Chapter 349: A More Renowned Combatant
Snap!
Hideaki Kanoh's forehead was grazed by Ren Shiroki's fingernail. A tiny sliver
of skin was peeled away, and a single bead of blood welled up, trickling down
the bridge of his nose.
"Tsk..."
Kanoh wiped his nose and stood up straight, offering a respectful nod to Ren.
"Thank you for holding back."
"It was just a warm-up, don't sweat it!"
The predatory light in Ren's eyes was still flickering, his grin wide and eager.
"Kanoh-san, you want to go again?"
"No, I forfeit," Kanoh said, waving his hands frantically. He was still reeling
from the experience, instinctively touching his own groin. "In the last few
seconds, I felt like I 'died' at least four times!"
Ren pulled back, the [SATSUI CHOICE] fading as the intensity in his gaze dimmed
to its usual baseline.
Only then did Tokugawa step forward. "Oho!! You actually dismantled a defense
specialist like Hideaki Kanoh until he was completely helpless?"
The little old man snapped his folding fan open, chuckling with delight. "Simply
magnificent!"
Kanoh pulled out a handkerchief to dab the blood from his forehead. "I knew I
couldn't win, but I didn't expect to be picked apart like that. You're even
stronger than you were against Dr. Shinogi."
Kanoh looked at Ren, his brow furrowed in confusion. "That last sequence... what
exactly was that?"
He had been prepared for a heavy assault, high-speed guard-breaking, or even a
basic grapple. But Ren's method of shattering his defense had been a bizarre,
technical combination of strikes and throws that felt... "linked."
"Yeah, how did you do it?" Tokugawa asked, his mind already drawing parallels.
"Thinking of 'unavoidable' strikes... [THE BUSHIN] Doppo Orochi achieves that
through fifty years of fundamental repetition. Ren, have you reached that level
of Karate already?"
Ren shook his head vigorously. "Compared to Doppo-aniki, I'm still a greenhorn.
I can't touch the perfection of his basic strikes."
"The way I broke the guard was by using lighter, rhythmic punches to stay ahead
of Kanoh-san's reaction time. I wanted to seize the 'Frame Advantage'."
Ren held up a fist to demonstrate.
"Even if my strike is blocked, it still makes contact with Kanoh-san's guard.
That creates a micro-second of 'Block-Stun'."
"If my 'Recovery Frames'—the time it takes to pull my hand back—are faster than
Kanoh-san's next defensive movement, I can act first. I chose to link that
advantage into a throw."
"And once he's on the ground, it's even easier. I just have to read his
'Wake-up' movement. I can hit him in the gap between him standing up and him
raising his guard."
Ren rubbed his chin, mumbling his analysis to himself. "I only just realized
this during the session. It's not like Doppo-aniki's style... if I had to guess,
it feels more like Shibukawa-sensei's Aiki. It's a technique that targets human
reflexes."
The more Ren analyzed it, the more fascinated he became, completely ignoring the
two men standing beside him.
"But this was just sparring. Kanoh-san had zero offensive intent. In a real
street brawl, the variables would change... how would it play out then?"
"This is my understanding of The Way of Combat. But right now, it's just a
prototype. I haven't fully realized the technique, let alone mastered the depth
of it."
"Not even close..."
As he spoke, Ren's combat aura flared up again, his eyes shimmering. The jagged
intensity radiated outward, visibly warping the air in the dojo. The display of
manic obsession made both Tokugawa and Kanoh swallow hard.
Kanoh whispered to himself, "He really is a 'Combatant' through and through..."
"In any case!" Tokugawa laughed, breaking the tension. "Now that the workout is
over, how about another cup of tea?"
The three returned to the guest wing. Tokugawa sat back on his cushion, teasing
his guard. "You see now? This is the level of the man who defeated the [MAJIN]
Raian Kure!"
Kanoh stood beside him, whispering helplessly, "Milord, you were the one who
wanted to see it in the first place..."
Tokugawa's eyes widened. "Hmm—?"
"It was magnificent!" Kanoh corrected himself immediately. "Truly an eye-opening
experience!"
Tokugawa looked satisfied, fluttering his fan. "Hahaha!"
Kanoh thought for a moment, his expression turning serious. "Regardless, I've
learned a lot lately. After losing to Baki, I focused entirely on my 'Guard.' I
thought I had made massive strides, but I've been dismantled twice in a row
now."
"Today was one. Not long ago was the other."
Kanoh looked at Ren. "Recently, Metsudo Katahara came to visit my master. I had
a similar technical exchange with [THE FANG OF METSUDO], Kanoh Agito."
"He shattered my defense just as easily, though his style was different from
yours, Shiroki-kun. That man... Agito... he's a literal monster."
"His movements are savage, his posture is fluid, and his technical refinement is
terrifyingly fast..."
Kanoh chatted for a few more minutes before taking his leave to return to his
security duties, knowing Tokugawa still had business with Ren.
Ren went back to his high-grade sweets and tea. Tokugawa pulled out a
traditional pipe, slowly packing it with tobacco and lighting it.
"Shiroki-kun, I've seen your 'Combat' now. I understand its potential."
"But I'm not the only one interested in you."
Tokugawa exhaled a cloud of white smoke, looking Ren in the eye.
"A Kengan Association fighter who is making his debut in the current circuit has
asked his employer to contact me. He specifically requested a match with you."
Ren hadn't forgotten that the Kengan Annihilation Street Brawl was still
ongoing. As the initial rounds filtered out the weak, the quality of the
combatants was skyrocketing.
Ren looked curious. "A debut? For a Street Brawl match?"
"No. Not a random street encounter. A formal Kengan match. The location: The
Pit—The Underground Arena."
Tokugawa raised an eyebrow. "Just like you, he is a master of multiple combat
disciplines. And his reputation... well, it's currently much louder than yours."
Ren gave a helpless shrug. "You really like keeping people in suspense, don't
you, Jiisan?"
Tokugawa finally straightened his face to make the introduction. "The fighter
employed by Mushishi TV—[THE COMBAT KING] Naoya Okubo."
Ren stared at Tokugawa. Tokugawa stared back. The old man and the youth locked
eyes for several seconds in silence.
Then, Ren's mouth curled upward. He bared his teeth in a wide, ecstatic grin.
Tokugawa burst into a roar of laughter, seeing the exact reaction he had
expected.
"Nice. That's perfect!"
"Right? Right?!"
The match was set!
Ren didn't have the nerve to ask for some of Tokugawa's incredibly expensive tea
to take home, but the sweets were "reasonably" expensive. Ren asked for three
boxes to go—one for Fusui, one for Arisa, and of course, one for Marco.
Tokugawa, ever the gracious host, walked Ren to the front gate.
As they passed through the front courtyard, Hideaki Kanoh approached them.
"Milord, you have another visitor."
Standing at the main gate was a figure that caught the eye immediately.
He was a powerfully built young Black man with bronze skin, dressed in high-end
casual wear. He had a slicked-back oily pompadour and carried himself with a
look of supreme, effortless confidence.
"Oho!" Tokugawa recognized him instantly. "I thought you were arriving tomorrow!
You're ahead of schedule."
"My apologies. My flight was moved up. Perhaps fate wanted me here sooner," the
young man replied. His tone was casual yet polite. "You must be Mitsunari
Tokugawa-sama. I heard you were a fan of my father."
"Hahaha! Is there anyone on this planet who isn't a fan of your father?"
Tokugawa laughed heartily before turning to Ren. "Shiroki-kun, allow me to
introduce Mohammad Alai Jr."
"His father is the world-renowned legend of the ring—Mohammad Alai."
Alai Jr. stepped forward with a confident smile, extending a hand. Ren gripped
it, returning the smile.
Tokugawa introduced Ren in turn. Alai Jr. looked him over. "Do you need an
autograph?"
Ren thought for a second. "Maybe another time."
After the brief pleasantries, Ren bid them farewell and headed out. Tokugawa
ushered Alai Jr. inside, unable to suppress his excitement.
"I've heard from your father, but I want to hear it from your own lips. Why have
you come to Tokyo?"
Alai Jr. watched Ren's retreating back for a moment. "His weight distribution
and power... he's a fighter from the Underground, isn't he?"
"Indeed he is!" Tokugawa replied, leading him through the door.
Alai Jr. thinned his lips into a smile. "Tokugawa-sama, please introduce me. I
want to participate in this 'Kengan Annihilation Street Brawl'."
Tokugawa raised an eyebrow. "To what end?"
Alai Jr. looked up at the drifting white clouds in the autumn sky. "Hmm... to
become the No. 1 Champion, I suppose? Which means... I'm here to challenge Baki
Hanma."
☆☆☆
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