Hello lads, sorry for such lately posting, but last days I didn't have any will to do almost anything, I'm still in my hometown w my family, and as it is always happens w family, they threw me to our fam business, where I work from 9 to 6, coming home drained asf, I apologise for that.
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POV Isao Tsumugi
"Hah…" I sighed and looked at the guy, realizing one thing: I was still the same impulsive kid I was in the past, but… I don't regret it.
A person regrets when they believe what they did was wrong, but I didn't. I didn't think my challenging him to a duel was wrong; it was simply the logical thing to do.
First, because I need people—those who know what to do, who are capable of following orders and have fighting experience, not just against zombies, but against other humans also.
And second, there can't be two Leaders in one place, and frankly… I didn't want anyone ordering me around. Yeah, yeah, I know, it's stupid and an incredibly dumb thought, but the thing is… with my powers, sooner or later, I'll gain a lot of different traits and skills, not to mention otherworldly abilities. Among them, I'm bound to find good traits or even abilities for knowing how to properly act so that a community with a large number of people can prosper.
It wasn't just that I believed this, but also that I didn't consider myself too stupid of a person. Yes, I admit I was an addict in my past life, but… I wasn't an addict my whole life. I was only like that for the last three years of my last life, and even then, in the third, final year, I tried to move away from it, but… it was hard, incredibly hard to get away from it, and I couldn't even manage to do it, solving the addiction problem another way…
But even so, in my past life, I was a reasonably smart person. I wouldn't say I was a genius with a library up my ass, knowing how to use the knowledge from the books in that very library, but… I was okay, slightly above average.
And in this life, I've also become a little smarter, not by much, of course, but by 5-10 percent for sure, so… I considered myself capable enough to be the leader of the survivor community. Souichiro thought so too, and sooner or later, we would have clashed heads, either because I wouldn't be able to do everything I wanted, or because I would simply gain popularity among the people. I'm 100% sure that there are some traits in the Gacha that you can draw, and they'll make you almost the most beloved person among the people in general, which would make Souichiro himself paranoid. All people in power are like that; even those with the strongest will eventually start seeing shadows where there are none.
"Know that I'm not doing this out of hatred for you, Soichiro. I don't even hate you. I just don't trust you. What you showed in the yard was strong enough to push away my desire to work with you more… peacefully." My voice wasn't very loud, but here, in the dojo, with everyone silent and waiting for the fight? It was enough for everyone to hear my words.
"Hmm, it would be foolish if you hated me, just as it would be if I hated you. I don't even know you, Isao Tsumugi, and to hate you just because you want the highest position to do things your own way would be foolish. If I were you, I would do the same thing, for the sake of my people." He nodded, looking straight at me. The tension we both felt during the conversation in the yard seemed to have vanished as if it had never been there. "However, I agreed to this duel not because of our spat in the yard, but because it was the easiest way to get you and your… eccentric abilities, which you yourself revealed to me."
"Yeah, old man, I get it. Many would want to take control over me because of my ability. It's true that creating metal and subsequently controlling it incredibly simplifies many things." People around us began to whisper, trying to figure out what I was talking about. The only ones who didn't know were Souichiro's people who had just arrived this morning, and the civilians rescued bySouichiro's people. Right now, many were asking each other what we were discussing.
"It's good that you see this. Usually, kids your age would immediately cling to their wounded pride, but you… for some reason, I believe you're not that kind of person, and not one who would cheat in such a fair fight."
"Alright," I rolled my eyes at his "kids." I've been a legal adult for a while, actually, and if you also count the age I lived in my past life, I'd easily be his peer. "Then let's repeat the terms of our duel for everyone to hear."
"Of course. First, you will not use your ability during this duel." I saw him slightly tense his muscles to warm them up a bit before the duel, although I'm sure he had already stretched them out before the duel. It was obvious from the sweat running down his neck. Good thing I didn't need that, unlike him.
"And in return, you won't use any bokken or just ordinary weapons." Actually, upon gaining this skill, I realized I could beat Soichiro even if he wielded any other cold weapon. It would be slightly difficult to fight him with just fists, but I would still win in that scenario.
"And… the winner gets everything that belongs to the loser, absolutely. We will fight until one of us is no longer able to do so, or is unconscious."
"Yepp," I nodded slightly. Was I afraid of losing? No, not at all. It would be a damn disgrace if I lost with an enhanced body that is much more resilient and slightly stronger than average, against an adult and strong, but still ordinary human, especially since I recently got a skill that gave me a good level of knowledge of unarmed combat. "So, shall we begin?"
"Yes." He bowed slightly, and I returned the gesture, making sure not to show myself as too respectful? Worshipping? Just slightly, so it was clear I wasn't an arrogant bastard, but not enough to suggest I was afraid of him or subservient to him. Honestly, all these damn bows and their intricate meanings tied to how deep you bow are annoying.
We started to stand up, and his man, who would likely be our referee, approached from somewhere. He stood in a somewhat elaborate stance: hands slightly lowered below his chest, palms open and facing down, while his feet were shoulder-width apart, and he kept his eyes on all of me, not just my hands. I, meanwhile, adopted a stance that was quite convenient for punching: right hand close to my jaw, covering the right side of my face, right foot slightly back, left foot slightly forward and turned a few degrees, and my left hand extended forward, making it easier to throw jabs.
By the way, neither of us had gloves or wraps, so the blows that landed on the body would be felt, at least by him, but I was slightly tougher.
"Ready?" The referee, a man with a receding hairline and a slightly squeaky voice, asked. His gaze lingered on me for a moment, and there was a hint of disdain in it.
There was a distance of several meters between Soichiro and me. The way he stood suggested he would rely on counterattacks and grappling. It was clear he knew some form of martial art. Aikido? No, I don't think so. Aikido students mostly learn it for self-defense and are people who don't wish to harm others. Their Path is literally the Union with Life or, in other words, Harmony with One's Spirit, and Soichiro…
He doesn't seem like the kind of person who would worry about his opponent. Honestly, I don't care.
I took the first steps, instantly switching my stance from the left-side attacking one to a frontal stance, hands in front of my face, feet shoulder-width apart, and took swift steps towards him. When he was within arm's reach, I threw a straight punch, a simple straight punch, just to test the waters.
He dodged it, but barely, and then moved towards me himself, trying to grab my arm, but I lightly jumped back. What I saw was enough.
"You're cunning, Souichiro. Judo? And probably not the sport kind." He didn't say anything, but I noticed his legs tense up and realized what he was about to do.
He lunged towards me, but he seemed a bit slow to me, and I instantly changed my stance to make it easier to use my legs, a simple street style I developed myself, and kicked him in the leg, simultaneously dodging his grapple. The kick was sharp and landed successfully on his thigh, making him wince. The people around us gasped in disbelief.
"Honestly, before this, I only met sport judokas, and now meeting you, I realized one thing." He instantly turned back to me but didn't go on the offensive, and neither did I. We started circling each other. "Your hands, for judokas, they're slightly below the chest. Yours are higher, and that means… Atemi Waza." He narrowed his eyes slightly, but I saw a slight acknowledgment of my knowledge in his gaze. "And that means not only grappling, throws, and joint locks, but also strikes. And the way your hands twitched slightly when I started my offensive, you're good at Ude-Atemi Waza." I nodded to him, acknowledging him.
Honestly, you meet all sorts when you're a delinquent. I cleansed my entire school of various bastards, so most students were afraid of me, but at the same time, they were grateful. But upon hearing about me from other schools, other bastards would come.
Yes, that anime cliché is real, but the trick is, it's a perfectly real thing. Different bastards would come to me, thinking I was going to form my own gang, and I didn't give a shit about that. But how do you prove that to high schoolers who have nothing better to do? Right, you can't. So, starting from the first year of high school, I fought different bastards almost every day, and most of them, of course, knew Karate or Boxing, fewer were Kickboxers, and even fewer were Judokas. And even among them, only a few were non-sport judokas who actually trained Atemi-Waza, which is the Striking Technique taught only to some students of the Gentle Path, aka Judo. Just imagine the Hyūga Gentle Fist from Naruto, but without all the magical bullshit and with more grappling and so on.
Fuck!
I leaned to the side, dodging another one of Soichiro's attempts to grab me.
"Sorry, got distracted, remembering that small number of real Judokas." Soichiro stood in front of me in a more closed stance. It wouldn't have been noticeable, but the way his elbows slightly turned was enough for me. He went into full defense, realizing my reaction time was too fast.
So, I pressed the attack, and swiftly. A distracting jab from the left attacking stance, which he tried to grab, but I quickly changed stance and rotated my right leg, kicking him in the head.
The sharp kick landed on his head, making him wince heavily, but he didn't take his eyes off me or drop his guard. I can respect that. Our observers in the dojo gasped in astonishment again.
"Are you not going to talk? You know, it's a bit boring when you don't talk during a fight. Thoughts are swirling in your head, and you're scanning your opponent, or opponents, at the same moment."
"It's disrespectful to talk during a battle." He looked at me, frowning, and I smiled internally, seeing how the right side of his face had reddened and slowly started to swell.
"Sorry, Souichiro Takagi, but I don't care much about such things. I'm all about practicality." Saying this, I moved. Honestly, I was tired of this. Was I afraid all this time that he might have something to counter me with? It seems it was because I didn't understand how strong I am compared to ordinary people, not to mention that he was also weakened because he couldn't use a katana. His apprenticeship under the current head of the Busujima family was known to everyone, and only a fool wouldn't know about it.
Blows started raining down on him from all directions—from below, from the left, from below again, a few feint jabs—and he either dodged them or met them with his forearms, while trying to counterattack or grab me somehow, but it was all in vain. I was faster.
At some point, I started using my legs, adding kicks to his legs every few strikes, and alternating them: a few kicks, then punches; a few punches, then kicks. In short, it was fun.
I hadn't realized how strong I had become until this moment, and damn, I even got taller in just one evening, not by much, and not very noticeably to others, but still, I only noticed it this morning when we were driving away from Shizuka's friend's house.
It was hard for Souichiro to do anything. He fell into full defense, trying to dodge but not fast enough, which resulted in my hands hitting his forearms. He kept trying to move away from me by jumping back, but I wouldn't let him, quickly closing the distance and kicking his thighs for it.
After a few minutes, he started to get out of breath. His arms and legs were shaking slightly, but he didn't back down, and finally decided on one last naive attack, but…
I had seen enough and stored it in my memory. All this time, I was only wearing him down: strikes to the arms so they would be tired and slightly sore, strikes to the legs so they couldn't support him. And right now, I was going on the offensive.
As soon as he approached, I pushed him slightly. His legs were already too weak from all those kicks, and at the same time, I performed a sweep, hooking my leg around his right leg, spinning around myself while standing on one leg, like a top. My hands were spread out to the sides, and the leg I used for the sweep was raised.
Soichiro, who was a huge man compared to other Japanese people, fell to the ground with a loud thud, and the entire dojo went deadly silent. Not even the sound of breathing could be heard. For a few seconds, everyone hoped it was just nonsense, but Soichiro's man who was supposed to be the referee walked up to Soichiro and started checking on him.
"M-Mr. Souichiro…" He was trembling, looking at me. "H-he's unconscious… Mr. Tsumugi, you won."
[Defeat Souichiro Takagi in a duel, without using any abilities]
[2x Silver Ticket]
[Obtain everything belonging to another man (who is not just anyone) through a fair duel]
[Gold Ticket]
"Hmm, send him to the infirmary and wake him up quickly." I smirked slightly at him, and he swallowed, called a few of his guys, and they led him away.
As soon as they left through the doors, people went wild, starting to clap, whistle, and shout. More accurately, they were my people, and among them, the children gave me the most enthusiastic applause, which was picked up by the other people, who also started clapping. To calm them down, I slightly raised my hand, and everyone immediately fell silent.
"Thank you for your congratulations, but first, I'd like to get down to business, my friends. So please, everyone who is not one of Souichiro Takagi's people, leave the Dojo and walk around somewhere." My glasses were back in place. I was an idiot for not wearing them even inside. They turned out to be more useful than I thought.
Souichiro's people were gloomy and looked at me, slightly furrowing their brows. Even among my own people, I saw slight agitation, not bad, just strong surprise.
A few seconds after my words, people started leaving the Dojo, and I headed to the front of the room, towards the altar. As soon as I got close enough, some young guy, dressed in the same uniform as Soichiro's other people, pulled out a cushion from somewhere and placed it in front of the altar. I looked at him in surprise, but he just bowed and stepped aside slightly.
"Heh…" Smirking, I simply sat on the cushion in the most comfortable way, and looked at Souichiro's people who were already beginning to line up in front of me, but in front of them, in the center, sat the one I completely forgot about, Yuriko Takagi, and next to her was Saya, who was looking at me, slightly blushing, almost drooling… Hmm, girls with father issues really are built differently. Unlike her daughter, Yuriko's face was impassive.
"…" I remained silent, not because I had nothing to say, no. I just decided to open the Gacha first, and only then start talking, so… do your job, Gacha.
[Divine Dogs]
|Uncommon Familiar|
Jujutsu Kaisen - A pair of twin wolves capable of tearing apart targets with their claws and fangs. Each of the dogs can detect hostility and negative emotions and notify their master when they feel hostility directed toward them. Their powerful sense of smell allows them to track targets across long distances. As Shikigami made of your own shadow, their strength scales with your own. In addition, they are capable of going in and out of shadows.
[Stray Cat]
|Uncommon Familiar|
JoJo - A plant... cat...? Creature of sorts, Stray Cat is a feline whose soul fused with a plant. Stray Cat is capable of Aerokinesis, allowing them to launch invisible air bullets stronger than regular bullets or use bubbles as very dense shields. But they get very sleepy when covered by darkness.
[Novice Leadership]
|Uncommon Skill|
You know a bit about leading and motivating people, you won't be leading armies anytime soon but the team you lead will probably find you an agreeable leader and you are decent at resolving conflict among members and motivating your team.
Looking ahead at the screens in front of me, I smirked, and it seemed that Souichiro's people took it personally, not even realizing what the hell I had just gotten my hands on.
First, the damn cool wolf Shikigami, who will also be my detectors for my haters, not to mention that they will be damn strong, since their strength scales with how strong I am myself.
Second, Stray Cat, fuck yeah! One of my favorite animals, whose design I worked on like a madman in this world. Of course, it wasn't so different from the Stray Cat of my world, but in this world, I added a few roots that it can use for movement, since the kitty loved to wander around, which made the Kira of my Jojo try very hard to finally defeat him, although to use the Roots over long distances, he had to drink water and absolutely be in sunlight, or else he almost died from energy depletion, and again, it's a pity that the Stray Cat I got now isn't the same one I drew myself.
And third, no less important, Novice Leadership… heh, this thing will be incredibly useful.
And right now, with my mood lifted, I wanted to show off and, under the attentive gaze of everyone, I slowly made a hand gesture that formed the shape of a wolf's head. My shadow was behind me, and by the way people's eyes widened, I realized it was effective. Not only that, I felt my shadow behind me start to bubble, and two enormous Shikigami creatures emerged from it, which were my Divine Dogs. To my right, I saw the face of a black wolf, and to my left, the face of a white one, and both were huge, two, if not three, times bigger than ordinary dogs.
"Now…" I smirked, looking at them, and the wolves' calm state told me that no one felt any particularly strong negative emotions towards me. At the same time, I replaced the ability in the fourth slot, Rough Knucles, which I hadn't used the entire fight because I maintained the conditions of a fair duel, with Soul Reading. "How about we discuss a few things?"
Many of Souichiro's men swallowed, but Yuriko kept her composure, nodding at me, while her daughter looked at my wolves with admiration.
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(Hope u liked the duel, first time writing something like this, and yeah, last move by Isao is very interesting one, you might even see it somewhere ;) )