Right now, Kazuma's blood was surging hot. It felt like any second his arms would literally burst into flames so he could blast the yakuza in front of him with a fiery punch.
Too bad this wasn't some high-magic fantasy world—there was no way to shoot ki blasts or flames barehanded.
Even though his blood was boiling, Kazuma's mind remained sharp.
He knew he had to reduce the number of enemies quickly.
The two thugs with Street Brawling levels higher than his Shintō-ryū probably couldn't be taken out in a single hit. But the other three looked perfectly vulnerable.
The key was having a weapon. The nearest bamboo sword was on the rack by the edge of the dojo—
Kazuma had splashed the tea on purpose, creating a chance to dash over and grab one.
"Aniki!" Chiyoko's voice rang out.
Kazuma heard the whoosh of a bamboo sword slicing through the air. It sounded like Chiyoko had thrown it with considerable force.
Without even glancing, Kazuma caught the flying bamboo sword cleanly—at that speed, if he'd tried to track it visually first, he'd have missed.
Seizing the sword, he swung it like a club, smashing it into the yakuza still howling from the scalding tea.
Many practical sword styles included techniques for using a sheathed blade as a blunt weapon. Naturally, Shintō-ryū had them too.
The thug crumpled to the floor, clearly out of commission for at least a minute or two.
Kazuma immediately shifted targets—but the enemy was already countering.
The bald thug with Street Brawling 8 bellowed, "KISAMA! Ora!"
Of course, it came with that signature yakuza tongue-click.
As he roared, Kazuma saw something new in his vision—aside from Nishiyama Heita, every yakuza now had a buff labeled Courageous Roar above their heads.
While the shout boosted his allies, the bald thug grabbed his teacup and hurled it—cup and tea both—at Kazuma.
Kazuma dodged lightly, pulling back to gain distance, adjusting his grip—proper stance was the foundation of any good kendo strike.
That backward step also naturally put his feet in position for a Gatotsu. So Kazuma followed through, aligning the rest of his body.
In the instant he launched, he charged at a thug who was just about to throw a teacup of his own, having been buffed moments ago.
The sakigawa of Kazuma's bamboo sword slammed straight into the man's philtrum, shattering his upper front teeth. As he flew backward, bloodied teeth scattered from his mouth.
Then something incredible happened—the man actually went airborne!
Kazuma's thrust had driven into the thug's mouth, pushing against his upper jaw and launching him completely off the floor.
Pretty sure this guy just got a concussion—maybe even worse.
Why was his Gatotsu so powerful?
Because his blood was on fire, his fists burned red-hot, calling him to victory?
Kazuma really wanted to check his current skills and buffs—probably something like Clarity of Thought plus Burning Passion giving him temporary boosts.
But checking required meditation, which was out of the question right now.
Besides, meditating would probably kill his fighting spirit.
Forget it. Better to finish everyone off while this lasts.
Kazuma let out a roar—if the bald thug's shout gave buffs, maybe his could debuff the enemy!
Sure enough, when he looked up, the last remaining small fry was visibly shaken.
Perfect—time for you to stay down!
And down the last small fry went.
But before Kazuma could recover, the bald thug charged in, going for a grapple.
Kazuma darted back, swinging his bamboo sword to keep him at bay—half a feint to force him back.
The bald thug didn't press forward. Instead, he deftly flicked a teacup off the floor with his foot, sending it flying at Kazuma.
Kazuma started to swat it aside—then spotted the real danger: the thug had drawn a blade from inside his suit.
This wasn't some butterfly knife for show—it was nearly as long as a wakizashi, far more dangerous.
The blade's guard had been removed, making it easier to conceal.
The polished edge flashed in the setting sun, momentarily blinding Kazuma.
Drawing it now—he clearly planned to attack while Kazuma was distracted by the flying cup.
With a flourish, the bald thug spun the blade in a cross pattern, then charged.
Kazuma ignored the cup and countered with a Kesa-giri slash to drive him back. Scalding tea splashed onto his skin, sending sharp jolts of pain up his spine, but he held his stance.
His Kesa-giri had felt noticeably faster—clearly, the mental buffs were working.
Still, the thug's dodge showed that Street Brawling 8 wasn't just for show.
But Street Brawling was better suited to chaotic environments with lots of objects to use. In the dojo, Kazuma had the home turf advantage.
The bald thug seemed to realize this too. Holding his wakizashi-length blade, he warily faced Kazuma.
But Kazuma was also keeping a close eye on Nishiyama Heita.
That guy had Street Brawling 11, plus 5 points in Style-less Kendo, and a mysterious "Hannya Mask" buff. Kazuma wasn't sure he could take him one-on-one.
And now it was two-on-one.
Yet Nishiyama Heita remained calmly seated, tea in hand—the only cup still standing.
He watched Kazuma intently, as if waiting for the outcome of this fight.
Kazuma carefully shifted his footing, looking for an angle where he could attack without worrying about a surprise strike from Nishiyama.
The bald thug mirrored his movement, throwing in fake forward steps to disrupt Kazuma's timing.
At this range, an adult could close the distance in an instant.
But Kazuma remained unfazed, seemingly ignoring the repeated feints.
Finally, the bald thug committed, lunging in!
Blades clashed—the edge of the wakizashi bit nearly a centimeter into the bamboo sword!
Kazuma twisted his wrists, spinning the bamboo sword and wrenching the wakizashi from his opponent's grip.
The next instant, he slammed the bamboo sword squarely into the thug's forehead.
A loud crack rang out.
But the bamboo sword, its structure already compromised, shattered in a burst of splinters.
A shard caught the corner of Kazuma's eye, sending a trail of blood down his face.
It looked as if he were weeping blood.
Kazuma had hoped that blow would knock the thug out—but with the bamboo sword breaking, much of the force was lost. The thug was still standing!
With a wild shout, the bald thug lunged, headfirst, aiming to slam Kazuma with his gleaming dome.
Kazuma sidestepped deftly. The thug stumbled past and, losing balance, went sprawling across the polished dojo floor, sliding a good distance thanks to Chiyoko's meticulous cleaning—coming to a stop right in front of her.
Without hesitation, Chiyoko swung her bamboo sword and smacked the back of his head.
"Men!" she shouted, just like in a kendo match.
Kazuma didn't spare him a glance—he was confident his sister had finished the job.
Instead, he rushed toward the first thug he'd downed—who was trying to get up—and knocked him flat again.
Then he turned to face Nishiyama Heita, still calmly sipping tea.
"All your men are down," Kazuma said, trying for a calm tone—but his voice still shook with adrenaline.
Nishiyama Heita set his cup down and smiled. "I heard you never earned your Menkyo kaiden."
"Does that matter?" Kazuma shot back.
"Not really. Now—get me a bamboo sword." He rose smoothly, kicking his tea saucer aside, then grabbed the front of his suit and tore it open.
Kazuma stared—unsure whether to mock the suit's poor quality or marvel at Nishiyama's raw strength.
The yakuza boss flung his ruined shirt aside and flexed.
In Kazuma's eyes, Nishiyama suddenly seemed to glow red—and the "Hannya Mask" status now had a flaming effect.
Once more, Nishiyama spoke. "Give me a bamboo sword. Or would you rather fight me barehanded?"
Only then did Kazuma realize his own sword was broken—he might as well be unarmed.
"Chiyoko!" he called.
Without hesitation, she tossed him a new bamboo sword.
"And one for him," Kazuma added.
"What? Aniki, you—" she began.
"Just do it!" Kazuma cut her off, eyes locked on Nishiyama Heita.
Nishiyama laughed. "Well, well. I didn't expect to find such a pure soul in this rundown dojo!"
He caught the bamboo sword Chiyoko tossed him, gripped it firmly at the center, and raised his voice:
"From the Kanto Union's third-generation affiliate, Nishiyama-gumi—
Nishiyama Heita—present and ready!"
(End of Chapter)