Chapter 257: Summer is Here~
Sikorsky had officially surrendered.
Below, the units of the Metropolitan Police Department began entering the
building in waves. They moved floor-by-floor, processing the surviving hitmen,
securing the crime scene, and clearing away the numerous casualties.
On the Roof.
The bear meat stew was finally ready. A unique, wild aroma wafted through the
morning air, carried by the gentle Ginza breeze.
Gurgle—
Several stomachs growled in unison. The group gathered their utensils, each
person ladling out a steaming bowl of the hearty stew. They found comfortable
spots on the roof, bathed in the warmth of the summer dawn, and began to dig in.
Sikorsky, having had the fight beaten out of him, was now a compliant prisoner.
After his wounds were given a temporary dressing, even he was handed a bowl of
breakfast. He ate in silence, occasionally wincing and sucking in air when the
hot broth hit the lacerations in his mouth.
Ren Shiroki and Fusui Kure sat cross-legged on the concrete. Ren looked around,
scanning the various groups. "Where's Raian?"
Fusui swallowed a piece of bear meat. "Big Brother lost Doyle's trail in the
sewers. He's currently off sulking by himself. We'll just pack a bowl for him to
have later."
Ren's cheeks were puffed out as he chewed. "Doyle's blades were poisoned."
Fusui nodded. "A concentrated muscle relaxant used on death row. It only causes
a few minutes of paralysis. The Kure biology has high chemical resistance; he'll
have metabolized it out of his system by now."
As they chatted, Arisa and Karura approached, dragging a reluctant Hina Hongo
and a smiling Kozue along with them. The four girls were eager for more details
about the "Kure Village Summer Festival."
"Oh, right!" Fusui realized. "The festival at the main house is coming up soon.
We should definitely go back for it this year."
She turned to Ren, a mischievous glint in her black-and-white eyes. "Should we
go back together, Ren-chin?"
Ren hesitated. He had a dojo to run, after all.
Fusui added casually, "Since it's the festival of a martial arts clan, we always
set up a specialized Fighting Ring in the center of the village. It's open to
anyone."
Ren Shiroki: "..."
His eyebrows shot up, and a wide grin split his face.
"Nice. That's perfect!"
The interest of the entire group was piqued. Everyone began looking forward to
the upcoming summer holiday.
Before long, the first pot of stew was scraped clean. As the second pot began to
simmer, the fighters sat around, enjoying the rare moment of peace.
To liven things up, the Gaia Squad's knife specialist started humming a tune.
Soon, the rest of the soldiers joined in, singing a well-known summer folk song.
"White flowers bloom along the hedge," "The cuckoo sings its morning pledge,"
"Soft melodies drift on the breeze—Summer is here~"
"Rain falls upon the mountain paddy," "The planting girls work for their daddy,"
"Don't let the season's beauty flee—Summer is here~~"
The singing was soulful and surprisingly melodic.
Oliva leaned back, looking impressed. "Mm! Magnificent! A Japanese summer has a
very distinct flavor. The food and the sunrise are excellent."
"We should be the ones thanking you for the help," Gaia replied with a serene
smile. "The hostiles were more numerous than we anticipated—two distinct groups.
If we'd handled them alone, it would have taken much longer. We might have
missed the sunrise."
"Frontal combat is such a tedious grind—"
Gaia's tone suddenly turned cold and sinister. "But if it's a target I can
assassinate... well, it's much faster. I can just use the 'Dark Tunnel'."
Oliva looked curious. "Dark Tunnel? What kind of technique is that?"
Gaia glanced at Oliva's bowl of stew and gave a mysterious, dark smile. "I'd
rather not say."
Oliva pouted like a child. "Eh?! Don't be stingy!"
Driven by curiosity, Oliva scooted over to the "man of a thousand secrets," Erio
Kure. "Hey, Gramps. What is Gaia's 'Dark Tunnel'?"
Pfft—!
Erio, who was currently sipping soup, sprayed a mouthful of broth across the
floor. His black eyes shifted from Oliva to the smirking Gaia.
The Patriarch waved his hands frantically, looking nauseated. "Go away! I refuse
to recall that technique while I'm eating!"
Oliva scratched his head, his mind filled with question marks.
Sometime Later, Arizona State Prison (Flashback/Interlude).
While enjoying a 10,000-calorie feast, Oliva would eventually hear the truth
from his warden. He would learn that the "Dark Tunnel" was an assassination art
exclusive to Gaia. It involved the user hiding inside a piece of furniture—like
a sofa—and then "entering" the target through their lower orifice, tunneling
through the body in four seconds, and exiting through the mouth.
Oliva: "..." Oliva: "..."
The giant would look down at his massive table of food and find his appetite
completely deleted.
Oliva: "Warden... from now on, I never want to see a sofa in my quarters again."
Back to the Present.
Fusui Kure finished her meal and stood up to stretch. Her phone rang—it was
Gaia's master, Motobe Izou.
Motobe, having absolute confidence in his disciple's lethal prowess, asked with
a chuckle, "Kure girl! Gaia is a reliable choice, isn't he? How is his
performance?"
Fusui blinked. She looked at Ren, then at the bloodied Gaia sitting nearby. She
answered bluntly: "Gaia-chin lost!"
Motobe: "..." Motobe: "...What?"
The master of the battlefield took a moment to breathe. "You're telling me...
Gaia was defeated?"
Fusui nodded. "Yep. He got put in a rear-naked choke from behind and napped
through the end of the fight!"
Motobe: "――?!"
The legendary master of practical jujutsu was so shocked his old flip-phone
slipped from his hand and shattered on the dojo floor.
Hiss—
Motobe rubbed his chin, a cigarette dangling from his lips as he spiraled into a
tactical panic. Gaia was defeated?! That means among the kidnappers, there is a
monster capable of taking down Gaia and the others at the same time!
A 1-vs-Many victory against elite special forces?! Just what kind of demon are
they facing?!
Where are the other soldiers? Where is Ren Shiroki? Baki? The Kure
reinforcements? Have they all fallen? Are they in a desperate struggle for their
lives?!
"This is a disaster of the highest order!!"
The more Motobe thought, the more anxious he became. But beneath the worry, a
spark of warrior's anticipation flared. He needed to face this "Super-Enemy"
himself.
I'm going in!
Since he hadn't found any leads on Yanagi at Shibukawa's dojo, he decided it was
time to move. He had to support the youngsters. Ren, Baki, and the Kure heirs
were the future of the martial arts world—he couldn't let them be snuffed out by
a terrorist cell.
If it were a duel or a match, I would stay away. A warrior's pride is their own.
But if this is a Terrorist War... then I, of the older generation, shall be your
shield!
Fortunately, Motobe Izou lived in a state of constant battlefield readiness. He
was currently carrying an entire armory of hidden jujutsu weaponry beneath his
casual clothes.
He bid a hasty farewell to Gouki Shibukawa, hailed a taxi, and told the driver
to floor it toward the Ginza hotel.
Shibukawa: "...?"
Fusui, unaware of the panic she had just caused, assumed the call had cut out
because Motobe was still half-asleep. She tucked her phone away and enjoyed the
morning breeze on the roof.
Beside her, Ren Shiroki, Ohma Tokita, and Baki Hanma—the three young titans—were
chatting. Two were roughly the same age, while Baki had just turned eighteen.
Despite their different backgrounds, as martial artists, they spoke the same
language.
"You're both monsters," Ohma said, clenching his scarred fists. "It's a weird
feeling. Even though I'm a wreck right now, I still want to trade blows with
both of you."
Baki arched an eyebrow, looking at the city. "Haha! You're pretty intense,
Ohma-san. But for me... I just want to be a little bit stronger than my dad."
The Champion made a tiny measurement with his fingers, grinning. "Just a tiny
bit stronger than Hanma Yujiro. That's all I need. Nothing else matters."
Ren Shiroki looked up at the sky. "I want to know 'What is Strength'. I want to
be able to answer that question by the end of my journey."
Baki and Ohma blinked, looking at Ren with expressions of "I don't get it, but
it sounds deep."
Ren scratched his head and added, "Anyway, we should all just keep getting
stronger, right? I want to find the answer... but if the day comes and I don't
have the strength to perceive it, or the skill to understand it... how tragic
would that be?"
"I couldn't bear that. I really couldn't."
The three youths laughed, the atmosphere relaxed and exhilarated.
Once everyone was fed and rested, it was time to head home.
Sikorsky was led away in handcuffs by the MPD. At the threshold of the building,
Ren and Oliva exchanged business cards. Ren added a high-end American-style card
to his ever-growing collection of legendary contacts.
As the group walked out of the main entrance, they were met by a man charging
toward them.
It was Motobe Izou.
The master looked grim. He had a cigarette clamped between his teeth and
radiated the aura of a man entering a warzone. He scanned the crowd of relaxed,
laughing people and barked a question:
"WHERE IS THE STRONG ENEMY?!"
(End of Chapter)
☆☆☆
-> 30 Advanced chapters Now Available on Patreon!!
-> https://www.pat-reon.co-m/c/Hollowborn
(Just remove the hyphen (-) to access patreon normally)
If you like this novel please consider leaving a review that's help the story a lot Thank you