"The Worm's gotten pretty bold."
On the top floor VIP suite, Gusion looked down at the arena through the glass, a smirk on his face. "But I suppose it's their bad luck."
Erioh stood beside him, murderous intent in his old eyes. "Raian, don't let me down."
Today's match: Yamashita Trading vs. UM Corporation.
In the arena, Raian was a contemporary genius of the Kure clan; his opponent, Alan Wu, was one of the Westwad Faction's five top officers.
Alan Wu carried the memories of Wu Hei, the Wu clan's ancestor from 5,000 years ago—so it was an ancestor fighting his descendant.
The Westward Faction never sealed away the ancient forbidden art "Huisheng." Each generation inherited Wu Hei's memories, and this generation had five Wu Hei as Westward Faction's managers.
"Raian, forget the referee. Kill him."
Eioh instructed Raian before the match, showing his hatred for the Westward Faction.
But Raian didn't need to be told—he'd never leave Alan alive if he could win.
You could tell from Raian's expression—he looked like he was ecstatic after finding prey.
See how happy the guy is.
"Gusion, aren't you watching the match?"
Erioh was puzzled as Gusion turned to sit on the sofa.
"Nothing to see. The match will end instantly. Raian won't let down his guard, and Alan Wu isn't his match."
Gusion replied. He was more interested in the Worm's next moves. Alan was a sacrificial pawn.
After sparring with Gusion for days, Raian was much stronger—no chance of an upset here.
Sure enough, less than a minute after the match began, the crowd gasped.
Raian, in his Removal state, looked like a demon. He grabbed Alan's upper and lower jaws and tore him in half!
Raian's barehanded rending was brutal, but even Karura, who usually disliked Raian, cheered—finally, someone had vented the Kure clan's rage.
...
In the submarine, the observers watched this scene expressionlessly, even joking with each other.
"Your Westward Faction isn't up to much—Alan was supposed to be one of your top officers, right? Yet a youngster tore him apart."
The Other Tokita Niko seized on the other's sore spot—he'd been mocked for days over his trash student.
"Alan was the weakest of our five Wu Hei. We just used that guy to take out the garbage."
Edward Wu grinned, puffing on his cigar. "But I get the feeling that crazy guy is provoking me through the screen. Looks like he doesn't know how big the gap is between him and a real powerhouse."
...
In the arena, Raian was indeed pumped, yelling, "Westward pigs, wash your necks and wait—I'll slaughter you one by one!"
"Raian really is as lively as ever. Looks like this tournament is just what he needed."
Gusion said with a smile.
"Mr. Gusion, do you think more Worms and Westward Fantion have infiltrated?"
Nearby, Kure Hollis asked. The Kure clan cared deeply about the tournament and had investigated a lot.
But aside from Alan Wu, there weren't many other suspicious people.
"I think there are quite a few suspicious strongmen."
Gusion pointed at the tournament roster on the wall. "The new president of Juwang News Agency's fighter, Fei Wangfang, and the assassin sent by Hayami, Lu Tian—they're probably Worms too."
He was speaking as a reader—he'd read the original and knew their identities.
In the second part of the original, Fei Wangfang and Lu Tian appeared as A-level fighters in Purgatory, both very strong.
Lu Tian was The Other Tokita Niko's disciple, a true survivor of the Guritual, and had mastered the Wu clan's Guihun—both a powerhouse in stats and technique.
Fei Wangfang was even more outrageous—Gusion thought he was The Other Tokita Niko's greatest student, combining Possessing Spirit and Fallen Demon into a third form, Divine Demon. As a burst skill, it was even stronger than Release.
But the side effects were huge—Fei Wangfang died showing off with that move.
In Gusion's view, Fei Wangfang lost purely due to plot armor—he'd already overpowered the Tiger, Wakatsuki Takeshi, but insisted on a stat showdown at the end.
And his habit of chatting while using Divine Demon was just asking for death.
Gusion thought if Fei Wangfang fought seriously, he'd be a top-tier fighter in the story. He just got tricked by The Other Tokita Niko and wasn't too bright.
The tournament continued, and soon it was Gusion's turn again—this time against Lu Tian.
The berserk man with Guihun didn't take Gusion seriously, so Gusion knocked him out with two punches and a kick.
Gusion didn't kill Lu Tian—not for any fighter's code, but because he thought Lu Tian's soul would help his Mazuko grow. Killing him by hand would be a waste.
...
"This new Fang of Metsudo, Gusion, is impressive. Lu Tian may not be great, but he shouldn't have lost so easily."
In the submarine, Xia Yan looked intrigued.
"According to the schedule, he'll soon face Fei Wangfang. I'll have Wangfang test Gusion's strength."
The Other Tokita Niko said. He was satisfied with Wangfang's strength, but his student would never know—no matter how hard he tried, he could never become the Tiger's Vessel.
Because the Tiger's Vessel wasn't chosen by strength, nor by mastering Niko Style—it had to be a clone made from Shen Wulong's genes, specifically from the left-brain "Shen Wulong" persona.
...
The next day, in the quarterfinals, Fei Wangfang finally faced Gusion.
Facing the serious Fei Wangfang, Gusion grinned. "Come on, use your Divine Demon form."
Fei Wangfang was shocked—very few knew about that move. How did his opponent know?
Gusion stretched out his arms, showing his white teeth. "Come at me with all you've got. Don't worry—I'll spare your life."
Fei Wangfang felt a subtle pressure from Gusion—the only time he'd felt that before was with a certain someone.
As he thought this, he realized how absurd it was.
How could Gusion be compared to that person?
Gusion's stance looked full of openings, yet as if there were none at all.
That strange contradiction pressed on him, making it hard to breathe.
"If you're so eager to die, I'll show you—the ultimate Niko Style!"
Fei Wangfang said seriously. In the next moment, he stripped off his shirt. As his clothes flew, his muscles bulged, and his skin turned dark red.
His veins popped out all over, his heart thudded like an engine, and the heat from his body turned his sweat to steam, sending currents through the air and making his hair stand on end.
Feeling the surge in strength, Gusion smiled even more. "Now that's more like it. Come—let me enjoy this fight."