Chapter 159: My Rock 'n' Roll Soul (Patreon)

Nobody knew a family's troubles better than the family itself. Iori Yagami knew exactly what kind of torment the Blood Curse meant for his clan, especially for those who inherited the ancient martial art of Yagami-ryu Kobujutsu.

Even at its calmest, the power that came from deep in the bloodline scorched its wielder's mind like the hellfire of the underworld.

Now, though, Iori could feel that this Blood Curse, born of Orochi, was as placid as a still pool in spring. It was nothing like the fierce, raging flame he was used to.

With that thought, he turned toward Yang and made no attempt to hide his confusion.

"Can you suppress the Blood Curse in my body?"

Yang froze for a moment, then shook his head.

"That, I don't know... What do you feel?"

So Iori told him what he was sensing.

Surprise flickered in Yang's eyes as he listened.

The Yagami Blood Curse came from Orochi, the embodiment of the Earth's will, or its natural consciousness. It was an ancient awareness that had existed since the planet's birth.

At first, Orochi had seen humanity as part of nature. Once human civilization upset nature's balance, he began to see humans as an "unnatural" presence that needed to be purged.

People gave Orochi a definite shape and image, as though he had a complete body. In truth, he didn't. Orochi had no fixed form. He was purely a consciousness, or something like the soul of the Earth.

Given that, Yang had never considered using the healing effect to ease the Blood Curse's toll on the Yagami line.

There was just no way. A natural consciousness was far too out of bounds.

Yang had plenty of confidence in his abilities. But with his current understanding of the flame of life, he didn't believe he could suppress the natural consciousness of the planet beneath his feet using nothing but such crude methods.

Then there was the Miyamoto Musashi arc of the Baki series. At first, Yang had thought that arc went too far. Soul-summoning, an ability bordering on a supernatural magic series, showing up in a fighting manga was just strange.

In this world, though, it was no problem at all.

Forget summoning Miyamoto Musashi's soul to the Modern day. If you worked things out with Orochi, Yang wouldn't blink at a Holy Grail War.

Yes, King Arthur really was a woman, a top-tier martial artist, and the Sword of Promised Victory was just a release of qi and intent, or something like that.

Precisely because of Orochi's hypostasis, and because this was his first time meeting Iori Yagami and prying into private matters wasn't appropriate, Yang hadn't asked much.

But now, it seemed to work?

Ingrid had said the power she held was apparently what a code holder's power would be after descending into this world. Given the enormous gap between them, though, Yang hadn't taken that to heart.

In the end, Orochi himself and Ingrid were equally unbeatable as far as Yang was concerned.

As he thought this through, something clicked, and Yang smacked a fist into his palm.

Right. Orochi's power was formidable, but ultimately, his consciousness had been sealed.

Without consciousness, the so-called Blood Curse was merely pure natural energy, a law of nature or the like. With no extra will to steer or interfere, it would simply run according to its set program.

In that case, what happened when the healing effect met the Blood Curse wasn't what Yang had first imagined: Yang wielding the healing effect, Orochi wielding the Blood Curse, the two tugging back and forth inside Iori's body.

Instead, Yang wielded the healing effect, and the Blood Curse didn't react.

Yang voiced his thoughts, and a trace of astonishment surfaced in Iori's eyes.

Then Yang held out a hand.

"But a guess is just a guess. Give me your hand so I can confirm it. You can feel it for yourself, too."

Iori nodded and set his wrist squarely in Yang's hand.

He still had plenty of questions about Yang, but Iori had always been decisive.

This was especially true now. Generations of his ancestors had tried to find a way to control the Blood Curse, or even lift it, and every attempt had failed. For Iori, it was either don't believe at all or give maximum trust. Dithering would only waste more time and needless energy.

With his hand on Iori's wrist, Yang sensed for a moment, then nodded thoughtfully.

"I see."

He looked up at Iori.

"Rather than saying it calmed the Blood Curse, it's more that the healing effect, the energy at the essence of the Golden Flame I wield, energized your body. Your body then instinctively activated certain regions of your brain to reach a more comfortable state, easing the mental strain through extra hormone secretion and nerve relaxation."

"And the Blood Curse itself?" Iori asked. "Is it just hormones and relaxed nerves? Why does it feel like that strange sensation from the Blood Curse has dropped a lot, too?"

"Partly," Yang said. "The source of the Blood Curse, Orochi's consciousness, is sealed. So right now the Blood Curse is essentially a natural element, like fire, flowing water, lightning, or storms.

"In that state, it just runs on its own, following its set function.

"But with the healing effect infused, that natural state has been artificially disrupted, so its effects have changed as well."

There was one more thing Yang didn't say.

In theory, he could even pour in a large amount of the healing effect to seal the Yagami Azure Flames and return them to their original "Crimson" state. Unless it was necessary, though, he had no intention of trying.

The reason was simple. Iori hated Orochi, hated the family's fate, and hated the Blood Curse, but he did love the Azure Flames.

An ability that harmed body, nerves, and spirit all at once. Anyone who had used it didn't want to give it up. Just hearing about it, you could sense that heartfelt longing.

Without exaggeration, back in Hong Kong, if Go Hibiki had mastered the Azure Flames, Sagat, who hadn't even seen through his own inner self, might not have been able to beat him...

"All in all, taking in the healing effect regularly is good for body and mind," Yang said to Iori. "Just drop by whenever you have time."

Iori paused. After a short silence, he looked up and asked, "So it can't be eradicated?"

"I can't do it," Yang said, shaking his head. "The Blood Curse was inflicted by Orochi's blood. If it were only the first generation, maybe. But by your generation it's deeply rooted. With my current ability, wiping it out isn't likely."

By Ingrid's standard, the healing effect he held certainly outranked Orochi in hypostasis. But Yang knew his own limits.

A high hypostasis didn't mean he could command it. Quite the opposite. Even the thin thread of it he held now had become his greatest trump card and source of confidence.

Disappointment flickered in Iori's eyes, but he quickly pulled himself together.

"So I can only get the healing effect from you?"

"Mm." Yang nodded.

"What's the price?" Iori asked.

"The price?" Yang blinked, then nodded in understanding. "The price... How about coming here to be a sparring partner when you have time? Meals included, lodging not, but I'll treat any injuries."

Iori froze for a moment, then eyed Yang with suspicion.

"That's the price you want? You're sure?"

Hearing that, Yang fell silent for a moment, then asked, "...Then what can you give me?"

"That depends on what you want." Iori hated pointless conversation, but this was clearly an exception.

He had to admit that Yang telling him about the Hakkesshu's soul reincarnation was reason enough to take this seriously.

Never mind that the old man already knew. Iori didn't understand why a noodle vendor cared so much about clan affairs, but with his father's instructions in mind, he'd put in some extra effort too.

On top of that, there was the ability Yang had just demonstrated, the power to calm the Blood Curse. His family had suffered under it for nearly seven hundred years. Iori hadn't met anyone he loved yet and had never thought about children.

But for the sake of future possibilities alone, he didn't want his future family to suffer this pain.

"I don't lack anything right now," Yang said. "Not money, not things. The only thing I lack is a fight that can get my spirit up."

Iori's eyes flickered.

"Fine... But if you need my help with anything else, I won't refuse. Also, can I take this healing effect with me?"

"No problem, but there's no rush. I'll pack you a portion when you leave."

Iori nodded and said nothing more, but his whole demeanor was noticeably better. He picked up the beer mug beside him and drained it in one go, a trace of enjoyment and contentment between his brows.

Clearly, freed from the Blood Curse's endless torment, even sitting quietly and eating and drinking was enough to fill Iori with genuine happiness.

With all the necessary questions answered, everyone started chatting casually about their lives lately.

Partway through, Yang seemed to remember something. He looked over at Iori, curiosity in his eyes.

"Come to think of it, when I saw you again, you felt oddly familiar, like I'd seen you somewhere... I just thought back, and I think it was on a band's flyer? Are you still in a rock band?"

In The King of Fighters lore, apart from hating meaningless fights and violence, one of Iori Yagami's biggest hobbies was rock music.

Hearing this, Tokita Ohma and the others turned curious eyes on Iori.

Yamashita Kazuo most of all.

The current Yamashita Kazuo was still just a plain little salaryman, not the "Emperor Kazuo" of Part Two, or even the late stage of Kengan Ashura's first part, who could stay unruffled with a mountain collapsing before him.

Now that work was over, he didn't have to face business heavyweights like Nogi Hideki, Yoshitake Yoshiro, and Chairman Katahara. He was in a little tavern with good food and drink, and before long he was already drunk. With a thick tongue, he squinted at Iori.

"A band? Rock? Oh! No wonder! That getup is so rock! I loved it too when I was young!"

Maybe it was the alcohol loosening his tongue. Maybe it was being free of the Blood Curse's torment. Either way, Iori showed no impatience at Yang's question or Kazuo's words. He only looked a little sour, as if remembering something.

"It was okay... Because of differences in philosophy, I've already left the band. I'm planning to find a new group later."

"You left?" Yang said, surprised.

He'd asked about the band out of pure curiosity. By the lore, Iori was a band member, but who else was in the band was never specified. He played under an alias, as an ordinary person.

Yang had wanted to ask who this world's Iori formed his band with. Now it looked like that was off the table.

With that in mind, he asked, curious, "What was the difference in philosophy about?"

"Those guys felt we couldn't keep writing songs in obscurity," Iori said, rubbing his brow as if remembering something annoying.

"Some band suddenly blew up for no reason a while back. A few little girls going on about forming a band for life, why are you playing this and that, the weak me from the past is already dead, and so on...

"They go back and forth like it's a game of playing house. There's no rock spirit in it at all."

He went on, his face full of disgust.

"Our old lead vocalist watched them rake in money and got envious. He wanted to find a company to manage us too. I couldn't stand it, so I quit!"

"Uh, I actually think that's pretty healthy?" Yang said, blinking. "At least better than some rock spirit."

"Huh?" Iori blinked back, confused. "Then what do you think the rock spirit is?"

Yang glanced at Chun-Li and the others, then back at Iori.

"It sounds a little embarrassing, but my impression of rock is... doing drugs?"

"Beating people up," Chun-Li added.

"Promiscuity," Lihito answered.

"Antisocial," Juri Han added.

"Throwing diva fits," Yamashita Kazuo added.

Watching them pile on one after another with their views on rock, Iori pressed his lips together and sighed in frustration.

"It's about the music, damn it..."