Doyle propped himself up with his hands, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth. He raised a trembling hand to wipe away the blood, his gaze complex as he looked at the calm-faced young man before him.
It was a strange look, a mixture of shock, unwillingness, and even a hint of envy.
He trembled as he bowed to Allen.
"I lost," Doyle's voice was hoarse and low.
"You are far, far stronger than I am…"
Allen looked at the bowed head of this once arrogant death row inmate. There was no joy in his heart; it was just a victory, not enough to stir much emotional fluctuation in him.
He turned and looked towards the teaching building, where the windows were crowded with people, and every student's face showed some worry.
"Allen-kun!" Teacher Fujita's voice came from the second floor.
"Are you alright?"
Allen gave everyone a thumbs-up, indicating that he was unharmed.
Just then, the piercing sound of police sirens came from the distance, and dozens of police cars roared into the campus.
"Looks like I have to go." Doyle grinned, revealing blood-stained teeth, and limped away from the sports field.
Allen just stood by silently, making no move. The evolution of Hanma Blood still needed these death row inmates to continue to shine.
He watched Doyle's retreating figure, and the sounds of gasps and exclamations from the teaching building reached his ears.
"Why didn't Allen-kun stop him? That man is an escaped convict!"
"Perhaps Allen-kun suffered internal injuries? He's no longer able to pursue."
"Those who clamored to chase the death row inmate, go chase him yourselves! That's a dangerous death row inmate!"
Allen ignored them and turned to walk towards the back of the teaching building. First, he would go find Baki to start the evolution of the Hanma Blood talent… "Baki Hanma, at 17 years old, he already reigns at the pinnacle of the no-style martial arts."
"Though still a bit green, it's not bad." Yanagi Ryuko's mouth curved upwards, a hint of admiration in his eyes.
"However, are you two going to gang up on me, an old man?" Yanagi Ryuko then turned to look behind him, where a thin old man wearing black-rimmed glasses and a kimono stood.
"Gouki Shibukawa, I recall, this fight did not invite you."
Gouki Shibukawa, a master of Aikido in Japan, a prime example of using softness to overcome hardness, once had some connection with Yanagi Ryuko.
"Heh heh…" Gouki Shibukawa's withered fingers rubbed his chin, his eyes behind the spectacle frames narrowed into slits.
"This old man merely happened to pass by and couldn't resist taking a closer look when he saw something interesting."
Yanagi Ryuko's eyes suddenly turned cold: "So many years have passed, and you old man are still so meddlesome."
Baki's gaze darted back and forth between the two. His dark red hair swayed slightly in the wind, and the killing intent pervading the air made him somewhat excited.
"This is an unlimited fight, so there's no problem with us two against one, Baki-kun." Gouki Shibukawa's mouth curved upwards.
"Is that so? You won't call me despicable, old man?" Baki smiled and took a fighting stance.
"Interesting." Yanagi Ryuko slowly took off his clothes, revealing his muscular physique.
Yanagi Ryuko's muscles gleamed with a bronze luster in the sunlight. A gruesome scar, stretching from his neck all the way to his chest on the left side, rose and fell with his breathing.
He slowly raised his right arm, splayed his fingers, then clenched them into a fist, his knuckles popping like frying beans.
"Just as I wished."
Swish!
Baki moved incredibly fast, launching a punch at Yanagi Ryuko. His fist tore through the air, emitting a sharp whistle.
Yanagi Ryuko raised an eyebrow, sharply leaning his upper body back, placing his hands in front of him to block.
The moment his attack was blocked, Baki changed his move again, his toes tracing a circle on the ground as he kicked out.
Yanagi Ryuko, rich in fighting experience, quickly reacted, raising his right foot to step on Baki's kicking right leg.
Bang!
Yanagi Ryuko's sole collided with Baki's shin bone, emitting a dull thud.
But Baki's offensive didn't stop. His right leg, which was being stepped on, suddenly erupted, actually lifting Yanagi Ryuko entirely into the air!
"What?!" Yanagi Ryuko's pupils contracted. The moment his body lost balance in mid-air, Gouki, who was behind him, closed in, wrapping his hands around Yanagi Ryuko's back and gripping his neck.
"You actually forgot about me."
"Come on, Baki!" Gouki Shibukawa roared.
The moment Baki approached, Yanagi Ryuko put force into his legs, pushing out with a front kick.
Bang!
While kicking Baki down, Yanagi Ryuko used that force to flip over, push away Gouki Shibukawa, and execute a beautiful somersault, escaping the predicament of being attacked from both front and back.
"Baki, this man's specialty isn't some weapon art like hidden projectiles."
"He's known as Poison Yanagi." Gouki Shibukawa's expression was grave.
"Kudo, that is the martial art this man uses."
Yanagi Ryuko's eyes flashed fiercely as he slowly approached Baki and the other man.
"Let me ask you a question."
"Do you know what the most poisonous gas on Earth is?"
"Baki, don't be careless!" Gouki Shibukawa shouted, immediately retreating backward.
"Sarin, carbon monoxide, these are all poisonous." The aura emanating from Yanagi Ryuko began to distort the surrounding space.
"Cyanic acid gas can also kill people."
"Huh, is that a stance too?" Baki looked at Yanagi Ryuko, whose arms hung naturally, a little curious.
"But, before these gases kill people…"
"It's so lacking in presence." Baki sighed, but still didn't retreat. He wanted to see what kind of deadly move this strange old man had.
"People will cough or feel dizzy."
"Gradually, gradually…"
"Fight, Baki!" Gouki Shibukawa watched the stunned Baki, anxious. At this moment, Yanagi Ryuko had slowly walked in front of Baki.
"Death." Before Yanagi Ryuko finished speaking, his right hand had covered Baki's face like a dark cloud.
In just an instant, Baki fell weakly to the ground, his eyes vacant, his expression blank.
"The answer is oxygen. It's too late to realize it now."
"This is Kudo."
"The deadly poison used by the man known as Poison Yanagi."
"It is the indispensable oxygen we constantly breathe."
Yanagi Ryuko looked at the shocked Gouki Shibukawa and kindly reminded him: "Don't worry, he won't wake up for half a day. It's not the same as a boxing KO."
Gouki Shibukawa's pupils contracted violently, and his heart was in turmoil.
He couldn't understand it at all; this was a move that couldn't be compared to the concept of martial arts or combat techniques.
"Let me explain it to you, consider it a gift for your journey to the underworld."
"In the air we breathe, the proportion of oxygen is 21%."
"If this proportion decreases, bodily functions will also decline." He slowly raised a finger.
"First dizziness, chills, vomiting, then unconsciousness."
"Even a decrease to 15% will cause mild symptoms."
"However, these effects alone are not enough to be useful on a battlefield where victory is decided in an instant." A hint of mockery flashed in Yanagi Ryuko's eyes.
"But when the decrease exceeds 6%…"
Yanagi Ryuko's voice rose, and he suddenly clenched his right fist: "With just one breath! It can make a person unconscious!"
"Even the gods would find this move unexpected!"
"Even if a person's body can go five minutes without breathing." He spread his arms, a fervent red glow erupting in his eyes.
"But if you inhale air with less than 6% oxygen, you will fall unconscious."
"Such an obvious human flaw is the weakness I targeted."