Chapter 450: Destiny
Erioh Kure: "..."
"Fusui? Why is the camera shaking?"
On the screen of the tactical phone, the old Patriarch could only see Fusui
sitting there, offering a forced, cheerful grin as she waved.
"Anyway, if you see that brat Ohma Tokita, remember to beat him to a pulp for
me."
"I've already told Raian to go wild, though that idiot probably won't listen to
a word I say. Still, a little extra 'refinement' wouldn't hurt the Ashura."
Erioh's tone shifted, becoming clinical. "Regarding The Worm, I've dispatched
further reconnaissance. I'll keep you updated."
Fusui laughed nervously, wishing her grandfather a good night.
Ren Shiroki also waved frantically into the frame to say goodbye, while
simultaneously using his other hand to keep Ohma Tokita's mouth shut so the
youth wouldn't say anything to trigger the old man's blood pressure. Only when
the screen went black and the connection severed did Ren and Fusui finally let
out a long, synchronized sigh of relief.
"Phew...!"
"Mmph?!"
Ohma Tokita twisted his neck, finally wrenching Ren's hand away, though he was
still pinned at the bottom of the human pile.
"Grandpa is the same as always," Fusui sighed, sitting cross-legged on Ren's
back. "Even though Ohma-san has gotten so much stronger... honestly, Grandpa
doesn't hate you, Ohma-san. He's just terrified of the day Karura-chan leaves
him."
Ren nodded in agreement. "It probably doesn't help that Karura is still in high
school."
Hearing this, Jun Guevara leaned over from a nearby crate, shaking his head with
an exaggeratedly shocked expression. "Oho! A grown man pursuing a high school
girl? How scandalous!"
"I. AM. NOT!!"
Ohma roared, his core muscles firing as he bucked both Ren and Fusui off his
back. Veins bulged in his forehead as he stood up, dusting off his jacket. He
looked around the camp, a dozen question marks practically hovering over his
seaweed-like hair.
"What the hell is going on here? And who's the guy in the bandana...?"
Ohma Tokita.
That name had been given to him by his master and surrogate father, Tokita Niko,
based on the district where they first met. In that heartbeat, the "Nameless
Brat" who had survived like a feral beast finally gained an identity.
To Ohma, The Inside was both a rotting pit of violence and his "Starting Point."
In a way, it carried the same weight for him that the ancient tree "The Elder"
did for Baki Hanma.
Sensing the shifting tides of the Ward, Ohma hadn't been able to sit still. He
had pushed into the interior, eventually crossing paths with Ren's crew.
The current state of the Ward was something Ohma hadn't expected. In a place
like this, "Peace" was a biological anomaly. Yet, as the invaders secured their
positions, the "Safe Zones" were expanding.
Currently, a massive swathe of the southwest—encompassing Three Wolves, Two
Tigers, One Dragon, and Seven Ohma—was under total martial lockdown by the
invaders. These sectors had been forced to adapt to the "Style" of their
conquerors, and the borders were beginning to bleed into one another.
The most anticipated collision lay in the Ten Tokita sector, where the original
[MR. UNCHAINED] Biscuit Oliva was entrenched.
Ten Tokita was now surrounded on three sides by [MR. 2] Jun Guevara. A clash was
inevitable. The entire Ward was holding its breath to see what kind of sparks
would fly when the First and Second Generations of "Freedom" finally met.
Another night passed in the Ward.
The following morning.
For combatants of this caliber, training was a metabolic necessity. Regardless
of the environment, if they wanted to move, they found a way.
[Two Tigers / Three Wolves Border Junction]
This area was a graveyard of condemned tenements and hazardous industrial ruins.
Under Guevara's orders, the local gangs had been conscripted into a "Public
Works" project to expand the black market. Consequently, demolition was the
order of the day.
While the outlaws used sledgehammers and crowbars, Ren and Ohma arrived
bare-handed. They spent the morning systematically punching and kicking their
way through reinforced brick walls.
BOOM! CRACK!
Clatter, clatter...
On a crisp autumn morning, the two warriors engaged in a high-intensity session
of "Manual Demolition." Their efficiency was terrifying—without tools, they were
clearing wreckage twice as fast as the armed work crews.
By noon, a dozen derelict structures had been reduced to gravel by their fists.
The two took a break to stretch, joining the outlaws for a simple lunch. They
sat on a massive, jagged boulder, towels draped over their necks, sweat soaking
through their shirts.
Ren took a swig of water. "Where's your manager? Yamashita-aniki?"
"Yamashita Kazuo...?" Ohma used the full name, a faint smile touching his lips.
"The Ward is too dangerous for him. I left him at the hotel. He's probably at
your dojo right now, using the treadmill."
"Haha!" Ren laughed. "Speaking of which... you never used to like this place.
Why come back now?"
"I've learned a lot lately," Ohma said gravely. "The fight at the hotel with
Gaia, the matches since then... my memories are returning. The ones I lost to
the 'Advance'."
"I wanted to return to my 'Starting Point' and process everything I've become."
Ohma clenched his fist, looking at the fresh calluses.
Ren blinked. "I see..."
"I have a premonition," Ohma added. "That this current stage of my life is a
'Conclusion.' But then again... maybe I'm just here because the Ward felt
'Interesting' lately, and I'm just following the scent. Who knows?"
Ren bared his teeth in a grin. "The scent and the feel... those are always more
accurate than a tournament bracket."
As they traded thoughts, a rustling sound echoed from the nearby ruins. A group
of Yakuza enforcers from a neighboring sector—about five men—emerged from the
shadows.
They had come to Two Tigers specifically to hunt the "Outsiders."
"Good!"
Ohma stood up, rotating his wrists. He performed a few light hops to prime his
calves. "I've walked across three sectors and haven't had a single scrap. I was
starting to get bored."
Ohma stepped forward, facing the enforcers. "Shiroki. Leave these guys to me. I
need to oil the joints."
Ohma closed his fists, sliding into his stance.
Suddenly—
"—?!"
Every man in the clearing—the Yakuza, Ohma, and Ren—spun around simultaneously,
drawn by an unnatural, chilling presence.
They stared toward the corner of a ruined building.
Standing in the shadows of a collapsed wall was a lean, elegantly built man with
long, flowing hair. Height: 180 cm. Weight: 76 kg.
His physique was lithe and corded, lacking even a gram of wasted tissue. He wore
a crisp white button-down shirt and black trousers. His raven-black hair reached
his waist, and his skin was a ghostly, porcelain white. His face was more
beautiful than most women's—a haunting, feminine grace that masked a deep,
psychological wrongness.
Is that... a man?
He leaned against the brickwork, staring at the group with a gaze that was
simultaneously mournful and ecstatic. A sickly, thin smile played on his lips.
His eyes were locked onto Ohma Tokita. He didn't even acknowledge the others; to
him, the rest of the world was just background noise.
"Heh... I can't bear to watch this."
The beautiful man offered a soft, airy smile. "Long time no see, Ohma-kun.
You're exactly as I feared... weakened by the 'Curse' of Tokita Niko."
"To stand there like a common human, talking about 'leaving opponents' for
others... it's so very boring."
"Ohma-kun... I want to see the Real You. I want to see the God of Destruction
that transcends all things!"
The man slowly raised a hand, his entire body trembling with a feverish, erotic
excitement. His face was flushed, his madness on full display.
Ohma stared at the man's face and let out a long, weary sigh.
"If this is what 'Following the Scent' gets me, then my instincts are garbage.
The Ward really is a rotten hole."
"I'd almost forgotten your face. But it came back to me recently. I guess this
is 'Coincidence'?"
Ohma's brow furrowed, his voice turning cold. "I really hate coincidences like
this."
He tilted his head toward Ren. "If I remember right... his name is Setsuna
Kiryu. He was involved in the death of my Master, Niko."
Ren understood instantly. His lore-banks flared.
[THE BEAUTIFUL BEAST] Setsuna Kiryu.
☆☆☆
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