Kurogane Ryu - No Matter How Broken, We Must Go On!

The morning sun began to rise, flooding the silent school with brilliance. The stray zombies slowly shuffled around the corridors and front grounds.

Ryu's group took refuge in the third-floor clubroom previously used by the camping and survival group.

Max, Darren and Chao were sleeping, hugging each other's backs, snoring and grunting, while Ryu sat in the centre of the room with his legs crossed.

A swirl of blood colour energy was swirling around his body.

While he was naked, bathed in the sunlight.

His face and body were filled with sweat and dark black goo that leaked from his opened pores.

'The blood is the source of my power. Without blood, there is no vitality.'

The many corpses he killed moments ago crumbled and refined into small amounts of crimson qi that flowed into his abdomen. Slowly the energy cycled around the miniature globe created in his stomach, now like a small planet.

'Without vitality, there is no qi, and without qi, there is no power.'

Inner core - a small crimson orb that stores dense energy.

Outer core - a large spherical orb that allows that dense energy to amass and flows to the rest of the body to empower and temper his flesh and spirit.

Mantle - This forms small land around the huge outer core, formed of solid blood qi that directly seeps into the muscles and bones during the third layer of the Earth cycle.

The early cycles of the Blood Demon Qi Absorption were very slow and rather gentle, apart from the devouring nature of the meditation.

'Everything is one cycle; without one, there is no other.'

However, compared to some other techniques that required intense beatings or combat Ryu only needed to suffer the pain of his muscles, organs and bones being destroyed and reborn with each layer of the Earth cycle until his foundation was supreme.

'Once more!'

Normally a person would begin to feel dizzy or unsteady from one full meditation due to spending a vast amount of vitality and blood essence on this method.

Ryu had been performing this technique for five hours with two full cycles as his organs were improved, discarded and reborn twice.

The black sludge piled below and over his flesh is a testament to this process.

"Haaa....." Breathing out, he felt his breath was vile, and his desire to brush his new sparkling white teeth was intense.

Parting his hands, he began to stretch and crack each bone in his body, with a strange melodic sound filling the small room.

*Prrrt*

Until Chao farted...

The stench of the fat man's colon caused Ryu's enhanced smell to almost kill him. This was not a joke but the side effects of the technique that he had given them.

How a person discharged their impurities varied for Ryu, he could control it and thus chose the most painful but thorough method.

For Chao, it seemed he might need a toilet soon. Max seemed the same while Darren shed his during sleep, sweating.

Ryu left the room and entered the private shower, paid for by the former members.

"I hope the water is still on..."

The shower was a simple wet room with six showerheads and a simple pullet to turn on the jet-powered washer.

*Shh!*

"Ahhh.. so good."

[Cultivation Meditation Progress Report]

⟪Blood QI + 30⟫ (280/300)

⟪Strength + 2⟫ (34)

⟪Intellect + 1⟫ (26)

⟪Agility + 2⟫ (32)

⟪Dexterity + 1⟫ (33)

⟪Combat Power: 41⟫

His body was filled with shower gel and conditioner as he started to finish, ready to leave as the other three seemed to have all gone to the toilet to fix themselves.

'I hope they read the notes I left about their technique.'

He swiped across the information with his eyes while cleaning out the last conditioner to double-check their amusing technique.

[The Ironclad Body Ascension Method]

Description:

The Ironclad Body Ascension Method is a martial cultivation technique that harnesses the power of combat to elevate the practitioner's physical prowess.

Developed by a legendary warrior, this technique focuses on progressively refining the body through constant engagement in battle, leading to heightened strength and resilience.

***

"That's fine... I feel ashamed for losing myself to emotions last night." Ryu whispered, reflecting on not using his new weapons to train with them.

He was too hot-headed about Aya's death.

Now that everything had happened, he could only hold onto the small chance she escaped. To help himself move on, he took the guard, hilt and handle of her sword.

'Open the [Sub-Module]'

Ryu left the shower, his body dripping wet and steaming as the three men crawled out of the bathroom, but the effects were already visible.

Max, who was quite good before, now seemed to have more coordination, nothing godlike, but his arms and legs were more fluid and coordinated.

Chao seemed to have lost a few kilograms as his pants were loose. Ryu noticed that his eyes had the biggest difference.

Focused, sharp and no longer squinting at times.

"You look more fierce, Chao." Ryu joked with a laugh seeing them all grabbing their asses.

"Fuck you! Ryu, I shit more than my weight in nasty-smelling goo!"

"Hahahaha!"

To avoid the fat man's lunge, he pushed out his long right leg and tapped his body, sending the poor Chao flying back into the toilet with a disgusting splash and squelch...

"Ough... it's in my mouth.... it burns my nose... Ryuu!!!!!"

"Stop being a baby! Now all three of you shower, then read the note I left on the table for you with something small to eat."

"The red pills will save your life if wounded, but they cannot cure the infection."

"The blue pills will recover your stamina and fatigue. Use them wisely."

"Hey, Ryu, what about these swords?"

A broadsword

A longsword

A shortsword with a second dagger.

"Darren takes the dual wield his short body and dexterous hands are suited."

"Max, take the longsword. Your build is tall and powerful."

"Chao, although it's a basic broadsword if you work hard. Then I'll let you use one of these in the future."

*Jangle*

Ryu held a huge eastern broadsword in his hand with nine massive rings on the back of the blade. Each time he moved it, their weight as they jingled and jangled was obvious.

Yet the hilt was pretty with the words [Shirogane] written along the handle.

"No fucking way! Ryu, is that an 8-ring Broadsword!? My heritage, why are you stealing it!"

"Haha... it's a twelve-ring, you fat muppet. I will get you an 8-Ring one if you reach the Third Layer of the Earth Cycle."

"Read that notebook I left. It's very important and will teach you all you need to know about cultivation, my family and how I got these things."

Slowly wearing his spare clothes taken from the club Ryu left the clubroom with a confident stride and crimson light in his eyes.

"Guys, when you are done. Fight to the Main entrance; then we will get what we can from the Cafeteria and head West."

With a huge nine-Ring Broadsword over his shoulder and the ring from Aya around his neck, like a shounen anime villain, he swaggered out of the room.

He knew the more obnoxious and annoying he was, the more likely they would get pissed and read the notes properly.

"I hope you read it... Otherwise, you'll die."

***

"Hey... why does that guy always act so annoying."

"Well, he's rich and handsome~ damn Ryu" Chao picked up the book and broadsword.

Despite being displeased, he swung it around with a huge grin. "Hehe... I am the protagonist now, Ryu! Eat my Seven Decapitating Slash!

"..."

Quietly as Max and Chao messed around, Daren, who no longer needed glasses, read the book, putting his sword belt around his waist and nodding. He left the room and headed in the opposite direction of Ryu.

"Oi!"

"That damn bastard!"

"After him, Fattie! Maybe you'll become handsome with this technique!"

"Hahaha! I am the most handsome fatty!"

Max turned around and looked at Chao, then tilted his head. "Hey Chao, but you've lost weight. What do we call you then? One-Inch-Warrior? Short and small?"

As the three stooges headed quickly to meet Ryu at the main entrance.

The pair would then ask Darren what the book meant and became more excited to fight the zombies.

None of them were aware that Ryu was watching over them, killing any zombies that were faster than normal or seemed to have begun to grow stronger.

He watched over them while increasing his power slowly.

Ryu felt bad for not disclosing everything about his system, only telling them a small part of the truth because that's the limit. He was willing to trust them if something ever went wrong and an enemy could affect their minds.

Not only that, but the cultivation technique was from the system and would prohibit them from discussing the system or things gained from it with strangers that Ryu didn't acknowledge.

So he was safe.

===========

AN:

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[The Ironclad Body Ascension Method]

Description:

The Ironclad Body Ascension Method is a martial cultivation technique that harnesses the power of combat to elevate the practitioner's physical prowess.

Developed by a legendary warrior, this technique focuses on progressively refining the body through constant engagement in battle, leading to heightened strength and resilience.

Visuals:

As practitioners delve into the Ironclad Body Ascension Method, their appearance undergoes a subtle metamorphosis.

In the early stages, their movements exhibit an increased fluidity, as if instinctively aligning their bodies with the combat rhythm.

Every strike, every block, becomes more precise and impactful.

At the foundational level, practitioners engage in vigorous sparring sessions, testing their limits against opponents of increasing skill.

Each bout infuses their body with a surge of energy, causing their muscles to become more defined and their reflexes sharper. A faint, fleeting shimmer surrounds them during these training sessions, like a glint of steel in motion.

As practitioners advance, they learn to channel their fighting spirit into their strikes.

The intensity of their emotions becomes a source of power, propelling them to new heights.

Their movements become a seamless dance of strength and agility, intensifying the shimmer around them. It's as if their very presence radiates an aura of controlled combat energy.

In the later stages, practitioners face even more formidable opponents, engaging in battles that test their physical abilities and mental fortitude. The culmination of their training is marked by a transformation akin to a forged weapon.

Their body takes on an enhanced form, muscles rippling with power and a steady glow enveloping them as they fight. Every strike feels like the clang of steel against steel, and their aura blazes with an inner fire, a testament to their dedication to combat cultivation.

The Battleforge Ascension Method, while designed to reach only the body tempering phase, highlights the importance of honing one's skills through combat.

It demonstrates that the path to martial mastery is not solely paved with esoteric techniques but can also be achieved through relentless engagement in battle.