In a building where fire is slowly spreading, there's a young man lying on the floor, waiting for his deathbed.
"Ahh..." he groaned in pain while trying to sit up. "So this is where I will die," the young man said, breathing heavily.
In a room where the fire was spreading, there was a picture hanging on the wall. There were five people in that picture, including the young man. They were holding a trophy, and their faces looked happy, except for the young man who looked unhappy.
"Those pieces of meat," the young man said, gritting his teeth in intense anger while looking at the corpses of four people lying on the floor.
Those people were the ones in the picture hanging on the wall. Two of the bodies were full of bullet holes, while the other two were covered in knife wounds. Looking at their chests, there were name tags:
'Kaito Moriyama' - A young, short guy but very muscular. His eyebrows were thick, but he looked like an innocent man.
'Riku Kanzaki' - A young woman who looked calm and elegant, but she was actually short-tempered.
'Akihiru Sera' - A young man who wore glasses. Without them, his face looked otherworldly—handsome. (AN: Too bad he died, jk)
'Takeshi Kurosawa' - A middle-aged man who looked like a real warrior. His skin was slightly tan, and he was very muscular. He appeared to be a mentor.
And lastly, the man who was looking at their dead bodies:
'Ren Hayashi' - A young man whose face was full of elegance, a fine-looking man who looked like he came from heaven. His body looked perfect—he was like the 'Embodiment of Perfection.' He was also called 'The Youngest Prodigy.' (AN: He will also die, too bad)
The whole building was burning, and from its appearance, it was a dojo. Yes, they were dojo members who became world champions, and it was all because of 'Ren Hayashi.'
Ren Hayashi was a master of the sword. He attained something no ordinary human could—Sixth Sense. He achieved it as a kid through self-training under the blossom tree in the backyard of his house.
—Flashback—
Ren Hayashi trained his mind by silently listening to the noises around him: birds humming, his father talking on the phone, and his mother singing while cooking. Through that, he attained Super Hearing.
Next, he trained his sight, using the same method. He focused his eyesight on every small detail. From doing that, he attained All-Seeing Eyesight. By combining these two, he developed a Sixth Sense, which allowed him to perceive everything slowly, predict movements, and comprehend things with ease. That's how he became 'The Youngest Prodigy.'
After that, he learned his family's sword style, 'Hayashi Lotus Art,' which was easy for him. So, he decided to create his own sword style.
Ren kept slashing the air in horizontal and vertical patterns. Watching him, one could see the wind flow—it looked like he was unleashing invisible energy. But it wasn't energy, just the perfection of his slash and stance. After mastering the basic fundamentals of his sword style,
he trained his footwork. Watching his footwork was mesmerizing due to its elegance and smoothness. After training all the fundamentals, he performed them.
His father, 'Ken Hayashi,' a former sword master and champion, watched his son's performance in silence, his mouth agape.
"Wh-what did you just do?!!" Ken asked, holding his son's shoulder. "What kind of sword style was that?!"
"I just moved the way that feels right. No name for it," Ren answered. Ken smiled at his son, thinking, 'What monster did I just produce?' Then he said, "I'm very proud of you, brat."
And that's how Ren became a champion—through what he attained and his mastery over the sword.
—Back to the present—
Looking at his teammates' and mentor's dead bodies, Ren questioned himself, 'Is this the payment for something I attained that I shouldn't have?' He looked at the ceiling, where he could see the midnight sky, and blamed the gods, cursing them.
'Only... maybe only if I agreed with those guys, this wouldn't have happened. But these guys would've been angry if I had agreed to what Shin Dojo wanted,' Ren thought.
—One day before the international—
Inside the office of Shin Dojo, an old man sat in a chair, alongside him a man who looked in his 30s. In front of them was Ren, with a paper and pen on the table. It was a contract.
Ren analyzed his surroundings, calculating everything. "What is the meaning of this?" he asked, legs crossed, leaning back. "Don't you guys know doing this can get your team disqualified?"
"Of course I know that. But that will only happen if someone finds out, right? And I know you won't tell anyone about this meeting," the old man said, smiling.
"Especially your teammates. They'd think you're a traitor if they knew. After all, you're the so-called selfish and nonchalant guy of your team," the old man added, mockingly.
"Hey, old Shin. If you think you can buy me off and get me to throw the international, you're wasting your time," Ren said, rising from his seat. "You better prepare your best disciple, old man, because I will crush your entire team."
Suddenly, the guard beside the old man grabbed Ren's shoulder. "The master hasn't given you permission to leave," he said, gripping tighter.
Ren turned around and said coldly, "Take your hand off my shoulder, before I break it."
Instead, the guard threw a punch at Ren's face—but Ren blocked it with his bare hand and then—
*Crackkkk...
The room fell silent. Ren had broken the guard's right hand. The guard jumped backward on instinct, protecting his left hand.
Ren calmly brushed the dust from his grey long-sleeve shirt and walked out without saying another word.
After Ren left, the old man spoke, humiliated: "After the international, be prepared. We'll kill his parents and every member of their dojo."
The guard, holding his broken arm, replied through clenched teeth, "Yes, master," bowing while smiling.
—Back to the present—
Ren struggled to stand, pain shooting through him.
'I need to get out of here,' Ren thought.
He searched for a way to escape the burning dojo. Grabbing a steel bar from the side of a chair, he used it to pull himself up. Slowly, he walked toward the exit.
The first thought in his mind if he survived:
'I'll hunt you, old Shin...' Ren's thoughts echoed as he fought to breathe and move forward.