Ultimate Man [JJK X SOL]: Loading Golden Entries at The Start

The Zenin clan compound stood as an imposing monument to tradition, power, and arrogance. For years, it had been a place of scorn and pain for Maki. Today, however, as she strode through the gates, her head held high and her twin-bladed cursed tool strapped to her back, it felt different. 

The guards at the entrance didn't dare stop her. They recognized her immediately, but the look in her eyes sent shivers down their spines. There was no hesitation, no doubt. Only cold, unyielding resolve. 

Maki had come here for one thing: to sever all ties with this wretched place and to remind the Zenin clan exactly who she was now. 

Maki made her way to the central courtyard, where several of the clan's key members were gathered. Her father, Zenin Ogi, stood at the forefront, his arms crossed as he glared at her with open contempt. Beside him were Nobuaki, Jinichi, and two other family members: Ranta and Chojuro.

The air was thick with hostility as Ogi stepped forward, his face twisted with disdain. "Maki," he spat, his voice dripping with venom. "You dare return here after all these years? After tarnishing this family's name and walking away like a coward?" 

Maki's gaze was steady, unflinching. "I didn't come to argue, Father," she said coldly. "I'm here to let you know that Mai and I are done with this family. We owe you nothing, and from this day forward, the Zenin name means nothing to us." 

"Done with this family?" Ogi sneered. "You think you can just walk away? You, a stain on my life and this clan, dare to act so high and mighty?" He unsheathed his blade, the air around it rippling with heat. His cursed technique, Blazing Courage, activated, flames igniting along the edge of his sword.

"I should have gotten rid of you years ago," Ogi snarled, taking an aggressive stance. "But I'll correct that mistake now. You've defiled the Zenin bloodline long enough." 

Maki's expression remained calm, but her grip on her twin-bladed staff tightened. The sight of her father, her own flesh and blood, so eager to kill her didn't ignite fear. It ignited fury. 

"You're pathetic," she said, her voice icy. "You think I'll just stand here and let you kill me because I was born into this family? If you couldn't get rid of me before, you definitely can't now." 

With a roar, Ogi lunged at her, his flaming blade slashing through the air with blistering speed. The flames crackled and surged, the heat alone scorching the ground beneath them. 

Maki didn't flinch. She sidestepped the attack with ease, her movements impossibly fast. The next instant, her twin blades clashed with his, extinguishing the flames with sheer force. Sparks flew as the two clashed again and again, their strikes reverberating through the courtyard. 

Ogi's face twisted in frustration. "You… You've gotten stronger!" 

Maki smirked. "Stronger than you'll ever be." 

With a swift motion, she parried his blade and countered with a devastating kick to his chest, sending him sprawling backward. Before Ogi could recover, Maki closed the distance, her blade poised to strike. 

"Goodbye, Father," she said coldly. 

"Swishhh"

The sound of her blade slicing through flesh. Ogi fell to the ground, his flaming sword extinguished, his eyes wide with disbelief as blood pooled beneath him. 

For a moment, Maki stood over him, her chest rising and falling with measured breaths. Seeing her father try to kill her had unleashed a storm of emotions, but now that it was over, she felt… calm. 

The others stared in stunned silence, their disbelief palpable. 

Ranta broke the silence, his voice sharp. "We can't let her walk out of here alive! Nobuaki, now's the time, eliminate her before it's too late!" 

Before Maki could react, Ranta activated his Paralyzing Gaze Technique, his eyes locking onto hers. A wave of oppressive energy washed over her, freezing her in place. At the same time, Chojuro stepped forward, his hands glowing as he summoned his Earth Arms Technique. Massive, rock-like hands erupted from the ground, reaching out to crush Maki with a surprise attack. 

"Die!" Chojuro shouted, his voice filled with desperation. 

For a moment, it seemed like they had her. The stone hands closed in, and Maki's body remained immobile under the weight of Ranta's technique. 

But then, a sudden surge of power erupted from her. Maki's muscles tensed as she broke free from the paralysis with sheer brute force, shattering the constraints as though they were nothing. 

"What?!" Ranta's eyes widened in horror. 

Maki moved like lightning. Before Chojuro could react, she was behind him, delivering a crushing blow to his stomach that sent him flying across the courtyard. Ranta tried to retreat, but Maki was faster. In a single, fluid motion, she knocked him out cold with the flat of her blade. 

Nobuaki, who had been observing the chaos, didn't even have a chance to intervene. Maki's cold gaze swept over him, and in that instant, he realized he was no match for her. 

As the dust settled, the courtyard was littered with the unconscious bodies of the Zenin clan members who had dared to oppose her. Maki stood in the center, her breathing steady, her blades still in her hands. 

It was then that Naobito Zenin, the clan head, strolled into the courtyard. He was nonchalantly sipping from a flask, his demeanor relaxed despite the chaos around him. 

"Well, well," Naobito drawled, his voice lazy. "You've been busy, haven't you, Maki?" 

She turned to him, her expression unreadable. "If you're here to fight me too, I suggest you think twice. I'm not in the mood." 

Naobito chuckled, raising his hands in mock surrender. "Relax. I'm not here to fight. In fact…" He glanced at Ogi's lifeless body and the carnage around them. "I'd say you've done me a favor. That vermin Ogi was always a nuisance." 

Maki narrowed her eyes. "Then why are you here?" 

Naobito sighed, taking another swig of booze. "The Zenin family may be a sinking ship, but I still have a duty to uphold, especially with the state of the sorcery world right now. But don't get me wrong, I couldn't care less about this family's 'legacy.' I'm only asking for your understanding… nothing more." 

Maki snorted, her lips curling into a smirk. "Understanding? You must be joking. Mai and I have nothing to do with the Zenin clan anymore. Whatever happens to this place, it's not our problem." 

With that, she turned on her heel, walking away without waiting for his response. 

Naobito watched her leave, a faint smile playing on his lips. "Stubborn as ever," he muttered to himself. With a yawn, he waved over a few servants. "Clean up this mess, will you?" 

He took another long sip from his flask and resumed drinking as though nothing had happened.