Chapter 229: The Winning Bid for a Son-in-Law
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 229: The Winning Bid for a Son-in-Law
A finishing move (必殺技).
Literally, a technique that guarantees death.
The word is now commonly used in games and manga, so its original meaning has faded, but in the traditional schools of martial arts, a finishing move was a technique that required you to kill anyone who witnessed it.
It made sense. Once its nature was revealed, the technique would quickly be analyzed and countered.
That was why I had saved the Fierce Tiger Piercing Spear, which Meiling had taught me, until the very last moment.
Although I had aimed to avoid a vital spot, it was undoubtedly a fatal wound. Ivan, his abdomen pierced by my hand, coughed up a mouthful of blood.
Without even thinking to wipe the blood from his lips, he spoke.
"Keke… To think you had such a hidden card up your sleeve."
"To be honest, that was a close call. I used up all the ki remaining in my body with that last attack."
In truth, I no longer had the strength to even lift a finger.
I would be fine after a short rest, but that was my state for now.
"To calmly calculate your next move in such a desperate situation where you can't see an inch ahead… You are my enemy, but you are magnificent…!"
Ivan said with a satisfied expression, then suddenly pushed my body away.
"Ah…! If I pull my arm out now, the bleeding will!"
"This is nothing."
Blood gushed from the clean hole in his stomach, but Ivan maintained a composed demeanor as he turned his back.
"Referee!"
The referee, who had been staring at us from outside the cage with a dumbfounded expression, hastily replied.
"Yes? Yes!"
"I can't fight any longer in this state. I forfeit."
The moment Ivan said that, a tremendous cheer erupted, loud enough to shake the entire club.
It was because Ivan, the head of the Seven Fist Masters and renowned as the God of Destruction of Russia, had not only lost to the same person twice but had also admitted defeat himself.
Once might have been a coincidence, but twice was fate. The crowd was ecstatic at the emergence of a new powerhouse on the level of the Seven Fist Masters.
Immediately after, the tightly shut door of the battle cage opened. As I stepped down from the stage with a dazed look, Sasha and Fuma-senpai, who seemed to have just rushed down from the VIP room, greeted me.
"Good work, Kim Yoo-Sung."
"That was a splendid match."
I shook hands with the two of them, who looked at me as if I were a source of pride. Then, my eyes met with Fuma Kotaro's as he slowly descended the stairs.
"So you finally succeeded in mastering Nagi."
"It's all thanks to your advice, Mr. Kotaro."
As I said this with an awkward smile, Fuma Kotaro, his arms crossed, snorted with a "Hmph-" and spoke.
"There's no need to be so formal at this point. We've known each other for quite some time now, haven't we?"
"Then what should I call you?"
"Call me Father-in-law."
"Father-in… huh?"
My brain momentarily froze, and I asked back without thinking. Fuma Kotaro, however, shot back with a brazen expression.
"You're going to marry my daughter anyway, aren't you? Feel free to call me that."
"No, no, no, no, no."
I couldn't help but retort at Fuma Kotaro's absurd leap in logic, which completely skipped all the intermediate steps.
"Why would I be marrying Fuma-senpai?"
Fuma Kotaro tilted his head and said.
"You ask the most obvious things. You've learned Hayate and Jinrai, the secret techniques of our clan, and even the final secret art, Nagi. You're not going to play dumb now, are you?"
"What? The condition for me learning Hayate was completely different…"
"Yes, you were given permission for 'only Hayate'."
"……."
For a moment, I was at a loss for words.
He was right. I had only been granted permission to learn Hayate.
Nagi was a part of Hayate, so that could be overlooked, but I had clearly used Jinrai in the fight just now.
I broke out in a cold sweat and apologized.
"Um… I'm sorry for using Jinrai without permission, but still, I…"
"Wait a moment, Fuma Kotaro."
"Hm?"
The one who suddenly interjected into the conversation between Fuma Kotaro and me was Ivan, who I thought had left the arena.
He must have received treatment somewhere, as his abdomen was wrapped in bandages. They were already stained red, suggesting the bleeding hadn't completely stopped.
In any case, Ivan, appearing with an agitated expression, suddenly pointed a finger at me and declared.
"I've had my eye on this one as a potential son-in-law for a while now. Who gave you permission to cut in line?"
?????
What is he talking about now?
Hearing something new yet again, I instinctively stared at Ivan's face.
Ivan snorted with a "Hmph-" and pushed Sasha, who was standing next to him, forward.
"Look. Isn't my daughter far prettier than yours?"
Fuma Kotaro frowned and retorted.
"No matter how tolerant I am of jokes, I cannot agree with such nonsense. Any way you look at it, my daughter, the epitome of a Yamato Nadeshiko, is more beautiful, is she not?"
A sudden daughter-bragging contest ignited between the two legends.
Caught in the middle, I didn't know what to do and just looked back and forth between them. Just then, the other parties involved, Fuma-senpai and Sasha, raised their voices in unison.
"Father!"
"Papa!"
Only then did the two men stop their confrontation.
"Hmph, consider yourself lucky."
"My thoughts exactly."
My relationships with women were already giving me a headache, and now these old guys were adding to it.
With my yang energy already depleted, everything suddenly felt like a chore. I announced that since the match was over, I would be heading home.
"Ah, Kim Yoo-Sung. The last train has probably left, so take our car. I've called Boris to come down."
Come to think of it, it was already almost 1 AM.
I decided to gratefully accept her kindness.
"Well then, good work to you both. I'll be taking my leave now."
When faced with a troublesome situation, a swift escape is the best strategy.
*
"Has the Vajra Yaksha already left?"
The others who came down late from the VIP room—the Seven Fist Masters Lucio and William, and Li Senshun—followed Kim Yoo-Sung's disappearing back with their eyes.
"It was an intense fight. He must be exhausted," Li Senshun said.
"Well, it was quite a spectacle."
As Lucio nodded in agreement, Fuma Kotaro, who was listening nearby, chuckled.
"It's been a while, but you're still a ball of hot air, Lucio. Anyone who heard you would think you're on par with Ivan."
"…My record against him is 0 wins and 0 losses. I can't guarantee what would happen if we fought for real."
"How about you try beating me first before saying things like that?"
"Kuh!"
Not all of the legendary Seven Fist Masters were equal.
Although they had all made it to the top 8 in the GOF, there were certainly those who were regrettably eliminated in the quarterfinals.
Lucio was one such case.
He was a man who became one of the Seven Fist Masters without ever fighting Ivan, all because he had the bad luck of always being matched against Fuma Kotaro in the tournament brackets.
"William, it's been a long time. Judging by your attire, have you become a pastor?"
"It is all thanks to God's grace. Brother Ivan, you seem to be as healthy as ever."
"Hahaha! Well, take away my health and I'm a corpse."
Like old friends at a class reunion, the Seven Fist Masters caught up with each other.
The only one in the group just fiddling with her smartphone was Li Meiling, who had come to assist her master. Sasha approached her and asked.
"Do you have a moment?"
"Me?"
She blinked, surprised by the sudden question, but her expression turned serious when she heard the name that came from Sasha's lips.
"I have something I'd like to discuss regarding Kim Yoo-Sung."
"…How about we move somewhere else first?"
Hearing Meiling's words, Sasha nodded and told her the location of the fighters' waiting room.
After getting her master's permission to step away for a moment, Meiling went to the waiting room, where another guest was already waiting.
"Welcome."
Meiling looked at the blue-haired girl, who seemed to be the organizer of this meeting, with a wary gaze.
'She's the daughter of the God of Destruction, Ivan.'
Her blue hair, inherited from her father, shimmered beautifully under the fluorescent lights.
She had the outstanding proportions of a model and skin so white it couldn't be compared to her own.
Even as another woman, Meiling found her to be a girl so beautiful she couldn't help but feel a sense of inferiority.
As if reading Li Meiling's mood, the girl named Sasha spoke with a faint smile.
"There's no need to be so guarded. I've called you two here to make a proposal."
"A proposal?"
As Li Meiling unconsciously repeated her words, Sasha nodded and also addressed Fuma Yukika, who was sitting beside her.
"This proposal won't be so bad for you either, Fuma-senpai. It's all about Kim Yoo-Sung, after all."
"…I'd appreciate it if you'd stop wasting time and get to the point."
Sasha shrugged and said.
"I am currently part of a group. An organization created to fulfill a very personal desire. And I would like to invite you both to join it."
"…What kind of group is it?"
Sasha smiled confidently and revealed the group's name to them.
"It's the Kim Yoo-Sung Harem."