Hermit was confident he could defeat Berserker. With his Chinese Kempo skills, he felt he could shatter his opponent's pride. However, the Berserker he once faced against Kei Kazama had vanished; he was now completely different. Hermit had only seen Berserker's free fighting style up close and had not delved deeper into his abilities. His blind confidence in defeating Shogo stemmed from a false impression in his mind. He did not know the true Shogo, a boxer capable of breaking defenses in underground fights.
-Hermit… did you think that just standing still wouldn't bring you consequences? - Ryuto commented.
-The same goes for you. You don't think you can leave here without a scratch, - Hermit retorted, adopting his Kung Fu stance, with both men having their hands in their pockets.
-I'm going for Hermit; let's see how much he talks, - Shogo declared.
-Hoho, you seem like you've been waiting for this moment for a long time, - Ryuto remarked.
As Thor jumped in with the first punch, Hermit took a slight step forward and planted his foot directly in Thor's stomach. With a move reminiscent of Chinese martial arts, he left Thor on the ground. This technique was called "penetrating force." Just as he was preparing for his final attack, Kenichi Shirahama arrived from the sky, raising a cloud of dust.
The elder landed safely on the other side of the river, casting a glance in Kei's direction, who was watching from a railing.
-That hurts, old man! Why couldn't you lower me gently? I think the training was wonderful, - Kenichi commented, wearing a yellow shirt with blue stripes. His usual carefree and calm demeanor indicated he was ready to engage in a fight with Ryuto and settle the discussion once and for all.
-Shirahama Kenichi, I've had enough of you. You're always so stubborn; you haven't changed a bit, - Ryuto replied.
With everyone arriving on the other side of the bridge, the members of Ryozanpaku were prepared to begin the fight. Kei sensed their presence without wasting any more time; not far away, he also spotted Ogata, dressed in white, now fully awake, indicating that the conflict would not be simple.
Shigure was happy because they were going to have a picnic.
***
From his position, Kei observed as all the pieces began to fit together, both Kenichi's battle against the first fist and Shogo's fight against Tanimoto. This indicated that the story had progressed to this point, a rather unfair price. There were many things he could have done and learned as part of the struggle, Kei thought, realizing he had acquired the skill of copying.
A sense of eagerness crossed Kei's mind as he saw many rivals falling from all sides. The increase in numbers was considerable, and Shogo's strength was now more contained.
-It must have something to do with James, - Kei commented, noticing how they began to surround each other. What interested him most was observing the two techniques of Seikuken, both of which, although similar, had slight differences in their applications, used by both Kenichi and Ryuto.
Tanimoto extended his arms in a jar-like fashion, and the fight began. After a few words, Shogo launched a kick, but Tanimoto stopped it just as he was about to strike Shogo's chin. Shogo dodged, adopting a boxing stance, and threw three jabs that Tanimoto could not see. The blows felt like heavy hammers. Shogo did not stop; his punches were violent and quick. For the first time, Tanimoto hesitated to defeat Berserker, but Shogo was a beast, throwing punches that Hermit had never experienced.
Hermit managed to stabilize himself, but he saw Berserker stretching his arms confidently as he received two more punches, blocking his vision and leaving it hazy. This battle was going to be a headache due to the way the blows impacted him; Berserker's fists were lethally strong. It was no surprise that during the six months he had trained, he had struck iron until his hands broke, over and over again, without rest. His fists were stronger than steel.
When fighting a boxer, the longer the battle drags on, the heavier the burden can become for any martial artist who has not faced a top-tier boxer.
-Don't get cocky, Berserker. I've already measured the speed of your punches; the real battle has only just begun, - Hermit declared, executing his Kempo movements. His arms moved like whips, using his joints to strike, his blows bypassing defenses like a whip.
Tanimoto employed a pressure style similar to the Palm of Rakasha, but he concentrated his power throughout his entire arm rather than just one specific point. His strikes were dangerous because when blocked, he could pivot and attack from blind spots.
They continued to fight, and Tanimoto began to boast with blind confidence.
-What's wrong now? Don't compare me to all those fake martial artists you've fought. Sogetsu Ma, who was considered the god of killer fists, is my master! Berserker, show me what your martial art is! -Tanimoto proclaimed arrogantly, causing Berserker to laugh. Kei walked slowly, lowering his presence to a minimum, positioning himself among the gang members and observing closely.
As Tanimoto launched a whip-like strike, Shogo was not the same man he appeared to be; he was fiercer and more beastly. Seeing the form of the attack, he simply stepped into position and ducked low, but it was a feint. The punch was followed by another similar strike, this time from below. Without giving Tanimoto a chance, Shogo used both fists to strike at Tanimoto's knees with force, followed by a frog punch that sent Tanimoto flying. Shogo looked at his injured opponent and adjusted his guard with his fists in front.
A heartbeat! Akisame's eyes widened; those movements were reminiscent of James Shiba.
Tanimoto dodged with a full-body twist, moving again for a counterattack with all the power he could muster. Before he could spin, his feet executed a strange movement where his arms rotated with his entire body. The footwork was magnificent, and his pressurized movements impacted Shogo's forearm. Without wasting time, Shogo delivered a solid punch to Tanimoto's nose, breaking it entirely. However, his shoulder felt partially numb. Adjusting his stance, he pursued with more strikes, feeling as if his arm was nearly broken.
He noted the strikes.
The Dou Ki flared, and the madness began to seep in, surprising Tanimoto, who started to see illusory punches. The beating was enough for Kenichi to rush in to stop him, but he couldn't, as in a split second, Shogo's punch crashed into Tanimoto's liver, knocking the breath out of him, followed by an elbow strike to the temple, which Tanimoto defended, followed by a knee to the stomach. The switch to Muay Thai astonished everyone, but there was no time to react, as Hermit received another punch to the face with such force that it sent him flying into the trash.
-Now he's using Muay Thai, - Kei thought, feeling pleased.
-Just another piece of trash, - Shogo commented, looking at the Shimpaku alliance. -You talk a lot and fight little. Your master this, your master that—you're as slow as a snail and think you're the best fighter in the world. I'm done with this, Odin. If you want to fight childish kids, go ahead; frankly, I've wasted my time with this gang. -
-What are you talking about, Berserker? - Ryuto asked.
-It's not clear enough; all of this is nonsense. You make me fight against real trash over and over again without purpose. We haven't faced a real rival in a long time, and your horizons are flat. I hope you can keep fighting in your childhood fantasy. Call me if you need me to take out strong people, - Shogo remarked as Tanimoto got up from the trash, his clothes torn.
-You haven't finished with me yet! - Tanimoto responded furiously.
-How childish you are. Let's fight later; I'm not interested in fighting the injured and the weak, - Shogo replied, stepping aside as he dodged a blow from Ryuto aimed at the back of his neck.
-You're not allowed to leave, - Odin commented.
-Ha, I thought this would happen, but if you want to fight, I have no problem with that, - Shogo said, completely changing Ryuto's plans, as Kenichi was about to act.
It's my moment, Kei thought as his mask of normalcy slipped away.
The entire atmosphere was halted by a voice filled with intense power. Kei released his presence, a vile and dark aura born from the Gu ritual, filled with bloodlust. Even the masters of Ryozanpaku felt a sense of seriousness, and even Miu had to stop; her hands trembled. It was the first time she felt such a strong murderous intent.
-I want to fight Kenichi, - Kei declared, raising surprise among everyone. The members of the Shimpaku alliance were astonished by the new figure. Many recognized him, while others overlooked who he was. Two individuals were about to attack him, but Nijima shouted for them to go for it. However, two quick strikes to their throats left them gasping on the floor, the gesture barely noticed by some.
-That kid is dangerous, - Akisame commented, trying to move but stopped by Kizara's words.
-That's Kei Kazama, - Kizara roared, shocking all the masters— a 16-year-old with such murderous intent.
Now they couldn't ignore him; in a way, they were on equal footing. It was the first time Kenichi faced someone from the Fist of Death.
...