The Way Of The Sword by Chris Bradford Read Free Book Online

with his free hand. His fingers found Kazuki’s nostrils and he wrenched back hard.
    ‘NINE!’
    Kazuki grunted in pain and was spun over.
    Jack rolled on top. He trapped Kazuki with a chest hold, lying across Kazuki’s shoulders and driving his elbow and knee into either side of Kazuki’s head to lock it in place.
    Now it was Kazuki’s turn to be counted out.
    Through the matting of hair that plastered his face, Jack caught a glimpse of Yamato and Saburo willing him on. Despite his exhaustion, he allowed himself the smallest of victory smiles.
    ‘One,’ said the sensei half-heartedly.
    Kazuki was pinned and going nowhere.
    ‘Two.’
    But away from anyone’s line of sight, Kazuki managed to free an arm and began to hammer Jack in the kidneys.
    ‘Three.’
    Only Sensei Kyuzo could see it, but he turned a blind eye as Kazuki landed another unofficial blow. The sensei deliberately slowed his count.
    ‘Four…’
    Kazuki struck again. Jack’s side flared with pain and he was forced to relinquish his grip. Throwing Jack off, Kazuki countered hard, putting him into a choking hold.
    ‘That’s not very nice – going for the face!’ spat Kazuki, who now lay on top of Jack, one forearm behind Jack’s neck, the other across his throat.
    Kazuki wrenched his forearms together, closing them like a vice.
    Jack spluttered in shock.
    His windpipe was instantly cut off and he couldn’t breathe.
    ‘Excellent, Kazuki,’ praised Sensei Kyuzo, pleased to see his protégé back in control.
    Blatantly ignoring the escalating violence of the
randori
, Sensei Kyuzo turned to instruct the class.
    ‘Notice the switch from the pin to the choke. This is an extremely effective manoeuvre and will guarantee submission from any enemy.’
    Encouraged, Kazuki bore down even harder with his stranglehold, a sadistic glint in his eyes.
    Jack felt his throat being crushed. His head pounded under the pressure. His lungs starved of oxygen, darkness seeped into the corners of Jack’s vision and he tapped wildly on the floor for submission.
    Kazuki merely looked on, savouring Jack’s agony.
    Jack teetered on the edge of consciousness.
    But Kazuki kept the choke on.
    Stars exploded in front of Jack’s eyes and, for a terrifying moment, Kazuki’s grinning face metamorphosed into Dragon Eye’s. The mask of a blackened skull with a single green eye flashed before him.
    Jack’s submissive tapping became weaker, his hand flapping like a dying fish. Then, as if from the depths of a murky pool, he heard Akiko shout, ‘Sensei! He’s killing him!’
    Sensei Kyuzo observed the blue tinge to Jack’s lips with mild interest, saying, ‘That’s enough, Kazuki. It’s clear you’ve beaten him…’
    Kazuki released the choke and air flooded back into Jack’s lungs.
    Jack gulped it down like water. The instant the oxygen hit his brain, Jack’s fury exploded with a vengeance. On survival instinct alone, he drove his fist squarely into Kazuki’s face. The punch connected and sent his enemy flying backwards.
    ‘YAME!’
bellowed Sensei Kyuzo, dragging Jack to his feet by the scruff of his
gi
.
    His thumb sought out a pressure point in Jack’s neck and the sensei pressed down hard. Jack’s body was instantly paralysed with pain. He hung there like a rag doll. To the students, Jack merely appeared exhausted from the
randori
. For Jack, it was as if Sensei Kyuzo had inserted a molten iron rod into his spine.
    ‘What did I say?’ breathed Sensei Kyuzo into Jack’s face with hardened contempt.
‘Nage waza
and
katame waza
only. Since when was punching part of grappling technique?’
    ‘Since when… was murder… encouraged during
randori
?’ replied Jack through clenched teeth as he fought against the spasms of pain.
    Kazuki lay in the centre of the
dojo
, nursing a split lip, his
gi
stained in bright red patches with his own blood.
    ‘You have much to learn,’ said Sensei Kyuzo, ‘the first principle being
fudoshin
. You’re clearly too