200X, 10 years after the nuclear holocaust

Roxanne, Theresa, Olga and Mai were standing in the great hall of the Temple; Mai had a sheet of paper in her hands, with a list of names written on it.

"We got a lot of people today" she said "Seven of them specifically asked for Olga. Four asked for Theresa"

Theresa nodded, with a serious expression on her face.

"Three clients want Roxanne. Oh, one of them is Chiuichi-san"

A sadistic light appeared in Roxanne's eyes: Chiuichi was one of her regulars, a self-proclaimed masochist.

"Alright, I'm having some fun today!" she exclaimed, cracking her knuckles "Last time I saw him, I forbade him to masturbate until our next meeting. I'm going to find out if he did right away. And if he did...spoilers, he most certainly did...this time I'm going to really lead him to believe that I'll let his head explode. I'm going to tell him that he offended the Heavens, or some bullshit like that. Let's hear him beg for his life with a swollen up tongue!"

"Don't go overboard, Roxie-chan" Mai reprimanded her, with a forgiving smile.

"Whaat, it's that foul's fault if I go a little overboard! He claimed he was ok with anything I did to him, and even refused to pick a safe word! So, as long as I don't do permanent damage, everything is fair game!"

"Fair enough" Mai went on "Then, there's six men left. I'll take three of them...oh, this one also wrote masochist in his preferences" a big smile appeared on her face "I call dibs! Saya can take the rest"

"Speaking of Saya...where is she?" Theresa asked.

"Oh, she will be a little late for work" Mai explained "She has a certain...business to attend to"

Goro was standing in front of the truck, in the outskirts of town.

Now that he was close to 24, he didn't look like a scrawny boy anymore; he was tall, although not as tall as Shun, and had a pretty built up physique. He was now wearing a leather jacket that left his arms exposed, leather gloves and boots, and his long brown hair was slicked back.

After all, a businessman has to care about his appearance, he thought with a grin, as the other man finished loading the truck.

"Well done, Goro" he said "Very well done. You and your men gathered lots of food from this town. Selling this at a tremendously higher price in the poorest villages will be easy"

"Eh, the townsfolk needed some convincing" Goro said "but I can be very persuasive. Now, no funny business. Pay up what we agreed upon...I don't need to remind you that I'm a Master of Hokuto Shinken, do I?"

"Aah, but of course" the smuggler said, even though he didn't look too impressed "I'll give you your money right away. It's very fortunate that people in these lands started to produce coins: they come in very handy"

"A Master of Hokuto Shinken?!" a female voice said "Don't make me laugh!"

Goro and his accomplice looked up; Saya was standing on the top of the truck.

"Up there?" the smuggler uttered "But how?"

Saya looked at him with contempt.

"What I mastered is an Assassin's Fist. Sneaking up on guys like you is no problem at all"

She jumped down, landing next to Goro; before he could do anything, she pressed a point on his right arm; tremendous pain spread from that point to all of his body, forcing him on his knees.

Then, Saya turned her head to the smuggler: he had unsheathed a knife.

"Big mistake, young lady" he said "I ain't afraid of some martial arts. And I'll have you know I take my business very seriously"

"I can see that" Saya replied "You have the karma of a murderer"

"DIE!"
The man charged at her; then, he stopped. He froze on the spot like a statue, his knife still raised: Saya had the tip on her index finger placed in the middle of his forehead.

"W-what did you do?!" he exclaimed "I can't move!"

"You must be a very ignorant fool. Don't you know, that Hokuto Shinken is the martial art that Kenshiro uses?"

"Kenshiro?!" the smuggler repeated, growing much paler "The man who defeated Ken-Oh?!"

"That's right. I' ve struck the pressure point known as Gakuchu. When I remove my finger, you'll only have three seconds left to live. Your head is going to explode"

"N-no way!"

"Should I remove my finger now?"

"W-wait, please!" the man started to cry "Have mercy! Spare my life!"

"Mmh, I don't think I should" Saya said, feigning doubt "You tried to kill me just now. And you have killed before. I don't think I can spare a guy like you. Say your final prayers"

"No, please!" the man sobbed even harder "I'm begging you! I'll change! I swear to you, I won't hurt anyone ever again! Please, believe me!"

"Mhm…...alright"

She removed her finger. The man tottered backwards with a terrified expression, grabbing his head with both hands: but nothing happened.

"Now go" she growled, looking at him with bloodshot eyes "And leave the truck here: the food will return to the people of this vilage"

The man didn't need her to repeat herself: he just ran away barefoot, as fast as he could.

"What a pathetic display" Goro commented, getting back up: the pain in his arm had subsided."You weren't really going to kill that man. I can see it in your eyes: you don't have what it takes to kill"

"Oh yeah!?" Saya yelled at him "Do you think killing is so cool, uh? You think killing will make you a gangster or something? I pray I'll never have to kill anyone in my life!"

"If you really wanted to prevent that man from committing crimes, you should have taken his life, simple as that" Goro replied "He will be back to his dirty business soon enough. People don't change"

"Well, maybe I should kill you!" she said, grabbing him by his jacket "What do you think you are doing, uh?! Acting like a bully in town with those thugs you call friends, stealing food from honest and hard-working people?! You're very fortunate you haven't killed anyone yet, or the Mistress would have taken your life!"

She would have tried, Goro arrogantly thought.

"How did you find out about me?"

"A client said something to Olga. We went to town and asked some question, simple as that"

That blonde dimwit snitched on me!

"We told nothing to the Mistress yet" Saya explained "Don't you understand why we stopped you? We care about you! You're walking down a dangerous path...your karma gets more rotten by the day...Goro, we don't want you to die!"

Goro put on a bitter smile.

"Look at you, Saya. You have to be such a hypocrite"

"What?!"

"Roxanne at least is honest to me. She mocks me, insults me, threatens me. She doesn't like me, she never has and she never will. But you...you have to pretend, don't you?"

Saya rage exploded.

"What is wrong with you?! Why can't you ever believe that anyone would care for you?! If you got so much pent up aggression towards me, then let's do it! Let's fight!"

She gave him a shove.

"You bitch!"

Goro punched her in the face; she made no attempt to dodge or to protect herself. She didn't fight back: instead, she just stared at him with sadness in her eyes, as she brought her hand to her mouth: her lips were split.

"There" she said "You hit me. Feel better now?"

Goro clenched his fists, seething with anger.

Your pity is only making it worse!

He spat on the ground.

"Tsk. Let go back to the Temple"

Goro bumped into Theresa in the hallway; he grabbed her arm.

"Not now" she said "I'm in the middle of my working shift"

"You have time for those perverted old men, and not for me?"

"I thought you were busy yourself. You know...committing crimes in the village, with those thugs you call friends"

Goro looked at her with a strange expression; he was embarassed...sad...and also, dead serious.

"Maybe I don't need those friends. Maybe I don't need to do any business. Maybe, the only thing I need is you"

"Goro, please!" she exclaimed, freeing herself from his grab "We had this argument a hundred times already! I don't feel the way you do! We didn't even have that much of a relationship...we just kissed a few times a long time ago, when we were kids!"

Goro lowered his gaze.

"Back then...when your mother died" he muttered "I tried to hug you, to kiss you, and you pushed me away. So, I stopped spending time with you. But I see now why you would do that: I was supposed to confort you... instead, I made it about myself. If I just stood by your side without asking for anything in return...things would be different now, wouldn' they?"

Theresa sighed, with a sincere look of compassion in her eyes.

"Goro...you are very sweet, but I can't know that. Maybe things would be different, maybe they wouldn't. What matters now, is that I don't feel the same as you do, and nothing will change that. Thinking about the past will only harm you. Please Goro...you have to move on. I care for you. Even if you're such a troublemaker...I can't stand to see you unhappy"

She caressed his face.

Then, she turned her back on him, reaching the end of the hallway: a client was waiting for her, a dirty man in his fifties. Theresa bowed to him, grabbed his hand and led him to her room.

Goro punched the wall, his hand sinking into stone like it were butter.

It was night already.

Goro was sitting on a wooden plank outside of the Temple, a hundred feet away from the entrance. He had a bottle of wine in his hand, almost empty now. He sighed, looking at the stars above him.

Fuck it, I'm drunk. And yet, I don't feel any better.

Then, he heard footsteps; Shun was coming back from his outdoor training session.

When he had left the temple, more than 8 years before, his figure was slim; now, he had developed a pretty built up physique.

"Still training in secret" Goro said "I wonder what the great Shun has to hide from us"

"You're still drinking instead" Shun said, but he was smiling "Care to share some?"

Goro hesitated; normally, he would just tell Shun to fuck off.

Ah, whatever.

"Be my guest"

As Shun sat right next to him, Goro handed the bottle to him. Shun took a sip of wine before speaking.

"From the look of it, you had another big fight with one of the girls. I'm betting my money on Theresa. Although, it's not like Saya can't break your balls when she wants to"

"She certainly can"

"They do care for you, you know. All of them"

"They sure do" Goro said, but he had a sarcastic smile on his face.

"And you? Do you care for them at all?"

Goro lowered his gaze, with sorrow in his eyes.

"I...don't know. I often find myself hating them...can't stand them. A part of me wants to accept them as my family...but I just can't. Maybe Saya is right: there is something wrong with me. Anyway, I guess I still have to find my place in the world. I wished I could call this Temple home...but maybe, it just wasn't meant to be"

"That's a pity" Shun commented, taking another sip of wine.

"What about you?" Goro asked, with an evil grin "Do you really love them as you claim to?"

Shun tensed up; his eyes narrowed.

"What do you…?"

"Oh, don't play dumb" Goro said "I can see it in the way you talk to them, in the way you smile. Your smiles are fake. You have been hiding something from them...they can't see it, but I can. You changed. The truth is...you have something in mind...something you feel guilty about...but you are still willing to carry on with it"

Shun didn't say anything, but his lips slightly curved into a smile: he probably didn't think Goro would be that perceptive.

"If you ask me, that's one big improvement" Goro went on "Eight years ago you were a good for nothing: old goodie two-shoes Shun. Now, I see some drive in your eyes. You finally plan on using your strength to get something you want. Wonder what made you change, though. Was it your journey through the wastelands? When you came back, you looked scared. You, of all people"

Shun sighed.

"I took my decision based on the experience of that journey. But me being scared has nothing to do with it. Rather...it made me realize I didn't have what it took to be out there. I didn't have the tools to accomplish my goals"

Goro was feeling sleepy, but his interest had been rekindled.

"What did you see out there?"

"You mean, aside from people killing each other? Power" Shun said "I have witnessed true power. A power great enough to change this world. When I was 18, I felt so strong: I was at least as skilled as our Mistress...in my mind, that was the pinnacle of Hokuto Shinken...but if I look back to my past self, I was just pathetic"

"Have you obtained it now? That kind of power?"

Shun stared at his right hand; he opened and closed his fingers, slowly.

"I most certainly have"

Goro grinned.

"Well, I praise you for that. But as much as I like this new version of yourself...there's one thing you did wrong. A big mistake"

"And that is?"

"You pushed Saya away"

Shun turned his head to look at him, taken aback by his words.

"What you had with Saya...that was special" Goro said "When a man finds something like that, he doesn't let go of it. He clings to it with his teeth. Instead, you just threw it to the wind"

Shun stared at him for a couple of seconds, in silence; then, he chuckled.

"Oh, Goro" he sighed "A man like you would never understand. You cling to relationships like a stray dog would cling to a piece of meat; you only think of your needs, your hunger. Now that I think about it, since the moment we took you in as a starving boy, you never stopped being hungry.

That's why, someone like you would never understand: what it means to push the people you love away, in order to protect them..."

In that moment, a man got out from the Temple, walking down the path to the village. Goro recognized him: it was the one who slept with Theresa.

A great, uncontrollable anger got the best of him; he got up from the wooden plank.

"Wait" Shun said, grabbing his arm "I can't let you hurt that man"

"I'm not hurting that man" Goro said, shaking Shun's hand off him "I'm going to bed. I had enough of our lovely date under the stars"

Theresa was in her room; she had just taken a bath.

She wrapped herself in a nightgown; her long, wavy hair, still moist, fell back on her shoulders.

Well, time to have some sleep, finally…

Then, she felt a presence right behind the door; a rotten, familiar karma. A second later, Goro burst into the room, closing the door behind him.

"You..."

Goro got closer; he reeked of alcohol. He had a crazed look in his eyes: she could see lust...but also a deep, almost feverish desperation.

"What are..."

He grabbed her nightgown and tore it apart; he pushed her on the bed, using superhuman strength, and stood on top of her.

"Goro, no!" she yelled, but he put a hand over her mouth.

"Why not?"

He looked like he was on the verge of crying.

"You are able to lay with those lecherous old men, and not with me? Why? Can't you see how much I need you?"

He grabbed one of her breasts, and squeezed it. Then, he brought his mouth to it, and began to stroke the nipple with his tongue.

"Please" he whispered "I need this..."

Theresa raised her leg, putting some distance between her body and Goro's; then, she extended it, with superhuman strength. Goro flew across the room, landing on the wall. He slided down with a moan of pain, until he found himself on the floor. When he looked up, Theresa was towering over him. The look in her eyes sent a shiver of pure fear up his spine.

"Theresa, I..."

"Go away"

Her eyes were like blades of ice, piercing his heart. She had never gave him such a cold gaze...but even worse, beneath that threatening look, he could see how much in pain she actually was.

"I won't tell anyone what just happened here" she went on, with a hoarse voice "Not to the Mistress, not to my sisters: they would kill you. But you won't get near me ever again. You won't touch me, you won't speak to me, you won't even look at me...or else, I'm telling"

"Theresa, wait, please..." Goro begged.

"Shut your mouth and get out" she hissed "You are dead to me"

Goro lowered his gaze and slowly got up; he left the room, burning with rage, self-loathing and frustration.

The room was dark, only dimly lit by the moonlight.

The Mistress, Yasmine, had her back turned to him; she was also wearing a nightgown, like Theresa. Goro stared at her curves, and his lust rekindled.

"I can feel you there, you know" she said "What do you want at such a late hour?"

He walked in.

"I want what's mine by right" he said "I want to take the test"

Yasmine turned her head and looked at him, with narrowed eyes.

"The test? I never thought you would be so eager to take on your sacred duties" she mocked him.

"I just decided to leave this place. But if I don't take the test first, I won't be allowed to use my Fist out of the Temple. So, you will just hunt me down, won't you? Not that I am afraid of you...I know I can take you on...but I'd rather fuck you right now, as the Law of the Fist requires, and be done with it"

The Mistress put a stern expression on, upon hearing such disrespectful words; but she decided to ignore them for the moment.

"You know you can't use your Fist for your personal gain" she said "Even if you pass the test...if you use it to hurt innocent people, we'll hunt you down all the same"

"Yeah, whatever. It's still my right to take the test. After that, if the way I use my Fist displeases you, you can bring the judgement of the Heavens upon me"

That is, if you find out, he thought. Because I'm planning of going as far away from this Temple as I can.

Even in that dim light, Goro could see compassion in his Mistress' eyes.

"Goro, go to bed" she said "You seem shaken by something that just happened, and you reek of alcohol. We'll talk about this in the morning"

"Cut the crap, and let's get it over with" he replied, moving a step forward.

She raised her chin and thrust her chest out, in a fiery and dignified pose.

"Truth is, Goro, I don't want you to take the test"

"What?! Why? All the others have taken it years ago! I'm 24, goddammit!"

"Because you are not ready. You lack ki control on your body. You still have a few years of training ahead of you. Who knows, maybe spending a few more years here will make you wiser...even though I've nearly lost all hopes on you: your karma is almost as rotten as that of a common raider…"

Anger got the best of Goro.

Yeah, right, he thought. This is exactly the same as twelve years ago, when she didn't want to admit me into the Temple. She won't give me her permission to use the Fist, because she prefers her other students over me!

He chuckled.

"Well, what a surprise. You are the second woman tonight that doesn't want me in her bed. But you know what..."

He stepped even closer. He was taller than Yasmine, and his muscular frame certainly made him look more imposing.

"...fuck your stupid rules. I'll take what I want from now on. And I think I will not leave this Temple, until I've fucked you senseless"

His hand closed around her throat; he violently pushed her on the bed, and began to tear her nightgown apart; as he exposed her huge breasts, which he had dreamed of since he was a boy, he started to drool.

The Mistress looked into his eyes. There was no sign of fear in her; instead, for a instant, Goro couldn't help but feel at least a little bit creeped out: it was like staring into a deep void, into the dark depths of the ocean. It was like staring at Death herself.

Then, she smiled. That terrifying look in her eyes disappeared. She wrapped her legs around his waist

"Yes" Goro grinned "You finally understood who's in charge, you dumb cow"

He sucked on her breasts, while violently groping them with his hands.

"Come" she invited him, slightly lifting her hips up from the bed, pressing against his manhood "Come inside me"

Goro could hardly wait any longer. He rammed himself inside her.

"Yes" she moaned, as Goro thrust into her at feverish pace "Go on..."

Then, her legs squeezed his waist much tigher, so tight he could barely breath; her hands, who had reached behind his back, both struck pressure points right below his shoulder blades.

"What..."

A sudden pleasure spread to all of his body, making him drool even more.

"What...what's this..." he groaned.

"This is what you asked for" she whispered, in a warm, sexy voice "This is the test. The 1600 years old trial that the concubines of the Tentei had to survive, if they wanted to inherit the Sinful Fist. You will have sex with me, your Mistress, as I inject small doses of ki in your pressure points; you must focus, and regulate the flow of ki in your body through breathing techniques. You must fight the lust back, even as you lay with me. If you lose your focus...you'll die"

Fuck! He thought. Even scared as he was, he couldn't help but keep thrusting his manhood into her.

She grabbed both sides of his head, and kissed him. He felt his tongue go numb, as she injected even more deadly ki into his body.

Stop! Is this not enough already?!

Then, he felt a sudden pain in the right side of his head; it was like a thousand needles piercing his flesh. He felt his own skull bones crack, as his temple and forehead started to bloat, covered in throbbing veins.

"Oh Gods, no!" he screamed, his eyes filling with tears.

"What's wrong?" Yasmine teased him "You must control yourself. The moment you climax, your head will explode"

He tried his best to control his breathing, tried to balance the ki flow in his body; but he just wasn't good enough. So, he panicked: he tried to get away from her.

But Yasmine had no intention of letting him go; her legs were like pincers of steel, holding tight to him. He felt like an insect caught in the unescapable grasp of a praying mantis. Yasmine smiled at him, mercilessly.

"DIE, YOU BITCH!" he screamed, poking her chest with his fingers, right between her breasts; nothing happened.

What? But I'm sure I hit her pressure points…

"It's no use" she explained "I already impaired the flow of ki in your body, momentarily taking your Fist away from you. After all, that is the tradition: a student who fails the test is doomed to die, so it's only natural to prevent him from cowardly escaping his fate through violence"

She raised her head from the bed, getting closer to him.

"You know" she whispered "When my other students took the test, I made sure that, even if they failed, they would not die. But you...you have such a rotten karma...so, why should I bother with letting you live?"

The pain was now unbearable. Goro wanted to get out of her, but couldn't stop his lower half movements; more than that, Yasmine accompanied each movement with her hips, dooming him.

"Farewell, Goro. Despite what you may think, I never hated you"

"Noo, please!" he begged "Mistress, please! Don't kill me!"

Tears of pain and fear were streaming down his face, dripping on Yasmine's face and breasts.

"I don't want to die! Please, I was wrong! I am one of your students, am I not? Please Mistress, have mercy!"

One of Yasmine fingers suddenly pressed a point on his back. His lower half's thrusting movements stopped, and lust started to subside. She spread her legs, releasing him. Then, she sat on the bed and pushed him away; Goro fell on the floor, heavily landing on his ass. He immediately brought his hands to his head: a screech of horror came out his mouth, as he realized how deformed it was.

But the worst part was the pain: it was so intense it was driving him crazy.

It will subside now, he thought, It MUST subside.

But it didn't: long seconds passed, and the pain kept being just as intense.

The Mistress had gotten up from the bed. Completely naked, she was staring down at him with a stern expression.

"Goro" she said "You are hereby banned from this Temple. Since you tried to rape me, I should kill you. At the very least, I should be sealing your Fist. After all, now you are like a wounded animal, more dangerous than ever"

Then, her eyes filled with sorrow.

"But, I won't do that. You will be in pain for the rest of your life...and you will need your Fist to at least ease that pain a little bit everyday. I won't take that source of relief from you: consider it my final act of mercy, and my final reward for saving Theresa's life long ago"

Having said that, a fiery, merciless look reappeared on her face.

"This will be the extent of my compassion. If you ever set foot into this Temple again, I will personally take your life. Now, begone! You scum of the Earth!"

Shun, the Mistress and the girls had gathered in the great hall of the Temple, with gloomy expressions on their faces. Theresa had her eyes lowered.

"I know you all are very shaken, considering what happened with Goro. But there's another problem we have to deal with"

She had a grave look on her face.

"One of our clients has just run here all the way from the village. A band of raiders has occupied it: they have killed a few people, and are now forcing the others to give up all of their food. I must go down there and deal with them. Don't lower your guard while I'm gone"

All of the girls nodded; Shun, instead, closed his eyes and took a deep breath, like facing some inner struggle.

"No" he finally said "Leave this to me, Mistress. I shall handle them"

Yasmine eyes narrowed with perplexity.

"Are you sure about this? I'm not doubting your strength, far from it. But this is a dirty business..."

"I've killed bandits before, as I wandered through the wastelands, years ago" Shun said "Don't worry, Mistress. I'll handle it"

"It's been almost a full day already" Olga said "How come Shun doesn't come back? Could have something happened to him?"

"No way!" Roxanne uttered "This is Shun we are talking about!"

In that moment, a villager burst in through the main door.

"Oh, sacred warriors of Hokuto!" he pleaded, falling to his knees "Please, help!"

"What's going on?" Yasmine asked.

"Your student, Shun" the man said, with a terrified look on his face "He killed the chief of the raiders, and took control of his gang! Right now, he's doing exactly was that bandit was doing: taking all of our food away from us!"

Yasmine's eyes widened. The girls looked at each other: none of them was able to speak a word.

Theresa walked into her room.

Her heart was racing: first Goro, now Shun…

It's some kind of mistake, she thought. It has to be. Shun would never do that. The Mistress will go to the village now, and clear things up.

And yet, the Mistress didn't seem to think there was any misunderstanding: she had forbidden them from going to the village with her...almost like she feared Shun could hurt them.

No way…

Then, a sudden noise made her turn her head; only then she noticed the man cowering in the corner of the room.

She had been so preoccupied with Shun, that she hadn't even felt his presence. Goro was on his knees, looking at her with pleading eyes; his head was so horribly deformed that Theresa felt like throwing up.

"You...how..."

He must have climbed through the window, she answered herself.

"Theresa" Goro crawled towards her "Please..."

She bared her teeth.

"What do you think you're doing here?" she hissed "After what you did to the Mistress...after what you did to me! You were forbidden from entering this Temple's grounds. I should call the others, and have you killed, right here and now!"

But that disfigured man crawling at her feet was truly a pitiable sight; in her heart, Theresa knew she couldn't kill him.

"Theresa" Goro sobbed, with tears in his eyes "My head...the pain...is driving me insane. I've tried pressing some tsubos...to balance the ki a little bit...but it doesn't work. I'm just not good enough...I never was..."

He got even closer.

"I've been in this much pain for hours. If it doesn't get any better, I'll end up killing myself. But...but I don't want to die..."

Goro was at her feet now. He hugged her legs.

"Theresa, please...I'm no good...only you can help me now..."

The girl felt a sting of pain in her heart; she felt like crying. No matter how much she tried, she couldn't hate Goro. So, she knelt right in front of him, and hugged him. Her hands reached to his back, pressing a series of tsubos with expertise. As soon as she was done, she heard him sigh with relief.

"Now the flow of ki in your body is stabilized" she said, as she kept holding to him "The pain shouldn't be unbearable now. But, you will still suffer from chronic pain for the rest of your life. You will need to perform some techinique on yourself everyday to ease it...and the results will depend on your ability"

In that moment, he felt Goro's finger going deep into her back. All of her body stiffened up.

What…

She couldn't even talk; her body was as stiff as a board. Goro laid her down on the floor, with an evil grin on his disfigured face. He started to tear her clothes off.

"Yes!" he groaned "THIS is the relief I was looking for!"

As his hands kept undressing her, she tried to scream, but could only let out a muffled, suffocated lament.

Less than an hour later, Goro was at the village.

I need to steal a vehicle, and get the hell away from here!

Then, as he was about to walk into the main square, he stopped and hid behind a building.

What the hell…

He stuck his head out, just enough to allow him to watch the scene.

Shun and the Mistress were standing in front of each other, surrounded by raiders; they could have clearly felt Goro's rotten karma, but all those wicked bandits were probably allowing him to blend in and go unnoticed. Behind Shun, a small hill of food had been gathered.

"Please" an old man begged, a few feet away from them "Why would you do this to us, Shun-dono...some of us will starve, if you take all that food..."

Shun didn't avert his gaze from the Mistress as he spoke.

"I'm sorry, Utaemon-dono" he said "I thought that, since I'm so determined in bringing pain to people, I should at least prove my resolve by starting from someone I know. Just know that, for each one of you that will starve to death, thousands of people will be saved in the future"

"What is this madness?" Yasmine asked "I knew you had changed...but I would have never expected something like this from you. You want to play bandit, now? Or even follow in Ken-Oh footsteps? I cannot allow that"

One of the bandits got closer to Yasmine; he had lust in his eyes, and was drooling from his mouth.

"Ehehe, big mistake opposing our new boss, pretty lady..."

He squeezed one of her boobs. Yasmine's hand moved quickly: she poked the middle of his forehead.

The man's face was twisted by pleasure. His eyes rolled back into his skull.

"What is... this...feels...so good….!"

Then, he let out a loud screech as his head exploded; his beheaded body fell to the ground, spurting blood from the neck.

"There was no need to kill that man" Shun said, looking at the corpse with sincere sadness.

"You killed their former chief" Yasmine reminded him "And besides, you have compassion for these rotten scums, and not for the poor people of a village you've known for your entire life?"

"I only killed because it served a purpose" Shun answered "And, unfortunately for me, I have compassion for everybody. That is my curse"

Yasmine was taken aback by words, but readily shook any uncertainty off.

"I don't know what exactly you are thinking, Shun...but if you insist on walking down this path, I must seal your Fist"

She took a fighting stance.

Shun was staring at her with cold eyes.

"Then go ahead" he calmly said "Use it. Use the Will of the Goddess on me. You should be aware that you have no other way of defeating me. Eight years ago, I was already as skilled as you are: now, I am leagues beyond that level"

Yasmine's expression grew sadder.

"No, Shun. The Megami no Ishi is a dreadful technique. Taking control of your mind and body would be akin to raping you. I don't intend to violate you like that"

A bitter smile appeared on Shun's face.

"You say that now" he muttered.

"I shall use a different technique to defeat you" she explained. Suddenly, Goro saw her body slide sideways, creating multiple images of herself. The images kept sliding on the terrain in straight lines, broken by 90 degrees turns. Goro understood that, if he were looking at the scene from above, he would have seen the shape of the Big Dipper.

"Hokuto Shinken Ougi" she chanted "Shichisei Tenshin!"

"Oh, a techinque you haven't taught me" Shun said, closing his eyes "How clever of you, to hide this from me. I've also read every scroll in the Temple, but this isn't mentioned. I suppose you hid or destroyed the scroll describing this, didn't you?"

"I'm sorry, Shun" she said "I had guessed something was wrong with you in these past years. You had grown colder...you were training in secret...I had to keep at least this technique from you..."

Even though he was hearing her voice, Goro couldn't locate her real body; Shun on the other hand, was just standing still with his eyes closed, as if trying to perceive her through his other senses.

The bandits, instead, had cleared the centre of the square, and were now looking at the scene from a safe distance.

"I won't kill you, Shun" Yasmine explained "But I will be forced to impair you ki flow forever, or even take your memories away"

Then, she attacked: all of her images closed in on Shun.

Yasmine let out a cry of pain, as all of her fake images disappeared; her right shoulder exploded with a spurt of blood: Shun had been so quick in hitting her, Goro hadn't even seen it.

"Too bad, Mistress" he said, with a smug smile "This technique may be amazing...but like any other technique, it heavily relies on the skill of the user. I'm now way superior to you: you cannot hope to hide your presence from me; you cannot hope to hit me, or dodge my attacks. Also, I have just used the Suieishin to learn and acquire the Shichisei Tenshin. Thank you, Mistress, for this final lesson"

Yasmine had brought a hand to her bleeding shoulder; her face was pale and tense. Then, she closed her eyes, as if she had finally taken a grave decision.

"Very well" she said "I shall use the Will of the Goddess on you"

She took a peculiar stance, putting the palms of her hands in front of herself. Suddenly, the air around her glowed with white, blinding ki.

"You leave me no choice, Shun. I must obey the will of the Heavens, and put an end to your journey down this path of evil. Just know that, after I violate your mind and body, I'm going to atone for it by taking my life: that is least I can do to expiate my sins"

"That is, if you succeed" Shun said, taking a fighting stance as well.

"Theresa! Something is wrong, the Mistress is taking too long..."

Saya walked into Theresa's room. As she lowered her gaze on the paralyzed, naked body of her sister, pure horror appeared on her face.

Goro couldn't believe his eyes.

The Mistress had used the Will of the Goddess: and yet, she was the one lying on the ground, while Shun towered over her.

He did it, Goro thought, amazed despite the growing pain in his head. I don't know how, but that bastard Shun did it! He has overcome the Megami no Ishi, defying a 1600 years old history! He's now the strongest man who's ever mastered the Sinful Fist!

Yasmine raised her head to look at her adoptive son; she couldn't move the rest of her body.

"I'm not going to kill you" Shun said "But I've sealed you Fist. The flow of ki in your body is forever impaired: you will never be able to perform your techniques again. As for your paralysis...it will come off in about an hour"

His eyes were clouded with sorrow.

"Despite what you did to me long ago, I do not hate you. I hope you can go on and live the rest of your days peacefully, even without your wicked Fist. For everything you have taught me, I thank you. Farewell, mother"

He bowed his head to her. Then, he addressed his new underlings.

"Take the food to the vehicles: we are moving out in a few minutes"

When the last of Shun's raiders disappeared, Goro walked into the deserted square. There was no-one around: the villagers had run away as soon as they had seen the Mistress fall.

He walked to her with a grin on his face; she raised her gaze to him, and her eyes widened with horror: she still couldn't move her arms and legs, after all.

"Goro..." she whispered.

"Say goodnight, bitch" the man uttered, bringing his foot down on her face with superhuman strength.