[Anomaly]

Chapter 2

The whole place was desolate, just dead earth spreading out all over this place where two children were fighting.

Crack

Senji's head was buried in the ground with the other child's hand still exerting pressure so that he would not escape. The strength of that child was huge, he had no way to continue fighting for long. He had already used what his uncle taught him to fight and they were still beating him.

"When they said that the enemy is oneself, I didn't expect it to be literally."

Senji was fighting with someone almost identical to him.

But this entity has black eyes and white pupils and was beating him without any difficulty. And I couldn't find a way to beat him.

"Who are you really?"

Senji decided to ask to buy time and regain some energy.

"… Hmpf. I am the [Kagutsuchi Blood], the blood that is guilty of the cursed weapons of your lineage, little Muramasa."

"My father told me the history of my Clan and also that one day that blood will awaken. And most importantly, I didn't allow that blood to control me."

"Your father is right... But the truth is that I have no interest in taking control of your body and doing heinous acts like it was in the past."

Really? And then why did you start attacking me."

"I just wanted to test if you're able to hold on, and he has. You were trained like a warrior, right?"

Senji sighed and then spoke. "You're a little right, but I was trained to become a blacksmith."

"At 10 years old?" [Kagutsuchi Blood's] eyes widened in surprise, he hadn't imagined that he was trained to be a blacksmith.

"Yes." Senji could understand his confusion.

"… See... Now I understand a little bit where your strength and grip comes from. A normal child could not be enduring forced labor such as blacksmithing as an adult does."

"My uncle was the one who trained us all to do it."

"Seems perfect for that..."

"Perfect? What are you talking about."

"A duality. If I were the only one, I would unleash your wild side and wipe out all the people around you. Therefore... Let's try to merge into one. This way, you'll avoid falling into a side of madness and control the power that runs through my veins. Also, you will inherit the curse that resides in weapons, so I would recommend training that before forging swords for someone."

"… Okay, I take the deal." He resigned himself to fighting against him and letting himself be carried away by the current of whatever may happen in the future.

Senji stretched out his hand to shake with the [Kagutsuchi Blood].

"And one last thing..."

Senji nodded.

"From now on, society may see you as a monster."

Before I asked him why, he had woken up.

The [Kagutsuchi Blood] saw that place rise up in an endless fire.

"Heh. Now it looks like an oven... I hope this is the last generation with cursed blood. I forgot to tell him that his attitude may have a change... I don't think he cares much about being a lover of fights."

[Senji Muramasa's Room]

"What do you mean by the latter."

"Senji-nii at last! … you woke up..."

Hana's animated voice suddenly changed to one that was nervous as well as scary.

"What's wrong Hana?"

Without understanding the reason, he decided to ask him to find out the reason for his change in attitude.

Hana pointed with her index finger. "… Your eyes... they look different..."

Senji quickly got up in search of a mirror to see his eyes.

And when he saw it, he dropped the small mirror he had grabbed where it broke into pieces, falling several pieces on his feet.

"… They are the same as that guy..."

"They will see you as a monster." I remembered his words.

"That's what he said...," he sighed. Bring me a cloth to cover my eyes. This will be problematic."

Hana nodded, quickly finding a white cloth near her where she walked very carefully not to step on the pieces of glass and hurt her feet.

After handing me the white cloth, I asked him for help to blindfold me.

I can't let anyone see them.

"Take me to Nobunaga-sama. I have to warn you of this."

"Is it necessary?"

"Yes. After all, I had a change where it can be scary for anyone. There are no humans with black eyes and white pupils. They can try to burn me or worse, torture me for thinking I'm a monster."

Hana understood.

"I understand, lean on my body so you don't stray or you can fall along the way."

I nodded and leaned my body on hers very carefully, I can't see now so I need to be careful where I take my hands or feet.

After several minutes I arrived at Oda Nobunaga's room and began to talk about what happened to me.

She ordered me to remove the cloth that covered my eyes. I had no choice but to accept it.

Once this was done, I looked at Nobunaga who was a little surprised by my eyes. But he still started to get closer to me.

Nobunaga took his cupped hands on my cheeks to raise my gaze and force me to look into his eyes.

"I love your eyes, there's no need to hide it. What others think shouldn't matter. The only relevant thing is my words, so don't hide them. And if some people are afraid of you, don't give them importance."

"I should worry about the fame this will bring."

"I don't care in the least what others think of me. So you shouldn't worry about that. Your only task is to carry out my orders. I will conquer Owari and then unify all of Japan, with my name high in the sky."

"So Sixth Heaven Demon King. He has a strong unwavering conviction. Je... I guess I will follow her as my Master."

"Understood, Nobunaga-sama."

I began to get up to leave Nobunaga's room.

"… Answer me this."

"If I have a way of answering what you ask, I will, Nobunaga-sama."

"That [Kagutsuchi Blood] as you said belongs to your lineage... Then your cousins... won't they be in danger of being overpowered by that cursed blood?"

That set off an alert in my head. What he just said is right, Himari and Hana at any moment will awaken their [Kagutsuchi Blood] and they may lose control.

"You should train them." Nobunaga said while putting his hand on his chin. "Right now there's nothing important where I can use them. So you can use this time to train them to resist or gain control of that blood."

I bowed. "Got it. And thank you very much for your kindness, Nobunaga-sama."

"He doesn't need to thank me. After all, I'm greedy..." Nobunaga got up to go to his window and look outside. "You will be my best weapons in the future."

I replied with an "I understand" and then left the room.

I started to head out to find Hana and Himari. Their cursed blood can awaken at any moment, so I should help them train to... at least they gain control of their blood.

I don't want them to be seen as monsters, I can live peacefully if I'm the only one crossed out as that, but they don't need to be seen and recriminated by other people.

While I was thinking about that, I met Himari and Hana by mere chance.

"Senji-nii." I could tell that she was worried about me.

"I need you to accompany me."

"Did something bad happen?" Himari asked.

"Is Nobunaga to blame?" I have no idea why Hana is blaming Nobunaga.

They followed me without asking a question of my actions. They gave me their trust.

Leaving the castle and then heading to the dojo where an accident happened because of me. Once entering the dojo I saw that it was empty.

"… It is spotless..." It was my comment after seeing that he was clean as if that accident had never happened.

"The workers at this place do an amazing job."

"It was great to see how they cleaned up and rebuilt this place."

These were the comments of Himari and Hana.

I walked several steps away from them and then turned and looked at them with seriousness and strong determination.

"From now on they will train with me... You saw what happened in this place, this will happen to you too."

They began to feel nervous.

"...Will we lose our sanity?" Hana asked uncertainly.

"If Senji-nii brought us here to tell us to train us, it's so as not to lose our sanity, right?" It's amazing how Himari approaches this issue so easily, as if it's not something important or concerning.

"You're right, Himari. These eyes I have now are called [Duality], we have a cursed blood in our Muramasa Clan lineage. The truth... is that my father told me the history of our Clan as well as these eyes 3 years ago. I will never forget that day, I was petrified from the fear of just looking into his eyes as well as the pressure he released from his body. So I'll fight like that [Blood]."

In an instant release a strong pressure where they trembled with fear kneeling.

They brought their hands to their chest, their breaths were shortened by the shortness of breath they began to have.

The pressure you release hides it back.

They began to relax and breathe calmly. I saw how his eyes were watery.

"Two years... No, it will be a year. We will train for a year for you to win this cursed blood."

I released that strong pressure again. I could see his determination to fight and not give up.

They have a chance to beat the [Kagutsuchi Blood].

Something I would have liked to take advantage of when my father had taught me the truth about the Muramasa Clan.

What a fool I was.

From that day on a long and intense training continued for them to win over the [Kagutsuchi Blood].

[5 Months Later]

I brought my hands to Himari and Hana's faces and then smashed them forcefully onto the floor of the dojo.

Crack!

A wild sound was heard.

The floor cracked and their heads were buried.

Then grab their legs to send them flying and crash them into the wall of the dojo where they ended up coming out and kissing the ground.

I waited a few seconds. They went back to the attack.

The [Kagutsuchi Blood] fights hand-to-hand, for them to win they must have this training regime.

In these months I broke some of their bones. They obviously screamed in pain and cried, but they still didn't give up and kept moving forward.

I'm seriously amazed at their tenacity to keep going even if their bodies scream to stop, it's very likely that their body will feel hellish pain.

I had a small smile.

His willpower is admirable.

[5 Months Later]

I did a quick roundhouse kick where I connect in both of their heads. But they recovered easily and attacked me by surrounding me.

Himari kicked my liver and Hana threw a punch that was aimed at my jaw.

"Ugh..."

Although I fought back, Himari and Hana used those punches as a feint. An elbow from Hana connected in my head while my body descended, Himari took the opportunity to use her other leg to launch a kick from top to bottom that hit hard in the center of my spine.

"That hurt..."

I let out a small groan of pain.

Although he said that, they did not give time to rest.

I had to move quickly off the ground.

Crack!

The ground broke and several parts were blown away.

They attacked with their knees. It would have been slow and my spine would have broken.

They became strong in this 10 months.

"They did well... but this is not over yet." I smiled in amusement at all this.

They smiled too...

It seems that they finally awakened the [Kagutsuchi Blood].

Right now I felt how the blood in my body was pumping at an alarming level as I was also beginning to lose consciousness.

The last thing I saw was their wild smiles as well as their black eyes with white pupils...

[Fight]

Senji, Himari and Hana, went on the attack. Their minds went blank, but their bodies moved unconsciously and they began to fight without being able to control their own bodies, their bloods boiling euphorically from the fight they were having.

Himari and Hana fought as a team while Senji could only defend himself from the attacks that came from parts of them.

The sisters' blows go at a higher speed than the human eye can grasp.

They were blots to see if anyone wanted to see the fight between the three of them.

Senji was able to defend himself from some blows, but some of them still hit his body.

A punch from Hana reached her nose where a line of blood came out of her lips and fell to the ground. Another punch from Himari came and he was able to connect in his liver, he endured all the pain of the blows that he could not defend perfectly.

Senji saw the blows coming and used them to her advantage, deflecting the punches so that they hit themselves.

They were stunned as their gazes were directed to the roof of the dojo. Senji moved quickly so as not to give him time to react and protect himself from the knees he landed in their faces.

Now they released blood from their noses.

As their bodies fell, Senji with his hands tightly grabbed their faces to smash them the ground where he ended up cracking and stained a little red from the blood that came out of his nose.

Senji, with his body hunched over and his arms facing the ground, waited as if they could get up.

It seemed that his suspicion was correct.

Crack!

He failed to see the superhuman speed kicks that hit the sides of his head.

He ended up falling to his knees while he was in that situation, he looked over him again.

Himari and Hana's kicks that hit her head had also collided with themselves where she had heard the bones breaking.

They had attacked Senji's head twice, the first time hitting Senji's head and the other time they hit themselves where they ended up fracturing their foot.

On her knees, she brought her hands to grab Himari and Hana's other legs to lift her up and slam her on the ground a couple of times.

After doing that, I release them.

Now seeing that they would not get up again, he began to leave the dojo seeing that he had already won.

[Inside the minds of Himari and Hana]

In Himari's own mind she was fighting with herself, as was the case with Senji.

But this time he had the facility to fight with the [Kagutsuchi Blood].

Himari hit several vital points of her counterpart beating her easily and then finishing her off several times hitting her face where wild sounds of bones breaking could be heard.

He raised his right leg as high as he could to descend with force and speed and break his counterpart's entire skull.

"It's my victory..."

Himari said tiredly as she grabbed her left arm that was dislocated from the shoulder.

Now ending the fight and winning it, he brought his hand to his loose shoulder and began to move it where the bone could be heard cracking and accommodate it back in its correct position.

Sigh. "It was a good fight." He bowed and then slowly woke up.

[With Hana]

His situation was not much different from Himari. But he was strangling his counterpart until he could hear himself break his neck.

"Ufff... I was finally able to kill you."

I throw the dead body forward and then she falls on her back and looks up.

He closed his eyelids out of exhaustion, but he began to wake up too and see that he was in his room with pains in his body.

He looked at his body to see that some parts were covered with bandage.

She wanted to get out of bed, but the pain was stronger and she ended up falling back into her bed.

I hear sounds of someone coming into her room so I look at who it could be.

To his surprise and also anger, it was Senji carrying his sister in bridal style.

"WAIT FOR WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU WEARING HER IN BRIDAL STYLE!"

He shouted angrily and pointed sharply at Senji.

"… She wanted me to take her like this... I don't see the problem. After all, she asked me to take her to your room."

"AND IT WAS NECESSARY TO PAY ATTENTION TO HER TO WEAR HER LIKE THIS!"

A drop had appeared on Senji's forehead, not understanding his cousin Hana's feelings.

While Himari saw Hana and she realized that he was looking at her, he stuck out his tongue to mock her.

"TUUUUU!"

Not caring about the pains in his body, he got out of bed to attack Himari.

Senji, having better reactions, took two steps back and then saw Hana fall to the ground.

"…"

"Hahahaha!"

Senji didn't say anything, but Himari started laughing enjoying the awkwardness of her sister, Hana. Senji began to take Himari down and then go for Hana and take her in bridal style to his bed, this quickly took away Himari's amused laugh.

Hana was happy for the few seconds she was carried in bridal style.

Senji returned for Himari and carried her to leave her on Hana's bed.

"For now get along and don't fight, I have to talk to Nobunaga-sama that you have already woken up."

"Is it necessary for you to go and give that insignificant information to Nobunaga-sama?" Himari asked.

"What concerns me is always being aware of the well-being of my family. I don't care about the rest."

Senji replied by gently tapping his index finger on Himari's forehead.

"You guys are important to me. Everything that has to do with you is my priority. So I'll go and tell Nobunaga-sama and come quickly to take care of them."

"May it be quick..."

Senji heard Hana's murmur. This brought a small smile to his face.

"I'll come quickly, I promise."

I gently stroke Hana's head. For some strange reason, her body instinctively stroked Himari's head, sensing that a storm would come from her.

Then I look at the bright faces of the two of them smiling with happiness.

He began to retreat from Hana's room.

She had to get to Nobunaga's room quickly and return as she had promised the two of them.

After a couple of minutes he had reached Nobunaga's room.

"So their blood has already awakened." Nobunaga said.

"Yes, and they also gained control of the [Kagutsuchi Blood]."

"Mm... then their eyes are..." Nobunaga was quickly interrupted by Senji.

"Normal. They can live peacefully without being judged as monsters by society."

"Hmph. I wish the two of them were also in that [Duality] thing you said." Nobunaga sighed at the end.

"I can't confirm it... but perhaps, they can enter that state. I would have to see if with training they can enter that mode and control it at will."

Nobunaga put his hand to his chin thoughtfully. "Mm... I said I'm greedy... but this time I can allow you not to obey that order to force your cousins into that state of [Duality]."

"… What's the catch."

Nobunaga smiled at Senji's insight.

"Tell me Senji, you who walk in that state of [Duality] must know the benefits right."

Nobunaga had not asked, he said a statement.

A statement Senji had agreed.

"The abilities are superhuman... with this state..." Now it was Senji's turn to be interrupted by Nobunaga.

"With that state your cousins are more likely to survive, right?"

"Yes..."

"If your cousins manage that state at will, no one will be able to harm them... As long as they aren't attacked by surprise, right?"

Senji nodded, she was right about that surprise attack. Since his father and uncle were never in that state of [Duality] when the sudden battle of Oda Nobuhide vs Saito Dosan occurred.

If they were in that state, they would have survived.

"It's your decision, Senji. Train them to control the [Duality] at will or leave them to their own devices."

Senji was now at a crossroads.

Even if he were in the state of Duality, he could not always be sure that he could take care of them and protect Himari and Hana from any danger.

It was his decision of what to do with them. Although she can't deny that deep down Nobunaga wanted him to train her to control the [Duality] at will.

What decision will he make now...

"I would have to talk to Himari and Hana first..."

"Okay, you can retire."

Senji bowed and then left Nobunaga's room and returned to his cousins.

As he walked, guilt gnawed at his head.

Now it was his decision whether to force them or not

"What a dirty move that was." Senji thought remorsefully.

[Hana's Room]

Hana and Himari saw how Senji had returned with his head down.

"Something happened, Senji-nii." Hana asked worriedly.

Senji was silent for a few seconds and then spoke. This had greatly worried Himari and Hana.

"I have to talk about an important matter." He sat down in seiza in front of them.

"What important matter would it be?" It was Himari's turn to ask.

"…" Senji looked at the ground. "I would like to know the truth of what you think of the state I am in."

Himari raised an eyebrow. "The truth... It's scary, I don't feel like I'm talking to a human..."

"It's more like a monster." Complete Hana at the end.

They looked to the sides without looking into Senji's eyes.

"… I think the same." Senji replied.

The truth is that he didn't feel human... he was pointed out too much by the people he interacted with since he was in the state of [Duality]. Even the children he rarely saw from afar he pointed out in horror as if he were seeing a monster.

And it was because of that issue that I didn't want Himari and Hana to be in the [Duality] state, that's why I had trained them to win the fight with the [Kagutsuchi Blood].

"I'll ask you this. Do you want to train now to have that will to control the [Duality]?"

"Do you mean that we can control [Duality] and that way we would still be considered 'normal' by people who point to you as a monster?" Himari asked.

"Yes."

I was hoping this would work, if you can control the [Duality] at will you can go back to your normal eyes and still look like humans, not like in your case that is pointed out by your white-pupil black eyes.

"It's fine for me! I don't intend to abandon Senji-nii!"

Hana spoke with great enthusiasm that lifted Senji's spirits a little.

"It looks like we've already chosen." Himari replied with a slight smile.

"Really?"

They nodded, and then stood in seiza and bowed where they took their hands to touch the ground.

"We will follow you to the end."

"We will never abandon you!"

Himari and Hana's words affection in Senji's heart.

"Haha." He let out a soft laugh. "I'm really happy for your words."

Now it was Senji's turn who, closing his eyes, smiled with a bright face of happiness that made Himari and Hana blush slightly.

"Hahaha." Senji calmed down and then looked at them tenderly. "I'll go to the kitchen, bring them something to eat. Then we will talk about the issue of [Duality]."

"S-Yes..."

Senji looked confused by Himari and Hana's stutters.

For now, I let that issue pass and I would move forward to bring something to eat for her cousins.

[1 Year later]

"Of the people who survived and are now working as slaves, there are a total of 47 individuals, of which 27 are women and 20 are men. However, they cover a wide range of ages: from the youngest, just 13 years old, to the oldest, who range between 32 and 35 years old."

"Hmph... Okay, I'll start by creating my own personal army, after all, in the future I'll be fighting for the position of Clan Leader Oda. One step at a time until he got that position. I'll give you the mission to train them."

"Got it." Senji replied cordially to Nobunaga.

It had already been 2 years since he arrived and worked for Oda Nobunaga.

His age was already 12 years old and his only job for now is to train his Master's vassals.

He didn't care too much about doing that job, he was happy for the good life that Nobunaga was giving to his cousins and to him.

So it will remain under his rule. But there's something he hasn't done since he arrived.

"Nobunaga-sama... I don't want to sound daring, but you can build a blacksmith shop to follow my clan's craft."

He bowed.

"Oh!" Nobunaga slammed his fist with his palm. "I had forgotten about that, I will have your precious workshop built for you and your cousins right now! Then I'll call you to supervise how he wants to build your workshop yourself!" Nobunaga spoke animatedly.

"Thank you, Nobunaga-sama."

"You can retire, there are no important matters to talk about."

"Got it."

Senji once returning to his room began to change his clothes showing his back and torso with scars, in his training for Himari and Hana to control the [Duality] he received those scars from parts of them. But I couldn't be sad about it, it was more; he was happy that they had managed to control the [Duality] at will, those scars were nothing to him.

After changing, he began to walk through the corridors of the Castle. He had to take the remaining slaves to turn them into a warrior and Nobunaga's personal army.

"Uff... Let's start with another workout."

Senji smiled.