Before the dust could even rise, the gale stirred up by Uesugi Ryu's charge had already blown it away.
Syura was covered in injuries. The moment he looked up, he saw nothing.
Then a fist the size of a sandbag slammed squarely into his face.
Six bloodied teeth shot into the wall like bullets.
Syura's mind went blank. He instinctively swung back while mumbling through his shattered mouth,
"Yu bashtard... shtop righ now!"
Uesugi Ryu paid no attention to Syura's counterattack. Blood streamed down his knuckles.
Crack!
Another hook smashed into Syura's left cheek, sending broken molars flying into the wall along with a spray of blood.
At least half of Syura's teeth were gone by now.
His body twitched weakly. His face had swollen into a pig's head.
Seeing both sides evenly matched, Uesugi Ryu nodded in satisfaction.
Through his swollen eyes, Syura glared at him.
Uesugi Ryu suddenly remembered that Syura had said he would beat him half to death.
A slight smile curved his lips as he grabbed Syura by the hair and met his gaze.
"Young Master Syura, do you know what half-dead really means?"
Syura was no longer arrogant.
For the first time, he genuinely believed this man might kill him.
Looking at Syura's terrified expression, Uesugi Ryu kindly explained,
"You'd probably measure it by bones. The human body has about 206 of them."
"How many would I need to break to qualify as half-dead? Can you do the math?"
Syura's pupils shrank to pinpoints.
His eyes instantly filled with pleading.
"Pleash... pleash... let me go..."
Uesugi Ryu sneered and released his grip.
Syura collapsed to the ground with a thud.
The movement pulled at his injuries, making him groan, but his eyes never left Uesugi Ryu.
Uesugi Ryu lowered his head and carefully examined Syura's body.
This darkie was wearing a midriff-baring outfit, making it easy to estimate the damage.
"Let's see. Your sternum is broken, and you've probably got six broken ribs."
After a moment, Uesugi Ryu tapped his forehead.
"Counting them all would be a bit troublesome."
The Five Views had X-ray vision, but even then, counting so many bones was annoying.
Rubbing his chin, Uesugi Ryu sighed regretfully.
"If I broke half your bones, you'd definitely die."
"I did say I'd spare your life, so let's forget that."
Hearing this, Syura felt as if he had narrowly escaped death.
The knot in his chest loosened, if only a little.
A trace of hatred flashed in his eyes.
He silently swore that someday, somehow, he would kill Uesugi Ryu.
Uesugi Ryu's gaze drifted downward, and a playful smile appeared.
"But you are far too unruly. I think I'll confiscate your weapon of crime."
The relief on Syura's face vanished instantly.
He frantically scrambled backward.
"Don't come near me!"
Uesugi Ryu remained expressionless.
He raised his left leg and brought his boot down hard.
Squish.
Something seemed to have been crushed into paste.
For good measure, Uesugi Ryu twisted his heel a few times.
A scream so shrill it could pierce the heavens erupted from Syura's throat.
He forgot all about his injuries as his body instantly curled up.
Both hands clutched desperately at his crotch. Tears and snot streamed down his face.
Despite the brutal beating earlier, Syura had not shed a single tear.
But now, with his most vulnerable part reduced to mush, even a man like him could not hold back.
His face turned ashen, his eyes filled with utter despair.
Could Dorothea's alchemy or Stylish's medical skills fix this?
In the stands, three men had witnessed the entire thing.
Budo turned his head away, unable to watch, though the corners of his mouth twitched upward.
Syura had spent his life ruining women.
Now he would never again be troubled by worldly desires.
Uesugi Ryu had truly rid the people of a menace.
Honestly, this was worse than death.
Not only had Syura lost the pleasures of being a man, but in this condition, he could never inherit Honest's legacy.
No one wanted a eunuch as their heir.
After enjoying the moment, Budo regained his composure.
The strength Uesugi Ryu had displayed far surpassed that of ordinary Teigu users.
In terms of pure physical ability, Budo judged him to be nearly his equal.
In speed, Uesugi Ryu might even have the advantage.
Budo narrowed his eyes thoughtfully.
"Perhaps I could find a way to win him over."
That would depend on Honest's reaction.
Syura was Honest's eldest and most capable son.
However, Syura had clearly been in the wrong here, and Esdeath was notoriously protective of her own.
After weighing the pros and cons, Honest might very well choose to ignore the matter.
Looking at Syura's miserable state, Wave felt a chill run through his own crotch and quickly squeezed his legs together.
"Mr. Uesugi is incredible!"
Wave exclaimed, then burst into laughter.
"Hahaha! I guess from now on, Syura should be called Shura instead!"
A trace of satisfaction also appeared on Bols's face.
But he was worried.
Uesugi Ryu had now made an enemy of Syura for life.
After all, this had started because of him.
Bols had forgotten his lunchbox when he left, and Kije had come to deliver it.
If not for his carelessness, his wife and daughter would never have crossed paths with Syura.
After groaning for a while, Syura finally passed out.
The fact that the pain had not killed him spoke volumes about his endurance.
Uesugi Ryu had actually been about to knock him unconscious himself, worried the pain might finish him off.
Since Syura had conveniently done it himself, that saved some effort.
Uesugi Ryu rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
"I wonder if this world has sex reassignment surgery. Hahaha..."
...
A blonde girl with rabbit-ear ribbons on her head turned to Stylish.
"The Empire has alchemists too? That's unexpected."
Stylish nodded.
"He and I have already begun collaborating. Since you're both alchemists, I'm sure you'll have plenty to discuss."
Dorothea placed one hand on her hip, looking disdainful.
"Tch. A hack shouldn't show off in front of me."
Alchemists were not scientists.
Talent alone could not take you far.
Alchemy required a complete body of knowledge, proper tutelage, and years of accumulated study.
Dorothea looked young, but only because of special methods involving Teigu and alchemy.
In truth, she was old enough to be a grandmother.
In her eyes, Stylish and Uesugi Ryu were merely children.
She glanced around Stylish's laboratory and said coolly,
"I doubt a child could possess any truly refined skill. At best, he knows a few unconventional tricks."
Stylish adjusted his glasses and smiled.
"I've seen his Human Transmutation."
"Even if that's the only thing he can do, that alone is enough for us."
Dorothea's interest was immediately piqued.
"Human Transmutation?"
Human Transmutation was forbidden alchemy, and nearly all of its techniques had been lost.
Even Dorothea herself only possessed partial knowledge of body modification.
That hardly counted as true Human Transmutation.
Stylish led Dorothea deeper into the laboratory as he explained,
"The experimental subject he created is being kept here. It has some slight mental issues."
"But it's fascinating. Come take a look."
Dorothea's eyes lit up with excitement.
What an unexpected gain.
Just then, a strangely dressed man hurried over.
He lowered his head respectfully.
"Lord Stylish. Lady Dorothea."
"The Minister has sent word. It seems Young Master Syura has been injured."
Stylish looked puzzled.
Ordinary injuries would never require his attention.
"Injured? How badly?"
The man shook his head.
"They didn't say. But it appears to be extremely serious."
Dorothea frowned.
Given Syura's status and strength, very few people could injure him.
She turned and headed for the exit.
"The experiment can wait. Let's go see Syura first."