Kael was very curious about Shizuka's master, the one bold enough to disregard the Kure clan.
Shizuka said: "My master is Sakaki Shio, known as the 100-Dan Street Brawler. Have you heard of him?"
"Sakaki Shio? Of course I've heard of him. So he's from Ryōzanpaku. No wonder he doesn't care about the Kure clan. I didn't expect you, Ms. Hiratsuka, to be a successor of the Katsujinken."
Kael realized that if Shizuka's teacher was Sakaki Shio, then indeed he had the right to ignore the Kure clan's threat. After all, the Katsujinken fighters of Ryōzanpaku were like superhumans, absurdly strong.
Ryōzanpaku's monsters came from the anime Kenichi: The Mightiest Disciple. At first, Kael thought it was just a normal martial arts series. The fights were slightly exaggerated but still realistic. But later he realized—realistic, his foot.
According to the series, martial artists were divided into three levels: disciple, expert (also called master), and at the top, grandmaster. Early disciple-level fights were realistic. But once it reached grandmaster-level, especially when Ryōzanpaku's monsters fought, the scale was enormous.
The masters of Ryōzanpaku were among the 180 grandmasters, terrifyingly strong. Running on water, breaking steel with bare hands, flipping ships and tanks—such feats were routine for them. From the depiction, any one of them could easily crush the Kure clan, including their leader Kure Erioh.
Of course, in this crossover world, the Kure clan was stronger than in the original. But whether they could match Ryōzanpaku's monsters was uncertain. Each Ryōzanpaku fighter was a leader in their field. Especially their head, Fūrinji Hayato, the grandmaster of grandmasters, called the Invincible Superman. In the original story, he had never lost.
The Kure clan's thousand-year tradition was terrifying, but the world always had unreasonable monsters who shocked everyone. Ryōzanpaku's fighters were among them.
Haruno, seeing even Kael praise Ryōzanpaku, understood their power more clearly. Too bad she hadn't managed to invite Shizuka's master, or they wouldn't be so passive now.
Kael asked curiously: "Ms. Hiratsuka, what happened with your master that he doesn't even have time for a match?"
Shizuka replied: "My master said the Darkness seems to be moving. He must monitor it closely and cannot leave."
Kael's eyes flickered. The Darkness was a powerful organization in the dark martial arts world. Its counterpart was the light martial arts world. The division came from differing views of martial arts. The Light believed martial arts were for health, so they fought with restraint, aiming to subdue rather than kill. The Dark believed martial arts were killing techniques, ruthless and lethal. The two sides were irreconcilable.
He had called Shizuka a successor of the Katsujinken because Ryōzanpaku's masters never killed in battle. With modern technology and morality, more people supported the Light. Thus, killers had to hide in the Dark. To preserve their traditions, they banded together into a massive martial arts group—the Darkness.
Kael remembered in Kenichi: The Mightiest Disciple, the Dark martial artists even tried to use nuclear weapons to start World War III, plunging the world into chaos. Only then could their philosophy dominate. They were madmen willing to sacrifice everything for martial arts. No wonder Sakaki Shio rushed off when he heard the Darkness was moving.
Haruno poured Kael tea, smiling. "Renjou-kun, I've told you everything. Would you join the Yukinoshita group as our fighter?"
Kael said: "Such an offer, I won't refuse. Becoming your fighter is fine. But I must ask—what reward will you give me? Surely not just money to brush me off?"
Haruno's heart skipped. The negotiation had begun. Too little, and Kael might refuse. Too much, and she would regret it. She had to balance it.
After thinking, Haruno said: "I can decide. If you help us win this match, we'll give you five percent of the Yukinoshita Group's shares."
Kael looked at her with a half-smile. "Only five percent?"
Haruno explained: "You don't know. Even now, our family only holds sixty percent of the group's shares. The other forty percent belong to other families and shareholders. To maintain control, we can only give you five percent. What do you think?"
Kael thought, then shook his head. "Honestly, I'm not satisfied. I'd be risking the wrath of the Kure clan and even the Shinomiya conglomerate for your family. Five percent isn't worth that risk."
Haruno sighed. "Five percent is our bottom line. If you won't accept, then goodbye."
Kael said: "Then goodbye."
He wasn't the one desperate—it was Haruno.
He smiled freely and left the room. After he left, Haruno suddenly slapped herself.
Shizuka, shocked, asked: "What are you doing?"
Haruno said: "Shizuka, I feel like I'm possessed."