🔥🔥 You can find chapters ahead here
Support link: pat_reon.com/Redon1
Also other exciting fanfic available 🔥🔥
----------------------------------------------------------
The moment Mai Shiranui stepped into the arena, the cheers erupted.
They were deafening.
Even before the fight began, whistles rang out one after another.
Her outfit drew countless gazes.
Not a single one was subtle.
Even Giyu Tomioka froze for a moment, staring blankly, unsure where to put his eyes.
Giyu had been staying at the Shiranui dojo these past few days.
He wasn't unfamiliar with Mai Shiranui.
Their relationship was decent.
But he had never seen her dressed like this.
Mai usually dressed conservatively.
That was why Giyu had always thought she was a very proper person.
And in truth, she was.
But Mai practiced ninjutsu.
And not some half-baked style, but an orthodox one.
Everyone knew what ninjutsu really was.
Assassination.
And among its methods, female ninjas often used their bodies to confuse and entice their enemies.
The Shiranui style was no exception.
This outfit wasn't for show.
It allowed her to fully utilize her ninjutsu.
Wearing normal, conservative clothes would only restrict her movements.
That was why she only dressed like this in combat.
Outside of battle, she was always covered up.
Noticing Giyu Tomioka's wandering gaze, Mai found it a little amusing.
She hadn't expected the usually stoic Tomioka to be so... awkward.
At the same time, she felt slightly embarrassed.
If this weren't a fight, she truly wouldn't want to wear something like this in public.
That thought strengthened her resolve.
She needed to train her Nen properly after this.
Once she mastered Nen, she wouldn't need to rely on outfits like this anymore.
"Alright, Tomioka-san."
"I'm coming."
As a test, Mai Shiranui flicked her wrist and threw several Ko-oh Ken fans.
Giyu lowered his gaze, observing everything with his peripheral vision.
The moment he saw the fans, he swung his katana without hesitation.
Water Breathing, Fourth Form: Striking Tide.
He stepped forward.
His blade surged like a rushing wave.
Multiple strikes followed in quick succession.
Mai smiled faintly and slipped aside.
But Giyu changed forms instantly.
Water Breathing, Seventh Form: Drop Ripple Thrust.
Dozens of thrusts burst out in an instant.
The fastest of the Water Breathing forms.
From an oblique angle, the blade traced straight and curved lines, like ripples spreading across water.
Giyu had mastered it well.
In the blink of an eye, he enveloped Mai Shiranui.
Then-
Flames erupted.
Mai's body ignited and vanished.
Every thrust missed.
The next second, she appeared behind him.
Giyu had been tracking her with his peripheral vision the entire time.
So this sudden disappearance escaped his senses.
But the moment she vanished, he felt danger.
Instinct took over.
Water Breathing, Sixth Form: Whirlpool Twist.
He twisted his body violently.
A powerful whirlpool formed.
The rotating force became a massive blade, shredding everything nearby.
But Mai was ready.
Shiranui-style Ninjutsu: Dragon Flame Dance.
Fire wrapped around her body.
She forced her way through the whirlpool.
The Sixth Form shattered instantly.
Mai rushed in, grabbed Giyu by his clothes, and threw him with full force.
Before he could stabilize himself midair, she followed up.
Swoosh. Swoosh. Swoosh.
The Ko-oh Ken fans struck accurately.
His focus broke.
His body went out of control.
He landed outside the ring.
The arena exploded with cheers.
Even Emiya had to admit it.
Mai's execution was clean.
While Giyu's inability to look her in the eye played a part, the real reason was simpler.
There was a clear gap in strength.
Even if Giyu had faced her directly, the result wouldn't have changed.
He might have lasted longer.
But he still would have lost.
After Giyu left the stage, the Hephaestus Team sent out their second fighter.
Gyomei Himejima.
The Stone Hashira.
His presence was completely different from Mai's.
Standing together, they looked like opposites.
A beast and a beauty.
While Gyomei didn't possess Heracles' overwhelming build, he wasn't inferior to Daimon Goro either.
In fact, he was taller.
Daimon stood just over two meters.
Gyomei was around 2.2 meters.
A full head taller.
Only about thirty centimeters shorter than the 2.5-meter Heracles.
Without counting Heracles, Gyomei was the tallest human in the entire tournament.
His weapons were an axe and a spiked flail connected by a long chain.
Using those in KOF would've been outright murder.
So he'd replaced them with heavy wooden versions.
Even so, Mai had no intention of letting them hit her directly.
Wood or not, paired with Gyomei's strength, they were terrifying.
"It's an honor to fight you, Himejima-san."
Gyomei nodded.
He swung his arms.
The axe and flail flew out together.
Stone Breathing, First Form: Serpentinite Bipolar.
Mai leapt.
She stepped lightly on the flail, using it as a foothold.
Like a flash of light, she closed the distance.
Shiranui-style Ninjutsu: Flying Squirrel Dance.
She rushed in and unleashed a flurry of strikes.
Gyomei didn't dodge.
He let them land.
Emiya's eyebrows rose.
Gyomei's Nen, like Apachai's, was Enhancement-type.
But unlike Apachai, who enhanced his fists, Gyomei enhanced his entire body.
Stone Breathing hardened him like rock.
Almost like steel.
That was his confidence.
Mai's attacks failed to injure him.
Instead, her wrists vibrated painfully.
She immediately understood.
At the same time, Gyomei pulled his chains.
The flail and axe swung back.
He smashed them down relentlessly.
Stone Breathing, Fourth Form: Volcanic Rock, Rapid Conquest.
Mai showed no fear.
She danced across the stage like a butterfly.
Seven or eight afterimages appeared.
She dodged again and again.
Gyomei frowned slightly.
His attack speed increased.
The whistling of his weapons slicing through the air grew sharper and more terrifying.
The entire arena was filled with fierce wind.
The sound was like ghostly wails.
It made people's hearts tighten.
But Mai kept dancing.
Afterimages overlapped.
She avoided every strike and closed in again.
Shiranui-style Ninjutsu: Dragon Flame Dance.
She pushed her Ki to its limit.
She knew it well.
Without a move like this, she couldn't bring him down.
This time, Gyomei didn't tank it.
Though blind, he could feel the danger.
He yanked the chains.
The axe and flail returned to his hands.
He gripped them tightly and brought them down.
Boom.
The collision shook the arena.
A violent shockwave burst outward.
The stage trembled violently.
But it held.
Gyomei's weapons didn't shatter like Ais's had.
He had reinforced them with Nen.
Even so, Mai's burst of power surpassed his.
Under the impact, Gyomei slid backward.
His feet scraped across the ground.
He stopped at the very edge of the ring.
Then-
Mai rushed in.
She kicked him square in the chest.
Gyomei finally lost his balance.
He fell out of the ring.
"Thank you for the fight, Himejima-san."
Mai was breathing heavily.
Her entire body ached.
Her bones creaked.
Although she'd won the exchange, she hadn't come out unscathed.
Gyomei's strength was simply too much.
As an Emitter-type Nen user, clashing head-on with an Enhancement-type was inherently disadvantageous.
If not for the Ki she'd cultivated as a martial artist, she wouldn't have dared.
Gyomei stood up slowly.
His body was sore as well.
He nodded toward Mai.
Then turned and returned to his seat.
__________________________
🍊 Boost This Fanfic! 🍊
Every 350 Power Stones gets 2 bonus chapters! 🚀
Want faster updates? Show your support by dropping Power Stones, leaving reviews, and sharing your thoughts in the comments! Your engagement keeps the story going strong!