At last, there was silence after all this fighting…
Kori was frozen still yet blood kept gushing out, slowly. The broken jaw was wide open.
"You brought this upon yourself, kid."
Eight put his right hand on Kori's shoulder.
"Learn your lesson and in the next life don't get in the way of someone strong."
"It didn't happen in my last life and it's not going to happen in the next one either!"
It happened in an instant.
Kori's left hand gripped the arm of eight and the right hand slashed his head. After the slash, the right hand too, gripped the arm and yanked it back. The right leg moved upward and knocked the head behind him on the ground.
Evaporating aura fog covered Kori's face and chest. His jaw healed and the area of the hole got covered up with bones and matter.
With a slow deep breath, he ran his fingers through the hair, styling it back; uncovering his eyes.
"In the next one, learn from your own lesson!"
Just like that, everything went silent. Air breezing through trees, softly rustling through leaves. It was peaceful, finally.
A second passed, the head decomposed into ash.
Two seconds passed, and the body started to disappear.
In the third second, it was all gone as if never had existed in the first place.
"Did I do it in time?"
As Kori was thinking this, a couple of seconds passed.
In the sixth second, the ground started to move. The movement felt unnatural and chilling.
The ground ruptured at the place where eight's head turned to ash. Something slowly started to emerge from it. The top had two wooden planks. It slowly spilled the dirt to the ground. The bottom was two parallel pillars connecting to the planks. There was no doubt about it, it was a large torii gate. It stood high, twice the height of eight, its colour — red.
Behind it, the ground started moving again. Another gate of the same size and structure appeared. Its colour was white.
The third one emerged right after, coloured black. All three gates were positioned in a straight line, one after another.
Fifteen seconds had passed.
At the sixteenth second, the gates disappeared completely.
A shadow was standing at the place of black gate.
Seventeenth second…
"Hahaha!
You're full of surprises, kid!"
He had a smile on his face…
"This time, I'll enjoy killing you!"
It was eight. His voice was the same but his appearance had changed.
His dark hair flowing in the air, there was a dense layer of bright red aura around his whole body.
He took a firm stance, formed a fist with his right hand and moved it back, while the left hand moved up in the air.
The aura around the fist turned thinner rapidly, accompanied by a screeching sound of loud suppression.
The aura flowing through his legs broke the ground below.
He moved, breaking the sound barrier.
Too fast! Need to dodge!
Kori tried to move quickly but eight was already up his face, there was no room to dodge.
"Is this the end?" thought Kori.
"Thud!!!"
It was a direct hit.
A hand covered with freezing ice revealed.
"Quite the powerful punch you got there!"
Eight moved back as the ice turned into steam.
Long hair, white beard, giant body, serene eyes, contagious smile. There's no doubt about it. This person standing in front of me is…
"Hahaha! You finally showed up! I was getting tired of waiting.
Grandmaster… Savai!" said eight with a big creepy smile on his face.
"Sorry I'm late, Kori. Are you injured?"
"I'm fine. But master Tomoya and brother Ryuk are injured."
"Go to them quickly. I'll take it from here."
"Yes master!"
Kori left towards the temple, leaving Savai and eight behind.
"Clap!!!"
The giant hands appeared again, hitting Savai from both sides.
"Hey, are you ignoring me?" said eight with dissatisfied eyes.
The giant hands melted from inside, revealing Savai, covered with bright red fire.
"Fire?"
"That is a peculiar technique that you're using…
Tell me young man, what is your name?"
"Young man? Hahaha!
Looks can be deceiving, grandmaster…
But since you're the first one to ask my name, I'll introduce myself formally.
I am the eighth member of Kyomu — The Blood Moon!
My name is ****** Ryusuke."
"******, such a gentle name..
Tell me ****** why are you attacking the temple?"
"The temple? I have no interest in the temple or Mt. Kamadu.
I'm simply here to defeat the strongest martial artist of this generation.
With you gone, we can finally start with our plan to burn down this entire world."
"Ho! So you're saying I am the reason Kori's masters were injured!
Not to mention the world.
I can't accept that. I'll have to right my wrongs and teach you a lesson!" said Savai with a glare in his eyes.
"Hahaha! That's the spirit, bring it on! Grandmaster!"
"Azure Divinity - Ice and Fire!"
"Godhand - Morkishi + Fury!"