Legend Of The Strongest Delinquent 24

Hey everyone, and welcome to this chapter. This chapter will cover the rest of the Chinatown Arc. This took longer to get done than I expected, but there was a lot of stuff I wanted to make sure got in, and I'm hoping you'll like how it turned out.

Disclaimer: The following is a non-profit fan-based parody. History's Strongest Disciple Kenichi is owned by Funimation and Syun Matsuena. Please support the official release.

—

"Shirou" Regular speech.

"Shirou" Thoughts.

SEIKUKEN Attack names.

(Shirou) Words said previously.

[Shirou] Words said in unison.

—

Hard Style Vs. Soft Style

—…

There was a quiet atmosphere over Ryozanpaku. After Kensei had left in the middle of the night and Shirou followed after him, Kenichi had stayed behind and waited around, hoping to see them return, but a bit of time had gone by, and there was still no sign of them.

Right now, he was playing a game of Othello with Apachai. Miu and the other Masters came by the training hall.

Miu, now in her pajamas, approached Kenichi. "Weird, Kensei hasn't come back to the Dojo yet?" She then asked him. "Hey, didn't Shirou go with him? Why do you think they've been out so long?"

"I don't know?" Kenichi answered with a concerned expression while sitting across from Apachai. "I thought they'd be back by now. I hope nothing bad has happened."

"Kenichi, is your turn, Apa!" Apachai was more focused on the game.

"They… Left a few… Hours ago." Shigure pointed out. "They must have… Gone pretty far…"

"Well, it's Shirou, so there shouldn't be that much reason to worry." Kenichi reasoned, though it sounded like he was trying to reassure himself.

"All right then." Miu accepted that answer.

"Who knows what den of sin Kensei is introducing him to." Sakaki joked a little, causing more to frown. "But knowing the punk, I'll bet he can handle it."

Despite his joking demeanor, once Sakaki walked away, he passed by Akisame. The Philosophical Master didn't say a word, but the look on his face suggested he understood the serious nature of the situation. Sakaki stopped beside him, and his expression was the same. They both knew that it was very likely that Kensei had gone to a dangerous place and that if Shirou had followed him, there would have been no telling what might be happening.

Back in Chinatown, Shirou, Haruto, and Renka were still on their mission to find Sōgetsu and, by extension, Kensei. After interrogating the Mafia member on the location of their hideout, the three of them made their way to a dark part of town.

They now found themselves in an area surrounded by tall buildings and quiet streets. The alleyways were filled with people who looked like they were part of the Mafia. Before long, they arrived near the front of a large building with several floors and four armed guards defending the entrance.

"That looks like the place." Haruto pointed to it.

"Then that's where we'll find Sōgetsu." Shirou confirmed.

"You sure about this?" Renka asked them one last time. "Inside that building is a world of corruption and violence unlike anything else." She didn't doubt their abilities but felt compelled to remind them what they were up against. "You'll be putting your lives at risk."

Shirou thought about that last part before he thought back to some of his fights against the members of Ragnarok, specifically Hermit. "Wouldn't be the first time." He then smirked at her. "I'm as fierce as any of them."

Renka was taken aback a bit by his confidence, in a different sense than before. "What's with this guy?"

"There's no way other way inside, and we don't have all night; we'll have to enter through the front." Haeuto informed them. "That means we'll have to take out the guards."

"Four guards against three of us? Should be easy." Shirou stated as he marched toward the entrance.

Renka and Haruto followed behind as they made their way toward the building.

Inside the building, in one of the rooms on the top floor, the Mafia boss instructed his men while Sōgetsu sat by drinking his beer.

"Hey, look lively! I expect Hakubi's shop to be burned down before the night is done!" The Mafia boss ordered them.

As they moved the supplies around, one of the grunts opened a wooden crate and was shocked to see that it was filled with dynamite.

"B-Boss… You went far enough to have this type of thing prepared?" The grunt asked, slightly afraid.

"Ha! We've been opposed on all sides by Hakubi. Ordinary means aren't enough." The Mafia boss reasoned with a sinister grin. "Right, Master Sōgetsu Ma?"

"…" Sōgetsu didn't acknowledge him with a response and just sat there.

"You're a pretty cold guy. Even though I'm talking about burning down a building owned by your relative, your expression hasn't changed a bit." The Mafia boss commented.

"As far as I'm concerned…" Sōgetsu stoically responded. "As long as I can drink and fight, I don't care what happens to anyone else."

"Well, you're even worse than we are." The Mafia boss joked.

Suddenly, Sōgetsu sensed something that made his eyes shoot open before he got out of his seat and gained a severe expression.

"Wh…What are you doing? Sit back down!" Seeing his sudden change in demeanor, the Mafia boss worried and feared for his own safety. "You aren't thinking of raising your hand against your employer, are you?!"

Sōgetsu ignored his babbling as his whole body was emitting killing intent.

Meanwhile, after getting past the guards and making their way inside, the trio went up the elevator and entered the upper floor. Now, they found themselves in a long hallway with the entire right side windows showing the outside view and the left side walls and doors leading to other rooms. The three of them fought against the guards upstairs with minimal effort.

"You find it weird that guards for the Mafia are this easy to beat?" Shirou noted as they walked past their defeated foes.

"Well, to be fair, most of the fighting power of the Mafia comes from their guns." Haruto pointed out.

"Would you two hurry up?" Renka walked ahead while sounding upset. "We're wasting time."

"We don't know where Sōgetsu is, so being hasty won't do any good." Shirou reminded her, unfazed by her bad mood. "Why are you in such a rush?"

"I can't let Uncle Sōgetsu get away with what he's doing." Renka declared with a dark look in her eyes that could frighten weaker men. "He's shaming the Ma family by dealing with the mafia, and I'm putting a stop to it."

"You think you have the power to stop someone like him? You couldn't even touch Kensei, and he was toying with you." Shirou reminded her.

"So what? This is different!" Renka insisted, not letting herself be swayed.

"What do we know about Sōgetsu anyway?" Haruto spoke out. "I mean, I get why Kensei left, but if Sōgetsu wanted to join the Mafia, it's not like he had to come to Japan. Why did he leave China in the first place?"

Renka looked down and spoke in a sadder tone. "20 years ago, my uncle killed some people back in China, and he had to leave the country for good."

BAM!

Before they could say anything else, they heard a rumble coming from the nearby wall. They all sensed something was coming and jumped back as something bulldozed through the wall, creating a massive whole through surrounded by scattered dust and debris.

"What was that?" Haruto asked, surprised.

"I…I don't know?" Renka said, trying to make sense of everything. "But I felt a terrible killing intent."

"Both of you…" Shirou was on guard the whole time and kept his gaze on the hole in the wall. "Brace yourselves."

They both looked and saw the person who was pushed through the wall was the Mafia boss in charge of this whole operation and was currently unconscious. Their real attention was on the person standing at the wall's opening as the dust cleared. It was Sōgetst, and he was the one emitting the terrible killing intent.

"I thought I sensed Kensei's aura." Sōgetsu stepped into the hallway and looked around. "But, somehow, I mistook him for someone else."

All of them were taken aback when he finally revealed himself.

"Sōgetsu Ma…" Haruto muttered; seeing him for the first time, he could already tell this man was a powerful threat.

"So that's Sōgetsu?" Shirou thought, trying to get a read on him. "He's strong; he feels like Apachai or Sakaki, but his killing intent is a lot like Hermit's, only much stronger."

"Sōgetsu Ma!" Unfortunately, Renka was less interested in thinking and decided to act immediately by aiming a jumping kick at him. "You're done shaming the Ma family!"

Sadly, the difference in their abilities was evident from the start as Sōgetsu caught her kick and, while still holding her ankle, slammed her into the wall so hard the material started to crack.

Despite the power gap, Sōgetsu actually seemed intrigued. "Interesting, that kick. I'd recognize that form anywhere, but I don't recognize you."

SLASH!

Before he could go on crushing Renka, Shirou and Haruto closed the distance, and Shirou aimed a spear kick at Sōgetsu's head, which he dodged, but that forced him to step back and loosen his hold on Renka, which Haruto took advantage of and pulled her out of Sōgetsu's grip. With Renka in hand, the Tsukiharu brothers leaped back to their original position away from Sōgetsu.

"How is she?" Shirou asked, not taking his eyes off the enemy.

"Okay, the damage wasn't too deep." Haruto answered as Renka sat on the floor and caught her breath.

"Good, cover me." Shirou told him as he stepped forward. "Sōgetsu Ma, nice to finally put a face on the name everyone's been talking about."

"You know my name, but I don't know you or the girl for that matter." Sōgetsu addressed him dismissively. "What do you kids want with me?"

"Well, as for the girl, she's here for a personal reason." Shirou informed him. "She's the daughter of your brother, Kensei."

"I suppose I should have guessed that, but no matter who her father is, she attacked me as a Martial Artist." Sōgetsu was unmoved. "Besides, I said goodbye to my family long ago."

"I figured, but my reasons are different." Shirou narrowed his eyes. "Tell me… Do you have a Disciple named Natsu Tanimoto?"

Both Renka and Sōgetsu were completely caught off guard by this question, but Renka, it was she was unaware of any such person, while Sōgetsu merely didn't expect to hear that name from him.

"As a matter of fact, I do." Sōgetsu answered, now becoming interested. "But how did you know that?"

"The truth is, he's a rival of mine; we actually fought just the other day." Shirou informed him. "He told me that his Master was Sōgetsu Ma, and I became interested in seeing you for myself."

"Is that so?" Sōgetsu thought about Tanimoto. "So, Natsu found himself a rival? Which one of you won?"

"It was undecided. He challenged me by pushing me off a bridge above the hallway, and we ended up fighting on top of a moving bus." Shirou told him about the event. "We kept fighting until I got off and decided we'd settle it some other time, but it seemed pretty obvious he wanted to kill me."

"Is all that true?" Renka asked as she sat up.

"Yeah, it was an intense battle, but there was no clear winner." Haruto confirmed. "Tanimoto definitely said his Master was Sōgetsu Ma."

"I never even knew Uncle Sōgetsu even had a Disciple nor that he was here in Japan." Renka confessed.

"Hahahaha! On top of a moving bus!" Sōgetsu laughed, not because he didn't believe him but because he merely found the whole thing amusing. "That sounds just like him; he had the same look in his eyes as I did when I was a kid. So you're Natsu's rival, huh? That's a shame."

"Why's that?" Shirou questioned him.

"It means I have to steal his kill." Sōgetsu smirked, making it clear he intended to kill all of them. "Hope he won't be too disappointed."

"You'll find I'm so easy to kill." Shirou prepared himself. "Haruto, this won't be like before."

"I know." Haruto nodded as he stood beside him.

The two of them knew that this wouldn't be like the last time they faced a Master-Class fighter. The last time was when they faced Taiki in the mountains while he was pretending to be the Tengu, but that situation was completely different. Taiki only faced them as a Master who was training them, and the point of that fight was simply to score a hit. In this case, they were facing a man who was just as strong but was much more adept at killing and had no qualms about taking their lives; a single mistake could be fatal.

Play OST — Lu Bu — Dynasty Warriors 5

Shirou made the first move and charged at Sōgetsu with a low kick. Sōgetsu dodged it with a backstep, but that was a feint as Shirou aimed upward and let loose a combo of six straight punches at Sōgetsu's head, which he dodged with simple head movements. Shirou finished his combo with an uppercut that also missed, but that was merely a ruse to block Sōgetsu's line of sight as he covered his face so he wouldn't see Haruto's advance.

Haruto circled around his brother like a shadow and threw an overhead punch at Sōgetsu's unguarded midsection, but the Chinese Master was faster and lifted his leg in order to block Haruto's fist with his knee. Sōgetsu flowed up by stretching out his leg into a kick to knock Haruto away; before he could be blown away, he held out his hand, and Shirou caught it.

Shirou gripped his brother's hand before he spun him around like an athlete doing the hammer throw before he tossed him back in the direction of Sōgetsu. Like when they fought Taiki, Haruto hoped to use his speed and forward momentum to fuel his next attack, but a Master of Sōgetsu's level couldn't be caught off guard with just speed, and Haruto paid for it.

SLAM!

Seeing through his blitz attack, Sogetsu held out his fist, and Haruto crashed into it like a brick wall, knocking him upward in a spiral before he painfully hit the floor.

"Haruto!" Shirou called out in concern.

"If you can only move in a straight line, it doesn't matter how fast you are." Sōgetsu pointed out as though it was obvious. "Simple tricks like that only work against amateurs."

Just as he finished those words, Haruto leaped back up and aimed a dropkick at Sōgetsu's head. Once again, he dodged it, but Haruto's outstretched legs connected with the wall and used it as a springboard to bounce back at Sōgetsu. He prepared to hit Haruto with his fist again, but this time, Haruto reached out and grabbed onto Sōgetsu's hand. Haruto then twisted Sōgetsu's hand as though he was trying to break his wrist.

"—And what makes you think one blow is enough to stop me?" Haruto retorted, showing the only damage he sustained from that last hit was a bloody nose.

Sōgetsu didn't respond and swung his arm out like a whip, which blew Haruto off of him. He landed back beside Shirou and wiped the blood off.

"Okay, if tactics don't work, we'll just have to break through his defenses." Shirou decided, and he closed in again. "It doesn't matter how tough you are; even a Master can be brought down if you know where to strike."

"You assume you'll live long enough to find out?" Sōgetsu taunted as he waited for Shirou to arrive.

Shirou threw a one-two at Sōgetsu, which he waived around; Shirou then threw a left hook, which he dodged by leaning his chin back. Shirou kept throwing punches while moving forward, and Sōgetsu continued to evade them without a change in expression. Shirou kept using his footwork to aim at Sōgetsu's flanks; he threw a left jab followed by a right hook, then a double right jab that went into a body blow that chained into an overhead right and another left hook aimed at the temple. All of his punches missed Sōgetsu with only head movement and sidesteps.

"He can't connect." Renka noticed from their fight.

"Not yet." Haruto remarked.

Shirou threw three more punches at Sōgetsu at his head, stomach, and chest, respectively, which all missed before he threw a high kick at his chin, which he also dodged. Shirou hopped up and threw a roundhouse kick at Sōgetsu's head, but he ducked beneath it. Shirou tried to copy Kisara and changed the direction of his kick in midair to aim an Ax-kick at Sōgetsu's skull, but that also failed as he shifted to the side.

Shirou didn't miss a beat and reached his arms out. He grabbed Sōgetsu by his shirt with both hands and wrapped his legs around the Chinese Master's neck, planning to strangle him with a chokehold while he used his hands to grab onto Sōgetsu's arm in order to pull his whole torso down toward the floor.

"A flying triangle hold?" Haruto recognized the technique.

However, Sōgetsu rose back up as though Shirou was weightless and stood up straight.

"Not a bad strategy. Strangling is an effective method of stopping a stronger opponent, but the difference in our weight makes you too light to pull off a successful hold." Sōgetsu informed him as he pulled back his free arm.

Sōgetsu threw a punch at Shirou, but Shirou acted first. Before Sōgetsu pulled back his arm, Shirou let go of him and leaped back as Sōgetsu's fist connected with the floor. The power behind his fist was so great that his punch shattered that section of the floor like a jackhammer.

"Hmm, you managed to dodge that one?" Sōgetsu noted but wasn't concerned.

Shirou exhaled before clenching his fists. "…Okay, I'm ready."

This time, Shirou closed the distance with a speed much greater than before and threw a straight right at Sōgetsu, which he parried. Sogetsu followed up with his own punch, but to his surprise, Shirou blocked his punch with an open palm, though he skidded back a few steps.

"He blocked it?" Renka was taken aback.

"Oh, you actually managed to block one of my hits?" Now, Sōgetsu was mildly impressed. "Let's see what else you've got."

They both moved in as the fight became more intense. Shirou threw three fast punches that Sōgetsu deflected with his hands before he leaned back from an incoming hook. Then he threw four straight punches, but Shirou managed to dodge them with head slips. Shirou threw a counterpunch, but Sōgetsu blocked it and threw his own counterpunch, but Shirou was prepared for that.

Shirou used a Ju-Jitsu technique to redirect the force of Sōgetsu's punch by placing his palm on Sōgetsu's wrist and pushing it downward. This caused Sōgetsu to lower his stance, and Shirou used that opening to throw a looping kick at his head. But Sōgetsu would not be caught lacking and used his other arm to block the kick. Once more, Shirou stepped back as Sōgetsu got back up.

"Interesting, you've gotten a bit faster than before. Is it because you needed to warm up first, or have you gotten stronger during the course of this fight?" Sōgetsu questioned with interest. "Or, is it a little of both?"

"I don't get it; how is he able to keep up with Uncle Sōgetsu all of a sudden?" Renka could hardly believe her eyes.

"It's like he said, he's improved during the fight." Haruto answered her. "The longer they trade blows, the more he's adapting to his speed. Even if he can't match his speed, his reaction time becomes sharper with every blow. Before, he could only hope to pull off a counter instinctively, but now he can consciously time them and counter when he sees or even creates an opening." He then thought about it. "The truth is Sōgetsu's speed isn't unknown to him. He spars with Apachai and Sakaki on a regular basis, so he's used to a Master's speed. All he needed was to adjust his eyes to the different timing and reach of his attacks. Now that he has, he should be able to manage."

Haruto prepared to rejoin the fight as he went past Renka. "Hey, what are you doing?"

"Did you think I was just sitting here this whole time?" Haruto asked rhetorically. "I've also been getting ready. From the very start, I had a feeling I'd need to use it."

"Huh?" Renka looked confused. "Use what?"

While Shirou and Sōgetsu were still going blow for blow, Haruto charged in, and Shirou timed his advance to allow Haruto to strike at Sōgetsu's head. Haruto threw a strike that resembled a Karate chop, but it failed to connect when Sōgetsu slipped to the right. Haruto planned for that and changed his chop into a fist, which he used to backhand Sōgetsu's cheek.

Sōgetsu deflected Haruto's fist, but Shirou used that distraction to throw a punch of his own at Sōgetsu's face. Sogetsu caught Shirou's punch as well, but now that both of his hands were occupied, Haruto used that opportunity and ducked down to the floor before he reached out and grabbed Sōgetsu's ankle. Haruto pulled back and caused Sōgetsu to lose his footing. While he was off-balanced, Haruto moved forward and placed his palm on Sōgetsu's chin to push him forward and Judo-throw him to the floor.

He was thrown off his feet and about to hit the floor, but just before his back touched the floor, Sōgetsu pushed his palm down and caught himself with one hand and one foot that came after. However, Shirou wouldn't let a chance slip by. He leaped above Shirou before he brought down both legs for a double kick aimed at his head. Sōgetsu was faster, though, and rolled out of the way, so Shirou's kick only hit the floor.

Haruto wasn't finished, though, as he lunged at Sōgetsu and thrust his two front fingers at Sōgetsu's eyelids, aiming to gouge his eyes out. But, just before he connected, Sōgetsu turned his head to the right, and Haruto's fingers only landed on his cheek.

Sōgetsu smirked, having seen through his plan. "Nice try."

Haruto moved back before Sōgetsu could counterattack, and the brothers yet again put some distance between them and their enemy.

"What's up with those two? First Shirou and now his brother as well; how can they keep up with Uncle Sōgetsu like that?" Renka could hardly believe it. "But not just that, Haruto's movements—They look like street fighting, but there's a rhythm and sharpness to his moves; what is it?"

"It's Krav Maga." Sōgetsu recognized. "I didn't think I'd run into a practitioner of that style here in Japan."

Krav Maga—It is an Israeli self-defense system. Developed for the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), it uses techniques derived from Aikido, Boxing, Judo, Karate, and Wrestling. It is known for its focus on real-world situations.

Krav Maga was originally developed by Hungarian-born Israeli Martial Artist Imi Lichtenfeld. Having grown up in Bratislava during a time of anti-Semitic unrest, Lichtenfeld used his training as a boxer and wrestler to defend Jewish neighborhoods against attackers in the mid-to-late 1930s, becoming an experienced street fighter. After he immigrated to Mandatory Palestine in the late 1940s, he began to provide lessons on combat training to Jewish paramilitary groups that would later form the IDF during the 1948 Palestine war. As an instructor, he compiled his knowledge and experience into the combat system that would later become known as Krav Maga. This system would continue to be taught long after he left the IDF.

From the outset, the original concept of Krav Maga was to take the most effective and practical techniques of other fighting styles (originally European boxing, wrestling, and street fighting) and make them rapidly teachable to conscripted soldiers. It has a philosophy emphasizing aggression and simultaneous defensive and offensive maneuvers. It has been used by Israeli special forces and regular infantry units alike. Closely related variations have been developed and adopted by Israeli law enforcement and intelligence organizations, and there are several organizations teaching variations of Krav Maga internationally. There are two forms of Krav Maga, with one type adapted for Israeli security forces and the other type adapted for civilian use.

"You finally started using it." Shirou smiled at his brother. "You haven't used Krav Maga since we returned to Japan."

"Couldn't be helped; there weren't many opportunities to use it without it being overkill." Haruto reasoned. "But we can't hold anything back against this guy."

"Yeah, but I always notice that whenever you use Krav Maga, your speed and all your other basic abilities seem to improve, like you're more comfortable fighting with that style." Shirou pointed out.

Haruto shrugged with a smile. "I can't help it. After all, it is my favorite."

"Still, at this rate, we're running out of options; if we don't end it with this next shot, it might be over for us." Shirou said disquietedly.

"So then, it's like we expected; it's come down to that?" Haruto asked about what they had planned earlier.

"Yeah… I have to kill him." Shirou severely decided.

With a fire burning in his gut, Shirou resolved himself as Haruto charged in first.

"Are you finished with your strategy meeting?" Sōgetsu asked unconcerned. "In that case, I'm ending this."

While it looked like Shirou and Haruto had been keeping up with Sōgetsu's speed, the truth was they were still slower than him. The way to keep up with someone faster than you is to anticipate their moves and move before they do to get the jump on them. It is a skill that requires a lot of training to acquire. Thanks to their years of training under Hideki, both the Tsukiharu brothers were able to pull it off, but because Sōgetsu was that much faster, even if they moved first, they could still barely keep up and gave the illusion that they were equal in speed.

Sōgetsu threw a punch once Haruto was in close range, but Haruto speed blitzed past him and closed the distance completely. He didn't stop and continued until he was behind Sōgetsu. He then reached out and wrapped his legs around Sōgetsu's back to hold onto him before he placed his hands over his chin. Haruto pulled upward as though he was trying to dislocate his neck, but the truth was that this was only a distraction as Shirou prepared the finishing blow.

Shirou lifted up his shirt and revealed the same Sword belt that the Mafia grunt they had fought earlier had used. Shirou brought it with him and kept it concealed because he anticipated he would need it for a time like this. Shirou pulled it back and swung the belt like a whip as the edge of the blade sliced through the air and was aimed right at Sōgetsu's exposed neck. Shirou was aiming to slit his throat.

"Die Sōgetsu Ma!"

KATCHIN!

But while he had the resolve to kill, it was not meant to be as Sōgetsu used his unhindered legs and kicked the blade with a great enough precision that the blade was deflected without him getting a scratch. He then pulled his head down and broke out of Haruto's grasp before he reached back and pulled him off of his back.

Sōgetsu then lifted him up by his collar and hit him with a full-powered punch that landed right in his stomach and buried itself so deep Haruto could hear something crack and coughed out a bit of blood.

"Gugh!" Haruto gasped out.

But before Haruto was blown away, Sōgetsu thought he saw him smirk. The reason quickly revealed itself as at the same time his punch connected to Haruto, Shirou moved in and was right in front of him with his fist cocked back. Everything, even the Sword belt, had been a set-up to create an opening so that Sogetsu would be vulnerable enough for Shirou to hit him with his strongest technique.

The move he used on Hermit—A punching technique that was a combination of Seiken and Hakkyokuken. A finishing blow that would maximize the damage done to the target on both the outside and inside of their body.

"Haaaaa!" Shirou roared as his fist hit the center of Sōgetsu's body.

BAM!

Music Off

Shirou felt an impact go through him like before.

.

.

.

But to his confusion, Sōgetsu was unmoved. Like a brick wall hit by a stone, Sōgetsu was completely unaffected by Shirou's finishing move.

"…What?" Shirou's eyes widened as he was taken aback by this outcome.

"Ah, you used Hakkyokuken to fuel a heavy punching technique. No, you tried to merge to two for maximum effect. Not gonna lie, that's pretty clever." Sōgetsu reached out and grabbed Shirou's outstretched arm. "However—"

CRACK!

"Aughhh!" Shirou screamed in pain as Sōgetsu twisted his wrist so hard that his arm was dislocated by his elbow joint.

"The technique itself is incomplete."

CRACK!

"Aughhh!" Sōgetsu pulled harder and dislocated Shirou's shoulder.

"The idea behind the technique is good, but you haven't mastered it yet." Sōgetsu realized as he let go of Shirou's arm. "That's why the accuracy behind it sucks, and its power isn't even a fraction of what it would be had you completed it."

Shirou grasped his shoulder with his other hand as his arm dangled, broken, and useless in its twisted state. Before he could respond, he hit him in the face with an attack so much faster than any of his previous ones that Shirou didn't even know what hit him.

Sōgetsu wasn't done. He hit Shirou with two kicks to the face, one to the stomach, kicked him in his already broken arm, and finished with one last kick to the face. That barrage of kicks was so fast that no one there could follow it with their eyes. After taking all those hits, Shirou's vision became blurry as he felt his consciousness slipping. However, Sōgetsu wouldn't even give him the mercy of passing out as he raised his leg before hitting Shirou across the face with a ruthless roundhouse kick.

DON!

That last kick knocked Shirou off his feet and sent him across the hallway before he landed painfully on his back, unable to get back up, awake but horribly damaged. Haruto was being held up by Renka, both unable to stand as Haruto looked on in horror while Sōgetsu. Neither of them could understand how Sōgetsu became so much faster all of a sudden.

"H-How?" Haruto muttered.

"Oh, come on, don't tell me you didn't know?" Sōgetsu asked as he stopped in front of Shirou. "This whole time, I've just been toying with you."

Sōgetsu reached out and lifted Shirou by his throat before holding him up like a ragdoll.

"Based on your movements, you have a lot of experience training with Master class fighters, and you learned how to keep up with faster opponents through their training." Sōgetsu summarized. "You tried applying that on me because you thought my speed was the same as theirs, but while it's true I was moving faster than you, that was still only at the level of training exactly as a Master would do when facing a Disciple when I get serious and use my real speed, you couldn't even hope to follow much less keep up."

"But why would you hold back in the first place if you wanted to kill us?" Haruto asked in confusion.

"Why?" Sōgetsu smirked at them. "Because I was bored."

Renka and Haruto were thrown off by that answer.

"I've haven't had a good fight in a while, and when I thought I sensed Kensei, I was hoping for a good time. When it turned out to be someone else, I was disappointed." Sōgetsu elaborated. "When you guys appeared, I figured you'd be good enough for some entertainment, and honestly, this was pretty fun; I got to see some real interesting things. But—"

"Gugh!" Shirou gasped out as Sōgetsu tightened his grip and started choking Shirou.

"Brother!" Haruto voiced loudly in concern.

"That's all you were: entertainment." Sōgetsu clarified while choking the life out of him. "You're strong by a Disciple's standards, but make no mistake, I could have killed you anytime I felt like it.

"Argh!" Shirou could feel his throat being crushed.

"And since you were hoping to kill me back there, you can't complain if I return the favor." Sōgetsu decided as he prepared to snap Shirou's neck with his vice-grip. "I'll start with you before I kill the others."

"No…!" Haruto called out, trying to get up.

"Stop it!" Renka cried out, almost giving in to despair.

It seemed like all hope was lost as they appeared fated to be killed by Sōgetsu. But at the last second, hope arrived.

CRACK!

Out of nowhere, Kensei shattered one of the glass windows and flew into the hallway before he swung a kick at Sōgetsu's arm, instantly freeing Shirou from his grasp and catching him before he hit the floor.

"Kensei?!" Haruto's eyes widened in surprise.

"Daddy?!" Renka called out in relief.

Kensei set Shirou down and looked around the hallway as he grasped the situation quickly. He felt a deep anger at Sōgetsu for the injuries dealt to the others.

"Brother, I see that you haven't changed." Kensei stared him down.

"Kensei, I guess this trip was worth it." Sōgetsu returned the glare. "Finally… I can settle things with you."

"Shirou…" Kensei addressed him without taking his eyes off his brother. "Forgive me for not getting here sooner."

"Heh… What are you apologizing for?" Shirou sarcastically remarked with a smirk. "I came here for my own reasons, so the outcome's on me."

Kensei gave a small smile to his response. "Right, of course." He refocused on Sōgetsu. "I want you to take the others and go."

Shirou pulled himself to his feet and stepped back as he knew what Kensei planned on doing. "So, you plan on ending this?"

"I'm afraid so." Kensei confirmed his suspicions.

"So, is he your Disciple?" Sōgetsu asked as he looked unconvinced. "I don't buy it. If he is, he must have learned Martial Arts even before he met you."

"And how do you figure that?" Kensei questioned him.

"I could tell from the way he fought me." Sōgetsu answered with a sneer. "He fights more like me than you; he's got something inside that you could never teach, not the way you are."

"You're wrong; unlike you, he'd never forsake himself in search of power; his eyes still see clearly." Kensei told him severely. "You, however, 20 years, and you still can't see the truth, can you?"

Their faceoff lasted for another moment before Kensei broke the silence.

"We can try to go back, Sōgetsu, find the man you could have been." Kensei gave a last offer.

"No, it's too late for that." Sōgetsu declared.

"Then you leave me no choice. As your brother, it is my duty to stop you." Kensei clasped his left hand over his right fist.

"Don't get cocky, Kensei!" Sōgetsu did the same as they prepared to begin their fight.

BOOM! BOOM! BAM! GON!

Right away, their battle started with a bang as the impact of their clashing blows created shockwaves so powerful that they shattered all the windows in the hallway. Kensei's abilities were far beyond anything Shirou had seen while they were training, and Sōgetsu was on a completely different level than what he had shown earlier. It was evident that they were seeing what it looked like when two Masters fought for real.

Sōgetsu threw a killer right punch, but Kensei redirected it to the side and slipped past him. Kensei then leaped to the wall before using it as a springboard to leap onto the ceiling and once again used it as a springboard to leap to Sōgetsu's unguarded left flank, all within a fraction of a second.

Kensei threw an open palm strike with his hand pointed like a spear while Sōgetsu did the same.

CLASH!

Their two attacks clashed, creating another powerful shockwave that shook the whole floor. The three who were watching had to brace for impact.

"How can they create such power with a single blow?" Haruto wondered as they watched.

"It's not just physical ability; they have something more." Shirou figured but didn't know what.

Their clash ended in a draw as Sōgetsu threw another punch that Kensei dodged as it broke a hole in the wall. Kensei skidded back as Sōgetsu chased after him. He punched a hole in the floor as Kensei leaped through an open door on his right and retreated inside an empty room.

Kensei moved to the side and stayed close to the wall, but that didn't help, as Sōgetsu punched his whole arm through the wall, which Kensei narrowly evaded. Sōgetsu kept punching through the wall around the same spot, and Kensei evaded each one until six holes were created, and Sōgetsu finished by ramming his whole body through the wall.

Now that they were both in the room, Sōgetsu closed in and threw a flurry of punches at Kensei, which he waived around before aiming a powerful technique at Kensei.

TENNOU TAKUTOU!

Sōgetsu hit him with a palm strike that created a powerful impact that blew Kensei away, but Kensei blocked the brunt of the attack and somersaulted backward in the air before holding himself up against the corner of the room by the splits with his back to the ceiling.

"Well, looks like your defense is as strong as ever. Not just anybody can absorb my attack like that." Sōgetsu conceded.

"Your attack has no technique. It can't hurt me." Kensei expressed bitterly. "I'm surprised how little you've improved in this time, but then I suppose when you lost your heart as a man, your art lost its heart too."

"Shut up!" Sōgetsu yelled.

"Sōgetsu the Hard and Kensei the Soft. They were revered as China's most accomplished Martial Artists." Renka informed them as they entered the room as well, though Shirou still gripped his broken arm, and Haruto needed to help Renka stand. "They were said to be equal in ability."

"No doubt, but which one is stronger now?" Haruto questioned.

"The outcome will be decided by which can strike first." Shirou predicted.

-O-

Meanwhile, the Mafia boss that Sōgetsu knocked out earlier was awake and outside the building with the rest of his grunts and was already planning his revenge. They set up all the explosives they had to blow up the building while the others were still inside, all with the goal of killing Sōgetsu.

"Let's see you fight this, Master Sōgetsu." The Mafia boss said mockingly before giving the order. "Do it."

"Right." One of the grunts pushed down the lever, and the explosives detonated.

BOOOOOOOOOM!

"Hyahahaha!" The Mafia boss laughed hysterically as the whole building went up in flames. "Burn! Swine of the Ma family! This is what you get for insulting the Mafia! You'll burn with the whole building!"

-O-

Back inside, all of them felt the impact of the explosions shake the building. The flames lit up immediately, and in only a few moments, the room, as well as the whole floor, started to catch fire.

"What happened?" Renka voiced as the fire was spreading.

"The Mafia must have decided to take matters into their own hands." Haruto deduced.

The suddenness of the explosion caused a momentary lapse in Kensei's concentration, which made him lose his balance. Seeing the opening, Sōgetsu went in for the kill.

"Now you die!" Sōgetsu roared as he hit Kensei with a powerful blow to the stomach.

"Son of a b*tch…" Kensei gasped before he coughed blood and collapsed to the floor.

"I told you, Martial Arts is the art of death used to defeat your enemy. It's not a tool for the weak." Sōgetsu smirked victoriously.

But his victory didn't last, as he felt a sudden burst of pain surge throughout his whole body. When he struck Kensei, Kensei used the full extent of his speed to strike him. Only Kensei unleashed four consecutive blows in quick succession, and each one hit a vital point.

"It's not the tool that makes the killer. It's the spirit of he who wields it." Kensei informed him as he got back up. "You're a fool to think strength gives you the right to kill."

"The one who struck first." Haruto realized Shirou's prediction had come true. "How did you know?"

"When you reach a certain level, you realize that everyone has a specific move that can end the fight in one go, as long as it's executed properly." Shirou explained. "We just saw an example."

"Ugh, why…?" Sōgetsu breathed out as he flew onto one knee. "Why have your skills improved so much?"

"I have the strength of my friends, all of their training. When you fought me, you fought each of them as well." Kensei said with pride. "But you've been training alone, so you fought alone today."

Sōgetsu was taken aback by that statement. They didn't have that much time to continue, though, as the building was starting to fall. Debris was falling from the ceiling and the floor continued to shake, not to mention the flames were still spreading.

"This place is collapsing, Kensei; we can't stay here!" Haruto told him urgently.

"Daddy!" Renka called out.

"'Course, surrounded by people worried about you like always. I never had anyone who cared about me or supported me, but you… You were always popular." Sōgetsu reflected on his past with a hint of regret and remembered how often Kensei was surrounded by others with friendship and bonds while he was feared and left alone. "I didn't leave China because I was running from what I did; I was looking for my place to be, somewhere I might actually belong."

"Brother…" Kensei muttered, not having known any of this until now.

More of the roof was collapsing but the two brothers didn't respond and kept facing each other.

"Go on, Kensei, get out of here." Sōgetsu advised him while sitting with his back against the wall.

Kensei knew that his brother had made his decision, so he turned around and walked away.

"All right, kids, let's get going." Kensei told them emotionlessly.

"Wait, what about Sōgetsu?" Haruto asked, realizing he wasn't moving.

"He's made his decision." Kensei responded as he kept walking.

"If he stays, he might not survive." Shirou pointed out, though he knew they were both aware of that.

"You can try to get him out the door if you like." Kensei told him as he opened the elevator door. "I'm sure my brother would prefer to go out fighting."

Sōgetsu took out his jug of sake and drank a bit as he waited for the building to collapse. "Ah, well, no better than I deserve. I guess at least it's over."

At this point, everyone had recovered enough that they could walk on their own, but while Renka and Haruto went with Kensei inside the elevator, Shirou hung back for a second before he went to approach Sōgetsu.

"Brother?" Haruto called out.

"What are you doing?" Renka questioned.

Shirou ignored them and stopped in front of Sōgetsu.

Sōgetsu huffed. "Got something you want to say?"

"Is that it?" Shirou questioned him. "After all that, you just plan on letting everything end here?"

"Why not? At this point, it'd be a relief." Sōgetsu shrugged.

"Liar." Shirou argued, getting his attention. "I can tell just by looking at you that you still want to fight. You're not the kind of guy that'll just throw in the towel."

"What's it matter to you?" Sōgetsu asked.

"Because our fight isn't over yet." Shirou told him with determination. "Even with one arm, I can still stand, so it's not over. Ours was a fight to the death, meaning it's not over until one of us stops breathing."

Sōgetsu looked at him for a bit before he smiled. "You have it. You've got the look in your eyes as Natsu. You're not the type of guy my brother should be training. From what I can see, you're a lot more like us than him."

"Maybe you're right, but you'll find I'm full of surprises." Shirou lifted his right leg. "For example—"

TENNOU TAKUTOU!

Shirou kicked Sōgetsu in the stomach. Before he could even express his surprise, Sōgetsu was lifted off the floor and blown away through the wall and out of the building. He was sent flying through the air before he crashed into another building that was across the street.

With that done, Shirou turned around and joined the others in the elevator before he closed the door, and they went down. Renka just stared at him in shock after seeing what he had done.

"How did you do that?" Renka asked in disbelief.

"It wasn't that hard." Shirou answered nonchalantly. "The technique itself is pretty straightforward."

"But you just saw him do that a moment ago! How could you have figured out how to use that technique after only seeing it once?!" Renka asked, still not believing it.

"I'm a first learner." Shirou told her, not going into further detail.

Haruto smiled at his behavior. "You never cease to amaze me."

Kensei didn't say anything, but he smiled. "Shirou, you truly are…"

Meanwhile, Sōgetsu, after crashing into the nearby building, was in an empty, unlit room while lying in a small pile of debris as he pondered what had just happened.

"That move… It lacked any real stopping power. It was just a rough copy of mine that could never beat someone in a fight… And yet…" Sōgetsu's expression was one of slight amusement. "He saw me do it once and figured he'd try it for himself? Ridiculous." He stared at the ceiling while talking to no one. "Natsu, you found yourself one crazy rival."

-O-

The following morning, Shirou, Haruto, and Kensei returned to the dojo. On the way back, after parting ways with Renka, Kensei didn't have much to say, but on the night of their return, before going to his room, he whispered the words "thank you" to Shirou. Even though he wasn't quite himself right away, he was slowly getting back to normal. Shirou explained the situation to the other residents of the dojo, and they all quickly understood, though Kenichi and Miu freaked out when they saw Shirou's messed up arm.

One afternoon, while Kensei was reading another dirty magazine, Shirou approached him with his arm in a sling.

Kensei lowered his magazine and looked up. "Oh, are you finished with your check-up with Akisame?"

"Yeah, say what you will about the guy; he's real good at fixing bones." Shirou admitted. "I should be back to normal in a few days if I take it easy."

"It's ironic, my brother is so skilled at going for the joints that whenever he breaks something, the breaks are clean and easier to repair." Kensei pointed out.

Shirou paused for a moment before asking what was on his mind. "Kensei… Why did you thank me earlier?"

"…You heard that?" Kensei let out a sigh. "It's just… I was grateful for what you did back in the building; you saved my brother when he was ready to die."

"Are you sure about that?" Shirou was a little skeptical. "Even if I had done nothing, I'm not really convinced he would have died. From what I've seen, it'll take more than a burning building to kill a Master-class fighter."

"Perhaps, but I'm glad I didn't have to take that chance." Kensei rebutted. "I wanted to respect his decision as a man, but I didn't want our relationship to end like that. Regardless of everything, he's still my brother." He then looked at him with a smile. "You know… Sometimes, I'm a little jealous of you."

"What do you mean?" Shirou asked.

"I get jealous when I see your bond with Haruto." Kensei confessed. "You're not just brothers but friends too, and when you fight together, you make the perfect team. Sōgetsu and I were called the most accomplished fighters in China, but we always fought as individuals. What I'm saying is, when I see the two of you, I always think of what I missed out on with my brother."

"Well, I'd like to think our bond is strong because we're different than conventional siblings." Shirou reasoned. "You know what I learned from all that time traveling around while growing up? In many parts of the world, many people operate under the idea that they have to love someone if they're related. I thought that was the biggest pile of crap I'd ever heard."

"What makes you say that?" Kensei asked.

"If you only love someone because you're obligated to, that means you don't even like them, and if you weren't related, you probably wouldn't even want to know each other. Most families around the modern world were like that, especially siblings, forget love, they most just tolerated each other's existences and acted like being family gave them a free pass to be assholes to each other." Shirou explained with irritation. "You don't get to choose who your family is, but you can choose who you like, and being related doesn't make you an exception. As far as I'm concerned, love isn't some privilege; it's something you have to be deserving of; otherwise, to hell with you."

"I must say, that's an interesting way to look at it, but I can't say I don't see I disagree, especially after seeing the result." Kensei admitted. "It makes sense, though; you're clearly not the type of person who'd care about obligations. You are always unapologetically yourself, but that's how people know that when you feel a way about someone, it's always genuine, even family."

"Speaking of families, how'd Renka take you ditching her again?" Shirou asked curiously. "She was pretty adamant about taking you back to China."

"It's fine, this is my home." Kensei said earnestly. "I'm sure, deep down, she understands that."

-O-

Contrary to his belief, Renka was very upset that Kensei had escaped her grasp and expressed her unhappiness at Hakubi's restaurant.

"That sneaky rat." Renka pouted before angrily waving a broom around. "What kind of a father refuses to come home with his daughter when all she wants to do is take care of him lovingly?!"

"Now, now, that won't get anything clean." Hakubi tried to calm her down.

Renka then whispered the last part with a blush. "And who knows, maybe I'll even drag that Shirou guy back home with us, too?"

—…

And that's the chapter.

First of all, I wanted to finish this sooner, but things kept getting in the way. I'm just glad I finished. Now for the fight. From the beginning, meeting Sōgetsu was always going to have a big impact on Shirou, not just because this was the first time he fought a Master for real, but because Sōgetsu was the first Master he met who followed a dark path, unlike the others.

It's been said already, but Shirou isn't like Kenichi or the denizens of Ryozanpaku, who are fully light. He actually has a lot in common with those in the darkness, and he's aware of it, and that'll play into his character development later on. An example is that he honestly aimed to kill Sōgetsu and used a blade to do it; that's something no one in Ryozanpaku would ever approve of, but Shirou didn't have an issue with it, and Sōgetsu could see that.

As for the fight itself, it exposed Shirou's limitations. He's good, but he's no Master, and he's still got a ways to go before he can fight one seriously, like Kuroh Yatagami from K project. Kuroh can beat pretty much every other character in the verse, but he's no match for any of the Kings. He's the strongest non-king, and right now, Shirou is the strongest non-master. But he'll get there someday.

Also, his idea of combining techniques to create a new, more powerful one has a flaw. They're still rough drafts that are unmastered, so it's a bad idea to use them in a real fight. As Sōgetsu said, they lack accuracy and only have a fraction of their true power, and while it worked on Hermit, he only knocked him back but didn't beat him, so actually mastering these techniques will be Shirou's long-term goal.

And, of course, Haruto, I had to add him to this fight because not even Shirou can face a Master without backup. I wanted to give Haruto his own specialty so he wouldn't just be an imitation of Shirou, and someone gave me the idea of Krav Maga, so that's the style he uses when he's serious. Haruto will have other tricks up his sleeve, but that'll come later.

Anyway, thanks for reading. Hope you enjoyed. If you want more, leave a review. If you liked the story, click the follow/favorite button, and as always, have an awesome day.