... Thunder Master! I want a kiss too!"
"I want an autograph too!"
"Thunder Master!"
"I want it too! I want it too!"
The girl's actions threw the already hyped up crowd into a complete frenzy. The confused expression on Kimura Kazuki's cold face had directly tread upon some girls' Moe point.
As he watched the crowd of young girls rushing toward him, Kimura Kazuki felt overwhelmed for the first time since time-travelling. His forehead dripped with the rare sight of cold sweat.