Whale-Style Martial Arts

Only after some time did Bai Mo finally climb back up.

"Brat, you could have jumped up here in one leap. Why waste all that time?"

Oga asked expressionlessly. Bai Mo scratched his head, somewhat embarrassed, and replied, "When I fell, I suddenly remembered that I'd never tried rock climbing. I've been all over this place, but somehow missed that, so on a whim I just... Sorry."

Oga was not petty. He had sat meditating in midair, waiting for Bai Mo to climb up himself.

"By the way, Mr. Oga, do you know where my master, the Great Blade Martial God, is? I swam around in the sea for ages without finding him."

Oga replied flatly, "Great Saber isn't in this space, so forget about it. Besides, he's already taught you everything he could, hasn't he?"

Oga glanced at the blade blank on Bai Mo's back. Bai Mo could not understand, but Oga knew what was inside it. That fellow Great Saber had said they couldn't let this kid become too strong, yet he had stuffed even something like that into the blade blank...

Forget it. Whatever.

Oga pushed Bai Mo straight down onto the meditation cushion and said, "Close your eyes and pay close attention to what you feel next. I'll only teach this once."

Bai Mo did not resist and did as instructed. Oga controlled the power inside him, putting it into motion. Simply put, he was transmitting a technique.

"You can still recapture that feeling from before, can't you? Put your palms together, then pay close attention."

Oga's voice was steady. With what was practically hands-on instruction, Bai Mo rapidly began to understand this move. His palms pressed together, his mind grew calm, and his magnetic field power began rotating under Oga's guidance. Then his hands began emitting fluctuations of terrifying power.

This was... Limitless Tremor Zen!

Indeed, what Oga was teaching him now was his renowned ultimate technique, Limitless Tremor Zen, which he had comprehended through seated meditation. When Oga himself performed it, its power was godlike.

That night, Bai Mo was still meditating, savoring the subtleties of the move. Not only was it immensely powerful, but more frighteningly, when used against an enemy's powerful attack, Limitless Tremor Zen could disperse and repel most of its force while also creating an opening.

It truly deserved its place as the most technically demanding of the whale-style martial arts.

"Phew." With that exhalation, Bai Mo had engraved it into his mind. Mastery did not come in a day; only constant honing could bring success.

"Thank you, Mr. Oga."

Bai Mo voiced his thanks, but Oga's expression seemed completely unchanged, without the slightest visible emotional fluctuation. He also seemed rather unhappy.

"Um... Mr. Oga, may I ask something? Are you currently your normal first-life self, or the Ultimate version's Mizuki Hitomi Guanyin soldier?"

"Brat, every time my opinion of you improves, you open your mouth. Perhaps acknowledging you and letting you in was a mistake."

"Uh, sorry, but I really do want to understand the situation. After all, you know it looks like I'll be meeting those powerhouses one by one in the future. If I run into something like Ultimate Sea Tiger, my life might be in danger."

Only then did Oga rein in some of his frightening aura. He said flatly, "Yes and no. Great Saber and I are both in rather strange states. Here, we possess the power of Ultimate powerhouses, but our memories of that are very thin, like watching a recording. Apart from our earliest memories, those of our first lives."

Bai Mo breathed a sigh of relief. He might encounter the dark-faced explosive-punch launcher, but at least it would not be those Ultimate monsters.

"So stop letting your imagination run wild. I only see Little Hitomi as a younger sister."

"Okay, understood. By the way, Mr. Oga, what did you mean earlier about acknowledging me and letting me in?"

Oga looked at Bai Mo with some resignation, silently thinking that Great Saber really hadn't told him anything.

Oga said, "Listen carefully, kid. Although we count as dead now, we are the absolute masters of this space. If we don't want you coming in, that so-called system cannot force you inside."

Oga solemnly explained practically everything. Mr. Oga really was an honest man. No wonder he kept getting baited into moves in fights, then being led around by the nose by that bastard donkey.

"So, at first, only the Great Blade Martial God allowed me in, and after what happened in Greece, you allowed it too?"

Oga nodded, then said, "As for that system's deal with us, it's simply to teach you some things. What we teach is up to us. Generally, if we're willing to see you, we won't casually teach you some worthless trash. But you don't seem particularly interested in my martial arts?"

"Ah, of course. After all, you're the strong one, Oga, not Orca Tyrant Fist."

If one had to name the powerhouse whose martial arts interested Bai Mo the least, it would probably be Oga. After all, given the performance of whale-style martial arts... not only were they practically open source, but much of it came down to Oga being too strong. However good a martial art was, it had to suit its user. Bai Mo did not possess Oga's godlike power, so he had little yearning for whale-style martial arts.

But Oga could currently read Bai Mo's thoughts. Learning what Bai Mo meant caused no emotional change in him, something Bai Mo also understood perfectly well.

"Um, Mr. Oga, why do you still look unhappy?"

Oga remained silent, and the atmosphere grew extremely strange.

"Um, I wanted to ask, why did you acknowledge me, Mr. Oga? I really can't think of a reason offhand."

Oga looked at the distant sky, then spoke. "Brat, I have a question. Why did you refuse before?"

"Refuse? Refuse what?"

"That matter concerning Athena. You know what I mean, don't you? You once had the choice to obtain the greatest authority in the human world, and even help all humanity advance. With modern power and magnetic field power, you certainly could have done it."

Oga could not understand-or rather, he was very curious-why Bai Mo had refused, rejecting a possibility that could set the whole world right. He was not the sort who sought to swallow up the world, so why had he refused?

"Oh, that. Uh, this might sound shameless, but it was because that was what I wanted to do. Nothing more."

Somewhat surprised, Oga turned to look at Bai Mo.

"Yes, if I'd agreed to Athena's proposal, I really might have become a great man. Maybe my name would have gone down in history, and I'd have become a monument in this world's human history. Compared to that, my life and ideals really do seem rather insignificant."

Bai Mo simply lay down and gazed at the endless starry sky.

"But that isn't the life I want. I wouldn't be happy spending my life that way, because I know becoming what others want to see is torture. I didn't come into this world to become what other people want me to be. To me, the lives of orcas in the sea, the wind in a bamboo grove, and the stars before my eyes all mean far more than that."

Bai Mo reached out a hand as though trying to grasp something.

"I came into this world to enjoy life. Whether people call me shameless or selfish, I want to live according to my own heart. Praise or abuse, neither means much to me. I trust my feelings and my judgment."

Oga stood up and looked at the distant sea.

What Oga actually wanted to question was his former self. Once, he had lived for his father's vision, then for Little Hitomi's safety. Finally, when countless lunatics appeared throughout the world and the evil of human nature spread across the land, he had once again lived for that so-called blue dream that could save humanity.

Yes, when have I, Oga, ever lived for myself? I kept fighting against my will, fighting without end, right up until the very last...

The only thing he had chosen for himself seemed to have been giving his heart to Shounan.

"Oga, heh, you hardly need mentioning. Confusing your priorities with your feelings and always making foolish decisions-that is your lifelong fate." His archenemy's voice rang in his ears once more.

Yes. After I lost everything, when Shounan had nothing left, I was still dithering, still wavering before difficult decisions.

A sigh, a heavy sigh.

A comparatively small hand patted Oga's shoulder. Bai Mo had gotten up at some point, but the difference in height meant he could barely reach.

"Mr. Oga, can you leave this place?"

"Hmm? What is it, brat?"

"Nothing. It's just that there are still plenty of wonderful things in the world. I've met a whole shipful of friends I can entrust myself to. Don't make yourself sick staying here alone. What do you say? Why not come outside with me for a walk?"

Enjoy life a little? But do I have any hobbies? It seems I have none at all. Fuck, why does this make me feel like I've lost? Lost to Sea Tiger...

Watching Oga, Bai Mo could not help thinking that the bastard donkey and his father had done no small amount of harm.

But in the end, Oga quickly freed himself from his troubles and patted Bai Mo's shoulder, making him stagger.

"I take back what I said just now."

"Huh?"

"Bai Mo, you haven't disappointed me after all... As for leaving, forget it. This world is the foundation of our existence. If I leave, it will inevitably be destroyed, and I'll probably vanish into nothing as well. I intend to see how your story ends, so I'm not ready to leave yet."

"Huh? But there must be some way, right? If you can only stay here forever, how is that any different from prison? Isn't there another way? Like letting me take your place for a while?"

Oga slapped Bai Mo's back again, nearly knocking him off his feet.

"Enough, brat. Stop fussing. You still have things to do, don't you? Apart from Limitless Tremor Zen, you should be able to learn all my martial arts if you work hard."

With that, Oga lightly touched a finger to Bai Mo's brow. The essence of one martial art after another entered Bai Mo's brain, including moves such as Orca Tyrant Fist and Whale Dominates the World.

"Practice these martial arts yourself for now. Great Saber laid a good foundation. You were just too hasty when breaking through to magnetic field rotation, but your time here should have made up for that. Decide for yourself how to study these."

Before Bai Mo could say anything, Oga plunged into the sea. This time, he thoroughly enjoyed his swim.

A year and a half, or six three-month periods, later-

Bai Mo finished his day's training. During this period, his power had advanced another step. He had not surpassed 250,000 horsepower, but his power had still improved. This was because he had entered the Star-Shattering Realm directly during his earlier breakthrough, leaving him very unstable. His training here had settled his mind and further consolidated his realm.

"Phew, it's so peaceful. It'd be nice to have somewhere like this when I retire."

"Already planning your retirement? You've certainly made plenty of strange things over this past year or so."

Finally hearing a voice, Bai Mo turned and saw that Oga had at last returned from his dive.

"Ah, Mr. Oga, what do you think? The bamboo house I built is pretty good, right?"

Oga was speechless. He suddenly understood a little of why Great Saber had felt comfortable teaching this boy even his most closely guarded techniques. The kid really had no drive for supremacy at all. A born little goldfish?

"All right, hurry up and show me how your training has gone."

Oga guided Bai Mo like a master, and Bai Mo demonstrated Orca Tyrant Fist and all the other moves. Watching, Oga nodded inwardly. To possess such power at 250,000 horsepower was the limit.

"All right, you're nearly at three years now. I'll teach you one final move, then you should leave."

"Huh? There's another move? Could it be Imperial Extremity Shocks the World?"

But the next moment, Bai Mo found himself unable to move. His vision instantly became incomparably clear. Countless streams of magnetic field power appeared on his body, merging into it and guiding his magnetic field rotation. Another technique transmission? But why does transmitting a technique require controlling my eyes too?

"Because this move is far beyond you. I'll give you both the original and a simplified version. You should be able to use the simplified version once you reach 750,000 horsepower. But right now, even blinking during this process would make you miss countless steps."

Bai Mo did not know what Oga was going to teach him, but an inexplicable sense of foreboding welled up inside him, and cold sweat poured off him.

What ultimate technique was this, saved for the very end, whose power required 750,000 horsepower even in a simplified form? After all, Hell God of War could be used at just 500,000 horsepower. Could it be...

In an instant, countless streams of magnetic field power surged madly from Oga. Bai Mo's body recorded the methods of circulation, while his eyes, beyond his control, engraved every change deep into his brain like a super camera, ensuring he would never forget it.

"Watch closely! This is my strongest ultimate move! Orca Heaven and Earth Way-Ultimate True Form!"

Magnetic field effects manifested wildly across Oga's body. Then, when his power reached a realm Bai Mo could not comprehend, Oga actually transformed into something neither human nor whale... And this thing was Oga's greatest power, his strongest metamorphosed form!! Orca Heaven and Earth Way: Ultimate True Form!! ROAR-

"Gah! NO! I don't want to look! I don't want to look!"

Saying NO was useless. To make Bai Mo remember this move deeply, Oga had already made him memorize every single detail with perfect clarity.