Chapter 22
CRACK!
The ceiling shattered, and two figures came crashing down—Kasumi, with Yanagi on top of him.
Yanagi's hand shot toward Kasumi's face, fingers poised to tear into his flesh. But before he could make contact, Kasumi caught his wrist with his right hand, stopping the attack inches from his skin.
Yanagi's arm coiled around Kasumi's like a snake his palm met with kasumi forearm, and with unnatural force, the skin in Kasumi's hand was pulled violently toward yanagi palm like vaccum Flesh tore under the pressure, exposing raw muscle tissue.
Kasumi clicked his tongue, biting his lip to stifle the pain.
"Well? Does it hurt?" Yanagi smirked as he tried to rip more
BANG!
Before Kasumi could answer, the two of them crashed through the floor, slamming into the level below. Wood splintered, and debris exploded outward, sending a cloud of dust through the air.
The men on the lower floor froze, their eyes widening as a deafening crash shook the room. Dust and debris scattered from the crater in the centre.
Before they could react, a dark figure blurred out of the impact zone, another one following closely behind.
It was Kasumi—running.
"Why are you running?" Yanagi's voice rang out, laced with mockery as he closed the distance. "Didn't you say you'd beat me with one hand? Or was that just all talk to impress that whore?"
Tsk... this is troublesome. My hands feel like hell, and I'm starting to lose control of my leg, Kasumi thought, his mind racing for a solution.
Then, to his right, Yanagi burst through the wall, his palm raised to guard himself.
Kasumi barely had time to react before Yanagi launched a flurry of attacks. He dodged each strike, his movements sharp but growing sluggish. Seeing an opening, he delivered a kick to Yanagi's side, using the momentum to propel himself backward into the air, trying to create some distance.
As expected... the oil plan was a bust. His technique is so refined that even oil isn't enough to make his palm slip.
Based on his attacks so far, Yanagi relies heavily on his palms. The way he uses them—it's not just for striking but also for defense.
His palms act like vacuums. Just like how he tore the skin from my forearm he could do the same to my hands if he catches my punches.
Judo's out of the question too. If I throw him, he can use the pressure to stop himself from hitting the ground—or worse, he'll grab hold of me, and that'll be a game over for me
Damn it... Think, Kasumi. Think.
He shifted his gaze to his bloodied right arm, his vision blurring slightly. So much blood... At this rate, i'd bleed out before doing anything.
No... I have an idea, but it's a gamble.
Taking a steady breath, Kasumi descended to the ground
He stood still waiting for yanagi to show himself
"Oho, finally accepted your fate?" Yanagi taunted, descending toward him. "You know, I thou—"
"It's oxygen."
Yanagi blinked. "Pardon?"
"Oxygen is the most poisonous gas in the world," Kasumi said. "You asked me this question yesterday, and I kept thinking. Carbon monoxide? Nitrogen dioxide? No, no... it's oxygen. Not because it's inherently toxic, but because if you stripped it from the human body completely, death would be instant."
Yanagi scoffed. "Oh, well done. Do you want me to clap for you?"
Kasumi smirked. "This got me thinking about something else. From everything I've seen so far, your palm technique reminds me of a plunger."
Yanagi's eyes narrowed slightly, but he remained silent.
Kasumi raised his right hand, stepping toward him. "A plunger works by using air pressure to create a vacuum—either pulling or pushing with force. The same principle applies to your technique, doesn't it?"
Stopping just a step away, Kasumi lifted his palm in front of Yanagi. "Care to let me test that theory? "
Yanagi narrowed his eyes and raised his right palm, meeting Kasumi's with a powerful strike.
CLAP!
The force of their palms colliding sent a sharp shockwave through the air. The sudden suction between them was intense, as if the air itself was being pulled into the clash
Yanagi's eyes widened in shock, his pride clearly wounded.
"And that's not all," Kasumi said, driving his palm into Yanagi's nose. "This is what you tried to do to my colleague, right?"
Squelch!
Blood erupted from every opening in Yanagi's face. His eyes rolled back, turning white for a moment before blood began leaking from them too " gurgle...ga GAH
Yanagi twisted his hand, breaking his pinky to create a small gap and release the pressure between their palms. Without hesitation, he drove his left arm toward Kasumi in a sharp jab.
Kasumi reacted instantly, raising his arm to deflect Yanagi's attack with a swift movement, redirecting it into the wall. Without hesitation, he drove a powerful kick into Yanagi's chest, launching him through the air and smashing him through the wall.
Kasumi turned to leave, but his body suddenly wavered. A sharp dizziness hit him as blood poured heavily from his nose. He glanced down at his bloodied hand, his vision blurring. A dark, viscous liquid mixed with the red.
"Poison...?"
" Cough ..cough
He turned to see Yanagi limping toward him, a massive dent in his chest.
"Keh—hhhk... hhhk..." Yanagi wheezed, blood bubbling at his lips. "To think the poison took this long to show its symptoms... Did the heavens curse me... or hhhk... did they bless you...?"
"Well... it doesn't matter."
Yanagi limped toward Kasumi, who lay motionless, unable to move. The air around Yanagi's palm grew denser, a suffocating pressure distorting the space around it—like a vacuum pulling everything inward.
"I'M the one who decides who lives and who dies. ME. Not the heavens, not JAA dogs like you... ME!" Yanagi roared, lunging at Kasumi.
Then—
A sudden, suffocating presence filled the air. For a moment, time itself seemed to freeze. Both Kasumi and Yanagi instinctively turned their heads.
Standing just inches away was a short, elderly man with slicked-back white hair, dressed in a suit. In his hand, he held a katana, its blade gleaming under the dim light.
" iǫɒᴎɒY ƚᴎɘmɘǫbuꞁ ᴎɘvɒɘʜ ɿoᎸ ɘɿɒqɘɿq "
The old man mumbled something under his breath, his voice a low, unintelligible murmur.
Then, in an instant—before anyone could react—Yanagi's body was sliced apart midair. His head, still blinking in shock, was the first to hit the ground, rolling to a stop right in front of Kasumi.
The slice had been so clean, so precise, that his brain didn't even register the severing before his consciousness faded.
The old man muttered something under his breath again, sheathing his katana before turning to leave.
Kasumi watched him go, completely dumbfounded. "Who the hell is this geezer?" he muttered, tilting his head.
Crack!
The ground trembled beneath his feet. The palace walls groaned, fractures spreading like veins through the wood. A deep rumble followed, shaking dust and debris loose from above. Then, with a deafening roar, the structure began to collapse.
Kasumi pushed himself up with a struggle, his body protesting every movement. He braced his shoulder against the wall to support his body which was growing weaker, breathing heavily. "Shit... I won't make it," he muttered, his eyes darting toward the exit as dust filled the air.
.