Martial Prowess Is Life

"Interesting..."

Though they had used different words, the meaning was clearly much the same.

Takaomi Kaji recalled what Baku Madarame had just said about Q Dalang: "--He's seeking pleasure, and that means he'll have plenty of openings!"

Now these two... No, there was a third!

Takaomi Kaji looked over and saw that Shiraki Uke had clenched his fists and taken a sideways stance, a bit like a variation of karate.

And Shiraki Uke, who possessed extraordinary martial prowess, now wore an expression much like Baku Madarame's and Akagi Shigeru's, his eyes gleaming with excitement.

Was he going to fight—the "ultra-violent monster" in front of him!?

In that case, did all three of them now have openings?!

What came next was life or death, which meant the outcome of this gamble was still unknown...

The fear of the unknown, of victory and defeat, life and death, fermented in Takaomi Kaji's heart, making everything uncertain once more.

And what broke the deadlock was an utterly bloodcurdling scream.

"Aah!"

The sound came from beside Lodem—behind the broken sheet-metal door.

The slick-haired mercenary wasn't dead after all.

Or rather, he wasn't dead yet. His lower body had been crushed by the sheet-metal door, as if a wheel had rolled over him. It was much the same as being cut in half at the waist.

That he was still alive was most likely thanks to the adrenaline his body had released. It was his last burst of life.

"Fucking monster, attacking your own..."

Rage in the face of death drove the slick-haired mercenary to unleash astonishing strength.

He reached to the side—the submachine gun Takaomi Kaji had been holding had accidentally fallen in the chaos, landing just within his reach.

The slick-haired mercenary grabbed the submachine gun and, disregarding everything else, aimed it at Lodem before him.

"Not good!" The four nearby reacted at once, rushing into a corner to get out of the line of fire.

The next second—

"Die, monster!"

The slick-haired mercenary pulled the trigger.

Rat-tat-tat-tat-tat-tat!

A hail of bullets poured out, sweeping toward Lodem.

In the enclosed stairwell, at such close range, even a novice would have had little trouble hitting the target with a gun. By all rights, Lodem should have been certain to die.

But then came a sight no one could have expected—

Lodem bent low, pushed off the floor, and raced wildly through the stairwell at incredible speed, leaping high and low as he went. He occasionally kicked off the walls, and even used his speed and momentum to "sprint" along them!

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!

Though that speed was no match for a bullet, it exceeded what a dying man could track with his eyes, making it impossible for the slick-haired mercenary to hit him.

As the bullets missed one after another, the slick-haired mercenary's expression grew ever more desperate.

At last, the gunfire stopped. The slick-haired mercenary slumped against the wall, spent, and forced his trembling eyelids as wide open as he could—Lodem was already standing before him.

"Please, spare me..."

Hearing the man's plea, Q Dalang laughed with delight over the Transceiver by Lodem's ear.

{Hahaha... That's why I said you're trash.}

{You just want to live, so you beg for mercy. Giving up so readily won't let you forge a path through life...}

{Only by enduring hardship, burning in karmic fire, and bearing scars can you truly be 'alive' and have a true 'life'!}

"..."

The slick-haired mercenary gritted his teeth and suddenly fired two more bullets.

Rat-tat!

But Lodem had anticipated it and dodged the last two bullets.

"This... this guy..."

Lodem said in a low, raspy voice, "He fired... thirty-two rounds. No... no more..."

Q Dalang was overjoyed. {Oh, oh, amazing, Lodem! You even counted the bullets!}

{Compared to Lodem, you really are a disgrace, trash...}

{Well then, that's enough foreplay.}

Q Dalang gave the order.

Before the slick-haired mercenary could utter another word, Lodem suddenly kicked him in the head.

There was a muffled boom, and most of Lodem's combat boot sank into the concrete wall. The mercenary's head was no longer visible.

Lodem's kick had not only smashed the mercenary's head, but had even shattered the concrete wall!

Unlike [Nioh] Komada's "iron plate hidden in his shoe," Lodem had used no tricks in that kick. It was pure, inhuman violence!

"Huff..."

Another breath of hot air escaped him.

Lodem slowly turned his head and fixed his gaze on the hiding place of the remaining four nearby.

{Run, idiots.}

Q Dalang's voice came from the Transceiver, drifting through the floor.

{[Usogui]? [Man of the Divine Realm]? Whatever you're called, now you must regret how you've 'lived' until now, and then give everything you have to be born anew!}

{Hahahaha, run! Let me watch you run!}

"..."

Contrary to Q Dalang's expectations, after hearing his "sermon," the four who had hidden themselves—or at least "three" of them—did not choose to run. Instead, they stepped out of the shadows.

"Heh, I was wondering what you were going to say. I didn't expect it to be so dull."

Akagi Shigeru chuckled. "When it comes to running and hiding, someone on our side has already suffered for it. He won't make the same mistake again."

"Right, Uke?"

"..."

In the shadows, Shiraki Uke walked slowly forward, stepping beneath the dim light in the corridor.

He could see many things—

The phantom of Ryu, watching the fight from the side;

A large phantom behind him, giving him a hard push and cheering him on;

And Lodem, directly ahead.

"Come..."

Shiraki Uke breathed out a gust of hot air, blowing away the darkness before him, and beckoned to Lodem.

"Come on, I'll fight you!"

Chapter 29: Martial Prowess Is Life

The fourth floor of the building.

As an ordinary person, Takaomi Kaji had once thought of buying a premium ticket to a fighting match someday, so he could watch the fighters enter the arena up close.

But he had never imagined that this passing thought would come true tonight—in this form.

Tap... tap...

Shiraki Uke walked slowly forward, like a fighter heading toward the ring.

Takaomi Kaji's voice trembled with disbelief. "Baku... Mr. Baku, are they really going to...?"

Was there really a "person" who dared fight the monster before them?!

But before Takaomi Kaji could voice the question, Baku Madarame suddenly patted him on the shoulder and said, "Kaji, don't just stand there. Get ready to run..."

"Huh!?"

Before Takaomi Kaji could react, Baku Madarame—and Akagi Shigeru as well—suddenly turned and ran toward the stairwell.

Takaomi Kaji followed instinctively.

After a few steps, he noticed that Shiraki Uke had been left behind and couldn't help worrying. "Mr. Baku, if we just run away, won't something happen to him?"

"I'll—win!"

Baku Madarame wiped away the drops of blood beneath his nose and murmured, "My goal has never changed from the start. I came to this building to win!"

Hearing that, Takaomi Kaji said in surprise, "Wait... Are we going to abandon Shiraki Uke and send him to his death?"

"...What?!"

Baku Madarame froze at that, not knowing whether to laugh or cry. "Kaji, you're pretty ruthless. How did you come up with a plan to sell out a teammate?"

"That's not it!" Takaomi Kaji's face turned red with anxiety. "I was just following what you said, Mr. Baku. Otherwise, why are we running away now?"

Baku Madarame explained seriously, "Because even if we stayed, we'd only get in the way—we don't know anything about fighting techniques."

Takaomi Kaji: "..."

Takaomi Kaji: "Haha, good point..."

He had almost forgotten that this wasn't some fantasy novel. There was no such thing as the "power of friendship"; blindly grouping together would only hold someone back.

"What now?" Takaomi Kaji asked. "Are we just going to run away?"