Kei Vs Kenichi.

The masters frowned at the new young man who entered their view; the palpable bloodlust was not common. It was so intense and powerful that this boy had likely committed acts against all of nature. The spirit of Wu pierced through, and within Kei was a sea of the dead clinging to his spirit like a shadow. Ishijin Ogata smiled; he recognized the boy Fennir, the second fist after he challenged Shogo. Ogata could see the encounter and felt particularly pleased.

But that murderous intent was not something anyone could casually emit. Even he felt uneasy; it was the call of a predator. The instinct of a killer of such magnitude surpassed Ogata's expectations.

-So, what do you say, Shogo? Do you want to fight Kenichi? I think the battle would be more interesting. And who do you want to fight, Shogo? - Kei commented, stepping into view. He wore a white shirt, a red leather jacket, and jeans, exuding uncommon confidence.

-Where have you been? - Shogo asked.

-In the interior, - Kei replied. -So… -

-I want to fight the first fist, but then we'll have a battle. I hope you can face me; we can do it in the ring, - Shogo remarked, smiling as heavyweights fell from his fists and legs, along with the armor screws pressing against his body, surprising everyone, including the defeated Tanimoto, who watched how he lost to someone who wasn't giving it their all.

-Go ahead; I'm also eager to fight you, Shogo. I've created a new fighting style of my design, and now I've elevated my style to something unpleasant, - Kei said. The murderous pressure prevented those around him from speaking, except for a few; the signs of fear were evident.

Kenichi was taken aback; he knew Kei Kazama but had forgotten everything about him in the last few months. He had seen very little of Kei, and it was something incomprehensible. Kei was one of the most troublesome people he knew. Again, he wanted to refuse, but his instincts warned him that this was not a fight he could escape. His heart raced, and he couldn't calm down; Kei's murderous intent was an alarm.

-What are you doing? Do you think you can come here and fight? This is a battle against Ragnarok, a gang that is quite problematic. We don't have to fight, Kei; we can save that for later, - Kenichi commented.

-Kenichi… - Nijima tried to say.

-Ajajajajjajajajaa, - Kei laughed.

-I was with Ragnarok, but I've been on the move this past year. For now, you have no other option, - Kei remarked.

Odin simmered, a distance forming as an offense, feeling betrayed by everyone, even Berserker, who now ignored him. He began to get angry, his hands ready to fight.

Kei smiled… he loved seeing certain people suffer.

-Come on, don't make that face, Odin. You're the least charismatic person here; your attitude is formally stupid, always acting so pretentious. You're a nuisance. Unfortunately, I can't teach you a lesson; I know you'll lose, - Kei commented.

Fixing his gaze on Kenichi, who was sweating profusely from the intensity of Kei's presence, some gang members gasped for breath, collapsing to the ground. Kei's bloodlust was different from a master's Ki; it didn't knock out the opponent but paralyzed and frightened them, restoring their most primitive instinct—the fear of death.

-This goes for all of you. I don't care who you are; it's been proven that the underworld is not for trash… I hope you can run because you will most likely die, sooner or later, - Kei said, not taking his eyes off Kenichi, who was igniting his power.

Kei began to throw slow punches that Kenichi started to defend with considerable skill, even countering some of the blows.

Observing the fighting stances of the young protagonist with brown hair, Kei could see the fighting postures were there. He had a preference for Muay Thai, karate, and Kempo. For now, Hermit watched everything from the ground, completely defeated. He tried to stand, but the blows had turned his world upside down; he could barely remain on his feet, his legs trembling from everything that had happened.

Seeing that Kei was not that strong, Kenichi began to calm down, and his hands started to rise in a white sphere, establishing a Seikuken. Kei observed everything he needed to contemplate to steal the abilities. On the other side, the fight between Berserker and Odin was in full swing, both striking without allowing each other to breathe. Although Ryuto could manipulate the flow, he could not contain it, as Berserker moved in sync with Ryuto's movements, deliberately adjusting the rhythm of his opponent and changing in small moments. It provided a unique perspective and a useful way to fight.

The fight was enjoyable for the masters, who watched the talent, as well as for the gang members, who stepped back, astonished by the chaos. The battle was fantastic.

A brief circle formed around Kei, who continued to strike, while Kenichi adjusted his space. Kei was reading all the movements in advance.

A heartbeat!

Kei's copying ability began to function and work. The Seikuken is the way to read the opponent's flow through the perception of a space or range, where concentration allows one to turn that space into an unbreakable fortress. The first step was to determine the space, forming a circle around himself, which he would use as a defensive area. Closing the circle was more difficult; the larger it was, the easier it was to maintain. This seemed contradictory, but it followed the principle of skill: the smaller the space, the greater the concentration needed due to the limited area available when receiving attacks. The second point was to understand the opponent's flow. From the way Kenichi executed it, he had an idea of the movements to make and was even more advanced than Ryuto, though he was simply less experienced in using it.

Kenichi relied on flow, while Ryuto focused on perception and timing—two identical techniques with slight, minimal differences, but both were perfect. The flow was understood not only through the intentions of individuals but also through the opponent's intent, which is to say the essence of being. Beings have different ways of acting; some fight for pleasure, money, freedom, hatred, resentment, happiness, or love. It is there that the opponent's motivations are key to understanding their flow. This was the principle, followed by total calm; only in calmness can one see that it is not a simple technique, but a magnificent one.

Far away, the elder began to stroke his beard.

-That kid is very audacious, - Sakaki remarked.

The masters nodded as they watched Kei begin to increase the flow, forcing Kenichi to make different movements while using the water kata to evade all the strikes, which were rendered ineffective by the fluidity of Kei's movements, akin to a flowing stream.

-What do you mean, Master Sakaki? - Kizara asked.

-He's toying with Kenichi. I hope Kenichi can see the deadly strike that is coming, - Sakaki commented.

-Beyond that, I can see he is analyzing Kenichi and maintaining his mind in calmness. Those types are the most difficult, - Kensei noted.

-You have magnificent movements, Kenichi. I never expected you to learn so quickly; you must have an excellent master. It's just that you're very inexperienced. Your movements are perfect, almost as if I were reading from a textbook—well-trained. How many movements do you do, 10,000 a day? Perhaps more? - Kei remarked.

-Ayyyy. I've trained a lot! - Kenichi said, blushing at Kei's compliment. He didn't often receive praise from his masters, and receiving such flattery made him feel pleased.

-But it's also credit to your masters; they are very good teachers. I can see they indulge you a lot. They care deeply for you, and in a place like this, given how you are rising, you will likely suffer more than just a simple defeat, - Kei said.

The Ryozanpaku masters could read the lips of the young Kazama and detect Kei's words. Upon hearing this, they realized that the young man was becoming more mysterious than usual; a heavy aura surrounded him.

-It doesn't matter if I lose; it's something I'm familiar with. It's a lie to say I haven't suffered. Every day I'm at risk of death, and my training is inhumane. And the way you express it—don't underestimate my training! - Kenichi declared.

-Well said, Kenichi! Ignite your spirit and show us the true feats of your hidden power, - Akisame encouraged.

Kei moved so quickly that to Kenichi, he seemed to vanish. The Palm of Rakasha was charged in Kenichi's arm; the blow originally aimed at his chest missed. However, the twist formed in Kenichi's arm left it nearly incapacitated.

-Style Koe, - Hayato said, more serious than usual.

It was an imperfect palm, but it managed to leave a mark on Kenichi's skin. As he recoiled from the blow, he didn't expect to give way to another devastating impact, which was stopped this time with his palm. But Kei opened his palm and executed a leech technique, a thin line crossed Kenichi's palm, causing him to gasp as he received the burn.

His Seikuken didn't react in time; the flow was changing—Kenichi thought. This confused him, as he hadn't expected someone to so easily disrupt the elder's special technique.

The members of Ryozanpaku were agitated!

Kei launched a quick jab that seemed to disappear to Kenichi, who received a blow to the face that sent him crashing to the ground two meters away.

-I didn't see that punch, -Kenichi commented.

Kei, following the steps of any villain, said, - A punch without intent and flow: I was able to decompress your technique perfectly. It's beautiful; you use the flow of people, as well as the fight, and update your movements in a prediction of perception and timing. - Kei continued walking slowly. - In other words, you almost take the initiative to read where the punch will go to block it by adapting to your opponent's fighting style. A magnificent technique; whoever invented it is a genius. Your master must have a lot of combat experience. -

This was said on purpose; he wanted to plant a seed in Kenichi and the masters about his genius in martial arts. If he could capture their attention, his plans would be simpler. After all, the summit was something he didn't want to leave to chance.

Kei's strikes had no intent to fight; they were rigorous blows, but they lacked power. Yet Kei acted so masterfully that they impacted Kenichi with force.

I think I've got him! Kenichi thought, reading the rhythm of the battle.

On the other hand, Kei, wanting to copy Kenichi's Seikuken, moved to the next step and executed the blinking step.

-He disappeared again, - Kenichi commented.

-How does he manage to vanish? - Miu asked. Kizara, standing beside her, awaited the response from Kenichi's masters.

-It's the Koe style, created 400 years ago. Most of its katas were derived from the concept of 'turning the fist into a deadly weapon,' and this style disappeared long ago due to the world wars. It belonged to a clan that practiced a unique form of Jiu-Jitsu—derived and created to incapacitate opponents mortally. Some people considered this style akin to that of assassins and sought to eliminate it, - Akisame explained.

Thus, Kenichi received a blow to the liver that knocked him down, his knees hitting the ground as the powerful punch shook him, forcing him to step back.

Kei paused and recalibrated the fight; he needed to control himself. Learning all of Kenichi's martial arts was the priority. Every single technique of Kenichi's would now serve as the fuel he would later use to perfect his styles.

-Kenichi is going to lose, - Akisame commented, observing how his disciple was being toyed with. - I didn't expect Kei Kazama to be so dangerous; unfortunately, he is a fighter that Kenichi cannot face even with the teachings of the elder. -

At that moment, a spontaneous change from Kei struck Kenichi hard with the leech technique, a combination of adamantine and fire that hit his chest, tearing Kenichi's shirt as if it were a vest. A burn line formed on Kenichi's chest, and he closed his eyes to endure the pain.

The leech technique is similar to the pain one feels when burning the palms of their hands with a rope; it destroys the skin and leaves a red line that burns for as long as it remains open.

-Come on, Kenichi, don't give up, - Takeda, who had just arrived with Freya and Ukita, encouraged.

-Guys... - Kenichi murmured, continuing to fight. A strange sensation began to form in Kenichi's mind. At first, the fight was even, but as time passed, he began to lose more and more ground; that premonition lingered.

Kei continued the fight, matching Kenichi's abilities, and without wasting more time, he waited for Kenichi to execute multiple movements. The martial arts displayed by both were magnificent, polished, and well-executed. Kenichi started to close the distance, and every time he approached, Kei seized the moment to guide a leech technique, this time managing to splash blood, leaving a cross on Kenichi's shoulder.

-Tsk, the kid doesn't make excessive movements; he minimizes his actions. For a kid, he's perhaps an expert-level fighter in experience; his instincts are sharp, - Sakaki commented, completely somber at the sight of the boy fighting against Kenichi.

Miu didn't understand what was happening; the way Kenichi was losing felt very strange like a giant spider dragging its prey under a silk cocoon. Miu realized that Kei was exploiting Kenichi's lack of experience, using the slightest oversight to strike cunningly. Few understood that Kenichi's pain was torture in itself; the mark was enough to disrupt all his movements, breaking his Seikuken.

In a blink, Kei executed another leech technique. The pain became unbearable, and Kenichi fell to the ground, where he was met with a kick using the adamantine kata, which Kenichi blocked by crossing his arms, leaving his left arm mostly injured in several places.

- Your fighting style is amazing, - Kei commented, grasping the principles of Sei. He executed the classic movements, his hands swirling around a small white sphere, commonly established in Kenichi's technique. He moved his arms around himself while beginning to close the circle, less open than Kenichi's, surprising everyone. Kei copied the Seikuken, and in desperation, Kenichi began to attack, but all his strikes were blocked. Now Kei's strategy was to continue stealing Kenichi's techniques, aiming to extract Kenichi's copying arts. This time, he began to strike relentlessly at Kenichi to awaken the final ace, the special ability of Ryozanpaku's mimicry.

-Your technique is now mine, - Kei declared.

It was a deadly blow! The fight was not going well for Kenichi!

...

This is a long one, so see you on Wednesday, have a good day and have a good week.