Ryozan felt the satisfying impact of his fist digging into Mr. Sunshine's flesh. The Tanzo family's strikes were not something to be brushed off lightly. For years, he had refined his form, built up his power, and hardened his knuckles to make his fists as deadly as any weapon. A man who could tank his blows like that was a sturdy man indeed. A man who could attack immediately thereafter could only be called beyond human. Fortunately, the windup of Mr. Sunshine's blow was plainly visible to the kitsune; Ryozan bobbed and weaved under the elbow strike like a boxer, then clenched his left fist preparing for a second blow. He leaned into his opponent, plunging his fist into Mr. Sunshine's body once again with all his might. The trajectory of the blow hooked upward so that it would jostle his opponent's organs around upon impact.
The blade disappeared behind Mr. Sunshine, and since his opponent was now spinning about like a top, Ryozan had a good idea where it would emerge. He couldn't count on his punch incapacitating his opponent, despite how much damage he had already accumulated. He had to defend himself or else that sword was still likely to take his head off. Rather than drawing his right fist back for another blow as he struck with his left, he pulled it up to guard his right side. The sword came around and crashed into the ice gauntlet, first sending cracks rippling through it, and then causing it to crumble away. Ryozan's arm buckled under the force of the blow, but still retained enough strength to thwart the slash. However, with the loss of his gauntlet, his right side was now exposed to the blade. He needed to make Mr. Sunshine fall before he got chopped to pieces.