"You didn't have to tell me that."
Sagger leaned forward slightly, his posture tightening like a predator preparing to strike. Every joint in his body seemed to lock into place, tension coiling through him. He dipped his head slightly, voice low and grim:
"I don't recall ever offending your kingdom."
So that was it—his bounty hunting career was officially over.
Ennio bared his teeth in a twisted grin. "Didn't I say it already? I just like that silver hair of yours!"
In a flash, Sagger stepped forward. His arms rose in a sharp rhythm, and he brought a bladed hand straight down toward Ennio's face with a fierce, chopping strike.
"Rock Mountain Dual Slash Wave!"
If they wanted a fight, then there was no reason to hold back.
But Ennio didn't flinch. He didn't even try to dodge. The hand strike crashed down right onto his face.
BAM!
The Rock Mountain Dual Slash Wave—a signature move from the Hokuto Shinken school—could cleave solid stone like paper in Sagger's hands. But this guy's face? It didn't even dent the fat.
"Tekkai."
That skin—hard as steel.
Ennio grabbed Sagger's wrist, slowly pushing it aside like it was nothing. "Not bad. You've got strength."
Shing!
Ennio suddenly raised one foot, sending a bluish arc of compressed air slashing toward Sagger at close range.
At that distance, there was nowhere to run—at least in theory.
But Sagger leapt, agile as a cat. Using the grip Ennio still had on his wrist, he twisted his body midair, snakelike, slipping free and landing behind him. His hands flicked up like piercing needles, aiming straight for Ennio's temples.
Ennio had been ready to block with another Tekkai, but suddenly—his pupils shrank. He sensed something.
In that instant, the massive, bloated body swayed like a candle in the wind. His whole form seemed to melt, undulating with unnatural softness.
"Kami-e!"
That fluid, rippling motion dodged Sagger's strike by a hair.
But Sagger wasn't done. He slammed his foot down, and in a blur, it exploded into countless afterimages that surged toward Ennio's twisting body.
"Hokuto: Gentle Severance Strike!"
"Geppō!"
At the very moment Sagger's foot sliced through the air, Ennio's body suddenly ceased twisting. He stomped down on nothing—air itself—and launched upward, stepping again and again until he was suspended in midair.
"You've mastered Geppō and Kami-e? The entire Rokushiki style?!"
Sagger landed lightly, turning toward Lily, who was watching in shock.
"Your psycho dad is tougher than he looks."
Mastery of Rokushiki—at the very least, that made him a Marine Headquarters-level officer, possibly even an elite-grade Vice Admiral. And sharp as hell, too—he'd sensed the true danger behind Sagger's earlier move and responded immediately with Geppō.
Was this what you called the caliber of a usurper?
Where the hell did this monster come from?
Lily only shook her head blankly. "I... don't know."
In her memories, Ennio had always been about indulgence and excess. She'd never once seen a glimpse of his strength.
Even during her last assassination attempt, she'd managed to stab him cleanly. If it weren't for his guards stepping in, she might've succeeded.
"HAHAHAHAHA!"
Ennio cackled from midair like a madman. "What would she know? I raised her in the palace like a pet! She's never even met anyone beyond the walls. She was supposed to be married off as a pawn in some alliance. Then the little bitch tries to kill me—and now she talks about 'setting sail'? Sure, that dodges taxes, but do they dare?"
His eyes locked on Sagger, voice lowering.
"But you... a man like you. Why haven't you set sail yet?"
Sagger rolled his shoulders and exhaled. "How is that any of your business?"
That last move—Gentle Severance Strike—was designed specifically to counter large and agile opponents. It harnessed rigidity to break through the soft, warping defense of Kami-e. If it had landed, Ennio's body structure would've been torn apart.
Too bad he saw through it.
Still hovering midair, Ennio seemed lost in thought. Then, without warning, he tucked his legs and began kicking violently downward.
"If a single strike's too easy to dodge, then how about this—Rankyaku: Storm Barrage!"
Dozens of compressed air blades rained from the sky like divine punishment.
Sagger's eyes narrowed.
Advanced Rokushiki?
This guy wasn't just some amateur.
He moved—his entire body flowing like water, limbs weaving through the deadly downpour. Each slash that hit the ground carved craters deep into the earth, but Sagger danced through them like a leaf on the wind.
Whoosh!
One final air blade came crashing down toward him. He leaned back effortlessly, spinning in midair before landing lightly again.
Amid the devastated landscape, Sagger stood upright—calm, composed—and looked up at Ennio with mocking eyes.
"Kami-e?" Ennio blinked. "You know Rokushiki too?"
Of course, combat principles were universal. No matter what world you were in, martial arts followed the same logic.
That move—Kami-e—relied on releasing all tension from the body and sensing subtle air shifts to flow away from attacks.
Sagger's own move, Hokuto: Aerial Flow Dance, operated on the exact same principle—reading air movement to reshape the body and avoid harm.
Same principle, different name. So yeah, you could call it Kami-e.
But...
Why explain it?
Sagger smirked coldly. "Wanna guess?"
His gaze locked on Ennio, still bouncing on air like a grotesque balloon.
Keep jumping, you bloated freak. You're just making it easier—
BOOM!
A thunderclap echoed as Ennio suddenly dropped like a cannonball. His massive body spun downward at breakneck speed, targeting Sagger like a living missile.
"Tekkai: Cannonball!"
The sheer force of him split the air. The pressure stirred Sagger's hair and tugged at his skin.
No way he could block that.
Sagger abandoned any thoughts of a counterattack and fell back as the human bomb dropped toward him.
But just before impact, Ennio extended his limbs. His hands lightly tapped the ground as he split into a full aerial split and spun violently.
"Rankyaku: Circular Sever!"
Vrrrrm!
A massive circular blade shot out from his legs, cutting across the battlefield.
Sagger jerked backward, his spine arching into a deep U to evade it. The shockwave split buildings in half. Even the elevated stone stairs behind him were ripped apart by the attack.
The destructive force...
Before Sagger could catch his breath, a shadow loomed over him.
He looked up—too late.
A massive fist crashed into his face.
BAM!
His head snapped back, blood bursting into the air. His body crumpled, toppling backward—
But just before hitting the ground, he twisted his legs upward, locking Ennio's arm in a scissors hold. Using the momentum, he flipped up and jabbed two fingers straight for Ennio's arm.
If he could just hit the pressure point—
"Tekkai: Lateral Lock!"
His legs locked around Ennio's arm—but it went stiff. Like iron.
Ennio jerked his arm with brutal force. Not only did it slip right through Sagger's grip like a wet eel, it flung him across the battlefield like a rag doll.
CLANG!
The impact knocked the slender blade at Sagger's waist loose. It spun across the ground—landing directly in front of Lily's feet.
"A combo technique?"
Sagger, still airborne, barely had time to react—
(To be continued...)