The elite members of Metsudo's Bodyguard force were currently trapped in a state of absolute, brain-breaking bewilderment. Every single one of them was a top-tier martial artist, yet none of them could comprehend what they had just witnessed.
Why was someone with Lu Li's relatively "small" frame able to effortlessly catch a devastating, full-power strike from the Fang of Metsudo with a single hand? Even a biological freak like Takeshi Wakatsuki shouldn't be able to pull that off so casually.
Why did the Fang of Metsudo instinctively retreat and drop into a defensive stance before the fight even began, only for Lu Li to praise him for being "strong"?
Why didn't Lu Li press the attack after effortlessly blasting the Fang away and securing the absolute initiative? It was the perfect opportunity to crush a living legend!
Their minds were overflowing with questions they couldn't voice. All they could do was stare unblinkingly at the two men standing in the center of the reception hall.
The mysterious young man from the East versus the undefeated legend, the Fang of Metsudo. Who would actually win?
"Your perception and learning capacity are vastly superior to Raian's..." Lu Li remarked with genuine appreciation. "Oh right, Raian is the Kure Clan's prodigy. He should be the strongest fighter they have right now."
Erioh Kure was truly old now. In the current era, Raian was indeed the strongest active Kure, though he still paled in comparison to Erioh in his prime.
"I haven't asked your name," Agito Kanoh spoke for the first time, his deep voice echoing in the hall.
"Ah, how rude of me. I am Lu Li."
Lu Li smoothly shifted his posture, raising his hands into a classic Wing Chun starting stance. "Come. Show me your [Martial Arts]."
The title of the Fang of Metsudo was universally feared in the Kengan Association. Agito possessed two primary "stances." The first was [Formless]—a fluid, unpredictable style completely unconstrained by orthodox forms, relying entirely on monstrous physical instinct.
The second was [Martial Arts]—a hyper-refined, orthodox synthesis of countless martial disciplines, utilizing the terrifying concept of [Pre-Initiative] (Sen no Sen) to read an opponent's intent and counter them before they even moved.
Hearing Lu Li's challenge, the twisted, manic grin vanished from Agito's face. He instantly shifted into his [Martial Arts] stance.
Taking short, perfectly measured steps, Agito closed the distance. The suffocating tension in the room skyrocketed until he stood directly in front of Lu Li.
In the next microsecond, an apocalyptic storm of attacks erupted. Agito unleashed a relentless barrage that fused countless martial arts disciplines, even weaving in techniques from the Niko Style.
Given his monstrous physical specs, every single punch carried enough kinetic force to instantly cripple an ordinary Kengan fighter. Yet, the truly terrifying part was that amidst this blindingly fast, overwhelming hurricane of fists and kicks... he didn't manage to graze Lu Li even once.
"I-Impossible... Agito can't even touch him! Just who the hell is this Lu Li guy?!"
Omori Masamomi, standing among the bodyguards, gasped in pure shock. He wasn't just a random guard; he was the previous Fang of Metsudo, who had voluntarily stepped down simply because being completely undefeated had gotten boring. Agito was his direct successor.
With his elite Grandmaster-level vision, Omori could tell Agito wasn't holding back or fighting sloppily. Every single one of Agito's strikes was exquisitely precise and lethally powerful. But he simply couldn't touch Lu Li.
Omori knew perfectly well that Agito had already reached the realm of [Pre-Initiative]—the ability to read an opponent's inception of intent and strike before the attack was even launched. It was a mythical pinnacle of martial arts that very few ever achieved. Agito reaching it at his young age proved he was a peerless genius.
Yet, even with [Pre-Initiative], Agito was completely failing to land a single hit. It was utterly absurd!
Is this young man even human?!
After seamlessly dodging another devastating heavy straight from Agito, Lu Li smoothly clamped his arm around Agito's extended limb. He perfectly read the flow of kinetic force, violently redirecting Agito's momentum toward the floor. Utilizing the rebounding kinetic energy, Lu Li vaulted into the air and drove his knee viciously into Agito's chin.
BANG—!
A sickening, heavy impact echoed through the hall. Agito's head snapped violently backward. While he was suspended mid-air, Lu Li brought his elbow down like an executioner's axe, burying it directly into the back of Agito's neck.
Taking two consecutive critical hits to his vitals, Agito's massive frame crashed heavily onto the marble floor.
To Lu Li's mild surprise, the giant actually forced himself back up. Agito's breathing was erratic, and blood poured freely from his nose and mouth, but he was standing.
"Oh? I didn't hold back that much," Lu Li noted. "Did you use the Niko Style's [Indestructible]?"
Agito's eyes widened sharply. "You know the Niko Style?!"
"I've heard a few things," Lu Li grinned. "Are we going to keep fighting?"
Agito instantly dropped back into a combat stance. He was Lord Metsudo's Fang; he absolutely could not accept defeat!
Even if the man standing before him was incomprehensibly powerful, he had to climb the mountain. He had to resist. He had to evolve amidst this absolute crisis so he wouldn't disappoint his master.
"Excellent..."
Looking at the heavily battered but fiercely resolute Agito, Lu Li nodded in genuine approval. "...I can feel your conviction. That is true Martial Arts."
In the next microsecond, Lu Li activated [Shunpo]. He instantly vanished from his spot.
BANG—!
By the time his silhouette fully rematerialized, Agito's colossal body had already collapsed backward, completely unconscious.
Lu Li slowly lowered his hand, turning to look at Metsudo Katahara. "Well, old man? Did I pass the test?"
Metsudo threw his head back and roared with laughter. "Hahahaha! Brat, I should be the one asking you! Do you think he passed?"
Lu Li knew Metsudo was asking for his evaluation of Agito. He pondered for a moment before answering honestly, "He's incredibly strong. He just needs room to grow."
He wasn't lying. This generation's Fang of Metsudo was a terrifying monster. He possessed the raw stats, the flawless technique, and an incredibly sharp combat intuition—evidenced by his immediate realization of Lu Li's threat level before the fight even started.
Lu Li could completely dominate Agito for two reasons: his base attributes were simply higher, and his technical mastery was fundamentally on an entirely different dimensional plane.
But Agito was the textbook definition of an evolutionary fighter. In the original Kengan Annihilation Tournament storyline, Agito underwent massive, visible growth after every single match. Even though he ultimately lost to the "Devil Lance" Kuroki Gensai, he managed to absorb an immense amount of technical data from that defeat.
Even more absurdly, in the sequel manga (Kengan Omega), after merely witnessing the true "Demigod" Shen Wulong, Agito experienced another explosive evolution just by observing a higher peak. He needed a reference point to evolve.
Therefore, the Agito he fought today was undeniably the absolute weakest "version" of Agito in the timeline. If Lu Li had entered this world a few years later, fighting him would have been significantly more challenging.
As it stood right now, if the current Raian and the current Agito fought... Raian might actually have a slightly higher chance of winning.
But now? All bets were off. Because Agito's learning capacity was so monstrous, just fighting Lu Li today had already triggered his evolution. A fight between Raian and the newly upgraded Agito would be a complete toss-up.
"Needs room to grow, you say...? It seems this old man might have been entirely too meddlesome," Metsudo sighed nostalgically.
He had gone through all the trouble of pulling strings to hire Kuroki Gensai as a proxy for another corporation, specifically to teach Agito a lesson on the grand stage. Who knew Agito wouldn't even make it to the tournament before being brutally humbled in a private living room spar?
He looked sharply at Lu Li. "Very well. From this day forward, you are the new Fang of Metsudo. Though I highly suspect you don't care about the title."
"Yeah, I really just need an official slot to enter the tournament," Lu Li answered bluntly.
"You completely crushed the reigning champion in his own living room just so you could secure a slot in a tournament? Your logic is absolutely fascinating, brat," Metsudo chuckled. "Speak. What is it you truly want in exchange for securing my victory?"
"You're a pragmatic man, Chairman, so I won't beat around the bush. I will fight as your proxy. I will win the tournament for you. I will even help you train Agito. As for who you appoint as the new Chairman after we win, I couldn't care less," Lu Li stated frankly.
Metsudo's eyes narrowed slightly. "Curious. You really don't look like a particularly cunning schemer, yet you saw right through my ultimate goal... Never mind. This is highly entertaining. Name your terms."
"It's nothing massive. I just want to borrow your authority as Chairman to investigate something for me. Don't worry, it won't put you in any political binds."
Lu Li then repeated the exact same intelligence commission he had given to Erioh Kure.
He reasoned that by utilizing the combined, omnipotent intelligence networks of both the Kure Clan assassination syndicate and the Kengan Association Chairman, he could rapidly pinpoint the location of the Origin Seed. Once the net tightened, he just had to systematically hunt down the anomalies and extract the Seed.
Once that lethal, hanging sword of a Pioneer Mission was cleared, he could spend the rest of his deployment completely cutting loose and enjoying the tournament!
"An incredibly peculiar request. I assume you gave Erioh the exact same task?" Metsudo asked, his curiosity genuinely piqued. "Brat, what exactly are you looking for?"
"The future," Lu Li smiled cryptically.
Metsudo looked thoughtful but didn't press the issue any further. He turned his gaze toward Agito, who was just now groggily regaining consciousness on the floor.
"Agito. Listen closely," Metsudo announced, his voice echoing with absolute authority. "From this moment until the tournament concludes... Mr. Lu Li is your new Master."
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