STRONGEST MARTIAL ARTIST: TENMAOU (BAKI X KENGAN X HSDK) (REDUX)

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-swish!-

The collision of the two sent shockwaves through the snowy forest on top of Kuremisago mountain as both figures threw a flurry of punches at each other.

However, just by this exchange... There was already a clear victor

-drip, drop-

Myoujou was pushed back slightly as he looked at his throbbing hands that leaked crimson-red blood through his gloves.

-schwing!-

Grunting, Myoujou's hand blurred as he unleashed a flurry of knife stabs and slashes aiming at all of the vitals of the figure dressed as Saiga.

---Or as Myoujou decided to now call him, The Faker.

[ARMED TECHNIQUE: BLOODCLOT PIERCE]

However, just as they were about to land, The Faker parried them with superhuman reaction time and efficiency, countering with a well-timed knee aimed at Myoujou's ribs.

"!!!"

Twisting his body to evade the blow, The Faker's knee scraped past Myoujou's side as Myoujou countered just as swiftly as he brought his leg in an arc, striking The Faker with a crescent kick

[WATER MIRROR: FLOWING RAPID SCYTHE KICK]

'Swiftness, and the control of power,' Myoujou thought. '---The keys to mastering the Water Mirror of the Four Mirrors Martial Art...'

'Now... It's time to heat things up!'

Myoujou focused his energy on the soles of his feet as he quickly got into stance, and with a burst of energy dashed towards The Faker.

[WATER MIRROR: TRACKLESS STEPS]

Without missing a beat, Myoujou performed a faint as he attempted to slash at The Faker's waist, only to then put strength in the muscles of his right arm, as he flung his blade across The Faker's face.

[AMRED TECHNIQUE: ROCK SLICER]

-slash!-

The Faker retreated a few steps as he stopped, holding out his hands as the mask fell from his face with his true face being revealed.

"As expected." Myoujou sighed. "You. You wouldn't so as happen to be one of Saiga's pals, would you?"

The man before him had a handsome face with medium-long black hair that fell to his back with strands jutting out on both sides of his head, but most importantly, he had cold grey eyes that pierced through Myoujou's hazel-brown eyes.

---Myoujou would not know this until later, but this man was none other than Senzui Kuremisago, one of the main forces behind all of this confusion.

"You've improved," Senzui remarked, his voice calm despite the ferocity of the exchange. "But not enough."

Senzui's movements became a blur as he unleashed a barrage of punches and kicks, to which Myoujou soon enough found himself on the defensive, with each block and dodge sapping his energy.

Yet, as the fight dragged on, something within him began to shift. His movements grew sharper, his counters more precise. It was as if every strike he received taught him something new, every dodge honed his instincts further.

Senzui smirked and closed the distance between them with terrifying speed. Myoujou barely had time to react as a series of rapid punches came at him like a hailstorm, knocking his blade out of his hand into the white snow.

'Damn. He's not taking me serious, is he?' Myoujou frowned deeply. Losing was one thing, but he didn't like the fact that his opponent didn't even need to bring is all in order to defeat him.

'This bastard...'

-swoosh!-

As another flurry of blows approached Myoujou with no time to dodge, he attempted to deflect them using a defensive technique that deflects an attack's trajectory by applying power to sides of his arms.

[WATER MIRROR: STREAMING GLACIERS]

And by calculating the angle of the attack in order, he could deflect numerous attacks off of his arms hard bone to change where his opponents attacks land.

But even then, it wasn't perfect.

-creek, croak-

Myoujou felt his arms weakening as the bone rattled, but he held on as he managed to successfully deflect most of Senzui's attacks.

Though just as fast as he deflected those blows, Senzui struck again— This time, a hook caught Myoujou's ribs, followed by a knee to his abdomen that drove the air from his lungs.

-wham!-

'Shit! That hurt!' Myoujou wheezed as he attempted to make distance unsuccessfully as Senzui started to close in on him. 'I can't fall now! If I fall, there's no telling if I might wake up again!'

At this moment, Myoujou's breathing was heavy and slowly weakening, but the resolve in his eyes was steadily growing. 'I've survived worse. I've got this.'

"Ha!" Senzui launched a front kick aimed at Myoujou's core.

Myoujou seeing this used his arms to redirect Senzui's flow of power, altering the direction his blow would've landed.

[WATER MIRROR: OVERFLOW]

And while he didn't make Senzui lose his balance, he did cause him to slightly misstep.

And this misstep was enough for Myoujou to react with a move of his own.

He manipulated his muscles, controlling them to tighten as he hardened his body, using torque and pushing off the ground to deliver a strong, heavy roundhouse kick, cutting through the air as it landed on Senzui's chest, pushing him back a bit.

[GREAT MIRROR: HALF-MOON KICK]

Senzui skidded back for a bit through the snow before he stopped as he clutched his chest, but other than that he seemed unusually fine.

"Not bad," Senzui admitted, brushing snow off his suit. "But it won't save you."

Senzui then lunged forward, his strikes becoming more relentless.

Myoujou countered with newfound precision, his movements now a blend of instinct and strategy as his eyes noticed patterns in Senzui's attacks—subtle tells that betrayed his next move.

But even then, despite seeing them, he couldn't counter them all.

-whack, whack, whack!-

Blows began to rain on Myoujou as he tried to keep up, the gap between a [High-Class Disciple] and someone who was a [Master] becoming more and more apparant.

And as Myoujou attempted to strike, Senzui interrupted it with a spinning backfist that sent Myoujou sprawling into the snow.

-thud!-

Myoujou's mouth filled up with a metalic taste.

'Blood.' Myoujou thought. 'The oh-so familiar taste.'

"You're stubborn." Senzui said, his tone darker now.

"Who knows?" Myoujou spat, the blood staining the snowy ground. "I'm not leaving this world without a fight though."

And as the fight progressed, Myoujou began to anticipate Senzui's movements with uncanny accuracy. His counters grew more effective, but he did not have the power to fully commit to those counters as Senzui broke through them more and more often.

'I can do this,' Myoujou thought. 'I just have to reach him once!'

Senzui, sensing Myoujou's growth, unleashed a flurry of attacks that forced Myoujou to retreat.

"!!!"

-swish!-

A powerful front kick sent Myoujou crashing into a tree, the impact rattling his spine as the trunk of the tree splintered and burst, leading to Myoujou to groan as sharp edges pierced his back, but his eyes remained burning with determination.

"Is that all you've got?" Myoujou taunted, pushing himself to his feet. "For a guy whose behind all of this bullshit, I thought you were supposed to be stronger than this."

'Now is the moment.' Myoujou planned. 'I need a counter to reach him just once.'

Senzui's expression remained the same. "Don't talk."

He charged forward, aiming a devastating punch at Myoujou's chest. Myoujou sidestepped at the last second, grabbing Senzui's arm and using his momentum to redirect and throw him into the snow.

[WATER MIRROR: OVERFLOW]

It wasn't a perfect move as Senzui recovered almost instantly— but it was enough for Myoujou to return the favor to Senzui, lunging foward with a front kick to Senzui's chest that sent him to the same tree as Myoujou before.

-crack!-

And at that moment, the snowy tree creaked and groaned, as it split in half and fell.

-thooom!-

'Fuck. He's still up, huh?' Myoujou gave a dark chuckle as Senzui froze for a moment, staring at Myoujou and the tree behind him with an almost appreciative gaze.

Senzui's nodded. "Not bad. I planned on getting rid of you too, but after this... I think I may have to change my mind."

With a sharp burst of energy, Senzui dashed at Myoujou and attacked once more, his movements and more ruthless than before as Myoujou was once again on the defensive, guarding against blows that fell faster than the snow.

-swish, swish, swish!-

The snowy forest was silent save for the sound of fighting, the crunch of snow and tree branches, and the labored breathing of Myoujou as he stood battered and bruised.

Myoujou knew he was nearing his breaking point. His body was exhausted, and his vision blurring at the edges.

Senzui, knowing this, smiled. "You've fought well, but this is where it ends."

-swish!-

Each strike from Senzui felt heavier, and each dodge from Myoujou felt slower as Myoujou's endurance began to waver.

-wham!-

And soon enought spinning roundhouse kick from Senzui clipped his shoulder, knocking him sideway, and before he could recover, Senzui was on him, delivering a powerful blows to his stomach that made him double over.

[KUREMISAGO STYLE MARTIAL ARTS: OSPREY-PIERCE]

Desperation surged through Myoujou. With a roar, he pushed back, using sheer willpower to unleash a powerful uppercut that connected with Senzui's jaw. The impact made Senzui's head snap back a little, but little else.

As Senzui lunged forward with a final, powerful strike. Myoujou, summoning the last of his strength, countered with a punch of his own. Their fists collided with a resounding crack, the force of the impact sending shockwaves through the air.

-booom!-

For a moment, time seemed to stand still.

But then Myoujou staggered back, as he looked at his right hand.

'Damn it! It's broken!' Myoujou thought as his fingers were bent in different directions. 'Still, I can't give up!'

Darkness clouded his mind and eyes even more, but Myoujou still pressed on.

'There's no use in running away...' Myoujou clenched his other fist. 'So I should do my best to fight!'

"?!!"

And before Myoujou could react, Senzui closed the distance, his movements a blur.

A devastating kick struck Myoujou's side, followed by a palm strike to his sternum that sent him crashing into another tree. The impact left him dazed, his vision swimming.

-thud!-

"Kuuogh--- Ack!" Myoujou spat blood as he nearly coughed his lungs out, collapsing into the snow nearly unconscious as Senzui stood over him with an unreadable expression.

"Not bad, but maybe in the future..." Senzui didn't finish his words as loomed over Myoujou, his breath visible in the icy air. 

'Shit. This ain't over.' Myoujou gritted his teeth as he tried to stand up again. 'This ain't even the slightest bit over!'

With one final strike— A calculated blow to Myoujou's temple— The world went dark, and the last thing Myoujou heard was the faint sound of Senzui's footsteps retreating into the distance.

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Chapter 16: Defeat.

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Thanks For Reading!

And Thank You For The Continued Support!

Any Constructive Criticism? Launch It My Way!

2 Chapters Till This Arc Ends!

Have A Nice Day/Night!