Kanashi, Otsuga and Naori all watched as the blood dripped from Ugokis hand, at his feet lay Sakashimas corpse and crushed heart.

Kanashi leaned forward and vomited pure stomach acid, the only thing left in his stomach at the time. It burned his throat and mouth as it came out and pooled into a yellow puddle beneath him.

“What’s wrong foreign boy? Too much to handle?” Ugoki asked, turning to Kanashi with a wicked smile. “Don't worry you’re next.”

Otsuga stared at Ugoki as he threatened Kanashi. He clenched his fist and sweat dripped down his forehead. “I never knew it was so frustrating.” He said.

“And what’s that?” Naori hummed nervously trying to heal Otsuga even quicker.

“Getting old, watching my muscle mass fade away along with my strength. The things I’d worked so hard for so long to get. It feels like as soon as I got them they were already leaving me.” Otsuga closed his eyes with a sigh. He felt at peace, like his life was soon to end. It wasn’t the death he’d imagined but it was one he was fine with. Ugoki was his mistake after all.

Where did It even begin? He wondered.

# # #

I remember it like it was yesterday, long before I was the God Of Karate Otsuga Miyagami. I was a humble Martial Arts instructor on the lowest island of Shitajima. I was in my early thirties at the time and had opened my first Dojo. My master Uchiyama Kokobuki said that he had nothing else to teach me and that I should forge my own style.

I took his advice and purchased an old wooden dojo on the shore of a small town. This was of course almost forty years ago so the world looked much different then it does now. Technology had begun to grow after the second dark age and traditions died. I had a few students but most were simply young children who needed a babysitter.

My training only grew more intense during this time. My wooden dojo which I named [流渚: Ryusho School Of Flowing Water Karate] had no air conditioning. I would spend hours doing grueling calisthenics in the boiling heat. I’d form pools of sweat beneath me ones large enough to cause mold to grow.

At first I thought I’d made a mistake, I’d spent my meager life savings on this broken down hut and spent my days watching children play.

I wanted to quit, everyday I would lament in my Dojo and wonder if I should slit my belly in shame. I found the best way to break out of those thoughts was to train, train so hard that I couldn’t even think.

It didn’t take long until I realized my new progress. I’d gotten stronger, so much so that I could split the water's edge with my strikes.

This only made me train harder, Eventually I’d spend nearly 18 hours a day training everyday for weeks on end. I should have died, working that hard is impossible for the human body. But that kind of stress only made my soul burn stronger. My beliefs, aspirations, hopes and dreams came into reality. My master was correct in his final lesson after all.

Kokobuki my master was a monk and martial arts master. He was given the name “God Of War” by the Emperor and renowned around the country as the one invincible under the sun. He’d taught me the values of a monk, that purity was essential to becoming as powerful as he was. That you could not truly become a master without being pure. It was only after you cleared yourself of worldly desires that you became a master.

With this in mind I pursued no goals. I just trained every moment I was awake.

Eventually some adults who’d seen my training became interested and asked to join the school. I of course welcomed them with open arms and became a true Karate Instructor.

The kids saw the adults enthusiasm and began to take their lessons more seriously as well. I quickly became the town's biggest attraction and people from all ages and occupations would come and train with me in their free time.

I was still in debt and hungry. I wasn’t the strongest or a true master but I had a purpose.

Life continued this way for quite a while. Then a boy appeared. He was an orphan from some island off shore who’d found his way to the mainland. He spoke in a rough manner and had no formal education. He couldn’t even spell his own name in Hiragana.

Like a stray dog he would watch me train from afar. His eyes were full of curiosity and fear. I let him come to me at his own pace. I’d throw the fish I caught from the sea to him and at night he’d come by to collect and eat them.

He stood out like a sore thumb against the town's population. He had naturally dark brown skin and slit like eyes with long blonde hair. The other children would harass and chase him around the beach and town throwing rotten food at him and calling him names.

It was a horrible thing for him to experience but I didn’t step in. My master had taught me a valuable lesson.

“Those who don't have the courage to ask for help dont deserve it.”

This is one of the codes I lived by. I would not help him unless he came to me. Eventually he did. It was late one night as a storm was overhead. The waves splashed against the pillars which supported my Dojo and I slept on the splintered floor under the leaking ceiling.

I was awoken by a knock at my door. One which was weak and barely audible. I walked to my old Shoji door and opened it slowly. I saw no one and right before I closed the door thinking it was a wild animal something grabbed my foot. I looked down and saw that orphan boy clutching my ankle. Using observation I saw he was as close to death as possible so I pulled him inside and tried to nurse him back to health.

The storm had caused some serious damage to the town's infrastructure so no one came to the dojo for quite a while. I spent that time returning this boy to life, even though he hadn’t said it through words he’d clearly asked for help through his actions. So I helped him.

By the time people returned to the Dojo he was in good enough shape to train with the rest of us. He was no older than nine or so years old so I instantly tried to have him train with the children but they only beat and bullied him.

I moved him with me to the adult classes but he couldn't keep up with them either. Despite these setbacks he had a strong passion to learn. He put his 100% into every lesson so I decided to give him special one on one lessons. Much like my master had adopted me, I adopted this boy.

Though he put his all into everything he was still terrible at it. He was physically weak and slow. So I started off with stretching and basic exercises. He very slowly grew stronger and was able to train properly after a few long grueling months.

Once he had his bearings down he did a complete 180 and took off like a rocket. He shortly after joined the main lessons with the other children where he dominated them. They of course tried to bully him like they had before but he spared no mercy in dealing back the damage he’d received and more. In hindsight he took pleasure in his revenge, and loved to hear them scream and cry like they’d made him do so many times. I assumed it was just kids being kids, I’d had scraps and arguments with my fellow students when I was a child. As me and my peers grew older our animosity towards each other turned into a friendship. That of Rivals striving to become the strongest together. I thought the same would happen with them. But the Orphan boy didn’t stop growing or stangate he just kept getting stronger.

The next turning point was when he broke a child's arm. It was a small match to decide who would receive their next belt color. It started off fairly evenly and both of the children were on the ropes. But the orphan boy won with an Ikkyo ground pin which he broke the boy's arm with. It was so fast and sudden that I couldn’t even stop the match before the snapping sound was heard.

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Perhaps I was late in my reaction because I had never taught the orphan the Ikkyo ground pin. It wasn’t a move used in Karate but Akiyo. He simply came up with it himself at the moment. He invented an already established and legendary technique.

The adults were very unhappy at this turn of events so I decided to bring the orphan boy into their lessons.

As you’ve probably guessed by now this orphan boy was Chujou Ugoki. Though his name at the time was only Chujou. He came from such a backwater island that they weren’t even given first names.

I gave him the name Ugoki, it was simple name that he could remember and once he’d gotten better at Kanji he chose the letters [動器].

Even when against the adults the little tiger would eventually overpower them. He’d beat them bloody and easily break bones until they refused to fight him. By the time he was fourteen the only one who he could spar with was me.

Everything was going well with him and I decided to name him my true pupil. The one who would inherit my title as well as my dojo. Of course it wasn’t only karate that I taught him but also magic. This is where his true potential was unlocked.

Ugoki quickly picked up on the three basics and utilized them in tandem with martial arts. What had taken me years to learn he picked up in months.

I was truly proud of him as my student. As time passed however Ugoki would soon show his true colors. There had always been hints of him having a darker side. Such as him breaking that kid's arm or brutalizing the adults. I assumed it was his burning spirit, that which thirsted for perfection like I myself did at his age.

As Ugoki got older and closer to being a man he would leave the Dojo and explore the town. During his little excursions he’d often get into fights with fellow boys and young men. Ugoki of course won by a landslide but that was to be expected. He was my top student and the second strongest person in the town. He would be a walking target for those trying to impress themselves or others.

Unlike other schools of martial arts who believe only in defensive techniques and avoiding combat I taught no such thing. Humanity is based on combat, we’ve been fighting since we first rose from the world's egg. As long as Ugoki was not attacking the weak I would keep my nose out of his business. He was still young and had time to purify himself. I assumed he should let the demons out now so when it came time for him to inherit my will he would be pure and ready.

Time passed and he spent more time in town. He became a local hero, a legend of sorts amongst his fellow peers. He started to skip lessons and eventually stopped going to them all together. He was a man at this point so I had no right to tell him what to do. I hoped that he would burn this rebelling streak out of his system and then return to me and take my lessons to heart like he did as a child. He was still my pupil and the man who would inherit my school. I wanted the best for him. But Ugoki had a different goal in life, that became clear when he began to break the law. It was small things at first like stealing food or drinks and vandalism. I continued to let him do as he pleased, thinking it was not my place to step in.

Once he turned to violent crimes such as Rape, Assault, and armed robbery things changed. I stormed into town and beat him bloody. At the time I thought it to be the best thing to do for not only him but the townspeople.

He would receive his just punishment and they would accept it and welcome him back once he changed his ways. In those days people thought differently then they do now. These matters were handled by society and not the law. I don't know if it’s better or worse than things are now but they were certainly different. I forced Ugoki to return to the Dojo and he quickly returned back to his lessons. He then became an instructor and taught the younger classes karate.

It was a slow and painful process but eventually the people he’d wronged forgave him. They still didn’t like him, some hated him and wanted him to die. But they forgave him. I made sure he worked hard to right his wrongs. Every moment he spent outside the Dojo he was doing community service. I thought he was turning a new leaf.

However it became clear that he was still tainted. His anger and hatred were still present. I never asked what had happened to him nor why he’d come to Shitajima but I can only assume he’d suffered some tragedy.

He simply wore a mask to hide his true feelings. Then one day it ripped off, I told him I was going to leave for a year and return to my master Uchiyama Kokobuki. I wanted to ask my old master's advice on what to do next with my martial arts.

My master lived in a monastery far up in the northernmost mountains of Chidori prefecture. Assuming all was good it would take me 6 months to reach him and then 6 months to return.

It came time to choose my successor, he who would rule the Dojo in my name while I was gone. Ugoki seemed like the obvious choice but his heart was still rotten. He could not become a master if he was not pure.

I instead chose a man named Habinachi Ryunosuke. While he was far weaker then Ugoki he was better suited to teaching and purer of heart. It pained me to do so but I could not abandon Kokobukis teachings. I told Ugoki exactly why he was not ready and it looked as though he took it in earnest. I hoped that this would light a fire in him and that by the time I returned he’d be pure of heart.

Soon after I left and began my journey back to my masters home. It was a long journey that must be taken on foot. It was the way that people had reached the monastery for thousands of years and I was not to disobey it. Think of it like a purification ritual. On this journey you left your sins behind.

I swam across ocean crossings, trekked through jungles and mountains until I finally made it to the great mountains of Senokoji.

The hike up was just as hard as I remembered, it was something only few could achieve and as such the monastery was perceived as myth instead of fact.

No one had spoken to anyone from the monastery in over the decade that I’d been gone. It’s not like that was too unusual or unexpected. Martial arts was a dying art, people were more focused on their Televisions and office jobs than mastering our forefathers teachings. Anyone who did not descend after going up into the mountains was assumed to be dead. So no one knew that the monastery was destroyed, I was the first one to discover it. It must have happened shortly after I’d left. There was a terrible storm that caused flooding and landslides. Those disasters claimed my master, his fellow monks and the students . Not a single person was left alive.

After this discovery I thought my journey was pointless, like I’d wasted 6 months of my life. I’d rather have never known of my home school's destruction. Blissful ignorance is bliss as the name implies.

I Spent some time helping the police and other such organizations clean up the monastery and bury the bodies before starting my journey home.

I spent the 6 months journey back doing a lot of thinking and self reflecting. I wondered why I was the only one to survive and how to carry on Kokobukis legacy. His 120 years of work.

I wanted Ugoki and Ryunosukes opinion on the matter so I decided to hold my thoughts until I returned to the Dojo. But there was no Dojo to return to. The entire town was gone, burned to the ground with only charred skeletons picked at by the sun and animals to greet me. The town was remote enough that in the past year no one had noticed it as missing.

The law theorized that it was a festival gone wrong. I left shortly before the Summer Welcoming festival which involved a massive bonfire. They thought the fire spread because of the wind and then… The town was wiped off the map just like that.

I don't remember much of what happened after that, only that I began to journey the rest of the Taiponbo continent. First was the birthplace of Karate, the Orochi Kingdom. I studied there under old masters for a year and then I moved to the next place and the next until returning to Edoland.

It was upon my return that I learned that Ugoki was still alive. In fact he was doing very well for himself. He’d joined the Toumeikan Yakuza and gained favor with one of the Hachibutos.

It was reported that Ugokis bones were found amongst the deceased so I had no idea what to feel about him being alive. I was happy yet confused. To clear up my confusion I called up an old acquaintance, one who had become a Hachibuto while I was away on my journey. Taishi Akatora.

Akatora, despite his rank among the Toumeikan, is not a bad man, he’s a businessman. It’s what he’d always been, even back when I’d met him in my youth, he simply dealt with the business of gambling which the Toumeikan controlled.

I met up with Akatora and we caught up on our lives since we’d last met decades ago. Once I asked about Ugoki, his expression soured.

“Stay away from that man Miyagami.” He said between shots of alcohol.

“Why should I? He was my student after all.” I asked.

“He’s dangerous, one of the most dangerous men in the Toumeikan I’d say. He’d kill his own mother if it meant ranking up.”

“...” I didn't respond.

“You already know, huh?” He sighed, lighting a cigarette.

“...” he was right, I did know. I’d known all along what that fire was about and how it started.

“I’ll give you some farewell advice Miyagami.” Akatora said as flames came from his mouth and coiled his arm like a snake. “Don't pursue revenge, you’re too soft for someone like him. He’ll kill you without second thought, and you’ll hesitate when it’s most important.”

With that Akatora took his leave. He left me alone in the bar where I sat silently thinking of what to do next.

# # #

“And now I’m here…” Otsuga muttered with a sigh.

“Hey don't give up on me yet!” Naori yelled, slapping Otsugas face.

“I’m just resting my eyes…” Otsuga groaned with a frown.

“I can feel your soul wavering so there’s no point in lying! You told me you wanted to be a part of this so don't back out now!” Naori argued.

“...” Otsuga chewed on those words as he watched Ugoki approach Kanashi.