The sunlight hit the asphalt head-on, while the cold autumn wind blew dry leaves and dust through the streets.
People looked at him with a mixture of curiosity and fear: a huge man, over two meters tall, walked with a steady, calm gait. It was Gorgo.
He had arrived in Japan and was calmly making his way through the streets, pushing his way through the crowd that watched him in awe or terror.
Finally, he stopped in front of a martial arts dojo. He muttered softly, with an arrogant smile, as he read the name engraved on the entrance: "Dojo Tao Pai."
"The great Gorgo's first visit..." he murmured with a haughty smile, pushing aside the entrance curtain and stepping inside.
Inside, Gorgo watched the young people practicing their stances and movements in perfect synchrony. At the end of each sequence, they let out cries of determination that echoed through the air.
The big man whistled, impressed. The atmosphere was nothing like a boxing gym, as Richarzon had described it. He had heard stories about how these dojos worked, but now, at last, he was seeing it with his own eyes.
One of the dojo students noticed Gorgo's imposing presence. Without hesitation, he approached him and offered a cordial greeting. His footsteps echoed on the wooden floor, attracting the attention not only of Gorgo, but also of the dojo's grand master, who watched from a distance with a frown.
"Hello, sir! What brings you to our dojo?" asked the young man with an energetic smile, sweat dripping from his forehead.
Gorgo looked at him silently, raising one eyebrow slightly. His gaze swept across every corner of the dojo, analyzing the students who were training without paying him much attention.
"Boy..." Gorgo murmured in a deep, barely audible voice.
"Huh?" The young man felt a chill run down his spine. He took a step back, not quite understanding why. "W-wait a minute... something's wrong... what is this strange feeling?" he wondered aloud, his smile trembling.
"... Who is the strongest in this dojo?"
"... Who is the strongest in this dojo?" asked Gorgo, his voice deep and his eyes sparkling with curiosity.
"What kind of question is that?" replied the young man, intrigued.
"Neo..." exclaimed a deep voice.
An older man pushed his way through the students and approached with a steady gait.
"Master Tao, what's going on?" asked Neo, a hint of concern in his voice.
"Get away from that man, right now!" ordered Tao, with unquestionable authority. Without hesitation, Neo quickly jumped back, putting himself out of harm's way.
"How fast!" thought Gorgo, surprised by the young man's agility.
"I don't know who you are," said Tao, standing between Gorgo and the students, "but your intentions here are not good. I suggest you leave."
Gorgo tilted his head, intrigued. He looked at his hands and torso with apparent doubt.
"What gave me away?" he muttered.
Then he looked up, frowning.
"Or is it because of my skin color, you racist old man?" he asked, with a slight hint of anger. It was then that he noticed the old man's mismatched eyes: one brown and the other yellow, shining with an unnatural intensity.
"Your thoughts wave with your aura..." replied Tao, his voice as firm as a stone wall. "They are twisted, curving with dark intentions.
Go away. You don't want trouble here."
"What if... I do want trouble?" asked Gorgo, clenching his fists with a twisted, defiant smile.
Without warning, Gorgo bent his knees and slammed his hand into the floor with brutal force. His fingers sank into the wood and tore out a large chunk of the floor, throwing it toward the ceiling with a deafening roar.
The impact reverberated throughout the dojo. A crash shook the walls, and an avalanche of dust and splinters fell from the ceiling, completely blocking the only exit.
The students held their breath, some recoiling with wide eyes. Tao narrowed his eyes, not taking his gaze off Gorgo.
"This man... exceeds human limits... but he has not broken his limit. He does not master ki..." Tao muttered, adopting a fighting stance.
"Neo! Get all the students out of here!" he ordered firmly.
"But Master, the exit is blocked!" replied Neo, his face pale.
"Damn it..." Tao growled, realizing the gravity of the situation.
Gorgo smiled, tensing his muscles as he flexed his fists, not even waiting to strike the first blow. His presence seemed to fill the entire room.
"Art of the 22 Palms, 4th palm: Detention..." whispered Tao, channeling his energy and standing firm.
Gorgo's fist advanced like a hammer, but Tao's open palm met it with a sharp, deep crack. The air vibrated with the impact.
Both opened their eyes in surprise.
"What strength..." Tao muttered, feeling the pressure run through his arms to his shoulders.
"You... blocked me..." Gorgo murmured, a hint of amazement in his crooked smile.
He threw another punch, but the elderly Tao stepped back nimbly, shaking his numb arm.
"I'm too old for this..." he murmured calmly, as he removed the top part of his dogi, revealing a still firm and muscular torso.
Tao's hands began to emanate a golden mist that rippled like fire. His stern gaze fixed on Gorgo.
"I can't stand outsiders who come to cause chaos... especially in my dojo."
Gorgo frowned, somewhat surprised by the glow in the old man's hands.
"What the hell is that? ... Do you have... powers?" he muttered, his eyes fixed on the vibrant aura.
"My dojo specializes in the 22 Buddhist Palms style. No matter how strong your body is... you will not overcome these techniques.
"And you think a few pats are going to stop me?" Gorgo laughed, brazenly and arrogantly.
"Art of the 22 Palms, 7th Palm: Great Palm!" Tao exclaimed, extending his arm with his palm firm and the golden aura sparkling.
A shockwave, in the form of a giant ethereal hand, shot out with a roar and struck Gorgo squarely in the torso. The impact launched the colossus like a projectile, smashing him into the wall of the dojo, which shook and creaked under the force of the collision.
The big man broke away from the wall, feeling his muscles tense like springs before relaxing again. Tao's yellow eye, alert, sensed a change: Gorgo's aura vibrated with an ominous glow, growing and twisting like dark flames.
"It can't be... what is this?" whispered the old man with concern.
With a sharp roar, Gorgo leaped, causing the ground to crack beneath his feet. His fist came down with the force of a hammer, seeking to crush Tao with a single blow.
The old man, however, deflected the attack with a calmness and precision that defied his age. Gorgo's fist embedded itself in the ground, raising dust and splinters. Tao took advantage of the imbalance to strike the giant's neck with the edge of his hand, forcing him to bend over.
Without missing a beat, Tao delivered a straight palm strike to Gorgo's ribs, a ki-charged blow that catapulted him into the debris of the collapsed ceiling.
"I don't know what your intentions are here... but I ask you to stop, please," Tao said in a grave voice, standing in front of his students, who looked at him in amazement.
"All right..." Gorgo replied, rising from the rubble. "I'll let you rest in peace..." he muttered in a feigned tone of surrender, before smiling maliciously.
That smile froze the old man's blood. Gorgo picked up a heavy piece of wall and threw it with all his strength. Tao bent down to dodge it, but at that moment he realized that his students behind him were not reacting.
Forced to protect them, Tao stood firm and used the 4th palm: Detention. The powerful palm stopped the projectile with ease.
As he lowered the rubble, his gaze sought Gorgo... only to find the giant's fist already on its way, straight toward his jaw.
"It can't be..." thought Tao, feeling his body rise from the impact and crash into the ceiling. He barely had time to catch his breath before Gorgo caught him as he fell, holding him like a doll.
With a brutal movement, Gorgo threw Tao like a sack of rice against the wall of the dojo, causing a loud thud from the impact.
"Master Tao!" Neo shouted, running toward his mentor as the other students launched themselves into the attack as one, trying to stop Gorgo.
"No... Neo... you must... run..." Tao gasped, blood trickling down his forehead.
The students surrounded the giant, desperately throwing punches. For a moment, it seemed as if they had him cornered... but Gorgo didn't even flinch at the barrage of attacks. Each punch or kick forced him back, yes... but his muscles didn't seem to feel any pain.
Suddenly, a sharp, brutal blow from the giant shattered one of the young men's noses, killing him instantly. A muffled scream echoed through the dojo. Gorgo's brutality was so overwhelming that the life of an ordinary human was nothing more than a breath in his wake.
"Get away from him!" Tao roared, pushing Neo back and lunging at full speed toward Gorgo.
Five more students fell, knocked down like broken dolls by the colossus's merciless blows. But Tao didn't stop. He jumped and drove his knee into Gorgo's nose with fierce precision, then used the force of his palm to guide the giant's head toward the floor, slamming it violently against the splintered boards.
"Are you still alive?" asked Gorgo, his voice muffled by Tao's hand, completely unperturbed by the attack.
"He's... a monster..." murmured the old man, barely conscious of the brutal blow that shook him immediately. Tao was thrown to one side of the dojo, crashing into the wall and hanging in the air for a moment before collapsing, unable to move.
"Master Tao!" Neo shouted, his voice filled with despair. He ran toward Gorgo without thinking, his heart pounding with rage and fear. 22-Palm Art, Second Palm: Guillotine!
With a cry of determination, Neo struck the giant's throat with precision, cutting off his breath. For a moment, it seemed he had managed to stop the monster... but the illusion was shattered immediately.
Gorgo slapped him hard across the face. Neo flew through the air, crashing to the ground. The whole world went dark. He coughed desperately, trying to fill his lungs with air, but he couldn't breathe. He hit the back of his neck hard, desperate to catch his breath, tears streaming from his eyes.
Finally, Neo managed to catch his breath. His breathing stabilized, and a bitter relief washed over his body. But as he looked around, horror gripped him again: his companions were motionless, trembling with sheer terror. Master Tao lay unconscious in a corner, and the air was filled with the pungent scent of fear.
Gorgo, unperturbed, let out a cruel smile as he cracked his knuckles.
"Nothing personal, brats..." he murmured, with a calmness that chilled the blood.
When the authorities arrived, it was too late for the Tao dojo. Firefighters worked for hours to move the rubble, only to find the lifeless bodies of fifteen young people scattered on the floor. Only Neo and Master Tao survived, though barely, and rumors of the brutal attack spread quickly. Soon, authorities connected the massacre to the killings at the underground boxing club in Chicago, creating a link of horror that would not be easily forgotten.