"Hey, kid. You said you came here to exchange martial arts knowledge, right? Isn't this the perfect opportunity?"
Kure Raian, towering at 188 cm, looked down on Ren with undisguised arrogance. His voice carried a sharp edge. "I am the strongest here. It's only fitting that I'm the one to kill you."
Facing Raian's overt killing intent, Ren smirked. "I've heard plenty about the demonic nature of the Kure Clan, but your bloodlust is truly something else. Like I said, I'm just here for an exchange of martial arts, not to take lives."
"Hah?"
Raian tilted his head, his pitch-black eyes glaring at Ren as if he were an idiot. "What's the point of a spar if we don't go all out? True exchange only happens when we fight to the death!"
Watching the escalating tension between the two, Kure Fusui felt a deep sense of foreboding. Just as her heart sank, her peripheral vision caught sight of a potential saviour.
Standing atop the ancient staircase was a frail, elderly man, hands clasped behind his back, a warm yet knowing smile on his face. It was none other than Kure Erioh, the patriarch of the Kure Clan.
"Isn't this quite entertaining?" Erioh said. "Raian, treat our guest well."
Fusui's heart froze at the patriarch's words.
She wanted to shout, to warn him—Ren Hoshino was far more dangerous than he seemed.
A spar would be fine, but allowing someone like Raian to "exchange" martial arts with Ren would surely lead to bloodshed.
If Ren died, it would be manageable. But what if Raian lost?
"Hah, for once, I agree with the old man," Raian sneered. "It's rare to meet someone who dares to come here seeking a martial exchange."
Stuffing his hands into his pockets, Raian leaned forward mockingly. "What's the point of this if I don't kill you?"
"I have to admit," Ren said as he studied Raian's overconfident face up close, "you're even more arrogant than I imagined—arrogant to the point of stupidity."
Raian's temple throbbed as veins bulged across his forehead. A chilling killing intent surged forth. "You've got guts, kid. Are you that eager to die?"
Ren shook his head calmly. "I'm just saying, if I wanted to kill you, you'd already be dead. Dozens of times over. You haven't even realized what you're up against."
Enraged, Raian couldn't wait for the usual clan training grounds. He raised his hand, ready to strike on the spot.
But Ren moved faster. He sidestepped, twisted his waist, and thrust his palm forward. The strike connected squarely with Raian's chest, sending him flying up the staircase and crashing at the feet of Kure Erioh.
Raian staggered to his feet, his breath uneven as he glanced at his chest, where a red palm print was imprinted over his heart.
Erioh's eyes narrowed as he observed the scene, his smile deepening.
"I held back to give you a chance to show me your full strength…" Ren remarked, retracting his stance. His eyes scanned the surroundings and the torii gate overhead. "Isn't there a proper battlefield around here?"
"Hahahaha! Interesting!" Erioh's laughter boomed as he raised his voice to halt Raian, who was preparing to charge again. "Take our guest to the training grounds. And Raian, calm yourself. Use everything you've learned—don't bring shame to our clan."
Raian's face twisted in displeasure, but under the piercing gaze of Erioh, he relented. Shooting Ren a murderous glare, he ran a thumb across his neck in a slitting motion. "Let's go, to the execution grounds."
Ren followed Fusui, who was pale with unease, as they ascended the stairs.
As he passed Erioh, Ren chuckled, his tone contemplative. "So, this is the original Fang of Metsudo? Time spares no one. I wish I could have seen you in your prime."
Erioh's expression shifted briefly, but his weathered face quickly creased into a smile. "You seem to know quite a bit about us. Even now, killing you wouldn't be difficult for me."
Ren grinned. "I came to learn from the best. I'd love to witness the peak of the Kure Clan's assassination techniques."
"First, get past Raian," Erioh replied, his tone steady, the killing intent hidden beneath the surface.
Ren said no more, trailing Raian until they reached the clan's grand dojo. The training grounds were already packed with onlookers, drawn by news of the impending duel between Raian and the outsider.
Erioh took his place among the spectators, his clan members parting to grant him the best view of the battle.
"This Ren guy….Is he really just some fugitive?" Kure Hollis, nicknamed the 'The Wailing Demon', muttered, frowning.
A top-ranking fighter in the Kure Clan, he could tell at a glance that Ren wasn't an ordinary man—likely a master of some kind of ancient martial arts.
"Raian, I permit you to use the clan's secret techniques. Go all out." Erioh's command echoed through the dojo, marking the start of the battle.
Raian stuck out his tongue mockingly. "Kid, I'm going to tear off your limbs. You'll regret not taking your chance earlier."
Ren sighed, glancing at Erioh. "Shouldn't you be stepping in? Your clan's so-called genius seems to have missed the point entirely."
Erioh's expression darkened, his voice sharp. "Fool! Stop wasting time. Use the Removal Technique now! Your opponent has already given you a few seconds of mercy!"
Even with his limited combat experience, Erioh could see that Ren was no ordinary fighter.
Though Ren's build wasn't as imposing as Raian's and lacked exaggerated musculature, his strength was abnormal.
At a minimum, Ren was stronger than most Kure Clan members even after activating the Removal Technique.
Raian, despite his 100% Removal compatibility, would likely only match Ren's power after transformation.
Ren hadn't been bluffing—he could have killed Raian with his first strike. But he held back, curious to see Raian's peak form.
"Shut up already!" Raian roared, his rage boiling over. As it did, his skin darkened to a deep purple-black, bulging veins snaking across his body like streaks of lightning.
With the unleashing of his power, Raian's aura surged, and his bloodlust climbed to a fever pitch. In this form, he truly resembled a demon incarnate.
Sensing the change in Raian's strength, Ren finally showed a spark of interest on his face. "Now that's more like it. You've finally got some worth to take down."
From the moment Ren entered this world, he'd noticed that the people here generally lacked refined sensory abilities. Even without any skill to directly measure attributes, he could roughly gauge the strength of his opponents.
Raian, however, clearly lacked this aptitude.
Earlier, he had strutted arrogantly in front of Ren, but the truth was glaringly obvious—Raian's stats at that time barely amounted to double digits. Even now, after his Removal, his overall power only edged slightly above Ren's base stats.
"Hah! Once I tear you to pieces, you'll choke on those words!"
Raian spread his legs into a combat stance, his elbows pulled back, and his back muscles rippled with tension. His bloodlust was palpable, impossible to suppress.
He was ready to crush this man, shred him to ribbons, and revel in his cries of agony. He would make Ren understand who the strongest truly was.
With a sharp creak of the wooden floorboards, Raian's figure blurred as he launched forward at breakneck speed. In an instant, he was right in front of Ren.
His stance shifted seamlessly—a foot forward, his torso twisting to generate momentum. His fists flew with ferocious intent, one aiming for Ren's abdomen and the other for his face.
This was the Kure Clan's signature technique—Mountain Breaker!
But Raian's devastating double strike failed to land. Ren's palms moved with precision, one rising and the other lowering, effortlessly redirecting the incoming force to the sides.
The tide of power was masterfully diverted, flowing harmlessly past him. As Raian's fists swiped by and the two briefly passed each other, Ren sprang upward. His knee shot forward like a spear, slamming directly into Raian's jaw.
The sheer force of the blow rocked Raian backwards. Teeth and blood sprayed into the air as the impact reverberated through his bones and into his skull.
Even with his exceptional bloodline and the fully unleashed power of his Removal, Raian couldn't withstand it. His consciousness flickered, leaving him momentarily dazed.
Ren's assault didn't end there. He stepped forward, closing the gap with lightning speed.
Just as Raian's airborne body hung limply, his mind rattled from a concussion, Ren's fist drove into his chest with brutal force.
The strike sent Raian hurtling backwards once again.
Boom!
Raian crashed into the dojo's wall, the impact splintering it with deep cracks. His eyes rolled back as his body slumped down, collapsing to his knees on the floor.