Kazuma was very sure that the only reason that Nishikiyama could remain standing now was his strong willpower.
Now, he could not be certain whether this was a unique situation in this world or it could actually happen on Earth too.
There were many heroes on Earth, and it did seem like their spiritual power had helped them exceed their physical limits.
However, this did not seem to matter as Kazuma might not be able to return to Earth anyway.
He had to think according to the rules of this world.
This person was obviously relying on his willpower to support himself. The manifestation of his willpower was probably the red light around him and the fiery note above his head.
Kazuma's cheat included the ability to visualize such conceptual things like willpower.
Based on his experience from the fight with Chiyoko yesterday, Kazuma thought that it was possible to cancel other people's buffs through verbal attacks, but the faith of this man before him was harder to undermine compared to Chiyoko's.
As Kazuma and Chiyoko attacked together, they wondered what to do if Nishikiyama managed to maintain his mental state, which was equivalent to keeping his HP at a fixed level in games.
That's cheating!
At this moment, Kazuma saw the wakizashi that the bald man had taken out earlier.
'If I get the wakizashi and chop off one of his hands, that may break down his mental buff, right?'
'He can't possibly rely solely on his willpower to defend against me while losing massive amounts of blood, can he?'
If that was the case, Commander Orga of the Iron Flower
Kazuma began to approach the wakizashi while attacking.
***
Nishikiyama was slightly relieved.
He was not sure how much longer he could go on like this. His arms were numb, and his body was covered in wounds. All his senses were dulled.
He did not know when he would fall, so he could only rely on his own willpower to remain standing while he could.
As long as the enemies became impatient and started to look for a more effective way to end the fight, such as picking up the wakizashi from the floor, he could take the opportunity to launch a counterattack.
Kiryuu Chiyoko would definitely not pick up the knife. Nishikiyama could tell that this girl was pure and kind.
People with a gentle nature like her would not pose any threat.
However, her brother Kiryuu Kazuma was different.
Nishikiyama knew that Kiryuu Kazuma was the same as him. They were both beasts hidden under human skin in a modern city.
Kiryuu Kazuma would probably pick up the wakizashi without hesitation and use it to cut off Nishikiyama's hand.
Therefore, while he was picking it up, it would be time to counterattack.
Nishikiyama relaxed every muscle in his body, putting them in a state where they could explode with strength at any time.
Pick it up, Kiryuu Kazuma, and then face your failure!
***
Kazuma had moved to a spot where he could pick up the wakizashi easily.
As long as he picked up this knife, the crisis today would be over.
Just pick it up… Wait!
A thought struck Kazuma.
'No, even though he seems to be stalling for time, if there is absolutely no possibility of him winning, it's useless to stall.'
'He's waiting for an opportunity to turn the tables!'
If Nishikiyama had the means to counterattack, he would definitely use it at the moment when Kazuma was distracted.
Kazuma realized that Nishikiyama might be waiting for him to pick up the knife!
'In that case, if I beat him at his own game…'
Kazuma pretended to bend down!
Nishikiyama suddenly launched himself at Kazuma, swinging his right fist at him.
However, Kazuma fell to the ground at once and rolled away. He then stood up.
Even Kazuma himself was surprised by his own movement. He did it! It was exactly the same as a protagonist rolling in the game to avoid the Boss' attack!
Was this also an effect of his mental state?
After standing up, Kazuma turned around and struck the back of Nishikiyama's head with his sword.
Nishikiyama fell to his knees.
Before Kazuma caught up, he kicked away the wakizashi right beside him.
Kazuma was surprised that this fellow had not fainted.
Nevertheless, this was the end of it. With another strike, Nishikiyama would be officially defeated by Kazuma!
At this moment, Nishikiyama shouted, "I surrender!"
Kazuma abruptly stopped the swinging motion of his bamboo sword.
At first, he suspected that it was a trap, but he immediately realized that Nishikiyama's body was no longer emitting that red light, and the "Demon Face" note above his head was no longer burning.
His current state posed a stark contrast with his high spirits just a moment ago. It was hard to believe, but there was no doubt that this person no longer had any fighting spirit in him.
It was as if the red aura from his body earlier had never existed.
'Can this thing be drawn back and released so freely?'
Chiyoko could not see this. She asked loudly, "Why should we believe you?"
Despite her question, Chiyoko did not go up and beat up Nishikiyama herself. It seemed like she had given Kazuma the full authority to judge.
From kneeling on the ground, Nishikiyama proceeded to lie on his back. He let out a long sigh. "You want to knock me out and wake up one of my underlings so that you can force him to tell you where Fujii Mikako is, right?"
The Kiryuu siblings looked at each other, then Kazuma nodded. "Yes, that's my plan."
"In the yakuza, one's reputation is very important. I can't let my underlings see me knocked unconscious on the ground. If that happens, the Nishikiyama Family that I built with great difficulty will be ruined, together with my reputation in the yakuza. This is also why we leaders always like to fight one-on-one if the situation allows."
Kazuma clarified, "So that if you lose, no one will see your defeat?"
"Indeed." Nishikiyama raised his hand and pointed at the floral suit that he had thrown aside. "Take that suit. There is a note with a number on it. Only I and Bandō know the number. You call this number and pass me the telephone."
Kazuma glanced at Chiyoko, who immediately ran to pick up Nishikiyama's clothes.
At this moment, the bald man on the ground struggled to prop his upper body up.
He immediately glared at the Kiryuu siblings and roared, "Damn you!"
"Bandō, it's all over. Instead of yelling, light a cigarette for me," Nishikiyama said.
Bandō was stunned. Then, he carefully observed the situation and asked, "Boss, you…"
"I lost," Nishikiyama replied calmly. "But Young Master Kiryuu showed some mercy so that the others would not see the miserable state I'm in. So, in exchange, we shall admit defeat. Since you have just woken up, call the other side and let the girl go."
Bandō hesitated. "Is this… appropriate? It's such a big deal. If we don't do it, there are other groups…"
Nishikiyama said, "Then let the others come. In any case, we lost."
At this moment, Kazuma noticed a very important question. "You said that other groups will… take over yours and continue to threaten us? Isn't it over once I've defeated you?"
Nishikiyama laughed out loud and then quoted the famous line in "You Must Cross the River of Wrath": "There is never an ending."
As soon as he finished speaking, Bandō sneered at Kazuma. "The most probable group that will take over us is the Tsuda Family. They are much more sinister than us. You should treasure the remaining days you have left and pick a coffin while you have the time."
"Bandō! Light a cigarette for me, then make the call," Nishikiyama said coldly.
Bandō rushed forward to offer him a cigarette, then took out a lighter and lit it.
After doing all this, Bandō turned to Kazuma and asked, "Where is the phone?"
Chiyoko said, "On the shoe cabinet next to the door."
Bandō nodded and left immediately.
As soon as Bandō left, Nishikiyama blew out a smoke ring and asked Kazuma, "How did you know that I was going to attack while you were picking up the knife?"
"It's very simple. You must have been waiting for a mistake that I would surely make. Then, the most likely scenario had been when I pick up the wakizashi," Kazuma replied calmly.
Nishikiyama curled up the corner of his mouth. "That's a good judgment. If you figure that you can't live on and have no other choice but to join the yakuza, I would gladly accept a fighter like you."
Kazuma replied, "I will not join the yakuza. At the end of the day, the yakuza leaders are just tyrants in your own community with no real powers. I'm someone who wants high socioeconomic status. You asked me a question. Now, I want to ask you a question too. Why did you give up so easily just now?"
Nishikiyama took another puff.
"In any case, you will be driven into despair. If I can give you a good impression, I may be rewarded with a top-tier fighter in the future. That doesn't sound too bad, does it?"
Kazuma frowned and looked at Nishikiyama. "What if I'm not desperate?"
Nishikiyama laughed out loud. "Isn't that better? If that's the case, it means you'd have destroyed the Tsuda Family. By then, we can officially take over their territory."
Nishikiyama stared into Kazuma's eyes. "The Tsuda Family is different from us. If Tsuda Masaaki says that he will surrender like I did today, don't believe him. He will kill you."
At this moment, Bandō came back. "Boss, the girl has been released."
"Alright, go and check on the rest. I believe that Young Master Kiryuu will not let us leave until the girl has appeared before him." Nishikiyama shifted into a more comfortable sitting position as he spoke, "And I need to take a break as well…" With that, he closed his eyes.
He dropped his hand that was still holding the cigarette, and the cigarette broke into two.
Kazuma thought he was dead.
"I'm not dead. I'm just resting," Nishikiyama said as if he had read Kazuma's thoughts.
Kazuma heaved a sigh of relief. If he really died, he would be involved in huge trouble.
All of a sudden, he felt that every part of his body was aching. It seemed like he had completely exhausted himself too.
Kazuma took a futon and sat on the ground to recover his strength.
He stared at Bandō for a while. After making sure that this fierce-looking bald man had no intention of causing trouble, he closed his eyes.
He wanted to meditate a little to see if he had been buffed by his mental state, and what effects those buffs had.
If he had to continue fighting against the yakuza in the future, it would be very important to figure this out.
After he'd been meditating for a few seconds, his status attributes appeared.
Rishin Style 3, Shinto Style 6. That had not changed.
However, Kazuma found that he had obtained a new note called Actual Combat 3.
What the hell?
Focusing his attention on Actual Combat 3, the explanation he found was simple: "You have gained actual combat experience, and you are more familiar with combinations of sword skills."
That's basically useless!
Other than this Actual Combat 3, Kazuma did not see any other mental buffs. He did not know whether it was because there was a time limit to the buffs or his mental state had changed.
However, he noticed a note with a timer.
The note was called "Protector of Home and Family," and it would lose effect in 121 seconds.
The description of the note read: "You recited a poem that greatly increases the damage to those with evil thoughts."
...
Huh?