Chapter 325: The Harder Path!
[LINKED TIMING] (Me-Oshi)—
The moment Ren Shiroki spoke those words, the phantom of Dee Jay standing in the
corner of his mind hoisted a sparkling thumb. The Superstar burst into a roar of
laughter.
[Hey, hey! That rhythm—you're dragging the beat a little, but the soul is
there!]
[To me, Combat and Music are one and the same. Because the beat of a pulse in a
fight is the same beat I write into my tracks!]
In truth, when it came to the deep philosophy of the Martial Way, Dee Jay was a
novice compared to Ryu. But when it came to [LINKED TIMING], he was the ultimate
Sensei.
Performance, Listening, Silence. The Strike, The Impact, The Recovery.
The "Rhythm" of combat is identical to music!
If you simply mash your buttons and swing wildly, you are like a beginner at a
piano—there is no tempo, and the performance is a mess. But if you find the
exact micro-second to act, if you pull your opponent into your beat...
Then even a single note—a "light jab"—can evolve into a frantic, soul-shaking
dance! You start with a touch, something that looks easy to counter, but because
you own the tempo, it cascades into a localized hurricane of violence!
This was... [LINKED TIMING] Blitz!!
"GUUGH—!"
Raian Kure had been caught flush by the Shoryuken. Combined with the forward
momentum of his own charge, the trauma to his jaw was catastrophic. It took him
several long seconds just to remember how to breathe.
He coughed up a spray of blood, his black-and-white eyes quivering as he locked
onto Ren like a starving demon.
Evading was no longer an option. Raian simply roared: "BRING IT!!"
"HERE IT COMES—!!"
Ren's voice was a low, heavy rumble.
Inside his skull, his consciousness was accelerating past the red-line. The
[ENGINE] was screaming, forcing blood from his nose and ears. A single crimson
tear tracked down his cheek.
Kickboxing Secret Art— [DEE JAY'S SUNRISE FESTIVAL]!
"MISSION START!"
Ren's feet began a fluid, rhythmic dance. He took a massive stride forward, his
right knee snapping into Raian's abdomen.
POW!
Raian let out a muffled grunt, his body arching forward as he desperately tried
to hold his breath and brace his core.
Ren paused for a fraction of a heartbeat. As Raian was hunched over, Ren
unleashed a horizontal left hook that caught the Devil square on the cheek.
BANG!
Raian's head was snapped back, his footing only held by his anchored heels.
Ren's follow-up was instantaneous. He shifted his weight, his left arm coiling
into a back-fist. It wasn't a "heavy" hit, but the timing was so perfect it
acted as a technical stun, keeping Raian pinned in his recovery frames.
SLAP!
The back-fist caught Raian on the nose, blood spraying outward like a set of
scattered, crimson musical notes.
Raian struggled to find his balance.
Ren spun on the ball of his foot, his right fist coiling at his hip before
firing in a high-torque reverse-punch. The weight of the blow shattered Raian's
center of gravity.
But even then, the Devil wouldn't let go. He reached through the haze of the
concussion and clamped his hand around Ren's right wrist.
Ren didn't try to pull away. He dropped his weight, his left hand and left foot
driving into the sand for support. His right leg snapped upward in a
hyper-flexible high-scan kick.
SHINK!
The kick caught Raian flush on the temple, the force of the impact finally
breaking the giant's grip.
Ren flipped, his feet touching the sand as he dropped into a low crouch. He
twisted his core to the right, gathering his momentum.
WHOOSH—!
Using his hand for leverage against the floor, Ren launched into a mid-air
rotation. His legs whipped around in a series of continuous spinning kicks.
Bang! Bang!
The first kick caught Raian's torso. Ren abandoned his support, his entire body
rotating in the air as he performed a double-leg "Foot-Blade" drop straight into
Raian's chest.
BOOM! BOOM!
The final twin-impact launched Raian off his feet. He was sent hurtling
backward, a trail of blood tracing his path through the air before he slammed
into the sand.
THUD!
The combination was a masterpiece of technical violence. The audience stared in
stunned silence, even the announcer rendered speechless. It wasn't just a fight;
it was a "Performance" of the highest order, perfectly suited for the festival
stage!
Several Days Later (Interlude).
Mitsuyo Kureishi [The Freak] would visit Doppo Orochi for tea. They would
inevitably discuss the battle between Ren and Raian.
After Kureishi described Ren's technical blitz, the Bushin would offer this
insight: "The movement of fists and feet... it's a magical thing, Mitsuyo."
"It's not just about being fast or being strong—though those help! It's about
the 'Moment'."
Doppo would demonstrate a slow, simple punch.
"The exact same punch, hitting a guard, hitting a counter-fist, or hitting an
undefended face... the result is fundamentally different every time. So, the
question is: how do you master the current strike to set up the next one?"
Doppo would grin, his eye glinting. "That's the kind of thing you can spend an
entire lifetime studying and never get bored!"
Back to the Present.
In the plaza, the only people who truly grasped the nuance were Erio Kure and
Gouki Shibukawa.
"The transition and the flow..." Shibukawa whispered, licking his lips. "It
looks like basic martial arts, but the logic beneath it is a bottomless well!"
Erio kept his eyes fixed on Raian. "Did the intense pressure of a Kure force Ren
to evolve his understanding of the strike? Interesting..."
"KUKAKAKA!"
Raian bolted upright. He looked like an ancient, blood-soaked beast. The
[REMOVAL] was still active, his skin a deep purple. Ren's combination had
battered him, but it had only served to ignite his sadistic mania to a higher
frequency.
"Hah... Phew... HAA!"
Raian straightened his back, stalking back into Ren's Airspace. They entered the
kill-zone, both men pausing for a heartbeat of absolute silence.
"Again?" "AGAIN!!"
Their voices were so raspy and distorted it was impossible to tell who had
spoken.
Ren pulled his right leg back and drove off the sand, launching a rising knee.
[SUNRISE FESTIVAL: ENCORE]!
BANG!
Raian tanked the knee to the gut, but he used the proximity to fire a heavy
punch into Ren's face.
Ren twisted his head to shed the force, his own left hook firing in a horizontal
arc. Raian raised a forearm, the impact sounding like a hammer hitting an anvil.
Raian drove his left palm forward.
THUD!
Ren took the hit to his chest. Several ribs groaned, a fresh spray of blood
escaping his lips. But he didn't retreat. He unleashed a horizontal hand-chop.
SLAP!
Raian took the hit to the neck, his muscles tensing to prevent a collapse. Veins
throbbed across his throat.
Zip! Pow! Bang! Crack!
The trade resumed. Fists and feet collided in a chaotic, bloody rhythm. The
sound of impacts was a constant roar, punctuated by their guttural screams. They
had abandoned all grace, descending into a primal, demonic struggle.
BOOM!
Two heavy punches landed simultaneously on each other's faces. Teeth were
knocked loose, spinning into the sand.
Reiichi Kure was vibrating with tension. He triggered a low-level [REMOVAL] just
to track the fight. "Ren is actually trading with him?! He was at a disadvantage
a minute ago, but now he's matching Raian blow-for-blow! Did Raian get tired?!"
"No," Erio Kure said, shaking his head. "The [REMOVAL] is still at 100%. In
terms of raw output, Raian is still superior."
"The thing that changed... is the Quality of the strikes!"
"Ren is using his rhythm to pull Raian into a trap. He's landing his hits on the
vitals, or at the exact micro-second when Raian's own momentum is at its most
vulnerable."
"In terms of technical efficiency, Ren Shiroki has seized control. He is
systematically dismantling the Devil!!"
[SUNRISE FESTIVAL: APEX]!
"DIE!"
Ren fired a rising right uppercut. It caught Raian flush on the jaw, launching
the giant into the air.
Ren didn't let him fall. He pulled his right fist back, his pupils vibrating
with a high-voltage hum. 36 trillion cells ignited in a single, synchronized
pulse of willpower.
[STRIKE AT THE APEX: HYPER-IMPACT]!
BOOM!!!
The punch buried itself in Raian's abdomen. The 94kg giant was launched
diagonally across the ring like a human cannonball. He slammed into the sand,
creating a massive, blood-stained crater.
"――――!!"
The audience watched in total disbelief.
The Kure announcer, her hand shaking, prepared to step forward to check on Raian
and call the match.
Ren bared his teeth, a bloody snarl on his face. "STAY BACK!"
The next heartbeat—"GET THE HELL AWAY FROM ME!!!"
Raian bolted upright. He stood at the edge of the crater, his foot driving into
the sand with a thunderous thud.
Even a layman could tell he was a wreck. His vitals had been crushed, and his
[REMOVAL] was flickering like a dying lightbulb.
This was an unprecedented crisis for the Devil.
But even then... Raian Kure was smiling.
It wasn't a tactic. It wasn't a move. It was simply the "Devil" doing exactly
what he was born to do!
"Hah... Phew...!"
Raian took three massive strides, meeting Ren in the center of the ring. They
both lowered their heads and slammed their foreheads together in a final,
violent collision.
BOOM!
Head-to-head. Fists and feet trading blindly.
To the masters watching, this was no longer a "Style." It was two souls using
the last drops of their biological fuel to hit each other.
Why? Even God didn't know. No one understood except the two men in the fire.
The struggle continued until their bodies were pushed past the point of
endurance. Fractures, contusions, internal bleeding, torn ligaments,
exhaustion—the list of trauma was endless.
Driven by a primal hunger for the peak, their bodies began to feed on their own
willpower.
If I ever face a fight like this again... I have to be stronger than I am right
now!
BANG! SLAP!
The trade continued. They were moving in a way a "non-fighter" could never
comprehend.
Two different warriors, spilling the same shade of crimson blood, both swearing
to reach the next horizon.
Surrender? Negotiate? End it with a demonstration?
Hell no.
If you want to be the Strongest, you only ever pick the Harder Path!
BOOM!
Raian unleashed a world-ending heavy punch that caught Ren square on the face.
Ren didn't flinch. He responded with a high-roundhouse scan-kick to the side of
Raian's neck.
The impact was absolute. Raian's black eyes rolled upward into his skull. His
nervous system finally hit the "Off" switch.
THUD.
Raian Kure fell sideways, hitting the sand with a heavy thud.
Ren Shiroki collapsed to his knees, his hands braced against the floor.
The target of the final blow had decided the fate of the match.
"..."
The plaza was silent for five long seconds.
It was only after Ren spat a blood clot and looked up that the Kure girl finally
found her voice. She screamed with every ounce of air in her lungs:
"THE MATCH... IS DECIDED—!!!"
(End of Chapter)
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