Chapter 14: Chapter 14: One Strike, Five
Tatsuki swiftly spun his nunchaku in his left hand and brought it crashing down on the green-haired thug barreling toward him—smacking the thug's right hand hard enough to make him instinctively let go of the stick he was clutching, which clattered to the ground.
Without pausing, the other three henchmen surged forward. The yellow-haired thug swung his own stick at Tatsuki, but he simply stepped back to evade the blow. No sooner had he dodged than the red-haired thug lunged with a flying kick. Calm under pressure, Tatsuki grabbed the red-haired attacker's leg with his right hand and struck his thigh with his nunchaku in his left. Using that very momentum, he flung the red-haired thug straight toward the yellow-haired one.
Caught off guard, the yellow-haired thug was slammed down like a heavy weight—his cries of pain echoing, "Whoa! That hurts! That hurts!" Meanwhile, the red-haired thug, pinned atop his ally, frantically rubbed his throbbing thigh. The yellow-haired thug, still reeling beneath him, managed to yell, "Damn it, get up, Red!"
Struggling to recover, the red-haired thug gritted his teeth and, like the green-haired guy, started massaging his injured spot. Not yet joining the fray, the purple-haired thug hesitated as he watched the three attackers get repelled by Tatsuki's relentless blows. Tatsuki, however, stared at the purple-haired adversary with an excited glint in his eyes. Sensing his intense gaze, the purple-haired thug stumbled back in fear.
Seizing the opportunity, the green-haired thug—now recovered—bellowed fiercely, "Damn it, what are you afraid of, brother? Charge!" In unison, four of them surged forward once more, their shouts filling the air with tension.
Behind their leader, a trio of onlookers cheered, "That guy is amazing!" One of them added, "He's taking on four at once—and hasn't even been hit yet!" A hushed voice murmured, "I feel his chance of winning is even higher…" Another whispered encouragement, "Give it your all, Tatsuki!" At the very corner, Katou Megumi called out softly, "I believe in you, Tatsuki-kun!"
Seeing that their boss, Mokudai, hadn't yet launched his own attack, Tatsuki decided to strike first. He swung his nunchaku at Mokudai's stomach. Quick on his feet, Mokudai ducked and tried to counter with a sweeping kick aimed at toppling Tatsuki's balance. But with cool precision, Tatsuki executed a flawless backward flip to dodge the kick.
Undeterred, Mokudai sprang up and launched a flying kick at Tatsuki's face. As the kick sped toward him, Tatsuki reacted instantly—grabbing hold of the incoming kick with his right hand, and using its own momentum to hurl Mokudai away.
Mokudai was sent hurtling through the air, and he managed to twist into a landing defense before crashing down with a loud, resounding "CRASH!" He flipped like a startled koi, then staggered back to his feet.
Not giving him a moment's respite, Tatsuki charged forward once more. With a rapid swing, he struck Mokudai squarely in the chest with his nunchaku. "Ah—hit!" Mokudai howled as he coughed up a spray of foam. Without pausing, Tatsuki followed up with a spinning kick that connected solidly with Mokudai's face.