Chapter 25: Battle All-In!
Abandoned building, sixth floor.
Tear gas flooded the hallway.
Four mercenaries, armed with SMGs and wearing gas masks and thermal imagers, stood motionless in the rolling smoke.
They were certain that "someone" was right next to them.
But because of their masks and thermals, their vision was restricted. They couldn't see the person unless they turned their heads.
And they were even more certain that the instant they turned... that "person" would strike.
It was the feeling of being stalked by a beast...
Or perhaps, at this very moment, these executioners who killed for sport were finally getting a taste of what it felt like to be the prey.
But... was it really possible?
Even for a powerful fighter, caught in a cloud of tear gas, unable to breathe, unable to even open his eyes... could he really launch a fatal attack?!
...
"..."
Shiraki Kei's eyes were squeezed shut. He held his breath, his mind sharp, his vision nothing but darkness.
The moment the smoke billowed out, he had used the visual cover to dash in beside the four mercenaries, memorizing their positions.
He only had a few seconds.
Even his trained body couldn't overcome its physiological instincts—at least, not yet.
His eyes, irritated, would stream with tears. His lungs, if he inhaled, would seize in a coughing fit...
Therefore, in a few seconds—at his very next breath—he would lose his ability to fight. These few seconds were his "all-in."
Could he do it?
Blind, relying only on his senses, could he take out all four mercenaries?
Shiraki Kei's mind went into overdrive, his consciousness exploding. Time stretched. The darkness before his eyes twisted into ink, forming the phantom of Ryu.
Swish! Swish! Swish...
Ryu was punching, kicking, turning. Every move was clean, crisp. It was as if he was communicating the very will of his fists to Shiraki Kei.
What is strength?
From the time he was a child, Ryu had trained with his master. Later, he traveled the world, seeking the strong, meeting countless others.
The feeling of clashing with those powerful foes still lingered in his fists.
Ryu had fought "evil." He had challenged organizations that sought to harm the world. He had even been corrupted by that same evil himself, and it took him a long time to conquer it.
Finally—Ryu could throw a punch that truly satisfied him.
But he was still seeking, still walking the Path of the Way, searching for the answer to "what is strength."
THUD!
Ryu threw one final punch, slow and heavy, striking Shiraki Kei in the chest.
Now!
Face these "evil" men who kill for pleasure! Follow your heart! Push your body and soul to their absolute limit! Unleash everything you are... and throw a punch that satisfies YOU!
Swish!
Shiraki Kei moved.
The instant he did, the four mercenaries spun, raising their guns or using the stocks to defend, doing anything to react.
If they could just survive his "all-in"... if they could just last until his next breath... they would win.
SWOOSH!
Shiraki Kei stomped his left foot, launching himself into the air. He spun on his axis, his waist twisting counter-clockwise, his right leg lashing out—forward, back, left, right—his entire body a spinning vortex.
THWACK-THWACK-THWACK-THWACK!
[Ryu • Tatsumaki Senpukyaku]!
Almost simultaneously, all four mercenaries' heads were struck by the vicious kicks.
One was hit in the back of the skull, collapsing to the ground, out cold. The other three's gas masks and thermal imagers shattered, fragments spraying outward, mixed with blood and teeth.
"Hoo... COUGH! GAKK—!"
The three mercenaries instinctively inhaled, sucking in a lungful of tear gas. They were immediately seized by violent coughing, unable to even stand.
The one least injured—the tall mercenary—managed to cover his mouth with his sleeve. Eyes streaming, he raised his pistol with one hand, aiming at Shiraki Kei.
"You f*cker, die—"
He didn't finish. Shiraki Kei struck, a front kick straight to the man's groin.
With a sickening thud, a dark spray burst from between his legs.
"!"
The tall mercenary's eyes rolled back into his head, and he foamed at the mouth.
Shiraki Kei lunged forward. [Aura Burst]!
SWOOSH!
A heavy punch connected with the tall mercenary's face, smashing his head straight into the ground. His entire face caved in under the force, Shiraki Kei's fist sticky with gore.
"..."
With that, all four mercenaries were out of the fight. Shiraki Kei's movements finally stopped. His body, starved of oxygen, was already turning purple.
But he couldn't hide his excitement.
Ryu was a true grandmaster. To have earned his approval... that meant he had at least taken the first step.
...
...
"Quick, get some air in here!"
Nearby, Madarame Baku saw the fight was over and immediately directed Kaji Takaomi and Akagi Shigeru. The three of them started smashing the other windows, letting fresh air rush in to clear the tear gas.
Shiraki Kei could finally take a breath—though it still sent him into a coughing fit.
He hadn't even recovered when Kure Fusu's voice crackled in his ear.
"Wow, Shiraki-chin, that's a lot of smoke on the sixth floor! Are all the bad guys dealt with? Okay, I'll help you ventilate~!"
Hearing this, Shiraki Kei's face changed.
He had no time to stop her. Kure Fusu fired off a series of suppressed shots. A tink-tink-CRASH echoed as all the remaining glass on the sixth floor shattered.
Without the glass, a cross-breeze swept through, quickly clearing the last of the tear gas.
"..."
This should have been a good thing, but Shiraki Kei's expression was... pained. He looked almost... wronged.
The other three walked over, confused by his look.
"Kei-kun's helper is amazing!" Madarame Baku grinned, walking up to him. "Why the long face? We just won this 'all-in' big time!"
"...Yeah."
Shiraki Kei nodded stiffly. He explained, "This support contract... is billed per bullet. One 'support bullet' is one million yen. That little barrage just now... probably cost about ten million."
Madarame Baku: "..."
Madarame Baku: "Haha!"
This time, the laugh was genuine, and a little playful.
A guy as smart as Baku could tell that the "Kure Clan supporter" and Shiraki Kei's relationship wasn't that simple. If this was just a job, she wouldn't be pulling a "joke" like that.
Baku actually liked this kind of atmosphere. Unlike the filth of the underground, it was... "clean." A nice break from the constant "malice" of gambling.
"Hehe! Well, anyway, this all-in went well! Let's try to wake one of these guys up. They might know the rest of the trap locations..."
Baku was already thinking about the next move.
...
...
On the neighboring rooftop, Kure Fusu was still teasing Shiraki Kei.
"Don't worry, Shiraki-chin! I told you I'd give you a discount! Let's just call that whole barrage an even ten million. You can write me an IOU!"
"...Haha. Thanks!" Shiraki Kei had to thank her.
Jokes aside, Kure Fusu was a Kure Clan firearms expert. Her professionalism was unquestionable.
Even with the four mercenaries down, she hadn't relaxed her guard.
Her black-and-white eyes were still scanning the Kokonoe Building through her scope, not missing a single detail.
But for some reason... she suddenly felt something was wrong.
A strange presence was building, drawing her eye, locking it onto the Kokonoe Building's fifth floor—Q-Taro's office.
"Shiraki-chin, this is weird..."
Fusu's face was pressed to the rifle. She murmured into her comms, "On the fifth floor... it feels like there's... something else."
...
...
Fifth floor. In the office.
Q-Taro sat, his forehead resting on his cane. A savage grin spread across his face as drool leaked from the corners of his mouth. A hoarse whisper rumbled from his throat.
"Those idiots are all dead? Good, hehe..."
His smile twisted even more. He glanced at the figure standing motionlessly behind him—the masked man.
"Rodem. Haha... My Rodem! It's your turn to kill..."