"Now, it's finally the time! The Karate Master, Kuroki Gensai! The Martial Arts Prodigy, Uchiha Shinra! The two of them finally meet each other and have their battle! Who will win? Ah, I can't wait anymore!"
"Calm down, Sayaka! But I can understand your feelings! I share a similar enthusiasm since I can't even wait to watch their match!"
As the two emcees continued to talk as they fueled up everyone's excitement for this match, everyone also shared similar feelings.
"...he killed him?"
"Yes."
"...you are not doing anything?"
"Raian reaped what he sowed." Erioh's eyes were full of an obsession toward Shinra. "He is a monster. Gensai will be his stepping stone." The future of their clan was with the Uchiha, and he knew well that if their clan wanted to reach greater heights, the best way was to get Shinra's genes; especially if possible, it would be great if his great-granddaughter would marry Shinra.
Instead of hating Shinra, Erioh loved him further, which, if Shinra knew, he would look at this guy weirdly.
"..."
Katahara didn't say anything, but when he read all the records of Shinra, from how Shinra appeared to how he developed till now, it reminded him of himself somehow.
Unlike the others, Shinra started from zero by becoming a fighter for Shion, then grew step by step, making himself stronger, smarter, and richer.
'He is also handsome...'
Shinra was simply perfect, but he loved to make children, which made Erioh sigh helplessly.
"Say, Erioh."
"What?"
"What if he wants to take the position of the chairman of the Kengan Association for himself?"
"...."
Erioh looked at Katahara in shock, but he wasn't the only one, since all the bodyguards who followed Katahara were also shocked.
How old was Shinra again?
Yet, Katahara thought of having Shinra become the chairman of the Kengan Association?
"...are you crazy?"
"If you look at how he handles business. You should see how wonderful he is." Katahara's old, cloudy eyes were filled with a twisted fire as he saw the future. "Even if he doesn't become the chairman, there is a high chance he will be in the future, and while he is still small and weak, I can make a great return in the future~!"
"...you are the same as ever."
"Fuwahahaha! Aren't you the same? Let's just bet and see where our luck brings us!"
The two looked at each other and laughed as they thought of their youth when they were still full of energy, ambitions, and everything. The two saw themselves in Shinra, and they wanted to see how he would go further, but—
"Kanoh isn't weak."
"Let's talk about that if he can defeat Kuroki first."
No one continued to talk as their eyes focused on the two figures in the arena.
"Dammit!"
Meanwhile, the MC of this world, Tokita Ohma, felt quite annoyed by the attention given to Kuroki and Shinra, yet he also understood why they had such popularity. Still, what he didn't like the most wasn't about their popularity, but about a certain possibility that existed within Shinra.
In his last fight, Shinra had shown everyone that he was capable of learning the martial art that was used by Nikaido in just a single glance.
So, what if... what if Shinra could also learn the martial arts of others?
'Can he also learn the Niko Style?'
When Ohma thought about the martial art that was taught by his teacher carefully with care, and he learned it the hardest possible way, which almost killed him, it was mastered by Shinra with just a single glance, it made him furious, yet also helpless.
This concern was also shared by everyone as they thought that Shinra also mastered their martial art!
Their martial arts was everything—something they had struggled for and worked hard to achieve, and sometimes they thought it was better to give up and die. Yet, they continued to persist due to their love and pride.
When all of that was mastered by someone with just a single glance, it made them angry, yet also helpless and jealous of Shinra's talent.
"I am jealous of him..."
Kaneda Suekichi, who was talentless, felt it was painful to watch Shinra, yet he persisted.
This feeling was also shared by everyone, and because of that, all of them watched this battle that was about to start.
Yet, even so, while Shinra's talent was dazzling, it was still far from Gensai, who had been hailed as the strongest and had decades of experience.
So, who would win?
The strongest would be determined between the two, which made many fighters become desperate and frustrated, yet it didn't mean they would give up!
"You are the most talented young man that I have seen in my life."
When Kuroki faced Shinra for the first time, he felt this young man's talent was so deep that it was impossible to see the bottom. Like Shinra's nickname, the "Deluge," if he wasn't careful, a chance might exist that he would drown.
"Also, it is my first time to see someone who masters Aiki."
"You will be more surprised later."
Aiki.
Most of the time, this martial style was viewed as a sham, a deception, a means for the masters to profit.
Even the real master of this martial art probably never existed!
Some fighters might be famous Aikido users, but unlike Shinra, who used the essence of Aiki to the limit, focusing on the skills to perfection, those Aikido users were like a normal combat, using a hard type instead of a soft type skill.
So, without a doubt, Shinra was the only pure soft-type martial arts user.
"But that won't be enough to defeat me."
While he said those words, Kuroki put a Kokutsu Dachi (Back Stance), a defensive stance that could also be used offensively, delivering strong blocks or angular attacks to the neck and arms. It can also be used in grappling situations as the basis for sweeps and throws.
Yet, with this stance, Kuroki showed a clear intention that he wouldn't make the first move.
Aiki was strong, yes, strong enough to use the power of the enemy, and combine it with the user's power to create more powerful damage.
However, to use this technique, the enemy had to make the first move!
If the enemy were still, firm, and didn't make the first move, then would Shinra be able to do something?
Still, even if Shinra knew that Kuroki showed such an intent, he didn't back away and used his usual half-body stance or Hanmi of Aikido.
"BEGIN!"
As the referee made his announcement, their duel started, but as Shinra and Kuroki made such a defensive stance, how could this fight even start?
Yet, watching this, they understood Kuroki's logic and Shinra's weakness.
'Yes, if they don't move, then can he attack?'
The answer was obvious: no.
If there were no dynamics, then Shinra's martial arts would be useless.
However—
Only, Shinra smiled, then walked toward Kuroki with a light smile on his face.
A stroll, a saunter, or simply a walk.
Many words could be used to describe his action, but he just walked like nothing was wrong toward Kuroki, who was in a defensive stance.
All were confused, and their hearts were beating so fast, yet they couldn't look away, wondering what Shinra would do until he was in front of Kuroki, so close that Kuroki's Devil Lance would pierce Shinra's body.
Devil Lance.
This was Kuroki's trademark technique, and also the strongest, which was a karate technique where the user thrusts their hand like a spear.
If it was a normal person, their fingers would break when they used this technique, but Kuroki had conditioned and trained this technique tirelessly and consistently, so that he could puncture solid steel and human flesh with this technique.
So, the fact that Shinra was so close that he was within the range of the Devil Lance was so dangerous as he could die, killed by Kuroki.
Yet, despite having Shinra within his range of attack, Kuroki didn't move and was as motionless as ever, stable, and firm like a mountain.
However, facing this, Shinra wasn't annoyed and just laughed, then said, "Coward."
"..." Everyone.
Shinra had come so close, letting himself be hit, becoming a bit, showing an opening, yet Kuroki didn't attack him, so he decided to provoke him.
Then, as expected—
Kuroki delivered his Devil Lance, aimed directly at Shinra's neck, yet Shinra twisted his neck lightly, dodging the Devil Lance, and caught Kuroki's arm by grabbing it with a force between his chin and chest, pulling Kuroki, who quickly lost his balance and was thrown.
Kuroki saw that his face was about to meet the ground, but he could use his feet and hands to stop this impact.
'What a little devil!'
Kuroki was shocked and a little angry by being provoked, but if Shinra wanted to defeat him like this, then it was too early!
A little chick can't defeat the soaring hawk!
However, when Kuroki was about to use his hands and feet to stop the impact, Shinra grabbed his face, pulled him, rolling him to another direction in the air, and then smashed him into the ground!
CRACK!
BOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMM!!
With a bloody face and broken nose, Kuroki's head was smashed into the ground mercilessly.
In this first confrontation, Shinra won!