Chapter 349: The Fighters of Dai Sakura Bank
Seeing Asagiri open the lounge door, Kato Megumi stood up to greet him. She handed him a bottle of mineral water and spoke in a soft voice.
"You've worked hard. Drink some water."
"Not hard at all."
Asagiri took the mineral water from Kato Megumi and smiled.
"It felt like acting in a stage play. There was absolutely no challenge. I could pose however I wanted. All I can say is, it was incredibly satisfying."
Iwanaga Kotoko rested her chin on one hand and smiled.
"Indeed. Compared to Dead Realms and Dungeons, this kind of competition is practically child's play..."
Just as Iwanaga Kotoko was halfway through her sentence, the slightly flustered voice of the female host suddenly came from the large broadcast screen hanging in the lounge.
"The... the winner is Dai Sakura Bank!"
Everyone in the lounge looked toward the screen.
They saw the five person Player team sent by one faction already lying on the ground, covered in blood. Two of them even had their limbs twisted in eerie angles, clearly in a near death state, barely clinging to life.
Opposite those five miserable figures stood a man with short white hair. His eyes were different from ordinary people, black irises with white pupils, looking extremely unsettling.
Behind that man stood a black haired middle aged man wearing a black training uniform, giving off a sense of unshakable stability, and another man wearing a black tight fitting combat suit with slicked back hair.
"That is..."
Miwa Ashikaga looked at the three figures on the large screen and slowly spoke.
"I haven't seen that white haired one before, but the black haired middle aged man and the slick haired man are both very famous fighters. The one in the training uniform is Kuroki Gensai, and the one in the black tight fitting suit is Kanoh Agito. Both of them are top class... no, they should be called the strongest fighters."
"Those three are serious..."
Asagiri looked at Kure Raian, Kanoh Agito, and Kuroki Gensai on the large screen, his eyes showing an eager, excited light.
"Unlike the other participating Players, they are truly treating this match as a battle to the death, staking their lives without holding anything back. Interesting."
"They hit very hard..."
Kaguya Shinomiya looked at the five Players being carried onto stretchers by medical staff, and a trace of vigilance appeared in her red eyes.
"Could the target of this group be Utsunomiya-san?"
"I'm not too sure either."
Miwa Ashikaga raised a hand to adjust her gold rimmed glasses, her brows furrowing slightly.
"Fighters are different from Players. According to what I know, Kuroki Gensai and Kanoh Agito are not the type to form teams, and both of them should be melee classes from the fighting category. If they temporarily form a team and fail to coordinate well, they will only hinder each other in battle. Honestly, I can't quite guess what that old man at Dai Sakura Bank is..."
"Someone is coming."
As soon as Asagiri spoke, the sturdy locked door of the lounge was suddenly smashed open by a tremendous force.
Facing the flying door and debris, Iwanaga Kotoko merely lifted her fair index finger.
A burst of Black Particles suddenly appeared, blocking all the fragments and the destroyed door.
At that same moment, everyone in the lounge put on their masks, took out their respective weapons, and instantly entered combat readiness.
"Hmph, not bad momentum."
The white haired Kure Raian stood at the doorway.
He ignored Kaguya Shinomiya, Yuuki Asuna, and the others who had entered a combat state. His gaze was completely locked on Asagiri, who was still sitting there, and a ferocious, fanatical smile appeared on his face.
"I heard you're the strongest among the Players. I really want to fight you already, then tear you apart piece by piece, bit by bit, and completely destroy you!"
"Are you crazy?"
Asagiri rested his chin on one hand, looking at Kure Raian, who was emitting a dangerous aura, with interest. There was not a trace of tension in his voice. Instead, it even carried an amused smile.
"What kind of small fry are you to come here and provoke me? Don't make me laugh."
"You bastard, you're pretty arrogant."
The smile on Kure Raian's face became increasingly ferocious.
Combined with his inhuman eyes, he looked just like an evil spirit that had crawled out of hell.
Just as he was about to step forward, a steady, powerful hand pressed down on his shoulder.
"Let's stop this rude behavior here."
"Tch..."
Kure Raian gritted his teeth, turned his head, and said,
"Stop getting in my way. You're annoying!"
Although he said that, Kure Raian still obediently stepped back.
The next second, Kuroki Gensai, wearing a black training uniform, slowly walked into the lounge.
His figure was as steady as a mountain, giving people the impression that he could not be shaken.
"I am very sorry. Our side has engaged in unseemly provocative behavior. Please forgive us."
Asagiri did not say much. He simply looked directly into Kuroki Gensai's eyes and spoke slowly.
"You came here to say something, right?"
"Yes."
Kuroki Gensai nodded slightly, his tone calm and steady.
"To tell you the truth, the two of them and I were not originally a Player team. This team was specially formed for this competition. Although I was not particularly willing to team up with the Fang of Metsudo, due to the tournament format and the wishes of Mr. Katahara Metsudo of Dai Sakura Bank, I had no choice but to do so."
He paused for a moment, then continued.
"But from beginning to end, my goal has only been to determine the winner between you and me. Nothing more."
Compared to Kure Raian's madness and rudeness, Kuroki Gensai clearly had the bearing of a master.
Although he had come to declare war, he maintained basic etiquette.
"Then, Mr. Kuroki."
Asagiri finally stood up at this moment and slowly walked in front of Kuroki Gensai.
The two of them were about the same height. Kuroki Gensai's build was broader and more burly, while Asagiri's was more slender and well proportioned.
"What is your proposal?"
"I want to determine the winner with you, and only you."
Kuroki Gensai said this first, then spoke in a deep voice.
"If you are willing to meet our team in the semifinals, then I promise here that I, Kuroki Gensai, will fight you one on one. If I lose, then even if the other two defeat you afterward, I will not continue participating. In that case, if the Ashikaga Budo Association's Team B or Team C enters the finals, they will only need to face the Fang of Metsudo, Kanoh Agito, and the Descendant of Taboo, Kure Raian."
"Is that all? The bet is too small. Why don't we raise the stakes?"
Facing Kuroki Gensai's proposal, Asagiri simply smiled.
"If, in the semifinals, after I defeat you, I also defeat those two, then you will join our Ashikaga Budo Association. How about it?"
"Join? But..."
"Don't but me."
Asagiri reached out, gently patted Kuroki Gensai on the shoulder, and smiled.
"Listening to what you just said, you were not originally a Player belonging to Dai Sakura Bank. You only borrowed their name to participate temporarily. As you can see, our Ashikaga Budo Association's Ms. Miwa Ashikaga is herself a martial artist. She respects the wishes of every martial artist, just as she agreed to my request to participate alone. As a martial artist, you naturally want to be under a force that respects the martial way, right?"
Kuroki Gensai fell silent for a few seconds, then spoke slowly.
"In other words, you are confident that after defeating me, you can also defeat those two? Very well. Then I, Kuroki Gensai, hereby accept your wager."
"Very good."
Asagiri first nodded with a smile, then looked straight into Kuroki Gensai's eyes and spoke word by word.
"I will let you know what the true strongest is."
...
Several hours later, on the open ground of the arena.
"Now, it is time for the long awaited semifinals!"
The female host held the microphone. Perhaps due to her professional habit of hosting fighting matches, she tried to stir up the audience's emotions and anticipation at every moment.
"It is called the semifinals, but it could also be called the true final of this competition! The four teams remaining are the three teams from the Ashikaga Budo Association and the representative team from Dai Sakura Bank!"
"Will the powerful Ashikaga Budo Association complete the feat of sweeping the top three, or will Dai Sakura Bank create a miracle comeback!?"
"Then... first to appear, from Dai Sakura Bank..."
"The Descendant of Taboo, Kure Raian!"
"The Fang of Metsudo, Kanoh Agito!"
"The Demon Lance, Kuroki Gensai!"
Unlike most Players, these three did not disguise themselves and participated under their real names.
After all, Kuroki Gensai and Kanoh Agito had both been fighters in the past, and Kure Raian was an even crazier person who feared nothing. None of them had any intention of hiding their identities to participate.
Logically speaking, Kanoh Agito and Kuroki Gensai were thunderous names in the fighting world, and their appearance should have stirred up more enthusiastic cheers.
However, at this moment, only scattered, somewhat cold applause sounded from the audience.
Because everyone was waiting for the appearance of him.
The host obviously knew this as well.
The lights in the arena suddenly dimmed.
Because it was already night, the moment the lights went out, the entire arena was plunged into darkness.
"Then, appearing next is the opponent these three will face."
"Bearing the name of the strongest, the only one participating as an individual in this competition, and the one who has walked here undisputed with absolute dominance, standing at the pinnacle of all Players."
"From the Ashikaga Budo Association..."
When the host reached this point, a beam of light fell upon the entrance of the passageway.
The figure that slowly walked out under that light made the entire audience fall into deathly silence.
"Shadow."
After walking out, Asagiri looked at Kuroki Gensai opposite him, then at Kanoh Agito and Kure Raian standing farther behind.
Then he suddenly smiled.
"Mr. Kuroki, I've changed my mind."
"Hmm?"
Before Kuroki Gensai could ask, he saw Asagiri take out a black gun shaped summoner with his right hand and aim it at his temple, while his left hand caught the phantom tarot card falling from the air.
Blinding golden light erupted from his black eyes.
"This dragged on too long. I've lost my patience. It's better to just crush all three of you directly."
"Come out..."
"Human Asura, Walrider."
.....
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