Katahara's personal guards were completely stunned. They were all outstanding Kengan fighters themselves, yet none of them could understand what had just happened.
How had Luke's comparatively slight frame so easily caught the Fang of Metsudo's devastating blow? Not even someone with Wakatsuki Takeshi's superhuman physique should have been able to do that.
Why had the Fang of Metsudo backed away and adopted a defensive stance before the fight even began, only for Luke to say that he was strong?
And why had Luke not pressed his advantage after knocking the Fang of Metsudo away? This was the perfect chance to defeat a living legend.
Too many questions filled their minds, but none of them could ask. All they could do was stare intently at the two men in the center of the reception room.
The mysterious young man and the Fang of Metsudo's undefeated legend—which one would win?
"Your perception and learning ability are both far better than Raian's..."
Luke spoke with a hint of admiration. "Oh, Raian is the Kure Clan's prodigy. He should be their strongest fighter now, right?"
Erioh Kure truly had grown old. At present, Raian was indeed the strongest, though he had yet to reach the level Erioh had possessed in his prime.
"You have not told me your name."
Kanoh Agito spoke to Luke for the first time.
"How rude of me. My name is Luke."
Luke took up a Wing Chun opening stance. "Come on. Let me see your "Martial Arts.""
Within Kengan circles, nobody was unfamiliar with the Fang of Metsudo's name. He possessed two major "forms." One was Formless, a style that did not adhere to fixed techniques and instead followed instinct.
The other was "Martial Arts"—a technique forged by fusing numerous martial arts together, capable of using Pre-Initiative to predict an enemy's attacks and counter them before they could land.
At Luke's words, Kanoh's twisted grin vanished as he switched to Martial Arts.
He closed the distance in small steps. Amid the suffocating tension, he finally came to stand before Luke.
In the next instant, a torrential barrage exploded forth. It was an assault blending countless martial arts, with the Niko Style mixed in among them.
With Kanoh's muscular strength, every one of those punches carried enough force to leave an ordinary competitor unable to fight. Yet something bizarre happened: amid that high-speed assault, neither his fists nor his legs touched Luke even once.
"W-What the hell? Kanoh cannot even touch him! Who the hell is this Luke?!"
Omori Masamichi, one of the personal guards, cried out in shock. He was no ordinary guard. He had been the previous Fang of Metsudo and had stepped down only because being invincible in Kengan matches had grown boring. Kanoh was his successor.
With his keen eye, he could naturally tell that Kanoh was neither holding back nor throwing wild punches. Every strike was exquisite and packed tremendous power, yet he simply could not touch Luke.
He knew that Kanoh had already touched the realm of Pre-Initiative—the ability to read an opponent's movements before they attacked, then strike later yet arrive first to defeat them. Very few martial artists could attain such a realm. Kanoh had reached it at such a young age; he was a genius among geniuses.
Yet Kanoh, who had already brushed against Pre-Initiative, could not even lay a finger on Luke. It was utterly absurd!
Was this young man named Luke even human?
After Luke diverted one of Kanoh's heavy punches, he trapped that arm beneath his own, guided the flow of force, and dragged it down toward the floor. Then, using the recoil to leap, he drove his knee into Kanoh's chin.
Bang—
With a dull impact, Kanoh's head snapped back. At that moment, Luke's elbow came crashing down from above, striking the back of Kanoh's neck once again.
Hit by two heavy blows in succession, Kanoh's massive body pitched toward the ground.
To Luke's surprise, Kanoh got back up. Looking at Kanoh, whose breathing was ragged and whose nose and mouth were bleeding, he said, "Oh? I did not hold back much. Did you use the Niko Style's Indestructible?"
Kanoh's expression changed. "You know the Niko Style?!"
"I have heard a few things."
Luke grinned. "Are we not continuing?"
Kanoh immediately resumed his stance. He was Katahara's Fang. He absolutely could not lose!
Even if the man before him was powerful beyond anything he could comprehend, he had to climb, had to struggle, had to evolve in crisis. Only then could he live up to Katahara's expectations.
"Not bad..."
Looking at Kanoh's injured body and unwavering eyes, Luke praised him. "...I can feel your conviction. That deserves to be called Martial Arts."
In the next instant, he used Flash Step, vanishing from where he stood.
Bang—
When his figure solidified again, Kanoh's massive body had already fallen.
Luke slowly withdrew his hand blade and looked toward Katahara Metsudo. "Old man, do I qualify?"
Katahara Metsudo burst into laughter. "Boy, I would rather ask you: do you think he qualifies?"
Luke knew he meant Kanoh. After considering it, he replied, "He is very strong. He just needs more room to grow."
He was telling the truth. This generation's Fang of Metsudo, Kanoh Agito, was powerful. He had the raw stats, he had the technique, and his perception was excellent. The moment Luke prepared to make a move, Kanoh had immediately sensed the threat he posed.
There were two reasons Luke could utterly dominate Kanoh: his stats were higher, and his technique was better.
But Kanoh was clearly the type of fighter who grew with every battle. In the original Kengan Annihilation Tournament, he had visibly improved after each consecutive fight. Although he ultimately lost to Kuroki Gensai, he still absorbed even more techniques from the Demon Lance.
What was even more outrageous was that later in the original story, he encountered the "Immortal" Shen Wulong and evolved at an incredible rate again. He had seen a higher mountain and found a goal worth climbing toward—or, put another way, a model for his evolution.
So the Kanoh Luke had fought today was undoubtedly the weakest of every version of Kanoh. If he had entered this world later, perhaps he could have fought a more interesting Kanoh.
Going by how things felt now, if Raian—the Raian who had sparred and trained with him for several days—fought the Kanoh from just now, Raian might have had better odds of winning.
But now it was hard to say. Kanoh's learning ability was simply too strong. After fighting Luke, he had already leveled up. If Raian fought him now, the outcome would be impossible to predict.
"Needs room to grow... It seems this old man did something unnecessary."
Katahara Metsudo sighed. He had asked a friend to invite Kuroki Gensai to enter the tournament because he wanted the master to teach Kanoh a lesson. Who would have thought Kanoh would not lose in the ring, but instead lose in a private spar before the Kengan Annihilation Tournament even began?
He looked at Luke. "Then from today onward, you are the new Fang of Metsudo, though I get the feeling you do not care much for the title."
"Yeah. I just wanted an identity that would let me compete."
Luke answered honestly.
"You defeated the champion ahead of time just to get an identity that lets you enter the tournament? Your logic is certainly interesting, boy."
Katahara Metsudo smiled. "Tell me, then. What do you want in exchange for helping me secure victory?"
"You are a wise man, Chairman, so I will not beat around the bush. During the tournament, I will serve as your Kengan fighter and win it for you. I can also train Kanoh. As for whom you appoint as the new chairman of the Kengan Association after the tournament, that has nothing to do with me."
Luke spoke bluntly.
Katahara Metsudo narrowed his eyes. "Strange. You do not look like such a clever boy, yet you can guess what this old man is thinking... Very well. It seems interesting enough. Tell me what you want."
"Nothing much. I merely want to borrow the authority of the Kengan Association's chairman to investigate a few things for me. Do not worry—I will not put you in a difficult position."
With that, Luke repeated the request he had previously made to Erioh Kure.
Luke believed that with the Kure Clan and Katahara Metsudo working together, they would soon narrow down the possible locations of the Origin Seed. Then he could investigate them one by one and collect the Origin Seed.
Once he completed that mission, would not the remaining time in this mission world be his to enjoy however he pleased?
"That is an interesting request. You asked Erioh to do the same thing, did you not? What exactly are you looking for, boy?"
Katahara Metsudo asked curiously.
"The future."
Luke answered with a smile, deliberately vague.
Katahara Metsudo appeared thoughtful after hearing that, but did not press the matter further. He looked at Kanoh Agito, who had just regained consciousness. "Kanoh, for the next while, Mr. Luke will be your teacher."
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The Legend of Kengan Luke is now officially serialized! Please follow, send monthly tickets, and leave chapter comments.
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