I've not yet shuffled off the ol' mortal coil, and fortunately it seems that the time is still quite a few decades away, so I'm back again with more for the fans!

Before that, I'd like to say Thank You to Tyric Gaia and Shen for their support of me and my story. You guys are amazing!

If you like and wish to support my work, you can do so by leaving a review, following and favoriting the story, and signal-boosting it as well to others you think may enjoy it. You can also, if you feel willing and capable of doing so, check out my Pat reon at " Pat reon -dot- com -slash- FrancoGamerxz ".

Anyways, thanks for your attention, and on to the story!

"Regular character Speech"

"Differently inflectioned character speech" (Whispering, hissing)

"Powerful Character Speech" (Backed by Killing intent, Presence, sheer raw power, etc)

'Regular character thoughts'

'Mind reading/Telepathic conversation'

[Ddraig Speaking out loud]

[Ddraig speaking telepathically to Issei]

'Ddraig/Powerful being thinking'

Watanabe Choujurou was a good man.

He never did drugs, he didn't smoke, he drank in very rare occasions, and only ever socially, and he didn't borrow money from others.

He paid attention to his wife, showed his children both affection and sternness to ensure they followed the correct path, was kind and understanding towards his neighbours, and took equal responsibility over his family's pet dog as all of he other members of his family.

By most measurable metrics, anyone that knew Choujurou would see him as a pillar of his community, a perfect husband and family man to which all others in the neighbourhood were expected to live up to...

Those people would feel utterly betrayed were they to witness the present scene.

"I've already told you... I. Don't. Care. I don't care if you get stopped by the police, lose your license or go to jail, you owe me, and you will repay your debt one way or another."

Choujurou stared scornfully at the man seated on a wooden chair across him. The man was visibly shaking in his seat, with two thick hands nervously wringing the hat that previously covered his bald head. His tough, thick clothes were noticeably dusty and wrinkled, and a few bruises could be seen on the man's face.

"Please, man, my kid... I'm the only one there for her, and if I lose this job she won't even be able to go to school! I can't do this! Anything else, please!"

One of the two massive goons that flanked Choujurou cracked his fists, causing the bald man to flinch in place, the bruises on his body and face still throbbing.

"I don't think you understand your situation, Jushiro... You borrowed some money from me and promised to pay. Instead of paying on time, you asked for an extension on the payment, and then borrowed even more money."

"Y-you gotta understand my situation! My wife ran out on me with our life savings after we had taken a loan to buy a house! With my job as a trucker, I have a hard enough time keeping food on the table and sending my kid to school! This job... I can't lose it! Please, find some other way for me to pay! I'll do it if I can!"

The two goons took a step forward, only for a raised hand from Choujuro to halt them in place. Seeing this caused a gleam of hope to appear in Jushiro's eye, only for said hope to turn into terror at Choujuro's next words.

"That kid of yours, she's a looker and a half. How old is she right now, 20? 21?"

"DON'T YOU FUCKING TOUCH MY DAUGHTER YOU-Oof!"

Jushiro's aggressive words and ascent from his seat were halted by a punch to the gut by one of the two goons, knocking him to the ground. Despite his breathlessness and the pain, he still fixed Choujurou with a stare full of hatred, an unspoken threat hanging in the air.

Choujurou adjusted his glasses, causing the light from above to completely hide his eyes from sight, before speaking in a cold tone.

"I have a daughter of my own, Jushiro, as well as a son, a wife, and a dog. I need to feed them as well, which means that business needs to keep going. I will get the money I'm owed regardless. The only thing that can change in this situation is how. You either transport the merchandise, or your daughter becomes the merchandise. Got it?"

"NOW NOW, NO NEED TO GET NASTY..."

Jushiro and Choujuro jumped in place, startled by the powerful voice that boomed from all around them, bouncing off of the walls of the abandoned warehouse they were in.

Tap. Tap. Tap.

Light footsteps came from within the shadows, slowly revealing the form of a figure clad in a pair of sweatpants and a hooded jacket, the shadows of which hid the face of its wearer.

Chojurou regained his composure, adjusting the cuffs of his shirt before speaking up.

"And who might you be?"

The figure took a moment to size up the two goons, both of which put on their most threatening faces, one of them sliding on a pair of brass knuckles while the other retrieved and unsheathed a Tanto from his person. Having done so, he looked back at the glasses-clad man and spoke.

"Watanabe Choujurou, the deliverer of Hadano city, I presume?"

"Some know me by that title. Now answer my question, who's asking?"

"I'll need to take a look at this merchandise of yours, Watanabe. You see, I've heard some upsetting information about things going on in this city, and I currently have reason to believe you are involved."

Clicking his tongue in annoyance at having his question ignored, Choujurou looked at his helpers before nodding towards the hooded man, prompting them to take threatening steps in his direction.

"Hah~" The figure sighed helplessly, "The hard way it is then."

The hooded person moved, stopping in front of the Tanto wielder and punching him in the chest, causing him to cough out a few flecks of blood before falling onto the ground, fully unconscious.

The other goon didn't hesitate to attack, aiming a heavy punch at the back of this figure's head with deadly intent, only for his eyes to widen as his fist froze mid punch.

He took a pair of staggering steps backward before looking down, seeing the shape of a fist marked visibly on his chest. His eyes fluttered for a moment before rolling back into his head, his body falling like a puppet whose strings were cut.

"Now that that's done..."

The figure turned it's shadowed face towards Choujurou, an odd pressure akin to having the air itself pressing down on him causing the glasses clad man to freeze in place.

"Are you going to have a civilized conversation with me now, Watanabe, or am I going to have to be nasty towards you as well?"

A bead of nervous sweat rolled down his neck, emphasizing the nervous bobbing of his Adam's apple. Licking his suddenly dry lips, he spoke up.

"Y-you... You're one of those kung fu freaks aren't you?"

The hooded figure tilted it's head at Choujurou without saying another word, something which gave the criminal the courage to speak up.

"You chinese fucks have been coming into the country and trying to take away our business just because you know some freaky shaolin bullshit, well let me tell you that you have no idea who you're messing with! Me? I'm just a big fish in a small pond, I admit it, but there are real dangerous folks out there! Big, terrifying sharks of different shapes and temperaments, the sort of people you shouldn't mess with!"

His anger, indignation and bravado fueling him, Choujurou clenched his eyes shut as he spoke with ferocity

"You keep involving yourself in stuff you shouldn't and you're gonna get to see if your fancy fighting stuff can compete with gunpowder and lead!"

"How interesting..."

Choujurou threw himself aside with a fearful shout at the sudden voice whispering right into his ear. Scrabbling into a seated position, he turned towards the place the hooded figure stood at, which was behind his own original position.

"You were saying something about 'Shaolin Bullshit' ?"

"Ah-I... I didn't..."

Choujurou's eyes widened at the sudden sensation of all-encompassing, overwhelming death that engulfed him, as if the clawed hand of the grim reaper had wrapped itself around his heart, softly playing with it as it decided on whether or not it should destroy it's toy.

"Talk."

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I shouldn't have said those things! I should have recognized the might of the Quantou Clan! I promise that I'll never disrespect the great clan again! I recognize the supremacy of the art!"

The hooded figure folded both of its arms behind its back before speaking.

"This Quantou clan... How long has it been since they've started involving themselves in Japanese underworld business?"

Choujurou blinked owlishly for a moment before speaking.

"Y-your eminence is not from the Quantou clan?"

"I asked you a question."

"Three months! They appeared in Hadano city three months ago, and they started butting into the business of the locals since then! Some of this area's families tried to get together and drive them out of here, but a single member of their clan beat all of them on his own! Since then they've been the local overlords! I managed to not get suppressed like the others because I just find transportation for things, regardless of who owns said things!"

"I see... This Quantou clan, what sort of business do they usually conduct?"

"T-they... A little bit of everything! Protection fees on the businesses of the city, weapons, prostitutes, drugs, they're involved in all of it! The stuff I'm trying to run right now is some of the last 'candy' that isn't theirs, the owners are willing to pay me a pretty penny for getting it out of the city before it can get 'confiscated'!"

"...How would I be able to recognize a member of the Quantou clan if I came across them on the street?"

"They wear these traditional chinese clothes! Changpao, Magua, the whole thing, like they came right from the past! They also have this attitude around them, as if they looked down on everyone not a member of their clan!"

"I see... Now, as for this 'candy' you spoke about... What exactly are you referring to? Because in context I think you mean drugs, but based on what I heard you saying about the daughter of that man over there, Jushiro, it might mean something completely different, in which case I would get very upset..."

"It's drugs! It's just drugs, I swear!"

Despite its face being hidden in shadows, Choujurou could still feel the hooded figure's heavy gaze fix itself on him, something that caused all of his survival instincts to shout even louder than they already were, before the figure finally turned it's back on him, a movement which coincided with the fading of the feeling of death that had been hanging around him.

"I believe you. Now scram, take your family and go on a long vacation or something."

The criminal bowed his thanks to the hooded figure repeatedly before getting back up to his feet and speed walking his way to the door, unwilling to run in the vicinity of someone his brain had marked with the label 'Do not fuck with under any circumstances!'.

"Oh, also, drop out of the criminal lifestyle and go legit."

Choujurou's intent to speak up died a miserable death under a sudden burst of Pressure that caused a mixture of foul, unpleasant smells to fill the warehouse, and his pants to gain a golden and brown makeover. Ignoring everything else, Choujurou simply sprinted out of the warehouse and into the night.

Jushiro, the bald extortion victim that watched everything occur with a gaze filled with a mix of fear, awe and schadenfreude, froze when the hooded figure turned its head toward him.

"Is that truck parked outside yours?"

"I... Yes-"

Clack.

A plastic card clattered to a halt right in front of Jushiro. Looking at the figure and seeing no new motion from it, Jushiro hesitantly picked it up, seeing on it only a single phone number.

"If you want to ensure a better life for yourself and your daughter, then call that number. Some people I know are in need of transport for some customized bikes, and your truck looks big enough for it."

"But-"

"Whether you make the call or not is your choice, but, in case you do choose to call, make sure to say that you were guided by a red dragon."

Having said that, the hooded figure placed each of the downed goons atop a shoulder before jumping into the shadows of the warehouse, leaving Jushiro alone with the plastic card in his hands.

He stared intently at the card, knowing that it could just as easily be the key to a better life for himself and his daughter, as it could be a collar, the leash of which was held by a different master.

While still holding the card, Jushirou pushed himself back to his feet, only to inwardly curse when his wallet fell out of his pocket. Ignoring the aches and pains all over his body, he bent back down to pick up his walled, only for a photograph of his daughter, happily smiling in front of her chosen university to fall out of it. At that moment, Jushirou made a choice.

Taking his phone out of his pocket and inwardly thanking all the gods he knew for the fact that it had survived the beating he suffered, Jushirou dialed a phone number with trembling hands. As soon as the call was picked up, and before he could lose his nerve and chicken out, Jushirou spoke.

"I was guided by a red dragon..."

*Ploft!*

Having dropped the two weapon-bearing goons in front of a police station's evidence box, the hooded figure walked a large distance to an isolated area. Looking around to ensure that they were alone, the figure pulled it's hood back, revealing a head of brown hair with a very distinct purple bang in the front, and a face that could be considered boyishly cute, even if just barely above average.

'When I got messaged by Susanoo, I expected having to fight some sort of supernatural being in the countryside, not interrogating crooks, busting an extortion attempt and getting involved in regular underworld business.'

[He is literally a Yakuza boss. The underworld in your town is run by supernatural beings. Based on your experience so far, there's no reason for you to not expect those two aspects to intersect.]

'I thought those were the exception, not the norm!'

[They may well be. Remember, you have a knack for getting involved in things that are weird even in terms of the supernatural world. It's part of this 'Dragon aura' thing, packaged in with the charisma. If there are 2 supernatural individuals in every 100.000 members of the Yakuza, you could possible meet 10 of them in a row.]

'...I'm not sure if you meant that as a good or bad thing, so I'll just take it as you saying I'm special and go on with my night.'

[You're special, alright, but I can guarantee that's not a good thing, you breast-obsessed brat.]

'You say that as if it were an insult.'

[You're lucky I can't go out there and hit you.]

'I'd love to give you more opportunities to show off your 'Tsundere' side, but I have a chinese martial arts clan to go after. Because that's a thing, apparently.'

His talk with Ddraig over, Issei pulled the hood back over his head before vanishing into the shadows.

"Come! I, your daddy Quantou Lin, shall teach you a lesson that you will never forget!"

A black-haired man clad in a white suit glared angrily at the speaker, a figure clad in a dark blue Changpao, an earthy brown Magua and black trousers and kung fu shoes.

"You think that just because your family has some prestige here I'm going to let you get away with disrespecting me, a proud member of the Tsuyoi family?"

"I disrespect you not just because of my Quantou clan, but because I, Lin, personally have the strength to. If you disagree with that thought, then come and change my mind."

"With pleasure!"

"Taishiro-senpai-" one of the young men on the side of the suited Yakuza spoke up, "I think it's best if we just left!"

The white-suited man, Taishiro, responded by backhanding said young man so hard that he flew backwards for a few feet, a thin trail of blood running down the corner of his mouth. Giving the downed for of his junior a contemptuous look, he spoke.

"In this world, strength is everything! To show weakness is the worst disgrace in existence! To be weak is more disgraceful than dying! That is the way of the Tsuyoi family! If you are a true man, and a true member of my Tsuyoi family, you will forever remember this!"

A single backhand. That was all Taishiro hit his junior with. Yet, that single backhand was enough to cause said junior to lie on the ground limply, his chest still.

"Hoh~" Lin's eyebrow and lip quirked upwards, before he spoke up in a slightly less contemptuous tone of voice, "It seems that not all of the japanese are completely garbage if there are still martial artists amongst you."

"That's right!" Taishiro proceeded to rip off his jacket and shirt, revealing a muscular torso covered in all sort of scars. Slamming a clenched fist against his chest, he spoke in a tone full of pride. "The Tsuyoi family does not admit weaklings! Every single one of it's members are individuals with the potential to become strong! We all undergo strenuous training for years on end, meant to draw out the utmost potential from our bodies! Only those who succeed in passing through the training become full fledged members of our family!"

"Indeed? And what happens to those who fail?"

"If they show at least some measure of strength, they get the honor to become the servants of the Tsuyoi family. If they don't, well... Death is a merciful alternative to weakness."

"Finally, for the first time since I've come to this country I hear someone saying something that makes sense. Too bad said person is about to die."

"WHY YOU!"

Taishiro sprinted at Lin fast enough to become a blur of motion to most people present.

"Strong Fist Strike!"

A fist full of destructive power streaked through the air and towards Lin's face, it's motion alone generating a breeze that shook the hair and clothes of all those present.

"Sturdy as the mountain."

As soon as those words were said, a feeling of immovability filled the area, as if a massive mountain had been raised in the middle of the street. In response to said feeling, Taishiro did nothing more than increase the speed of hist fist.

CRACK

"ARGH!"

The instant Taishiro's fist collided with Lin's face, his eyes widened and a scream of pain involuntarily made its way up his throat. He hopped away from Lin, his still good left hand propping up his limp right arm.

"Heh, is that what you consider to be strength? I simply stood there and did nothing, yet your fist was incapable of as much as bruising me. Is that what the japanese people consider to be strong?"

Taishiro grit his teeth in anger, releasing his right arm before clenching his left one so hard that veins started popping up visibly all the way up to his shoulder.

"I won't let you look down on my Tsuyoi family!"

His eyes narrowed as he bent his legs, causing his trousers to get pushed to the limits of their elasticity, while an unnatural breeze emerged around his clenched fist, causing Lin's mocking smirk to turn into a straight line.

"Very well. Since you are a decent enough person to not try to escape or beg even when they know they've already been defeated, I have decided to let you get a taste of what true martial arts look like."

Having said that, Lin clenched his left fist and placed it atop his right one, all the while spacing his feet out into a horse stance.

"I'LL FUCKING KILL YOU!"

Having said that, Taishiro shot towards Lin so hard that tiny cracks were left behind in the concrete, before shooting forward while brandishing a fist so strong that it looked like it should easily crack a tree in half.

"Strong Mountain Hard Fist."

Taishiro suddenly flew in the opposite direction, a bleeding hole in the middle of his chest, before slamming into another one of his companions so hard that they got knocked down, tumbled across the ground and only stopped when slamming back first into a wall.

"This is the Quantou Clan's premier punching technique. Using this technique, my father was capable of breaking a boulder in half with a single strike. This is what true martial arts look like."

"Taishiro-senpai!"

Taishiro's juniors picked up his body and ran.

"You think that I'll allow you to leave after all of this?"

Lin vanished from where he stood, appearing behind one of the escaping Tsuyoi family underlings with an arm cocked back.

"I don't think so."

A figure clad in a hooded jacket appeared in front of Lin and, in a split second, slapped his wrist upwards, causing his punch to miss its target completely and instead release a wave of air that tripped one of the runners. Said runner turned around for a moment, spotting the hooded figure facing off with a grave-looking Lin, before turning back around and running on.

Lin, looking truly serious for the first time that night, shifted his stance before speaking up.

"Who are you?"

"..."

The lack of answer caused him to frown angrily, but before he could say another thing, the hooded figure spoke up.

"Why are you here?"

"I should be the one asking that question! Why have you involved yourself in business that does not concern you?"

"Are you or are you not a member of the Quantou clan?"

"What do you want with the Quantou clan?"

"So when you said you were part of the Quantou clan earlier, were you just using their name to scare those people, or are you simply embarrassed of the name you bear?"

Issei's words caused Lin's eyes to flash with anger, and prompted him to speak in a malicious tone.

"You can eat anything you wish, but you must mind what comes out of your mouth! Mind your words, or I will act very rudely!"

"Why are the Quantou clan here in japan?"

"That is none of your business!"

"...The hard way it is."

As soon as those words left Issei's mouth, Lin dashed towards him with a fist cocked back.

"Strong Mountain Hard Fist!"

The same punch that easily opened a hole in a man's torso flew towards Issei, yet his response was to nonchalantly grab Lin's wrist, causing his fist to halt just an inch away from his face, before replying with a side kick that knocked Lin back more than a few feet, causing him to go down onto a single knee and spit out blood.

The kneeling Lin turned a look that was equal parts pained and scared towards Issei before speaking up.

"Stop! I am the Quantou clan's number one disciple! If you do anything to me, my Quantou clan will not forgive you!"

Scoffing lightly, Issei spoke.

"If you are the strongest disciple of your clan, then there is no reason for me to be afraid of them. Now tell me... Why. Is. The. Quantou. Clan. Here?"

These words were backed up with a blast of Pressure that caused Lin to freeze in place, his eyes widening to the extreme, and a deep fear welling up in his chest. Seeing the hooded person advancing towards him with visible malicious intent, Lin spoke up in a panicked hurry.

"We were ordered!"

Issei stopped mid-step, tilting his head in a manner that, paired with the shadows covering his face, were sure to further unnerve Lin.

"My Quantou clan is not here because it wishes to be! We were ordered to come here!"

"Explain."

"The Quantou clan is only a minor branch of the Shanmai clan! We were all ordered to prepare what was necessary to come over from our homeland, and after that we were ordered to establish ourselves in this city!"

"Why?"

"We... we..."

Seeing that Lin was hesitating, Issei further increased the amount of Pressure he was releasing, causing his interrogation target to slam face-first into the ground, as if a giant hand was pressing down on him. Breathing shallowly and frantically, Lin stopped hesitating and spilled his guts.

"We receive missions! Any order we are given by the Shanmai clan, we follow it! If they tell us to rob someone, we do it! If they tell us to kill someone, we do it! If-"

"If they tell you to kidnap people... Children, from their beds... You do it. Isn't that right?"

Lin's eyes widened in shock after those words, something that prompted Issei to sigh before speaking further.

"So the mysterious disappearances in this city are your work... Despicable."

Lin's eyes widened further when the hooded figure in front of him vanished from his sight, before a pained gasp escaped from his lips, paired with a burning sensation on his torso, felt from his back and all the way to his chest.

Lin felt more so than watched the hooded person stepping over him before slowly walking away.

"Enjoy these next few minutes, as they'll be the last ones you'll ever have. If it's any consolation to you, I deeply wished that you and your clan hadn't given me a reason to take away more lives. It is something I consider deeply unpleasant for the most part."

"Ha ha ha..."

Weak laughter reached Issei's ears, prompting him to stop mid-step.

"You... Think... You... Can... Win? Ha ha... Even if... You can destroy... My Quantou clan... Shanmai clan... You'll never..."

Having said those words, Lin breathed out his last, before his body stilled.

Sighing out loud, Issei pointed a finger over his shoulder, a flash of yellow light splashing over the entirety of the empty area around him for an instant. When the light faded, the area was fully empty. No hooded figure, and no Lin. Only a handful of ashes on the asphalt, which drifted away in a light breeze.

BANG!

A massively loud noise rang throughout the entirety of the Quantou clan's compound, awakening all of the sleeping clan members, and causing them to flood the man courtyard.

Arriving there, all of the newly arrived members were surprised and shocked by the sight of a hooded figure serenely standing beside a pile composed of the unconscious bodies of all of the nighttime guards.

"WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS?" Shouted a 30-something aged bald man with a thick mustache at the hooded figure, "WHO DARES INTRUDE UPON THE HOME OF MY QUANTOU CLAN AND HURT ITS MEMBERS!?"

"I have come here to talk with the head of the Quantou clan."

"The head of the Quantou clan? Are you even qualified to see the folds of his clothes? I, Quantou Pojun, the strongest disciple of the Quantou clan, shall make you pay for the humiliation you heap upon us!"

"Hoh? I thought Lin was the strongest disciple of this clan."

"Lin? That talentless piece of trash? What a joke! NOW DIE! STRONG MOUNTAIN HARD FIST!"

Pojun streaked towards Issei at a speed much higher than Lin ever was capable of, enough to cause the other watching members of the Quantou clan to sigh and gasp in admiration, while a fist full of violent, destructive intent flew beside him.

"You are indeed many times faster than Lin, and your Strong Mountain Hard Fist is leagues stronger than his own. However..."

BANG!

Pojun's eyes weren't the only ones trembling at the sight of his fist being halted by a single, nonchalantly stretched out finger from the hooded figure.

"10 times zero is still zero."

A single push of the finger had Pojun flying backwards fast enough that were he to slam into a solid object, he would likely break his back.

"You wished to meet with the head of the Quantou clan."

A single aged hand lightly placed on his back caused Pojun's entire momentum to die out, before a shock wave rippled below them as the energy was wholly redirected into the ground.

"I am Quantou Shumei, the head of the Quantou clan. Who might you be?"

Shumei was a thin, wrinkled old man, with thinning white hair in a ponytail that reached all the way to his back. Despite the visible signs of age on his person, the air around him still spoke of great vigor.

The sight of Shumei instantly had all of the clan's members staring at him with borderline religious reverence, with some actually bursting out into tears of relief.

"What can you tell me of the Shanmai clan?"

Shumei's eyes narrowed after those words were said, before he spoke in a threatening tone.

"There are certain things that must not be said, and there are certain foes that should not be made. Turn around and leave right now, give me some face, and your offenses against my Quantou clan may be gracefully forgiven."

"Tell me of the Shanmai clan. Now."

"So you have chosen death."

Having said that, Shumei took one step and appeared right in front of Issei, his palm already a hair's breadth from his chest.

"Hmph."

Issei snorted contemptuously, blocking the palm with his own, causing the two of them to be pushed back an equal distance.

"Not bad."

"You are a skilled fellow. Are you truly unwilling to give me some face and leave? I would rather create bonds of fellowship than enmity with a martial artist of your caliber."

"Do you truly believe I'd create bonds of fellowship with a clan that kidnaps children without batting an eye?"

Shumei's eyes widened, his voice angry as he spoke.

"WHO TOLD YOU THAT?!"

"Quantou Lin."

"LIN! COME HERE!"

Shumei's shout reverberated through the entire compound, the sheer shock wave causing the majority of the people present to get knocked down.

"You won't see him again."

"And why is that?"

"Because he's dead."

The moment those words left Issei's mouth, a collective gasp sounded through the entire compound. The previously composed Shumei stared at Issei with undisguised malice as he spoke through gritted teeth.

"He what?"

"He's dead."

"AHRRRRRGH! HOW DARE YOU!?" A different voice belonging to a middle-aged man reached Issei's ears as the man flew towards him with a heart full of grief, each of his hands holding a jian. He swung both jian with the intent to decapitate Issei, only for him to spit out a mouthful of blood before flying backwards, a hole visible through his chest.

"First, you killed my grandson..."

Issei turned his focus back towards Shumei as he spoke.

"Now, right in front of me, you kill my son... I WILL MAKE YOU SUFFER! I WILL RIP OUT EVERY MUSCLE FROM YOUR BODY! I WILL MAKE YOU BEG FOR DEATH! STRONG MOUNTAIN CRUSHING FIST!"

The old man suddenly appeared in front of Issei, much faster than he had previously, before his fist suddenly appeared already in contact with Issei's chest.

"RAGH!"

He stomped the ground with enough strength to make an imprint of his foot before pushing his fist forward, causing a shock wave to explode from Issei's back, and causing a portion of his jacket to explode off of his torso, revealing the large scar over his heart.

Unlike Shumei's expectations, however, the hooded figure didn't simply fall over unconscious. Instead, it grabbed one of the now tattered parts of his jacket, before speaking up in a tone of mild irritation.

"I really liked this jacket."

Having said that, the hooded figure moved, before Shumei staggered back a couple of steps, to the surprise of his clan members. A moment later, a thin trail of blood ran down each of his nostrils.

He wiped the blood off of his face before clapping his hands together and shifting his legs into a wide stance.

"Stone Asura of the Ages!"

Shumei's whole skin changed in both hue and texture until he looked as if he were made entirely out of stone, a feeling that could only be described as 'durable' hanging around his still body.

"This is my Quantou clan's strongest technique, something that only the clan head learns as it comes with a heavy price. When used, this technique will give the user's body the durability of a stone boulder, and will put the strength of of a mountain behind each of their strikes! However, the drawback is that the user becomes stuck in terms of the art, unable to ever progress in either strength or understanding.

"Such a terrible fate for the younger ones who are the future of the clan, but perfect as the hidden weapon of an old man like myself!"

"Interesting. I guess I'll be allowing you to test the actual strength of that technique for the first time, no?"

After saying that, Issei appeared in front of Shumei and released a barrage of fists against his chest, each of them alone being enough to cause the entire compound around them to tremble.

"TOO WEAK!"

Shumei allowed the hooded figure to strike at him, completely forsaking any thoughts of defending and instead releasing a downward punch.

BOOM!

A massive explosion obliterated the parts of the Quantou estate that weren't already destroyed, and caused a massive cloud of dust to rise around the two fighters.

"Not bad."

Having said those words, Issei waved a single arm, releasing a strong breeze that instantly dispersed the smoke cloud, revealing a massive crater underneath his and Shumei's feet.

"You... I know I hit you! You should be at the very least broken and paralyzed!"

"Your wishes and reality are two very distinct things."

Having said that, Issei nonchalantly walked up to the shocked Shumei, cocked back his arm, and threw a punch at a regular speed, that any average person could easily achieve.

"Guh-!"

The instant that slow punch struck Shumei's gut, a massive quake struck the ruined Quantou compound as Shumei did his best to redirect as much of the damage into the ground as possible. Despite this, he still ended up coughing up blood, and with his stone skin utterly cracked, and on the verge of shattering completely.

The old man who previously stood sturdy as a rock statue that the rest of his clan could look at in admiration was now on his knees, his breathing shallow and labored, and a wide bloodstain on the ground below him.

He looked back up to the thing that had utterly demolished him with a mixture of awe and terror, his voice conveying both as he spoke.

"What... Are you?"

Issei walked up to the kneeling old man, forcing him to have to look even higher than he already was in order to keep looking at the shadowed hood, before speaking.

"What connection does your Quantou clan have with the Shanmai clan?"

Seeing the inflexible look on Shumei's face, Issei sighed and shook his head, before speaking.

"Don't make this any harder than it has to be. You have the information that I want and you know it, but I also have you completely outmatched in strength. You don't have enough strength to run, or even kill yourself right now. Your only options are to speak, and earn yourself a swift and painless death, or force me to do something as distasteful as torture.

"Don't misunderstand things, though. I may find torture very distasteful, but that doesn't mean I'm not good at it. So, what will it be?"

"...Shanmai Xu. He was my contact. He made sure that the missions that the Shanmai leadership assigned to it's affiliate clans reached their hands. He currently lives in Tsuchiura city. I was supposed to meet him next week, since they'll be having a festival, and update him on our Quantou clan's success in the task we were given."

"The task of kidnapping kids."

"...Yes."

The voice coming from the hood sounded even calmer than before, yet Shunmei felt many times more scared of it than before.

"What are the Shanmai clan doing with the children they're kidnapping?"

"That I do not know. My most likely bet? They're trying to increase the number of talented members they have. Kidnap children with good innate talent in the art, raise them in an environment where their worth directly correlates to their martial skill, and give them the best martial arts education possible. That is just a possibility, though. It could very possibly be something else altogether."

Issei nodded at that, before asking a question.

"In your Quantou clan compound, are there any children, or any members that are unrelated to the kidnapping plot?"

"...The future of our clan still exists in our homeland, being nurtured in a proper environment. As for those Quantou clan members that have come with me... They are all people who place the honor of the Quantou clan above all else. If they are ordered by their master to steal, they will. Kill? With pleasure. Rape? No hesitation.

"If I or any members of the Shanmai clan were to order all of them to go out and kill as many civilians as they could, none of them would hesitate to bat an eyelash."

A deep silence engulfed the two men after those words, before Issei spoke again.

"You could have lied to me. You could have told me your clan members are innocent, that you alone are guilty, and they could have gotten away safely. Why didn't you?"

Shumei chuckled bitterly, a few flecks of blood splashing out of his lips in the process, before speaking.

"When you punched me that last time... I felt a deep, bottomless well of power.

"There are words you should not say, and there are foes you should not make. The irony of me saying those words is blatant.

"As I said before, the members of my Quantou clan put the honor of the clan itself above everything else. If any of the members that watched our battle were to survive, they would likely return to our homeland, and poison the pure, untainted saplings that are the new generation of my Quantou clan. They would wish to gain revenge, and come after you again, and again, and again.

"It isn't too outlandish to believe that that would result in the full extermination of my Quantou clan.

"If, on the other hand, all of the knowing members are to die here today, my Quantou clan will not create a sense of enmity against you, and neither will they be involved in the horrid acts we have committed so far.

"I am willing to sacrifice myself and my future for vengeance, but not my Quantou clan, that I watched my predecessor painstakingly build up with blood, sweat and tears.

"So please, go ahead. Clean my Quantou clan's slate, allow us a fresh start."

"...Those last words of yours were almost admirable. If only that honor of yours came out when the possibility of kidnapping children was mentioned, then we wouldn't be here right now."

"Heh... There is no medicine for regret."

"Indeed."

After saying that, Issei allowed a wave of electricity to explode outwards with him at the center with the intent of utterly destroying the Quantou estate, and kill everyone present.

Shumei watched the wave of lightning approaching him with little more than a sense of serenity, until a stray beam of light broke through the darkness of his killer's hood, with the sight that met him causing his eyes to widen in extreme surprise, before his mouth twisted into a rueful smile.

'To think that someone so powerful, so gifted in the art as to achieve the transformation of Ki into elements wasn't a centuries-old grandmaster, but a child less than two decades old... Heh, that's even more terrifying than the fist option. I believe that the Shanmai clan has made an enemy that it is unable to match, and they're not even aware of it. But to die at the hands of such a monstrous youth... There are worse ways to go.'

With those as his last thoughts, Quantou Shumei was engulfed by the electricity, feeling only an instant of vibration, before losing his ability to feel anything else, forever.

In a single night, the Quantou clan that had dominated Hadano city fell, and the news spread quickly. Less than a day later, many of the criminal groups and families that had been oppressed by the Quantou clan, and others who saw new business opportunities in the newly freed city entered a state of war, each of them attempting to fill the power vacuum.

Watanabe Choujurou knew nothing of this, having moved his whole family to Nagano city overnight and taken up a job as an office worker.

"...After that, I killed the old man's clan and obliterated their estate. There's nothing to be found and identified, no skeletons, or even magical signatures were left untouched."

"...I see." Susanoo's voice sounded through the phone's speaker,"To think that the triads were the ones behind the kidnapping of children all along..."

"I'd like to know exactly what you mean by the that."

"The triads... Well, it's a bit of a complex story. You see, martial artists used to be a dime a dozen all over Asia in the older days. Practitioners of various different schools, such as Kenpo, Kendo, Muay Boran and Thai, Tai Chi and many more were widespread in the entirety of Asia. However, with the advancements of technology, and more specifically the creation and advancement of firearms, martial arts became less and less widespread.

"That is, except for China. While the majority of the martial artists clans and sects either fought against their government's control and the changes in social hierarchy and were killed, died out as their members abandoned the old ways, or became watered-down versions of themselves and turned into the widely available version of martial arts that, while good for the body and discipline, are incapable of actually tapping into the Ki, the chinese martial artists made a different choice. As soon as they saw the winds of change blowing, they took everything they had and went underground.

"They allowed their clans to keep growing in size and scale without entering into direct opposition, or even sight, of the chinese government and it's different revolutions and reformations. Instead, they acted in the shadows, amassing power in the chinese underworld.

"Basically all of the big bosses of the triads either are martial artists, or have deep bonds to them. And since the chinese martial arts community is split from the government and the chinese mainstream, the few true martial artists from other countries often go to china in order to improve in their own mastery of the art without paying any mind to political differences or issues.

"Since the overwhelming majority of the martial artists are located in china, and the chinese martial arts families and clans have successfully preserved many of their old instruction manuals, guides and training methods and instruments, they are generally considered to be the strongest martial artists in the world."

"So, when I hear of the triads, I should directly think of chinese martial arts clans... But, something there doesn't make sense. If the chinese are the best martial artists, coming from consecutive generations of martial arts, then why would they kidnap japanese children to recruit to their clans? The lack of exposure to concentrated Ki from clan mates from childhood, or even the Ki of their mother while in the womb would make it so that the average child is less likely to be talented in martial arts.

"If they have a widely available pool of talented individuals that they don't need to cross the sea and kidnap, then why would they?"

"If not for recruitment, why would they be kidnapping the children?"

"...The first mysterious kidnappings began three months ago, coinciding with the movement of the triads into japan based on the information I got today. However, the people doing the kidnapping don't really have a good reason to do so, as anything they could get from japanese children, they likely could from chinese children too.

"That means that it's likely not them needing to kidnap japanese children, but rather, them needing to kidnap children in japan."

"They could have some sort of plan that involves something like sacrificing a lot of children in Japan?"

"But if that were their plan, then wouldn't it simply be easier for them to bring the children with them from china and just lie low until they could concretize their plan?"

"Then what do you think is going on?"

"The Quantou clan was forced to pick up any needed gear and bring all of it's eligible members to japan on a dime in order to work for the Shanmai clan. Could it not be that rather than the Shanmai clan being the third party interested in kidnapping children, they are actually working for the ones that wish to kidnap kids?"

"That is a possibility. I guess we'll know more when you fulfill your second mission."

"Second mission?"

"We have a place, we have a time, and we have a name. Shanmai Xu. All we need now is to get information from him, and we can figure out who our shadow faction is. That is... If you are willing to accept the mission?"

"I already started doing it, I guess I'm seeing it through to the end now."

"Thank you. Your payment for this mission has already been wired to an offshore account, the number of which you are the sole person privy to. Wouldn't want to wire a bunch of money into your regular account and have the tax folks sniffing around, after all."

"Good. I'll talk to you when I have more info. Oh, and say hi to Amaterasu for me."

Having said that, Issei disconnected from the call, before staring at his ruined hooded jacket.

'Hah... I wasn't being facetious when I said that I really liked this one. Freaking annoying. I'll need to find something else to wear for my missions that will hide my identity... I guess I'll figure it out later. For now, though, I have a battle to fight with quadratic equations.'

From there, Issei's thoughts shifted primarily towards his schoolwork, with his upcoming second mission getting relegated to a small corner of his mind.

Education is very important, after all!

"The Quantou clan fell. Completely annihilated to the last member stationed here in Japan. Even their compound was totalled."

"Is the Shanmai clan aware of this?"

"Not yet. Should I warn them?"

"No. The Quantou clan's destruction might simply be the result of them annoying the wrong person, be it here in Japan, or back in china. A very proud bunch, those martial artists."

"And if it isn't personal, and our operation is getting targeted directly?"

"Do not worry, I already have a plan in place for that eventuality."

"Heh... You always were a quick thinker."

"I have to be, if I wish to protect humanity from the monsters that would destroy them all."

"A man of the cause, through and through."

"Fuck yes I am!"

"Haha! Now that we're done, I'm hanging up before I catch your fanaticism."

Click.

"Tch, he makes fun of me because he's not felt the danger of those things on his own. But he'll thank me, in the end. They'll all thank me, especially when they see how dangerous the freaks really are.

"Humanitas Today, Humanitas Forever!"

-Chapter, End!-