Life Return

Frank felt despair once again, just like when he first joined the training camp. He had participated in training with full confidence, only to see the results of the guy named Wade. A competitive person, upon seeing someone better than themselves, would strive harder if the gap was small. But if that person was always in a position they could never catch up to, despair would inevitably grow, leaving only helplessness.

And today, Frank once again felt what despair was. The talent of this brat before him was incomparable to his own. Among the trainees, the distinction was clear. It had only been half a year since they acquired Rokushiki. He had finally mastered Rankyaku and could use it freely, while Louis had already developed two advanced derivative skills based on Tekkai. Such a gap, even with his arrogance, he should have realized.

"..."

He laboriously stood up and turned to look at the instructor. That guy's eyes had never been on him. Before, it was Wade, and now, he was always watching Louis. Frank understood why the instructor, who had felt his dignity provoked and was angry earlier, had immediately changed his attitude after hitting Louis. He must have realized this brat had more talent than him. How realistic.

"Give up, Frank,"

Louis slowly took off his suit jacket and casually threw it to the onlookers. Dylan caught it. Louis rolled up the sleeves of his shirt and said softly, "If you kneel and beg me, I'll let you off. See, I'm much more humane than you."

"You wish!!"

Frank suddenly attacked, charging forward like a leopard. A surge of anger welled up in his chest. Everyone looked down on him: Wade, the instructor, and this brat before him! The pain in his legs seemed to disappear under the surge of this emotion.

"Then don't blame me."

Louis smiled with satisfaction. Frank was such an easy person to understand.

Frank's speed was truly astonishing, swift as lightning. Louis couldn't keep up with his speed, but he didn't need to. He only needed to keep up with his attacks.

"Pa pa pa pa!!"

After several exchanges, Louis was unscathed. On the contrary, Frank, who had initiated the attack, suffered several heavy blows, spitting out mouthfuls of blood. Then, with a blink, he created distance, his face deathly pale.

"Hoo hoo, brat, I admit, I underestimated you!"

Frank sneered, "You're very strong, your Tekkai training is very deep. But, you're not as formidable as you think."

"Oh? Is that so?"

Louis asked in surprise, "Then please teach me, what is my weakness?"

"Rankyaku!!"

Frank unleashed a kick, and Louis didn't even bother to dodge. He took the blow directly. The sharp slash shattered into fragments. The only result was that Louis's clothes were torn, leaving a white mark on his body.

"Rankyaku!"

As Louis prepared to charge forward, Frank immediately used his speed advantage to create distance and then unleashed another Rankyaku.

"Oh! Is that it?"

Louis sidestepped, dodging the Rankyaku, and said softly, "Indeed, Tekkai is invincible in defense and close-quarters combat. But against a long-range attacker like you, I'm a bit powerless."

"I'll kill you!!"

Frank was already shouting. Louis's tone was extremely mocking, as if he wasn't taking him seriously at all.

"That, you probably can't do."

Louis shrugged and jumped to avoid another of Frank's attacks.

The battle stalemated. Louis couldn't match Frank's speed and could only be kited. However, Frank's attacks couldn't break through Louis's defense, and he couldn't even injure Louis.

"Damn, damn, damn, damn!!"

His attack was dodged by Louis once again, and Frank roared in frustration. He was already heavily injured, and his stamina wouldn't last as long as Louis, who only dodged and occasionally tanked a hit with Tekkai. Even if Louis couldn't injure him in the short term, he would only be defeated once his stamina ran out.

"Is all you can do is dodge!!"

"Then I won't dodge anymore. I don't like giving people hope only to crush it. I prefer to make them despair from the start. Frank, you're finished."

Louis extended his right hand, hardening it with Tekkai, and directly crushed Frank's Rankyaku. He then reached behind his head with his left hand, untied the hair tie, and his waterfall-like black hair cascaded down to his waist.

"Huh?"

Frank looked surprised.

"Boom!"

The ground instantly shattered as Louis shot out like a cannonball, closing the distance to Frank in an instant.

"Don't even think about it!"

Frank's reaction speed was not slow. In an instant, he entered an accelerated state, about to create distance from Louis.

"What!!"

But he didn't succeed. In a flash, he felt his right leg tighten, followed by a dizzying spin, the world turning upside down. He was now hanging upside down.

"This is..."

Utterly shocked, he bent his body and saw what was restraining his right ankle. "Hair??"

Extending from behind Louis's head, it had far surpassed its original length, wrapping around Frank's ankle like a tentacle and hoisting him upside down.

"This is!!!"

The instructor, who had been watching nonchalantly, suddenly froze, his expression turning grim.

"What is this thing!!!"

Frank exclaimed in shock, then his free left leg kicked out. "Rankyaku!!"

At almost point-blank range, the slash flew towards Louis.

"Useless."

"Bang!"

The slash shattered instantly, and several black tentacles blocked Louis's path.

"How is this possible!! It's just hair!!"

Frank was stunned. Hair blocked his Rankyaku. What kind of hair was this? Was it made of diamonds?

"It's nothing, it's just hair that used Tekkai,"

Louis said nonchalantly.

"Tekkai?? Hair?? Are you kidding me!!!"

Frank really couldn't understand the connection between the two.

"Alright, since you refuse to surrender, then,"

Louis chuckled, "I'll have to incapacitate you."

Several strands of hair gathered into tentacles, wriggling like snakes in front of Louis before instantly shooting out. Like the sharpest long spears, they easily pierced Frank's chest. With a pained cry, the light in Frank's eyes instantly dimmed, and blood gushed from his mouth.

"Swish!!"

Louis's hair tightened fiercely, then he forcefully slammed Frank to the ground.

The hair retracted from Frank's chest, he shook it vigorously, flicking off the bloodstains, and then it began to shrink, returning behind Louis.

"Instructor, I believe the match is decided,"

Louis looked at Frank, who was twitching slightly in a pool of blood, completely unconscious, and turned to the instructor on the side. "I won."

"Yes, the match is decided, and you won,"

The instructor nodded, then instantly charged forward. His finger was already on Louis's forehead. Louis couldn't react at all. Shigan. If he wished, he could pierce Louis's head in the next instant.

"But can you tell me? How exactly did you learn that? Hmm? Life Return!"