Chapter 205 205 Fox Mask
The white-haired old man stood with an air of nature, both harmless and ordinary. His mask contracted it, though, a meticulous depiction of a fox\'s cunning expression, concealed in the upper half of his face. Its sharp, angular features hinted at a mischievous nature, leaving an impression on anyone who crossed paths with him.
The upper body of the old man was wrapped in a black kimono that looked like it had seen more centuries than he had. Cherry blossoms and swirling clouds adorned the fabric, probably whispering tales of a time when flip phones were a thing. The silver threads in the pattern shimmered sporadically as if winking at bystanders. A crimson obi, tied with the precision of a sushi chef crafting a perfect roll, screamed, "I\'m fashion-forward, but I\'m here for business."
As the kimono flowed downward, showcasing hands that had probably seen too many gardening sessions, the lower body attire continued the theme of "I\'m old but I\'ve got style." Loose-fitting black hakama pants swayed with a flair that suggested both comfort and readiness for a dance-off if needed.
Beneath the mask, the eyes were hidden, leaving only a subtle play of shadows, because who needs eye contact when you\'re a walking enigma, right? The old man\'s temperament, however, betrayed a sense of ordinariness masked by an air of mystery. His well-worn wooden cane rhythmically tapped against the cobblestone ground, as if he was auditioning for a role as a drummer in a rock band that only played in hidden speakeasies.
Thus, the white-haired old man stood in front of the gate, a walking oxymoron — an ordinary appearance hiding behind a mask of quirky charm, leaving those who encountered him with an indelible curiosity about the tales hidden behind the mask and the possibility that he might be the secret lead dancer in the local retirement home talent show.
With a sigh, he couldn\'t help but think of his talented disciple... Rozho. He had met him in the zero district and saw the potential he had in the way of a sword. His disciple had already unconsciously realized the sword aura unbeknownst to him when he first met him. He only did one last push and Rozho managed to fully wake it up. What is that concept!? A person who hasn\'t even had systematic training in the sword was able to awaken the Sword aura? That\'s a real genius. Then, under his guidance, his disciple Rozho mastered the three-flow sword style and following that, fully transformed his sword aura into sword intent!
Such a feat. Even the old man himself had only awakened his sword aura at the age of twenty, but he was already considered a genius at his time. As for sword intent, he had only achieved it at the age of thirty-four. Still, he was considered as one of the peerless geniuses in the city at his age.
By comparison. What age is his disciple now? He\'s only a teenager! But he had already mastered his sword intent! A sword master!
The old man speculates that Rozho only needed after years of accumulation for Rozho to reach his current realm. The Sword King realm!
"It won\'t be long before my disciple would be able to help me to fulfill my and my master\'s wish."
A gleam appeared on the old man\'s deep-set eyes hidden in the mask. Once that day arrived. The humanity would be saved by the true cause of every problem in this world.
"I wonder what kind of person my disciple wants me to meet. He actually made friends with his taciturn and introverted personality..."
"It\'d be better if the one he wants me to advise is talented or it would only waste my time that I had better use of. Well, doesn\'t matter. It\'s for my disciple, anyway. As long as the kid he recommends has a decent understanding. I would at least correct the direction of his way of the sword."
The old man didn\'t really have much expectation of the friend his disciple wanted him to meet. Anyway, there would be no one who would be able to compete with his disciple\'s talent, right? If the kid was at least decent and had a solid foundation. He was willing to waste a bit of his time. Only just this once, though. But if it was an idiot who didn\'t even know the basics. He would just teach a few things perfunctorily.
"Still, these guards are still the same as before." The old man looked at the guards in front of the gate lazying around.
They didn\'t even have the necessary vigilance in case an invasion of Apokalip happened. In his opinion, such guys should be fired. After all, what was behind the gate was the lives of thousands of citizens. They should take their duties seriously even when there\'s no apparent attack yet. The old man fully knows how horrible the outside is as someone who constantly ventures around with his life walking into a thread every single day.
The only reason why there are no Tier 4 and 5 Apokalips that attacked the last wall yet was because of the sword formation his master and his master\'s master had set up in strategic locations within the second wall and outside of the first wall
However, the sword formation requires massive energy to maintain and the source that maintained them for years was about to run out in another fifteen years. At that time, the city would usher in destruction. After all, without those formations. Nothing would prevent the higher tier of Apokalips from invading anymore!
"Rozho needs to become stronger before that to fulfill my last wish and prevent all of it from happening."
A hint of determination appeared on the old man\'s face.
At the gate, one of the guards looked at the old man with amusement. "Looked. That weird old man wearing a fox mask is behind the tree again. I wonder why he suddenly decided to come here. I think that old man is already going senile."
"I\'ve already tried to convince him to come inside, but he doesn\'t want to. He might have really gone insane. Still, he\'s lucky that he wasn\'t devoured by any wandering Apolalips yet."
"Don\'t bother that old man. Let him do whatever he wants as long he doesn\'t bother us." Another guard said with a lazy smile. "And I think he\'s waiting for someone..."