The members of Katahara's guard were completely dumbfounded.
They were all outstanding fighters themselves, yet none of them could fully understand what had just happened.
Why was Kurosaki Rei's seemingly average build able to so casually catch the Fang of Metsudo's heavy, full-force blow?
Even someone with Wakatsuki Takeshi's superhuman physique shouldn't have been able to do that.
Why had the Fang of Metsudo stepped back into a defensive stance before the fight even began—only for Kurosaki Rei to comment that this meant he was strong?
And why, after knocking the Fang flying and seizing the initiative, did Kurosaki Rei not press the attack?
This was the perfect chance to defeat a living legend!
Too many questions swirled in their minds, yet none of them could be voiced. All they could do was stare intently at the two men standing in the center of the reception hall.
The mysterious young man from the East—
and the undefeated legend of the Fang of Metsudo.
Who would win?
"In terms of perception and learning ability, you're quite a bit stronger than Raian…"
Kurosaki Rei spoke with a hint of admiration.
"Oh—Raian's the Wu Clan's genius. He should be their strongest one right now."
Wu Hui Li'ang really was old now. At present, Raian was indeed the strongest of the Wu Clan—though still not at the level Wu Hui Li'ang had reached in his prime.
"I haven't asked your name yet."
Kanoh Agito spoke for the first time, directly addressing Kurosaki Rei.
"That's my fault."
Kurosaki Rei smiled politely.
"My name is Kurosaki Rei."
He raised his hands into a Wing Chun opening stance.
"Come. Let me see your martial art."
Within the Kengan arena, the title Fang of Metsudo was known to all. Kanoh Agito possessed two major "stances."
The first was Formless—a style unbound by fixed techniques, fighting purely on instinct.
The second was Martial Arts—a state that fused multiple fighting systems, allowing him to employ pre-initiative (sen no sen), reading an opponent's attack before it was launched and countering first.
Hearing Kurosaki Rei's words, Kanoh's exaggerated expression vanished. He switched to Martial Arts.
With small, measured steps, he closed the distance between them. The air grew suffocating as he stopped directly in front of Kurosaki Rei.
The next instant—
A storm of attacks erupted.
Punches and kicks woven together from countless martial disciplines, even mixed with techniques from the Niko Style.
With Kanoh's physical strength, any single punch he threw would have been enough to cripple an ordinary Kengan fighter.
Yet something bizarre happened.
Amid the lightning-fast assault, neither his fists nor his legs touched Kurosaki Rei even once.
"D–Damn it… Kanoh can't even touch him?! Who the hell is this Kurosaki Rei?!"
A cry of shock came from the guard ranks—Wang Sen.
He wasn't just any guard; he was the previous Fang of Metsudo, who had stepped down simply because being invincible in Kengan matches had grown boring. Kanoh was his successor.
With his discerning eye, Wang Sen could tell that Kanoh wasn't holding back, nor was he attacking recklessly. Every strike was refined, precise, and devastating.
And yet—he couldn't land a single hit.
Wang Sen knew that Kanoh had already touched the realm of pre-initiative—the ability to read an opponent's move before it even began, then strike later yet arrive first.
Very few martial artists ever reached this level. For Kanoh to do so at such a young age marked him as a genius among geniuses.
And yet, a Kanoh who had reached pre-initiative couldn't even graze Kurosaki Rei.
It was absurd.
Is this Kurosaki Rei… even human?
As Kanoh threw another heavy punch, Kurosaki Rei sidestepped. He hooked Kanoh's arm with his own, guiding the flow of force downward toward the ground.
Using the reaction force, Kurosaki Rei leapt upward—
His knee slammed into Kanoh's chin.
Bang!
With a dull crash, Kanoh's head snapped back. At the same time, Kurosaki Rei's elbow dropped from above, striking the back of Kanoh's neck.
After taking consecutive heavy blows, Kanoh's massive body pitched forward toward the floor.
To Kurosaki Rei's surprise, Kanoh actually stood back up.
Breathing raggedly, blood flowing from his mouth and nose, Kanoh fixed his gaze on Kurosaki Rei.
"Oh?" Kurosaki Rei said lightly.
"I didn't hold back much. Was that Niko Style—Indestructible?"
Kanoh's eyes widened.
"You know the Niko Style?!"
"I've heard a thing or two."
Kurosaki Rei grinned.
"So—are we continuing?"
Kanoh immediately reset his stance.
He was the Fang of Metsudo.
He could not be defeated.
Even if the man before him was stronger than anything he could comprehend, he would still climb. He would still resist. He would evolve through danger—only then could he live up to Metsudo's expectations.
"Good…"
Seeing Kanoh's battered body yet unwavering resolve, Kurosaki Rei nodded in approval.
"…I can feel your conviction. This can truly be called martial art."
The next instant—
Kurosaki Rei vanished.
Bang!
When his figure reappeared, Kanoh's massive body had already collapsed to the ground.
Kurosaki Rei slowly withdrew his hand, then looked toward Katahara Metsudo.
"Well, old man—am I qualified?"
Katahara Metsudo burst into laughter.
"Kid, I'd rather ask you—do you think he is qualified?"
Kurosaki Rei knew he was referring to Kanoh. After thinking for a moment, he answered honestly.
"He's very strong. He just needs to grow more."
And he meant it.
This generation's Fang of Metsudo—Kanoh Agito—was undeniably powerful. He had stats, technique, perception—everything.
Kurosaki Rei had dominated him for two reasons only:
One, Kurosaki Rei's raw attributes were higher.
Two, Kurosaki Rei's technique was superior.
But Kanoh was clearly a growth-type fighter.
In the original Kengan Annihilation Tournament, he grew noticeably stronger with every match. Even though he ultimately lost to the Magic Spear, Kuroki Gensai, he absorbed a tremendous amount from that defeat.
Even more absurdly, in the later story, after encountering the "Immortal" Shen Wulong, Kanoh evolved yet again—simply because he had seen a higher mountain, a clearer goal to climb toward.
In other words, Kanoh gained an evolutionary reference point.
So the Kanoh Kurosaki Rei had just fought was, without question, the weakest version of Kanoh across all timelines.
If Kurosaki Rei had entered this world later, the fight might have been far more interesting.
At present, after a few days of sparring with Raian, Kurosaki Rei felt that Raian might actually have had a slightly better chance against this version of Kanoh.
But now? That was no longer certain.
Kanoh's learning ability was terrifying. After fighting Kurosaki Rei, he had already upgraded. If he fought Raian again, the outcome would be impossible to predict.
"Needs to grow, huh…"
Katahara Metsudo sighed.
"It seems I did something unnecessary."
He had asked a friend to invite Kuroki Gensai to participate precisely to teach Kanoh a lesson. Who would have thought that Kanoh wouldn't lose on the official stage—but would instead be defeated in a private spar before the tournament even began?
He turned to Kurosaki Rei.
"Very well. From today onward, you are the new Fang of Metsudo."
"Though I have a feeling you don't really care about the title."
"Mm."
Kurosaki Rei nodded frankly.
"I just want an entry qualification."
"Because you wanted an entry qualification, you went and beat the future champion ahead of time?"
Metsudo laughed.
"Your logic is quite something, kid. So—what do you really want from helping me secure victory?"
"You're a straightforward man, Chairman, so I won't beat around the bush."
Kurosaki Rei answered directly.
"I'll serve as your fighter during the tournament and secure the win for you. I can also help train Kanoh."
"As for who you choose as the next chairman afterward—that has nothing to do with me."
Katahara Metsudo narrowed his eyes.
"Strange. You don't look like someone particularly clever, yet you've seen straight through my intentions…"
He waved it off.
"Fine. It all sounds entertaining anyway. Go on—state your conditions."
"Nothing major."
Kurosaki Rei said calmly.
"I just want to borrow the authority of the Kengan Chairman to help me investigate a few things. Don't worry—it won't put you in a difficult position."
He then repeated the same request he had already made to Wu Hui Li'ang.
Kurosaki Rei believed that with the Wu Clan and Katahara Metsudo working together, it wouldn't take long to narrow down the Origin Seed's location.
Once that was done, he could simply check each suspect in turn and secure it.
After completing that objective, the rest of this mission world would be his playground.
"A rather interesting request."
Katahara Metsudo chuckled.
"You probably asked Hui Li'ang to do the same thing, didn't you? Kid—what exactly are you looking for?"
"The future."
Kurosaki Rei replied with a smile, deliberately vague.
Metsudo seemed thoughtful, but didn't press further. Instead, he turned to Kanoh Agito, who was just waking up from unconsciousness.
"Kanoh. For the next period of time, Mr. Kurosaki Rei will be your teacher."
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