This story has been beta by Steven Bodner and TheReader2011. Enjoy!
Kenichi warily took a step back as Ogata's focus was on him. Miu quickly stood next to him, hissing in anger as she glared at Ogata. The tension was palpable as Ogata's eyes glowed with Ki while his disciple could only stand there, unable to move.
Then Ogata let out a small laugh before lowering his Ki, allowing the oppressive mood to alleviate, "Then again, you aren't quite there yet. I was merely eager to see that new Ki of yours in action. It's extremely rare for someone to develop their own version, especially at your age. When you finally ascend to the realms of Master Class, that will be the time we fight. The time is nearly upon us, but until then, I will not actively pursue a fight with you."
Kenichi couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief at that, his heart almost jumping out of his chest while his uvula was screaming in fear.
"Well then, Berserker, do you wish to continue to fight?" asked Ogata, waving his hand at Berserker.
Berserker stood there for a good minute before slowly shaking his head. He knew Kenichi had been holding back against him during the fight, but seeing that Zen Ki at full blast made him realize just how far apart they were. But he wouldn't let that deter him!
"Very well, I suppose I should supervise the other fights," hummed Ogata, pondering mentally about how to improve Seidou Goitsu. Perhaps extreme isolation for a little, as Sho had been subjected to?
As Kenichi was about to relax, his instincts suddenly blared at him. Quickly raising his gauntlet-covered arms, Kenichi blocked a blade clearly aiming for his neck. The impact shot him across the ground, smashing into a booth.
"Tch, that gauntlet isn't normal," scoffed Mihai as he hefted his scythe onto his shoulder, "That should've cleaved him in half."
"Bastard!" screamed Miu as she began to lay a barrage of kicks at Mihai, only Mihai to block them all with his scythe before countering with slashes. Miu quickly managed to dodge them, only by the skin of her teeth as her clothes were shredded into pieces.
"Nice," leered Mihai as he twirled his scythe, showcasing that he had merely been playing around and could've killed Miu anytime he wanted... which was partly true. Mihai had been trying to inflict just skin-deep wounds to bloody and scar Miu's figure, only for Miu to dodge them all.
Suddenly, Mihai quickly slammed his scythe down in time for the pole to block Kenichi's punch.
"Leave Miu alone!" roared Kenichi as he forced more strength into his punch, causing Mihai to stumble back ever so slightly.
"Well, well. I didn't expect you to stand up so fast," grinned Mihai, "But are you sure you want to fight? Considering just who I have with me?"
With a snap, Sigmaringen stepped forward, his scythe dangerously close to someone who was clearly being held hostage. As Miu and Kenichi quickly looked over, their hearts sank when they saw just who it was.
It was Izumi!
"Why is she here!?" demanded Kenichi in anger, "She has nothing to do with this world."
"Ah, but she does," grinned Mihai, "She's in your little gardening club, isn't she? That makes this perfectly okay!"
With his twisted logic, Mihai grinned as Sigmaringen slowly slid the blunt side of the blade across her neck, causing Izumi to whimper in fear.
"Now then, if you don't want her to get a new hole, then you're going to stay still and don't move while my disciple has some fun with you," grinned Mihai as he strutted over to where Izumi was while Sigmaringen let out a grin as he walked forward, "You too, girly! You got some goods, and being the oh so generous master, I'll let my disciple have some fun first."
Sigmaringen flourished his scythe, itching to have Kenichi's blood splatter around the ground and tasting Izumi's flesh.
"I can't decide which one I want to do," smirked Sigmaringen, "You for that humiliation on the boat or the bitch for just now. Doesn't make up for the fact that damn fatty and mophead tried to take me on."
"What happened to them?" questioned Kenichi cooly, holding back the fear that something had happened to Thor and Tsuji.
"Some damn ninjas interfered," said Mihai with a growl, "The bastards showed up when I came out and took them away before I could have fun. I didn't bother chasing though."
Kenichi glanced down before noticing that Sigmaringen was no longer wearing his protective vest, but rather instead wearing a simple shirt. He could only assume that during the escape, the Zanshin Taisha-ryu had taken it with them.
"I've decided. I'll just kill you and chop off one of her limbs before having fun with her!" giggled Sigmaringen as he raised his scythe high.
It was at this moment, several things happened.
Mihai, who had been busy psychologically scarring Izumi, had to quickly raise his scythe to block a kick so heavy that it sent his arms flying up, leaving his chest open.
FOUR! THREE! TWO! ONE! Kazoe Nukite
The armored clothes Mihai had been wearing, along with shock-absorbent pads, were all torn apart against this technique.
At the same time, Sigmaringen felt someone grab his shoulder. Instinctively, he looked over to see a punch slam into his face, sending him tumbling on the ground.
"What!?" shouted both Sigmaringen and Mihai, outraged to see who had just intervened.
"You think I'd let you do that?" growled Sho as he held up his fist that he had punched Sigmaringen with, "You actually involved someone who has no clue about the underground world martial arts! You kidnapped Izumi and dare hold your damn scythe against her! On my honor as a disciple of God Hand, Akira Hongo, I'll kill you!"
"What is the meaning of this… Sage Fist Ogata Isshinsai!" growled Mihai as he disposed of his now useless protective vest, "Are you defying Yami?"
Ogata scoffed, "The plan was to use these disciples as cannon fodder for our own disciples to grow. Not coddle them and complain when their disciple is defeated. Moreover, this was my plan in the first place, meaning you're the one currently defying Yami for defying my plan that was approved by all of Yami. The fact you had to intervene this much for your disciple shows just how pathetic both you and your disciple are. For the sake of martial arts, I will don the title of many demonic things. However, I refuse to kill for the sake of pleasure, especially against a young girl who clearly has no idea about our world, nor has she even stepped foot into it until you dragged her in against her will! Her death will have no impact on martial arts!"
Kenichi and Miu could only stare at their now impromptu allies that they never expected to have. Sho was one thing, considering he was on good talking terms with Izumi, though they didn't expect him here. Ogata suddenly striking against Mihai was another thing they didn't expect.
"Damn asshole, I'll just spill her blood and be-" grunted Mihai before noticing Izumi had suddenly disappeared from her spot.
Mihai glanced around before seeing one of the Zanshin Taisha-ryu already carrying Izumi, who had finally fainted from all the stress, away from them all.
"Fine, if I can't spill her blood, I'll spill yours!" roared Mihai as began slashing towards Ogata, both of their eyes glowing with Ki.
Few minutes ago
"Hahaha, looks like Sigmaringen is losing his cool!" laughed Sho as he was watching the fight between Tsuji and Sigmaringen.
The two of them had landed some good hits against each other, but were even for now. Sigmaringen was currently dealing with a small handicap from a shoulder that had been dislocated earlier, which made it just even for Tsuji to fight against him.
There were many cuts on Tsuji's body, but he didn't care. Scars were manly!
Natsu was focusing his attention on other fights, though he couldn't help but glance at Renka and Rachel's fight, only to force himself to look away when he saw their clothes had basically been stripped of everything and were practically fighting in the nude.
It was he who noticed Mihai waltzing over to Tsuji and Sigmaringen first, carrying a clearly tied-up struggling girl. Upon closer inspection, he frowned as the girl seemed really familiar, as if he had seen him at school, and definitely not one of his fangirls.
"Hey Sho," said Natsu, elbowing Sho to get his attention, "Does that girl seem familiar to you?"
Sho blinked as he turned his focus in time to see Mihai waltzing up to Thor, and without warning, slashed at him.
Thor had been caught by complete surprise, and would've been slashed in half if the Grandmaster of the Zanshin Taisha-ryu hadn't intervened. The Grandmaster had grabbed Thor away, throwing a smoke bomb to distract Mihai.
"Hey, let me go!" shouted Tsuji as another two whisked him away.
"Tch. Damn ninjas ruining the fun," scoffed Mihai as Sigmaringen took this opportunity to don his protective vests, "But then again, these little rats aren't the main entertainment, are they? It's that so-called 'Strongest Disciple'. As long as he's dead, nobody can deny that my way is the best! And it all starts with you. Who told you to be in the same club as that Shirahama brat? It's just karma."
Sho's eyes widened when he saw Izumi crying, and was ready to charge at Mihai when Natsu managed to stop him, quickly covering his mouth.
"Let me go! I'll fucking rip his throat and shove his damn scythe up his ass to the base!" mumbled Sho as he tried to break out of Natsu's grip.
"Shut up," hissed Natsu, "I don't like this situation either, but from what we saw, the Shinpaku Alliance and Ryozanpaku are more prepared than we thought. Those ninjas must be a backup plan. You can strike when you get the chance, but not before! Don't go all half-cocked. You know that scythe master will kill you with no regard to the consequences, even if we're on the 'same' side."
Sho growled as he slowly untensed his muscles, "Fine. But the moment I get the chance, I'm rescuing Izumi or punching the shit out of one of them."
The two of them followed Mihai and Sigmarigen, waiting for the chance. That chance came when Ogata attacked Mihai. Sho immediately rushed towards Izumi, only to see one of the Zanshin Taisha-ryu already beating him to it. Deciding to change targets knowing Izumi would be safe, he charged at Sigmaringen, landing behind him before grabbing his shoulders. Then, with a clenched fist, Sho punched Sigmaringen in the face, sending him tumbling away.
Back to present
Sigmarigen twirled his scythe before charging at Sho, cackling, "Least I have a reason to justify killing you! Even if you win, you'll be in deep shit!"
"Like I care what a mad dog barks," retorted Sho, "I'd probably be doing the Yomi Armed Division a favor, putting down a rabid dog whose bark is worse than his bite."
Sigmarigen roared as he began to slash at Sho, who calmly dodged and parried the scythe. Sho pushed forward, managing to take the step forward before landing a gut punch into Sigmaringen. However, Sigmaringen seemed to easily shrug it off easily, pulling his scythe back to decapitate Sho.
Sho quickly ducked under the scythe and backed off, though irritated when he saw some of his hair had been cut off. Not to mention he doubted Sigmaringen had the inner strength to shrug off his punch like nothing. Taking a quick glance at Mihai, he noticed that there were protective gear shattered all around the fight against Mihai and Ogata, and instantly deduced that Sigmaringen was wearing protective gear to protect his body.
'I could try to break through it, but that would just be a waste of energy,' though Sho as he dodged another slash, kicking the end of the pole when Sigmaringen tried to perform a reverse hit with the butt end of his scythe, 'I'll just go for the unprotected parts. Plus, it'll give me a good excuse to punch his face in.'
With that, Sho grinned as he dove in.
"Courting death!" huffed Sigmaringen as he slashed downwards towards Sho's head.
Sho merely raised his right arm, twisting it slightly before punching forward.
Shiraha Nagashi
The blade end slid down Sho's arm harmlessly as Sho's corkscrew flew forward before slamming into Sigmaringen's face. Sigmaringen stumbled back, quickly slashing with the end pole of his scythe to create some distance, only for Sho to grab the pole, pulling him forward. Sigmaringen ended up eating an elbow to the nose, followed by a clinch and a rising knee to the face again.
For the next few attacks, Sho focused on landing all his hits to Sigmaringen's face, from a palm attack to a kick to even landing a flying suplex that face-planted Sigmaringen onto the ground.
"Ow, what the hell is with your obsession with hitting my face!" roared Sigmaringen.
However, his face had been so bruised that it ended up being mumbled and sounding, "Ow, wha de hel iz wi your obzeszion wit hiing my ace!'
Sho wasn't unscathed, though. Due to his insistence on hitting the face, he had several light gashes around his body, but other than that, he was mainly fine.
"Looks like I made quite some improvements on your face," taunted Sho.
Sigmaringen could let out a muffled howl of rage as he tried to attack Sho once more, though with his puffed-up face, it was rather hard to see.
"Die! Die! Die! Die!" roared Mihai as he swung his scythe.
"Just because you yell 'die' won't kill someone," drawled Ogata as he dodged each slash before countering with a bear claw strike.
"Shut up and die!" shouted Mihai as he jumped back and tried to slash the offending hand off, only for Ogata to block it with his other hand stopping it at the pole.
"How you became one of the 8 Shining Executioner Blades is a miracle in itself," commented Ogata dryly as he raised his leg up before smashing it down for a hell heel ax kick.
Mihai cursed as he quickly tried to raise his scythe to block it, only to find it firmly grasped in Ogata's hand. Having no voice, Mihai let go of the scythe, raising both arms to block the kick.
Ogata frowned when he felt his kick land, not feeling human contact but rather liquid armor that was around Mihia's arms.
Mihai grinned as he jerked his wrist up. A near-thin and almost invisible wire had been connected from his wrist to the scythe, and so upon Mihai's motion, began to pull the scythe towards him.
Ogata let go with an amused smirk, allowing Mihai to grab his scythe back.
"What are you smirking about?" demanded Mihai.
"Just your ability to both fight and to raise a disciple," replied Ogata drowly, jerking his head over to Sigmaringen.
Mihai glanced over in time to see Sho landing another punch to Sigmaringen's very bruised face.
'Fuck! First that Ryozanpaku karate master, and now God Hand's disciple? What is their deal with hitting the face!?' thought Mihai in anger, 'Is it possible that he's also a disciple of Ryozanpaku's karate master? They have the same karate stance, after all.'
Suddenly, Kushinada's voice rang out, halting both the inhouse fighting.
"What's going on?" demanded Kushinada as she suddenly appeared between the two of them in slight anger, "Why are you two fighting?"
It was hard to ignore such potent killing Ki clashing against each other.
"Mihai decided to deviate from the original plan by bringing an outsider, one that had no relationship or inkling about our world. He forcefully dragged a civilian into a plan where we were supposed to have our disciples grow stronger," replied Ogata.
"Tch, it's boring to just have disciples fight," scoffed Mihai, "I brought a little hostage to spice things up. Not only that, but we could've used it to kill the brat from Ryozanpaku! And probably take the bitch too for breaking my disciple's arm. I heard the Kuremisago is interested in getting her back. I could deliver it to them... after letting my disciple sample her. Who knows, I might join him! Hahah-gurk!?"
Mihai found himself jumping up into the air despite not even thinking about doing so before being thrown into the ground. His scythe was suddenly wrenched out of his grip before the blade was slammed into the ground. Not even for a second, the scythe began to move as if possessed, dragging its blade across the cement, leaving a trail of rubble as it closed into Mihai's neck.
Mihai's eyes opened in shock and fear before the blade edge stopped just before it tore into his flesh, but Mihai could feel the cold steel of the scythe touching his skin.
Ogata couldn't help but raise his eyes at this sudden act of… rage from Kushinada. Clearly, Mihai had crossed a line in his statement that caused Kushinada to react like this. Though what it was specifically was up in the air. Was it her agreement about Mihai ruining the plan? His audacity to bring a hostage into this? His clear lack of pride when it came to raising a disciple? Or his last statement about Miu? All plausible answers, but he chose not to voice them in case Kushinada decided to turn her ire to him.
"I've grown weary of this," voiced Kushinada at last after holding Mihai down for a good minute, letting him nervously sweat, "We retreat. Evidently, the Shinpaku Alliance and Ryozanpaku were aware of our plan in the first place, considering they have reinforcements that were ready to rescue the disciples upon danger. It seems they turned our plan to have them become nourishment for our disciples into one that benefits theirs. It is no longer viable to continue."
Not only that, but she could see Chikage beginning to crack under everything.
"Alright, we'll head back," nodded Ogata, giving Mihai a small glare before turning to Ryuto, who was still holding Rimi, "What will you do?"
Ryuto sat there for a second before standing up, still carrying Rimi bridal style to show that he had long recovered from his self-injury and had already regained full control of his Ki network.
"You've made your decision then?" hummed Ogata, quite impressed that Ryuto could stand and reverse the effects of the Ki disruption from the first time he used Seidou Goitsu by himself. Even with Kenichi helping mitigate the effects the first time, it was impressive to recover without any real instructions or help from others.
"No longer will I follow your path, but my own. I thank you for your guidance, but no more. I will walk on my own from here on out," declared Ryuto.
Ogata merely grinned as he let his cloak flare out before turning to leave. If his own disciples wanted to fly with their own wings, who was he to stop them? Perhaps they could ascend past their limits, or they could fall and become cannon fodder for others. Either way, the path of a martial artist was never just a single road.
"Are you just going to let them leave like this?" asked Kushinada, her hands twitching ever so slightly.
"They don't have any information that would be damaging to Yami," replied Ogata, "If they want to go, then let them go. There's no point in holding them back. Rather, we should focus on the damages Mihai did with the kidnapping. If word gets out, it could draw global public attention to Yami, something Yami isn't quite ready yet despite all the preparations that have been made."
Kushinada hmmed in agreement before she disappeared, going to fetch Chikage while ordering all disciples to retreat.
"I'll be looking forward to a rematch," said Berserker, pointing to Kenichi before following Ogata, "I may have been severely outmatched this time, but next time, it'll be different."
Kenichi nodded as he stood guard.
"Bitch. Give me a good reason why I shouldn't just ignore your orders and kill," grumbled Mihai as he managed to roll away and push up, grabbing his scythe. He contemplated on attacking Kenichi, but opted to walk away for now.
Sigmaringen quickly followed suit, his eyes burning with anger at not only Kenichi, but also at Sho. He slowly slid his finger across his throat while glaring at them, letting them know he would be the one to kill them. Of course, it would've been more threatening if his face wasn't completely puffed up due to Sho.
Back with the other fights, the disciples of Yomi began to retreat, none of them having successfully killed their opponents. Chikage had managed to toss Ukita and Kisara around, but not enough to kill them. Freya swiftly put her staff away as Hayase collected his weapons, turning to leave. Shera gave an annoyed glance to the singing Siegfried, who looked quite lively before leaving, though not before reminding Rachel that they needed to go. Rachel shamelessly walked away in the nude, more concerned about her ripped mask than anything else while Siegfried loaned Renka his coat to cover up.
"Guess I should get out of here too," sighed Sho, "I'm not looking forward to the lectures I'm most likely going to hear."
Just before Sho jumped away, Kenichi quickly called out to him, causing him to pause.
"Sho... thanks for your help," thanked Kenichi, "That's twice that you've helped us."
Sho could only scratch his head in slight embarrassment as he looked away.
"Don't worry about it," coughed Sho, "The first time was to return the favor for borrowing that gauntlet that saved my life. This one was just because Izumi got wrapped up in this. She should've never been exposed to this."
"The only problem is how to explain it to her," said Miu, "She's going to ask questions when we go back to school."
The trio looked at each other before sweat dropping simultaneously. They had no idea how to even begin to approach this matter.
"Let's just figure it out later. Right now, I need to go," said Sho as he jumped away, "If you don't mind, tell the school that I'll be out for a family emergency for a few days! I'll be back later for sure!"
Kenichi sighed, not looking forward to explaining this mess.
"At least the Tanaka family still lives," whispered Miu as she cuddled close to Kenichi, "All of them."
Kenichi nodded before the two quickly left the park.
"Looks like everything went well," grinned Niijima when he saw everyone coming back in one piece.
"Not exactly," sighed Kenichi as he explained what happened.
Niijima frowned as he heard that Izumi had been involved, but it wasn't as if he could plan for everything despite his efforts. Still, it wasn't the worst case scenario. The Tanaka family had been repeatedly told not to come by Ryozanpaku in order to ensure they could control themselves and not ruin the plan.
Understanding that it was the day that Tsutomu had died in front of the time-travelers' eyes, they reluctantly agreed when they heard Niijima had already enlisted the Zanshin Taisha-ryu as backup. Also, Kairi had got a cold that day, so they had to focus on her.
Next day, early morning before class
Kenichi took a deep breath as he stepped into the clubhouse, worried on how to explain to Izumi about everything. In fact, he wasn't even sure Izumi would be in today.
Taking the step in, he found Izumi cheerfully watering the plants as if nothing had happened.
"You're early!" smiled Izumi.
"... Are you alright?" asked Kenichi cautiously, causing Izumi to tilt her head in confusion.
"Yes? Why are you asking that?" questioned Izumi.
"... Do you remember what happened yesterday?" asked Kenichi.
Izumi hummed as she put her finger to her chin, "Well, nothing much except hang out with Makoto and my family. I went to bed early that night. Oh, but I did have a really weird and vivid dream. I dreamed I had been kidnapped by the grim reaper and his disciple. They were threatening with weird languages that I couldn't understand before taking me to a theme park for some reason. The two were talking to someone who looked like you, but I couldn't really see since I didn't have my glasses. Suddenly, I saw Sho dive in and save me! At least I think it was, but nobody else has blue hair like his. He took out the disciple, before he somehow transformed to one with a cloak and kicked the grim reaper's scythe away. Before my dream ended, I dreamed that I had been whisked away by Sho. By the time I woke up, I was in my bed, still wearing my pajamas without any damages, though I was a little sweaty."
Kenichi couldn't help but sweatdrop at this convenient 'dream'. Was Izumi in so much denial that she was covering it up? Or did she really think everything was a dream? Either way, it looked like nothing had affected Izumi overall.
"That's good to hear," nodded Kenichi as he picked up a watering can to help water some plants. It had been some time since he did anything peaceful with Izumi anyways.
The two were watering the last of the plants when Izumi coughed to clear her throat, drawing Kenichi's attention.
"Kenichi, I have a small question," said Izumi, "You're pretty close with Sho, correct?"
Kenichi gave an "eh" sound as he waved his hand in the air, indicating they were so-so.
"Do you know if he's currently seeing or interested in someone?" asked Izumi shyly and flustered, "It didn't seem like he was, but I just wanted to ask to make sure... I mean, a friend is interested in him, so I'm just asking for her... Yea, that's right, for her!"
Kenichi could only blink a few times as Choju Giga frogs hopped past him before his uvula started screaming in shock, though he kept his mouth shut.
After school
"Seriously? She thought it was all a dream?" asked Sho through the phone.
"Yep. She didn't even realize that she was in real danger for real. All because she didn't have her glasses," explained Kenichi as he finished retelling Izumi's story to him.
"Well... that saves a lot of awkward explanations," coughed Sho.
"We might end up having to in the end though," warned Kenichi, to which Sho sighed.
"Well, that'll be later in the future. I'll leave it there. Anyways got to go, got a meeting... and how the hell did you get this number!? I switched numbers after last time you guys called me!" shouted Sho.
"Izumi," said Kenichi simply, causing Sho to facepalm, "You might want to avoid switching again, otherwise Izumi will wonder why you keep switching numbers."
Sho could only curse before hanging up the phone. The cell phone and plan coverage he had was a private one that he had paid with his own money to avoid linking it to Yomi, and by extension, the Kuremisago.
Still, Sho had to contend with the fact that he had 'interfered' with the plan. He could already imagine the Kuremisago calling for his instant dismissal and death.
"Why do I stay loyal to a clan that's always trying to kill me?" groaned Sho as he leaned up against a wall.
"Don't let them hear you say that," warned Hongo, surprising Sho that he jumped up in the air in shock.
"Sensei! Sorry, I didn't mean to say it out loud!" apologized Sho, quickly looking around to see if there was anybody he had missed.
"Don't worry, you're alone," stated Hongo, letting Sho breathe a sigh of relief, "But remember to keep your inner thoughts to yourself, even if you think you're alone."
"Yes, sir," nodded Sho, "So the meeting..."
"Mihai tried to paint himself and his disciple as the unintended victims, and tried to state that the Sage Fist's real goal in his plan was to eliminate him and weaken the Armed Division. As if they aren't weak already," stated Hongo, "The Kuremisago are calling for your dismissal once more and are requesting you be sent back for a formal 're-education'."
Sho slightly shivered at that though. He knew damn well that it was most likely a death sentence.
"As always, I told them that only I decide whether my disciple is worthy," scoffed Hongo before looking Sho directly in the eyes with his sunglasses tilted down, "And I'm here to tell you..."
Sho tried to not look nervous or jittery, but his hands started to shake, to which he hid behind his back. He almost flinched when Hongo suddenly moved his hand towards his head, but chose not to move. Sho trusted his primary master the most, and if he died, he would rather be it by his master.
"... That I'm proud of you," said Hongo as he gently rubbed Sho's head, causing him to look up in shock, "If I was in your shoes, I would've done the exact same thing. Involving someone who's not a part of the underground world of martial arts is a disgrace to a martial artist. There are lines that may be crossed, but this is one I had hoped to pass to you to never cross. There is no glory or honor in killing innocent and defenseless lives, nor is there in blackmailing an opponent. True strength and the path of martial arts should never be dirtied by such tactics, otherwise, you'll end up with a weak foundation like Mihai."
Sho looked giddy at this compliment, almost vibrating with happiness, though he did have to actively stop himself from laughing at the backhanded insult on Mihai.
"The Sage Fist was also quite vocal and adamant in defending your actions as well," said Hongo, "The Bewitching Fist didn't say anything, but she didn't defend Mihai either."
What wasn't said was most of the Nine Shadows Nine Fist were willing to ignore it, as it did involve the humiliation of the Armed Division of Yami. In addition, the Eight Shining Executioners were not united against Sho. While Mihai kept barking, most of them ignored him. Rin called out to Mihai to finally shut up, with Raki quickly backing him up. In the end, even Oganosuke grew tired of Mihai's complaint and threatened to silence him permanently. With that, Mihai could only shut his mouth.
"Now then, I heard you ended up punching Mihai's disciple's face until it was bloated. What made you decide to do that?" asked Hongo.
Sho shrugged before explaining, "Well, he was wearing all that annoying protective gear on his body, but not his face. I could've broken through all that body armor, but it would take some extra effort to do so. His face was the easier option."
"And…?" asked Hongo with a raised eyebrow.
"... and I really wanted to punch his face," muttered Sho as he admitted that it had felt so refreshing to punch Sigmaringen in the face.
'Just like Sakaki,' sighed Hongo, though not at all disappointed by this. It had been amusing to see medics bring packs of ice for Sigmaringen.
"Now then, let's focus on your Maeba stance. There are a few corrections I want to make," ordered Hongo.
Sho quickly nodded as he began to assume the Maeba stance, only to pause.
"What's wrong?" asked Hongo curiously.
"Is it alright to practice this stance?" asked Sho weakly, "It is your rival's stance, isn't it? Shouldn't I be polishing up the Tenchi Jouge, your stance, as your disciple?"
Hongo blinked before doing something that shocked Sho. Hongo actually tilted his head back and let out a laugh before regaining his posture.
"Technically speaking, the Maeba stance is actually my original stance while the Tenchi Jouge belonged to my rival, Sakaki," chuckled Hongo, causing Sho to almost stumble, "But I'm not one who's obsessed with only using one stance. If I was, then why would I allow you to study other forms of martial arts?"
Sho blushed as he scratched the back of his head, unable to reply.
"I want you to grow strong," Hongo continued, "Limiting your potential just because someone uses another stance is illogical. The reason I want you to focus on the Maeba stance is for the same reason why I switched to the Tenchi Jouge. You are slightly rash and prone to offense, so a defensive stance to help not only calm yourself, but also make sure you don't leave too many openings is best. I was too cautious and didn't attack when I should've. Switching to the Tenchi Jouge stance allowed me to fully unleash my offensive capabilities. You have the same problem as Sakaki. He switched to the Maeba stance to avoid being overly rash, but his transition to the stance wasn't as smooth as mine."
Hongo smirked at this statement before continuing, "However, since the Maeba was my original stance, I know the ins and outs of the stance just as well. Since this style is more suitable for you and you already went through trial-by-fire with it, we'll make sure you can do it flawlessly. Seto! Hayami!"
The two other disciples quickly came rushing in when they heard their names, quickly bowing in respect.
"I want you two to spar with Sho, but Sho, you're not allowed to attack for 5 minutes, only to defend. Perhaps this will also serve as a lesson to look before jumping into action, like you did back in Tidat."
Sho could only wince and cry while Hayami and Seto apologized for what they were about to do and attacked.
Kenichi looked around, pondering where Shigure had gone. It had been a few days since she had suddenly disappeared. At first, Miu had thought Sakaki had taken Shigure for a date, only for that to shatter when it was revealed Sakaki was actually home, watching the horse races. It was then that they realized Apachai was also gone, and lining up the dates, it was the time when Shigure had handcrafted armor for the Shinpaku Alliance.
Suddenly, Shigure appeared before Kenichi with a rather determined gleam in her eyes.
"Time for... weapons training," stated Shigure.
Kenichi warily began to take out his meteor hammer when Shigure stopped him. Kenichi looked confused, and was about to pull out his three-sectional staff when Shigure also stopped him there too. Going through the process of elimination, Kenichi was about to grab the bow and arrow when Shigure suddenly threw something at him.
Kenichi grabbed it out of the air, took a good look at it, and almost dropped in shock. He did, however, shriek in fear, causing the rest of Ryozanpaku to quickly scramble to see what was going on.
In Kenichi's hand was clearly a katana sheath about 65 cm long with a beautifully crafted tsuka.
"Why!?" asked Kenichi in shock. He had already mentioned he had a fear of weapons, especially ones with keen edges. It was mostly why he used a meteor hammer and the three-sectional staff, as they were useful for disarming or trapping. The bow and arrow was pushing out of his comfort level, but he continued to practice it due to his apparently innate talent for it that he didn't know he had, Shigure's determination to hone it, and his father's pride for being a sharpshooter, even if it wasn't a gun.
"Shigure… Special," declared Shigure, giving a victory sign.
"Are you sure about this?" asked Akisame curiously, "Isn't this a bit… early?"
"Then when?" replied Shigure, "Now is a good time… as any."
Kenichi looked over to Shigure after getting over his little freakout to see she was slightly pouting while digging her foot into the dirt, drawing small circles.
"Oy, Kenichi, can't you just appease her?" whispered Sakaki, leaning over to Kenichi, "I can tell she was really looking forward to this training session."
What wasn't mentioned was that Sakaki didn't want to see Shigure moping like this… as a fellow teacher in arms... that was what he told himself at least.
Kenichi slowly nodded, causing Shigure to perk up a little.
"Quickly… Draw your sword... there is a surprise," said Shigure, motioning Kenichi to draw the blade out of its sheath.
Kenichi hesitated before slowly grabbing onto the tsuka, feeling its comfortable grip, before pulling the blade out of the sheath.
Gleaming in the sunlight was a beautifully crafted blade, obviously crafted with the 'secrets of steel'. However, there was a sharp difference between a regular katana and this one.
"The edge… it's dull?" questioned Kenichi as he slid his finger across the wave pattern edged to feel no sharpness. It was as if it had been purposely smoothed and blunted so it couldn't cut.
"Yep," nodded Shigure eagerly, "I purposely made it… like that since…. you're still a scaredy cat. We can do basic training with katana until… you feel confident with an edge. All I need to do… is sharpen it. Though it won't cut, it can still block… and destroy other weapons if swung hard enough."
Kenichi reverently held his new katana up in awe that Shigure had made this weapon with him in mind… until Shigure drew her katana.
"Now then… training starts," stated Shigure as her eyes adopted glowy white orbs.
Kenichi could only scream in fear.
"Why!?" cried Kenichi as he swung his blade to block an attack from a dummy.
Shigure had gone back to forging, but with Akisame's help, the two of them had created several contraptions that locked Kenichi in place while wooden dummies swung their sticks at varying angles, forcing Kenichi to parry, block or dodge, all while the dummies had targets Kenichi needed to hit with in order to shut the machine done.
If that was it, then Kenichi would've been alright, but the fact each attack contained electric shocks, as well as punishment shocks if Kenichi took too long to strike or missed his strikes made it rather difficult.
"Good luck!" called out Miu as she folded up laundry.
Kenichi huffed as he renewed his spirit, but it was quickly shocked down.
During that time, an eagle came swooping down, carrying a letter. The Elder easily lifted his arms up to let the eagle land on his arms, taking the letter before it quickly flew away.
"That's the request that trapped you from us last time," warned Miu.
"Even if it is a trap, I must go," stated the Elder, "If I refuse even a single request, I allow the chance for evil to flourish in this world."
'Plus, I have a good idea just who I was trapped with,' thought the Elder.
There was likely only one man in Yami besides Mikumi and Jenazad that could trap him for so long, and that was the head of the Eight Shining Executioner Blades, Oganosuke Yogi. Though he had never fought the man before, he had heard tales of his blades that could only be matched by him.
'But if he's the one trapping me on the island, then that means that he's also trapped with me,' thought the Elder, 'That means one less to worry about in the final fight. I can hold him without any worries.'
Plus, after what the time-traveler trio had told him, he was sure what caused his delay. The fact that he managed to return to find them before the nuke blew up meant that he had won that fight. The only worrying factor was what caused his delay, but with their information, he was sure he could find a clear countermeasure of what was to come.
That, and he picked Niijima's brains for some ideas while Kenichi and Miu weren't looking.
After getting geared up, the Elder bade them all farewell as he left. Miu could only look out worriedly when Kenichi put his arms around Miu's shoulder, drawing her close.
This was one of the few times that Miu didn't actually toss Kenichi into the ground as a reflex, as she was conscious of Kenichi standing next to her. She repressed her reaction to use the Kushinada Jiujitsu to hurl Kenichi, and had to use one hand to grab her other arm to prevent the physical reaction. Still, she leaned into Kenichi, drawing in his warmth and smell.
Despite the Elder leaving, the Elder actually didn't head towards his destination right away. First, he made a small detour, heading into a nondescript alleyway. After making sure nobody was tracking him or around him, he pulled out a piece of paper, looking at it intently.
"Let's see, I need to touch this brick, then this one….," muttered the Elder, following the instructions on the paper. After pressing the last brick, the wall before him began to rumble before shifting back and to the side, revealing a secret passage. The Elder walked into the passageway, letting the wall behind him seal shut.
Taking a few steps in, the Elder was in the main room where a device was left standing on a platform with a big red button. The Elder took the device and gently pressed on the red button for 3 seconds, letting go before looking at it in confusion.
"Is this working?" said the Elder loudly as he began to press the red button again a few more times.
"Dad, you only needed to press it the first time and wait," voiced Saiga over the device, "That's a customized radio that connects to one of my personal phones."
"Ah, good to know," smiled the Elder, "Can I bring this with me so I can remain in contact with you the whole time?"
"If you can keep it safe somehow," replied Saiga, "I'll be having an agent on standby with transportation close to the island that you're going on. It's still an island, right?"
"According to this note, it is an island," nodded the Elder.
"Good. Take the communicator and the fanny bag, make sure you keep that hidden and secure," advised Saiga, "This'll help you give you the edge you'll probably need."
The Elder looked into the fanny pack with his eyebrows raised before seeing just what it was. With that, the Elder managed to hide the fanny pack under his clothes where it didn't seem obvious, especially with his cape blocking it, before leaving the secret base.
This base was a team effort by Saiga and Niijima, whom Saiga contacted after learning the truth about the time-traveler trio, along with the Elder, all in preparation for this.
Days Later
Kenichi and Miu rushed over to the Shinpaku Alliance base, getting the message that Shigure had arrived there. The two had to stop when they walked in to see some rather hi-tech stuff conveniently located in Niijima's throne room, where the Yomi members hadn't been allowed inside.
"Niijima... what is this stuff?" asked Kenichi as he pointed to some servers.
"Spoils of war," replied Niijima, not revealing that he had been the one who ordered the Zanshin Taisha-ryu to raid one of the transports that had been transporting stuff from the Yami base Ryozanpaku had raided to another hidden base, taking advantage of his lack of leash holders.
"... We really need to keep him on a tighter leash," whispered Kenichi to Miu, who nodded.
The two of them followed Niijima to where Shigure and Apachai were resting. Thanks to their experience, they didn't carelessly approach Shigure. One of the Valkyries hadn't listened to Niijima's warning about approaching Shigure while she was asleep, and suffered the consequences. Luckily, with Niijima's funds, he had emergency clothes prepared for all genders.
"Shigure, is everything ready?" asked Kenichi loudly.
Shigure responded by suddenly drawing her blade, slicing through Kenichi's clothes.
"Kyaa!" shouted the girls who had been watching, covering their eyes while Kenichi had to cover his parts.
"Kenichi, you didn't bring...your katana," scolded Shigure as Niijima had Matsui bring Kenichi a complete spare pair of clothes that Niijima had custom ordered in cases of situations like this.
"I didn't think I needed it," blushed Kenichi as he quickly put on the new clothes.
"You must always... keep it with you... unless otherwise," lectured Shigure before pulling the huge backpack behind Apachai.
Kenichi pouted in apology before noticing the shirt he was wearing had the Shinpaku Alliance logo branded on the front of his shirt, as well as his position as assault commander on the back.
Before Kenichi could get off on Niijima, Shigure was already passing out her specially made arm guards to commanders of the Shinpaku Alliance.
Once everyone had them on, Shigure quickly attacked them all, with each one of them instinctively raising their arms to guard. Ukita actually reacted to the slashes, unlike the last timeline where he had been totally clueless that Shigure had attacked.
"What was that for!?" shouted Ukita, unaware of the nods of approval that Miu, Kenichi, and Niijima were given him.
"Wait, look at these armguards!" shouted Takeda in surprise as he glanced down towards them.
"They deflected her sword?" asked Freya in astonishment.
"Everyone, take a closer look," said Siegfried as he closely examined the gloves, "It's not made of cloth, but rather thinly woven fibers of metal."
Shigure explained that each chain link had been made to the same caliber of a Japanese katana, with special processing to allow her to create such gauntlets. Everyone could see the amount of effort that had gone into these gloves, and quickly bowed to her in thanks. Shigure waved it off, but they could see that she was ecstatic at receiving such praises.
One week later
"So, it begins soon," hummed Niijima as he swirled a cup of juice in his wine glass. The Elder had been gone for the week, meaning the trap had been set against the Elder.
"Then it's time to start tilting the board our way," grinned Niijima as he dialed a number before it was finally picked up.
"Who are you and how did you get this number!?" demanded Boris Ivankov.
"Kekeke, how I got it isn't important," cackled Niijima, "It's my message that I want delivered to your master."
"... My master is still in the private and secured jail. All I know is that it's called Big Lock," said Boris.
"And that you already know its location, and your masters have gone out on walks despite being 'jailed'," said Niijima whimsically.
"How did you… I mean, I don't know what you're talking about," lied Boris.
"There's no need to hide it, and don't worry, I won't say anything. No doubt the guards there know about it and know they can't really do anything about it. If the two wanted to break out, they could've easily done so by now," said Niijima, "Rather, I want to send them a mere message. That's all."
"... And what is your message?" asked Boris.
"That the Eternal Setting Sun is not as glorious as they might have envisioned," chuckled Niijima, "That, and Siegfried wants to thank your master for some tips and revisions on his musical score. That's all, bye."
Boris looked stone-faced as he stared at his satellite phone, wondering if he should change numbers.
"Boris? What's wrong?" asked a voice.
Boris turned around to his master, Alexander Gaider, and his partner, Diego, who had escaped the jail to take a simple walk. They would, of course, return to their cells as a sign of respect.
Niijima's call had just happened to be right when Boris had been with his master, though completely by accident.
"... I just got a call from the governor-general of the Shinpaku Alliance," admitted Boris, "How he even got this number is surprising, but he is somehow aware that you and Diego are less restricted than others are aware of. He asked me to pass on a message to you both."
"Oh, and what is that?" asked Alexander curiously.
"The Eternal Setting Sun isn't as glorious as you envisioned," replied Boris, "And that… Siegfried sends his thanks about his music?"
"Ah, I rather enjoyed the challenge," smiled Alexander, "Though I am a man who prefers the classics, his scores were rather interesting to revise. But the Eternal Setting Sun… interesting."
"Whatever it is, it sounds like it's not DIEGO quality," chuckled Diego.
"Boris, get more information about this," ordered Alexander, "If it isn't as beautiful as we thought, then we may be checking out soon."
"Yes, sir!" saluted Boris.
And we're hitting close to the end game soon! Hope you guys look forward to the next chapter.