The flames were wreaking havoc outside; people were panicking because of the various explosions that had occurred less than thirty minutes ago across the entire city. The police forces and special units were trying to determine the cause of it all, while calming civilians and rescuing survivors.
In the middle of all this chaos, who would believe me if I told them that I—a mere intern—knew who was responsible? Especially when that person was standing right in front of me at that very moment.
Shin Rel… A real lunatic. Still, I have to admit that even I am impressed. That said, it's incredibly stupid of him to throw everything away like this, just on the off chance of saving complete strangers. He has literally ruined his future and become a wanted criminal.
Strangely enough, all of this made me happy. After all, I hated him from the very first moment I laid eyes on him: someone who doesn't know how to stay in his place, despite having nothing to back him up except himself. He's arrogant, provocative, insolent, and above all, lawless… And beyond all that, he's just like me.
I am not the Croc's biological son, but his adopted one. If he hadn't taken me in and raised me, my social status would still be that of a slum kid with nothing and no one. He raised me because he believed he would never find a successor for his art, and I had the necessary aptitude to practice it.
From that day on, my life became hell, training from morning to night to meet his expectations. But I didn't mind: for once, I had found my place. That didn't last long, because Jack appeared. He ruined my life.
At first, I didn't even know what to do anymore. I had lost my reason for living, and the possibility of being disowned by Father was far from zero, since he wants only one true successor—the one to whom he will teach the third movement. So I decided to use everything at my disposal to succeed, even if that meant killing, betraying, scheming, even if I had to become a pawn of the system.
Where that bastard and I are alike is first in Jack's presence, which ruins our lives, but above all in the fact that we refuse to resign ourselves to the world: he confronts the system, while I submit to it.
That might be why seeing him disgusts me so much—because I wish I had been like him. What a shame… We could have been good friends, but instead, here we are, facing each other, ready to kill one another.
"So you actually managed to escape a prison where level-0 Awakened are supposed to die with their mouths open. You really are a nuisance, you know?"
I sighed as I slowly approached my opponent, my body being enveloped in the characteristic greenish glow of my martial art: the Mountain Tiger Art.
Shin sighed and focused as much as he could. With his injured arm, battered wrists, and body in a pitiful state, he was clearly easy prey—and I wasn't going to miss my chance.
"Hey, you sure talk a lot for someone who's about to lose."
As usual, he was insolent—maybe to hide his condition and give himself strength. He had finally realized that we were about to fight seriously, and that, if possible, one of us would die here. No. I had to kill him.
His body then shone with a bluish glow—the mark of that primitive art known as the Perpetual Cycle.
The tension in the air reached its peak.
The ether surrounding me suddenly surged forward, forming a kind of tiger rising behind my back. It was the Mountain Tiger's Roar, a technique that disrupts the opponent's mind. And it worked. Even if only for an instant, I saw Shin's eyes lose their usual sharpness, and I took advantage of it to leap forward and attempt a high kick aimed at his temple. Unfortunately, he managed to block it with his injured arm. Had he reacted a second later, he would have been in a disastrous state—far worse than he already was.
"Damn…"
The power of the kick threw him off balance. I used that opening to reposition myself firmly on both legs as he was falling. I immediately followed up, lifting my foot as it became imbued with a greenish flame.
"King of the Mountain—revised."
Caught off guard by my attack, he clenched his teeth and used his remaining intact arm, infusing it with ether. With a controlled yet powerful motion, he countered my attack with a left hook.
The impact of our two strikes shattered the ground beneath our feet and made the entire building tremble. Our blows were nearly equal in strength—but I had the upper hand. After all, even if, by some miracle, his body is reinforced to the very limit of level 0, he can only make use of 80% of it, whereas I, thanks to my combat techniques, can surpass level-0 limits. Still, he eventually gave way under the power of my kick, painting the ground red with his blood.
It was time to end this. Shin, you've been a real pain for me lately. I sincerely respect your motivations, but you're not the only one who has to fight. I have to prove my worth to Father—show him that I was worth it.
"You need to focus!"
I said as I took advantage of his injuries and condition to slip behind him, already preparing the King of the Mountain technique—this time with my fist. I struck his head with a powerful punch, slamming him into the ground and further cracking the floor beneath us. The moment he hit the ground, he tried to get back up, but I stopped him by stepping on his head.
"Hahaha, you sure talk a lot for someone who can't do much. Goes to show—dogs bark, but they don't bite!"
At last, my victory was assured. There was nothing he could do against me. And yet, he tried to get up again… Does he really never give up?!
I truly hate you, Shin. Maybe because you never gave up, even in the face of adversity—whereas I did. But I can't afford to lose here. Otherwise, I don't know what Father will do with me.
He took another breath, once again forcing strength into himself, and struggled to rise despite the pressure I was putting on him.
To my surprise, he managed to push me back and quickly put some distance between us. He was extremely weakened and on the verge of losing consciousness; his determination was the only thing keeping him standing, despite all the blood he was losing.
"What? You thought that would be enough?"
He said with a smile, blood running down his face and across his arrogant grin.
"You're really annoying,"I said with a sigh.
If only he hadn't persisted with the Perpetual Cycle—he could have gone far, very far. He seems to be using some kind of additional reinforcement technique. Normally, the Perpetual Cycle doesn't allow that, but I imagine it comes at a cost. There's a limit to what you can do with it.
"I'm going to finish you, you filthy cockroach,"I said as I felt my blood boil. I was about to use my trump card.
"You've never beaten Jack, have you?"I said as the greenish glow around my body turned into flames."Guess what. There's one point where I beat him."
Smiling, I saw Shin's face fall as he understood what was happening.
"Mountain Tiger Art: Feline Lineage."
One must have this art engraved into their muscles and bones to master this movement—and I've practiced it since childhood. Even though Father never taught it to me, I managed to learn it myself behind his back.
The greenish flames surrounding me gradually entered my body, making me almost scream in pain. It felt as if I were being pierced by a swarm of spikes. My canines lengthened, my eyes took on a feline appearance, and stripes appeared on my skin.
It was a reinforcement technique specially designed for the Mountain Tiger Art. It compensates for its main weakness—lack of agility—and above all, enhances all techniques in raw power.
Shin's eyes widened as he stared at me in shock.
"You've lost,"I told him with a satisfied smile.
He had finally understood:I am far superior to all of you.