The tension thickened as Hayashi gave the order. The five men behind him rushed forward, their fists clenched and ready for fight. Kiryu however with his legs spread wide and arms raised in a claw-like stance and yellow aura appeared on his upper body as he planted himself firmly in the center of the bar.
His eyes darted to a heavy sofa nearby.
One of the men lunged first, but Kiryu roll to the side while grabbing the end of the sofa with one hand and hoisting it like it weighed nothing. With a guttural growl, he swung the sofa in a wide arc, smashing it into two of the thugs and sending them sprawling to the ground, groaning in pain.
The remaining three hesitated but only briefly.
Another thug tried his luck, aiming a punch at Kiryu's head. Kiryu blocked the strike with his forearm, grabbed the man by his collar, and effortlessly lifted him off the ground. With a powerful spin, he hurled the thug into a nearby table, shattering it into splinters and knocking the man unconscious.
Kiryu's stance remained unyielding, his feet dug into the floor for balance.
"Get him!" Hayashi shouted, his voice betraying a twinge of doubt.
The last two thugs grabbed chairs, thinking they could even the odds. Kiryu ducked under a swinging chair, grabbed the second chair mid-swing, and ripped it out of the thug's grip. Without hesitation, he smashed the chair down onto the man's head, sending him crumpling to the floor.
The final thug, now visibly shaking, tried to backpedal, but Kiryu grabbed a nearby table, lifted it high, and hurled it like a missile. It collided with the thug's chest, knocking him flat.
All five were down, groaning or unconscious, but Hayashi remained standing.
"Not bad, Kiryu-san," Hayashi said, cracking his knuckles.
Kiryu straightened up, taking a deep breath. His stance shifted—his feet narrowed, his posture upright, and his guard high. He was no longer using Beast Style, This was Rush Style.
Hayashi lunged forward, throwing a series of punches. Kiryu dodged each one with a flurry of quick footwork, weaving like a boxer in the ring. He countered with rapid jabs to Hayashi's torso and ribs, each strike precise and punishing.
Hayashi staggered but regained his balance, throwing a wild haymaker. Kiryu ducked under the blow and unleashed a lightning-fast combination: a body hook, an uppercut, and a spinning backfist that sent Hayashi reeling.
The fight grew more intense, the two exchanging blows with ferocity. Kiryu's speed was overwhelming, his fists landing before Hayashi could react. But just as Kiryu prepared to finish him off, he heard Haruka's scream.
"Haruka!" Kiryu turned his head briefly to see one of the earlier thugs staggering to his feet, his hands reaching for her.
Before Kiryu could act, Eugen stepped forward, his expression fierce.
The boy shifted his stance, spreading his legs apart and raising his hands in a posture eerily similar to Kiryu's Brawler Style.
With surprising force, Eugen threw a punch into the thug's midsection, making him double over. He followed with a quick knee strike, then grabbed the thug by his arm and, with all his might, threw him as hard as he can to the ground.
Kiryu and Haruka both stared in shock especially toward his right arm that glowing again even through his long sleeves.
"Protecting Haruka is my problem," Eugen said, breathing heavily, his small frame trembling with a mix of adrenaline and fury.
Kiryu couldn't help but smirk. "Good work, kid."
Hayashi, still standing, glared at Kiryu. "This isn't over," he spat, wiping blood from his mouth.
Kiryu turned back to him, his high guard coming up again. "No, it's not."
With that, the fight raged on.
Kiryu's eyes locked onto Hayashi, his guard still high, stance steady. The bar was now a battlefield of broken furniture and unconscious men, but Kiryu's focus was unwavering.
Hayashi smirked despite the blood trickling from the corner of his mouth. He cracked his knuckles and charged at Kiryu with a powerful punch aimed at his face.
Kiryu sidestepped, his Rush Style speed allowing him to move with ease. He countered with a sharp jab to Hayashi's ribs, then followed up with a hook to the side of his head. Hayashi stumbled but didn't go down, instead roaring and throwing a wild kick.
Kiryu caught the kick with one arm and used his other hand to deliver a crushing blow to Hayashi's thigh, forcing him to collapse onto one knee.
Hayashi growled, glaring up at him. "I'm not done yet!"
Hayashi lunged forward again, this time catching Kiryu off-guard with a body slam that sent them both crashing into a nearby couch. Kiryu grunted but quickly recovered, shoving Hayashi off him with brute force.
The two squared off once more. Hayashi threw a flurry of punches, his desperation showing in the uncoordinated strikes. Kiryu dodged and weaved, his footwork precise, waiting for the perfect moment to strike.
When Hayashi overextended on a particularly wild swing, Kiryu saw his opening.
Shifting his stance to something more balanced, Kiryu took a step forward and delivered a powerful uppercut to Hayashi's jaw. The blow sent Hayashi airborne, his body lifting several inches off the ground.
But Kiryu wasn't done.
With incredible speed, Kiryu launched a barrage of punches to Hayashi's midsection, each strike landing with a sickening thud. Hayashi's body jerked with every blow, unable to defend himself as Kiryu unleashed his fury.
He reared back and delivered a devastating punch to Hayashi's chest. The force of the blow sent Hayashi flying backward, crashing into the bar counter with enough force to splinter the wood. Bottles and glasses shattered, the room falling silent save for Hayashi's groans of pain.
Kiryu straightened his posture, adjusting his jacket. He glanced back at Haruka and Eugen, who were both staring in awe.
"It's over," Kiryu said, his voice calm but firm.
Hayashi coughed, attempting to push himself up, but his arms gave out, and he slumped back onto the ground. "Damn… you really are the Dragon of Dojima," he muttered before losing consciousness.
Kiryu walked over to Eugen and Haruka, patting Eugen on the shoulder. "You did good, kid. Now let's get out of here before more of them show up."
The three of them turned toward the elevator, leaving the chaos of the bar behind.
-----
After the three of them ran from Ares Bar, they finally made it back to Serena.
"Hahhh, I'm so tired…" Haruka groaned, collapsing onto the sofa.
"What happened?" Reina asked as she locked the door, ensuring no customers would interrupt.
"We ran into the Omi Alliance while investigating the bar," Kiryu explained. "They tried to capture Haruka, but we don't know why."
Meanwhile, Eugen was preoccupied with his right arm, rolling up his sleeve to inspect it. Since arriving in Kamurocho, his arm had been heating up and glowing far more frequently than when he was at the orphanage.
He carefully removed the bandage wrapped around his hand, revealing the familiar blue flame-like tattoo etched onto his skin.
[IMAGE]
The sensation from earlier returned to him—when he had been filled with rage at the man who threatened to kidnap Haruka.
Haruka was the only person his age who never mocked his unusual arm. Because of her, he had been able to enjoy himself, even if only in her company. She helped him step out of his shell, and over time, even the teasing from the other children at the orphanage began to lessen.
Grateful for everything Haruka had done for him, Eugen clenched his glowing fist. He silently vowed to protect her no matter what, never allowing anyone to harm or take her away.
His right arm responded to his resolve, glowing brighter as he tightened his grip.
"Glowing again… Is there anything you can actually do besides glowing?" Eugen muttered, catching himself as he realized he was speaking to his own arm.
"What's wrong, Eugen?" Haruka asked, peeking over his shoulder.
"Nothing… I'm just curious about this arm. In my dream, they called it God Hand."
"God Hand? Like an actual god? You're saying you've got the power of a god in your right arm?" Haruka asked, her curiosity clearly piqued.
"I don't know…" Eugen shrugged. "You know, most people would say I'm just some kid stuck in a chuunibyou phase for saying something like that." He turned to look at her.
"Well, I believe you. We've been together for years, and I know you wouldn't lie about something for no reason," Haruka replied with a confident nod.
Eugen smiled at her words. It felt good to have someone who believed in him so completely, someone he could rely on and who, in turn, depended on him.
"You two are really close, aren't you?" Kiryu said suddenly, watching the exchange.
"Of course! We've been together for so long, and we'll always be together," Haruka replied cheerfully.
"I see," Kiryu said with a nod, a small smile tugging at his lips.
Kiryu had always been gentle with children, and seeing Haruka and Eugen so happy warmed his heart. He felt a particular kinship with Eugen, recognizing the boy's orphaned circumstances as similar to his own.
"By the way, Eugen, when you saved Haruka, did you use my style?" Kiryu asked, sitting down in front of them.
"Yeah, I used the same style you used when you fought Uncle Goro. Is something wrong with that?"
"No, nothing's wrong," Kiryu replied. "It's just that the style is designed for people with larger, more muscular builds like me. It focuses on overpowering opponents and countering their moves. With your smaller frame, it's not the most effective style for you."
"Really? But I didn't feel like I was struggling when I punched that guy and threw him earlier," Eugen said, recalling how easily he had slammed the man from before.
"That's probably because of your right hand glowing during that time," Kiryu said thoughtfully, glancing at Eugen's arm.
"Did you say your right arm is called the God Hand?" he asked, recalling the conversation between Eugen and Haruka earlier.
"Yes," Eugen confirmed.
"I've never heard that name before. Where did you learn it?"
"From my dream. In the dream, someone talked about my right arm and said it was important for the future or something," Eugen replied, trying to recall the details.
"Important? How important? Did your dream explain why?"
"I'm sorry, I don't remember much else… Remembering dreams is harder than I thought," Eugen admitted with a sigh.
"That's fine. At least now we know the name of your right arm," Kiryu said, patting the boy's head.
"But God Hand, huh? That's such an excessive name," Reina commented from behind the bar.
"Probably," Kiryu agreed, flipping open his phone. "But it doesn't matter for now." He started dialing a number.
Meanwhile, Haruka was visibly exhausted. After a long day of walking around Kamurocho, discovering a dead body, and running away from the Ares Bar, she could barely keep her eyes open. She swayed in her seat, her eyelids drooping, before nearly lying down on the couch, barely managing to catch herself.
"Are you tired, Haruka?" Eugen asked, noticing her state.
"Yeah... I'm… really sleepy…" she replied sluggishly.
"Fufu, if you two are tired, you can use the back room. There are a few futons you can sleep on," Reina said with a warm smile.
"Do you want to go to the back room?" Eugen asked Haruka.
She nodded in agreement, too tired to speak.
"Wait here. I'll prepare two futons for you," Reina said as she walked through the door beside the bar counter and into the back room.
"Just wait a bit, Haruka," Eugen reassured her.
"Hnm…" she mumbled, but exhaustion finally got the better of her. As her body gave in, she stumbled sideways and collapsed onto Eugen, forcing him back onto the couch under her weight.
"Ehh!?" Eugen exclaimed, startled.
He froze as he heard the soft sound of her breathing, her face resting against his chest.
"Haruka, wake up. The futon isn't ready yet," he whispered, shaking her gently in an attempt to wake her.
But his efforts were futile—Haruka was already in a deep sleep.
"The futons are ready," Reina announced as she stepped out of the back room. She stopped in her tracks when she saw Haruka sleeping on top of Eugen.
"Ahhh, you two look so cute like that~," she said with a teasing tone.
"...Help, please," Eugen muttered, defeated.
Reina chuckled and helped lift Haruka off him, moving her to one of the prepared futons in the back room. Eugen followed, eager to sleep as well.
In the end, both of them lay down on their futons and drifted off to sleep side by side.