[Vol. 2] Chapter 32 – Help

"Rito-kun, you look so pathetic!"

Those words came out from the mouth of a beautiful slim pink-haired girl standing on a branch. She was smiling happily as she glared at the miserable Rito, not even showing attention to the knocked out goon and his friends.

The feminine boy also giggled upon hearing the girl's words. He then jumped down revealing his smooth lady like appearance. His body frail and thin as his smooth snow-like skin glowed brightly. His face carved perfectly to look like a girl's. He then coolly looked over the group of goons. His appearance not a bit dangerous nor peaceful. He perfectly looked like an ordinary bystander.

Both of them wore a black judogi uniform, clearly showing they were martial artists.

When Rito finally saw the boy's face, he sighed in relief. His eyes no longer alert but was now calm and gives a familiar feeling. He knew this boy.

"...Tal." He nodded at the feminine boy. 

The remaining goons turned to look at each other then to the knocked out buddy then finally at the incoming horde of their teammates. They thought the feminine boy would pose a threat after knocking one of their teammates down in one strike but after they saw how frail his body is, and how girly he looked. They no longer filled their minds in shock as they once again viciously strike at Rito.

Rito just stood there, motionless as he protects Kaoru behind his back.

Suddenly, the boy moved in an incredibly fast movement as he disappears into thin air only to reappear next to the goon that was about to hit Rito. He then swiftly sent a kick at the back of the goon's head, stopping and knocking him down at the process. All it took was merely 2-5 seconds!

The other goons widened their eyes in shock. They weren't prepared for this huge change of event! It was supposed to hit Rito but instead the feminine boy they looked down on exploded with speed and power.

"...Is this really the same person as back then? You really look kinda fucked up." The girl who remained on the tree sneered. She was wholly focused on criticizing Rito. Her voice contained contempt and hostility. 

"Nice to see you too, Aiya. Still fierce as usual..." Rito calmly fixed his breathing as he slowly recuperated on the spot. 

Their monologue pissed the remaining goons.

"Don't you dare look down on Second High Eagles!" One of the goons then rushed to the feminine boy named Tal. He wildly dashed as he raised his spiked club to swing onto Tal.

Tal merely looked over him in peace as he ducked and sent a palm driving to goon's stomach, disarming him and making him vomit saliva.

He instantly passed out.

Rito widened his eyes when he saw the move.

"Ki Elimination?!"

In this world, there was an energy called Ki, but it wasn't the same like the energy from DBZ, instead, this Ki represented the energy circulating in each organs the human body has, filling the whole human body with it. This energy has multiple functions but it was mainly used for two things, the automated ability to enable the organs to work. Secondly, it was used in ancient martial arts as a driving force to eliminate other people's Ki, the same as disabling them. This type of martial arts was long lost and the one that the kid Tal used wasn't even half complete, but even a little knowledge from this long lost arts was no joke. The ability to drive Ki from a person's body was the same as disabling or killing them. A simple hit on the vital spots would be lethal with this move.

Of course, one couldn't just master it or use it too many times. To use this move was the same as slowly throwing a bit of your Ki. In exchange for power, your life force will be reducted. To use your own Ki to flush other people's Ki was like a double-edged sword.

Mastering it also isn't to be triffled with, to learn to manipulate your own Ki, one must enter a near-death experience and gain enlightenment in the following.

For someone like Tal, who isn't even 20 yet, to master an art like this was truly shocking to Rito.

"Yes, and he has improved much better than you did these past 5 years you left." The girl on the tree rolled her eyes as she proudly bragged to Rito.

Rito couldn't believe those words, the kid from before that used to hide behind him all the time had improved significantly during the time he left? He still remembered how Tal would cry and run to him for protection, now it looks like he's the one that's being protected, although it was shockingly weird he felt no envy or jealousy, only merely smiling.

Tal was so engrossed in fighting he didn't heard the two conversing. 

Rito then frowned as he turned to sit on the distance and laid Kaoru. He promptly checked for injuries, he found her head bleeding. He checked but it was just a minor blunt trauma, possibly a small cut but it still needed to be cleaned and stitched anyways. He then turned toward the incoming group of goons in the distance,

"Aiya, can you bring Kaoru back in the dojo? She's wounded and exhausted." Rito calmly spoke as he carefully lifted the unconscious Kaoru, his eyes restored it's former fierceness.

His right arm still wounded but it was no longer bleeding.

"...Huh? Are you stupid?! Why would i bring that skan— K-Kaoru back? What if she wakes up, complains after seeing me and hit me with her stupid fist?"

"Please, Aiya? Can you do it for me?" Rito softly replied, a hint of helplessness contained in his voice.

"I- Arrghh! Fine! Y-You owe me okay! A-And you better not meet with big sis today!" She stuttered as she then harrumped when she heard the pitiable voice contained within Rito's voice. She couldn't help but feel the strange feeling of being jealous. All the time she was trying to capture Rito's attention by being rude in order for him to notice how much she had also grown both strong and beautiful, but he was solely focused on Kaoru. Although she didn't know why she felt like this, she hated it, therefore she would just leave after sending Kaoru to their dojo. She hated her that much.

"Thanks, i won't." Rito only smiled. Ahh, how has she been nowadays? Rito thought of one particular person but then he shook his head and turned towards the fighting Tal. He just swiftly knocked the last person before turning to look at Rito.

"...Tal, you've grown so much." 

Tal flinched and his face then reddened. He then lowered his head.

'He's still embarassed to be complimented after all these years?' Rito couldn't help but feel the need to apologize, but then Tal quickly followed by shaking his frail arms, his face still flushed red.

'Damn, he's cute but...' Rito smiled before it turned fierce again, 

"Um, Tal... I need your help."

Tal replied with a nod. 

...

"Fuck! He knocked out our ambush!" One of the goons who was in the main force shouted as they arrived on the spot where Rito was ambushed.

"Impossible! They were Uzama's wenchmen! How could someone like him just beat all of them unconscious, much less protecting the girl." Another goon added.

They were looking at the previously beaten goons who weren't waking up even after being shaken or hit. They firmly believed someone like Rito could bring down the group like this.

Suddenly, the girl who had a samurai sword kneeled down and plucked a grass off the ground. The piece of grass had a fresh blood in it, the blood from Rito's wound.

"Boss, you found something?" One of the goons curiously asked.

"...That guy is bleeding, he must've been wounded in the process of defending the girl." The girl stoicly spoke her findings.

"Oh, the group mauled him! Let's find him and finish him off!" The goons then went cheering, but the girl remained silent as she then checked the pulses of one of the knocked goons.

"...No, there are also traces of another external force helping that guy." She then stood up, her face expressionless, she then followed. "...It's also possible that they haven't got that far, follow the bloodstains." They then started walking.

As they proceeded to followed the bloodstains into the thick forest. They halted on a certain spot, there they saw a huge log just two feet away from them. Behind the logs are rustling sounds, they then came to a conclusion that it must be Rito resting.

"Boss! It's them! Let's go!" One particular goon couldn't help but feel excited when he felt that Rito was on his deadend.

The girl didn't answer but just gave a cautious look. She had a faint sense of oddness from this. But before she could announce her findings, half of her group stepped up.

"Boss! Let us avenge our friends! Let's go rip him apart!"

The group then ran towards the log. Not caring for anything except for thr fact they could now beat Rito up for prolonging this chase.

The next event caused the rest of the goons who remained to shudder as the grass that group charged into collapsed and turned into a massive hole sucking everything down including the big log and half of the group!

"Noooo!!" "Help!!" "What the fuck!!" "Ahhhh!!" "Motherfucker!"

Countless screams resounded as the group who charged in fell down the hole. They were not expecting to fall into a trap!

Luckily, the hole wasn't that deep but it was enough for one person to be trapped if they didn't have rope or help.

The remaining goons including the girl widened their eyes and rushed to help. The sinkhole wasn't that deep but the big log fell down, putting a makeshift ladder for the group to climb up to.

Just as they sighed in relief, the big log suddenly produced countless buzzing noises. The buzzing noises gradually grew as a giant hornet came out from one of the holes. Then it was followed by another hornet then more hornets until countless hornets swarmed out the log!

The hornets horrified the trapped group as they found themselves suddenly stung by multiple gigantic insects! They then emitted high-pitched shrieks as the Japanese hornets pierced their skin and stung them all around their bodies.

The girl with the samurai screamed in horror,

"F-Fire!! Produce smoke now!!!"

Meanwhile, behind one of the trees, Rito casually threw a skinned-rabbit onto the group who remained above the hole.

Then, a roar came.