Chapter 16

**Avīci – Perpetual Torment** is the sixteenth chapter of *Tenkaichi Nihon Saikyo Bugeisha Ketteisen* and the first chapter of Volume 5.

## Summary

As the waves rock the Sweet Winds, Mori Ranmaru, Sasaki Kojiro and Hozoin Inshun are all interested to see what Yagyu Munenori has up his sleeve. With a menacing expression, Yagyu tells William Adams that he'll be leading him into Hell.

Twenty-nine years ago, Yagyu Munenori was born as the fifth son of Yagyu Shinkage-Ryu's founder, Yagyu Muneyoshi. He was said to have displayed extraordinary talent and mastered the heart of the style's techniques at a young age. Thus, Muneyoshi held much hope in his son. However, Munenori had an evil inclination towards toying with life, which festered in his mind. And so, on the day that Munenori turned twelve, his father, Muneyoshi and his elder brother, Yagyu Toshikatsu, found him in front of a bloody corpse.

After noticing them, Munenori informed his father and brother that he had thought of a new technique and wished to test it on another swordsman. He didn't intend to take his life but he could not determine whether or not he was alive or dead, which has made Munenori aware of his own inexperience. Muneyoshi couldn't believe Munenori would use a real sword against his fellow pupil, just to test out a technique, and acknowledged that something was wrong with him. He then ordered Toshikatsu to throw Munenori in prison and from this moment on, deprive him of all freedom, save for his own life.

From that day on, Munenori was chained to the floor in a cell, blindfolded and his arms restrained. Toshikatsu came in to bring him food and mocked Munenori by saying if he really had talent, even their father would be partial to him but in the end, Munenori was nothing but a failure. He ordered Munenori to open his mouth wide as he's going to feed him the dog's leftovers from yesterday. Munenori suddenly asked his brother to forgive him.

Toshikatsu found it absurd that he wanted forgiveness for killing another pupil but Munenori promised to kill the next one better, which is why he wanted Toshikatsu to let him kill one more time before his technique grows dull. Believing him to be a lunatic, Toshikatsu told him to stay in this cell for the rest of his life. As Munenori was scarcely able to move his body, the darkness continued on without end. But even amidst the darkness, he was able to keep refining his killing technique within his mind. One after another, and precisely. Over and over, he sliced. Over and over, he stabbed, more beautifully and more savagely. And so, time went on.

By the time the number of men Munenori had killed grown into the hundreds of thousands, three years had gone by. Toshikatsu told Muneyoshi that they should end this at once and kill Munenori. Muneyoshi hoped that, after three years, the fangs in his mind will have fallen out but Toshikatsu believed he was being too lenient as one does not test a technique on another pupil on some momentary impulse. Toshikatsu asserted it was in his nature, meaning no amount of punishment would change him.

And so, a few days later, during the night, Toshikatsu removed Munenori's restraints and blindfold. By this point, Munenori was so emaciated that one could see his ribs through his skin. Impressed he could survive for this long, Toshikatsu gave Munenori a sword. His plan was to make it look like Munenori tried to escape and attack him with a sword, leaving Toshikatsu with no other choice but to kill him, hoping that will convince Muneyoshi. As Munenori shakily grabbed the sword and stood up, Toshikatsu admitted he feared Munenori's strange nature and talent three years ago but now he's pathetic and can barely control his own body. Munenori finally spoke and told his brother that he had been practicing the technique from back then.

As Toshikatsu realised that meant he had been refining his technique all this time in the dark, Munenori took a step forward and slashed. Toshikatsu was just about to able to step back in time and was surprised he could still hold a sword. As he drew his sword, Toshikatsu believed he had a chance since he had little control over his body. Munenori warned Toshikatsu that his pain would continue until he had carved him away completely. Three years of darkness and confinement could not get rid of Munenori's evil. As Munenori began using the technique he developed to slash all over Toshikatsu's body, his brother questioned what this style is. Smiling, Munenori told his brother that he would lead him into perpetual torment.

Munenori's evil and talent had become inseparably mixed and gave rise to a single demon.

Toshikatsu yelled at him to stay away before being killed. In the present, Yagyu manages to cut William's chest a bit. He was a preta, that craved pain and death. Yagyu admits this reminds him of the time he completely carved away his brother, beyond any hope of recovery. Frustrated, Mohri Terumoto questions what this style is while Kamiizumi Ise-no-Kami laughs. Speaking in English, Yagyu tells William he can't die on him.

Not until he's made his death good.

Yagyu employs the **Yagyu Shinkage-Ryu Forbidden Art: Unending Cycle**, spinning his katana around and inflicting multiple slashes all over William's body. **Unending Cycle** is a continuous and combined offensive-defensive attack, based on the mawashi-uchi and kiri-age of Shinkage-Ryu. The opponent's actions are completely controlled, left only to struggle as if drowning, and to receive constant, intense pain, keeping the opponent conscious throughout the process. It was a truly hellish technique, as if it were crafted by the Reaper himself.

Ranmaru sweats over how insane this is as Yagyu's technique is an endless, absolutely savage attack that has no weak point. Ranmaru then finally understands. With the past two matches, he just had fun watching them fight to the death but not Munenori. He had been killing them all, inside his head. As he cuts open William's arm, Yagyu says this is truly a good technique. Honda Tadakatsu's loyalty, Miyamoto Musashi's raw talent, Toda Seigen's persistence and Fuma Kotaro's pride – Yagyu had plenty he wanted to carve away from them.

After Yagyu cuts across his face, William realises the swordsman is an even bigger monster than he was. Questioning if he will die, William starts thinking about his mother. When William was a child, his mother gave him the dirk and told him that this dirk was her entire life. She assured William the blood that flowed inside of her, flows within him too. Calling him strong, his mother told William to use this dirk to carve out his path in life. William tries telling his mother that he isn't done yet when Yagyu looks down on him while keeping his blade over William's face.

Believing there's nothing worth carving away in William left, Yagyu cuts him up into pieces as William tries to say that his voyage isn't over yet. Oda Nobutada believes Yagyu had too much fun while Mohri is taken aback that William, that monster, was left powerless to resist. Looking down at William's corpse, Yagyu sighs.

As Oda smiles, Kanemaki Jisai confirms his strength is truly incomparable. Kamiizumi happily says he's come a long way while Hozoin In'ei insists he dislikes that. Inshun notes that this is the style of the Peerless Swordsman. As Yagyu flicks the blood off his blade, Ranmaru says he has to remember to get his autograph next time. The winner of Tenkaichi's Round One – Match Three, sponsored by the Oda Clan, is Yagyu Munenori.

## Appearing Characters

* Hozoin In'ei
* Hozoin Inshun
* Kamiizumi Isenokami
* Kanemaki Jisai
* Mohri Terumoto
* Mori Ranmaru
* Oda Nobunaga
* Oda Nobutada
* Sasaki Kojiro
* Takuan Soho
* William Adams
* Yagyu Munenori
* ***Yagyu Muneyoshi*** (flashback)
* ***Yagyu Toshikatsu*** (flashback)

## Notes & Trivia

* The chapter's title references Avīci, the lowest level of the Naraka in Buddhist cosmology.