"Hey, kid. You said you came here for martial exchange—well, isn't this perfect?"
Wu Raian's 188-centimeter frame towered clearly over Kurosaki Rei. He looked down at him, his expression brimming with provocation.
"I'm the strongest one here. I'll be the one to kill you."
Facing Wu Raian's undisguised killing intent, Kurosaki Rei bared his teeth in a grin.
"I've heard plenty about the Wu Clan's 'demon,' but your bloodlust really is something else. I already said it—I'm only here for martial exchange. I've got no intention of killing anyone."
"Hah?"
Raian tilted his head, those black eyes staring at Kurosaki Rei as if he were an idiot.
"If you want deep exchange, what's the point of sparring? Of course you have to go all out and slaughter each other!"
Watching the two of them, Wu Fengshui felt the situation sliding rapidly toward the worst possible outcome. Just as panic set in, her peripheral vision caught sight of a savior.
Above the ancient stone steps stood a thin, elderly man with his hands clasped behind his back, smiling as he looked down at the two beneath the torii gate.
It was the head of the Wu Clan—Wu Hui Li'ang.
"Isn't this quite interesting?" the old man said leisurely.
"A guest from afar is still a guest. Raian, make sure you entertain him properly."
Those words sent Wu Fengshui's heart plunging into an icy abyss.
She desperately wanted to tell the clan head that Kurosaki Rei was extremely dangerous. If this were just a friendly spar, it might be fine—but letting someone like Raian "exchange" with Kurosaki Rei would definitely lead to deaths.
If the one who died was Kurosaki Rei, that would be acceptable.
But what if it was Raian?
"Heh. Rare to agree with the old man for once," Raian sneered.
"This is the first time I've seen someone dare come here asking for martial exchange. If I don't torture you properly, wouldn't that be a letdown?"
"I'll admit this much."
Kurosaki Rei looked straight at Raian's arrogant face at close range.
"You're even more conceited than I expected—so conceited you've completely lost your brain."
Veins instantly bulged on Raian's forehead as killing intent exploded outward.
"Kid, you've got guts. What—are you already in a hurry to reincarnate?"
Kurosaki Rei shook his head.
"What I mean is, if I wanted to kill you, you'd already be dead dozens of times over. You still haven't realized what you're actually facing."
Enraged beyond restraint, Raian didn't even bother heading to the Wu Clan's usual training grounds. He raised his hand, about to strike—
But someone was faster.
Kurosaki Rei stepped back, twisted his waist, and thrust out a palm, striking Raian squarely in the chest. The blow launched him upward and backward, sending him flying to the end of the steps—right beside Clan Head Wu Hui Li'ang.
In shock, Raian adjusted midair and barely managed to land on his feet. Looking down, he saw a vivid red palm print stamped over his heart.
Beside him, Wu Hui Li'ang's eyes narrowed even further.
"I held back to give you a chance to use Release…"
Kurosaki Rei slowly withdrew his stance. He glanced at the torii gate above and the surrounding buildings.
"Don't you have a more decent venue than this?"
"HAHAHAHA! Kid, you're really interesting!"
Wu Hui Li'ang shouted, stopping Raian, who was about to charge back down in a frenzy.
"Raian, take our guest to the dojo. And calm yourself. Use everything you've learned—don't disgrace me."
Raian's face twisted with displeasure, but under the clan head's gaze, he ultimately backed down. After making a throat-slitting gesture at Kurosaki Rei, he said coldly,
"Let's go. To the execution ground."
Kurosaki Rei followed behind the pale-faced Wu Fengshui up the steps. As he passed by Wu Hui Li'ang, he spoke with a note of reflection:
"So this is the first-generation Fang of Metsudo? Time truly spares no one. I'd really like to see what you were like in your prime."
Wu Hui Li'ang's eyes flickered slightly. The shriveled skin on his face twitched, as if he were smiling.
"Kid, it seems you know quite a lot about us. Even so, killing you wouldn't be difficult for this old man—even now."
Kurosaki Rei grinned.
"I came here to meet martial artists through combat. I'd also like to see what the Wu Clan's peak assassination techniques look like."
"Young man, clear Raian's trial first,"
Wu Hui Li'ang said calmly, without the slightest hint of killing intent.
Kurosaki Rei said nothing more and followed Raian. Before long, they arrived at the Wu Clan dojo.
Quite a crowd had already gathered inside. Clearly, news of his impending fight with Raian had spread, and everyone was curious about this outsider.
When Wu Hui Li'ang entered, the clan members parted to make way, giving the old man the best seat to watch the match.
"He's strong. That Kurosaki Rei,"
Wu Kureishi—the one known as the Demon-Crying Child—said with a frown.
"Is he really just a smuggler who committed murder? One look tells me he's no ordinary man. Probably a master of Eastern ancient martial arts."
"Raian, I permit you to use our clan's secret techniques. Fight with your full power."
Wu Hui Li'ang's words formally declared the start of the battle.
Raian stuck out his tongue, mocking Kurosaki Rei.
"Kid, I'll tear off your limbs and make you regret not taking your chance earlier."
Kurosaki Rei sighed and looked toward Wu Hui Li'ang.
"Why not have you take my place instead? Your clan's so-called genius seems a bit overrated. Even now, he hasn't grasped the key issue."
Wu Hui Li'ang's expression darkened slightly, feeling his face had been lost. He roared at Raian,
"You idiot! Use Release right now! Your opponent has already given you several more seconds of mercy!"
With his seasoned eyes, Wu Hui Li'ang could clearly see it—
Kurosaki Rei was an anomaly.
Though Kurosaki Rei wasn't as tall as Raian, nor did his muscles bulge unnaturally, his strength was unquestionably abnormal. At a minimum, it surpassed many Wu Clan members even after Release.
Even with Raian's talent for 100% Release, once the secret art was activated, his physical strength might only barely exceed Kurosaki Rei's.
So Kurosaki Rei hadn't been bluffing earlier. His first strike truly could have killed Raian. He had simply held back, wanting to test Raian at his peak.
"Shut up! You're so damn noisy!"
Raian roared.
As his rage surged, his skin rapidly turned a purplish-black. Bulging veins crawled across his body, their patterns resembling streaks of lightning.
With Release activated, Raian's presence skyrocketed. His desire to kill swelled violently.
In this form, he truly looked like a demon.
Sensing the change in Raian's power, Kurosaki Rei finally showed genuine interest.
"Now this is more like it. At least you're worth knocking down."
From the moment he entered this world, Kurosaki Rei had noticed that most people here had relatively poor perception. Even without any stat-reading ability, he could roughly gauge an opponent's strength.
Raian, however, clearly lacked that sense. He'd been posturing arrogantly earlier, but in Kurosaki Rei's estimation, Raian's overall attributes back then were only around the low teens.
Even after Release, Raian's overall stats were only barely a notch above Kurosaki Rei's.
"Hah? Once I tear you apart, you won't be able to say that!"
Raian spread his legs wide, elbows drawn back, his back muscles swelling high. He could no longer suppress his killing intent.
He was going to charge, crush this man, tear him apart, and savor his screams—
Creaaak—
The wooden floor groaned as Raian's figure burst forward, reaching Kurosaki Rei in an instant.
With one foot forward and one back, his body twisted as his waist drove his power. One fist smashed toward Kurosaki Rei's abdomen, the other toward his face—
Wu Clan Style: Breaking Mountain!
But neither punch landed.
Kurosaki Rei raised both hands into palms—one pushing up, one pressing down—deflecting outward to either side.
Like a diverted tide, Raian's power was guided away. As the two punches slipped past him, Kurosaki Rei suddenly leapt upward—
His knee smashed into Raian's chin.
Under the terrifying impact, Raian's head snapped back violently. Teeth and blood sprayed through the air as the force traveled through his bones straight into his brain.
Even with his superior bloodline and fully released strength, Raian couldn't endure it. His consciousness blanked for a brief instant.
But Kurosaki Rei's assault didn't stop.
He stepped forward and, while Raian was still airborne and concussed, drove a punch straight into his chest.
BOOM—
Raian's body flew backward and crashed into the dojo wall. Cracks spiderwebbed across the surface as his eyes rolled white. He slid down the wall and collapsed to his knees on the floor.
The dojo fell into dead silence.
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