I teach judo in Tokyo.

Although Sosuke was unharmed, he was able to return to his room to rest.

Most other people wouldn't be able to do it.

Apart from a few individuals, many victors, even those who won, suffered pyrrhic victories and had to receive treatment from the medical team alongside the losers.

It was precisely because this reason was anticipated that this was the case.

That's why the main tournament is held weekly.

Otherwise, if the players are made to fight continuously, they will become increasingly exhausted as the game progresses.

There is a greater possibility that the accumulated injuries could lead to serious injury and death.

......

Chapter 357: Reforging and Sublimation Again, the Fifth UR Skill

It's now the fourth week of January.

This is also the third week since the start of the King of Fighters main event.

On this day, Sosuke had just finished a video call with his students, supervising them as they completed their training for the day.

Over these three weeks, although he did not personally teach at the dojo.

However, the strength of several disciples continued to improve.

Kuno Maruko and Mifune Yumi's self-defense techniques have reached a maximum level of "20", while Sakura's Mugai-ryu swordsmanship has finally broken through "30".

The three individuals' breakthroughs in strength resulted in Sosuke acquiring three SSR-level system skills.

Sosuke chose one from each of the following directions: unarmed combat, weapons, and magical arts.

[Unarmed SSR-level skill - Swallow the Earth]

[SSR-level Weapon Skill - Heavenly Sword Dance]

[SSR-level Mystic Skill - Swift Feet]

As it turned out, only the unarmed skill "Swallow the Earth" was somewhat practical and suited Sosuke's tastes.

The other two SSR skills, the one for the mechanical equipment and the one for the magical arts, were rather obscure and inconvenient to use, and they didn't have any special effects, so he simply activated the system's "refining" function again.

Two newly acquired SSR skills, as well as one existing SSR skill whose function can be replaced, were selected for fusion.

Then, a more important skill was "refined".

This elevated skill is "The Heart's Edge".

The reason for being so eager to choose this skill for advancement is actually quite simple.

That is, after he faced off against Vega a few days ago, he was ambushed by the other party using "spirit" as a weapon.

Although he reacted extremely quickly, he used the energy of the Yin Seal to decompose it into additional mental power, and combined it with the "Heart of One Side" technique, which allows him to unleash killing intent with his eyes, he successfully withstood Vega's attack.

But it quickly served as a wake-up call for him.

Clearly, his current "physical body" has undoubtedly reached a certain limit.

Although he couldn't compare to the extremely rare "superhuman physique" of Julius, even among the many extraordinary individuals, his body, shaped by the system, was among the strongest.

Combined with his current level of protective skills exceeding "60".

In terms of physical combat alone, apart from those as strong as a war god as Furinji Amanto, Sousuke is confident that he will not be afraid of anyone.

However, Vega's sneak attack revealed a new weakness to him.

spirit.

After all, as a superhuman and a martial artist, his mental fortitude was already far stronger than that of ordinary people; simply put, it was enough.

Therefore, he did not specifically cultivate techniques related to mental will—normal people wouldn't cultivate such things either.

Before encountering Vega, he had no idea that in this world, cultivating one's "spirit" to a high level could actually affect and damage the spirit of others.

So naturally, they didn't pay attention to this issue.

Things are different now.

He speculated: what would have happened to him if he hadn't used the Yin Seal to transfer energy to decompose the previously stored "spirit" on the night he was mentally attacked by Vega, or if he hadn't used the Heart of One Horizon technique to unleash killing intent to fight against Vega?

At best, he will likely be mentally traumatized and fall into a state of mental blankness for at least a few seconds.

During this time, he was completely powerless against four top-tier fighters...

Just thinking about it made him break out in a sweat.

Therefore, Sosuke felt that the rudimentary application of spiritual power in "One Side of the Heart" was not enough.

He needs a stronger trump card, one that can enable him to resist or even counter mental attacks in crucial moments.

So, Sosuke sat upright on the sofa and even took a shower before activating the smelting and sublimation function.

If there's a statue of Guanyin or something similar in the room, he might even burn a few sticks of incense.

Then, he gritted his teeth and began refining his skills.

["Beyond Flames", "Returning Sword Dance", and "Swift Feet" have been retrieved]

【"A Place in the Heart" Completed】

[You have acquired a Mystic UR-level Skill - Killing Intent Wave]

There were no special effects.

There were no fancy hints or explanations.

The system provides extremely rapid feedback.

After fusing Sousuke's three SSR-level skills, Sousuke's "Heart's Path" was sublimated into a new skill.

"A surge of killing intent?"

Sosuke looked intently at the effects of the skills the system had instilled in him.

[Killing Intent Wave - Transforms one's spirit into a violent and surging killing intent that radiates outward, creating mental pressure on those with weak wills; if "energy" is injected when activating it, the killing intent can carry powerful destructive force, drastically reducing the stamina of enemies within the skill's range and greatly enhancing the fighting spirit of allies.]

The system will not play the riddle-maker with him.

He quickly learned about the function of this new UR-level magic through straightforward transmission.

After understanding, Sosuke's face showed a satisfied smile.

As expected, no UR-level skill is weak!

Although it differs slightly from his core purpose of "enhancing spiritual cultivation".

"Killing Intent Wave" is not a method of mental cultivation, but a more direct technique—the use and even transformation of the mind.

Sousuke was unable to "cultivate and enhance" his mental strength by using the Killing Intent Wave.

However, the skill itself has an additional, more powerful function beyond simply fulfilling Sosuke's requirements.

With this skill, he will no longer need to fear opponents specializing in "spiritual" techniques who could pose a threat to him.

To put it bluntly, when he activates the "Killing Intent Wave" technique, it automatically "strengthens" his own spirit into the mysterious "Killing Intent".

Although the word "killing intent" shares the same name as the kind of "killing intent" used to describe a powerful aura, it is entirely different.

The essence of this "killing intent" is a form of mental power.

Protected by "murderous intent," Atobe Sousuke can effectively block mental attacks from his body.

Moreover, intense "killing intent" can also exert strong pressure on the opponent, causing them to be affected in return.

If an ordinary person with a weak will or limited mental cultivation were to face Atobe Sousuke's "killing intent," they would involuntarily feel terrified and fearful. In severe cases, they might even see terrifying hallucinations or suffer a complete mental breakdown.

This is still without using "energy".

If Atobe Sousuke uses "energy" to enhance it, then this technique, like other UR techniques, will instantly transform into an even more surreal and terrifying technique.

Enemies will actually suffer physical damage when attacked by "killing intent" imbued with "energy"!

With this skill, Vega's mental threat became less of a threat to Atobe Sousuke.

It immediately ceases to be a threat.

***

Chapter 358 The Extravagant Plan

UR-grade craftsmanship is truly amazing...

Atobe Sousuke was getting restless.

He still has quite a few SSR-level skills in his system's skill library. Should he pick out a few and add another UR skill?

But he gave up on the idea.

SSR-level skills are also very practical and precious skills.

The skills he melted down this time were all replaceable, which is why he was willing to melt them down.

For example, with the UR-level movement technique "Asura Flash", the SSR-level "Beyond Flame" and the newly acquired "Flying Kick" can be completely replaced, as they are also movement-type skills.

Another new weapon technique called "Returning Heaven Sword Dance" requires the use of two small swords at the same time to be effective, which is slightly incompatible with his current equipment, so he can grit his teeth and melt it down.

As for the remaining skills, although there seem to be many, they each have some of the effects that Sosuke needs, so melting them would inevitably be quite a pain.

Sosuke put away the system panel.

I decided to wait until I had acquired more skills before considering this matter.

After obtaining the new UR skill, Sousuke finally breathed a sigh of relief.

"Knock knock knock."

There was a knock on the door.

He couldn't help but check the time—it was a little past eight in the evening.

Hmm... at this time of year, there's a good chance anyone will come looking for him.

However, the person he saw after opening the door was beyond Sosuke's expectations.

It was the 50,000-year-old young woman, Fu Hua, whom I hadn't seen for almost two weeks.

"Atobe, long time no see," Fu Hua greeted him.

"A rare guest indeed~ Come in and speak." Sosuke stepped aside and let Fu Hua into the room.

Then, following behind Fu Hua, he asked curiously, "Lord Fu Hua, you disappeared after the first round of battles. Did you gain anything?"

Fu Hua nodded: "There are some things I shouldn't stay in for long, so I'll keep it brief."

"Okay, I'm listening." Sosuke poured a glass of water and handed it to the girl.

“I learned through my own information channels that Adilhead is the son of Luca, the owner of the Luca Group, the organizer of this event, so I have been secretly following him and have obtained some information.”

Fu Hua quickly said, "After the match, he frequently contacted Gulichalidu, Wesker, Gis, and others. These people are all high-ranking cadres of the World Serpent, and they all follow the lead of that mysterious man in the Red Army uniform, 'Vega.' Therefore, I suspect that Vega's identity is that of the highest-ranking leader in the World Serpent."

She added, "It is very likely to be one of the mysterious 'Grand Ones'."

Sosuke nodded awkwardly. He already knew about this news that Fuka mentioned on the very first day he met Vega.

However, he couldn't just say anything, so he could only earnestly agree, "It's actually the legendary 'Grand Rank'? The Serpent of the World must have something in mind to send someone of this rank."

“That’s right.” Fu Hua nodded solemnly. “In this era without supernatural factors, my strength is far too weak compared to my strongest period. This Vega’s mental cultivation is extremely high. I tried to follow him twice and almost got discovered, so I had to give up on this lead.”

She slowly said, "Then, during my continued investigation, I discovered that in addition to the group of people from the Ring Serpent, there was another group of people hiding in the shadows who were in contact with Adilhead."

"The men lurking in the shadows?" Sosuke raised an eyebrow, and for some reason, he thought of a few familiar faces.

Could it be Goenitz and his gang of Yamata no Orochi madmen?

Fu Hua nodded: "Yes, a mysterious person in the shadows, who only contacts Adirhead and doesn't associate with those people from the Vega's World Serpent. I heard terms like 'priest' and 'spirit collection efficiency' from Adirhead's communications with them..."

She paused, then said decisively, "So, I can be pretty sure that although we don't know the methods they use overtly yet, the real purpose of this competition is definitely to use so many contestants and spectators to carry out some kind of special sacrificial ritual!"

"Hmm..." Sousuke stroked his chin. "So, what should we do? Report to the authorities and have the match suspended immediately?"

“I can’t do it…” Fu Hua shook his head slightly.

"The influence of the King of Fighters tournament has spread far and wide. Now, trying to stop this tournament when the evidence is questionable is as difficult as stopping the Olympics, or even much more difficult. Do you think it's possible?" Fu Hua said helplessly.