"You must be one of the so-called Hakkesshu, right?"
Ryuji raised a hand, signaling Hanzo and Mai's father to go find the girls who were buying clothes and protect them.
At the same time, he expanded his perception, scanning the surroundings. Only after confirming that this priest was the only strong presence nearby did he relax slightly.
"Don't be nervous. I only wish to know whether you desire greater power. My name is Goenitz. I am a priest and I am more than willing to listen to your desires and wishes."
Looking at the man before him, Goenitz felt a surge of excitement.
Because he had seen a prophet, someone whose spirit could resonate with heaven and earth!
After sensing the presence of a powerful aura here earlier, he had immediately come to investigate, and followed that aura straight to Ryuji.
And the reason he sought out Ryuji was simple: the King of Fighters tournament or rather, the plan to unseal Orochi had already begun. He was searching for a suitable vessel for Orochi.
Ryuji was extremely suitable to be Orochi's vessel.
Someone like him, who could naturally sense heaven and earth; if Orochi descended into his body, destroying the world would be effortless.
But…
Prophets of the past were usually frail old men.
So why was the 'prophet' Goenitz encountered this time someone who radiated danger just by standing there… someone who had even turned the killing intent into instinct?
Feeling the overwhelming power radiating from Ryuji, Goenitz felt a sense of danger himself. Therefore, instead of directly attacking Ryuji to demonstrate his strength, he chose to guide Ryuji; tempt him into becoming Orochi's vessel through his own desire for power.
"I'm not interested. I'm only interested in power that I developed myself. Dangerous fellow, if you don't leave soon, I'm going to attack you."
Ryuji clenched his fist.
If characters like Mature and Vice could potentially be redeemed, then even Shermie or Yashiro weren't completely beyond saving. But Goenitz, one of the Eight Hakkesshu was absolutely irredeemable.
This man truly wanted to destroy the human world.
So, if he had the chance to eliminate Goenitz here, he wouldn't mind.
The problem was, he didn't have his sword with him.
Fighting barehanded, his combat power wasn't at its peak. Unless Goenitz had the same kind of ever-escalating fighting spirit as Akuma, Ryuji wouldn't be able to kill him instantly.
"Oh? Is that so?"
Goenitz chuckled lightly.
Although Ryuji was strong, he was nowhere near the level of the aura Goenitz had sensed earlier on the mountain.
There were only two possibilities.
First, Ryuji was injured. Second, Ryuji was someone related to the one who had fought there.
Goenitz leaned toward the latter, because Ryuji's aura had dropped far too much.
"But you're seriously injured and need treatment. Humans are so fragile and they cannot fully control their own power."
He extended his hand.
"So why not join us? Let us heal your body in exchange for your power, how about it?"
Ryuji was almost speechless. He didn't know why Goenitz had sought him out, just like he didn't understand why Akuma had suddenly shown up before. But right now, with everything he had going on with Mai and Tifa, he had zero interest in getting involved with Goenitz.
So, he began circulating his blood energy, and the violent Satsui no Hado gradually manifested around his body.
Goenitz's smile stiffened, but he still didn't want to give up. After all, this was Orochi's will.
"Then… you must want something, right?"
Something I want?
Almost instantly, Ryuji thought of Mature and Vice. Those two women were technically villains, but their abilities were outstanding. If he could recruit them, he could make them his company's secretaries.
And then he could have them handle business during the day and... handle him at night.
The Satsui no Hado slowly dissipated. Ryuji looked at Goenitz, saw the faint relief on his face and smiled.
"Well, I actually do want something. I've been short on manpower lately. So, if you can find me a few loyal, competent women with big boobs, long legs, nice asses and at least an 8 or 9 out of 10 face, then maybe I can consider cooperating with you."
Ryuji's words made Goenitz's face twitch. Because right now, he actually had no such people.
If all of the Hakkesshu had already awakened, he could've just thrown Mature and Vice at Ryuji. But the problem was, they hadn't.
Neither Mature nor Vice had awakened their memories yet. One was currently studying in business school and wondering how to hook up with rich men, while the other was basically living like a savage somewhere in the South American rainforest.
As for Shermie, he didn't even consider her. She was one of the Four Heavenly Kings like him. He couldn't command her.
And more importantly, she hadn't awakened either. She was still working as a fashion designer.
Given the situation, he really couldn't provide what Ryuji asked for.
But it didn't matter. He could always stimulate Mature and Vice into awakening later.
So he stood up, preparing to leave.
"Hehehe… it seems we have a lot in common. Let's talk about cooperation next time we meet."
As he spoke, he turned to leave.
But Ryuji had no intention of letting him go. Instead, he revealed a bloodthirsty smile.
"Is that so? But I don't think you have good intentions toward me. If you want to leave, take a punch from me first."
Ryuji suddenly stood up. Sooner or later, he was bound to fight Orochi. He really wanted to know just how powerful Orochi was in this world.
So naturally, he needed to test the strength of the so-called Four Heavenly Kings.
Black lightning wrapped around Ryuji's fist as he charged straight toward Goenitz.
Goenitz's pupils shrank sharply. He could sense the terrifying power contained in that punch. If it hit him, he would be severely injured.
But all his escape routes were blocked by Ryuji. The wind he hastily summoned clearly wasn't enough to stop the attack.
So, he quickly threw out his own punch in response.
~~~~~~~~~~
You can support me by subscribing on Patreon and read up to 20 chapters ahead.
patreon.com/Ranabir_20