Sakigake!! Otoko Juku 148

J has made easy work of the dregs of Pooron Kokurenju...but with the arrival of Tou Fuuketsu, the chief-head of the assassin's guild, the boxer's problems may be slithering closer to him than he realized!

Chp. 148: The Shou-ke Jagouken Man

127.
Tou Fuuketsu: You’ve defeated all of my worthless subordinates…but this won’t defeat the Pooron Kokurenju……!! I alone will defeat all of you………!
Toramaru: He…he’s the chief-head of Kokurenju……!!
Togashi: He’s…a terribly eerie guy…………!!

128.
(Title Page…Rd 2, START!)

129.
Togashi: Hey, do whatever you like, but you can’t stand there forever. Quickly get down to the battleground now---!!
Toramaru: Right: J’s getting tired of waiting; even so, are you seized with fear and shaking---!!
J: ……………………!!
Date: What is that black, ridiculously large ball………!?
Raiden: What exactly is that there!? He isn’t touching it with his hands, and yet the ball is moving on its own.

130.
Tou Fuuketsu: Go!!
Toramaru: L…look there---!! That ball thing is rolling with tremendous force, aiming for J on top of that rope-ladder----!

131.
(And there goes J, firing with his fists…)

132.-133.
Toramaru: Wh…what~~!!
Togashi: Sn…snakes---!!
Toramaru: J…J is be…being enclosed by a large nest of snakes around the whole surface----!!

134.
Momotarou: Th…that ball earlier was a ma…mass of those snakes……!!
J: !!
Tou Fuuketsu: Koumou Snakes…their deadly poison can take down a giant elephant with one bite.
(TN: “Koumou Snakes” or “Koumouhebi” = “Biting Black-and-White Snake”; in particular, the middle kanji actually really has no meaning in Japanese, but in Chinese it’s meaning is found to be “an animal who has fur/pelt that is a combination of black and white areas, such as the common depiction of a Holstein cow. [Thus why “gyuu”, the kanji for “cow”, is used as the main radical for this kanji…due to the common depiction of the “black and white cow”])

135.
Tou Fuuketsu: It’s just as indicated on the crest on my chest: this snake is the symbol of Pooron Kokurenju…
Tou Fuuketsu: They’re so cute……………
Tou Fuuketsu: Let me show you: the many secret arts of Shou-ke Jagouken, admired as the utmost limit of terror in this world……!!
(TN: “Shou-ke Jagouken” = “Bell-School Strong-Snake Fist”)
Raiden: Wh…what: th…that guy has…that Jagouken……!!
Toramaru: You…know of it, Raiden!?

136.
Raiden: Shou-ke Jagouken…this currently-limited ability was given forth by those who tamed poisonous snakes as assassination tools for powerful people during China’s Qin Dynasty. The snakes that were trained were absolute in reaching their target by passing through even the firmest of defenses by way of their nimbleness and smarts. In those days, where kenpou was mastered prosperously, it was a natural result that it gave birth to a style that used these snakes. No one had known just the name of this entity; that’s because it was a certain-kill fist that didn’t have anyone who had faced this fist and survived, even in the many thousands of years of the history of Chinese kenpou.
*Bibliography: “Secret Stories of Assassination”, Minmei Publishing
(TN: The “Qin Dynasty” Raiden refers to was an extremely short dynasty between 221 BC and 206 BC, which at the same time set up the prosperity of later, longer lasting dynasties like the Han)

Toramaru: ……………That’s….stupid. So…so then, J will………!?
Tou Fuuketsu: Let’s go!!

137.
J: !!

138.
Tou Fuuketsu: HMPH!!


139.
Toramaru: Wh…what---!! Wh…what is going on---!
Togashi: Joining together with his actions, the snake doing the same movement is attacking J---!!
Tou Fuuketsu: Fu: you are a bit serviceable.
Tou Fuuketsu: So then, how about this!!
J: SHOT!!

140.
Toramaru: He…did it---!! You’re…amazing, J---!
Togashi: He brought down three snakes that were attacking him from above his head with a jab that couldn’t be seen by the eyes, knocking them down~~~~!!
J: It’s useless. You can’t defeat me with that level.

141.
Tou Fuuketsu: Fu: such great self confidence, but it was just a tryout until now.
Tou Fuuketsu: From here will be the essense of Jagouken.
J: !!
Tou Fuuketsu: SHOU-KE JAGOUKEN: KYOKUOUSATSU!!
(TN: “Kyokuousatsu” = “Put-to-Death in Abundance Murder”)

142.
J: NU!!
J: Ku!!
Toramaru: Wh…what~~~!! A snake came out from that guy’s cuff~~~~!

143.
Tou Fuuketsu: Do you understand: the terror of this Kyokuousatsu!! With this, the interval of my fist is ever changing and possesses a force of certain-killing with a hit.
Tou Fuuketsu: Fu: you don’t have to worry about that level of scratch.
Tou Fuuketsu: But how about this!!

144.
Tou Fuuketsu: Huh!!
Tou Fuuketsu: Ku!!

145.
Tou Fuuketsu: Fu, that was close: your boot was bitten by the snake, missing you. But you won’t use that same technique again.
Tou Fuuketsu: Well, do you think that too?
Tou Fuuketsu: Uh!!
J: You’ll become that next. Pray to God for your safety!

TN: Yeah, I doubt "You're not my match" would work with Tou Fuuketsu still around by the end of the chapter...but considering we just saw a snake explode, he did give him fair warning. But yeah...this leader is a tad obsessed with his snakes...maybe a bit too much but when you have something that he considers cuddly amidst it's killer instinct, you probably get used to them. But regardless, this is a good challenge for J just progressing from his fights with Raiden and Manjimaru, now with him being forced to fight not just multiple distant enemies but ones that are manipulating and just slithering around everywhere. I'm sure he'll figure a way to defeat them and Tou Fuuketsu...but we'll see next time.