Chapter 4: Mastering the Art of Human Anatomy in Martial Arts

"This is really not something you need to explain to me, is it?"

Sager bent slightly, his whole body tensed like a beast about to hunt, every bone in his body taut. With his head lowered, he said in a deep voice, "As far as I recall, I haven't wronged your kingdom."

Well, looks like this bounty hunting gig is coming to an end.

Ennio bared his teeth in a twisted grin, "Didn't I already tell you? I like that white hair of yours!"

In an instant, Sager launched forward, his hands rising and falling, delivering a swift knife-hand strike directly toward Ennio's face.

"Mountain Rock Twin Slash Wave!"

Since they weren't going to let him off easy, there was no need to hold back!

Ennio didn't dodge the knife-hand strike aimed squarely at his face, letting the blow land as it would.

Boom!

The Mountain Rock Twin Slash Wave was a technique from the Hokuto Shinken style, a move with which Sager could easily split stones in half. Yet, striking Ennio's face didn't even dent the fat.

"Iron Body."

Ennio's face was as solid as steel as he seized Sager's wrist and slowly pushed it away. "Not bad strength."

Swish!

He quickly lifted a leg, sweeping a faint blue arc of energy directly at Sager.

This close range—there was no way he could avoid it.

But Sager managed to dodge by leaping up, his body fluidly twisting as he used the hold on his wrist to pivot, wriggling free like a snake and flipping to Ennio's rear. His hands were already poised, ready to strike his temples like daggers.

Ennio was about to use Iron Body to block, but his pupils suddenly contracted as he sensed something. His huge, bloated frame became as pliable as a candle flickering in the wind, twisting and wavering as though softened.

"Paper Art!"

Ennio's entire body contorted, narrowly dodging Sager's hands. Seizing the opportunity, Sager brought his foot down, and his extended leg blurred into countless afterimages, aiming at Ennio's writhing frame.

"Hokuto Gentle Break Slash!"

"Moonwalk!"

Just as Sager's kick landed, Ennio halted his twisting, pressing a foot into the air and launching himself skyward, bouncing mid-air several times and hanging in the air.

"Both Moonwalk and Paper Art... mastered the entire *Rokushiki* style?"

Landing on the ground, Sager turned to the wide-eyed Lily. "Your creepy dad's got some serious skills."

Someone who mastered the Six Styles was at least a Commodore, possibly elite, and perceptive enough to realize the danger in that move—otherwise, he wouldn't have dodged with Moonwalk.

So this was the caliber of a usurper?

Where the hell did he come from?

Lily, looking stunned, only managed to mutter, "I... had no idea."

In her memories, Ennio was someone who lived only for pleasure. She had never associated him with any sort of combat skill.

The last time she attempted an assassination, she managed to stab him without resistance; if it weren't for the guards, she might have succeeded.

"Hahahaha!"

Leaping mid-air, Ennio laughed maniacally. "What would she know? Raised in the palace, hidden from the world. I was planning on using her as a bargaining chip for a marriage alliance, but she dares try to kill me? Now she talks about leaving to avoid taxes? They wouldn't dare!"

Ennio fixed his gaze on Sager, his voice darkening. "But you… Why don't you go to sea?"

Sager exhaled sharply, dropping into a fighting stance. "Like you'd understand!"

The Hokuto Gentle Break Slash was designed to counter huge, agile opponents like those using Paper Art. Once landed, it would destroy the entire muscular structure of the opponent's body.

Pity he caught on…

In the air, Ennio seemed to be contemplating something, then, with a kick in mid-leap, coiled his legs and unleashed a flurry of kicks downward.

"A single strike you can dodge, but how about this? *Rankyaku Rendan!*"

Countless slashes rained down indiscriminately, tearing up the ground as Sager's pupils shrank.

Advanced *Rokushiki* techniques?

This guy was no ordinary user of the Six Styles!

Sager narrowly evaded each slash, his body twisting like a dancer amid the airborne attacks, agilely slipping past each one as they left gouges in the earth beneath him.

Swish!

The last slash descended directly over Sager's head, but he smoothly leaned back, rotating mid-air and landing firmly on his feet.

Amidst the ruined terrain, Sager rose, throwing a challenging look at Ennio.

"Paper Art?" Ennio blinked. "You know *Rokushiki*?"

All martial techniques are fundamentally rooted in principles of physical skill; they follow universal truths across worlds.

The technique of *Paper Art*, Sager could tell, was about relaxing the body and adjusting based on shifts in the airflow to evade attacks.

His own Hokuto Void Step Dance followed the same principle, allowing his body to move in harmony with the air currents to evade.

Same principle—he could call it *Paper Art* if he wanted to.

But…

Why explain that?

Sager sneered, "Guess."

He watched Ennio's airborne form, his eyes narrowing.

Go on, keep jumping—he'd learn that too.

Bang!

With a sound like a cannon, Ennio's bloated body plummeted toward Sager, twisting mid-fall in a way that created a forceful descent.

"Iron Body: Cannon!"

The powerful force whipped Sager's hair and tugged at his face.

That impact…

Not one to meet head-on!

Sager aborted his initial plan to counter, retreating quickly as the "cannonball" closed in, only for Ennio to extend his limbs at the last moment. His hands braced against the ground as he spread his legs wide, spinning with force.

"*Rankyaku* Circle Slash!"

Voom!

A massive circular slash spun outward, slicing everything in its path.

Sager arched back, narrowly dodging, his body forming a backward U-shape as the attack zipped by, slicing buildings and carving a large gash through the steps behind.

The power…

Before Sager could catch his breath, a massive shadow fell over him. He barely had time to look up before a fist was planted squarely on his face.

Boom!

His head snapped back, blood spurting as he fell backward.

But even as he was toppling, he managed to wrap his legs around Ennio's arm, using the momentum to rise, extending two fingers to strike at Ennio's arm.

If he could land this—

"Iron Body: Cross-Lock!"

Sager's hold tightened as Ennio's arm hardened like a rock, and with a forceful swing, Ennio dislodged Sager's grip, sending him flying.

Clang!

The force even knocked Sager's slender sword from his belt, sending it rolling until it stopped at Lily's feet.

"Combined technique?!"

In mid-air, Sager's eyes widened—had that been Iron Body and Paper Art used together?

He glanced back at Ennio and smirked, his body spinning as he watched Ennio sprint toward him.

"Soru!"

Ennio's figure blurred, suddenly appearing in front of the airborne Sager, fingers tightened into a blade, stabbing forward.

"Finger Gun: Blade!"

The strike nearly tore the air, stabbing toward Sager's chest.

Bang!

The impact rang like two pieces of iron colliding.

Ennio looked astonished, "You—"

Finally stabilizing his stance on the ground, Sager raised his head slowly and murmured, "Iron Body."

The Hokuto Shinken style is a martial art rooted in deep anatomical mastery, an art where one truth unlocks a hundred techniques. With the principle understood, Sager could naturally replicate it.

No, he wasn't trained in the Six Styles, nor had he ever encountered a user before. But he observed carefully.

The principle behind Paper Art was the same as his Void Step Dance—moving with air to evade. As for the rest, careful observation was all he needed.

Iron Body relies on a toned body, with accelerated blood flow tightening the muscles for hardening. No special insights from Hokuto Shinken are even required for this one—every man knows how to do it, but here, it's taken to the whole body and strengthened.

A body honed to perfection—Sager had that.

Accelerating his blood flow? With enough practice, it came naturally.