After casually tossing aside the lifeless body, Qin Ming looked up, taking note of the monk in front of him. The monk had halted in his tracks, his gaze wary as he eyed the faint traces left by Qin Ming's Sonic Hand Blade attack. Qin Ming's brows rose slightly.
His suspicions had been correct—this so-called hidden quest was a trap! The quest was designed to appear deceptively simple, yet the greedier one got, the quicker they would meet their demise.
The Tsukimi disciples had a way of alerting each other from a distance. The more disciples one killed, the higher the risk of attracting a Tsukimi Clan expert to eliminate them. Long and his team of six had fallen right into this trap, mistakenly assuming they could act with impunity as long as a "plot character" backed them up. Their greed ultimately led them to their deaths.
The monk in front of Qin Ming wasn't just any ordinary Tsukimi disciple. This was the very expert whom the three Tsukimi disciples had summoned in their final moments. He was also one of Fatal Fury's main plot figures—the Tsukimi Clan leader: Tsukimi Soukaku.
Name: Tsukimi Soukaku (Fatal Fury World)
Strength: 25
Constitution: 25
Agility: 25
Spirit: 40
Skills: Jintan Mudou Style (D to C-Rank), Fiendish Howl Demon Array (B-Rank), Spectral Bomb (B-Rank)
Description: The leader of the Tsukimi Clan and one of the few survivors of the battle between the Tsukimi and Shiranui Clans.
Several meters apart, the two stared at each other in silence. Soukaku gripped his staff tightly, his gaze fierce and unwavering. The severe, furrowed features on his face, coupled with a blood-red tattoo marking his left cheek, made him look more like a demon than a human. Such distortions were the price of years spent communing with spirits and ghosts.
Soukaku lifted his staff to hold it horizontally before him, eyeing Qin Ming as he spoke in a low voice, "So you're the 'Brother Qin' they spoke of?"
Qin Ming shrugged, feigning innocence. "Brother Qin? Never heard of him. My last name is Wang—just the neighbor next door."
"Wang? Then what are you doing here?"
"Oh, just passing by. I saw some bloodstains and a few corpses in the grass, so I figured I'd follow them to see what was going on. Didn't expect to run into something this sinister on such a fine day." Qin Ming patted his chest, his expression turning to a friendly grin. "I, Mr. Wang, can't stand to see villains causing trouble! Naturally, I had to make sure they were stopped!"
"Is that so? Then I truly must thank you." Soukaku's fierce expression softened ever so slightly as he lowered his staff, giving Qin Ming a small nod of gratitude. Qin Ming responded with a polite bow of his own.
However…
Whoosh!
The moment Qin Ming bowed, a piercing sound tore through the air. Soukaku's spirit energy flared, summoning a translucent phantom from his body. Wielding a staff, the phantom charged at Qin Ming with a crazed ferocity.
Skill: Demon Dance of the Staff!
Qin Ming's face hardened. Without hesitation, he raised his arm, sending a spiraling air blade hurtling toward the phantom.
Skill: Sonic Hand Blade!
Boom!
The two attacks collided and dispersed in a blast of smoke and dust. Before the smoke cleared, Soukaku's figure burst through the haze, spinning like a fireball as he shot toward Qin Ming.
Skill: Flaming Vortex Array!
Faced with this close-range assault, Qin Ming tried to intercept the fiery attack with another Sonic Hand Blade. But the attack was too forceful, breaking through the air blade and forcing Qin Ming to brace himself with his arms in a hasty block.
With a thunderous impact, Qin Ming was driven back several meters, his heels carving lines in the dirt as he slid. Soukaku pressed the attack, his staff swinging down as he closed the distance once more.
Though Qin Ming was proficient in close combat thanks to his C-rank military fighting techniques, it couldn't compare to a true martial artist's refined skills. Fortunately, the Tsukimi Clan didn't rely solely on hand-to-hand combat, so the two were evenly matched.
The fierce exchange reached a stalemate. Soukaku lunged forward, his staff piercing toward Qin Ming's chest, while Qin Ming countered with a powerful straight punch. Their strikes collided with a blast of force, propelling both backward. Qin Ming slid two meters before stabilizing, fists raised once more.
Across from him, Soukaku spun to create distance before planting his staff firmly in the ground. Just as Qin Ming readied himself to charge again, Soukaku raised a hand and called out.
"That's enough! Let's stop this!"
"Hm?" Qin Ming halted mid-stride, confused.
Soukaku, leaning on his staff, bowed slightly. "Your fighting style lacks any trace of the Shiranui techniques. Rather, it's bold and straightforward—like military combat tactics. You're clearly not affiliated with the Shiranui Clan. I apologize for my rudeness and for attacking you on suspicion."
Soukaku's sudden assault on Qin Ming had been intended as a test, to probe the truth behind this stranger's presence. He found it hard to believe that a capable fighter would just "pass by."
However, Qin Ming's fighting style and techniques had shown no signs of Shiranui influence. Qin Ming's moves were clearly his own, lacking any hallmarks of the Shiranui techniques. Soukaku now felt a measure of doubt.
The six men Soukaku had fought earlier, though unskilled, had each shown traces of Shiranui's techniques. In particular, one had demonstrated the signature Shiranui skill, "Ninpo: Bee Sting." It was clear that they were Shiranui disciples.
Qin Ming, however, used military combat moves and an air blade technique. His strange vampiric skill appeared to be a unique bloodline ability rather than a Shiranui technique. For Soukaku, this all suggested Qin Ming might truly be a rogue fighter unconnected to Shiranui.
After a long pause, Soukaku decided not to press the matter. He was uncertain of Qin Ming's identity and had no desire to complicate matters further. One Shiranui Clan was already troublesome enough; there was no need to provoke additional enemies.
This reaction was precisely what Qin Ming had anticipated. He had deliberately refrained from using any Shiranui techniques and refrained from killing anyone directly. He had merely kept his distance, watching from the sidelines.
After all, he'd entered the scene as an enemy to Long's team, eliminating them himself. Surely that should serve as proof enough of his neutrality?
With that settled, they could both go their separate ways without incident. Qin Ming would complete his task, and Soukaku could claim justice for his fallen disciples. It was a fair resolution, sparing both from any unnecessary conflict.
As for why Qin Ming had taken such an active hand in disposing of Long and his group?
The answer was simple: if Long and his men had been captured, they could have easily implicated Qin Ming, possibly even leading Soukaku straight to his door, claiming he'd orchestrated the attacks. The last thing Qin Ming wanted was to be pursued by a main plot character, so he had to handle loose ends carefully.
Long and his team had to be eliminated completely, without exception. None of them could be allowed to survive.