Kai: “Ryoma”

Shoyo: “Yeah?”

Kai: “Why don’t you use a sword?”

Shoyo: “Don’t need one, my teeth are enough. See?”

His mouth was full of razor sharp fangs that could easily rip through flesh.

All Yaksha possessed knife-like retractable fangs, and Shoyo was no exception.

By Yaksha standards, Shoyo was one of the weaker ones, but his jaw strength was no joke.

He could easily bite through his opponent’s throat within a moment’s notice. In this regard, he was a lot like a wild tiger.

As far as getting the job done… for him that was enough.

Besides, using a sword would be overkill….

Kai: “You can’t be serious. You will not survive with fangs alone. Here, take this”

Kai handed him a dagger.

Shoyo: “My my, how generous of you”

Kai: “We are teammates now; it is natural to look out for each other”

Shoyo: “Don’t tell me you like me now?”

Kai: “What kind of an idiot are you?! I am just looking out for a teammate, that’s all!”

Shoyo: “In that case, thank you”

* * *

Nagare: “Koutarou-san, please fight me!”

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Shoyo: “Nagare, whatever you are thinking, this is a horrible idea!”

Nagare: “No, unless I see for myself just how big the distance between me and Guardians truly is, I will never grow stronger. I know Yama-san is much stronger, I just want to know just by how much.”

Shoyo: “You are going to regret this”

Nagare: “I just want to spar with him; it is not like it is a fight to the death. We can use wooden swords just to be safe”

Shoyo: “Well, don’t tell me I didn’t warn you”

Nagare: “So, what do you say, Koutarou-san?”

Yama: “Whatever floats your boat, Nagare-kun. I have nothing against it”

Nagare and Yama both took hold of their wooden swords, standing five meters away from each other.

Kai: “Why are you so worried? Nagare is strong, is he not? Even if he loses, it is not the end of the….”

As soon as the match started, Nagare rushed forward, swinging his sword downward, only for Yama to dodge, and kick Nagare right in the family jewels.

Kai: “….Never mind”

Shoyo: “*face palm*. That idiot….”

Nagare fell over in a hunched position, holding on to his lower body for dear life.

Nagare: “What the hell was that?!”

Yama: “Me finishing the duel?”

Nagare: “The way you did it, damn it! Are you even taking me seriously?”

Yama: “I am though”

Nagare: “Yeah, right. How was that even a fair fight?”

Yama: “My master taught me that fighting fair is a fool’s errand”

Shoyo burst into a light chuckle.

Shoyo: “I did say that”

Nagare: “I am not gonna give up so easily!”

Yama: “Then come at me”

What followed was perhaps the greatest number of losses incurred in a single duel in all history.

Each round ended with Nagare being bested by Yama, more often than not, with a single move.

It was a rather humiliating sight to see. Kai found the sight entertaining while Shoyo simply sat there, shaking his head at Nagare’s stubbornness.

Shoyo: “That’s enough, isn’t it? You already know how much stronger he is, don’t you?!”

Nagare: “This is nowhere near enough”

This time, Nagare was knocked out unconscious, two black eyes and countless bruises covered his body.

Yama was trying his best to go easy on him, but even then, the physical damages were colossal, mostly due to Nagare’s insistence on keeping fighting.

Next thirty rounds ended with Nagare’s losses and Yama ended the latest one with a wooden sword pointed at Nagare’s throat.

Yama: “Nagare-kun, I think we had more than enough fun for today”

Nagare: “But…”

Yama: “Besides, it is time for dinner”

As Yama was walking away, his thoughts wandered elsewhere.

Yama: ‘His abilities are average at best, but his spirit is strong’

His master’s words echoed within his ears.

“When all physical abilities are pushed to their limits, the deciding factor of victory is…the spirit. The one with the stronger spirit will keep going against all odds and obstacles”

Yama: “But even with such a strong soul, he is still immature”