Difference between revisions of "Shun Zhang"

Revision as of 03:18, 8 May 2021

"I moved to Folia to become the strongest adventurer and to fulfill my dream of being surrounded by a fantasy harem. Instead, my twin brother ended up getting the spotlight in the strongest Legion of Folia while I ended up with a drunk for a Legion goddess, massive piles of debt, and the burden of being a third wheel."

Shun "Stray Dog" Zhang is the seventh Remnant of Paladin Decen, and served the Shaolin Temple alongside his younger twin brother Wen "Steel Palm" Zhang (Remnant 8) until he resigned due to his failing aptitude in martial arts. Shun and Wen stood for Decen's Ferocity and Tranquility, respectively, making them direct contrasts from one another like Yin and Yang. While Wen went on to become a master in the art of kung fu, Shun left the temple and returned to Japan, where his negative thoughts attracted a nearby Oni named Hiiro.

Hiiro was incapable of possessing Zhang due to the latter being a Remnant to Decen. Instead, the two formed an alliance. Struggling to make a living, Shun and Hiiro visit numerous criminal organizations and becomes a bounty hunter for the Red Circle Gang, and is tasked to fight and defeat numerous kung fu masters and spread fear in both Japan and China. Each fight making the Remnant stronger and gaining reputation as one of the most feared martial artists in the gang.

Appearance

Shun appears to be of asian descent, standing at 175 cm tall, with a muscular physique, weighing at 170 pounds. Shun possesses black spiky hair, clipped short, and streaked magenta at the ends, as well as bright magenta eyes like his father, Paladin Decen. However, his face is described to be mischievous and akin to a troublemaker. To the point where many shopkeepers exercise caution whenever he is around. When Shun is pressured or in the middle of a fight, his face is described to be like a cornered animal. This wild appearance caused Shun to receive the title Stray Dog during his adventuring in Folia.

Shun wears a black hoodie with a recognizable pink zipper, and baggy torn blue shorts. He also wears a pair of white Nike sneakers, but will swap it out for a pair of ragged black sneakers if he is in combat, as he dislikes his white shoes getting stained. Along his hands are white bandages that wrap all the way up to his forearms. It is revealed that Shun has blistering problems on the palms of his hands whenever he exerts himself. During his years in the Shaolin Temple as a disciple with Wen, Shun wore blue Shaolin robes and sandals, and his hair was shaved clean off.

When in his Wicked Oni transformation, features of Hiiro manifest through his facial features, as he takes on a redder tone, spiked teeth, and snake like eyes. His nails become darker and sharper, and his tongue becomes longer. Additionally, his hair grows longer and takes on a purple tint.

Powers

Superhuman Strength: Shun awakened Decen's superhuman strength around the same time his brother did, during their training as Shaolin Disciples. Although this strength was not as prominent compared to Decen, Shun found himself able to compensate for his lack of technique by simply overwhelming his opponent with his sheer power.

Shun unlocked this ability from subjecting his body to extremely harsh strength training conditions paired with the already harsh Shaolin Wushu curriculum. The combined stress and load on his body caused him to fall into a coma, but upon awakening, his body adapted and evolved to grow muscles that could offset the regiment he had placed on himself.

Evolution: A power that was inherited by one of Decen's Absorbed Abilities, Shun became able to adapt his body to any situation, although the process takes a lot longer than his father. Shun was largely unaware of this ability, as the power only once activated during his nonstop training in the Temple, where he wished for more strength. This power was what gave him an exceptionally muscular physique. However, due to Shun's laziness, he neglected to practice all of the stances in his curriculum, frequently skipping classes, leading to the Disciple to manifest a bulkier physique than his classmates, leading to a decrease in his speed.

After training and fighting with Hiiro, Shun's body continued to adapt and evolve, losing the excess muscle mass for a more lean physique, and thus regaining his original speed. Additionally, Shun's eyesight evolved to perceive actions in microseconds.

Once Shun began Dungeoneering and cleared the 100th level, his body adapted to withstand the blows of the mythical Triple Horned Dragon, which is said to possess one of the most powerful physical attacks known to man.

Escalating Rage: Upon seeing Flock near death during one of the Legion's Dungeon Clearing of the 14th floor, Shun was conflicted over whether or not to use his Wicked Oni Transformation to save his friend. However, before he could make his decision, Hiiro tells Shun that his powers have been dampened by a sealing rune embedded in the Dungeon Floor, limiting Shun to use only his base power and technique, which proved insufficient to defeat the monsters. The combined stress and sight of Flock being beaten caused Shun to become enraged, and all of his physical parameters to increase significantly, allowing him to destroy the monsters easily.

Escalating Rage boosts not only Shun's strength, but also his speed and reflexes, depending on the level of bloodlust. However, if Shun is too enraged, Escalating Rage will break his body, and Shun will be unable to fight for a time to recover.

Yokai Possessed: Although not formally a possession, when Hiiro merged with Shun, the two formed a master-servant relationship. Hiiro became Shun's familiar, and thus provided the Remnant with his own power. This drastically increased all of Shun's physical attributes, and allowed him to access parts of the Wicked Oni in battle.

• Hiiro's Battle Memories: Shun is able to access Hiiro's memories during his many years terrorizing Japan as an Oni. This provided Shun with battle experience which would manifest in terms of his fighting style through his subconscious. Hiiro's fighting style is considered by many to be extremely ferocious, due to possessing the mastery of Hung Ga, but also the explosive aggression of a Yokai.
• Heightened Reflexes: Hiiro possesses superhuman senses, and when transferred to Shun, provides the Remnant with heightened reflexes. Shun describes the feeling as an itch on the back of his head, or a compulsive urge to move in a certain way to avoid danger that he would otherwise not be able to see or detect using his own senses.
• Demonic Speed: Essentially considered an Oni himself, Shun is able to tap into Hiiro's innate Yokai physical parameters. This includes Hiiro's immense speed. Many martial arts masters who have fought Shun describe his speed as that of a "demon", due to the impossible speed that he is able to deliver his kicks and strikes. This was such to the point where some masters have pointed out that Shun may not only have replicated the No Shadow Kick, but had evolved it to the Chained Shadowless Kick. Combined with Shun's innate superhuman strength, the Remnant's combat prowess increased drastically.
• Wicked Oni Transformation: If Shun chooses, he can give total control to Hiiro for at most fifty seconds. While in this state, the roles are reversed, and Hiiro has full access to his powers, as well as a portion of Shun's abilities. The Wicked Oni Transformation was so powerful that Shun was able to easily defeat several of the deities through simple hand to hand combat, while otherwise he would have struggled without the form.

Fighting Styles

Due to sharing his body with Hiiro, Shun possesses two sets of fighting styles. However, due to Shun's incapability to really learn martial arts, he relies frequently on Hiiro's styles over his own. However, he will use his own styles if the opponent is not as powerful or if he needs to conserve Hiiro's energy. Using too much of Hiiro's styles will cause Hiiro to fall asleep, much to Shun's annoyance.

Shun's Martial Arts Styles

Wing Chun (Beginner, Later Disciple): This is the first martial art that Shun picked up alongside his brother. The two attempted to learn the style on their own time while also learning the Shaolin curriculum in an attempt to win the attention of the monks. However, unlike his brother, Shun did not possess a talent in learning the art, and thus his skill in Wing Chun was very lacking. He is, however, able to use the forms in combat, but can at most defeat several goons or uninitiated opponents. Against fellow martial artists, he is severely outclassed.

• Chain Punch: This was the only move that Shun managed to remember due to it "looking badass". Combined with his superhuman strength, Shun's variant of Chain Punch became extremely powerful, but was significantly slower than other Wing Chun users.
• Demon Chain Punch: Upon using Hiiro's Demon Speed, Shun was able to effectively perform the Chain Punch with even greater speed. This skill, although well known amongst masters, was still unavoidable due to the sheer speed of the punches landed by an Oni enhanced Shun.

Shaolin Wushu (Beginner-Disciple): Similar to his case with Wing Chun, Shun's skill in Shaolin Wushu is below the aptitude demonstrated by other disciples. Even those who are new to the art found themselves outclassing Shun due to his lack of flexibility and speed. After evolving his body and gaining a muscular physique, Shun's strength increased significantly, and he used this to his advantage, offsetting his slow and limited movements with superior and powerful strikes. Shun's strength was to the point where he was able to knock away a training dummy several feet with a single punch. However, this was still not enough, as a sparring match with his fellow disciples showed that even if his strikes were powerful, if an opponent was faster than him, he was still at a disadvantage.

• Shockwave Style - Vacuum Fist: A fighting style that adopted the standard Shaolin empty handed wushu curriculum, but adapted for Shun's heightened strength and heavy attacks. The Shockwave Style was a technique that Shun developed which utilized Shun's superhuman strength to produce heavy strikes, to the point where the punches and kicks were capable of generating shockwaves that would be used to hit the opponent should the blow itself not land. The power of Shun's strikes were such to the point where when Shun called upon Hiiro's heightened strength to add onto his own, his kicks were capable of completely blowing out the fires that were ravaging his home.

Kickboxing (Beginner): Shun attempted to learn Kickboxing during his time in America, but failed due to his lack of aptitude in learning martial arts.

Taekwondo (Beginner): Shun also attempted to learn Taekwondo in Korea, but was again, unable to master the style due to his lack of intelligence in martial arts.

Hiiro's Transplanted Martial Arts Styles

Hung Ga (Master - Grandmaster): Hiiro claims to have been a master martial artist, perhaps even approaching grandmaster, before turning into an Oni, to the point where he used this art to perform heinous acts such as assassination, murder, and war. Due to essentially using these skills for his own criminal gain, he was banished from the school by his master, where his style of Hung Ga underwent a significant evolution. Hiiro's implementation of Hung Ga specialized in low stances, frightening speed, and fierce strikes, with an emphasis on "overwhelming the enemy with unstoppable, unavoidable, undetectable strikes until victory". Hiiro speculates that his use of the "tiger claw stance" was what made him manifest claws when he was turned into an Oni.

When Shun uses Hung Ga, he is essentially allowing Hiiro's movements to take over his body. Many masters recognize Hiiro's unique style, and describe Shun as a "cursed martial artist" due to his unorthodox emphasis on aggressive strikes with low defense. Combined with Shun's superhuman strength, aggressive and master level technique, many fighters in Japan described him as a "Yokai", and fighters in China described him as a "Yaoguai". Fighters in America describe Shun as a "demon possessed martial arts master".

• True Shadowless Kick: While many believed such a kick was merely fictional, Hiiro reveals that there were a few masters who were capable of delivering the No Shadow Kick with great effectiveness. With Hiiro, he was one of the few that had mastered what he describes as the "True Shadowless Kick", in which he is capable of delivering a kick so fast and undetectable that his entire body appears motionless during the action. Hiiro claims that modern day implementations of the kick using distraction is but an imitation of the technique, hence why he coined the term "true" in the technique.
• True Chained Shadowless Kick: Upon transforming into an Oni, Hiiro's speed and physical parameters were increased to a superhuman level. This meant a significant upgrade to all of his moves and technique. This boost was to the point where he discovered that he was capable of delivering multiple True Shadowless Kicks in succession, a feat that many would consider impossible. This move was coined the Chained Shadowless Kick, or the Chained No Shadow Kick, and can only be performed by Hiiro, and later, Shun, who uses Hiiro's powers.

Elemental Kenjutsu: Air and Earth Style (Master): Hiiro, in his human years after his banishment from his school, moved to Japan, where he used his background in Chinese Martial Arts to learn Japanese Martial Arts. There, he took part in the training of the sword, and learned kenjutsu. During this time, Hiiro attracted the attention of a select group of samurai masters by practicing his True Shadowless Kick in the forest, outside of the Elemental Air Style Kenjutsu school. There, Hiiro learned Elemental Kenjutsu, a swordsmanship style that emphasized the use of soul energy to manipulate the elements. Hiiro, a genius in martial arts, picked up the teachings of the samurai extremely quickly, then proceeded to learn the Earth Style. However, as with the Hung Ga school, Hiiro used these teachings for his own personal gain, committing crimes and disgracing the school, leading to his banishment. Tarnishing the name of both Air and Earth schools, Hiiro was hunted down by numerous samurai, and was ultimately killed. Hiiro reveals that the endless sin and lack of repentance during his death was what corrupted his soul and turned him into an Oni.

Shun, when calling upon Hiiro's kenjutsu, is able to tap into these styles, but requires the use of Hiiro's Sentient Katana, Tomone. Unfortunately, Shun has lost Tomone countless times, leaving her on the bus, or forgetting to pick her up in restaurants. On one occasion, Shun attempted to draw Tomone and inspect the blade in front of several girls to impress them, but made the mistake of calling Tomone "flat" causing her to cry, greatly angering Hiiro. Due to this, Shun is only allowed to wield Tomone whenever he is in his Wicked Oni Transformation, as Hiiro does not trust the Remnant with his weapon.

Converging River Fist (Grandmaster): Following Hiiro's banishment from the Earth Elemental Kenjutsu school, Hiiro was hunted by numerous samurai for defiling their teachings. During this time, Hiiro adopted a new fighting style that attempted to combine Earth and Air Styles along with his Hung Ga. However, Hiiro was unsuccessful as his Kenjutsu and his Hung Ga did not provide any effective overlap in combat.

However, many years later, upon merging with Shun's soul, the Oni discovered that these styles could be linked with his Wing Chun. Upon losing a match against Master Leung's "Sixty-Four Hands" technique, Hiiro attempted to integrate Shun's Wing Chun into his Hung Ga, but was unsuccessful. Upon Shun suggesting that they make a new style altogether, an enraged Hiiro berated the amateur martial artist, calling his suggestion absurd. However, later on, Hiiro develops the "Converging River Fist", its very purpose, to use movements capable of linking other martial arts styles and having them converge into a single style like a river.

The Converging River Fist integrates the grappling and strikes of Wing Chun with the low stances of Hung Ga, along with the grace and fluidity of the Air Style, and the fortitude of the Earth Style. Upon spending several months training and learning the technique, Hiiro masters the moves and challenges Leung once more. The duel ends in a victory to Shun and Hiiro.

• Infinite Shadowless Chain Punch: Taking aspects of the Hung Ga Shadowless Kick, the Air Style Typhoon Blade Flurry, and the Wing Chun Chain Fist, Shun delivers an uncountable volley of punches at a near supersonic speed, undetectable, and blinding due to the integration of the Air Style. When Shun used this move against Master Leung, Leung's defences were breached by the sheer speed and amount of punches coming his way, along with the flurry that blinded his eyes.
• Two Thousand Hands Technique: Hiiro develops this form upon inspecting Leung's Sixty Four Hands technique, recognizing the importance of using all the body parts in combat, Hiiro took Leung's style and brought the form to its theoretical limits. By using every aspect of the body, every limb and joint, along with the defensive properties of the Earth Style, Hiiro developed a form that was virtually impregnable. When Shun used the Two Thousand Hands technique, Leung was shocked at the martial artist's ability to quickly adapt his fighting style and integrate it into his own.
• Tomone's Ceremony of Roses: Hiiro summons Tomone and delivers an uncountable number of slashes at a blinding speed. Using the Air Style, the slashes project outwards beyond the katana's reach, using the Hung Ga style, the slashes are delivered are undetected as the user appears stationary, using the Wing Chun style, the slashes are delivered quickly and efficiently. Hiiro names the Form after Tomone, as she loved roses, and the aftereffect typically was a shower of blood from his targets. As this move is a Kenjutsu Form that requires Tomone to perform, Shun is not permitted to use it unless he is in his Wicked Oni Transformation.

Story

Conception

Shun Zhang was born to Hai Bat Zhang and Wei Zhang in Nara, Japan. During Wei's labor, Shun was born first, then his younger twin brother, Wen Zhang was born after. During Wei's pregnancy, the soul of Paladin Decen entered the two infants, however the soul was originally intended for one body. As a result, Shun and Wen represented fragmented halves of Decen's Remnant. When both twins were born, Wen was born peaceful, tranquil, and did not cry, which the doctors found remarkable. On the other hand, the older twin, Shun, cried so loud that the hospital windows shook. After Wei gave birth to the twins, the spirit of Paladin Decen appeared before Hai Bat, and explained that their sons possessed his spirit, and that they would be destined to carry out their lives as Remnants of War. Hai Bat was enraged upon hearing this, as his marriage with Wei was intended to produce children that would grow up to enter high class roles and support the family out of their poverty. Hai Bat refused to let his sons grow up as warriors, and told Decen that his problems were none of his business. Upon hearing this, Decen was enraged, and sent a Paladin Curse on his family, condemning Hai Bat to poverty for the rest of his life.

Growing up, Shun and Wen were forced to attend advanced schooling under the orders of Wei, moving back to China. Hai Bat developed a severe drinking addiction, and frequently abused the twins and his wife after a long day of exhausting and frustrating work. One day, Wei carried groceries to their flat, and nearly collapsed due to the weight of the bags. However, seeing his mother in danger, Wen instinctively saved her, unlocking his power of Superhuman Reflexes. Wei, shocked at her son's newfound abilities, commented that Wen may have the aptitude to become a martial artist. Upon asking what that was, Wei explained that martial artists were those who practiced Chinese Wushu, and were able to use their abilities to help others.

Upon hearing this, Wen approached Shun and told him all about Chinese Wushu and demonstrated his new power of reflexes, asking Shun to throw several of Hai Bat's empty beer bottles at him, and dodging them effortlessly. Shun, amazed at Wen's powers, attempted to unlock reflexes for himself, but was unable to, causing one of the shards of the bottle to cut his eye.

During dinner, Hai Bat noticed that Shun was bleeding, and asked the twins what happened. Wei explained to her husband that the younger twin unlocked a hidden talent for reflexes, and that he possessed potential to be a kung fu practitioner. Wen revealed that he and Shun attempted to unlock the latter's dormant reflexes as well, but was unsuccessful, leading to Shun being injured. Upon hearing this, Hai Bat responded explosively, slapping his wife and forcing the boys to never learn kung fu again. To prove his point, Hai Bat grabbed Shun's hands and placed them in boiling water, causing the young boy to cry in pain. Hai Bat asked Shun that if he wanted to practice kung fu so badly, then proceeded to inflict second degree burns on the Remnant, causing both Shun and Wen to cry, and Wei to desperately beg her husband to stop.

Despite the horrific experience, Wen and Shun continued investigating kung fu in secret from both of their parents. Wen learned that kung fu could potentially be used for good and evil, and began flipping through pages in the library, becoming obsessed with an evil Chinese master named Leung Lum The Legendary Snake. Wen and Shun discover that The Snake was a kung fu master who initially used his talent for kung fu for good, but over time, began using it for personal gain, killing and committing crime, with the forces of China being incapable of stopping him due to the Snake's extremely high proficiency in the Four Viper Fist. As The Snake continued his rampage throughout the province, he began to gain more and more fame in the underground, and became infamously known as the Cursed Sifu due to his abnormal growth in kung fu technique, killing and hunting down grandmasters. Shun became frightened by the Snake, and asked Wen if the Snake would come and kill them if they learned wushu, but Wen reassured his brother that if it comes down to it, he would train to become strong enough to protect Shun, and to defeat The Snake.

The following weeks, Shun stole a newspaper, and discovered that the Shaolin Temple was open for new members. Upon reading this, Wen deduced that life in the temple could open up to new career paths in kung fu, and began to dream of becoming a kung fu teacher and opening up his own school. Wen told Shun that when he became a teacher, Shun would be his right hand man, perhaps even teaching the school alongside him. The Zhang Brothers would make it a mission to enrol in the Shaolin Temple and become monks.

The Steel Palm

Shun and Wen continued reading and learning about kung fu from stolen books, eventually attempting to learn kung fu as well. One of the styles that they picked up was Wing Chun, which Wen began to pick up very quickly. Shun, on the other hand, found the training to be laborsome, and instead decided to learn more on the history of kung fu. There, the Remnant read about rivalling gangs in China, who used kung fu to secure territory and drug turfs, as well as using kung fu to fight and kill other gangs. The use of kung fu for evil caused many gangs to earn plenty of money, and to live lavishly. Shun looked back on his life, and concluded that up until that point, he had been living abysmally; his father was a psychopath with abusive tendencies, and his mother suffered from schizophrenia. Both Shun and Wen were forced to pursue a future they did not want, and because of the forced alienation their mother put on them, both twins were incapable of socializing with other children their age. If Shun used kung fu for evil, he would be able to earn enough money to escape this lifestyle. Upon arriving at this conclusion, Shun told Wen about this, but Wen became angry, telling Shun that using kung fu for evil was wrong, even if it was enough to escape their miserable life. Wen explained to Shun that using kung fu for good was still an option, and that if the two brothers opened up a school, they could still earn enough money to escape Hai Bat.

One day, Wen approached his mother and asked her for her permission to enrol the two boys into the Shaolin Temple. Wen asked his mother to keep this a secret, and trusted his mother enough to reveal to her that he and Shun were learning about kung fu every day in secret. Unfortunately, Wei became deranged, and one night, she told her husband about Wen and Shun's actions, causing Hai Bat to respond violently. Hai Bat beat Wei, demanding her to explain why she let the boys to continue their investigation of wushu, then approached the boys. Hai Bat took Shun and placed his hands on the stove, turning it on and burning the boy, causing Shun to wail in agony. Upon seeing his brother being tortured by his father, Wen demonstrated his newfound aptitude in Wing Chun and fought his father, knocking him down. Wen reinforced his desire to join the Shaolin Temple, and told his father that in the state he was in now, there would be no way Hai Bat could stop him. Wen explained his plans to learn kung fu at the temple, grow up, and establish fame across China and open up his own school, earning enough money to support both him and Shun. Seeing no other option, Hai Bat reluctantly allowed the boys to enrol in the Shaolin Temple. On the morning the twins would leave for the temple, the twins' mother broke down crying begging for them to reconsider. For Wen, he was heartbroken, expressing some degree of regret for leaving his mother, but Shun, on the other hand, was left extremely disgusted, seeing his mother's actions to be selfish, as he interpreted his mother's desperation to be a way of forcing him to stay in the abusive environment Hai Bat had created over the years.

During their time in the Shaolin Temple, Shun and Wen made friends with their fellow Shaolin Disciples, and learned that to enter the tutelage of some of the more famous monks, they would need to prove themselves. Wen demonstrated his aptitude in Wing Chun martial arts, impressing the disciples, then proceeded to go far beyond the curriculum of Shaolin Wushu, mastering the staff in two weeks, the dao in three weeks, and exhibiting incredible speed as well as flexibility during practice. During a duel against one of his teachers, Wen was able to successfully integrate his background in Wing Chun along with the Wushu style he was taught, and was able to defeat his teacher after three months of training, much to the shock of the entire community. Due to this incredible feat, Wen was given the title The Steel Palm, and was accepted into the upper circles of the temple and enter the tutelage of several monks, learning the importance of meditation.

Unfortunately, for Shun's case, the older twin had a different fortune. While Wen excelled in his studies, Shun found himself incapable of performing to the same skill level. Inflexible and slow, Shun fell behind his fellow disciples and was thrown with the foreigners. After months, Shun remained a Shaolin Disciple along with a group of foreigners, causing his friends to label the Remnant as Guai Jai Shun, as he was frequently seen affiliated with the foreigners who only joined the temple out of tourism interest. Shun recognized his shortcomings, and begged for more power to try to get out of his predicament. Continuing his curriculum, Shun also subjected himself to harsh strength training. However, Shun's naive way of thinking caused the Remnant to reduce his recovery times even more, until one day, during a training session with the disciples, Shun collapsed, and went into a coma.

After two months, Shun awakened in his room, and discovered that his body had changed. An array of muscles lined his body, and he found himself to be much bigger than before. Many of Shun's old friends had gone on to more advanced curriculum, leaving the Remnant behind, and during one of Shun's training sessions, Shun unleashed a punch that was so great that it blew the training dummy away several feet. During lunch, Shun sneaked out into the outskirts of the temple and tested his striking power on a boulder, and discovered that he was capable of splitting it with a single chop. Shocked and excited at his new developments, Shun revisited his basics, and changed them to better suit his new body, realizing that during that coma, his body had adapted to provide him with Superhuman Strength. Shun began to advance further into the curriculum, adjusting his technique to make full use of his heavy strikes.

Shun Zhang Returns Home

In the next few months, Shun continued adapting the Shaolin Curriculum, modifying it to better fit his body type and advancing through the syllabus until he was able to catch up to his disciples. Seeing Shun's new body, his disciples changed his nickname to Slow Fat Guy. Shun showed off his new strength by launching a side kick which generated a shockwave and destroyed the thin bamboo walls of the temple. Seeing the destruction, one of the monks beat Shun and the disciples with a staff and ordered them to scrub the floors to the kitchen.

Although shocked by Shun's abnormal strength, many of Shun's friends believed that this was still not enough to advance to the next stage and attract the attention of the elder monks just like Wen had. Shun asked why, and one of the disciples, Chung Sai explained that the elder monks, particularly the elder warrior monks seek talent in wushu, and pure strength did not encompass the whole of wushu. When Wen attracted the attention of the elders, it was because he had displayed his genius by combining two martial arts styles: Wing Chun, and Shaolin Wushu. Not only that, but Wen used this new style to defeat his Kung Fu master, at only three months of training. In Shun's case, he only displayed abnormal strength and striking power, but that was the extent of his ability. Frustrated by this, Shun tried to slam his fist on the desk, but Sai kicked him in the side, causing his fist to smash open the mopping water barrel. Sai explained that Shun could never match Wen, since he did not understand true martial arts. By that logic, Sai proclaimed that even if Shun was physically stronger than all of the disciples combined, he was still no match against a single disciple. To prove his point, Sai challenged Shun to a duel.

Shun glared at Sai and launched a punch at his fellow disciple, the force of the strike causing the water on the ground to fly to the other wide of the wall, but Sai deflected the punch, and used his momentum to knee the Remnant in the midsection. Shun tried to throw another strike, but Sai continued dodging and bombarding Shun with punches and kicks, then launched a side kick which sent Shun flying across the room. Shun continued charging and striking, but Sai outclassed him by blocking his strikes and sending counter punches which caught the disciple in multiple places. Shun tried to go low, but Sai leapt into the air and sent a flying back kick which caught Shun in the jaw, causing him to collapse and crumple to the ground. Shun tried to get back up, but was disoriented, and Sai revealed that in that span, he could have used only 10% of the wushu curriculum to permanently hospitalize him thirty different ways. Sai also revealed that in terms of technique and power, Wen was about ten times stronger than him, and that the mere fact that Shun couldn't even pressure Sai was a clear indicator that the gap between Shun and Wen was far too big.

A few years after Shun's defeat to Sai, news spread across the temple that Wen had progressed to the status of Warrior Monk, at the tender age of 14. The young prodigy became scouted by fellow monks and became a celebrity during the performances in the temple to tourists, showcasing a new technique that he had developed known as the Awakened Fire Palm, where the sheer speed of his consecutive punches and kicks generated enough energy to heat up a flank of meat. During the few years, Shun continued to be placed in Disciple status, as he had approached a roadblock in his progress. Although Shun possessed tremendous physical strength, his skill was the bottleneck, and was made evident when Shun continued to challenge other disciples to duels and lose. Seeing that his efforts made no progress after so many years, Shun decided to return home, but was approached by his brother Wen, who told Shun that he also planned on returning home to see their mother, revealing that his fame in the newspapers had now open him up to many options to obtain students and start a school.

Upon returning home, Wen was welcomed by Wei and Hai Bat, the latter praising Wen on his success and career outlook. During their dinner, Wei cooked the twins an extravagant feast, while Hai Bat continued showering the younger twin with praise. Shun was disgusted by his father's sudden change in demeanour, realizing that his father was being nice to Wen because of Wen's financial success. This suspicion was proven true upon Wen getting up from the dinner table to train outside, and his father's look of disapproval to Shun, asking him how during those six years, one twin had secured his future, and the other, remained a failure. Shun tried to tell his father that he had also learned a lot at the temple, but Wei shot him down, asking if what he had learned was enough to start a school. With the things he had learned, all he could do was live his life a freeloader, and that if he dared follow Wen and have him take care of him, Wen would eventually grow tired of him in time. Wei asked Shun if he felt any shame, relying on his younger brother for support, and if the reality had caught up to him that despite being the older brother, he had forsaken his chances at entering prestigious academia, for a life as a Shaolin Disciple dropout. Shun left the dinner table and went to his room, clenching his fists, then realized that blood was leaking out of it. Shun inspected his hands and realized that those many years of Hai Bat burning his hands had caused the skin to instead be very vulnerable to blistering, and that despite all the training he had done at the temple, his hands were still prone to being cut and scraped due to the skin becoming very fragile. While changing out of his blue Shaolin robes and putting on his ragged clothes, Shun found a note, and discovered it was from Wen, who left it at their room. The note told Shun to go outside, as Wen had something extremely important to tell his twin brother.

Shun met Wen in the backyard at night, and Wen put one fist and closed it with his other hand, saying "Wing Chun, Wen Zhang". Shun suddenly realized that Wen had just challenged him to a duel, and asked Wen for the meaning of this, but Wen insisted that Shun accept. Shun greeted Wen back with the same declaration, and the two brothers assumed the traditional Wing Chun stances. Shun struck first, striking Wen's hand out of the way and closing in, but Wen used his hands and interlocked with Shun, launching a frontal kick at his abdomen and sending him skidding backwards. Shun stabilized himself and charged Wen again, launching strikes at a rapid pace, but Wen commented that Shun was remarkably slow, launching several handed strikes at the side of his head and another side kick which blew Shun back. Shun clutched his midsection and demanded why Wen was doing this, and Wen explained that for the longest time in the temple, many of the monks and disciples had mocked Shun for his lack of Kung Fu aptitude. Even when Wen displayed feats akin to a master, there were always undertones from the monks, always bringing up Shun's failures and pondering if Wen's abilities were a fluke. Wen continued by saying that if he wanted to gain students, a lot of that was based on reputation, and as of now, his reputation was being stained by Shun's repeated embarrassments. Shun asked what Wen was getting at, but Wen charged forward, and launched a chain punch along Shun's chest and face, causing the boy to stumble, then a leg kick, disabling Shun's ability to stand. Wen clenched his fists and continued slamming Shun against the walls of the house as it began to rain, then went low with a leg sweep, sending Shun to the wet cement. Wen revealed that during those six years, he had spent all that time trying to defend Shun's honour, and that each time he rose the ranks of the temple, it was because he had ended up fighting and duelling, defeating and hurting other martial artists mocking Shun. It was there that Wen had fought the twins' old friends, Sai and nine other disciples all at the same time, effortlessly defeating the disciples with his Kung Fu. Shun recalled that Sai had told him that Wen was ten times stronger than him, and realized why, piecing together that even with the help of nine disciples, the ten of them were not enough to beat Wen. Wen angrily told Shun that he wanted to use Kung Fu to be a better person, to help others, but because of Shun, he ended up hurting others to rise in power, just like The Legendary Snake did in the books the twins read when they were eight years old. Wen blamed Shun for what he described the staining of his hands, and the only way for him to move forward was to escape the family, Shun included. Shun, devastated by Wen's reveal, begged his twin brother to take him along, but Wen told Shun that the taxi he had called had already arrived, and that this duel today was a martial artist's way of saying goodbye. Wen turned his back to his family and stepped into the taxi, telling Shun to not follow him and to stay away, or the next time they fight, he will not pull any punches like he did today.

Learning of Wen's abandonment of the home, Hai Bat became enraged, and took his frustrations out on Shun and Wei. The family moved to another house in Nara, but due to a highly deceptive real estate deal, the family was conned, causing Shun and his family to live in the basement of a fish market. The combined poor living conditions, debt, alcoholism, and drugs caused Hai Bat's abusive tendencies to worsen, and Wei's mental state to deteriorate. Due to Shun's muscular and developed appearance, Wei's schizophrenia caused her to believe her son was a devil, and began referring to Shun as The Beast, frequently recoiling away from Shun's presence. Seeing this, Hai Bat beat Shun, and demanded Shun get a job and support the family, but due to Shun's poor skillset in the job market, Shun was left unemployed for the duration of the next few months.

On Shun's fifteenth birthday, Wei wanted to organize a celebration, and saved enough money to buy a roasted chicken for the dinner. Touched by this, Shun joined Hai Bat and Wei for dinner, but as Shun expected, Hai Bat initiated a violent outburst, asking why Wei would waste the savings of his hard earned money on a pointless birthday celebration. Wei desperately tried to talk sense into her husband, but Hai Bat slapped her and tried to attack Shun, but the frustration of seeing yet another outburst, especially on a special day like this one where his mother went out of her way to prepare something for him, caused Shun to grab Hai Bat's wrist and squeeze. Shun's superhuman strength caused Hai Bat's wrist to become swollen with a near fracture, and Hai Bat frustratingly yelled at his wife and son, flipping over the table and causing the chicken to fall onto the ground. Shun clenched his fist, his thoughts dangerously wandering towards murdering his own father, until Wen's voice appeared in his head, reminding him that using Kung Fu for evil was wrong. Shun stood up and stormed out of the house, walking along the streets of Japan barefooted and then making his way to the forest.

Oni

In the forest, Shun reflected on his life, memories of his father and the terrible abuse he had suffered. But there was always one person that was by his side despite the hell that had incurred on him. Someone who always helped him and supported him when everybody else seemed to have turned on him. Wen. The thought of Wen choosing to abandon Shun caused him to be extremely distraught, as Shun continued his way deeper into the forest until he stood face to face with a rock. His vision a blood red rage, Shun initiated his wushu stance and began practicing his punches and strikes on the boulder, each strike shattering the surface and cracking it, each punch destroying the boulder and leaving behind dust everywhere. Shun recalled one of the teachers in the temple, who explained that kung fu was about control. The very essence of chi, was not so much as life energy, but rather the ability to maintain a balanced equilibrium, one of the most effective ways, through controlled breathing during hard intense exercises and practice. As Shun continued destroying the boulder and launching kick after kick, which toppled forest tree trunks with every strike, Shun could see his breathing getting more and more intense, as his ragged breaths were torn from his heartbreak of Wen leaving him, and the culmination of all the abuse he had to be put through ever since he was born. Collapsing in exhaustion, Shun stared at the sky and wondered if his very existence was perhaps a curse, and if his mother truly was correct, and that Shun was born a devil. Before Shun could finish his train of thought, the voices of several people broke the silence, and Shun knelt down to try to figure out who they were. Deciphering the Japanese the people were speaking, Shun learned that the group were bandits, and Shun decided to recklessly engage them to blow off steam. Jumping from the bushes, Shun launched an axe kick which shattered the collarbone of one of the bandits, but the other four bandits closed in. Shun tried to use his wushu to deflect them, but because of the multiple blows being inflicted on him, Shun was not fast enough to block the attacks, causing the Remnant to be blown back. One bandit's clubs caught Shun on the back of the head, causing the boy to collapse, and four of the bandits to begin kicking him while he was down. Beaten bloody, Shun began to hear a voice.

The voice told Shun that he could give him the power to change the world, to strike back at how the world treated him. If he could have his body, he could give Shun the power to destroy any who opposed him. Including Hai Bat. Shun, being beaten to the verge of unconsciousness, accepted the deal, unbeknownst to him that the voice speaking to him was an evil yokai, or a Wicked Oni. Before Shun could process what was happening, Shun's legs moved on their own, flipping and swirling in the air with immense force and generating a cyclone which blew the attackers away. Shun flipped and landed on his feet, and before he could even come to his senses, his body seemed to move on its own, assuming an extremely low stance, one hand outstretched with the finger and thumb exposed, the other hand to the waist in a fist. Shun recognized this stance during his readings with Wen when he was little to be Hung Gar, used by the folk hero Wong Fei Hung. Shun's body suddenly jolted forward, and before he knew it, a side kick had launched one of the attackers through several trees with blinding speed. The voice commented that Shun's body was perfect, due to the incredible latent strength it possessed, paired with the transplanted strength of the possession. The pieces fell together, and Shun realized the voice was a demon, and instinctively forced the voice to stop possessing him. The voice appeared shocked, and asked Shun how he was able to resist a Wicked Oni Posession. Shun could not come up with an explanation, but told the voice that he needed the strength that he demonstrated just now to stop the rest of the bandits before they killed him. The voice reluctantly agreed, and initiated a Master-Servant Oni Bargain, giving Shun access to the Oni's super strength, demonic speed, as well as his technique in Hung Gar. Shun reassumed the new stance, and effortlessly dispatched the remaining three bandits before the one bandit who was sent through the trees ordered everybody to retreat. Shun inspected his hands, which were bleeding from the fight, and asked the oni for its name. The oni, still in surprise at Shun's deceptively strong willpower, responded that his name was Hataka Hiiro, and from now on, he would refer to Shun as "Shun-dono", indicating that Shun was now his master and could call upon Hiiro's power to add onto his own at any time. Shun asked the spirit how he knew Hung Gar, and Hiiro responded that he was actually a Chinese Kung Fu Practitioner in his mortal life, his skill nearing that of a Grandmaster, until he was caught using his power to commit crime and murder. The resulting actions caused Hiiro to be banished from his school, where Hiiro continued using his Hung Gar to commit crime, using these experiences to evolve his style and modify it for pure destruction. Hiiro told Shun that he intended to completely take over his body, since it was special. Shun was taken aback by that comment, asking why Hiiro would think someone like him was special. Hiiro explained that someone like Shun, who's negative thoughts were so strong, should have been an easy target for possession, but somehow, Shun was able to keep his centre and banish Hiiro from his soul. Not only that, but Shun possessed frightening strength for someone his size, and that after peering into his past, Hiiro was surprised that a mere Shaolin Disciple would be capable of physical strength to the level of a high ranking Shaolin Warrior Monk.

Shun decided to walk back to the house with Hiiro, as he glanced at the numerous families in the buildings around him. Hiiro asked Shun if he resented his family, which Shun confirmed. Shun stated that during his time living with Hai Bat and Wei Zhang, he felt as if he were imprisoned, and that there was practically no good moments with them. Hiiro asked Shun if that was entirely the case, and that if it was true that his time with his parents was truly 100% miserable. Shun asked Hiiro why he would give him that question, and Hiiro revealed that when he was a child, he was abandoned in a grocery store, having never knew his parents. The old man who tended the store gave Hiiro a home in exchange for work, and Hiiro lived his life without knowing the warmth of an actual family. Hiiro explained that even if his time with his parents were miserable, he did not agree that his time spent with his mother and father was terrible all the time, and told him that he should be grateful to even have parents in the first place. Shun reflected on his life once more, and remembered Wei cooking the chicken to celebrate his birthday. Then remembering how Hai Bat, despite throwing a violent tantrum, actually took time out of his day to show up to the dinner table. Despite the many times Wei had forced Shun and Wen to study, Shun remembered how Wei had hugged him, telling him that it was okay if the lessons were too hard, and that just because he struggled did not mean he could not do it. Shun also remembered the time his father had taught Shun the brutal reality of the job market, explaining that he had to have skills and experience to be hired. Shun realized that Hai Bat could easily not have said anything, and forced his son to learn the reality on his own, but instead, Hai Bat decided to show his son these things beforehand, to avoid the shock in the future due to living his life in ignorance. Shun stopped walking and realized his face was wet with tears, and Hiiro told Shun that as long as he was here, his parents still loved him, after all, he was their child. It was easy to be consumed in negative thoughts and to only think about those negative thoughts, but when a man's mindset focuses on only the bad, the bad often eclipsed the good. In Shun's case, he focused all on the times Hai Bat had hurt him, that he didn't stop to think about the times Hai Bat had tried to care for him, in his own twisted way. Realizing this, Shun decided to make an effort to continue living with his parents and to endure whatever hardships would come his way. Shun began sprinting back to his house, but not before realizing there was an orange glow in the neighbourhood where he lived. One of the people who operated the market ran up to Shun, Tamaka Naofumi, who told Shun to stay away from the house, as it was on fire. His parents were trapped inside. Tamaka ran off to find help, and against his advice, Shun sprinted to his house to realize it was completely engulfed with flames. Standing in the fires, to Shun's disbelief were two black hooded figures.

Shun asked the hooded figures who they were, and the figures introduced themselves as Fu and Yi, the Acolytes of Mogul. The Acolytes asked Shun where his brother was, and Shun did not answer, demanding the two to reveal where his parents were. Fu laughed, and knelt down, picking up a skull, and commenting on how someone who spent years abused by her husband would still have a skull that was of normal shape. Realizing that Fu was holding the skull of his deceased mother, Shun became enraged, and charged the Acolytes. Yi stood aside, and Fu rolled up his sleeves to fight Shun, but despite Shun's heightened strength and new demonic speed, the Remnant-Oni hybrid was still outmatched, and before Shun could realize it, Fu had already dropped Shun onto the ground, mashing his face into the concrete. Fu commented on how weak Shun was, and asked him where Wen was. Shun did not answer, and escaped Fu's clutches. Hiiro remarked that Fu's abilities were not human, and that he would need the full power of a Wicked Oni to take down the Acolyte; in other words giving Shun total control. However, fearing that total control to Hiiro would lead to complete possession, Shun turned down Hiiro's request, and ordered the Oni to only supply him with the added demonic strength and speed to fight the Acolyte.

After a few more failed attempts, Fu launched a combination of punches and strikes which forced Shun through the walls of the burning house, the flames burning Shun's skin and blistering his hands even more. Shun fired roundhouse kick after roundhouse kick at Fu, the sheer power of the strikes causing numerous shockwaves which blew out the flames of the house, but Fu commented on how inferior his technique was despite possessing the physical strength to take him down. Shun told Fu to be quiet, and closed in with Hiiro's Hung Gar, but Fu told Shun that the way he was fighting would never be enough to even land a hit, as his choice to refuse the Oni's full power meant he was only able to draw upon 45% of Hiiro's true technique. Hiiro pressured Shun to give in, and after Fu kicked Shun through the floorboards into his room, where Shun managed to see a family photo of himself along with Wen, Hai Bat, and Wei together, the Remnant became fully consumed with vengeance. Shun got to his feet and deflected Fu's punch, his body transforming, horns sticking from his head as his eyes became snake like, his skin turning red and his nails becoming darkened and sharp. Hiiro began to speak through Shun's body, telling Fu that unlike Shun, he was now fighting against a Grandmaster of Hung Gar, and that he would show Fu no mercy. Shooting forward, Hiiro began pressuring Fu with incredible speed, and Fu was unable to hold off Hiiro's onslaught, shocked at Hiiro's unorthodox style of pure offence, with little regard for the safety of his own body. Hiiro explained that his usage of Hung Gar was much different than other Kung Fu masters, as he placed a full emphasis on "overwhelming the enemy with unstoppable, unavoidable, undetectable attacks". Hiiro then demonstrated one of Hung Gar's most famous moves, thought to be fiction: The Shadowless Kick, and began unloading these kicks at a tremendous frequency, forcing Fu out of the house. Even with Fu on the ground, Hiiro leapt into the air and began pummelling the Acolyte with an onslaught of punches, showing no remorse as Fu quickly realized that Hiiro's technique was far beyond his own. Yi leapt from his platform and tried to stop Hiiro, as both Fu and Yi fought Hiiro simultaneously. Despite being outnumbered, Hiiro was able to hold his own, to the shock of the two Acolytes. Yi asked Hiiro what he was, and Hiiro responded that he was "the best martial artist in the world, one's fists that seek for the soul, not for atonement". Fu deduced that during Hiiro's life as a mortal, he had gained an incredible technique in Hung Gar, and turning into an Oni, he had all of his abilities amplified. Added with the fact that now he was in the body of a Remnant of War, Hiiro's combat prowess had increased drastically. Realizing that a Wicked Oni Shun Zhang was too much for the two of them, Yi and Fu retreat, but not before referring to Shun as no longer a human, but rather a Red Beast.

Shun joins the Red Circle

Shun and Hiiro left the house in ruins, and traveled across Japan to try and find Wen before the Acolytes could. Shun recalled that Wen wanted to open his own school, and that he had the prospects to gain many students. Hiiro asked Shun where Wen would potentially set up a school, and Shun responded by saying that Wen most likely returned to China. Hiiro told Shun that they would need to find a way to board a boat to get from the two places or a vehicle. Either option required Shun to generate enough money. Shun became depressed, realizing that he would need to find work, despite his previous attempts leading to severe unemployment. Hiiro then suggested Shun try to find money a different way: robbery.

Reluctant at first, Shun started by robbing small time businesses, making loose change. Then Shun moved up to robbing grocery stores. For the next few months, Shun and Hiiro continued robbing businesses to generate income similar to a low waged worker, but the money that Shun made was offset by food. Seeing this, Hiiro told Shun that the only way to make enough money was to think big, meaning he had to use darker and more sinister crime methods. Hiiro led Shun to an underground sector, known as the Iron Ring, and explained that the Iron Ring was an illegal underground fighting ring that would place fighters against each other, spectators would cast bids on who would win.

Shun requested to get a fight, but the person running the ring refused, stating that they did not know about Shun's ability. Deaths were frequent in the Iron Ring, and if a fighter died, there were many actions that the staff would need to take to dispose of the body without having authorities involved. Shun proposed that he was a capable fighter, and challenged one of the fighters who was currently fighting in the ring. The fighter was known as Qong of the Southern Tiger Claw School, who was banished from the school for breaking the spine of his master's top student. Qong had racked up a large tally of wins, and Hiiro advised that Qong was a perfect matchup for Shun's new powers. The manager reluctantly agreed, and matched Qong with Shun. The moment Shun stepped into the ring, bets were immediately placed against Shun, predicting that Qong would win in another first round knockout like his other five wins. Qong told Shun that he was foolish, and that there was no way a fifteen year old child would stand a chance against him, telling him to forfeit, but Shun refused and assumed his Shaolin Wushu stance. Qong sighed and got to his feet, and the announcer rung the bell, beginning the first round.

Shun surprised Qong in the first round, due to his demon speed, launching strike after strike, all of which missed due to Qong's flawless dexterity and reflexes. Qong then retaliated with blows of his own, two punches that were deflected by Shun, but a kick managed to catch the boy in the jaw, sending him hurtling backward. The crowd began jeering at Shun to give up and that the fight was an insult to the Iron Ring, but Shun got to his feet, reassuming his stance. The fight continued, with Shun throwing punches and kicks that were deflected by Qong, and Qong retaliating, an occasional punch or strike catching Shun in the head. Although Shun remained standing, the first fighter to survive Qong's onslaught, the first round was scored overwhelmingly to Qong. Hiiro advised Shun that he would need to win the next round, otherwise the points would continue stacking in favour to Qong all the way to the tenth and final round, leading to the only possibility of a win being a complete utter knockout. Hiiro then told Shun to let him assume control, but Shun refused Hiiro's request, reasoning that if he assumed the Wicked Oni transformation, his demonic features would be too obvious, and might possibly lead to disqualification. Shun reaffirmed that he would fight Qong with his own technique, but would call upon Hiiro's additional demon strength, speed, and reflexes to ensure victory. Hiiro agreed hesitantly.