The plan was simple: they had to rescue a child from an underground restricted zone. But who would believe these people were disgustingly crazy? They waded through filth, and the mere act of fighting caused headaches from the nauseating stench. At times, their hands were stained with putrefaction, excrement, or dried blood.
Just when he thought he had underestimated the Interior as a joke, they had been fighting like possessed for over a month. The people were problematic, dangers lurked around every corner, and heavy artillery sometimes made appearances.
In the first week, they were fumigated with mustard gas, an old foe of Ohma's. Now they were trying to save a child whose mother had paid them with a plate of meat.
-Hahaha, get used to the Interior, kid, - Niko commented, fighting off everyone. For now, the Water Kata was in play, but it was the redirection that was yielding results. His weights didn't let up; his strength was increasingly impressive, doubling the power of his punches with thirty kilograms of additional force. With his body now leveraging 120 kilograms plus his official 68 kilograms, it was almost a bone-crushing force. Using the Adamantine Kata, he blocked a blow and countered with an even more intense one.
He spun his body to execute movements from the Flame Kata, changing positions to dodge a sword aimed at his head.
-Watch out for that punch, - Niko warned, seeing the opponent's armor buckle. The use of weights was dangerous for normal people, and that punch could crush someone inside and out, like popping a water balloon on the ground.
In his hands was a dirty four-year-old boy, apparently Niko's payment, and the deal had to hold firm. They continued their path; the boy clung to his arm as a lifeline, trapped in dark fear.
Ohma arrived completely muddy and dirty in a way that he couldn't quite comprehend, very close, following his course in fear. Without daring to respond, they both began running towards the exit, pushing open the lid. Kei took a deep breath and found a circle of men waiting; the man threw the boy into his arms. Niko reacted by attacking the armed man, Ohma drew a combat knife and roared, "I'll kill them all!"
Kei began dodging some blows with the Fire Kata while using kicks to halt some fighters. Without form, he threw punches with all his might, causing wounds here and there; a knife ended up embedded in the lower part of his abdomen.
-Hmmm, - Kei groaned.
But Ohma backed him up, delivering a powerful punch to the chin, the force of a malnourished teenager. Niko cleared a path. But everything was dark, and he could barely adjust his vision to see.
-Let's go, - Kei muttered, trying to quell any signs of fatigue. Suddenly, out of nowhere, a military truck with a machine gun began firing at them. Bullets whizzed past; Kei took cover against a wall, crouching, and watched as Niko, like a demon, kicked the vehicle forcefully, overturning it.
Kei felt his breath emptying, and then he felt the shot mark on his chest, piercing his back and striking the child in the eye. He was dead, blood beginning to soak through his shirt as he fell into unconsciousness. He could see Ohma, so composed, cursing inwardly. He had been careless, and sleep began to claim him.
-Kei, you need to stay awake, - Niko said, his voice tinged with more than anger; there was a hint of fear as he looked at Kei curled up in a fetal position. The bullet didn't hit any critical spots, but it managed to fracture his clavicle. The bone appeared intact but splintered, causing unimaginable pain.
-I should have used the Adamantine Kata, - Kei murmured, his voice escaping weakly. He recalled fleeting moments of Niko shouting as Ohma carried him like a sack, not fully understanding. He saw an operating table, all unfolding bizarrely. They kept moving him, and his discomfort did not ease. Over the next three days, it was a constant run, an escape from reality in an unpredictable way.
Strong movements, gunfire, screams—it was one of Kei's worst moments, almost madness.
-You're awake, - Ohma commented, bruised all over.
-Where's the master? - Kei murmured, feeling complete pain throughout his being, a burning sensation at the top, a pain unlike any he'd felt, even during tough training sessions.
-The master is operating on you at a safe house, but these guys have been following us for days. They seem to be an organized gang with considerable power in Tokita. Now, we're fleeing to get to Shichuohba, - Ohma explained, handing him a glass of painkillers while heating a metal wire.
-We need to seal the wound. Niko mentioned you need to burn the front and back. The painkillers will help prevent you from passing out. On the other hand, we need to escape; this area is particularly dangerous, full of all sorts of underground fighters. They might try to take us on. The upside is, they won't attack us, - Ohma concluded, delivering the longest speech Kei had heard from him so far.
-Go ahead, - Kei said, watching as the wire began to heat up, almost like a needle. Ohma pressed it against Kei's skin, causing him to sweat from the surgical procedure. A painful groan escaped him.
They continued the procedure, propped against a wall until Niko arrived, exhausted and sweaty.
-It's good that you're awake. Because they enrolled you in a fighting match, - Niko remarked with a smile. Kei had no desire to argue; he had just been shot at with a machine gun, and worse, he was tired, exhausted, and hungry.
Ohma nodded, and Kei managed a weak smile for Niko.
-I need something to eat. I don't think I can move without getting some food, - Kei commented, feeling his body lighter, not sensing the metal wires anymore, and seeing a break in his movements, even his breathing felt lighter, except for the itching sensation. Niko simply nodded.
-We can't. They want us out of here. Only fighters can enter the match, and they've banned masters like us. If you two don't fight, we won't get through to Ichiryu. It's time we train in the mountains. For now, Kei, I'll teach you bone binding to protect your clavicle, - Niko explained, planning out their next steps.
-The human body has divisions—bones, flesh, arteries, and nerves. We have 206 bones covered in flesh. You've fractured part of your clavicle, which joins with the acromion, connected to the scapula and shoulder, - Niko said, pulling needles from his belt and starting to insert them into Kei's shoulder and other parts of his body.
-Now, you have the trapezius muscle, platysma descending from the throat to the pectorals, and the deltoids, - Niko continued, pausing.
- But for now, that's less important. We'll use these needles to teach you muscle control over the next twelve hours, focusing on your shoulder and entire body. Ohma, you need to learn this too, - Niko added, taking the two boys who would fight for their lives tomorrow against dangerous opponents
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