"You want to enter the Kengan Annihilation Tournament?"
Inside the old-fashioned Japanese room, Erioh Kure sat kneeling before a tea table, his aged brows drawing together. "The Kure Clan has indeed received a commission, but Raian has already been chosen as our representative. You are not a member of the Kure Clan, Luke. This is internal clan business, so it would not be appropriate to have you act for us."
"You misunderstand me. I do not intend to compete under the Kure Clan's name."
Luke shook his head. He had come to bid Erioh Kure farewell, and before leaving, he hoped to obtain a little help.
"Ah, I had forgotten. With your strength, finding a company to represent would not be difficult. Since you specifically brought this up to me, you must have a particular objective, correct?"
Erioh Kure looked at Luke curiously, wanting to know what this powerful young man intended.
"You see right through me. I want to compete as the Fang of Metsudo."
Luke smiled.
The Fang of Metsudo was currently the apex of the Kengan Association: the fighter representing Katahara Metsudo, chairman of the Kengan Association, and the strongest man in Kengan matches today.
Erioh Kure froze for a moment. Then his eyes narrowed as he stared at Luke for a long while. "Hahahaha! Luke, it seems you have quite the ambition."
"I would not call it ambition. I merely need Chairman Metsudo's help with something, and unless I demonstrate my value, he will most likely be unwilling to act. You were the First Fang of Metsudo, so with your introduction, there should be far less bloodshed."
Erioh Kure understood what Luke meant. Luke could naturally charge straight in and replace the current Fang of Metsudo by force, but that could easily trigger an armed conflict and escalate into a war.
With Erioh's recommendation, Luke could instead challenge the current Fang properly, avoiding a bloody incident. It was a win-win situation.
"That is a small matter. I only need to say a word to that old man. But you have something else you want from me, do you not?"
Erioh Kure had never met the current Fang of Metsudo, but he had confidence in Raian. Even if the current Fang were stronger than Raian, he could not be stronger by much. Luke, meanwhile, was strong enough to break the rules.
Yes. Even when he had been young, Erioh Kure, the Mighty Demon, was probably no match for the young man before him.
After observing him for several days, Erioh had become increasingly certain of it. Luke's power did not merely come from his superhuman physique. More importantly, it came from the absolute pinnacle of his martial skill.
In Erioh's view, Luke had no need whatsoever to learn the Kure Clan's Removal. With technique alone, he could already crush opponents physically stronger than himself. And there could not be many people in existence with strength greater than a superhuman's.
He knew replacing the current Fang of Metsudo would be no challenge for Luke. Even without his message, his old friend's private army would not be able to stop Luke. And knowing Katahara Metsudo's character, Erioh was certain that once the man witnessed Luke's strength, he would gladly accept him.
That was why Erioh believed Luke had only come to ask him to make the introduction as a gesture of respect. He must have another request.
"I really cannot hide anything from you. I do have something I would like to ask of the Kure Clan. But as you can see, I am a wanted criminal with no money. I cannot afford an exorbitant fee."
Luke spoke somewhat awkwardly.
Erioh Kure took a sip of tea. "You taught Raian quite a few things beyond the terms of our exchange. That is more than enough payment. Tell me, what do you want us to investigate?"
Dealing with smart people really was convenient, Luke thought. Without him even saying it, Erioh already understood the general nature of his commission.
"I would like you to investigate whether any of the competitors in this Kengan Annihilation Tournament are unusual. Or, to put it another way, whether anyone's strength has risen extraordinarily quickly recently."
Luke did not think Endspace would screw him over that badly. The Origin Seed should appear during the Kengan Annihilation Tournament, but he could not wait until then.
He still did not know the exact nature of the other Explorers' missions. But if he failed to secure the Origin Seed, he would die. And every day its current holder remained alive only increased the difficulty of his mission.
He enjoyed challenging powerful opponents, but he was no Vegeta. Only by staying alive could he continue enjoying battle and climbing ever higher peaks.
Besides, there was already an ultimate powerhouse in this world whom he wanted to fight. He could not die before exchanging blows with that person. Otherwise, he truly would die with regrets.
Therefore, the optimal solution regarding the Origin Seed was to find and secure it before the Kengan Annihilation Tournament. Only then could he proceed with the subsequent missions without worry.
"What a strange commission. I will not ask why. Once we gather the intelligence, I will send someone to contact you."
Erioh Kure spoke with the professionalism expected of an assassin clan's patriarch. He did not ask about his client's motives.
Luke clasped his hands in salute. "Thank you. You have taken good care of me these past few days. If I run into the Wu of the Westward Faction in the future, and you do not mind an outsider interfering, I will help you deal with them."
Erioh Kure's expression shifted. "You certainly know quite a lot..."
"I was born on the mainland, and I have always been interested in matters concerning the Wu. I only learned of it by chance. If you do not want me meddling, then pretend I said nothing."
Luke smiled. The Wu in this world were divided into three factions. The mainland Wu Clan and Japan's Kure Clan could be considered lawful evil, while the Wu of the Westward Faction were chaotic evil.
By his calculations, it had been only recently that the Kure Clan, the Wu Clan, and the Westward Faction had cooperated in an operation to eradicate the Worm, attacking one of the Worm's bases.
The Worm was spread across the entire world. It could be viewed as a global terrorist organization, one that regularly carried out terrorist attacks and the like. During that joint operation by the three Wu factions, the Kure Clan and Wu Clan forces never returned, because the Westward Faction had betrayed them.
More precisely, the Wu of the Westward Faction had long since sided with the Worm, following Shen Wulong, one of the so-called immortals.
Because of that betrayal, the Kure Clan had suffered grievous losses and had long sought revenge, though they had not yet found the right opportunity.
Luke had caught up on Kengan Omega while in Endspace, so he knew that Edward Wu, the Westward Faction's representative, was no slouch. In the original story, the old man before him had led the entire Kure Clan in a group assault. Even then, they had only barely defeated Edward Wu after using Erioh's life as bait.
Luke felt that the Kure Clan had treated him well. If he encountered Edward Wu, casually cutting him down would not be a problem.
"No. If you can accomplish it, the Kure Clan will remember this favor."
Erioh Kure was not a rigid man. As long as vengeance could be had, he did not care how it was achieved. "But be careful. You are exceptionally strong in martial arts, but when it comes to killing people, we Wu are the experts."
Luke smiled. "Have you forgotten? I am a death-row inmate who was imprisoned for killing a great many people. Do not worry. If the Westward Faction runs into me, it will be their bad luck."
After chatting for a while longer, Luke left the Japanese room under Erioh Kure's gaze—and left the Kure Clan as well.
Half an hour later, Karla finally ran into the Japanese room, looking around anxiously. "Grandpa, where is Luke?"
"He left."
"Where did he go?"
"To climb the mountain called martial arts."
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