In an incredibly annoying moment of silence, the only sound that echoed through the entire sewer was a single ‘’ding,’’ followed by an increasingly powerful shout by Yohiro as he landed his fist in Makuhi’s mask pushing him backwards and off his feet, having taken his chances.

‘’What in the world…?’’ The king asked from his throne, tapping the sides of it with his fingers in frustration and stress, worrying his daughter. ‘’Father, did you not see it?’’ She asked him. He quickly and with purpose replied, ‘’Saw what, Touka? What did you see that your father didn’t?!’’ He yelled at her, scaring her without wanting to. ‘’A-ah well… It’s when the triplet connected with that boy’s chest; it was like he hit something made out of metal…’’ She answered her father’s question, not giving an explanatory answer as he expected. ‘’Then, the boy is wearing a metal vest under his clothes?’’

‘’Yohiro, what did you just do, you dumbass…? What if you broke it, what then?!’’ Hiona yelled at him from behind, noticing his pained panting. It was clear to her that no matter how much he tried his mind was still that of a child; therefore having been that close to death must have been mortifying for the boy. ‘’Child...how were you able to predict my movement? It was clearly faster than yours…’’ Makuhi stood up, his mask cracking much to his surprise. ‘’I didn’t, not at all. I-I’m much weaker and slower, but I’m...cheating,’’ he said, gagging ashe worded his sentence in a way that looked painful to even Makuhi.

‘’I have been receiving advice...throughout the entire fight, but that word barely applies anyway!’’ Yohiro, fist clenched, hit his chest, forcing himself to look up with his eyes full of tear and fear, open wide, ‘’I said I didn’t want to lose, much less to show you my weaknesses…!’’ He gripped his shirt with his hands, ripping the middle of it in two, shocking Makuhi, the king and Touka, and annoying Hiona, making her think ‘’We’re so fucked.’’ ‘’This is my ultimate secret, just like your technique! It’s been telling me how to defeat you the entire time; this gem has!’’ He stared Makuhi down as he pointed at it with his index finger.

‘’With that needlessly big shirt on, I could not even notice how meek his physique. I took a hit from him…?!’’ Makuhi thought as his mask fully shattered, falling down to the ground in two, causing Yohiro to step back. Makuhi’s face was, in every meaning of the word, abnormal: his cheeks were sucked in, his mouth looked off center, as well as the difference in his eyes’ width. ‘’Brothe’, no! Not the mask!’’ Hakuhi shouted from the side, squirming due to muscle pain. ‘’Wow. You look ugly there, freak!’’ Hiona butted in from afar, placing her both hands on her waist as she shouted at him, all of them watching as he crouched down, hiding his face behind his knees.

‘’Wh-why?’’ Yohiro muttered as he loosened the his hands, finally beginning to realise the unstopping shaking of his ankles and knees, with the adrenaline wearing off, ‘’Why are you...doing that?’’ Yohiro elaborated. ‘’It’s...embarrassing. I cannot allow someone to see the face that resides behind this mask, especially a foe.’’ He explained himself, trembling in his place, a complete opposite of what he was before, confusing Yohiro. ‘’This is it, Yohiro, kick his ass now!’’ Hiona encouraged him, yelling from behind.

‘’Shut up!’’

Hiona fumbled slightly as he heard those words, watching her disciple walk forward towards his opponent, holding his head high. ‘’This isn’t just about you, Hiona! Other people are involved, too!’’ He added as he reached the pathetic-looking Makuhi, looking at her as he scolded her, a thing no one had ever done, watching her proud expression turn upside down as she became confused as to why she wasn’t feeling a similar happiness like she did the previous time he yelled at her that way.

‘’Makuhi...right,’’ he asked as he sat himself down right in front of the moping man, not getting a response, ‘’Please, surrender right now.’’ Yohiro asked him, placing his hands on the ground and his head on top of them, begging him. ‘’If I were to do that, I might as well commit suicide, young one. It is disgraceful.’’ Makuhi spoke up, muffled. ‘’I understand. Then, I ask you: May I push you out of the area and count that as me winning the battle?’’ He asked. Makuhi replied, ‘’That would be the best of a warrior without his mask, however, are you content with a victory of such shame; having to ask for permission to finish your opponent off?’’

You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

‘’I don’t care, Makuhi. As long as Hiona can’t be satisfied by the result of this, I can be happy and content with the shame,’’ Yohiro grinned happily at the man, hearing him sigh. ‘’You are...not a crude and dishonest child, are you? I appreciate you as much as humanly possible.’’ Makuhi chuckled with his head behind his knees, followed by a similarly friendly laugh from Yohiro, shocking Hakuhi. ‘’But Makuhi, ye haven’ laughed since ye were a lil boy! Why can’t ya laugh for us for once?!’’ Hakuhi yelled, tearing up under his own mask. ‘’By the way, wag you finger; I can’t move you because of your technique,’’ Yohiro asked him as he stood up, beginning to push the man off the are, with the king watching with his jaw open wide, same with Hiona.

‘’You’re sure you’re okay with this?’’ Yohiro asked as he sweated from pushing him, stopping before fully getting him out of the are they had determined to be an off-zone, watching the man nod almost immediately, prompting him to muster up all his strength, finally managing to push him out, accidentally landing him on the side of his body. ‘’They won?!’’ The king shouted, both because of his anger and because of the slight feeling that the battle lacked a climax. ‘’This is unbelievable-- Touka?!’’ The king stopped, noticing his daughter staring intensely at the tome, focusing on the little bit she could see of Yohiro’s face from that angle. ‘’Dear, do not tell me that looked impressive in any way,’’ he told his daughter, slightly concerned. ‘’It was just different, father. You have never shown me a warrior winning without defeating his opponent… It’s kind of amazing!’’ She smiled to herself, clapping with her hands like a child, scaring the king for reasons beyond normal fear.

‘’Makuhi…I hope I didn’t taint your pride,’’ Yohiro thought as he sprinted over to his own side, taking a straight line towards Clous and Rosa, paying Hiona no attention. ‘’I won, Clous, Ms. Rosa! I won!’’ He shouted as he held the unconscious duo in his arms, beginning to cry all over their clothes out of joy. ‘’Ignoring me like that…’’ Hiona muttered under her breath, turning her head towards the triplets, one of whom was unconscious, beginning to walk towards them with frustration.

Reaching the physically unable to move, embarrassed and sleeping brothers, Hiona started at them full of malice, terrifying them. ‘’Come a’ me! I can’t move me muscles, but I can sti--’’ ‘’Quiet,’’ she shut Hakuhi up, ‘’Yohiro’s developing in a direction I don’t want him, all because of you three dumbasses and my two bigger dumbasses over there. So, since we can’t be guaranteed you’ll keep your word and because I’m fuming, also taking into account the fact that Yohiro would get angry, I’ll knock you out; all of you,’’ she told them, leaving them speechless as she took out her tome, getting the attention of Yohiro as he finally turned his head, not having been able to hear Hiona’s intentionally quiet and quick steps through the water, letting go of his comrades. ‘’Hiona!! Don’t you dare do it!’’ He yelled at her, as if ordering her as he gritted his teeth. ‘’Silence, Yohiro, I don’t want to lose concentration,’’ she told him, ignoring his outburst as she swiped with her hand, releasing a small ray of darkness from the tome, surprisingly without an incantation, turning the book towards their faces.

‘’’Ey, my vision's gettin’ blurry… Are ye really this heartless to men who were tryin’ to maintain their pride?’’ Hakuhi asked her as he felt his entire body become numb. ‘’No, I’m heartless towards all my enemies and allies. Don’t speak anymore,’’ she ordered him seriously, leaving him to fall asleep, along with Makuhi who let go of his knees, similarly losing his grip of awareness. ‘’Hiona, they weren’t going to do anything, so why?!’’ Yohiro asked her as he walked up to her, staring at her back. ‘’It’s master Hiona, Yohiro.’’ She told him, closing her tome loudly. ‘’We’re gonna wait for Rosa and Clous to wake up. Then we’ll proceed to kidnap the bastard’s daughter. If they send anyone down here, I will be the one taking care of it. That’s out plan now.’’ She explained to him, walking past him without making eye contact.

‘’Father, did you hear what that woman said?’’ Touka looked up at her father, fear having filled her eyes the moment she had heard the words leave Hiona’s lips. ‘’Don’t fret, dear...they won’t make it to this room, but if they do they will not leave. Daddy will keep you safe, I swear…’’ He tried to relieve her, kissing the top of her head gently, making a smile emerge on the girl’s face. ‘’Thank you, father… I promise to be brave!’’ She raised her arm, trying to crack her small knuckles, becoming quickly flustered as she couldn’t do it. ‘’To God I swear, those people will not lay a finger on you, Touka, even If I have to die for it!’’