[154] Who’s the Real White Tiger?
<span style="font-weight:400">Chapter 154: Who’s the Real White Tiger?
<span style="font-weight:400">—
<span style="font-weight:400">[<b>Earlier</b><span style="font-weight:400">]
<span style="font-weight:400">The atmosphere was serene, with a gentle smoke incense filling the room and leaving out the open Japanese doors. An old man with gray hair and a short beard sat behind a table and sipped herbal tea while facing a man of younger age and yet simr features.
<span style="font-weight:400">While the old man sipped tea, the young man didn’t. He sat with a fearsome posture and waited in silence. After a minute, the old man put down the cup of tea and looked at his son with a considerate look.
<span style="font-weight:400">“This might be too hasty,” his wizened voice filled the room, making the young man scoff.
<span style="font-weight:400">“I think you just lost your spine after I inherited the Sacred Beast, Father,” said the young man, a taunt in his voice that made his father chuckle.
<span style="font-weight:400">Looking at his son, with his head shaven and eyes filled with intensity, the old man felt a little nostalgic. Was he this idiotic too when he was young? “Byakko, now that you inherited that name from me, you need to act with cause. What’ll I do if you end up injured? We can approach this slowly.”
<span style="font-weight:400">Byakko Shinra, Heir of the Shinra n, frowned deeply at that. Did his father really believe in the rumors that much? How can a mortal defeat a God? Did this old man think he’d lose to that fake, false White Tiger?
<span style="font-weight:400">Despite its small size, Japan was one of the world’s powerhouses. Out of the many reasons, one primary factor for that was the Sacred Beasts.
<span style="font-weight:400">Who didn''t know about the Four Guardian Beasts? The Mythological Symbols? The Azure Dragon, the ck Tortoise, the White Tiger, and the Vermilion Bird were four names even mortals would recognize.
<span style="font-weight:400">Along with that was a new, fifth name. At the center of these four, was the sacred beast known by few; the Gold Dragon, also called the Yellow Dragon.
<span style="font-weight:400">These five together, known as the Five Sacred Beasts, roamed the Earth for eons. They dominated the world with their overwhelming strength and became legends.
<span style="font-weight:400">At one point in time, a few millennia ago, few knew for what reason, that these Five Sacred Beasts decided to choose human vessels.
<span style="font-weight:400">These beasts made pacts with five Japanese families, and since then a child from these bloodlines inherited their respective Sacred Beasts. Due to their strength, they could essentially be considered Demi-Gods, save for the eternal youth part.
<span style="font-weight:400">The five possessors of these Five Sacred Gears all lived in Japan. So naturally, the country’s status in the supernatural world was high. And the Five Principal ns, the undercover ruling ss, now dominated Japan.
<span style="font-weight:400">Among the five, the Nakiri n who wielded the Yellow Dragon and unofficially led the four other four ns, was considered the leading n. They were crowned as the strongest among the five ns, as the Yellow Dragon was the strongest.
<span style="font-weight:400">Yet however, the other ns were pretty close. People painted the gaprger than it actually was. After all, how could a bunch of cooks be Demi-Gods?
<span style="font-weight:400">Byakko Shinra, the current heir of the Shinra n, aimed to take a step beyond and prove that the Shinra n was far stronger than the Nakiri n. Byakko believed that those foolish blondes, clearly not Japanese, shouldn’t be allowed to lead Japan. They should focus on their chef business and let the other ns take the lead.
<span style="font-weight:400">As the wielder of the White Tiger, allowing him the ability to transform into a humanoid byakko, as well as reign over the Metal Element, he was an Ultimate-ss entity worthy of going against Satans and Gods.
<span style="font-weight:400">But to overthrow the Nakiri, he’d need both strength and fame. He had the former, but it wasn’t enough, and he didn’t even want to talk about thetter. Recently, there was an opportunity for both right under his nose.
<span style="font-weight:400">When the name [<b>The White Tiger Sage</b><span style="font-weight:400">] spread through the country, the entire world, after Odinson Thor’s defeat, people naturally came to congratte Byakko and his Shinra n. Since it was a man with the power of White Tiger, it must have been someone from the Shinra n, right?
<span style="font-weight:400">So how embarrassing was it that this Sage of White Tiger turned out to <i><span style="font-weight:400">not </i><span style="font-weight:400">be from the n, but from some random family?
<span style="font-weight:400">Byakko felt like he was pped hard when people realized he wasn’t the one who defeated Thor, and when they said, ‘Ah, that makes sense. If it was the Nakiri Heir it’d have been more believable, we should have expected this was someone else from the get-go…’
<span style="font-weight:400">The Shinra n began to look into it. Did one of the family members y around and have illegitimate children? There was the incident with Hanekawa Shinra 18 years ago, was this rted to her? Did she conceive a child before death? Was this him?
<span style="font-weight:400">Even so, how was he so strong? Byakko Shinra inherited the White Tiger, that''s how he could tap into the legendary beast’s power. In that case, how could this kid do the same without the Sacred Beast? What was going on?
<span style="font-weight:400">His identity was soon found to be Aquamarine Hoshino, and from there essing his information wasn’t hard. Although his personal information was oddly locked, a lot of his information was out to the public due to his celebrity status.
<span style="font-weight:400">From there, among many things, they learned of a dangerous fact.
<span style="font-weight:400">Aqua was dating a Yokai girl.
<span style="font-weight:400">A member of the Lagomorph Branch, no less.
<span style="font-weight:400">The Five Principal Families and the Yokai Faction had a rtionship like water and oil. Millennia ago, when the Sacred Beasts roamed China, the Nine-Tailed Fox ruled over Japan. Now they share this little country. They couldn''t tolerate each other but had no choice but to endure and coexist, for they had fought in the past and the result was devastating.
<span style="font-weight:400">If this Aqua was truly a member of the Shinra n, illegitimate or not, he couldn’t be swayed by the Yokai faction.
<span style="font-weight:400">Old man Shinra sighed at his son’s strong-headed eyes, as he failed to approach him even after an hour of trying. “Fine, have it your way,” it was better than him going on his own, anyway. “From our spy within the Yokai Faction, we learned about Queen Yasaka’s recent visit to Mai Sakurajima, and from there we heard about the exact date between Mai and Aqua’s meeting. If you want to go and confront him, about whatever you’re nning to confront him about.”
<span style="font-weight:400">“....” the room’s atmosphere immediately changed.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Just be sure to be careful,” Old man Shinra said, and let out a sigh right after when he looked at his son’s mad-stricken expression. More than stopping Aqua from dating a disgusting Yokai, Byakko Shinra wanted to test if the rumors were true.
<span style="font-weight:400">He stood up, bowing to his father, and walked out of the room with steps that made the mansion tremble.
<span style="font-weight:400">****
<span style="font-weight:400">[<b>Present</b><span style="font-weight:400">]
<span style="font-weight:400">I have a fucking date that I’ve been enjoying.
<span style="font-weight:400">Sure we weren’t making out or giggling at unfunny jokes, but training Mai was fun. I would rather not have been interrupted. “Come out, you’d rather not make me wait,” I said with a voice that boomed under the weight of my presence.
<span style="font-weight:400">There was silence at first, then a slight shifting in the bushes. A momentter, a group of seven men and three women walked into sight. They were led by a manrge in size, big enough to give a man pause and wonder if he was really Japanese, enough to tower over me. He was muscr andrge, wearing a beast-like grin as his golden eyes met my blue ones.
<span style="font-weight:400">“There you are, boy,” said the hunk man, although I could tell he was barely in his 20s himself. His shoulders were a little low as if a tiger was ready to lunch at prey. “We would like you toe with us without resistance. Though I wish you’d resist, I wanna test something out.”
<span style="font-weight:400">A slight grin crossed my face as Byakko issued his challenge, his voice dripping with arrogance. Iughed, "nning to resist? No, I wouldn’t just resist, I’ll bash your face into the ground if you don’t fucking leave me alone." My tone was light, almost mocking, contrasting sharply with the tension that hung thick in the air.
<span style="font-weight:400">Byakko Shinra burst outughing, while Mai, standing slightly behind Aqua, felt a surge of unease as she recognized the imposing figure of the bald man ahead of them. Her heart raced, not just from fear but from the recognition of the imminent danger.
<span style="font-weight:400">She stepped closer to Aqua, tugging gently at his shirt to catch his attention. Leaning in, she whispered urgently, "We don’t have to fight them. That’s the heir of the Shinra n, Byakko Shinra. He wields the power of the White Tiger," she said, her voice a hushed plea, “I know you have White Tiger powers too, that’s why this isn’t a good idea. With the legendary White Tiger as his host, he might be able to overpower you.”
<span style="font-weight:400">She was seeking to avoid conflict with a man known for his prowess and temper. While she knew her boyfriend, I, was strong enough to defeat Thor, she hadn’t seen it with her own eyes, so she didn’t know if I had received outside or situational help. Supernatural powers also had wacky effects; as she said, it’s natural to assume that the infamous and legendary White Tiger might be able to enve any lesser white tigers.
<span style="font-weight:400">I turned my head slightly, acknowledging her concern with a soft smile, "Be at ease, I don’t lose." Though I admit I was slightly surprised hearing the name ‘Shinra’, the same family where Sona’s Queen Tsubaki was from, as was my Tsubasa’s mother.
<span style="font-weight:400">Just as I spoke, Byakkoughed derisively, the sound echoing through the clearing. His body abruptly shifted, transforming. His skin grew white fur, and his form grew even more muscr. He entered his White Tiger humanoid mode, muscles bulging and stripes rippling across his skin in a majestic yet terrifying transformation. Without a second''s hesitation, he charged at me, a blur of speed and fury.
<span style="font-weight:400">With a resigned sigh, I rubbed my temple, clearly annoyed by the interruption. "Not a smart one are you," I said under my breath as he approached.
<span style="font-weight:400">I called upon the [<b>Tiger Icon</b><span style="font-weight:400">].
<span style="font-weight:400">My own form began to mirror Byakko''s transformation, but mine continued where his stopped. Stripes of energy coalesced around me, the air grew colder as I grew in size, and for a second I could see a glint of fear in Byakko’spanions.
<span style="font-weight:400">His ws met empty space as I teleported to his side, using <b>[Whirlwind Blink]</b><span style="font-weight:400">. I twisted my body and unleashed a spinning kick to his liver.
<span style="font-weight:400">– <b><i>Boom</i></b><span style="font-weight:400">!!!
<span style="font-weight:400">I hit him just enough to keep his attention on me and scare the rest of hispanions. From this close distance, I could identally hurt Mai just by unleashing my will.
<span style="font-weight:400">I maintained a calm expression, while my opponent grinned ear-to-ear. He drew back his arms and unleashed his own kick at my neck that I blocked with my forearm.
<span style="font-weight:400">Byakko’s attacks were fierce, each strike filled with the power of his bloodline, his ws swiping through the air aiming to tear at any vulnerability. He was fast enough to break the sound barrier with each of his movements, causing miniature sound bombs, and he was strong enough to break a mountain with his bare fist.
<span style="font-weight:400">He wasn’t exactly weak.
<span style="font-weight:400">But saying that both of us were White Tigers was an insult. I suppose my standards and expectations for someone with the White Tiger power were greater than this.
<span style="font-weight:400">I parried each attack with calm precision, my movements fluid and untroubled. I dodged when needed and guided him to a more secluded area of the park.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Hah! You’re not bad, holding your own!” the stupid brat shouted as I failed to stop a sighing from my mouth.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Is this all you got? Come on, use your trump cards or something,” I said. He was strong, each punch enough to defeat someone like Vali or Rias if itnded, but I could do the same with my will alone.
<span style="font-weight:400">As the initial exchange of blows grew monotonous, my patience wore thin. “It’s my turn now,” I said, making the fool burst outughing as he thought I was bluffing. Perhaps he thought that the kick at the beginning was my full power? What a stupid son of a bitch.
<span style="font-weight:400">With a swift motion, more fluid than violent, I stepped to the right of Byakko. I guided his attack to my right with one hand while I delivered a powerful left hook to his face. The dungeon space shattered like ss on the spot, almost breaking, as I had used some of my willpower in the punch.
<span style="font-weight:400">The impact was sharp and decisive; the sound of a thunderp filled the area and Byakko’srge frame crumpled to the ground, unconscious before he even hit the soil.
<span style="font-weight:400">It only took a single attack, and it wasn’t even my full power.
<span style="font-weight:400">Silence fell, broken only by the heavy breathing of Byakko’s stunned followers. I stood over the fallen heir of the Shinra n, my expression one of mild irritation mixed with an undeniable air of authority.
<span style="font-weight:400">If he was going to ruin my date, couldn’t he at least be worth fighting?
<span style="font-weight:400">I addressed the followers with amanding tone that brooked no argument, "I''ll send a message to your n soon. Don’t try to contact me before that; otherwise..." I let the words hang in the air, letting the full extent of my authority for a brief moment. They mmed down to their knees, their heads hitting the ground on their own.
<span style="font-weight:400">I had no reason to kill him or them, I didn’t have bad blood with them, so I decided to let him off easy. Next time I won’t be so kind.
<span style="font-weight:400">Turning, I caught Mai''s wide-eyed stare, her expression one of stupefied shock mixed with a hint of awe. This was the first time she saw me fight, it must feel different to see it with her own eyes than hearing it from someone else.
<span style="font-weight:400">Without a word, I gestured for her to follow, and together we walked out of the scene, leaving behind a group of bewildered and frightened followers and the unconscious form of Byakko Shinra.
<span style="font-weight:400">The park returned to its peaceful state as if the violent interlude had been nothing more than a gust of wind disturbing its tranquility.
<span style="font-weight:400">How annoying of an encounter.
<span style="font-weight:400">**
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