Chapter 163: Grand Melee of the Tournament (Patreon)

[Author's Note: Correction to the previous chapter: the top 28 members of the Kengan Association automatically advance to the main tournament, so the original allotment was always 33 slots, which inevitably left one fighter with a bye. It was only changed to 32 because someone withdrew early. This has now been corrected.]

Hearing Yang's words, the Protector showed no surprise and answered calmly, "As for that question… well, from here on, someone you know better than me will be handling things."

"Someone I know?"

Yang raised an eyebrow in curiosity, while the Protector gave a slight bow and turned away.

A moment later, Yang understood exactly what the Protector had meant.

"Misasa? Long time no see~"

The man who had taken the previous Protector's place was none other than Misasa, the one who had trailed Katahara Metsudo to the restaurant to protect Katahara Sayaka. He was also the future eighth Fang of Metsudo.

A smile crossed Misasa's face at Yang's greeting, and he said with a touch of helplessness, "I was out on an assignment, so yes, it really has been a while… And I hear your cooking has leveled up? Once I'm done with this busy stretch, I'll bring my friends over to visit~"

"Now works too." Yang waved a careless hand. "Ganryu Island is pretty big, isn't it? Come find me whenever you're hungry."

"Haha, then I won't hold back. Fair warning though, every last one of my comrades has a huge appetite~"

Watching Yang and Misasa chat and laugh together, the many Kengan Association representatives nearby began to murmur among themselves.

Until now, they hadn't been certain that Sakurasou Barbecue was an ally of Katahara Metsudo. Most of it was hearsay. But here was someone who was obviously a core member of the Protectors, on friendly terms with Yang and talking easily with him. Add the rumors that Katahara Metsudo's eldest daughter and eldest son were both close to Yang, and the crowd reacted in all sorts of ways.

Some tensed up, some turned grave. Those who recognized Misasa as a member of the legendary Annihilation Squad went pale, and a few were already whispering to each other, exchanging meaningful glances.

Once the pleasantries were over, Misasa turned to the crowd.

"My apologies, everyone. Something came up and I drifted off for a moment. Now, back to the matter at hand: why did Lord Katahara fix the tournament at thirty-three participants?"

He spread his hands and, meeting the crowd's stares, said evenly, "There's no deeper reason. It's simply that, in Lord Katahara's view, to become the strongest, you need more than undeniable strength. You also need uncommon luck. And the bye in each round is a display of exactly that luck."

Yang nodded in deep agreement.

He'd been puzzled at first, but put that way, it was no surprise. Katahara Metsudo had risen in a Japan still reeling from the Second World War, a country rebuilding amid a tailwind much like the Tang Empire's Reform and Opening-up, when plenty of mediocre men became pigs that flew because the wind was right.

Then, with the collapse of the bubble economy, those who had once ridden that wind hardened into a rigid class structure and began suppressing the growth of the young.

As a beneficiary of the old order, Katahara Metsudo should by rights have belonged to the former group.

But Katahara Metsudo knew very well about the luck that had run through his entire life, and knew even better what was driving him forward without pause.

That was why, even while standing on the currents of his age, he had never meant to cling to that power forever. You could see it in how he had set the Kengan Annihilation Tournament in motion himself, and in how, after Kuroki Gensai, whom he had personally coaxed out of retirement, won the whole thing, he still handed the chairmanship to Nogi Hideki.

What he craved was never power or fame. It was blood and slaughter.

But while Yang dwelt on such matters, the others, or rather the other contestants, had heard that defeating Yang would earn them a direct pass into the Kengan Annihilation Tournament proper. Their eyes went wide with excitement as they stared at him.

In this tournament, 151 companies were competing at once, yet only thirty-three could advance to the main event. Twenty-eight giant corporations had already locked in their places, leaving only five slots for the remaining hundred-odd companies.

Under those conditions, it was all but certain that even those who fought their way out and seized a slot would be badly hurt by the siege of everyone else. If they couldn't recover fully by the time the main tournament began, breaking into the top sixteen would be nearly impossible.

Yang, however, seemed utterly casual about it. He even turned to Misasa and said, "Even so, beating me just to reach the top thirty-three feels a bit off. At the very least it should get you into the top seventeen, right? Think of it as speeding things along."

The crowd exchanged glances, none of them sure what to say.

A man's reputation precedes him. The reason Yang had drawn so much attention before the Kengan Annihilation Tournament went beyond his string of victories over powerful opponents. He had even handed the undefeated Sekibayashi Jun a crushing loss in professional wrestling, Jun's best and most dominant field.

On top of that, since his debut, nearly every Kengan match of Yang's had been a two-on-one gauntlet.

The only one-on-one fight he'd had, he'd won against Lihito without breaking a sweat.

And despite all that, Yang already held the Chairman's privilege that let him walk straight into the main tournament, yet he had voluntarily given it up to join this elimination round…

Of course, this arrogance meant one more main-tournament seat up for grabs. But look at it from another angle: against Yang's absolute strength, few fighters would dare provoke him.

Or rather, no one wanted to be the tool that wore Yang down, a stepping stone for some other fighter to claim a direct pass.

Feeling the crowd's gazes, Yang said nothing at first. He simply lifted his head and spoke.

"A free-for-all? No problem. Then come at me together…"

He paused, then turned to Misasa with some curiosity. "Come to think of it, what happens if fewer than five people are left standing at the end, and we can't fill thirty-three?"

Misasa froze for a moment, as though he'd never considered such a question.

In truth, it wasn't only Misasa. Not even the other high-ranking members of the Kengan Association had thought along those lines.

After all, every one of the 151 companies had complete faith in its fighters, and even the lower-ranked ones had formed alliances in advance to keep their combat strength intact through the qualifying round.

Under those circumstances, fighters tended to grow especially cautious, weighing their own wear and tear before every move so that they could advance in good condition. Advancing with broken bones or serious injuries would be meaningless anyway.

And as the number of people on the field dwindled, those willing to make a move would naturally grow even more careful.

The scenario Yang described was extreme, but it still had to be considered. The number of survivors would directly affect how the schedule was arranged.

"But it's fine," Yang said gently, not at all offended by Misasa's surprised look. "If that happens, I have a suggestion."

"…Oh?"

Misasa raised his head slightly.

Yang smiled easily. "To keep the Kengan Annihilation Tournament's schedule from being disrupted by outside factors, how about we stick to the thirty-three-person schedule no matter how many are left?"

"As for the shortage of bodies… that's simple too. Just toss five slips with my name on them into the box."

"That way, there's no manpower problem. And drawing lots to fight a guy who's coming off back-to-back fights counts as a kind of 'uncommon luck' too, doesn't it?"

"?"

Misasa blinked, then gave a wry, helpless smile. "You really do come up with some very constructive proposals… It feels like if the answer isn't to your taste, you'll just force it through, right?"

"Haha, how could I?" Yang shook his head, then pointed at the people around them. "It's mainly that there are too many small fry. Rather than let them waste time on the battlefield, I'd prefer to have a 'full meal'."

Misasa sighed and pulled out his phone. "I'll have to confirm this with the Chairman. Wait a moment~"

"No problem." Yang held up a hand in an OK sign.

Hearing the exchange, the other contestants began muttering in uneasy disbelief.

"He wants all the byes? Is he insane? This isn't like the Kengan matches before!"

"He's got some skill, sure… but he clearly hasn't understood the rules!"

"Right! This is an elimination tournament. There's no long recovery period like in a ring match. The moment one round ends, the next begins. In other words, there's no rest at all! The stamina drain is nothing like ring fighting!"

"Isn't that perfect, though?" someone else said, his voice pitched low.

"That guy's strength is already at direct-entry level. For an ordinary fighter, beating him is a pipe dream… And if he's this reckless, once the qualifier starts, everyone will pile on him at once!"

"Whatever the case, this is far too arrogant… Forget the qualifier, he isn't even taking the main-tournament fighters seriously."

Looking at Yang, Chun-Li pressed a hand to her forehead in resignation. "This A-Yang… He's started again."

"Isn't that normal for him?" Juri Han licked her lips, watching Yang with keen interest. He stood in the middle of the field looking perfectly mild, yet an untamed madness was already spreading outward from him.

Without a doubt, that undisguised defiance and conqueror's will was exactly what drew Juri Han to him so deeply.

"Isn't he just that kind of reckless guy?"

Feeling the wild aura overflowing from Yang, Juri Han's face broke into a smile.

"Rather than call it 'uncommon luck'… I'd say it's plain old 'uncommon greed'."

Chun-Li didn't dispute it. She nodded in agreement, then stood quietly to one side, watching Yang's figure as she waited for Misasa's answer.

After a moment, Misasa nodded, lifted his head, and addressed the crowd.

"It's unexpected, but Lord Katahara has been informed of the situation. To keep the tournament fair and just, though, at most two slots may be filled this way."

"Two? Counting my original one, that makes three? Not bad. I only asked on a whim, and I figured I wouldn't get even one. Hahaha~"

Yang's laugh rang out loud and hearty.

Watching the smile on Yang's face, Misasa, a member of Katahara Metsudo's Annihilation Squad, wore a look of quiet emotion.

He had followed Katahara Metsudo since his teens and was now twenty-seven. He had seen countless fighters, and still, to Misasa, Yang was the most singular of all the martial artists and fighters he had ever met.

Before, Misasa hadn't quite understood why Lord Katahara Metsudo had said, during the Kengan match between Yang and Sekibayashi Jun, that this was what he wanted to bring back to the Kengan Association.

But now, feeling the greed Yang made no effort to hide, that hunger for war and violence, even Misasa had to admit that in every sense, Yang was exactly what Katahara Metsudo had been hoping for.

"All right, does anyone have any questions?"

Misasa swept his gaze around, but only silence answered.

Seeing this, Misasa gave a courteous nod. "Then, fighters, please follow me. Everyone else, please follow the attendants to the upper decks of the S.S. Annihilation."

As he spoke, a line of attendants emerged from behind a nearby shipping container and led the crowd to different areas of the freighter.

Yamashita Kazuo, Chun-Li, Sakura Ibuki, and the others headed for the upper deck, while Yang and the other fighters were led by Misasa into the rust-streaked steel cargo hold of the freighter.

After sending the last fighter inside, Misasa did not follow. He stayed at the doorway and said:

"This Kengan Annihilation Tournament has 151 major companies participating. With the top 28 already locked into the main tournament, the remaining 5 slots will be decided by a free-for-all among the other 123."

"The five-person qualifier ends the instant five remain, whenever that happens. If five have not been decided by sunrise tomorrow, everyone is eliminated."

"And on top of that, if someone can defeat Yang ahead of the pack…" A sly grin rose at the corner of Misasa's mouth.

"By the Chairman's surprise, which he asked me to deliver to you all, defeating Yang doesn't just earn you a direct pass. You may also designate two other people to receive the same qualifying slot!"