Kato picked up an iron bucket and hurled it with all his strength toward Dorian.
Hmph!
Dorian's white hair flickered wildly in the air as he swung his leg, kicking the bucket back with a thunderous bang.
Kato crouched just in time, the displaced air tearing at his black hair.
Bang!
The bucket smashed into the wall behind him, leaving a deep dent.
"You monster!" Kato leaped, his leg lashing like a whip toward Dorian's face.
Swish!
Dorian loosened his fingers, turning his palm into a blade of light. Kato's foot erupted in blood, stinging with searing pain.
"A boy who doesn't listen to advice, no wonder Doppo would shake his head," Dorian said with a smirk.
"I… from way back… I was always the disciple the Head lectured the most," Kato gritted through the pain as his adrenaline surged, his foot tingling and trembling.
"Therefore, I am most… grateful to my master!"
Kato swung again, sending blood droplets across Dorian's eyes, then lunged forward, fist aimed for the throat—attempting a decisive strike.
But Dorian had survived countless death matches. With a violent flick of his right fist, glass shards shot like a storm, one embedding in Kato's eye.
Before Kato could react, Dorian twisted his left shoulder, his glass-covered fist snapping across Kato's face like a thorned whip.
Bang!
Kato's body flew backward, colliding with the wall. Spiderweb cracks spread as blood gushed from his eye, mouth, and nose.
"Even as I'm beaten… why does it feel exhilarating?" Kato muttered, touching the warm blood on his face, a thrill stirring in him.
He stood, discarding his tracksuit to reveal a tight black outfit, adrenaline and the thrill of combat coursing through him.
"What, are you waiting for me?" he snapped, focusing on Dorian's faint smirk.
"You might be better than I expected," Dorian said, eyes glinting, excitement building.
"Tch, I'm coming." Kato spat blood, tightening his stance.
He launched forward, fist leading, ready to seize the advantage. Then he spun, delivering a whirling kick.
Dorian sidestepped effortlessly, lowering his head to block an eye poke with his forehead.
Bang!
Kato's knuckles cracked against Dorian's skull. Dorian grinned, seizing the injured hand, smashing it with his glass-shard fist.
Pfft!
Shards embedded deep, blood spraying as Kato stumbled backward.
"Too weak," Dorian said, wiping blood from his fist. "Compared to that kid, you're like a baby. Give up; you can't win."
Kato leaned against the wall, eyes burning. "Shinshinkai… does not surrender!"
"My life… I've never been praised. But even I… have one thing worth pride. And that is my Karate!"
With a surge of determination, he rammed his shoulder into Dorian while throwing a left punch. Dorian, caught off guard, hit the floor.
"Ah!"
Kato straddled him, fists raining down like a storm.
"For Doppo's hand!"
"For Katsumi, whom you hurt!"
"For beating you!"
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Each punch sent dull thuds echoing, bones cracking, yet Kato fought with fury and skill, a tempest of vengeance and pride.
He delivered one final, heavy strike—then Dorian vanished.
"Vanished…?" Kato froze, staring at empty air, heart pounding.
"As expected."
A familiar voice sounded behind him. Kato spun—Dorian stood there, unharmed, eyes gleaming with a cruel, playful light.
"You… weren't beaten by me…?" Kato's pupils constricted, exhilaration morphing into icy terror.
"It's hypnosis," Dorian said smoothly. "A technique honed in countless death matches, to manipulate consciousness and craft illusions."
"All of that… was fake. Your mind's creation. I am the real me—despair incarnate, standing right in front of you."
Dorian toyed with a steel wire, eyes glinting with pity.
Kato's legs weakened, cold sweat drenching him. The truth hit—Dorian had never been touched, his cruel power palpable.
"The game is over, kid," Dorian whispered, raising the wire.
Desperate, Kato struck, hand chopping toward Dorian's throat in a final gamble.
Clap!
Dorian caught it effortlessly, his hand gripping Kato's wrist like iron.
"I told you, the real me…"
Steel wire coiled around Kato's neck. Pfft!
He released the wrist, letting Kato collapse into a pool of blood.
Thud.
Kato's body hit the floor. Vision darkened, light fading.
"I'm sorry… Doppo Head."
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