Tenmaou: The Strongest Martial Artist

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"Another day, another failure.

One of my goals you see, was to defeat 'Old Man Shintarou', the guy that took me on as a disciple. And even though three years had come and pass, I haven't even gotten anywhere closer to surpassing him.

Well duh, the guy's my Master for a reason, but still…

Remembering one of the multiple moves I've been learning from the Tenrai Shikyou-ken for about three years now, and the inconvenience/pain of having to experience what it could do firsthand, I can't help but shiver when I remember it.

And no, it's not just because I've been living in the freezing Russian winter for a few months with the only clothes to wear being my undėrwėȧr.

Well… Maybe that too, but I've somehow gained a tolerance to the cold, so it doesn't bother me that much anymore.

-[????????????????-????Ō????????????/ ????????????????-????????????????????????????]-.

According to my Sensei, it was named after that a blade called 'Yoroi- dōshi' (Mail/Armor-piercer), and it was a move that looked annoyingly simple but was actually hard to pull off.

-'Using force to attack and penetrate the insides of the opponents' body.'

"It's really simple!" Sensei would say. But blocking against it is a real pain in the ȧss.

I mean when you block a punch, you don't expect to get hit as if you've never been blocking in the first place, right?

When I was back at The Inside I was always wondering why the hell it was named something so soft like 'Snow-piercer', when for me to train to use the damned technique I had to constantly bash my mangled fists into hard surfaces.

And, because I couldn't block it properly I got sent flying off a cliff into freezing water.

-Yay me, huh.

Now that I think about though, not including my losses to the old man, I think I've grown quite a bit, and to be honest, I might not be unstoppable yet…

-But I'm feeling pretty good about myself. And I'm sure that I'll pull it off someday. "

-Myoujou Kurogami's Journal Entry #6, 2002

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-Japan, 2002.-

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"Huuf, Haaah…"

Sitting in a lotus position Myoujou inhaled and deeply exhaled for about five to ten minutes as he was trying to gain a relaxed state of mind.

What he was performing was a breathing exercise named -[????????????????/ ????Ū]-.

Not only was it used as a means of relaxation, concentration, and internal regulation, but also for the matter of Ki as well.

However the main purpose of this exercise specifically for Myoujou was to obtain an optimal state of mind and to achieve clarity through mental and psychological strength.

-Mental strength at an unshakeable level!

For Myoujou, who was still very much a child, this what he needed in addition to physical strength.

"Haaah…." Myoujou breathed out. "I'm ready."

They had just gotten off a boat to Japan a few hours earlier and were heading towards a certain forest with haste.

Silently walking with brisk steps they continued onwards after finishing one of Myoujou's 'Learn-On-The-Go' training sessions.

In these sessions Shintarou would take a more laid-back approach, sitting back and let nature take its course, only to step in if the chances of death for his disciple were final and imminent.

-Over the years this would mean a lot of life-or-death altercations for the young Myoujou, but luckily he survived, hence the reason he was still here alive and kicking today.

And far as clothing was concerned, Myoujou kept it simple by wearing a shirt, trousers, shoes, and gloves all of which were the color black. In addition to this, he wore a red coat with the hood, which would usually obscure his face to some degree.

-Nice and simple. Just the way he preferred it. After all, he was most likely going to someplace in which his fists would be doing the majority of the talking, so why dress extravagantly?

Funnily enough, though, the pair of gloves he would wear from time to time was actually a gift from the Oymyakon village settlement children.

The thing was, that in the third week of endurance training they had banded together to get him a gift for playing with them and helping them out on occasion; a gift of warm fur gloves.

But in the end, they had gotten it wrong and instead given him leather gloves.

But as he looked at the expectant faces of the children waiting for praise, he couldn't get fussy about the fact that it was leather and not warm fur.

'Besides, they got their hearts in the right places. Also, It's not like me to look a gift horse in the mouth, so why bother?' Myoujou thought at the time.

They had reminded him of those three rascals Kouta, Kaito, and Rin back within 'The Inside'; a bunch of disorderly rambunctious kids that would sometimes work together.

'Now that I think about it, I wonder how they're doing.' A year before he left 'The Inside', He bid goodbye to the three as Kaito and Kouta decided to also leave the slums, and Rin disappeared somewhere as usual.

Shintarou on the other hand, well, he wore whatever he found comfortable at the time, so a grey coat over a shirt and pants was what he wore.

Following Shintarou as he walked through the forest path, Myoujou's body tensed heavily as he looked around. 'Something's not right…'

With heightened senses due to years of harsh conditioning and training, Myoujou was instantly alarmed as he got into battle position.

Shintarou however, looked on knowingly with a small smile sketched on his face.

'It's a person coming from the south, and he's pretty fast too…' Lowering his center of gravity, everything in his surroundings seemed to have slowed down as Myoujou entered a state of hyper-awareness as he waited for who was about to appear.

'Twenty meters… Ten meters… Almost there…'

-SWIISH-

'I can smell them… They're strong. About as strong as I am, maybe even stronger. And faster too. However, that's not the point. It seems like they want a fight, so I just need to win, not contest them. I'll have to rely on defense and I'll grapple them down.'

'Though, grappling isn't really my strong suit…' Myoujou wryly smiled. As it would seem the dream of being perfect and invincible was still far away for him.

'Five meters left…'

'Almost there… He's coming with a low kick and then a straight-punch…'

And two meters, Myoujou finally made his move.

'-Now!'

No, rather, he countered the move of his would-be ȧssailant.

Looking at the motions of the unknown attacker, Myoujou realized that the man's intent was directed to him and not Shintarou.

'I see, maybe they're trying to get rid of a weak link or something.' Myoujou thought. He agreed that fighting a 'Disciple' in a life-or-death situation would be much more preferable to fighting a 'Master' even if the disciple was a strong one.

'But-!' Using his senses to its highest, Myoujou had exploded forward speed as he lunged at his attacker. 'I might be weaker than Shintarou all right, but that doesn't mean just anyone can work me over like pair of buŧŧer biscuits-!'

The namesake of Tenrai Shikyou-ryu (Heavenly Four Mirrors Style) was based on the four Japanese historical stories of fantastical nature written from the late Heian period onwards.

And each one of the four main Katas were named based on stories of the Shikyou (Four Mirrors).

Using a move from a Kata called (Masukagami Kata/ The Clear Mirror Kata) which had deep roots Ju-Jitsu and Judo roots, he planned to end this quickly.

His skills at applying this kata weren't as fine-tuned as the others, he still chose to use it.

'He's strong alright, but if I catch him once, then I can end it. And leave it with a 'Clear' victor.'

-SWOOSH-

Dodging the arc of the leg with snake-like motions, Myoujou clasped onto the leg of the attacker with an increasingly sturdy grasp and locking it under his muscles near his armpit.

The move had shown many of the same principles of a Judo throw, more specifically the move 'Tai Otoshi' (Body Drop).

And using centrifugal force aided with his weight of seventy-five kilograms, Myoujou moved to not only sweep the attacker off his feet but to then brutally slam him face-first onto the ground.

-[???????????????????????????????????????? ????????????????: ????????????????-????????????????????????/ ???????????????????? ???????????????????????? ????????????????: ???????????????????? ????????????????]-

-WHAM!-

"!!!"

It was like the motions of a snake latching onto its prey only to then swing it back and forth as it sunk its teeth into it, aiming to devour its prey.

And as the dust had cleared somewhat, the figure jumped up seeming mostly unscathed, though there was a hint of surprise in his eyes.

'Hmmn? He got up fast… Did I put too little power mid-swing, or in the sweep…' Myoujou wondered. His opponent clearly wasn't some pushover seeing that he got up immediately after he tried to knock him out.

Peering at Shintarou at the corner of his eyes, Myoujou noticed that Shintarou was currently perched on the tree and he saw his amused expression as if to say; 'What are you waiting for? Continue.'

Nodding, Myoujou dashed towards the man who arched made a feint with his fists before aiming his leg at Myoujou's head.

"!!!"

But as Myoujou aimed for a takedown, the man had suddenly changed form, now launching a vicious knee at Myoujou's face

'A feint?'

Closer and closer, what would be a sure knockout blow was flying towards Myoujou's face in the form of a swift knee.

If it were to connect, this fight would be over with Myoujou rendered unconscious.

However...

-FWIISH-

-It was near miss.

Showing a display of great flexibility reaction speed, and precise motor controls, Myoujou slid to the side mid-tackle, bȧrėly dodging the surprise knee attack, and escaping with nothing but a minor graze on his face.

-A few millimeters more, and it would've caused a broken nose.

-A few centimeters more, and it would've caused a complete knockout.

In short, had it connected, Myoujou was sure that he would've taken a nap on the grassy forest floor.

'This guy…' Myoujou frowned. 'What was that? Did he get stronger all of a sudden?'

'But… Nice try!' Now maneuvering behind the man, Myoujou retained focus as he grasped the man in a headlock, pressing down on his jugular in hopes of downing him.

But suddenly before anything else happened, Shintarou spoke.

"So have you had enough yet?" Shintarou looked at the man as he chuckled.

"…Yes." Exchanging a look with Shintarou, Myoujou released his grasp and immediately created space between the two.

"You, are competent enough." The man said. "You pass."

And as quickly as the altercation had begun, it had also ended.

"Haiyaaa---" When he put the two and two together and realized that the man wanted to test him, Myoujou tiredly sighed. "Oi Shintarou, are all of these guys like this?" He said incredulously while pointing at the man who attacked him.

"Reminds me of you when I met you in 'The Inside'; All stiff and robotic." Shintarou quipped, to which Myoujou shook his head in disagreement.

"We wanted to see what the disciple of the 'Phantom Titan' was capable of and if he was competent enough to join us with this task." The man said without any expression.

"I guess they wanted to see if you were slacking off in training, eh?" Shintarou chuckled as if nothing that happened before was of any notice.

"Heh. Well if I slack off I think we know who to blame." Myoujou said. "I mean, with all the bad habits you have one of them eventually would have to rub off on me."

"Pfft. Yea right brat, ain't no way that's on me!" Shintarou laughed whilst 'gently' patting Myoujou on his back.

After Myoujou and Shintarou stood around traded barbs for a while, the man in front of them coughed lightly before introducing himself.

The man was a martial artist that hailed directly from the Kuremisago clan; a clan well known for its secrecy and their talents in the arts of fighting.

Leading them to where the manor would be they traveled throughout the forest, going through a numerable amount of twists and turns until they finally arrived at the compound location.

"We have arrived." The man blandly said. "Follow me."

"Ah, not a bad place at all, Full of nature and whatnot." Shintarou said, moving his arms behind his head.

'So this is one of the Kuremisago compounds.' Myoujou thought. Though, for some reason, he couldn't help but frown.

'Why do I feel uneasy here though? It's just your average secret compound…'

'---But I can't help but feel that not only have I been here before but also that something is about to go wrong…'

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Walking into the compound, what they saw were simple yet homely buildings of oriental design with several clan members walking about surveilling the proximity.

As they entered the compound they could feel the stares of many others within one of the buildings, even when there was a wall that separated them.

In a sense, it seemed to be one of the many abilities of the strong to sense each other and their competition.

"Here." Sliding the door open they saw a meeting place that held about two to three dozen men that were considered 'outsiders' to the clan sitting and lounging about. "Please wait for the Young Master to debrief you."

And with that, the man vanished.

-WHISTLE-

'Ah, he disappeared. Is he a ninja or something, or is he B*tman?' Myoujou whistled before stepping into the wide living room followed by a relaxed as ever Shintarou.

Judging by the actions of those present, it looks like the meeting hasn't started yet. And as they entered, those gazes only grew in intensity.

'So that's the 'Phantom Titan'…

'And he even got himself a little disciple too…'

'Heh. With the number of enemies, the 'Phantom Titan' got on his back; it'd be a miracle if his disciple manages to stick around for long…'

'This fuċker… He's not gonna have this shitty brat he's babysitting slow us down, eh?'

As if he could tell the thoughts of the men before him, Myoujou perked his eyebrow up slightly. "You seem pretty popular among these guys, Shintarou. But guessing by the way they're staring at us, I doubt that they're members of your Fanclub." Myoujou said while gently elbowing Shintarou to get his intention.

He may be young and not the smartest tool in the shed, but due to living within 'The Inside' for most of his life, he was well aware of these kinds of looks that they were giving him.

They were the looks that said;

-'It doesn't matter whether or not you did or didn't do anything; I'm ready to cause trouble for you.'

In other words, the looks of most of the people here were of those that were ready to start a conflict, no matter how forced it may be.

'How unprofessional, even at a job, huh?' Myoujou clicked his tongue. 'I don't really wanna cause any problems on the job but it looks like these guys are willing to…'

'---Well, If they don't want to play nice, then I won't either.'

"Hmmn. No idea kid. Maybe they 'are' members of my Fanclub and are just too shy to ask for an autograph…" Shintarou mused loudly.

-Maybe a bit too loudly.

'Tch!'

'Arrogant as always.'

'This fuċker---!'

As the surroundings continue to get even more quiet and tense, a maid walks out towards a podium stationed just ahead of the group to start their briefing.

With eerie glints in their eyes, the men had harbored quite the amount of dirty untoward thoughts and delusions about the beauty of this maid…

-But Myoujou was different.

Not because he was a gentleman or anything...

But because under his stone-cold poker face, he was quite surprised at the fact that even the maid seemed decently strong. 'So even the maids of the strong are strong too… As expected of the strong. Looks like this ain't your average ninja palace.' Myoujou thought, reaching a different kind of delusions from the other men.

"We thank you for coming out today and accepting this request…" The made opened with a brief speech, before getting to the main point. "And now to start with, allow me to introduce our young master, the head of the Kuremisago Clan, Kuremisago Senzui."

-SLIDE-

"!!!"

And as the sliding door opened, a fairly tall man with slick backed hair and a youthful face stepped out.

And although there was no grandiose pressure emanating from the man, the man had a charismatic countenance and walked with a relaxed gait as if he had no worries.

But even then, they could all tell that the aura this man gave off was monstrous.

-Monstrously competent and efficient.

'So this is the leader of this clan. This guy might be smiling, but he's the real deal.' Staring ahead, Myoujou and the man exchanged glances as a familiar light flashes in the man's eyes, as if he had recognized someone he knew from the past before continuing to walk on. 'This guy… Is the real deal.'

"Ah, I must say, you have my thanks for responding to this job invite.' Senzui cleared his throat as he began to speak. "I'm glad that you all could make it."

He seemed to be a dependable leader that easily diffused the tense atmosphere the room had earlier without even needing to directly try to.

"Now, to cut to the chase, we need your help." Senzui said as he made a short bow.

"Y-Young Master." Seeing this, the maid tried to stop Senzui as the act of lowering one's head would be simply unthinkable for the man that leads the Kuremisago Clan.

"It's fine. The Kuremisago is a clan that prided itself on the isolationist views of the old Japan for far too long, and just as time changes, so will traditions." Senzui spoke solemnly. "You see, the very act of bringing an outsider in these grounds would be grounds for treason."

"However, that is not something I can accept."

"To grow we must expand and connect with others so that we may use not only to the power of strength but of our bonds as well. To open up to outsiders and show the world our 'light'."

"---Which in turn is why I hired you all."

"That's nice and all, but it doesn't change the fact that by joining with you we're all headed into hell in a handbasket." Hearing Senzui's speech, a rough-looking mercenary stood up while smirking. "'Cuz we're being hired as mercenaries or rather, 'Meat-shields' for you guys to do your 'honorable' fighting, eh?"

-Quite a bold statement, indeed.

And although the other mercenaries were surprised, they stayed silent as they all agreed with his sentiments.

"This outsider! You dare-" Agitated by the man's brusque words the maid was calmed by Senzui as he waved it away, telling her to calm down. "Let him speak. After all, he was invited here.

"But…" The maid tried to insist but was silenced with a 'look' by Senzui.

"Continue." Senzui said as he looked at the bold 'outsider'.

Looking at the man standing up in the middle of the crowd, Myoujou pestered Shintarou for an answer. "Huh? Who's this guy?"

"Oh him, the 'Wailing Fist'. Just one of the mercenaries hired here as well." Shintarou yawned. "Some random guy that likes to beat people up, and changes emotions on the flip of a hat."

"Don't worry about him though; I doubt you'll see much of him very soon anyway."

"Wow for real?" Myoujou said but didn't bother thinking much about it, since they won't be crossing paths for much longer.

"Yeah, in a way, both of you got something in common; childish, and got a bucket load 'o issues." Shintarou said.

"Hey, easy there old man, after living in that slums for so long on stealth-mode it's just kinda weird not having to deal with restraining emotions and all of that stuff. Sometimes I still think that anything higher than a whisper is too loud when speaking." Myoujou said. "Plus, I'm sure that once I've fully grown, I'll be a much more stable person than that guy."

"In what, the next few years? Give me an estimate that isn't when I kick the bucket of old age." Shintarou retorted.

"How are you even sure that you'll kick the bucket at old age? For all you know it could be earlier, like when you drinking too much!" Myoujou shot back.

As the two were chatting back and forth without care of what was being said by one of the mercenaries as their conversation had reached its peak.

"Let's not pretend. I'm sure that we all feel the same." The mercenary said whilst looking around. "But as long as we get some proper compensation, then we'll be sure to do our best."

"Hahaha… You're funny, you know that?" Senzui said with a smile. "Of course you will be compensated. It won't be easy, which is why we will handsomely reward you."

And as the mercenary seemed as if he would close his mouth, he opened it once more. "Heh. That's nice and all, but now there's one more thing."

"You, Satou Shintarou 'The Phantom Titan'. You think that your hot shit, ain't ya?"

The man then tried to berate Shintarou to which the former just laughed at him, further enraging him. "You think you're hot shit that you can bring one of the babies your training to a job, huh?"

"Haaa--- Is there something wrong, rookie?" Shintarou snickered.

"Don't get me wrong, but I don't wanna kick the bucket because some brat wet himself in the middle of the war." The mercenary said.

"Eh---? Then you don't have to worry about that." Shintarou said. "You kicking the bucket in the middle of battle won't happen because of my boy…"

"---Since you're weak and all."

And as the man was about to yell, Shintarou cut him off. "But seriously, what do you even want though?"

"Hmph. I suggest we see if this brat that's behind him any good in the first place." The mercenary glared. He saw a chance to make fun of Shintarou and he wouldn't wait one second for it.

"You must be bored out of your damned mind buckaroo, it's not like your paycheck will increase if you show off…" Shintarou said while sighing. "Where's the alcohol? I'm not getting paid enough to deal with this clown."

"Now, now, don't get too defensive! I didn't mean to scare ya'." The man snickered. "I was just trying to help."

Looking at Shintarou's amused face and the faces of everyone around, Myoujou understood just what the man was hoping to achieve.

'Ok now, what's with this dude? I get that he's trying to force a conflict, but why is acting like a 'Saturday Morning Cartoon' villain-'

'Oh. I see. Seems like the old man reaaallyyy got some people holding grudges against him.' And with that, a calculating glint shone in Myoujou's eyes.

'Isn't this my time to shine? That guy's about twenty centimeters taller than me, and weighs even more… The bigger guy beaten down by shorter underdog would raise my cred quite a bit, wouldn't it?"

-'Disciple defeats strong man at the Kuremisago Clan would make a great debut story. It's like his existence would be just an outlet for me to show off how amazing I could be.'

"Hey Shintarou, how about we take him up on his little deal..." Myoujou said. "---See if he's not just full of hot air."

"Heh, do you know who I am? I'm the 'Wailing Fist', the man that can make even 'Master' martial artists cry." He said whilst looking down at Myoujou.

And as an imperceptible smirk raises on the corners of one Myoujou's lips, it seemed as if things were only about to get hectic.

You see, it's said that in a child's development, it's quite common for them to imprint onto themselves the habits of those who were around them as they create their identity and to integrate them into who they are.

And that moment, Myoujou would display one of the so-called bad habits that were slowly rubbing off on him due to spending around three-plus years under his care.

"You sure they don't break out into tears because of the constant smell of shit coming from your mouth?"

-'Disregard' and 'Disrespect'.

"!!!"

'This brat…'

'He really is that man's disciple…'

'His mouth is as dirty as his Master's…'

'What a familiar-looking boy--- Reminds me of another mercenary…"

To think that the young-looking disciple of the 'Phantom Titan' would have such a dirty mouth and that he would say such things with a straight face at that.

"You little---!"

-SWIISH-

And as the man rushed to bash his fist into Myoujou's face, a voice suddenly interrupted them.

"!!!"

"That's enough."

"If the ability of that disciple is your concern, then you needn't worry as he is quite the talented one who was managed to keep up a bit with one of my guards." Senzui said which caused some of the eyebrows of those in the room to rise a bit.

"Ain't that so? Well if my employer is so confident, then I guess why not?" The man said as he moved his fist that was stopped just a few centimeters from Myoujou's face. "You're lucky. You hear that kid?"

'Why not my ȧss, you just wanted to show off.' Myoujou smiled inwardly. 'Now what would happen if I'd end up kicking your ȧss?'

"So, like what Shintarou said; are you getting paid more to act like this?" Myoujou said as he moved his leg that was aimed at the man's groin.

And as things simmered down, Senzui reached the end of his speech. "Now allow me to tell you our cause."

This job that they were taking up was a chance to participate in a war between the factions of the Kuremisago Clan.

"The Kuremisago has been at war with each other for quite some time across the lands, though it was kept secret." Senzui said. "You may not know, but as of now the Kuremisago has split into two factions..."

"---The Kuremisago mainland wanted to keep the status quo and its status as an isolationist state, and us, The Liberationist Party wanted to experience change."

"We always talk about peace and this and peace that, but without strength, it can't be brought about. Though, judging by the words of the 'Wailing Fist', I doubt that you care much about that no? No need to pretend." Senzui said gaining a few chuckles from them.

Once more displaying the charisma of a natural-born leader, Senzui had ended his speech and debriefing, informing them that a few days from now they would be dispatched in one of the fields, ready to join the battle.

And although the feeling of confidence and reassurance emanated from Senzui's speech and eventually calmed the quarries and concerns of the mercenaries, Myoujou couldn't help but feel odd as if had a feeling that this wouldn't be such a simple mercenary job.

'Weird. Something feels, kinda off…" Myoujou thought whilst staring at the Kuremisago Clan Leader, Senzui. 'Kinda like this guy… Especially like… this guy.'

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Late Evening

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-SLAM!-

"Sutoreito Furusshu." Myoujou said in utterly perfect English as he slammed down a perfect hand of cards. 'Victory, is mine.'

After being debriefed they were busy lounging within one of the rooms provided as they played a game of poker, awaiting further orders.

At first, Myoujou had won by a landslide, showcasing his ability to adapt and perform before Shintarou had suddenly turned the tables on him.

"Hehehe… You idiot disciple, it's far too early in the story for me; the master, to lose to you; the disciple."

"Royal---" Shintarou said while grinning smugly.

"Flush."

"…"

"…"

Not breaking his poker face down, several thoughts went through Myoujou's head before he finally concluded. "You cheated, didn't you?"

Looking to the side, Shintarou whistled. "Of course not, you're just bad at this, boyo~"

"Bad at what? bullshit." At this point, Myoujou knew that Shintarou was cheating, but for the love of everything holy, he couldn't find out how.

As Myoujou stared at the hand of poker cards in front of him, Shintarou hopped up from his seat as he headed for the door.

Grinning foolishly, Shintarou waved his hands. "You know what my boy? I need a break from all of this winning."

"Huh? You're not running are you?" Myoujou said. "No way, I haven't even found out how you're cheating."

"Runiiiiiing---? Meeeee? Of course nooooot! I'm just tired of beating you over and over, that's all." Shintarou said before leaving.

"Hey… My money…" Shocked that Shintarou ran, Myoujou rested his head by lying down within the room as he put aside the food containers as the maids came to collect them.

'Haaa… You gotta be kidding me.'

-CLICK!-

Opening the locket he stared at the picture of his mother for a few minutes.

"Mother… Now that I think of it, in your journal, you never really wrote about where you grew up…" Closing the locket, he then went outside.

Walking across the Clan compound that felt familiar despite never being here before, Myoujou felt a strong sense of 'Deja-Vu' as he entered the 'Training Grounds'. 'Have I been to a place like this before? I dunno.'

'Huh? There's someone else here?' He came across the same mercenary who was arguing with him earlier speaking with someone that didn't seem to be listening to him.

The rough-looking mercenary was talking to a tall and slim blond man that wore a striped suit with arm and leg gauntlets for battle.

And whatever they were talking about, it didn't look like it was going so well, as the mercenary angrily stomped, and when coming in contact with Myoujou tried to shoulder bump him.

Unfortunately, that would fail because instead of staggering Myoujou, he would only have himself be pushed out the way by a little.

You see although he had much to improve on when it came to the finesse of fighting and its techniques when it came to his body and raw physical strength, his body was a work of art that went beyond the very definition of durable.

Gnashing his teeth at his failed attempts of intimidation, the man continued to stomp off.

"Seems like he doesn't like you that much either, huh?" The blond man suddenly said, appearing next to Myoujou.

"Eh? You think so? I think he has a grudge and just wants to kill me." Myoujou said. "But hey, you meet all kinds of people in the outside world, Old man."

Talking to people like this would be something unthinkable for the always cautious Myoujou from three years ago, as he was always isolating himself from others in order to survive.

-But now, here he was, speaking to a complete stranger of an old man late at night.

"O-Old man? Well, aren't you a funny kid." The blond man said as he went for a handshake. "The name's Saiga, Furinji Saiga."

"Furinji Saiga, eh? The name's Myoujou, Kurogami Myoujou." Myoujou said as he shook Saiga's hands. 'What a friendly guy, most guys here a super cautious of each other yet he's as nonchalant as ever.

'Kurogami Myoujou? What a strong name.' Saiga thought as he took a good look at Myoujou. Judging by his face seemed to be a young fellow, and with his trained eye, he could see such a durably built body even under the almost baggy red coat. 'This kid… He looks familiar to another guy that Dad doesn't get along with…'

'Could he be related to that guy? Nah, couldn't be, they even got different last names too.'

Myoujou on the other hand had not too different thoughts as Saiga. 'Wait, Saiga Furinji… Furinji, that's one the names of the Martial Arts bigshots Shintarou told me about…'

"Yup, it's as you guessed it." Saiga said, scratching his head as he saw the extremely minute change in Myoujou's expression and instantly realized what he was thinking. "I'm related to 'That' Furinji. In fact, I'm his son."

And the name wasn't given about 'that' person; both knew exactly 'who' they were referring to.

-'The Invincible Superman, Hayato Furinji.'

'Didn't Shintarou say that the Furinji family were all about the 'save-the-people-and-never-take-a-life-shtick'? What happened for a guy like this hanging around here?'

'Well, anything could happen in life, right?' Myoujou thought. Not because the father was some 'Hero' meant that the son also had to be a hero.

Talking with the man, Myoujou realized that Saiga wasn't a mercenary hired by the clan, but one of the three leaders of their little rebellion in the first place.

Honestly, though he wasn't too surprised, though he did find it funny due to how silly and laid-back Saiga behaved as if the guy wasn't even involved in a war at all.

Apparently, Saiga fell in love with one of the ladies from this clan, with the lady being the very Kuremisago 'Princess' herself, someone who was supposed to get together with the Clan Leader Senzui.

And although the Kuremisago Clan heavily protested their union since Saiga was an outsider, they would still go on to have a child together in the end.

And now he wants nothing more than to end this whole clan feud so he can live with her.

'A man fighting for the hand of the woman he loves, and then later fighting to live in peace with his wife and child… What a pretty noble goal--- Almost like he's a knight in a fairytale.' Myoujou thought. If what this Saiga guy said wasn't complete lies, then he would be quite the decent fellow indeed.

After a few minutes had passed, Saiga suddenly stood up as he gazed at the large moon that stood in the night sky.

"Well Myoujou, seems like it's time for me to go..." Saiga said, his expression going serious for a second as he looked at Myoujou. "---And as an 'Old Man' with some life experience, let me tell you this…"

"Try not to die, okay?" Saiga smiled.

"Hmmn, got it, Old man." Myoujou gave a 'peace sign'. "Y'know, 'Old man'. You seem like a pretty decent dude. I hope you can achieve what you're fighting for."

Nodding, Saiga waved his hand as he turned to leave, but as soon as he stepped on the veranda-

"!!!"

Shouts from around the clan compound were heard as everyone scrambled about.

As a clan member ran to Saiga, he suddenly bombarded the man with questions.

"What's going on?" Saiga asked the Kuremisago clansman. "Is there an attack from the Kuremisago mainland?"

"Furinji-dono… We found out some not-so-great news."

"Today, we found the dead bodies of three of our members."

"What?" Saiga asked. "Just how did they die, and why?"

"Looking at their bodies it seemed to be a spear to the ċhėst… But that's not the main thing." The clansman said.

"What everyone is saying… Is that you were there when they died…"

"--- And you, were the one to kill them, Saiga-dono."

"W-What…" Saiga muttered, his brain working overtime trying to find out who and why would frame him.

Looking at the scenario that was playing out in front of him, Myoujou felt that once again, his feelings of a premonition occurring was slowly starting to turn true.

And as he looked around the panicked Kuremisago compound, he realized…

-That this was an environment where schemes, violence, and the stench of blood would soon become a regular occurrence.

'I knew it… This wasn't some simple inky-dinky job that Shintarou brought me on…'

'But I still can't shake the feeling that something even worse is yet to happen.' Myoujou frowned as he gazed at Saiga and the panicked Kuremisago clansman.

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END