A muscular girl is presented to the passionate world of crossover anime.

Lately, I've been clashing with Musashi in my dreams far too often. In some dreams, Kanon wins, in others she loses. But winning or losing doesn't really matter. The key is that in those head-on battle dreams, Kanon has to be constantly on edge, like undergoing extreme combat training. This leaves me feeling completely exhausted and drained when I wake up. Compared to those dreams, these lighthearted ones are heaven! Even if I dreamt I had a beard, I wouldn't care; I could just treat it as a memory of a past life.

"Oh, my princess, I've come to take you home!" After completing the game, Florio excitedly went to pick up the princess, but the princess turned around and said, "Thank you, Ye Haihuang."

Ye Haihuang? Who would call Hanon that?

Uh, that princess, she has the face of Retsu Kaioh! Aaaaaaah!

"Ahhhhhh!" Kanon woke up with a scream. It was a really, uh, memorable dream. She was still moved even after waking up.

Damn it, Hanon rubbed her eyes, they were wet, she was so moved she cried!

"Huff, huff..." Hana breathed heavily for a moment, her mood calming down a bit: "What a nightmare."

Then she turned her head and saw an old face by the bed: "Miss, are you having another nightmare?"

"Aaaaaaah!" Kanon screamed again, she was terrified once more!

"Young Miss?" It was the old butler, Ito, who quickly handed over a damp towel at the right temperature. "It seems you were quite frightened. Usually, if I were in the room, you would have noticed immediately."

After wiping her face with the towel, Hanako was still shaken. Over the past two years, the servants of the Eagle Wind family had become accustomed to Hanako's routine, and Hanako had also become accustomed to their service. This was truly the first time that someone had been in the room after she woke up without her noticing.

Even Kanon was mocking herself: "Sigh, it really was a nightmare, even more terrifying than Musashi Masato. I was completely at a loss. This can't go on. Maybe I should take some sleeping pills. I didn't expect to have neurasthenia at such a young age..."

"Young Miss, you must take care of your health." The old butler said with concern, "If there's anything you need, just tell the family to do it. If you have anything on your mind, just tell me."

"It's nothing serious, don't worry~" After wiping her face and catching her breath, Hana felt much better: "By the way, why did you come to my room so early in the morning? Is there something you need?"

“Oh, yes.” Ito nodded. “Your friend, Retsu Kaioh, is here and sitting in the living room.”

"Ah ah ah ah ah ah ah--"

Lie Haiwang sat in the Yingfeng family's living room, his brows suddenly furrowing: "Did I just hear a scream?"

The Yingfeng family's status was undeniable, so the decoration of their residence was naturally the most extravagant imaginable. Years ago, most Chinese people, seeing such luxurious decor and a large villa, would have condemned it from a class standpoint, calling it "the evils of capitalism." A little later, many would exclaim with envy, "No wonder they're wealthy from developed countries; that's true civilization!" Still later, high-rise buildings filled China, and more and more people could afford villas. Even though materialism still existed, there was no longer a need to envy the beauty of the moon abroad… All of this is a phenomenon resulting from the changing times and social development, a shift in people's minds under the current environment, but it wasn't Lie Haiwang's doing.

This passionate man had practiced martial arts since childhood, and had long since eliminated all external influences, focusing solely on martial arts and combat, leaving no room for anything else. Although he was no longer a monk practicing at Bailin Temple, in reality, Lie Haiwang's life was not much different from that of an ascetic monk; the only difference was that monks devoted their hearts to gods and Buddhas, while Lie Haiwang devoted his heart to martial arts.

Even the maids who came and went whispered among themselves: "This guest has such good self-control. He sits upright, closes his eyes and focuses his mind, and doesn't even open his eyes to look at people."

Whether the Eagle Wind family was rich or poor, large or small, made no difference to Retsukaioh; the only thing that could make him open his eyes was the arrival of Kanon.

Opening his eyes, Retsu Kaioh's brows furrowed even more. What was this Hanon looking like? Her hair was unkempt, a complete mess, and she had dark circles under her eyes. She'd just thrown on a loose bathrobe and come out like that… Naturally beautiful, Hanon might still be a stunning beauty, and perhaps even alluring to lecherous men, but to Retsu Kaioh, it was unbelievable for a Sea King to greet guests like this…

"leaf……"

"What 'Ye'?!" Hua Yin interrupted him irritably. Of course she knew why Lie Haiwang was frowning, and she also knew that his frown would furrow even more tightly in the future—she had rushed out in this outfit just to say a few words to Lie Haiwang! "You don't need to say anything. I fully understand your intentions. I don't agree!"

After watching the battle between Kanon and Pike, Retsu Kaioh went back to Japan to recuperate. He was still injured by Pike and might not have fully recovered yet, but he rushed back to Japan. What else could it be but to compete with Miyamoto Musashi?

But Kanon couldn't agree to that! She had sparred with Musashi and felt that Musashi was stronger than Pikachu, while Retsu Kaioh's strength was even inferior to Pikachu's. If he lost to Musashi, that would be one thing, but the worst fear was that he was stronger than Musashi unarmed but no match for Musashi wielding a sword, and would be killed by Musashi with a real sword. In that case, all of Kanon's previous protections as the Sea Emperor would be in vain... Kanon had dreamt of that scene many times in the past few days. Every time Retsu Kaioh was killed by Musashi, she would wake up screaming or crying. She couldn't bear such a scene even in her dreams, let alone in real life.

Seeing Hua Yin's resolute attitude, Lie Haiwang frowned deeply: "Ye..."

"What do you mean, 'Ye'!" Hanon interrupted him again: "Musashi is too dangerous. I can't allow you to fight him."

"leaf……"

"What 'leaf'?! Ugh..." After repeatedly scolding the King of the Sea, Hana-on didn't know what to say next: "In short, it just won't work!"

"Ye Haihuang!" After being interrupted three times, Lie Haiwang finally blurted out, "Let's discuss the matter of fighting Musashi later. Today, I've come to find you to go and watch Musashi's duel together..."

"Huh?" Kanon was stunned: "Musashi has a new rival?"

Author's Note: Musashi's opponent is a Kengan fighter.

Chapter 800, Section 809: Musashi's New Rival

Musashi's new rival... who is it?

“I don’t know either.” Retsukai told Hanon, “Mr. Tokugawa informed me, but he was vague. I rushed to Tokyo and came straight here as soon as I got off the plane. I originally guessed it might be you, Ye Haihuang.”

Completely bewildered, Hanon and Retsu Kaioh arrived at Tokyo Dome by car, easily making their way to the underground arena, where their friends were already waiting for them at the entrance.

"Katsumi-nii!" Kanon exclaimed, "Could it be that you're going to have a match with Musashi today?"

That man was none other than Katsumi Yuji, the young master of the Divine Heart Society. Ever since he had asked Kanon for advice on the "Supersonic Fist" last time, his relationship with Kanon had become much closer. Seeing him appear here, Kanon's heart sank: "Brother Katsumi is also a martial artist that I protected from Pike. In the end, instead of Brother Lie going to send Musashi to his death, he's the one who's going to do it?"

Fortunately, Katsumi shook his head: "No, if I were to fight Miyamoto Musashi, I wouldn't have time to greet you two."

"Then... it's Senior Doppo of the Ancient Court?"

"It wasn't my father either. He already sparred with Musashi, and unfortunately it was a crushing defeat... After that, my father went into seclusion and wouldn't be here today. I just received a notification to come and watch the match, and I just happened to run into the two of them at the entrance."

"So Mr. Guji has already challenged Musashi!" Kanon exclaimed, but in her heart she added, "It seems that Mr. Guji was not killed by Musashi. Perhaps he failed to provoke Musashi into using his true sword, or perhaps Musashi held back. In any case, it's all for the best that no one was killed!"

When Kanon fought Musashi, Musashi didn't have a chance to show how ruthless he could be. But since Doppo's level was on par with Retsu Kaioh, Kanon felt that since Musashi couldn't kill Doppo, even if Retsu Kaioh ignored her advice and insisted on challenging Musashi, he wouldn't necessarily lose his life.

The three chatted as they walked toward the stands. Kanon was still curious: "Who is going to fight Musashi today?" Unfortunately, neither Katsumi Goji nor Kaioh could answer that question.

Katsumi, quick-witted, looked around after arriving at the stands and suddenly uttered a startling statement: "Although I don't know who Musashi's opponent is today, he must be a very special guy, and this battle is definitely not just a simple martial arts sparring match."

"Huh?" Hanon and Retsu Kaioh both looked at them with suspicion: "What do you mean by that?"

“Look,” Katsumi gestured toward the stands, “If it were just a regular sparring match, Tokugawa would have invited the old spectators from the arena to watch together, and this place would have been packed.”

He was right. The arena, which could normally gather thousands of spectators, wasn't full today. A few spectators scattered around, totaling less than a hundred, a far cry from the grand spectacle of past battles. "Keeping the secret of Musashi's resurrection a secret" wasn't a valid excuse. Firstly, given Tokugawa Mitsunari's status, as long as he didn't reveal or acknowledge that this person was Musashi, no one could question it. Secondly, Tokugawa didn't care about leaks at all. Back when Kanon fought Pike, he had a full audience—and keep in mind that at that time, Pike was nominally a research subject under US military control!

"It is indeed a bit strange, but is it possible that Musashi's opponent wants the fight to be more private?" Retsu Kaioh analyzed. He also recalled that when he challenged Piko, the fight started with only a few people watching.

“It doesn’t seem like it.” Hua Yin denied his speculation: “There are nearly a hundred spectators here, and judging from the seating arrangement, they are not all in one row. If the contestants wanted to keep a low profile, it seems that there are more people here. In addition, besides martial artists like us, there are quite a few people in suits and ties in the audience. You can tell at a glance that they are from the political and business circles. Would these people take a fighting match so seriously...? There must be something fishy going on.”

As the three were discussing, someone in the stands noticed them and waved, greeting them: "Yo, Miss Hanon~"

"Dr. Ying!"

It's true what they say, you never know where you might meet someone in life. This acquaintance was none other than Yingchu.

Hana and the other two walked over: "Dr. Ying, are you here to provide medical support?"

"No, no, no, this battle today does not require medical support."

Hey, it seems Eiji is in the know! Since he's not here to be a doctor, but just to watch the fight, it means the person fighting Musashi is someone he used to know…

"Has Jack's injury from Pike's attack healed yet?" Everyone looked at each other and laughed. Jack Vanma was ruthless and didn't talk much. He didn't communicate with others and just kept to himself, seeking out various strong opponents to fight, from the five death row inmates to Pike and then to Musashi.

However, after laughing, Yingchu shook her head: "Jack's injuries have fully healed, and his attitude has changed somewhat; he agreed to let me do more modifications for him... but he's not the one fighting today~"

Not Jack?

"Actually, Miss Hanon, you know him too." Eiichi seemed to be talking to herself. "I'm here to say goodbye to this old friend, after all, it's a request I didn't complete..."

"Ah! It's him!" Hana's mind raced, and she immediately thought of someone...

At this moment, in the backstage lounge, Tokugawa Mitsunari was not with Miyamoto Musashi, but with his opponent, spending time with this warrior whom he was meeting for the first time and possibly the last.

"Are you used to the facilities here? Was the food you just had delicious?" Tokugawa's attitude was a bit strange. Even though he was always a sycophant to powerful warriors, he was being a little too attentive. "There's still more than an hour before the match starts. You've just been untied, so use this time to warm up properly... Mr. Bando."

Indeed, the warrior opposite Tokugawa Mitsunari is none other than the ultimate serial killer and death row inmate, Yohei Bando, who fought against Eiichiro and Izumi Hatsume in the Kengan Tournament's final elimination rounds and also clashed with Kanon!

This elusive death row inmate remained unchanged; when not displaying his cold indifference towards life, he was quite gentle and refined, possessing the demeanor of a medical whiz.

“No need to be so polite, Mr. Tokugawa.” Bando Yohei loosened his wrists slightly. “Just do as usual.”

"Oh, okay." Tokugawa Mitsunari was clearly not used to getting along with Bando yet—in fact, no one could get along well with Bando; the guy was both strange and ruthless, not a good candidate to be friends with.

"The staff are outside. You can ask them for anything at any time." After giving these instructions, Tokugawa left the room, leaving Bando alone in the players' lounge.

Of course, he was alone in the room. Outside, besides the arena staff, there were also many armed special police officers swarming around, keeping a close watch on Bando... Was it useful? No, it wasn't.

"Should we run away?" Bando murmured, sitting in his chair. "If we were to leave, now would be a great opportunity... but the chance to study 'Miyamoto Musashi' up close... is too rare, too rare, and it's really hard to give it up..."

"You're such a fool..." Suddenly, a sigh came from inside the room. Someone had sneaked in without Bando noticing! Bando looked at the newcomer urgently: "Yo Hanane?"

It was Hana-on.

Author's Note: Whew, 800 chapters already! That's quite an achievement. This book is nearing its end. It might make it through this month, but not next. Thank you all for your continued support! Love you all!

Section 810, Chapter 801: Tokugawa the Blame-Taker

Miyamoto Musashi stepped into the arena.

"That's Miyamoto Musashi..." Almost everyone in the stands exclaimed in amazement, whether they were martial artists or serious businessmen in suits. After all, anyone with a little knowledge of Japanese history had heard of Miyamoto Musashi's name. His fame in the world surpassed that of many emperors and shoguns.

The difference was that after the initial amazement, while everyone else returned to their poker-faced indifference, the warriors began to observe Musashi more seriously.

"Very imposing." "You can tell he's been through countless battles at first glance." "As beautiful as a poem or a painting."

“He is armed with a real sword,” said the Sea King.

“That’s right, it’s a real sword. It looks like the Tokugawa family’s ‘Kuni-Tora’. My father, Guji Doppo, was defeated by this sword,” Guji Katsumi said.

“We’ve all seen the video of Miyamoto Musashi knocking down a policeman on the street… The unarmed combat techniques we’ve learned are hardly applicable to a master of his level, especially since he was carrying a real sword.” Retsukai said, “Whether it’s Musashi’s current opponent or us who may fight him in the future, we don’t need to be bound by unarmed combat.”

“My thoughts are different.” Katsumi shook his head: “Look at Musashi’s face, there is a scar, it was caused by my father. Although he was ultimately defeated, a martial artist who is unarmed can still hurt Musashi. We practice karate, and our fists and feet are our swords. If you don’t trust your own hands, then you are not worthy to stand on the ring.”

After a moment's thought, Retsukai nodded in agreement with Katsumi's words: "Indeed, you are not wrong... Chinese martial arts are all-encompassing, with the ancient saying of eighteen kinds of weapons, and we are proficient in all kinds of martial arts. Therefore, I do not mind fighting Miyamoto Musashi with weapons. As for you, the Guji father and son, you are karate practitioners, so you can only rely on karate wholeheartedly. This is determined by your background. As our ancients said, 'A gentleman seeks harmony but not uniformity.' Let us seek common ground while reserving differences and make progress together!"

The compatibility between Retsu Kaioh and Guji Katsumi is really, really high...

The two chatted for a few more minutes, but when they finished speaking, they noticed that Musashi was still standing there on the arena below: "Strange, why hasn't Musashi's opponent come out yet?"

"Isn't that great?" someone said behind them. "Legend has it that even Miyamoto Musashi, who deliberately arrived late on Ganryu Island to annoy his opponents, has been stood up. This is karma that's been delayed for four hundred years!"

Katsumi and Retsukai turned around and saw it was Hana. They exclaimed in surprise, "Ye Haihuang? You were just going to..."

"I went to see Musashi's rival." Kanon sat down, resting her hands on her knees. "He's also an old friend of mine."

Yingchu, who had been silent until now, suddenly said, "He didn't run away?"

"You, the one who wanted to kill him, actually want him to escape?" Hana looked at him. "If you were in his shoes, would you have done the same?"

"...No." Yingchu thought for a moment, then finally shook her head: "It seems Bando-kun is doomed."

Hanon sighed, "This is really reckless. The government is trying to use someone else to do their dirty work again, not even sparing Musashi, an ancient person. Old Master Tokugawa is really brave to agree to it so readily."