Episode 32 - Genji Vs Kurosawa
MISHIMA ARENA – THE NEXT DAY – 1:00 PM
A wave of anticipation swelled through the crowd.
The Mishima Training Arena was an ancient battleground, redesigned with reinforced titanium flooring and holographic walls. Thousands of eyes watched from the upper tiers and digital screens across Tokyo. The fight had been advertised since morning.
A duel between the Dragon Heir, Genji Maoshinara…
And the Masked Demon of Shinmei Sword School — Inoue Shido, a direct disciple of Kurosawa the Blade Saint.
Even Shin Mishima watched from the executive balcony, arms folded, expression unreadable.
---
Inside the locker room
Genji adjusted the wraps on his knuckles. His pendant glowed, then dimmed. Blaze sat nearby with a towel over his head, chewing gum.
> "This isn't a warm-up, Genji," Blaze muttered. "Inoue's not like those corporate grunts or Asumi during sparring. That guy trained under Kurosawa. You mess up, you bleed. You bleed too long, you die."
Genji cracked his neck.
> "I'm not here to play tag."
Asumi entered, tossing him a Mishima-approved red gi jacket, customized with the Maoshinara phoenix embroidered in gold.
> "Inoue's not just a swordsman," she said. "He's a technique monster. Perfect counters. Zero expression. They say he's the closest thing to a ghost the dojo has produced in a decade."
> "Good," Genji said, sliding the jacket on. "I've been meaning to see how ghosts bleed."
---
ON THE ARENA FLOOR
A hush fell over the crowd.
Inoue Shido stepped forward first — tall, lean, clad in a black Shinmei gi with violet lining. His face was hidden beneath a sleek, oni-style mask: ivory with twin red lines running down the eyes. At his hip, a sheathed kodachi — not long, but sharp as vengeance.
He didn't bow. He didn't speak.
Just stood there, waiting.
Genji walked out under a crimson spotlight. His phoenix gi fluttered with each step. His pendant pulsed once — a silent war drum in his chest. His fists tightened.
The announcer's voice rang out across the arena.
> "Today's special match!
From the Maoshinara Bloodline — Genji of the Phoenix Fist!
Versus…
Inoue Shido, the Masked Demon of Shinmei!"
The crowd roared.
---
ROUND ONE: SHINMEI BLADESONG
A bell rang.
Inoue moved first — so fast it was like vanishing.
SHINK—!!
The kodachi flashed toward Genji's ribs.
But Genji twisted — the blade grazing his jacket, cutting the phoenix's wing in the embroidery. He ducked low, surged in with a right hook—
Blocked.
Inoue caught the punch mid-air and slammed his elbow down. Genji winced, spinning out with a Red Crescent Kick. It clipped the mask.
The demon didn't flinch.
Inoue dashed again, this time low. His sword dragged sparks along the floor — then flicked up in an arc. Shinmei Sōryū – Swallow Tail Slash.
Genji raised his arm, took the blow on his forearm guard — blood splattered.
But he kept moving.
One punch. Two. Knee. Left jab to the throat — all dodged.
Inoue was ice. Unreadable. His body danced like shadow, untouched by Genji's raw fury.
Then came a palm strike to Genji's stomach.
BOOM—!!
Genji coughed blood, flew backward into the wall.
---
ROUND TWO: RED FIRE IGNITES
The crowd gasped.
Shin Mishima narrowed his eyes.
Blaze stood. "If he doesn't switch styles, he's done."
Asumi nodded. "He needs to use it."
Genji rose from the cracked wall, dragging his foot forward. His knuckles bled. His hair was in his face. His pendant glowed brighter now, pulsing like a heart.
> "You're fast," Genji muttered, wiping blood from his mouth. "But I've seen faster."
> "You haven't seen me yet," Inoue replied.
His voice was deep. Calm. Terrifying.
He drew the kodachi in full — light bending around it like it cut reality itself.
> "Prepare for Shinmei's True Art — Kurosawa's Void Slash."
He blurred forward.
Genji didn't dodge.
He planted.
Feet apart. Eyes glowing green-red.
> "Let's see if you can handle this…"
> "Red Thunder Step."
He vanished — then reappeared behind Inoue mid-strike.
A single kick struck Inoue in the ribs — thunder cracked.
The mask shifted.
Genji didn't stop. Another kick. A punch. A spinning back elbow — lightning trailed every move.
> "RED THUNDER FIST!!!"
Inoue grunted, forced back. He flipped into the air and landed — barely.
But his mask was cracked.
His sword hand trembled.
---
ROUND THREE: DEMON UNMASKED
Inoue reached up… and removed his mask.
Underneath was a face of pale precision. Not rage. Not pain.
Just hunger.
> "I didn't want to use this here," he said, "but if Kurosawa-sensei sees you as worthy of the throne…"
He raised his kodachi.
> "Then I'll cut you down before he regrets it."
Qi flared around him — violet and black.
Genji's pendant pulsed wildly.
The arena dimmed. Only their auras lit the space now.
They clashed.
Sword against flame.
Steel versus bloodline.
Genji's movements became feral. He moved like Naomi had in the war archives — fluid, wild, unpredictable. Red sparks danced around his heels. Every blow he threw cracked the air like a whip.
Inoue met each strike, barely. His blade sang with divine clarity — cutting close enough to kiss Genji's skin, but never deep enough.
Until—
> "Kurosawa's Final Form: Void Bloom."
Inoue sheathed his blade.
The moment slowed.
Then—
> SHINGGGG—!!!
He drew, and the world blinked.
Genji staggered — a long gash across his chest opened. Blood sprayed.
The crowd stood.
> "GENJI!!" Blaze shouted.
> "GENJI, STOP—!!" Asumi screamed.
But Genji didn't fall.
He stepped forward.
Eyes glowing now fully crimson.
The pendant flared. The arena lights shattered.
> "If you cut my body…"
His voice echoed.
> "…I'll burn your soul."
He lifted his leg, ki spiraling upward like a tornado of heat and flame.
> "PHOENIX STYLE — RED THUNDER REQUIEM!!!!"
The kick crashed down — a bolt of crimson lightning struck from above.
It hit Inoue square in the chest.
---
SILENCE
The dust cleared.
Inoue lay unconscious.
The kodachi lay broken in half beside him.
Genji knelt, panting, the blood from his chest mixing with sweat and lightning residue. His jacket was nearly burned off. His fists trembled.
But he stood.
The victor.
The Dragon's Heir.
---
AFTERMATH – MEDICAL WARD
Genji sat on a bed, bandaged across the chest. His pendant lay on a table beside him.
Shin Mishima entered.
He didn't speak at first.
Then he placed something beside Genji — a small scroll with the Mishima crest.
> "What's this?" Genji asked.
> "Official recognition," Shin said. "From this day, you are the official successor of Mishima-style. But more than that…"
He looked Genji in the eye.
> "You're stronger than I ever was at your age. And the clans will come for you."
> "Let them," Genji whispered.
> "They already are," Shin replied grimly. "Juliet Carl was spotted in Okinawa. She's gathering swordsmen. Assassins."
> "For what?"
> "For war."
---
MEANWHILE — OKINAWA COAST
Juliet Carl stood at the edge of a ruined shrine, crimson parasol in hand.
Beside her knelt six figures — cloaked, masked, armed with blades of obsidian and whispers of chi.
> "Genji Takashima has awakened," she said with a smile. "The Phoenix flies again."
Her eyes glowed with violet flame.
> "Time to clip its wings."
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TO BE CONTINUED