Chapter 56: Ryu (Part 2)
TL: Akabane
***
"My name is Tao Ron, Master of the Haten-ryu. From now on, please get to know me."
The man with the string eyes who introduces himself as such - Tao Ron.
If he is the master, then he is the one who is breaking dojos one after another, right? I've heard rumors that he's quite strong ...... but I see that's certainly true.
And my experience as a martial artist tells me that he is a strong man.
No wonder martial artists from other dojo are getting beaten up.
"Ha, I didn't expect the master to come out to take the place of the beaten disciple. Unlike the rumors, is he surprisingly considerate of his disciples?"
"M-Master Tao Ron......"
"Sorry, it's our fault......"
"Oh~~...... you guys can go away now. Before I change my mind."
""Ha--yes!""
At Tao Ron's words, the disciples slink away, their voices trembling.
It was hard to notice because it was only for a moment, but there was a deadly atmosphere emanating from them that chilled the core of their bodies.
Damn ...... I was scared out of my wits.
But it seems I was wrong about the discipleship thing.
He looked at them as if they were an insect, and his eyes were sharp and deadly. It's not the kind of attitude to show disrespect for your precious disciples, is it?
"So, are you going to fight?"
"Before that, let me talk to you."
"Talk?"
"Yes. You probably already know about me and the Haten-ryu, but I want to make it bigger. I want to make it the best dojo in this town, or even the world. For this purpose, I am looking for young and talented people, but I am ashamed to say that I can only gather trash like the one I just mentioned."
"So?"
You're muddling through, so get on with it and say what you want.
When I asked with that intention in mind, Tao Ron paused for a beat and
"Let me put it simply, why don't you come to the Haten-ryu?"
Ha, that's what I thought.
But the answer to that question has already been decided.
"No, I don't want to. I'm a martial artist of the Kikagei-ryu, I'm not going to go for the Haten-ryu."
"I know that the master of the Kikagei-ryu doesn't teach techniques to his disciple. I wonder if you can really become stronger than ever in the future by staying in such a place. Isn't that why you are still smoldering in this place without training?"
"--?"
I was so upset because he hit the nail on the head, and Tao Ron threw out a few words as if he was going to fold up the conversation.
"I would never do such a thing as not teaching a technique to my disciple. How about you fight with me and get to know the Haten-ryu? I'm sure you'll like it too."
"You're going to fight after all, aren't you? Then let's see how good you are at this "Haten-ryu"!
Kicking off the ground, I rushes toward Tao Ron. I came close, twisted my body, and unleashed a fist strike with all my might.
But...
"That's a good attack."
"Damn!"
He catches it with one hand.
Undaunted, I unleashed fist strikes and leg blows, but they were all caught.
It's no good. ......He's detected all of my attacks!
"Well, let's start with me this time."
Ugh!
The offense and defense are reversed, and this time Tao Ron unleashes a series of furious blows.
They are fast and sharp, and each blow is heavy, not matching his body. But I bite into the attacks and parry them all away.
Kikagei-ryu is a defensive dojo, so I can still survive this much.
"Excellent, you are better at defending than attacking. I like you more and more. Then how about this?
"Ha!"
The fist strike that Tao Ron unleashed couldn't be fully repelled, and I was hit by it.
Why, why can't I pass it off?!
While I was puzzled by my inability to pass the blows, a rush of more blows came at me. I couldn't parry all of them, and I became nothing more than a mere target.
And then Tao Ron unleashes the final blow.
"Haten-ryu Spiral Palm."
"Guaaaahhhh!"
I eats a full-body palm strike to the stomach, and blood sprays from my mouth.
Unable to stand, I fell to my knees.
(What's that ......? It's like my body is being stirred up...)
As I crawl on my knees in defeat, Tao Ron bends his knees and crouches down, saying,
"How is it? This is what I call a martial arts technique. All you have to do is wish for it, and you will soon have this power."
"......"
"I am always waiting for you to come to me."
With that, Tao Ron leaves the place.
Tao Ron's words entered my mind like the devil.
"I want ...... to be stronger!!!!"
***
"What's wrong with that scar?! What happened to you?!"
"It's nothing, just leave it alone."
"I can't just leave it alone! Ryu is acting strange these days, you're not training, what are you doing?! Master and everyone is worried about you!"
"Shut up, it's none of your business!"
"Ryu is my family! It's only natural to be concerned when one of my family members is injured! Besides, what Ryu is doing is degrading the dignity of the Kikagei-ryu. There are rumors among the townspeople and martial artists. Master Pai of the Kikagei-ryu can't even raise a good disciple anymore. ......What do you want to do by betraying your master!"
"Shut up! What do you know about me? You're always so carefree and fun to be around. I think about the future of the Kikagei-ryu more than anyone else! But that old man won't teach me his techniques! Then I have no choice but to become stronger by myself! Don't you ever disturb me again!"
"R-Ryu......"
Ugh ..... that's really annoying.
Even the old man who doesn't understand what he's talking about gets angry at these girl who are always easygoing. Exploding in frustration, I turned back from the dojo and went out to the town again.
I found myself in the dojo of the "Haten-ryu".
And as if he could read my thoughts, Tao Ron was waiting for me.
"I knew you would come, Ryu. Welcome to the Haten-rtu, let's seek endless strength together."
"Don't get me wrong, I haven't switched to the Haten-ryu yet. Let's start by learning some techniques. Then we can talk."
"That's fine. I'm sure you'll like the Haten-ryu."
From that day on, I was immersed in the Haten-ryu and Tao Ron taught me his techniques.
Unlike the defensive style of Kikagei-ryu, Haten-ryu was an offensive style. It was a dojo that specialized in destruction.
The characteristic of Haten-ryu is rotation. By twisting the fists and legs during an attack, speed and destructive power are increased.
Not only that, but when you add rotation, you can penetrate the opponent's defenses. This is how my ukeganashi didn't work.
(Wow ...... how awesome are the techniques is!)
I was intoxicated by the techniques of the Haten-ryu.
It is not that difficult to master the rotation, and once you get the hang of it, anyone can do it. Even a punk who hasn't studied martial arts much can do it.
I, who have been building a solid foundation of martial arts, can further improve this technique. I can become stronger.
For the first time in a long time, I was so elated that my body was on fire.
"Ryu, you are a quick learner, just as I have expected you to be. And as I thought, you seem to be more compatible with offensive rigidity than defensive softness. Temperamentally, too, the Haten-ryu is a good fit for you."
"Hmm ...... I'm sure Master Tao Ron's teaching is good, too."
In fact, Tao Ron was also good at teaching.
He teaches in a quick and easy-to-understand way, without muddled explanations. He would also give me advice on how I could make it better.
It was frustrating, but he was also a much better martial artist than I was.
But maybe that's why I was able to accept his teachings. I am not willing to beg for lessons from someone who is weaker than me.
Not only that, the environment was also good.
All of the disciples of the Haten-ryu have glazed-over eyes and are struggling desperately to become stronger. I was motivated by this atmosphere.
It was a far cry from the antics of the Kikagei-ryu.
"How's it going? Don't you want to test it's power soon?"
"Test it? I've fought most of the guys here, but none of them were a match for me."
"If it's not here, why don't you fight a disciple from another dojo?"
Tao Ron took me to the other dojo's disciples and offered me to fight them.
Not a kumite match that would end in a stoppage, but a real fight.
I won match after match. I was injured at times, but it didn't matter. I felt that my wounds were getting stronger as I fought with flesh and blood.
However, in one match, I killed my opponent in a match against another dojo.
"Haten-ryu Spiral Palm."
"Gah!"
My opponent was strong, as good as me, and desperate to win. One wrong move and I could have died, so I had no choice.
"Haa...... haa......"
"You won well, Ryu. You have overcome a great wall. Now you can climb higher."
Tao Ron says comforting words to me as I let loose after killing someone for the first time.
Yes ...... I have won a fight to the death.
This experience surpasses any training.
That evening.
When I returned to the dojo of Kikagei-ryu, my grandpa was waiting for me with an angry face I had never seen before. Meimei was also there, looking sad.
Apparently, Grandpa and Meimei had heard that I had committed murder.
"Ryu ...... is it true that you killed a disciple from another dojo? That's a lie, right? No matter how much Ryu is, he wouldn't do something that stupid, right!"
"Yes, I killed him."
"No.....! Why did you do that?! Why did you do that to betray your master?!"
"That's enough, Meimei."
"Master! But!"
Mei Mei is restrained, and the old man looks me straight in the eye and asks me a question.
"Ryu, my dear ...... do you have anything to say?"
"Nothing......"
"Well then ...... you are excommunicated and expelled from the Kikagei-ryu. Never set foot in this dojo again."
"--? Expulsion? I'll get the hell out of this miserable dojo even if you don't tell me to! I have my own "Haten-ryu"!
I knew this would happen.
I knew that the day would come when I would have to say goodbye to my grandpa and the Kikagei-ryu.
I guess this day and this time was the right time.
Excommunication?
Exile?
I'm fine with it. I have no more regrets about the Kikagei-ryu.
I'm going to get out of here and go to a higher level.
I said my goodbyes. Now I can move on without hesitation.
As I turned on my heel and descended the stairs, Meimei ran up to me and called out.
"Ryu! Are you sure you want to do this?! Do you really have to betray the master who raised me and the others until now to seek strength?!"
Betrayed?
I was thinking about the future of Grandpa and the Kikagei-ryu more than anyone else. It was you who didn't respond to my feelings, Grandpa.
"Ha! Betrayed? It was that old man who betrayed me first! Then, I'll go my own way!"
"Ryu......"
"That's right Meimei ..... you should come to the Haten-ryu too. I've never met such a strong person before. I have just met him for a short time and he has been teaching me the techniques of the Haten-ryu. I found the strength I was aiming for in him. That's why I want you to come over there and join us. I'll introduce you to Master Tao Ron."
"I'm not going! I am a disciple of Kikagei-ryu! I'm Master's disciple!
"Damn ...... I see. You may regret it, but you're not going to die anytime soon in the Kikagei-ryu."
Yes, sooner or later, the Kikagei-ryu will disappear along with the old man.
And when that time comes, it will be you who will regret it, Meimei.
***
I'm officially a disciple of the Haten-ryu.
No, not only me. At the request of Master Tao Ron, other disciples of Kikagei-ryu besides Meimei have also transferred to Haten-ryu.
Master Tao Ron wanted to expand the Haten-ryu and wanted young martial artists to join the dojo.
They are also martial artists. At first they were reluctant, but when I told them that there was no future for them in the Kikagei-ryu and that they should come to the Haten-ryu if they wanted to become stronger, they agreed to my offer.
After all, a martial artist is one who seeks strength. There is something wrong with my grandpa and Meimei.
Another year passed, and I became stronger.
I still can't beat Master Tao Ron, but no other martial artist can beat me. The Haten-ryu has also grown in the town and has become the strongest and most powerful dojo in both name and reality.
Everything is going well.
At that time, Master Tao Ron said to me.
"The Kikagei-ryu has become an eyesore, and I'm thinking it's time to destroy it, but I'd like to leave it to Ryu."
"You want me to do it.....?"
"Yes. I think you should be the one to end that dojo."
"Okay, let me do it."
I immediately respond to Master Tao Ron's suggestion.
Who else but me would be the one to lead the Kikagei-ryu?
"Is Ryu also going to destroy ...... Kikagei-ryu?"
"Yeah, that's right. They wanted to take credit for it, so I gave it to them, but as you can see, it's in a mess. Then I'll have no choice but to hand over the Kikagei-ryu myself."
I fought Meimei.
She was a little stronger, but not as strong as me. I was surprised when she started to use his Kikagei-ryu techniques, but there was no way that this level of technique was my grandpa's. It was too weak.
It was the right decision to move to the Haten-ryu. If I had stayed in Kikagei-ryu, I would have followed the same weak path as Meimei.
And I defeated Meimei.
This would be the end of the Kikagei-ryu. It feels so good to end it with my own hands.
"You did well, Ryu. I'm glad I invited you to join the Haten-ryu after all."
"No, I'm the one who should be thanking you, Master Tao Ron. If I had stayed in Kikagei-ryu, I would have remained weak. But now, I am done with the Kikagei-ryu."
"About that ...... it got a little troublesome. When I went to the dojo to receive the signboard, there was one other disciple there."
"What?"
I was astonished. There should be no other disciples in the current Kikagei-ryu except for Meimei.
Puzzled, Master Tao Ron exhales a sigh and explains the situation.
Master Tao Ron wanted to make the disciples fight against each other for the dojo's title. However, there is only Meimei in the Kikagei-ryu, and Meimei cannot fight because I have seriously injured her.
The Master was supposed to be able to take the signboard as it was, but someone claiming to be their disciple appeared from the side and decided to fight instead of Meimei.
The discipld was a dragon tribe, and there were others who looked like adventurers.
(Adventurers in the dojo of Kikagei-ryu......? Don't tell me Dale is there?)
No, that's not such a convenient story.
But if an old man were to invite an adventurer guest to his dojo, the only person I can think of is Dale.
"I'm sorry, but I want Ryu to fight that disciple or whatever she is. Well, I'm sure you won't lose."
"Fine, I won't lose, no matter who is she."
"Hmm, those are dependable words. I'm counting on you, Ryu."
Wait for me, old man.
This time, I'll end the Kikagei-ryu with my own hands.
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