Location: Kathmandu, Nepal
BOOOOOOM!!
A deafening explosion echoed across Kathmandu.
Dark clouds covered the sky.
Heavy rain poured nonstop.
The beautiful capital of Nepal had become a battlefield.
Collapsed buildings...
Burning military vehicles...
Broken roads...
Smoke and dust filled the air.
Fortunately, all civilians had already been evacuated.
Only soldiers...
Police officers...
And Nepal's martial artists remained.
Most of them...
Were lying motionless on the ground.
Blood mixed with the rainwater, flowing through the streets.
One injured soldier was still breathing.
Both of his legs...
One arm...
Had already been severed.
Only one trembling hand remained.
With the last of his strength, he grabbed his walkie-talkie.
"Headquarters... Headquarters..."
"We're under attack..."
"Unknown upgraded martial artists..."
"Requesting backup immediately!"
Static echoed.
A calm female voice replied.
"Report your current situation."
The soldier coughed blood.
"Our Special Grade martial artists..."
"Army..."
"Police..."
"...Everyone has been defeated."
Silence.
Only the sound of rain remained.
Then one final order came.
"Special Grade incoming."
Click.
The transmission ended.
---
Not far away...
Ten mysterious figures stood silently.
Every one of them wore a massive black coat.
Their entire bodies...
Even their faces...
Were hidden beneath masks.
One masked warrior noticed the wounded soldier was still alive.
He slowly walked over.
CRUNCH.
His boot pressed against the soldier's back.
He laughed.
"Boss..."
"Should I finish him?"
Before anyone answered...
A voice echoed from Headquarters.
---
Inside Headquarters...
A young woman contacted someone.
The call connected.
Far away...
Deep within Nepal's Laligurans mountains...
A young man calmly watered countless blooming flowers.
Without even looking at the communicator, he smiled.
The Headquarters girl sighed.
"Renge Akihana..."
"The God of Flowers."
"We need your help."
Renge continued watering the flowers.
"So..."
"Emergency mission?"
"Double payment?"
The girl immediately shouted,
"Seriously?!"
"People are dying and you're talking about money?!"
Renge gently touched a Laligurans flower.
"You already know..."
"I'm not earning money for myself."
"My flower friends need proper care."
"They deserve the best."
The Headquarters girl facepalmed.
"...You're impossible."
"Fine."
"You'll receive your payment later."
Renge smiled.
"Deal."
The next second—
His body dissolved into thousands of crimson flower petals.
Whoooosh!!
The petals scattered into the wind.
---
Kathmandu...
Rain continued falling.
Suddenly...
Countless crimson flower petals drifted across the battlefield.
The masked warriors looked upward.
"Hm?"
"Flowers...?"
The petals slowly gathered together.
Higher...
Higher...
Until they reached the top of a streetlight.
There...
Sat a young man.
Both feet balanced effortlessly.
One hand rested on his knee.
His long bangs covered his eyes.
The rain fell around him.
Slowly...
He lifted his head.
His right eye opened.
Inside it...
A beautiful Laligurans flower pattern bloomed.
Blood slowly trickled from the corner of his eye.
Renge sighed.
"Tch..."
"I've become rusty."
"I used to use this eye much better."
"I stopped using it for too long..."
"Now even a little power makes it bleed."
---
The masked warriors instantly froze.
One of them whispered,
"Those crimson eyes..."
"That flower pattern..."
Another finished the sentence.
"Renge Akihana..."
"The God of Flowers."
"The only martial artist who uses flower petals as weapons."
"Anything touched by his petals..."
"Will be cut instantly."
Renge smiled.
"So..."
"You've done quite a bit of research on me."
---
Suddenly—
Mask Man shouted,
"Everyone!"
"Retreat!"
The other nine immediately turned around.
Renge blinked.
"Eh?"
"So fast?"
"I just got here."
WHOOSH!!
He disappeared.
The next instant...
He appeared behind one of them.
Casually placing a hand on the man's shoulder.
"So..."
"Leaving already?"
The warrior couldn't even react.
Renge slowly stretched his neck.
"I wanted a proper warm-up."
He lowered his stance.
Millions of crimson petals exploded into the air.
The entire battlefield transformed into a sea of flowers.
Art of the Flower—Petal Tempest!
SHHHHHHH!!
Every petal became sharper than a blade.
The flower storm rushed toward the ten masked warriors.
Cuts instantly appeared across their clothes.
But then—
Mask Man laughed.
"...Pathetic."
His body became transparent.
The petals passed straight through him.
The other nine did exactly the same.
Renge scratched his head.
"...Dimension Shift?"
"That's not fair."
Mask Man chuckled.
"You've gotten rusty too..."
Renge smiled.
"Maybe."
"But..."
"You're still running."
Mask Man pointed toward the cloth covering one of his eyes.
"My hypnosis isn't for today."
"I'm keeping this eye sealed."
He snapped his fingers.
A portal opened behind them.
The ten masked warriors disappeared.
Silence returned.
Only flower petals...
And rain...
Remained.
Renge stretched lazily.
"Aww..."
"I thought today's training would finally be interesting."
He placed both hands behind his head.
Then looked toward the mountains.
"My lovely flowers..."
"Don't be lonely."
"I'm coming back."
"If I'm late..."
"You girls will definitely complain to me again."
He laughed while walking away.
Crimson petals followed him through the rain.
Author's Note
Hey everyone! 👋😂
First of all, I'm really sorry for the chapter delay!
I've been sick for the last two days, and let's just say my stomach decided to start its own personal war against me. 💀
I had a fever too, and honestly, I couldn't even get out of bed properly. So writing a chapter during that time was basically:
Me: "I should write Chapter 25."
My body: "No."
Me: "But the readers are waiting!"
My body: "I SAID NO." 😭
😂 Anyway, I'm finally getting back on my feet, so thank you guys for being patient!
And now that Chapter 25 is finally here, we're going back to the main story from the next chapter. The Kathmandu incident was basically our little side story before we return to the airplane/Water Temple storyline.
So...
Thank you for reading, thank you for waiting, and please enjoy the chapter! ❤️
And now I'm going back to bed before my body starts another boss fight. 💀😂
Take care, everyone!
See you in the next chapter!
— MK No Jutsu ✍️🔥