52. trapped.

Kei understood something important: the Other Niko, Six, was an expert in the indestructible kata and the fire kata, but during his years perfecting the katas of water and redirection, he guided them into the formless style, creating a different type of style based on those katas. He only taught Kei the indestructible kata and the fire kata. For some strange reason, they crossed paths for another month. It was December, and people were celebrating Christmas. Kei missed his family, but the training provided by the Other Niko was exactly what he needed. He perfected his weakest point, the fire kata, which was about his movement, and learned the Koe style. The training was stolen by Niko; after one night, he handed Kei a book with all the drawings and instructions on how to perform it on his own, train it, and perfect it.

He learned to perform the Koe style as a novice, without adding the skills he desired for now. With this step, he could play with many deceptions and, more importantly, deceive his opponents. The Palm of Rakasha could generate a painful point in a person's muscles, with a rotation that ran from the elbow to the palm, unpleasantly twisting the muscles; it was deadly.

Creativity and attention to small details could lead to a significant increase in skills; it wasn't just an increase but the correct use of force. Although the Other Niko only wanted to see his new experiment, he taught Kei for a month. This dirty and vile man was a true master, and each lesson was perfect. Even the fighting style was more interesting than anything else; defense, anticipation, and counterattacks were his specialties, and his style was more defensive than anything else, in contrast to Shiba's boxing, which was the all-out attack, based on offense and counteroffense.

-We're almost there, brat, - Niko commented, more serious than usual, his face showing contempt. His terrible yet calm facade was shattered, revealing what Kei would call the true form of Niko, a being who despises everyone.

They arrived at a building in the city of Japan, and a bad feeling washed over Kei. In the center, under a closed recording system, the light illuminated him completely. Kei remained calm and observed the screens that lit up in ten boxes, but one was black—the boxes of Yami, all mortally powerful; one could almost say they were experts in their profession.

-Niko Tokita, - the strong voice of the shadow came from behind a screen, recorded from a distant angle while a curtain covered his face.

-I didn't expect us to accept a tenth shadow, - commented Agard Jum Sai, the demon emperor of Muay Thai.

-One more member of the true Yami, - remarked Alexandre Gaidar.

-Seems particularly lamentable, - said Jehanzad.

-He's not a man of action, -murmured the Laughing Fist, Diego Carlo. Kei stood behind, listening intently.

-It seems Ogata is still holed up in the mountains, - commented the first shadow. This time, it was not Senzui but the true Saiga Furinji. - He is an expert in Jiu-Jitsu and the formless style; he can be considered to have no style, but he has been approved by me to be part of the nine, now ten fists, along with his disciple, a promising young man.-

Ogata did not attend because he was up in the mountains with Hayato Furinji, both pushing their disciple Kenichi to his limits, testing whether he would choose the path of darkness or light.

Mikumo Kushinada observed intently the young man with red hair, who at first stood out only for his hair color, now marked by a wound above one eye, resembling a cat scratch with three small lines.

-If the leader of the shadows accepts him, we have no reason to be concerned, - commented Brahim's fist.

-He was accepted, along with his most recent disciple, Kei Kazama. I expect great things, - he said to the shadow, hanging up the call as everyone began to disconnect. Things were coming to a head, and without wasting more time, the Other Niko smiled and shrugged; his job was done. As a double agent, he truly earned merit for sharing information with Worn and vice versa.

Both exited the building, and the Other Niko vanished into thin air without even a goodbye.

***

Meanwhile, during the meeting between Kei and the shadows of Yami, in a distant place, Shogo was reaching his limit with Ryuto Asamilla. Since the disappearance of Kei Kazama and his subsequent clash with the actions of Ragnarok, Shogo now had a much broader perspective on martial arts. Berserker was living up to his name, guided by his DOU, making him more dangerous in combat, as he struggled to restrain his blows, which were like bullets.

-I didn't expect to see you here, - Shogo commented.

Before him stood two individuals: the first was Siegfried and the second was Thor. Nijima lay on the ground, having suffered a beating for the first time in his life, something that rarely happened. Shogo's strength surprised everyone, exceeding all expectations. His attempt to manipulate Shogo had gone disastrously wrong, and Shogo's power was a formidable sight, having participated in two Kengan matches and numerous underground fights, giving him the experience to face any member of Yomi, except for Kannoh Sho and Kajima.

-We can't allow you to hit the leader like that, - Siegfried said, dancing around while Thor adjusted his stance. Shogo wanted to knock them out in an instant. Nijima, still on the ground, was sweating; with Kenichi's recent strength, he believed Kenichi's power surpassed Shogo's. However, according to his calculations, Kenichi would not win in a hand-to-hand fight. That wasn't all; Shogo followed Kei, meaning Kei's strength was greater than Shogo's, alias "Berserker," the third fist of Ragnarok. This implied that Odin was stronger.

The masters of Ryozanpaku watched the two-on-one battle. Akisame, Sakaki, and Ma Kensei observed the fight, and upon seeing Berserker's skills, they were genuinely impressed. The boy's strikes were good.

-That kid is really good. I see he uses boxing as his martial art; even his punches are quick and flickering. Few can get used to receiving such fast and cunning blows; in terms of strikes, boxing is king, - commented Sakaki.

-There is a disparity in levels, - Ma Kensei remarked.

As Shogo continued to strike, preventing Siegfried from counterattacking, Thor charged with a swift sumo move. Shogo jumped high and, in a spin, struck Thor on the neck, followed by a flurry of punches. He then turned to deliver a blow to Siegfried's liver, knocking him back.

-Oh, his movements are excellent. That attack is not something a mere athlete can execute; it has a street-fighting flair,- Akisame noted as he watched Shogo dismantle the two, leaving them on the ground. Shogo picked up his bag and walked calmly, glancing deeply at the three people observing him.

The masters of Ryozanpaku took Kenichi's friends to the chiropractic clinic, as the fight did not end favorably for the Shimpaku alliance participants; for the first time, they faced a wall.

...