underground fights.

fighters pride. Wolf Kei vs Suparna.

-Kei sensed that at some point he'd clash with Kanou Shou. First of all, the man desired Miu, and she was his—not anyone else's. Secondly, he kept ordering him around like he was his servant, and that infuriated him deeply; his pride as a fighter wouldn't allow it. He wasn't weaker than Kanou—, with his forbidden techniques, he knew he'd win. Better yet, Kanou knew little about his style, while he already had a good understanding of Kanou's styles: sambo, muay thai, and the Furinji style. As long as he could adapt to Shou's skills during the fight, Shou didn't stand a chance…he'd have to toy with him.

Boris was still reflecting, the fight with Kenichi leaving a mark in his memory after he failed to disable an enemy as he had learned in his training. The surrender of his medal wounded his honor as a disciple of Alexander Gaider, aggravated by Kanou's underestimation and the fact that he might have won against Kenichi. The simple reason was that he had the advantage of character and surprise, and now that Akisame was set to teach Kenichi to counter Boris's techniques, Boris would very likely end up the loser.

On the outside, Kei looked ready to explode, but inside, he was running simulations of his future fight with Kanou. That was his way of battle. As a user of two Ki, on one hand, the Ki Sei guided him to understand the fight's rhythm and imagine thousands of matches in his head, countless moves, and counter-moves. On the other hand, as a user of Dou, he relied on instincts in battle, linking the world of information with intuition.

It was a convergence—one gathered data, and the other organized it in his mind. Neither was better than the other, but he favored Dou because of the madness that came with it, combined with the Gu ritual, which was highly effective for him.

The military personnel looked defeated, and Boris, deep in thought, absorbed nothing of the oppressive atmosphere they arrived to. A sinister arrival full of resentment—the Russian special forces were still a bit weakened from the humiliating defeat. Fleeing was as good as losing, but no one cared. Kanou sat on the podium like a king, though some of them overheard Kei's words and shifted uncomfortably.

One person was missing—the disciple of Ogata and the disciple of Kushinada, who was likely in some meeting. Kushinada was one of the few people who truly terrified Kei; it was hard just to sense her thoughts. After all, she had once been Hayato's companion.

-So, you wish to be eliminated,- Kanou remarked in a deep voice, watching as Kei strutted about, his contempt painfully transparent.

-You? You're weak,- Kei replied.

Earning Shou's fury as he saw such defiance.

-Then I'll kill you. You'll suffer with each strike, and when life slips away, you'll beg for forgiveness,- Shou declared.

-Ha, you've never known what it means to kill or eliminate. A man who talks of death without understanding it,- Kei replied, measuring Shou. He didn't care about killing as if it were just a job, but when it came to those around him—birds, teachers, companions, or friends—he hesitated and understood the real weight of slaughter. He truly grasped what a death match was when he underwent the Gu ritual; every life taken was a precious and deserved ceremony. Taking a life just for the power to do it was foolishness.

-We are Yami. Death is delivered by my hands,- Kanou replied, his patience wearing thin. It was expected his arrogance would lead him to act impulsively, having been trained as a combat machine.

-I don't argue with cockroaches. They crawl on the ground, and just because they think they can fly, they consider themselves superior among species. The only thing they don't know is how disgusting they are to anyone who watches them,- Kei mocked, taunting him like another Niko would, with that feline—or in this case, wolf-like—laughter, sharp enough to pierce Kanou's heart. Rage flooded Kanou's eyes; he was losing control, and Kei knew it.

A leader without control didn't deserve his position, no matter how strong he was.

Kanou's breathing grew ragged. Veins bulged at his neck and nape.

-Did I upset you? I'm sorry for being honest. It's hard to find it when you're surrounded by flatterers. Honestly, you're pathetic, little cockroach, always lurking in the shadows,- Kei added, pressing just enough for Kanou to leap in a swift move, fast enough to be missed by common disciples. But among the Yami members, some saw the shadow, especially Kokin and Kajima, who tracked Shou's rapid movements with ease.

A fist aimed with the weight of karate's moves shot directly at Kei's face, who dodged it with a slight head tilt. However, Shou continued with a series of powerful strikes. Kei caught a fist with his adamantine kata and activated Advance, a quick blink, striking with a Yamasaki: one blow aimed at the face, the other at the stomach. Shou blocked the first, but the second landed directly. Kei's speed was at a level beyond Shou's, they felt the hit to his kidney as he tried to readjust but was met with an aquatic kata, Pisces Hold—a lock that immobilized Shou's arm and head, pressing him with his legs, followed by the Adamantine Kata, gripping like an iron hand.

-He has a strange style,- Kajima commented, observing the spectacle and noting it on his phone.

'His speed is remarkable,' Kei thought as he received a flurry of attacks. Shou unleashed a technique he called Kyuu Geki Issatsu, a combined attack of nine styles, beginning with karate, followed by jiu-jitsu, sambo, silat, wrestling, karate again, ancient martial arts, Brahim, Kenpo, muay Thai, karate, ninja style, and the Furinji style—one of his deadly combos. Yet Kei danced between life and death, now taking just 0.2 seconds to enter adamantine kata, allowing him to alternate between dodging and defending. One strike got through, sending him flying with a twisted kick that combined kenpo and karate.

Thinking the fight was over, Shou didn't finish Kei off, but he stood up as if nothing happened. In terms of durability, Kei surpassed Shou—there was no doubt about that. Every day for the past five years, he'd endured all sorts of beatings. Durability was ingrained in his body, his bones tougher than the average martial artist's, hardened like steel.

-You damn insect,- Shou spat, watching him rise as if nothing happened after his strongest blows. The silence in the room grew heavier as he took a deep breath.

...