"I feel like... the moment you said that, you'd already made your decision."
Ryuji wanted to say that in a cool, dramatic tone. But midway through speaking, he realized it sounded a bit off—so he switched to a more casual, sly delivery.
"Mai, you don't really want the Shiranui style to go unpromoted because of a lack of funds, do you?"
His voice dropped into something that sounded halfway between temptation and blackmail—like he'd found a soft spot and was teasing it relentlessly.
It gave Mai literal goosebumps.
"Ugh… why do you sound so creepy all of a sudden?" she muttered, elbowing him in the chest and slipping free from his grasp.
"Let's leave that conversation for after we clean up this mess," she added firmly, snapping open her folding fan.
Ryuji shrugged and picked up the katana Kashu once more, turning his attention toward the new wave of yokai.
He squeezed the hilt and frowned.
Maybe… long-range combat was the better choice for now.
If he melted this weapon too, he'd be down to nothing sturdy enough to handle his attacks.
"I think we should stick to ranged attacks," he said aloud.
No sooner had the words left his mouth than Mai took up a stance.
In the next instant, a burst of wind exploded from around her, kicking up fallen leaves and causing the tips of her twin fans to sparkle with fire.
But Ryuji noticed something interesting—unlike his own flames, hers had a different ignition source.
He clearly saw something spray out from the edges of her fans—something that ignited on contact with her battle aura.
Then—
With the force of her chi and the burst from her hidden pyrotechnics, Mai hurled one of her fans.
It spun wildly like a burning sawblade, roaring through the air, and tore through several yokai in an instant.
Until—
It struck something big.
A hulking monster with the upper body of a bull and a lower half made up of countless spider legs—something that looked like a gyūki… but probably wasn't.
Her thrown fan lodged in its shoulder with a metallic thunk.
Even so—
Her results were impressive: she'd taken down a few lantern-headed imps and several small fry. Beyond that… not much.
But Ryuji could admit it—Mai's throw was no joke.
He had the distinct feeling that if he'd been a second slower, he might've gotten hit himself. Those fans, spun by her power and laced with sharp ki, could've sliced his skin clean open.
…Not that it would kill him, of course.
Unless two or three Mai Shiranuis ganged up on him in a coordinated sneak attack—which, frankly, sounded like the best possible way to go.
Besides, even if she landed a hit, he could just blast the fan away with a burst of dragonfire. There was no way a toy like that could take him down.
"...…"
Mai stood in silence for a moment before letting out a sigh.
"As I thought… your strength is on a whole different level."
Her emotions were complicated.
Just now, she had gone all out. Steel-forged fans, enhanced with her secret pyrotechnics—those could easily slice through iron. But against these monsters… they barely scratched the surface.
Meanwhile, Ryuji had tossed a sword and turned a horde of yokai into ashes. Sure, part of that was the sheer weight and power of his weapon—but the difference in raw strength was undeniable.
Especially that fire of his.
Her flames, even with gunpowder, looked pitiful next to his dragonfire.
"Of course I am. I'm a genius, after all—at least in some sense. "Ryuji boasted without a shred of hesitation, tossing Kashu back to her like it was no big deal.
Still… he was interested.
The technique behind her fire—how she embedded chi within flame—was clever. It gave the fire cutting power, and the ki a burning touch.
It was basic. But that was what made it versatile.
Unlike the overly context-bound swordsmanship and Haki of the One Piece world, this kind of martial art had potential outside of its original world.
Not exactly top tier—but interesting enough.
Her techniques had limited speed. If she were to go all out, he figured a burst of flame from his palm could parry most of it.
"That's a secret technique of the Shiranui-ryu… but if you really intend to help me promote our art, I might consider teaching you."
Mai exhaled softly.
As a martial artist, she knew the brutal reality—humans had limits. Most top-tier fighters had one of three things: superhuman body structure, strong chi techniques, or actual supernatural powers.
People like Kyo Kusanagi or Iori Yagami? Born gifted. Their bloodlines alone made them monsters.
In contrast, the Shiranui-ryu had no prodigies and modest Chi techniques at best. Even she—who had clawed her way into the upper echelon of fighters—knew the truth:
Her school was strictly second-tier. Maybe third-tier on a bad day.
She could fight anyone.
But she couldn't defeat everyone.
The brutal truth.
If someone like Iori couldn't beat her consistently, then he'd be the disgrace—not her.
"I'm all in. I've got the time," Ryuji grinned.
And in his heart, he already pictured the other girls from the KOF world. Athena, Kula, Chizuru, Vice, Mature… so many ripe for strategic alliances.
Just imagining it gave him a little boost—his flames even flared up a bit from excitement.
He slung his arm over Mai's shoulders like they were already comrades-in-arms.
"How about this? I help you spread Shiranui-ryu. Once we save this world, I'll come to yours and study under you."
He looked so casual, so confident… so obviously scheming.
But his words reminded Mai Shiranui of her grandfather's instructions and the scene of him entrusting herself to Andy.
At that time, his grandfather wanted Andy to help promote the Shiranui style.
But Andy was not interested in things like publicity, which made her feel helpless.
But then Mai sensed something was off.
She was many things—but naive wasn't one of them.
Without hesitation, she slipped out of his hold and jumped a step away, glaring at him as if she felt a phantom slap sting her ass.
"You perv. Don't think I'll fall for you just because of that."
But Ryuji only smirked, completely unbothered.
"You think too much. If I wanted girls, I have plenty of ways. You're just a pain to deal with."
Please.
Girls like her were textbook narcissists.
Mai blinked—almost startled. She had braced for flirtation, not… dismissal.
The vein on her forehead nearly popped.
"Y-you better keep thinking that way, got it?!"
Arms crossed, she sulked away from the fight, refusing to engage further.
Ryuji didn't argue. He turned toward the horde of monsters and started warming up his stance.
His martial art of choice? From the Avatar world—Southern Shaolin-style firebending.
With precise, flowing movements, he danced between stances, each motion drawing fire around him like a tornado.
The punches weren't just for show. They served as mental cues—anchors for concentration.
In this world, results mattered more than form.
And so—
With a final exhale, he thrust his palms forward.
From his fingertips erupted a crimson inferno, a wave of flame that surged toward the yokai horde.
Ryuji had already discovered that dragonfire was overkill for most enemies. This time, he was experimenting with a different technique—Azura's Flame Mastery.
"…Killing intent,… hatred… and domination…"
He focused. His Conqueror's Haki—altered by this world—merged seamlessly with his flame.
What had once been crimson now turned—
Azure.
A beautiful, terrifying blue inferno, sharper and hotter than ever.
It was like watching a tsunami of fire slam into a wall of meat.
The monsters howled, some charred to ash, some unable to move from the city's edge—forced to burn alive where they stood.
And from above, if anyone could see the wall, they'd see the entire front coated in Ryuji's flame—like a sea of blue hell pressing forward endlessly.
Even the mighty Oni King that stood among them didn't move. It just glared at Ryuji with bulging eyes… but never crossed the city boundary.
Ryuji smirked.
"Yep. They're either brain-dead or bound by something."
He didn't care which.
The flames only grew stronger. The heat rose. Leaves scattered in the wind. His clothes billowed. Power roared around him.
The Oni King screamed.
It could easily have charged out—but didn't.
Which was fine by him.
With golden and red motes swirling around him, he pushed more energy into the tide.
And the blue sea rose again—swallowing everything.
"Ha ha ha ha ha!!!"
The world power continued to nourish Ryuji's body, allowing him to pour all his strength into maintaining the violent stream of fire—laughing maniacally all the while.
The Night Parade of One Hundred Demons howled in agony within the river of flame, but their cries and twisted forms were completely swallowed up by Ryuji's frenzied inferno!
Normally, he wouldn't be able to sustain this kind of output.
But now—
Every time his torrent of fire smashed into the monsters, he absorbed more fragments of the World's Power, which flowed into him like a warm tide—restoring his stamina and keeping him going full force!
Without that replenishment, he would've burned out after just five or six seconds and needed rest.But now—He didn't just endure—he dominated.
And when the flames finally died down, he turned toward the stunned trio—Mai, Shinobu, and Kanae—with a dazzling smile.
Behind him was a charred wasteland. A mountain of ash and cinders. All the remaining demons had been burned alive where they stood.
"This is… unreal…"
Kanae's mouth hung open in awe. Shinobu stared at the aftermath, then at Ryuji, and her thoughts locked in—this man must never be let go.
He had crushed the nightmare that left the entire city paralyzed in fear. And he wasn't even out of breath.
"So strong…" she murmured.
The air still carried blistering heat. The ash swirled with every gust of wind.
Ryuji had done what they had struggled to plan for.
She had been researching the weaknesses and limits of these demons, trying to figure out how many troops were needed to even stand a chance—and now here he was. One man. One army.
As for Mai, she had gone completely still the moment the torrent of blue fire surged from Ryuji's hands.
Her wide eyes reflected the firestorm. Her heart reeled.
No one—no one—could wield fire like this. Not even Kyo Kusanagi.
Sure, Kyo might've been able to withstand that blue fire in a duel. But to create something so violent, so unrelenting, so terrifying?
This was far beyond her scope.
If she had power like that… why would she ever need Andy to help revitalize Shiranui-ryu?
Why would she need anyone?
If…
As Mai's mind wandered into dangerous thoughts, Ryuji noticed her dazed expression.He smirked and patted her on the shoulder.
"Well? That strong enough to carry the banner of Shiranui-ryu?"
Mai looked at him, her expression… complicated.
She didn't reply.
Because just now—just for a fleeting moment—she had seriously considered it.
Maybe Ryuji could carry the Shiranui legacy.
But before she could answer, Shinobu strode forward and grabbed his arm. Her usual empty eyes now shimmered with worry and wonder.
Her hands trembled.
All of her was trembling.
"Ryuji-sama… you're not hurt, are you?"
She tried to steady her breathing, her fingers carefully checking his pulse—only to find it… steady.
Strong. Even. Untouched.
"I'm fine," Ryuji said casually. "Didn't you see? Every time I kill one of those monsters, the golden particles heal me. You've seen that too, haven't you? I'm basically just recycling energy."
Shinobu nodded quickly.
"Yes… but still! That was… incredible."
She looked up at him, eyes wide. The warmth in the air, the scent of scorched blood and ashes—it all only reinforced one thing in her heart:
This man is powerful.
So powerful, she couldn't stop herself.
Her hands moved over Ryuji's body, gently inspecting his physique, trailing along his firm, well-defined muscles…
Every line, every contour, made her breath grow shallower.
Strong. Powerful. Male. Unapologetically alive.
Not bad-looking, either.
To Shinobu right now, Ryuji wasn't just a man—he was the sun, blazing in front of her. His inferno had carved out a place in her heart.
And she—no longer a butterfly—felt like a moth, helplessly drawn in. She knew it could destroy her.
But just for the sake of power and warmth, she felt that even if she was eaten up, she would not have any regrets, but only joy!
If she could trade her broken body for the attention of someone so strong—
It wasn't a sacrifice.
It wasn't submission.
It was grace.
A divine reward.
What did she have to hesitate for?
She turned toward the yokai corpses, looked at the melted steel fan Mai had used—and then slowly leaned against Ryuji's chest, whispering to herself:
"If I could always rest in Ryuji-sama's arms… that would be happiness."
Reality… instinct… they all told her the same thing:
There's no need to struggle anymore.
~~~~~~~~~~
You can support me by subscribing on Patreon and read upto 10 chapters ahead.
patreon.com/Ranabir_20