After his first successful attempt at using the Hakashi Technique's first form—Tras, Tuziku returned to the village after the sun had begun to set.
...
The next morning...
At the base of Mount Yakushi, on the outskirts of Hakashi Village...
"All right, boy..."
"You claimed you've finally unlocked the first form..."
Ryōkōjū faced Tuziku once again.
"So then... all that's left is for you to show me."
The old man raised his fists.
"Yeah! Let's do it!" Tuziku shouted excitedly.
The old man grinned.
"Oh. In that case..."
"Boy... from today onward..."
"I'm going to spar with you a bit more seriously!"
Ryōkōjū wore a malicious smirk.
Suddenly—
Fwooooosh!
"Are you ready, boy?"
Tuziku closed his eyes and thought to himself...
Calm down...
You can do this...!
Remember the feeling from yesterday.
Tuziku opened his eyes and placed both hands forward.
Ever since I awakened the first form yesterday, I've been wanting to try something...
He took a deep breath and exhaled.
Then—
Fwoooooooo!
Calm streams of air gently swirled around Tuziku's body.
As he gazed at the calm winds surrounding him, he thought to himself:
I knew it!
Ever since I learned the flow of such calm and gentle winds...
He gazed at the palms of his hands.
My body hasn't been able to forget this soothing sensation.
I figured I could summon the winds without doing all those annoying movements...
Turns out I was right...
"Boy!" Ryōkōjū shouted.
"How long are you going to keep me waiting? I already have a limited amount of time to train with you, remember!"
Ryōkōjū glared at him.
That being said...
He really did unlock the first form—Tras.
And not only that...
He seems to be quite a bit more accustomed to it than I expected.
"Sorry about that, old man!" Tuziku shouted as he approached Ryōkōjū.
Fwooooooo...
The streams of wind continued to swirl around his body.
"I'm ready now, so come at me!" he grinned.
Ryōkōjū chuckled.
"So you've grown enough balls to actually approach me when your objective is to avoid as many of my blows as possible..."
Fwoooooosh!
A burst of wind erupted from the old man's body.
"Interesting... let's see what you've got!"
He suddenly dashed toward Tuziku.
The old man launched a punch at high speed toward him.
However—
Fwoosh!
Tuziku instantly dashed to the side, easily avoiding the old man's attack.
"Oh..." Ryōkōjū gazed at him.
Then—
Fwoo—
The old man suddenly disappeared.
Tuziku's eyes widened.
He's even faster now!
Ryōkōjū reappeared in front of him, his fist already swinging toward Tuziku's stomach.
He's really fast!
Just as the old man's punch was about to connect—
Fwoo—
For a brief moment, Tuziku suddenly disappeared.
"What!"
Ryōkōjū's face lit up with shock.
Then—
"Yo!"
Tuziku's voice came from behind him.
Using the first form, I can enhance my legs enough to keep up with his speed!
The old man's eyes widened in disbelief.
Impossible...
He slowly turned and faced Tuziku, who had appeared behind him.
Suddenly—
Clap... Clap... Clap...
"Not bad... not bad at all, boy!"
Tuziku grinned proudly.
"I'm actually impressed by how much you've progressed in just a day..."
"See, I told you I've already learned the first form," said Tuziku.
"I guess now we can move on to my next fo—"
"What are you talking about, boy?" Ryōkōjū interrupted.
"Now... it's time to level up your first form!"
"L—level up?" Tuziku stuttered.
"Boy, prepare yourself. I'm going to spar with you on equal footing now."
On equal footing...
Tuziku barely had time to process his words.
Suddenly—
FWOOOOOSSH!!
A powerful blast of wind erupted from the old man's body.
"Augh!"
Tuziku struggled to stay balanced as the intense winds pushed him backward.
S—such powerful wind!
I had no idea that the old man was this strong!
It's taking all my effort just to keep myself from being blown away!
"Augh...!"
Tuziku dug his feet into the ground.
Then—
"Here I come, boy!"
FWOOO—
The strong winds suddenly vanished.
Along with the old man.
Where did he go?!
Tuziku's eyes darted around in panic.
Then—
BAM!!
Ryōkōjū suddenly appeared directly in front of him and drove a powerful punch into Tuziku's stomach.
"AUGHH!!"
Tuziku's body doubled over as he vomited from the impact.
Then—
Thud...
He collapsed onto his knees.
"Urghhh!"
He clenched his stomach in pain.
Hey, hey...
You've got to be kidding me!
...Are you telling me... that we're using the same technique, and yet...
We're still this far apart?!
"Damn... it!" Tuziku mumbled as he collapsed onto the ground.
Ryōkōjū approached him and extended an arm.
"Tch!"
Tuziku reluctantly accepted his hand and pulled himself back to his feet.
Ryōkōjū stroked his beard.
"I've already told you... the Hakashi Technique is capable of limitless development."
"What you've unlocked isn't even a fraction of the first form's full potential!" he explained.
"But..."
"I must admit, you've made a considerable amount of progress so far, boy!"
"Thanks, but was that last attack really necessary?" Tuziku asked, clutching his stomach.
The old man chuckled.
"I was just trying to show you that you've only reached the tip of the iceberg."
"Gee, thanks," said Tuziku sarcastically.
Ryōkōjū chuckled.
"Well... I better get back to the village now."
"So soon?" Tuziku asked.
"Yeah... I have a lot of work to do, and I'd also like to spend a few hours with Prīōra..."
"Although her condition is improving, the extent of her injuries was much worse than we initially thought."
Ryōkōjū wore a sad expression.
Tuziku clenched his fist.
Just you wait... Nēgus!
"Well, for now, just focus on improving your first form."
"Tomorrow, we'll begin working on your next form," he said as he stroked his long gray beard.
My next form? Already?
"Well, I'm off. See you later, boy!"
Ryōkōjū turned and began walking away.
"Wait—hold on a moment, old man!" Tuziku shouted.
"No can do. Tomorrow we'll continue!"
Ryōkōjū waved as he continued walking.
We only trained for two hours together today...
He's been spending even less time with me as the days go by.
Tuziku let out a huge sigh.
But, even without him...
I'll continue to get stronger!
He clenched his fist.
Suddenly—
"Oh!"
"He said we were moving on to my next form tomorrow, right?"
He scratched his chin.
"I wonder what's up with that all of a sudden..."
"In any case... I better get back to my training."
And so, once more, Tuziku spent the rest of his day honing his first form in solitude.
CHAPTER 54 END