CHAPTER 70: THE MAN WHO DISREGARDS LIFE
If there was anyone whose heart wavered because of Sadakuni's declaration, it was only Kaede Akiyama—who felt a slight chill—and Kaji Takaomi, who was outright terrified.
Both could sense that the man named Sadakuni was a true denizen of the "Dark World." He carried the stench of a man who had walked through battlefields and left mountains of corpses in his wake.
Gulp.
Kaede swallowed hard, her mind spinning.
According to Akagi, Sadakuni was a radical terrorist with significant backing. If a man that dangerous had set his sights on the Kengan Association, would it jeopardize Chairman Nogi's plans? Who was the "New Power" pulling his strings?
While Kaede was lost in thought, she noticed Ren Shiroki drifting toward Akagi.
"Akagi-san," Ren said, crossing his arms and tilting his head. "Need a hand with this one?"
Akagi let out a weary, self-deprecating chuckle and shook his head. "Good grief, are you all this restless? If any more people show up to 'help' me, I won't have enough money to buy you all dinner afterward."
Ren smiled. He understood immediately.
Akagi had said "you all." That meant Ren and Kaji weren't the only ones who had boarded the Espoir tonight. The Lie Eater, Madarame Baku, and even the free-roaming Marco were likely lurking somewhere on this ship.
Were they here to help Akagi? Or were they targeting the Teiai Group?
Regardless, since Akagi wasn't asking for backup, Ren was happy to stay on the sidelines. He went back to pestering Atsushi Suedo.
Suedo glanced at Sadakuni across the room. He had heard the threat.
When the revolutionary spoke of "Martial Groups" that needed to be eliminated, he was directly insulting the Shinshinkai.
"Suedo-kun, you aren't angry?" Ren teased.
"I'm annoyed, sure. But angry? Not really," Suedo replied.
With his employer, Nabemi, currently unconscious and being hauled off the ship, Suedo had no allies left. He found himself sticking near Ren by default.
"The Shinshinkai is the largest martial arts organization in Japan. There's always some idiot trying to make a name for himself by challenging us or some psycho looking for a grudge match. I'm used to it."
"Besides... as far as 'Threats' go, a guy in a suit giving a speech is pretty low on the list. If he doesn't throw a punch, I don't care."
Suedo looked at his hands, his expression turning somber.
"A while back, I watched a no-holds-barred tournament in the underground arena of the Tokyo Dome. It lasted over ten hours. Compared to the monsters I saw in that ring, a few terrorists and religious fanatics are... insignificant."
That night had changed Suedo. It was why he had sought out a Kengan match in the first place—he wanted to see if he could still reach the "World of the Strong."
Luck had been a mixed bag. He'd encountered a fighter he couldn't even see, but that same "High-Level Fighter" was now following him around like an annoying younger brother.
Akagi Shigeru let out a soft laugh, responding to Sadakuni's murderous glare with a casual puff of smoke.
"Heh. Well said."
The Man of the Divine Realm leaned back in his velvet chair, crossing his legs. "A man who is truly 'Alive' doesn't let his sense of self be shaken by a childish threat or the display of raw force."
Sadakuni let out a sharp, cold snort. "Self? What 'Self' does a hired thug possess? You're just a collection of over-stimulated idiots."
Suedo's eyes narrowed. "Oi. You talk a big game for a guy who hasn't done anything yet. I'm not exactly a 'gentleman' myself—"
He reached out, grabbed a plastic water bottle from a nearby tray, and tossed it into the air. Before it could reach the apex of its arc, Suedo lashed out with a high-speed kick.
SHING!
The resilient, high-density plastic was sliced clean in half. Water sprayed across the carpet as the two pieces of the bottle hit the floor.
"Listen well, you bastard!" Suedo barked, locking eyes with Sadakuni. "Once this little game of yours is over, I'm going to make you kneel and apologize to the Shinshinkai for every word you just said."
Sadakuni didn't even flinch.
"I don't care," the revolutionary whispered, his face a mask of jagged, bloodshot fury. "Fight me, kill me, run away—it doesn't matter. I am irrelevant. Even if you kill me now, there are others behind me who will finish the job. We are inevitable!"
The sheer, distorted intensity of the man's conviction gave Suedo pause.
Is he actually suicidal? Suedo wondered. It's like he doesn't value his own life at all. Completely irrational.
Compared to the "Revolutionary," Ren Shiroki was much more pleasant company.
Suedo turned to see Ren mimicking the kick he had just performed, practicing the upward arc in slow motion.
"I've heard the Shinshinkai trains the limbs into blades," Ren noted. "I've heard masters can slice through piano wire with their bare shins."
"So... the secret is the high-speed snap? Turning the point of impact into a 'Razor'?"
Ren's movements were agonizingly slow, his mind in full "Overdrive" as he reverse-engineered the physics of the Shinshinkai strike.
"How do you chamber the hip for that? And what's the best way to parry a strike with that much surface tension?"
Ren began to pepper Suedo with technical questions. Suedo tried to answer, but as Ren dived deeper into the biomechanics, the Karate master found himself struggling to keep up with the youth's analytical pace.
Fearing he might accidentally leak too many school secrets, Suedo pulled a business card from his pocket and shoved it at Ren.
"You're just like that Baki kid... you never shut up once you start talking about training!"
Suedo scratched his head. "Look, if you're that curious, come by the Shinshinkai HQ sometime. I'll introduce you to a head instructor. Just stop asking me."
Ren grinned and pocketed the card.
The banquet continued, the atmosphere remaining tense but stable.
Yukio Tonegawa, having finished his overtime duties for the moment, finally had a chance to breathe and fill his stomach. He approached Ren while eating a plate of teppanyaki.
Ren was now a Kengan Association Member. Legally, he was a peer—a fellow "Owner." Tonegawa knew it was in Teiai's best interest to maintain a good relationship with a rising power.
"That man, Sadakuni..." Tonegawa whispered, gesturing with his fork. "He was once an associate of Chairman Hyodo. But he grew radical. He was hunted by the Metropolitan Police for organizing terror cells and fled the country."
"Rumor is he joined a 'New Power' abroad. He's much more dangerous now than he was when he left."
"He claims he's here to raise funds for his 'Revolution,' but I suspect he's acting on orders from his new backers. I didn't expect him to be bold enough to target the Teiai Group in person, though. Hyodo seems amused by it, for now."
Tonegawa sighed, rubbing his brow. "They're both insane."
He raised his glass to Ren. "Regardless... congratulations on joining the Association."
Ren thanked him. He picked up a can of cola, gave it a vigorous shake until all the carbonation was gone, and began to drink it in slow, steady gulps.
"Oh? Flat cola?" Tonegawa looked intrigued. "I've only seen that on sports documentaries. Very impressive!"
"I've heard it maximizes energy absorption for endurance athletes. Marathons runners swear by it."
Tonegawa scanned the room, then frowned. "Wait... where did that girl go? The one who was with you earlier?"
Ren finished his soda. "Fusui? She said the air in here was too stuffy. She went out to the deck to 'clear her head.'"
At that moment, a playful, analytical voice crackled in Ren's earpiece.
{ Ren-chin! We were right. I've got a clear view from the observation nest. }
{ There are boats in the water. Unmarked. And there are 'Waiters' on the dock who have very expensive-looking sub-guns hidden under their coats. }
{ It looks like we aren't the only ones who wanted to crash this party. We're being targeted by the 'IDEAL' boys. }