This story has been beta by TheReader2011. Enjoy!
The Shinpaku base was full of noise as all members were sparring with each other. Kenichi and Miu had joined them in training after getting permission from their masters. Currently, Miu was taking on several Valkyries and Kisara while Kenichi was fighting Tsuji, Takeda, Ukita, and, upon being invited, Naoki.
"Gotcha!" grinned Naoki as he managed to grab onto Kenichi's arm after the three others distracted him, "Get down on to the ground!"
Shifting his weight, Naoki tried to pull Kenichi into the floor with his Armlock Twist Takedown, only for Kenichi to flip with him, allowing Kenichi to land on his feet before freeing himself out of the lock. Naoki slightly flailed in the air defenseless, allowing Kenichi to grab his leg and fling him away with a twist, sending him spiralling through the air.
Ukita managed to catch Naoki, backpedaling as he did to kill the momentum while slowly turning Naoki with the spiral to cut down the spin.
"Told you not to underestimate him," lectured Ukita as he managed to put Naoki back down, "Your dad should've taught you some other moves, even if you like using that move as your signature attack."
Naoki looked chastened, but not before pushing Ukita back, allowing the end of Kenichi's rope dart flash right past Ukita's face.
"Stop chatting and get back to fighting!" shouted Tsuji, only to get a knee to the chin when he tried to attack.
Takeda quickly threw a left straight, only for Kenichi to duck under it and swiftly lock the arm joint while side-stepping to get behind Takeda. Kenichi dragged the arm with him before kicking the back of Takeda's knee, forcing him down.
Ukita and Naoki came charging forward, only to stop when Kenichi hurled Takeda at them.
"Shit, that's new," grumbled Takeda as he quickly got up, "Was that Supreme Silat?"
"Yes, much to my discomfort," sighed Kenichi, "His moves are ingrained in me now. Much as I want to have the Elder just make me forget them, my masters stated it would serve me well to keep them as another style to build on."
"Don't think it means that you'll win!" grinned Tsuji as he tried to jump at Kenichi from behind, only for Kenichi to sidestep out of the way.
"This is bigger than I imagined," voiced Rachel as she stepped into the building, looking around curiously.
"Yomi's Castor! Rachel Stanley!" shouted Chisato as she readied her tonfas, along with the rest of the Valkyries, "How did you find this place?"
"Stand down," ordered Niijima with a waive, "It's not like we were hiding this base in the first place and Yami already knows the existence of this base."
'Though I doubt they know all my other secret bases,' laughed Niijima in his mind maniacally.
"There's a lot more stuff than I thought," piped in Elfreda as she and Hayase also walked into the building.
"Why are you here anyways?" asked Kisara as she walked away from her spar against Miu.
"I was bored, so I decided to come visit. They wanted to come with me," replied Rachel.
"I heard my disciple brother was training here with his weapons. I wanted to see it for myself," stated Hayase, looking over to see Kenichi flipping over Ukita, spinning in the process while launching the end of the rope dart at Takeda, nailing him at the temple, "It seems he is more proficient than I thought."
"I wanted to see him use a bow," pouted Elfreda. She had not been amused that Kenichi had discovered his talent with the bow by accident.
"Well in the end, my master is still in lockup, so I got some free time to spare," laughed Rachel, "Plus, those three are already here, aren't they?"
They looked in the pointed direction to see Sho and Chikage playing Mah Jong against Kaede and Honoka while Natsu was yawning as he played Xiangqi against Renka.
Still, most of the Shinpaku Alliance members that weren't fighters were nervous about the members of Yomi being here, and so ended giving Rachel the cold shoulder despite her attempts to be friendly.
"Tch, to think I'd be hated by the audience here," pouted Rachel.
"Isn't that enough?" asked Kenichi, suddenly piping in, causing most of the Shinpaku Alliance members to turn towards him, "Ethan honestly asked us to be friends with her, too. Not only that, Niijima told me that she had been supplying Sho constant information about my whereabouts as well as Miu's. Overall, giving a friend the cold shoulder is just too lonely."
Upon hearing this, most of the Shinpaku Alliance could only scratch their head in embarrassment before changing their attitude.
Rachel herself could only step back in surprise at this.
"Not only that, but they are guests. We should at least be hospitable to them if they aren't here to cause trouble," added Kenichi, nodding towards Elfreda and Hayase.
WIth those final words, the lower members of Shinpaku began to treat the other members of Yomi more warmly, offering them tea.
Before anything could happen though, the respective phones of Yomi began to ring simultaneously. Sharing a look, they all silently moved towards the entrance. Sho and Chikage apologized for the sudden departure, but were also glad as they had been getting slaughtered by Kaede again.
Six black Mercedes Benz were parked right outside the Shinpaku Alliance, showcasing just how rich Yami still was despite Niijima undercutting their funds. Still, having a car for each member was just the organization flexing its riches when two or three cars would have been sufficient enough.
In the old timeline, when one of Ogata's base had been found, all of Ryozanpaku mobilized to attack the base. They had brought Kenichi and Miu with them last time, leaving them outside with the rest of the Shinpaku Alliance while they attacked the base. This time, however, they made quite a few changes to this arrangement, such as…...
"Why are we also attacking?" cried Kenichi as he parried a fist from one of Ogata's underlings.
He, along with Miu, were participating in the attack under the Elder's mandate.
"This is a good experience for you!" cackled Sakaki as he used Tetsuki Hyakudan, sending many underlings flying with a series of powerful thrusts.
"Not to mention despite not being his main disciples, Kensei's ability to relay techniques is quite astounding," commented the Elder as he sent five underlings smashing into a wall with a palm thrust so strong that an imprint of his palm magnified formed against the wall.
"It's a technique palazzo, so in short, perfect training material for you," smiled Akisame as he swept two more off their feet and slammed them against each other.
"You underestimate us Ryozanpaku!" roared one of the underlings as he charged at Kenichi. To think that they, the ones chosen to be taught by the Sage Fist, were being used as training material/cannon fodder. It was an insult to their pride!
Kenichi took a deep breath before opening his eyes, his whole body enveloped in Ki that was not Sei or Dou, but his own, Zen.
"What the-" questioned the startled underling, but didn't get the chance to say anything else as Kenichi blitzed towards him, using Strongest Combo 3 to smack him into the wall.
"You've certainly gotten more used to using that," commented Miu as she ducked under a kick, her hair flailing in the wind as she kicked the ground from under the man, tripping his pivotal foot. Without stopping a beat, Miu threw several punches at him, sending him collapsing onto the floor in pain.
"If we're here though, wonder what's going on with the others?" asked Kenichi as he began to backstep to dodge several punches, "Niijima said he had that handled today."
Originally, it was at the cliff they had met Berserker once more and the last disciple of Ogata, Lugh. But now, with the Shinpaku Alliance back at home base, would they even meet?
"No doubt Niijima already has that covered though," hummed Miu as she jumped over Kenichi, drop kicking her opponent by surprise.
Back at Shinpaku Alliance Headquarters
"Alright, pay attention now alright? These are the current members of Yomi's Unarmed Sect that are currently in Japan, and these are the Armed Sect," lectured Niijima, pointing to a lecture board with pictures and names stamped all over it, "We'll be going over their styles later!"
"That's nice- OH SHIT!" shouted Takeda as he crossed his arms in time just to fly in the air.
"Don't get distracted now," lectured Tsutomu as he lowered his arm, "That's a death sentence when fighting anyone from Satsujinken. Any weakness they can exploit to end the fight will be taken."
The Shinpaku Alliance was playing host to the Tanaka family as well as the Zanshin Taisha-Ryu. The Tanaka family visit was mainly to help the fighting members of the Shinpaku Alliance as well as give advice to them while the Zanshin Taisha-Ryu was giving their monthly report to Niijima. A few of the disciples as well as their higher-level fighters were acting as sparring partners for them, too.
"How did you even get this information?" asked Mayu as she played with her daughter.
"I have my ways," grinned Niijima before continuing his lecture.
Back with Kenichi and others
"Yea, that's most likely the case," nodded Kenichi as he slid underneath an underling, grabbing his opponent's wrists as he did so to flip them upside down.
"Less talking, more training!" lectured Kensei as he landed a fierce palm strike, the shockwave shooting through several more underlings.
Looking from a distance, Berserker and Lugh, the other remaining member of Ogata's disciple group, watched as explosions could be seen emanating from the building despite the fact Ryozanpaku had brought no explosives with them.
"Crazy as always," whistled Berserker before turning to leave.
"I'm quite curious about Ryozanpaku's disciple," commented Lugh as he followed, "Is he really as outrageous as the rumors say he is?"
Berserker frowned as he tried to find words to describe Kenichi. The last time he had seen him back when he was at Ragnarok, not only did Kenichi protect him, but he gave him the sense that he couldn't defeat him. That feeling was much more pronounced and obvious compared to when he first met Ryuto, but not as oppressive.
"An idiot," voiced Ryuto from the vehicle, "Enough sightseeing. We need to head to the next location, otherwise, Ryozanpaku will find us."
The others nodded in agreement, quickly getting back into the vehicle as the explosions began to travel upwards from the building.
Days later
Ryuto, Berserker, and Lugh found themselves in a newly constructed building, where they were greeted by their master, Ogata, who had just come back from training Rimi.
"Sorry about the sudden move, but the information about our base being leaked was all planned out. Still, I should've told you all first," laughed Ogata.
"So in this scenario….. with the destruction of the old base, our enemies will think they've gotten an advantage over us," hypothesized Lugh.
Ogata nodded in agreement but opted to leave out some minor details. Such as the important equipment and information being transported out to another base. Somehow, one of the trucks was raided despite all the secrecy.
"Atlantae was so passionate about training that I've had to delay yours. My apologies about that," apologized Ogata.
"Where's Atlantae?" asked Ryuto, looking around curiously.
"Ah, she's trained really hard," smiled Ogata as Rimi stepped forward, her eyes dulled, "I've released her Dou Ki. She's no longer the Atlantae you knew. Though admittedly, she was more troublesome than training Odin."
Ryuto cautiously wheeled his wheelchair forward, slightly worried when he noticed Rimi was starting to drool, and her dull eyes were from a lack of sleep. With a clap, Rimi's eyes returned to normal, looking around in confusion as to how she even got here. After her customary attempt to tackle hug Ryuto, she quickly rushed to take a shower, embarrassed she had shown herself to Ryuto while covered in dirt.
"I believe it is time for your next level of training. While I had hoped the Shinpaku Alliance would fold into our group with half of its members being a part of Ragnarok, it seems that will not be the case. Perhaps it is time for them to live their usefulness….. as your cannon fodder," declared Ogata ominously.
"Indeed," added Kushinada as she inserted herself into the conversation, "However, it would not be right to let you have them all to yourself. These disciples will accompany you at the time of extermination."
Standing in front of Kushinada that were to participate in the extermination were Chikage and Rachel. Standing behind her also joining in were Hayase, Sigmaringen, and Shera.
"Our masters told us to join in on this as soon as they were informed about this possibility," stated Hayase.
"I can't wait to introduce my scythe into Ryozanpaku's disciple's face!" cackled Sigmaringen, "The first time he just got lucky! He won't next time!"
Though he declared that, both masters in attendance merely rolled their eyes at his rather cocky statement before looking at the unarmed disciple of Yomi. Though they did not voice it, all of Yomi's unarmed division knew not to actively engage Kenichi or Miu. Let the armed division of Yomi have another chance to humiliate themselves.
"My, my, this has become quite big," commented Ogata.
"As we approach the Eternal Sunset, we'll find out just who has the capabilities to become a master," spoke Kushinada.
"Speaking of, where are Kano Sho and Taninmoto Natsu?" asked Ogata curiously.
"Though they knew of the plan, both their masters declined participation," explained Kushinada, "God Fist may be making sure Suparna is fully recovered from his trip to Tidat. Fierce Fist stated he doesn't care, but Hermit has declined due to personal reasons."
"Well, if they've chosen to refuse, we have no reason to force the issue," hummed Ogata.
In another base, Hongo and Sogetsu were overseeing a match between their disciples, a rare sight in Yami or Yomi. What was even rarer was that the fight wasn't a death match, but a spar between the two.
"Haha, you've certainly gotten better!" grinned Sho as he twisted his body, dodging a blow from Natsu while snapping a kick to his head.
"Hmph," grunted Natsu as he ducked under it and swung his arm like a whip at Sho's waist, who blocked it with his other leg.
Hongo smiled, content with Sho's current recovery. Despite having abused SeiDou Goitsu as well as being heavily injured from his fight in Tidat, Sho was back to peak health. Not only that, but Hongo could see that Sho had gained a lot of insight in the fights at Tidat.
Sogetsu merely drank as usual, but out of the corner of his eyes, he carefully observed Natsu. Something had changed in him fundamentally. Something that drove him even harder than before.
'Does it have something to do with that dinner he had with Ryozanpaku's disciples and that weird alien-looking kid?' thought Sogetsu as he glanced at Hongo. Another thing that was bothering him was those unnaturally pointed ears. It was an unusually rare trait, but the fact that the weird-looking kid and Hongo had them couldn't be a coincidence.
'Could they be related somehow?' thought Sogetsu. At first, he thought of a possible father and son connection but tossed that away. Hongo was single and too noble of a man to have a one-night fling and leave the woman pregnant. Still, he wasn't going to discard the fact the two might be related somehow.
Shoving off his distracting theories for now, Sogetsu turned his focus on Natsu, who began to go on the offensive. Seeing Sho adopt Maeba, a defensive karate stance, made Sogetsu raise his eyebrow.
"Maeba was the original stance that I used until I changed it. However, Sho is more suitable for this due to his nature," explained Hongo without glancing at Sogetsu.
Indeed, despite Natsu being on the offense, Sho repelled all of his attacks before countering with a spear thrust to the stomach. Natsu managed to catch the thrust with both of his hands grabbing onto the wrist, stopping his attack.
Sho quickly shifted his weight, going underneath Natsu before lifting him up into the air. Natsu quickly let go, rolling down in the air while swinging his arm to land a hit on Sho's head, only to clash with Sho's other fist. The impact sent Natsu tumbling into the ground before he quickly flipped back onto his feet.
Looking up, Natsu almost cursed when Sho was already in front of him. Natsu took a step back, raising his palm up at Sho's chest.
Taiho Shouhai
Natsu had intended to have Sho drive himself into his palm, but had misread Sho's center of gravity. Sho had used Gamaku, his oblique muscles shifting his weight to the back leg instead of the front leg like Natsu thought.
The result was Sho catching the palm strike that had fallen short, pulling Natsu forward before kicking up with his right leg. However, almost upon impact, Sho stopped it short, though it could be seen that it was a clean hit.
"Sho wins," declared Hongo.
"Dammit," grunted Natsu as he pulled his hand back from Sho, who hopped back onto his two feet once more.
"Hey, that wasn't bad!" grinned Sho, "Hayami and Seto can't push me like you do!"
"Enough talk," ordered Hongo, causing Sho to stiffen up, "You may return back to your respective rooms."
"Yes master!" saluted Sho as he quickly went back to his room.
Natsu gave a lingering gaze at Sho before leaving.
'To think, if it wasn't for Shirahama and the others, Sho wouldn't be alive,' thought Natsu as he left for his own room.
"So, any reason why you declined to have Suparana join the hunt Sage Fist is doing?" asked Sogetsu.
Hongo merely pushed his sunglasses up before replying, "My disciple's health comes first, both physical and mental. While the Kuremisago may be shouting for him to participate, I deem whether it is necessary or not. Sho is back to peak physical health, but his mind has yet to fully recover not only from abusing SeiDou Goitsu, but from all the fights he was in back in Tidat."
As Hongo left, he added mentally, 'Not to mention, I still need to punish him for jumping into a group of ambushers for no good reason. Patience has never been his strong point, even if it has improved recently since he attended Koryo High. Perhaps another tea ceremony session is needed, with Seto and Hayami as guests with me.'
He knew Sho hated being the host in the tea ceremony, but it would instill the value of patience in him. Not unless he wanted another beating for making horrible tea.
Niijima hummed as he debated about going to the water amusement park for relaxation that was scheduled in a few days. He had half a mind to either reschedule it or relocate it to avoid Yomi's attack.
"Even if I did that though, Yami will still be able to find us with their resources. Even though I've taken a more active stance against their finances, it's hard to fight against the decades of riches that they've gathered," mumbled Niijima, "Rather than trying to shift it to another day and still be ambushed, perhaps we should turn the trap into a training ground for the Shinpaku Alliance!"
Grinning, Niijima pulled up his PDA as he began to rapidly tap and drag some documents. He had a trap to reverse!
Few days later
The Shinpaku Alliance were enjoying their trip to the water amusement park. Thanks to Niijima's 'generosity', he had bought all members an all-day pass to all the rides.
As the members enjoyed themselves, with the Valkyries in bikinis certainly gaining the attention of the lower-ranked members of Shinpaku, or the logistics team as Niijima had dubbed them, Kenichi and Miu sat next to Niijima.
"Are you sure this is a good idea?" whispered Kenichi.
"Half," admitted Nijiima, "Even if we changed locations or date, they'll still be able to track us. What's worse is even if we don't do this, they could ambush each commander in a random location not favorable to us. Since we already know what they plan to do, allowing them to go through with this one pushes the ball back to our court. Plus, I've already made arrangements to stack the deck against them."
Kenichi and Miu raised their eyebrows, glancing all over the place to see what Niijima was talking about, only to fail to notice anything different. Both closed their eyes, letting their other senses and Ki take over to sense any fluctuations in the surroundings, a move taught to them by the Elder himself.
"We're not alone," said Miu, snapping her eyes open, "These Ki….. they're not a part of Yomi. Who are they?"
"It's the Zanshin Taisha-ryu, isn't it?" asked Kenichi as he opened his eyes.
"Yep," grinned Niijima, "Not to mention, I felt like they were due for some R&R. It's not my fault if it just so happens to run afoul with Yomi's plan."
'You're evil', thought Kenichi and Miu simultaneously.
"I originally intended for this visit to also be an international meet and greet, but the logistics of doing that was a nightmare," huffed Niijima.
"International?" asked Kenichi with hesitancy.
"I have contacts in Brazil thanks to your little friendship with the one called Silvio from the Capoeira team from DFOD. I dropped your name, and gained a chance to spread the Shinpaku name in Brazil. Spartacus and his team are mostly located in America, so I've already planted my seeds there. Renka is my contact to China. I wanted to bring them all over, but decided against it," sighed Niijima.
'We may need to exert some more control over his world domination tendencies,' thought Miu and Kenichi as they glanced at each other.
"Man, that was fun! Thanks for the food!" grinned Ukita as he chowed down on his plate full of food.
Niijima had managed to secure a private room within a restaurant in the amusement park, complete with a buffet. Not only that, but the room was scanned for any sort of bugs, and had Zanshin Taisha-ryu members guarding the area.
'We really need to pay more attention to him,' sweatdropped Miu and Kenichi, seeing Niijima rolling in riches.
"Alright, everyone get your plates and gather around," ordered Niijima, "There is something important that needs to be said."
"What's up?" asked Takeda, taking a bite off a chicken leg as he sat next to Freya.
It didn't escape Miu's notice that during their free time, Takeda had partnered up with Freya for every ride. In fact, the two looked quite cozy sitting so close together. Meanwhile, Kisara and Ukita were sitting with each other as well.
"It's about what's going to happen tonight," said Niijima.
"Oooh, is it about the parade? I wanted to see it!" grinned Matsui, with some of the Valkyries agreeing with him.
"There won't be a parade tonight," said Niijima, raining down on their run.
"What? Why not?" asked Chisato.
"Because Yomi is planning to attack us," declared Niijima, causing them all to fall silent.
"WHAT!?"
A knock on the door interrupted them, to which Niijima told them to come in.
"Ah, you're that shadow guy!" shouted Takeda as Kurando and Tsukasa of the Zanshin Taisha-ryu entered.
"I am Kurando, and this is Tsukasa," Kurando introduced himself to the Shinpaku Alliance, "As Governor-General Niijima Haruo stated, Yomi has indeed infiltrated the park. From what we can tell, they are slowly guiding civilians out of the park to avoid media attention and exposure, with promises of remuneration. From what has been gathered, not only are the unarmed division of Yomi is participating in this, but the armed forces as well."
"Who is participating?" asked Niijima, his eyes narrowed. Though it was a surprise that Yomi's armed division was participating in this, it was within his calculations.
"Hard to tell. It's not easy to get close to them, especially with one of their members especially sensitive to any flow of Ki despite the fact we suppress it," replied Kurando, "But it's not very hard to track them, with one of them waving a poorly hidden scythe all about."
"Sigmaringen," snorted Kenichi, "He's likely sore about his loss."
"Considering you did beat him up in fifteen seconds, I'd say so," giggled Renka.
"Seriously? Damn, you didn't play around with him did you?" nodded Tsuji in admiration.
"What did he say to make you beat him up so badly?" asked Thor, knowing Kenichi wasn't one to really lay down a beating.
"He.. ummm….. may have insinuated taking Miu by force," said Kenichi meekly, "I didn't react to that well."
"And I'm glad you didn't," smiled Miu, giving Kenichi a quick peck to the cheeks, "But if he is here, I'll deal with him if I get the chance."
The smile she gave off caused all the boys to shiver and back away from her in fear.
"Back to the topic, it seems Yami wants to use us as cannon fodder for Yomi's growth. Well, we're going to change it up. Instead, they'll find themselves being used as stepping stools for the Shinpaku Alliance to shine in an even greater light!"
Miu and Kenichi smacked Niijima on the head when he began to cackle, knowing he was about to go into a rant about world domination.
"Sounds like a plan," grinned Takeda, "Any information we got on them?"
"I've been going over the main players for the past few days…. Pay attention!" shouted Niijima, his eyebrows twitching.
"He's right, you know? He even got intel that Berserker is in Yomi too," whispered Freya.
"I was busy with other stuff?" replied Takeda weakly, "You know I'm not the best with intel stuff like this."
"Then I'll help you," smiled Freya, putting her hands on Takeda's arm, the two of them looking into each other's eyes for a while until…..
"If the gazing couple would stop staring at each other, we can continue with this meeting," said Niijima, causing Freya and Takeda to quickly jump away from each other.
Miu slapped Niijima on the head for being so insensitive, but as usual, he didn't care.
Night soon fell upon the park. Miu and Kenichi were walking with each other, hands clasped together despite knowing the fact they would be attacked soon.
"I'm glad you decided to accompany me on some of the rides," smiled Miu, "You didn't ride them last time."
"Well considering the horror machines I end up in Koetsuji-shifu inventions, I wasn't keen on going on a ride designed for those thrills," chuckled Kenichi.
"Mmm, but you didn't complain about the log ride, did you?" grinned Miu as she slyly pressed against Kenichi.
Kenichi had to really concentrate to prevent a nosebleed from coming out. Indeed, he had enjoyed the soft feeling of her breast pressing on his back while going down the waterfall, to getting a good view of her soaked bikini cladded chest, the rivulets of water streaming down those peaks.
'Who knew Miu could be so seductive?' gulped Kenichi, trying to rid himself of an uprising in his pants.
Fortunately, or unfortunately, they sensed a hostile Kis close by, allowing Kenichi to quell the uprising.
"Well, well, well, if it isn't Ryozanpaku's Strongest Disciple, on a date with the 'Invincible Superman'''s granddaughter!" mocked Sigmaringen as waltzed up towards them.
"I'm surprised that you're not trying to sneak attack me like your master tried to," snarked Kenichi, sharpening his senses as he made sure nobody else was around them.
Sigmaringen's eyebrows twitched at that insult before replying, "Last time, I underestimated you. Don't think it'll happen again! I'll dye my scythe with your blood!"
With a roar, Sigmaringen charged forward at Kenichi, his scythe raised high up in the air. However, he didn't expect Miu to suddenly blitz towards him, her eyes glowing with Ki.
'Shit another one!?' thought Sigmaringen as he sensed Miu's Ki control was the same tier as Kenichi, Ki no Shouka.
Miu threw a swift jab at Sigmaringen, causing him to stumble. Miu then grabbed Sigmaringen's left arm, and with a swift kick to the feet to force him to lose his balance, she threw him up into the air. Miu jumped into the air, to which Sigmaringen tried to slash at Miu to counter. However, before Sigmaringen could fully finish his slash, Miu used her Ki and teachings from Kushinada to stop it short. She then grabbed onto the scythe, using it to roll herself forward on the blade and shaft. Using her Ki, she forcefully wrenched his hands upwards, combining not only her newly acquired Jiujitsu, but also Supreme Silat. The result ended up dislocating Sigmaringen's arm before kicking Sigmaringen into the river rapids ride.
"FUCK YOU!" shouted Sigmaringen as he was washed away from them.
"We should go to the others to make sure they're alright," suggested Miu as she landed, to which Kenichi agreed.
Yet, they only took a few steps before encountering Berserker and Rimi obviously wearing the mascot.
"Although Kensei-sama said that the two Ryozanpaku's disciples were above our level, I decided to come here anyway," said Berserker calmly before turning to Rimi, "And take that damn costume off, it's distracting."
Rimi struggled to take off the head for a second before finally pulling it off. The second she did, she blitzed towards Miu, attacking with such ferocity laced with Dou Ki that Miu had no choice but to back up to gain some space.
'She's much faster and stronger than the last timeline at this time,' thought Miu before she began to analyze her moves.
"You don't seem surprised that I'm here," commented Berserker, "Does that mean you already know?"
"You joined Yomi," nodded Kenichi, confirming Berserker's suspicions, "Kokorone isn't exactly a girl who can keep secrets well."
"That's true," hummed Berserker, thinking that Rimi must have blurted it out at some point. She had made contact with Shinpaku more than he had.
Of course, Kenichi wasn't eager to correct his statement nor tell him he had lied. The longer Niijima's secret investigation into Yami went, the better.
"Well then," grinned Berserker, "You must know that I joined Yomi, and was taught some training methods from Kensei. However, all of my fighting techniques are still my own! I wanted to have a rematch against Hermit, but that's not possible at the moment. So I'm itching to test them out on you!"
With that, Berserker rushed towards Kenichi.
'Hope the others are alright,' thought Kenichi as he prepared to fight Berserker.
Other locations
Niijima's instructions had been quite clear. Everyone was to have a partner no matter what, and no solo acts. Niijima had sent the Valkyries away with the non-fighting members of the Shinpaku Alliance. Chisato had argued, saying that they were going to fight to protect Freya, but an order from her to evacuate made them change their mind.
"Bitch! I'll slice her tits off!" growled Sigmaringen as he pulled himself off the river with his scythe in hand. With a grunt, he shoved his arm back into place, clasping and unclasping his hands for a bit to get some feeling back.
Taking off his clothes, he quickly wrung out the excess water. He also removed his ballistic vest, shaking the water out for a second before his instincts blared at him. Dropping his vest, Sigmaringen rolled to the side, grabbing his scythe as he did so before glaring at who had dared to attack him.
"Damn, I missed," cursed Tsuji as he pulled his arm back, "Well at least I found someone to fight! C'mon, let's fight mano to mano!"
With that, Tsuji tossed his shirt off, grinning as Thor caught his shirt.
"Looks like I'll be cutting someone else up first!" grinned Sigmaringen as he hefted his scythe over his shoulder, "You'll make a nice appetizer!"
Takeda and Freya warily watched the two opponents before them. Standing in front of them were Lugh and Hayase in full gear. Hayase himself was carrying several varying weapons behind him, from swords, spears, and even a hammer.
"I suppose I should introduce myself," said Lugh as he lightly stretched his arms, "I am Lugh, former member of Mabinogion, one of Kensei-sama's disciples, the blind submission man. Takeda Ikki, you will be my opponent….. No, you will be the stone which I will step on to grow."
Takeda merely gave a sparkling smile as tossed his jacket off, getting into a boxer stance, "Well then, I'll just show you I'm not someone you can just step on."
Freya looked at Hayase, frowning for a second, "So then you're my opponent? Don't think that just because you caught us at the amusement park means that I'm helpless."
Hayase didn't reply, but instead took out a staff from his stash of weapons and tossed it towards Freya.
"Take it," said Hayase, "I've heard you primarily use a staff. It wouldn't be a hunt if I couldn't fight you properly."
"Hmph, such a gentleman," smirked Freya before kicking the staff back at Hayase, who caught it, "But I've learned my lesson from my trip before. I'm never unarmed!"
Freya reached behind her, pulling out three hidden short poles. Without hesitation and practiced movements, the three poles snapped together, forming a staff.
"I see. Quite impressive," nodded Hayase as he pulled out a wooden war hammer, "But can its durability stand up to the test with such a design?"
"You might be surprised," replied Freya. Her staff had been redesigned when she pleaded with Shigure to help create a staff that she could carry and hide more easily than her current staff. And so, along with her grandfather, who was a little peeved he had to work with Shigure, but put aside his pride for his granddaughter, helped create the three poles. The wood and finish were done by her grandfather, with the wood being made of Australian Buloke, treated with a special treatment only her grandfather knew. The core and joints were made with the secrets of steel to help it endure. Though slightly heavier than what she was used to, she smiled as she brandished her new staff against Hayase.
"Falalala!" sang Siegfried as he dodged a slash from Shera.
"Why do you keep singing?" hissed an annoyed Shera as she used her naginata to block a counter from Siegfried, "I should've gotten Albrecht to come, he could probably make sense of whatever this guy is."
Behind them, Renka and Rachel were engaged in a rather riske fight, with their clothes being torn to shreds thanks to Rachel mostly.
Ukita and Kisara grunted in pain as they dealt with a serious mode Chikage.
"Damn, it's so different from what we usually see," grunted Ukita as he got up. To be honest with himself, he wasn't going full strength at Chikage because despite everything, he couldn't see her as a killer. Every time she was in 'child' mode, she would seek him out, though probably most likely he spoiled her with sweets.
Not only that, but he could feel despite all her weird throws, she was going easier on him than Kisara.
'Nothing to do but learn from this,' gritted Ukita as he felt himself being thrown once more. Though he was being viciously thrown, he was gaining insight from being a dummy.
In the distance on top of a building, sat three people watching the whole thing.
"So you're not participating?" asked Sho as he sipped on a soda.
"Kensei never said participation was mandatory," replied Ryuto, pushing up his glasses, "I thought God Hand didn't want you to come."
"He said not to participate, he didn't say I couldn't watch," smirked Sho before turning towards the third one in their party, "How come you're avoiding that direction."
Natsu merely grunted and ignored Sho, knowing he was pointing to the fight with Renka and Rachel.
"Anyways, I should get going," said Ryuto as he wheeled himself away, "I need to make sure Atlantae doesn't do anything too drastic…. or stupid."
"Your left arm… what happened to it Mr. Boxer?" asked Lugh politely, causing Takeda to freeze for a second, "I see…. an old injury. There was a time when you couldn't move it, correct?"
Takeda's eyes twitched before replying, "You sure talk a lot don't you!"
Just as he finished his statement, Takeda fired a barrage of punches, to which Lugh slide around the punches. Takeda didn't give up as he fired another jab, aiming it right at Lugh's center, blowing his guard off. Without hesitation, Takeda threw a left straight, only for Lugh to tilt his head to dodge. Instantly, Lugh tried to grab Takeda's left wrist, only for Takeda to quickly pull back, grabbing his left wrist in slight nervousness.
"If you keep covering your left wrist, you can't even release half your original power," warned Lugh.
"He's trying to play with your mind!" shouted Freya as she parried a spear stab from Hayase, "Don't let him get to your head!"
"I don't think you have time to look away," commented Hayase as he switched to a katana seamlessly, slashing at Freya, who failed to completely dodge the attack and took a small cut to her arms.
Takeda glared at Lugh, who merely looked amused. Takeda responded with a series of jabs once more, to which Lugh dodged.
"To be honest, this is a bad matchup for you," stated Lugh as he tried to grab Takeda's hands once more, who quickly pulled back, "This speed and power, it would be on par with Yomi. If your opponent was Atlantae, no, even Odin or Berserker, it would've been a good fight."
Lugh tackled forward, so Takeda tried to weave his way to the side, only to trip when Lugh kicked him at the bottom of the shin at his instep. Taking a tumble, Takeda stood up only to feel his right arm being grabbed by Lugh.
Takeda quickly threw an uppercut, shaking Lugh off with brute strength as Lugh let go.
"But in the end, you are a boxer, and I am a submission man. This is the worst possible matchup for you, as you attack with nothing but your arms, making you the perfect target for me to destroy."
Takeda took a deep breath, letting the oxygen in to calm himself down.
"You've got quite a bit of attachments, don't you? An arm that's healed, a fun and happy lifestyle, a girl that's attached to you, and your life. That's a bit greedy, isn't it?" asid Lugh, his eyes opening to reveal a blank white pupil and a darkened sclera, giving him a freakish look.
Takeda immediately fired a barrage of punches, only to get one of his punches trapped between Lugh's legs. Quickly, Takeda managed to wrench his hands out of the grip, but felt a spike of pain go through his arms. Looking down, he noticed his pinky had been wrenched out of its socket. Taked snapped the pinky back in place, clenching his fist.
"What's wrong, Takeda the Puncher? Do you want to run away?" asked Lugh.
"So you can sense Ki despite…. no, it's because you're blind," said Takeda.
"Indeed. Out of all of Kensei's disciples, I am able to sense Ki the best. I have yet to fully unleash it, but my Ki is Sei, the same as the disciple of Ryozanpaku, Shirahaha Kenichi," replied Lugh, "Perhaps he will be my next target."
Here, Takeda actually spat out and laughed, "Please, don't put yourself at his level. You're nothing like him. If you chose him, you'd just get annihilated. But then, that's only if you can get past me!"
Lugh frowned before replying, "That's the idea. To advance as a martial artist, it means to devour the possibilities of other fighters. If you continue on your path, then you will most certainly become a master in the future. And by devouring that future, I'll grow stronger!"
Lugh began to attack with not grabs, but actual strikes aimed at Takeda's joints.
Ogata-ryuu Submission Penetrating Hit
Takeda winced as he felt his joint almost being forced out by the hit as he quickly jumped back, quickly soothing the pain with his hands.
"This is the difference in our resolve. I'm willing to devour other people's futures while you aren't prepared to give up your own life! This is what you-" shouted Lugh, only to suddenly stop as he felt something change.
"Oh, I'm prepared," said Takeda as his eyes began to glow with Ki, "That mentality of Satsujinken. To kill for the sake of progressing oneself. I've got friends and a master to thank for. I'll continue living my life, not only for my own sake, for theirs too! I won't let you devour my future, but I'll beat you up as a Katsujinken!"
"So you continue to be greedy?" spat out Lugh.
"Call it selfishness if you want, but you, who is willing to cut off other people's futures for your own future, is more selfish than mine!" roared Takeda as he released his Ki.
"You can release your Ki with your own strength?" gasped Lugh, taking a step back.
"Come on! You wanted to devour my future! Let's see if you can!" shouted Takeda as he rushed forward.
From then, Lugh found himself on the defensive side. Takeda's punches not only had more strength in them, but also began to trick him too with his Warp Punch, releasing Ki at the tip of his fists to confuse Lugh at where the real fist was. Lugh ended up eating several punches to the face and stomach. Lugh tried to break Takeda's right leg by jumping onto it with his full weight, his legs hitting the knee joint that would snap his leg in half with Ogata Zajuuori, only to find out he had been tricked once more as Takeda rained punches on him.
Flipping back, Lugh tried to grab Takeda's arm once more. However, Takeda changed his aim this time. Instead of aiming for the face or body, Takeda let his punch explode right into the palm of Lugh's hands. At first, Lugh thought Takeda had made a mistake and gleefully allowed it to hit his palm, where he would have a chance to grab the arm.
Unfortunately, Lugh miscalculated how powerful and swift the punch was when it impacted his palm. The shock sent a jolt of pain through his arm, causing him to flinch as his arms bent in slightly while his fingers came down. Takeda followed up with another punch to the same hand, smashing into the fingers of Lugh.
Lugh yelped in pain as he felt his finger joints crack before getting another left straight to the face. Quickly rolling with the punch, Lugh managed to get some space.
"You're probably wondering why I'm suddenly employing tactics against holds," grinned Takeda and he bounced on the balls of his feet, "Tell me, did you forget who one of my best friends is?"
Lugh paused for a second, quickly going through the packet they had been given about the Shinpaku Alliance.
"Since you don't seem to be clear, I'll refresh your mind for you! I spar with Ukita, and he's a Judo user, meaning that I'm familiar with some grapples!" grinned Takeda.
"I see. But you should've taken me down when you had the chance! I've already come up with a countermeasure," said Lugh, "I'll defeat you in the next attack, even if I have to risk my life!"
With a roar, the two fighters ran towards each other.
Takeda sent a barrage of Warp Punches to confuse Lugh, causing him to raise his arms to defend his face. Seeing an opening, Takeda threw a punch right into Lugh's ribs with his left fist.
Lugh coughed in pain but took it as an opportunity to grab onto his left arm.
'I got you! You probably think I'm going to use this chance to completely disable your left arm, but in reality, I'm taking your life!' thought Lugh as he placed his left arm behind Takeda's neck, hoping to utilize Takeda's natural reaction to jump back to kill him.
Takeda, however, was currently in a state similar to Ryusui Seikuken, and could read what Lugh was planning.
'Is this the deeper level of what Kenichi sees when he uses this?' questioned Takeda, noticing how his field of vision seemed to have broadened and how he could combine with his opponent's flow.
So with that, Takeda dove in, surprising Lugh. Lugh, who was currently holding Takeda's left arm, could feel that Takeda was going for a grapple.
'A grapple? In boxing!?' thought Lugh in surprise before realizing there was one such move.
Takeda clinched onto Lugh hard, with Lugh feeling his breath being driven out. Before Lugh could try to do anything else, Takeda had already let go and positioned both arms on Lugh's sides
Pressing Liver Blow
Takeda's twin punch to Lugh's side caused Lugh to spit out blood before falling backward onto the ground. Before his head could hit the pavement, Takeda's left hand was already there to prevent that.
"Tch," grunted Takeda, feeling a shot of pain from his pinky, "Looks like it's my victory!"
With that, Takeda quickly turned his gaze towards Freya to see if she was alright.
"Tch, so he lost," grunted Hayase as he switched to a sawblade, "Those unarmed sect are always talk."
"He clearly underestimated my friend," shot back Freya, parrying the blade with her staff.
"That staff…. it's much sturdier than it looks," commented Hayase as he gave it an approving look.
"It's a new model," replied Freya before running up to attack again, sending a barrage of stabs.
"Still, it is only one weapon. I, who has practiced many different weapons, have more variety of attack than you," proclaimed Hayase as he switched to a naginata.
"You're wrong there!" replied Freya as she grabbed the base of her staff, wielding it as a sword as she swung it against the naginata, "Depending on how I use it and hold it, this pole can become anything! A spear, a naginata, a sword, the possibilities are limitless! That is what the Kugatachi-ryuu can do!"
Hayase found himself defending a barrage of varying attacks. He had no time but to use his naginata to block or parry the attacks until he had some breathing space.
Berserker took a deep breath as he backed off to make space. Looking at Kenichi, Berserker saw he was perfectly fine, with exception of one small scuff mark on his face. Looking at himself, he could see and feel all the hits that Kenichi had landed on him.
'Then again, I was looking for this when I challenged him, wasn't I?' thought Berserker as he raised up his arms, 'None of the fighters I fought while I was in Yomi around my age or older were a challenge! And yet this guy, who's about my age, far surpasses them all. He's like a mountain that's almost impossible to climb. But I'll still climb it anyway!'
Suddenly, the pool beside them exploded, causing the two of them to look towards it to see Rimi gasping for air as she climbed out of the pool. Miu landed beside Kenichi, looking unharmed while Rimi's clothes looked like they had gone through the shredder, the cloth barely covering her chest while her striped underwear could easily be seen.
"How!?" gasped Rimi, "Rimi went through special training to get her Ki unlocked and how to use it properly, but yet the distance between us is still so far. Rimi won't let you take away Ryuto-sama!"
"I told you, I have no interest in him, I'm Kenichi's girlfriend!" shouted Miu, her eyes twitching.
"Looks like your Ki control has improved a lot," commented Kenichi, keeping his eye on Berserker.
"Thanks to that impromptu training with Chikage's master, it's gotten easier," whispered Miu, slightly thankful for Kushinada's training.
Rimi was breathing heavily, glaring at Miu as she struggled to get up.
"So in the end, you two still went after these targets even though you were warned against it," voiced Ogata as he suddenly appeared before them.
"So you went easy on her so there wouldn't be a fatal wound, huh?" said Kensei, glancing over to Rimi, "Typical Katsujinken. Berserker, you don't seem to be doing as well either. Though that's to be expected, I suppose. Lugh seems to have been defeated."
Kensei looked over to Kenichi and Miu, eyeing them in interest, especially on Kenichi though.
"Something seems different about you, boy," commented Ogata, "Something must have happened at Tidat. I heard you went through some unpleasant stuff there. I do apologize for the misconduct that happened, but considering the offending party is dead, there's not much that can be done."
"It's alright. Sho's master along with my master came to save me. Not to mention Sho helped me shake loose Jenazad's hold on me," replied Kenichi.
Ogata frowned, feeling a bit of deja vu from Kenichi. He was sure he had never met the boy properly before, but something about him rang familiarity. Deciding it wasn't important, he pushed it away, as Rimi had managed to crawl towards him.
"I'm not done yet!" shouted Rimi as she managed to push herself up, "Satsujinken aren't defeated until they're dead. And Rimi isn't dead yet! Kensei-sama, please! Teach me that technique! If I can do it, then Rimi will be able to fight! The one that Ryuto-sama used!"
"Atlantae, no!" shouted Ryuto as he wheeled himself forward.
"I see. So in the end, you want to rely on that technique, the activation of Sei and Dou simultaneously, which could be considered the greatest taboo…. that is SeiDou Goitsu."
"You can't!" shouted Kenichi, only to be distracted when Berserker began to attack him again.
Miu tried to intervene, but a glare from Ogata stopped her cold.
"If a disciple of mine appears before me and seeks to reach the pinnacle of martial arts with this technique, then I will, without fail, pass on my technique. For that is the 'equality' which martial arts is based on!" said Ogata.
"Kensei-sama! Rimi wants that power! Please finish teaching me SeiDou Goitsu that we started at the mountains!" begged Rimi
"Okay," nodded Ogata, "But keep in mind your opponent can almost be classified as a master class. It will shorten the gap, but she is still a superior opponent."
"It doesn't matter!" shouted Rimi, "You once said that the winner isn't always the strongest, but the one with the most tenacity! Rimi will win, even if Rimi has to bet her life on it!"
"Atlantae!" shouted Ryuto once more, only to be ignored while Kensei began to explain the intricacies of Ki to Rimi.
"Kokorone Rimi!" shouted Ryuto once more, hoping to use her name to snap her attention away from Ogata.
"Watch me, Ryuto-sama. Rimi will definitely win," said Rimi as she stood up once more.
Taking a deep breath, she began to activate both Ki types within her body before finally activating SeiDou Goitsu.
With a roar, Rimi charged at Miu, firing a Ki-infused punch. Before the punch could make an impact, Rimi found herself being flung up into the air. Looking down at Miu, Rimi saw Miu's eyes were not only glowing with Ki, but she was giving off an aura not unlike Ogata.
"Impressive. Your Ki control of Ki no Shouka for someone your age is beyond what I expected," hummed Ogata, "But that technique. It's the Kushinada Jiujitsu style, isn't it? How did you learn that? She's quite secretive about it and ignores me every time I try to ask about her technique in more detail. I get the general gist of it, but not the finer points."
Miu didn't answer as Rimi had already rushed forward once more, this time throwing a barrage of punches. Miu couldn't parry all of it with her Ki alone, so she quickly jumped away to dodge. Pushing her senses to her limit, Miu was able to 'see' Rimi dashing around, sending a barrage of kicks to her back. Miu quickly parried them all, feeling her arms sting a little before landing a kick to her stomach, sending Rimi away.
"No! Rimi can go on further!" shouted Rimi as the sclera of her eyes turned red, "This is the power of Rimi's love!"
'She's starting to lose control,' though Miu to herself, gritting her teeth, 'This technique really is too dangerous! Although it can give explosive power, it's a ticking time bomb! The only way to save her is to defeat her before she can damage herself further!'
"Kensei-sama! Stop Atlantae. Stop Kokorone Rimi!" shouted Ryuto at Ogata, who seemed to be ignoring him as he sat down on a bench, "If this goes on, then she'll end up crippling herself, if not killing her! You're the only one who can stop her!"
"I could," acknowledged Ogata, "But I don't feel like doing so. Ryuto, you of all people should understand my dream. Isn't that why you became my disciple?"
"It's true that it's only fair to give martial arts to those who pursue it, but Rimi clearly hasn't thought this through!" shouted Ryuto.
"Do you really think that?" asked Ogata, causing Ryuto to look at him in shock, "Look at her clearly once more."
When he looked at Rimi, he could see not only the damage that was building up in her body as she continued to attack Miu viciously, but her desire to become a strong woman, stronger than any other woman, so Ryuto would look at her only.
"Rimi!" shouted Ryuto once more, knowing it was pointless to ask Ogata.
"It's no use. In her state, she can't hear any words you utter. I'd give up if I were you. Right now, the girl's heart is somewhere where I can't even reach. Right now, she's nothing more than a moving mass of martial arts," warned Ogata as Ryuto wheeled towards her.
'Shit! What can I do!?' thought Ryuto as a guilty conscious plagued his whole being. He never wanted Rimi to do this. But there was nothing he could do! Ogata refused to help, and he could only just control and balance his own Ki, but only with the help of Kenichi.
Kenichi
Ryuto realized there was one more person he could ask. The same person that helped mitigate his own abuse of SeiDou Goitsu.
"Kenichi! Help Rimi as you helped me! Please!" shouted Ryuto in desperation.
"Rimi will win!" shouted Rimi as she drove a punch right towards Miu's center, ignoring her defense and pain.
Smack
Rimi found her punch landing right into Kenichi's palm, who was suddenly standing in front of Miu. Before Rimi could react, Kenichi's eyes snapped open, glowing with Zen Ki.
Sensing his Ki, Ogata couldn't help but stand up in shock at what he sensed. Berserker, who had been thrown across the pavement, also froze up when he stood up to chase after Kenichi.
Even Rimi, who had been in a trance, couldn't help but snap back to reality when she sensed Kenichi's Ki. To her, it felt like a master class fighter was standing in front of her.
"Sorry for interfering, but I can't let this go on. Not when Ryuto asked me for help," apologized Kenichi, looking over at Miu.
Miu shook her head, knowing despite having been in the world of martial arts longer than Kenichi while having a vast amount of Dou Ki, Kenichi was the one with the superior Ki control.
'He stopped her!' thought Ryuto, 'But what is he going to do next? It's been said he doesn't hit girls, and knowing him, it's very true.'
Kenichi's answer to that was to suddenly pull out his meteor hammer, the rope quickly wrapping around Rimi's wrist.
"Here I go!" declared Kenichi as he took a deep breath, swiftly stepping in Rimi's territory.
Rimi tried to backhand Kenichi, only for her other arm to get tangled into the rope.
"Raaawrr!"
"Hey, stop that!"
"Kyaaa! Not there!"
"Nonono, only Ryuto-sama is allowed to go near there!"
"Ryuto-sama, please don't look!"
Kenichi soon finished his work and tossed Rimi toward Ryuto, who quickly caught her. Rimi was currently in an extremely awkward position, with her right hand tied to her left leg behind her back, her left hand tied to her right elbow, and her right leg raised to her head before being tied to her head.
"Kyaaa, don't look at me," cried Rimi, "Rimi is so ashamed."
"There's nothing to be ashamed about, he's just that ridiculous," waved off Ryuto, "More importantly, are you alright? What were you thinking, using that move so recklessly!?"
"Rimi just wanted you to look at her more," pouted Rimi, looking away in shame, "Rimi knows you only look at strong girls."
"Foolish girl," sighed Ryuto, flicking her forehead, "I know you're strong already. I've always seen you."
"Really!?" smiled Rimi.
"Yes, really. Now how are you feeling? Are you alright?"
"Rimi is fine and happy!" sang Rimi, "But everything seems so hazy. Why is it getting dark? Rimi needs…. To…. work…. Harder."
With that statement, Rimi fell unconscious, causing Ryuto's heart to beat nervously. Ogata suddenly appeared next to them, pointing his fingers on her neck to feel her bloodflow and Ki.
"Amazing," whispered Ogata before beginning to laugh, "Just outrageous! To think you could control her Ki network and safely defuse its dangers at the risk of your own life! Just like a Katsujinken practitioner! And that Ki! That isn't Sei or Dou, but something new! To think you would make your own combination, and not only that, but be able to safely use it! You're really interesting, Shirahama Kenichi!"
Though it had been fast, Ogata had seen what Kenichi had done. Besides tying up the girl in an awkward manner that made it difficult for her to move, Kenichi had jabbed a thumb at the Rimi's neck, a two finger poke right above her heart, and a gentle palm strike on her lower back. Each hit dispersed the clashing Ki within Rimi's body.
Ogata stood up, looking over at Kenichi with an appraising look, "You are so very close to that realm now. Just a few more steps, and you'll be in our realm. You and the girl. But I'm very interested in this new peculiar Ki type you're exhibiting. Perhaps a spar is in order?"
Kenichi gulped nervously as he took a backstep as Ogata's eyes began to glow with Ki, his focus locked onto him.
Uh oh! Ogata has his eyes on Kenichi now! What will happen next!? Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter!
Reminder, I have a pat reon, look up azndrgn making fanfic. Donators get to read my chapters earlier!