Fang of Metsudo (Third Update—Please Follow and Vote)

Under the dim lights, several powerfully built figures sat around a round table.

"The Tiger Vessel is dead."

"Who killed him?"

"That isn't important. Do we have a backup?"

"This is troublesome. Will that person be angry?"

"Hard to say, but the Tiger Vessel is essential. Prepare a new Tiger Vessel."

"What about the Kengan Death Tournament?"

"Let the Worm handle it. Our Conquest West Faction has other matters to deal with."

Undercurrents stirred in the underground world. Under the high-hanging stars and moon, Lu Li arrived at his destination.

"It's huge... Money really does let you do whatever you want."

Looking down from the mountain at the enormous estate and sprawling lawn below, Lu Li spoke with feeling.

Then he surged forward, diving down the mountainside. In the end, he landed lightly on a tree branch, using its springiness to launch himself through the air.

When he stepped onto the estate's lawn, he made no sound at all.

During dinner, Old Man Helliot had contacted him. He said he had already spoken with Katahara Metsudo, but the other party had made an interesting proposal: Lu Li was to go meet him "directly."

After landing, Lu Li kept his eyes and ears open. Moving silently and swiftly, he infiltrated the estate without the elite members of Katahara Metsudo's personal guard even noticing his shadow.

Yes, he was indeed a reckless brute, but that did not mean he could not infiltrate.

As an outstanding martial arts master, few could match his ability to conceal his presence. He knew what kind of person Katahara Metsudo was—a man who loved a good spectacle. Asking him to come directly was, on one hand, a test, and on the other, a chance to see whether anything interesting might happen.

But the result would likely disappoint this old man—the controller of Dai Nippon Bank, the true helmsman of Japan's economy, nearly a hundred years old yet still possessed of a tiger's bearing.

Knock, knock, knock—

Lu Li knocked on the reception room's door, and soon heard a voice inviting him in.

The massive doors were pulled open from inside by two guards. At the center of the vast reception room sat a single armchair, occupied by an old man as aged and gaunt as Old Man Helliot.

By all measures of physical condition, the man seemed impossibly frail, far weaker than even an ordinary person—an old man with one foot in the grave. Yet as he sat there, an invisible aura blanketed the entire reception room. It was the imposing presence cultivated by a man of power over a century.

Katahara Metsudo, the iron-fisted figure who had led the Kengan Association for over sixty years. Even though he was so old he was nearly in the grave, his eyes still carried the spirit of a fierce tiger.

The people standing behind him were the elite of his guard unit. Every one of them was a first-rate fighter, the sort who could be sent into Kengan matches and casually rack up dozens of victories.

Standing slightly in front of him to one side was a tall man wrapped head to toe in a black bodysuit. He was staring at Lu Li, the muscles at the corners of his mouth unconsciously curling upward until they formed a twisted smile.

That invisible pressure made even the two guards who had opened the door for Lu Li feel uncomfortable. This was the man with an undefeated record of 157 consecutive victories in Kengan matches, hailed as the strongest fighter in Kengan history—the Fang of Metsudo, Agito Kanoh.

Katahara Metsudo studied Lu Li for two seconds, then suddenly burst into laughter. "You must be the child Helliot mentioned. You do possess remarkable strength. My guards failed to notice you. It seems our security needs strengthening."

"Sir, even so, there is no need to worry. I am still here."

Agito Kanoh spoke, his gaze fixed on Lu Li as his muscles tensed. He did not know what his master had discussed with Bai Tian, the head of the Wu Clan, but someone had infiltrated the reception room without the guard unit noticing. That was an unforgivable failure of duty.

As a child, he had been seized by the Worm and subjected to the Gu trials. Katahara Metsudo had rescued him during the process. To repay that debt, he had resolved to spare no effort, even his life. If the young man before him was an assassin, he would show him what it meant to be the Fang of Metsudo.

"Hahaha, how reassuring."

Katahara Metsudo laughed, then looked at Lu Li. "Helliot said you wish to enter the Kengan Death Tournament and need the identity of a fighter?"

"That is correct."

Lu Li stepped forward. "Though I doubt the chairman cares much about his position, if you can win, it is naturally better to win, isn't it?"

"Oh? You believe my Fang will lose in the tournament?"

Katahara Metsudo looked at Lu Li. The expression on his old face was inscrutable, making it impossible to tell what he was thinking.

"The chairman should know best. Why ask me?"

Lu Li smiled.

In the original story, Katahara Metsudo had personally invited Genzan Kuroki to represent another company in the tournament, specifically so the old master could teach the Fang of Metsudo a lesson. He had never cared much about winning or losing this match.

In terms of magnanimity alone, he utterly surpassed that vice chairman who wanted to stir up trouble. Katahara Metsudo truly was old now. All he wanted was to choose a capable, broad-minded successor to manage the Kengan Association in his stead. If he could also train the Fang, that would kill two birds with one stone.

"Boy, you seem quite clever. I just wonder how strong you are."

Katahara Metsudo spoke with a smile, showing no change in expression despite having his thoughts seen through. He looked at Agito Kanoh. "You heard him. He wants to compete, and he came here. I needn't tell you what to do next, right?"

A grin so exaggerated it was almost grotesque appeared on Agito Kanoh's face. He stepped forward, his 201-centimeter, 130-kilogram body brimming with oppression. His frame was not bloated, but perfectly proportioned muscle, fully outlined by his bodysuit.

He spread his arms and lowered his body slightly, like a predator preparing to hunt. "I will crush him with everything I have."

"Crush me..."

Lu Li looked at Agito Kanoh's towering build, sensing his "purity," then walked forward.

The next moment, Agito Kanoh changed his stance. He drew his arms back into a half-defensive posture and took half a step back.

"Oh?"

Lu Li seemed somewhat surprised. "You're strong. Stronger than Rei'an was before."

Agito Kanoh froze—not because Lu Li said he was stronger than some Rei'an he did not know, but because he had retreated.

He did not know why he had switched to a defensive stance, nor why he had stepped back.

For that instant, it had seemed instinctive. His body had reacted on its own.

As if, if he had not done so, he would be completely crushed in the next moment.

The guards standing behind Katahara Metsudo also found it strange. As Lu Li slowly approached, they discovered in shock that the Fang of Metsudo was trembling!

Yes, Agito Kanoh's tall, magnificent body was shaking uncontrollably. It was the first time he had ever encountered such a situation.

Why? He was not afraid of death. Even if the man before him was powerful beyond all measure, he would not be afraid. Yet he was trembling.

Ah...

He understood.

He looked at the man's figure beneath the lights, at this powerful opponent unlike any he had ever encountered. His body would not stop shaking.

He was excited.

In the next instant, Agito Kanoh charged forward like a pouncing tiger. He shifted into the Formless stance, a posture unrestricted by any fixed form, with unpredictable movements and the flexibility to respond to every style of combat.

It was an incomparably fierce punch thrown by the Fang of Metsudo on instinct, but something happened that made even Katahara Metsudo's eyes widen.

Lu Li stood there without retreating a single step and raised a hand to catch Agito Kanoh's punch. The force flowed through his body like water, part of it transmitted backward while the rest vanished without a trace.

It was a bizarre sight. The two-meter giant's full-force punch was stopped one-handed by the "smaller" Lu Li, who did not budge in the slightest. It simply defied the logic of strength.

Before Agito Kanoh, the one involved, could react, a punch struck him on the jaw and sent him flying. He crashed heavily onto the ground.

He truly deserved his title as the current Fang of Metsudo. He had instinctively dispersed the force upon impact, and his breakfall was excellent when he landed. Thus, he suffered no serious injuries or concussion, though blood streamed continuously from his mouth.

When he rose and turned toward Lu Li, he wore a smile that clearly conveyed his joy.

He trembled at encountering a strong opponent. He was exhilarated at encountering a strong opponent. He rejoiced at being able to evolve.

By then, the members of Katahara's guard unit were already dumbfounded. They had never expected the strongest Fang of Metsudo to be beaten into such a state in a single exchange.