CHAPTER 4: Kiligaku's Test

Kiligaku stood atop a towering skyscraper, his glowing blue eyes scanning the inferno below. Hong Kong was a smoldering wreck—barely recognizable beneath the layers of smoke, fire, and collapsed concrete. Yet it still stood… barely.

But what caught Kiligaku's attention wasn't the destruction.

It was emerging from it.

A monstrous figure walked steadily out of the flames—not in a hurry, not in fear. Each step crunched debris beneath it like paper. Its massive form radiated raw menace, and with every movement, the gravity-warped rubble beneath its feet shifted unnaturally.

"An Ichigan, huh? How annoying", Kiligaku thought, narrowing his gaze.

This was a quite unique Zunan. It was the same kind Kazuma had fought in Tokyo. A living nightmare with literally endless stamina and regenerative abilities. The ground trembled beneath the creature's advance, and then—

It screamed.

A sonic screech tore through the air, leveling what little remained of the city. Windows exploded. Buildings collapsed. The very skyscraper Kiligaku stood on cracked and buckled under the sheer pressure—and the oppressive gravity of this realm, which was 300 times greater than Earth's, didn't make things any easier.

The tower gave way.

But Kiligaku didn't panic.

He twisted mid-air and came crashing down with a controlled spin, fist-first. The impact cratered the street beneath him, fissures webbing out for blocks. He stood, tall and unharmed.

His mind flashed back to the Scorching Realm two months ago.

The training ground from hell.

Blackened earth stretched endlessly. Lava flowed in rivers, and volcanoes erupted constantly like ticking bombs. The sun blazed down with no cloud cover to shield against its fury, and temperatures here were regularly around 2800°C—sometimes spiking to 3500°C. And as if that wasn't enough, gravity here was soul-crushing, over 300 times stronger than Earth's.

It was a place meant to break you—or forge you into something unbreakable.

Kiligaku and Pathro sat on the edge of a volcano, their legs submerged in bubbling magma like it was bathwater.

"You do know in a battle against Ichigans you would be at a big disadvantage right? I am talking about your ability." Pathro asked.

Kiligaku raised an eyebrow. "What's with you stating the obvious. Are you trying to brag how you have the upper hand in killing them?."

Pathro sighed. "Although I would love to do that that's not my point now. You might be stronger than an Ichigan but lacking a killer attack will quickly turn the tides. Their Super regeneration and endless stamina will eventually be a reason for your defeat against them. Unless you can one shot them to destroy their whole body at once your piercing attacks are useless."

"Then stop talking in circles and tell me what you're getting at here. Why bring that up now.?"

Pathro leaned forward. "I've got reason to believe the final test is going to put us against our worst possible opponents. Like... intentionally. You might have to fight an Ichigan. And if you don't figure out how to one-shot one of those things... you're so cooked man."

Kiligaku opened his mouth to retort—

But Pathro suddenly struck him hard in the back, launching him straight into the volcano.

Lava swallowed him.

Seconds later, Kiligaku burst through the surface, eyes blazing. "YOU—!"

He grabbed Pathro by the leg, yanking him down with him. The two brawled mid-magma, fists and curses flying, volcano or not.

And then the memory faded.

Back in the present, Kiligaku exhaled slowly. "Guess that idiot was right after all."

He cracked his knuckles, then his neck, then dropped into a firm, low horse stance—feet grounded like stone, despite the absurd gravity pulling down on every muscle.

"Alright, big guy," he said to the Ichigan. "Let's see if you can actually back up the hype you get."

The Zunan didn't hesitate. It lunged, moving so fast it blurred—its takeoff cracked the street, the earth behind it splitting open. It charged like a force of nature, all fury and speed.

Kiligaku didn't flinch.

Their fists collided.

The explosion of force was catastrophic.

The entire city—no, the entire region—vanished. What was once Hong Kong had been completely erased. Not a single building left standing. The sheer force of the clash left a massive crater in its wake.

But it wasn't over.

Kiligaku emerged from the dust, blood-streaked but still standing. The Zunan's arms were obliterated, blue ichor splattered all over Kiligaku's body.

Then... they regrew.

Instantly.

Kiligaku cursed under his breath and vanished—reappearing in front of the beast before it could move. He slammed an uppercut into its jaw, obliterating its head in a burst of gore. A moment later, he followed up with a brutal spin kick, launching the regenerating husk skyward—all the way to another city.

He was already there when it landed.

From above, Kiligaku delivered another devastating spin kick. The impact was apocalyptic—like a meteorite crashing from orbit. Mountains, cities, and entire landscapes were flattened as the Zunan was driven deep underground.

The thing should've stayed down.

But of course, it didn't.

Its body, bones shattered and twisted, regenerated instantly. So did its head. It opened its glowing eye and fired a concentrated energy blast straight at Kiligaku.

The beam hit him mid-dive.

And then—

Detonation.

A blast erupted, so massive it erased everything in a 150-kilometer radius. Cities, forests, rivers—gone. The earth scorched red-hot, as if the surface had been peeled away and replaced with molten steel. The sky turned black.

Then, through the smoke and ash, a figure descended.

Kiligaku.

Scorched. Smoking. His clothing partially burned, body steaming from the heat, but still alive. Still standing.

He let out a small laugh, wiping a smear of blue blood from his cheek.

"Heh… that blast was no joke. Actually managed to burn my clothes a little, and bruise me a bit."

He looked up at the regenerating Zunan stepping forward from the smoke once more.

"Alright, then maybe you can back up your hype"

The Zunan emerged from the smoke—fully regenerated.

Not a scratch on it. Not a drop of blood left. Its grotesque body pulsed with restored energy, glowing faintly beneath the scars that no longer existed.

Kiligaku narrowed his eyes, stepping forward into a new stance—a grounded karate posture, precise and sharp.

"So you're that confident in your regeneration, huh?" he muttered. "That blast hit you too. But you knew you'd survive it. You weren't worried... because you knew you'd just heal."

He gave a dry chuckle.

"You're a tough one. No rather you're just a persistent little cockroach."

He tightened his fists.

"Let's proceed from where we stopped."

The Zunan responded with violence. A hatch-like slit opened on its abdomen, revealing a grotesque, fleshy mouth. From it erupted a swirling blue beam laced with black energy, searing through the air like a dark sunray.

But Kiligaku was already gone.

In a flash, he reappeared in front of the Zunan mid-air, hand outstretched.

He grabbed the creature's massive central eye and crushed it in his palm. The Zunan's blood gushed out, sizzling into vapor before it hit the ground—the surface beneath them was still red-hot, scorched from the previous blast.

Without giving it a chance to react, Kiligaku seized its shoulders, twisted his body, and slammed the creature into the ground with the force of a meteor strike. The ground shook. Craters formed. Steam hissed from the cracks.

Then he jumped back and drove a devastating kick directly between its legs.

But instead of sending the beast flying...

It split in half.

His leg had cut clean through it like a blade, dividing the monster from groin to crown in one fluid motion. Its insides spilled out, but only for a moment—before another surge of energy pulsed outward from the bisected corpse.

A concussive wave exploded from the creature, blasting Kiligaku backward.

He flipped through the air, controlling his momentum, landing lightly and resettling into a ready stance.

When he looked up, the two halves of the Zunan were already regenerating, stitching themselves back together at impossible speed.

Worse still—it was already charging another blast from its forehead eye, glowing brighter by the second.

"Oh no, you don't," Kiligaku muttered.

In a blur, he dashed forward. In one smooth motion, he struck both of the creature's legs at multiple rapid points with such precision and speed, it was as if they had been cleanly severed.

The Zunan's legs buckled.

It collapsed, and the charged blast fired harmlessly into the sky—where it exploded with such force it turned the entire sky red, stretching as far as Kiligaku could see. Clouds disintegrated. The upper atmosphere lit up like it was dusk.

The Zunan quickly began regenerating its legs, refusing to stay down. As it stood, it launched a desperate punch, extending its arm outward to try and grab Kiligaku—or so it thought.

Kiligaku's arms met its own with thunderous force. Now locked in a brutal test of strength, the two giants pushed against each other—power versus power.

The ground beneath them cracked and buckled. Lava surged upward through the fractures, shooting geysers of molten rock into the air.

The Ichigan let out a distorted, rage-filled screech.

Kiligaku didn't flinch. He gritted his teeth, roaring back. "You're not winning this."

Muscle by muscle, inch by inch, he forced the Zunan backward, overpowering it.

"See that?" he growled, pushing harder. "I'm stronger."

Then, in one motion, he leapt into the air, brought his knee up, and slammed it into the Zunan's chin with enough force to obliterate its head in a single blow.

No time wasted.

Before the creature could regenerate, Kiligaku unleashed a flurry of devastating punches, each strike compressing air and igniting shockwaves. Blow after blow rained down like comets until—

One final punch.

It connected square in the Zunan's chest and launched the creature like a missile. It rocketed across the sky, a burning blur, disappearing into the distance.

It crashed into the Indian Ocean, sending waves hundreds of meters high into the air.

But even mid-flight—before it hit the water—the Zunan's body had already begun regenerating.

Back on Okinawa Island

A group of instructors observed Kiligaku's battle through a massive holographic display projected in the center of a dark, circular chamber.

Shiori frowned. "What is Kiligaku doing? He's just wearing himself down. Has he forgotten that Ichigans don't get tired? At this rate, he's going to lose."

Perched on a wall-mounted platform, a man with silver hair and narrow eyes spoke calmly. "His attacks, while powerful enough to injure it, aren't destructive enough to completely eliminate the Zunan's body. That might be why he's holding back on using his lightning. But that just raises another question—why is he only using physical strikes?"

On a couch nearby sat a woman with glowing yellow eyes—Mizuki. Her gaze remained locked onto the image of Kiligaku.

"The Board was fully aware that Kiligaku's lightning isn't capable of killing an Ichigan," she said coolly. "But that's exactly why we pitted him against one. We wanted to see if he could apply what he learned in training—use his abilities creatively, despite his lack of raw destructive force to kill an Ichigan."

She crossed one leg over the other.

"Kiligaku knows physical attacks alone won't kill a Zunan. He's not reckless, and he's definitely not dumb. With your Zenten Eyes, I assume you've noticed what he's really doing."

The man and Shiori's eyes glowed faintly as they examined the battle through their enhanced perception. The man chuckled and closed his eyes with a satisfied nod.

"I see. He's quite the fast learner."

Shiori looked genuinely surprised. "When did he master that technique? It's been less than a year since the cadets awakened their powers... and he already reached that level?"

Mizuki smirked. "Kiligaku's not just talented—he's obsessed. Relentless. If you'd seen how hard he trains, you wouldn't be shocked. The point of this test was to see if he could apply that work in real combat. After all, this is the cadets' first encounter with a Zunan... but to him? It doesn't even look like a real struggle."

---

Back to the Fight

Underwater, the battle raged.

Kiligaku and the Zunan clashed beneath the crushing ocean depths. Kiligaku grabbed the creature's massive arms and, with raw force, ripped them clean off. He tossed the severed limbs toward the surface, where they broke through the water and soared into the sky.

The Ichigan didn't flinch. Its arms regenerated in seconds.

Kiligaku landed a brutal punch square into its gaping mouth, sending the Zunan rocketing upward out of the ocean.

As it flew, the Ichigan retaliated, firing a massive energy blast downward.

The beam struck the sea, and the resulting explosion was catastrophic. The ocean parted—the seafloor laid bare for a few seconds. Tidal waves erupted in all directions, causing what would go down in history as the largest tsunami ever recorded.

Hovering mid-air, the Zunan searched for its opponent.

It sensed something behind it and swung its arm backward violently.

It was right—Kiligaku was behind it.

But he was too far back to be hit.

"Sorry, buddy," Kiligaku said, appearing just above. "Right idea… wrong execution."

He dived downward, stomping onto the Zunan's back and dragging the creature down at blazing speed, like a meteorite.

They hit the earth—slamming into New York City with apocalyptic force.

The entire city was flattened. And then some.

Kiligaku stood among the wreckage, his clothing torn and scorched, but still intact.

The Zunan, of course, began regenerating once more. Then it released another devastating energy wave, hurling Kiligaku backward through the air.

Kiligaku tumbled a few meters away, catching himself mid-drift.

He was sweating now.

"Well," he muttered, steadying his breath, "it's been fun. But… it's time to end this."

The Zunan launched itself toward him—but then, ZAP.

Its body convulsed.

Electricity surged through it, lightning exploding from every joint, nerve, and cell. The creature screamed—its regeneration slowing. The lightning didn't just strike it—it devoured it.

It tried to regenerate... and failed.

The lightning grew more intense—destroying it faster than it could heal.

Kiligaku hovered calmly, arms crossed.

"Wondering why I didn't use lightning before?" he said aloud. "Didn't you find it odd I was only throwing punches?"

The Zunan screeched, spasming violently.

"I was charging you," Kiligaku continued. "Each hit transferred energy into your body. Not enough to harm you. At first, anyway. More like... potential energy."

He grinned. "Ever study physics? Nah, of course you didn't."

"Every punch I landed was part of a buildup. That energy inside you? It wasn't stable. Eventually, it hit critical mass—triggering a chain reaction with the other energy I planted in you."

The lightning intensified, bursting out of the Zunan in violent surges. Its limbs exploded. Its chest caved. Its screams became incoherent.

"If I'd just zapped you directly, your regeneration would've cancelled it out. But now? You're experiencing all of it at once."

"This ability…" Kiligaku's eyes glowed with static.

"…is called Taneki. Remember it in the afterlife."

And with a final, thunderous surge of light and sound—

The Zunan was obliterated.

Not wounded. Not wounded and healing.

Gone.

Kiligaku stood silently for a moment, the charred earth crackling around him.

He took a deep breath.

"Without Taneki, this wouldn't have gone my way," he admitted to himself. "Even with all my power... I was at a disadvantage. I guess this was the instructors' real test—to see if I learned to apply my training."

The image of Instructor Mizuki's smug expression flashed through his mind. He sighed.

"Yup. Definitely her idea."

A voice echoed in the air:

"Cadet 15-003, your test is complete. You will now teleport back to the Island."

As his body began to glow with a soft white light, signaling the teleportation sequence, Kiligaku glanced down at his clothes.

Burnt at the edges, torn at the sleeves—but still intact.

He chuckled. "These uniforms are no joke. If this were normal fabric, I'd have been fighting that thing butt-naked after the first punch."

He lies flat, legs crossed, arms used as pillow for his head facing the Sun. "I wonder how the others are doing. Toshiro, Yukari and Pathro I sure hope you kicked some ass."