Chapter 96: Counter-Intuitive
[Engine]
It was a high-pressure, high-intensity state based on the brain. Through intense combat consciousness, one completely dominated the body, discarding all "unconscious" actions.
In this state, Kei's consciousness was extremely intense, his control over his body and moves reaching the limit, forcefully dominating all fighting styles.
Undoubtedly, this technique placed an immense burden on the brain. It was a dangerous move that couldn't be used for long, and the potential damage to himself was unknown.
But behind Kei—among the surging ink-wash lines—neither Ryu, Zangief, Jamie, Guile, nor any other phantoms stopped him.
They were all martial artists who chose to fight for various reasons, each with their own resolve.
Reconciling with killing intent, training through blood and sweat, protecting a city, avenging a best friend... Holding different resolves, they threw themselves wholeheartedly into battles between people.
Those battles were bloody and scorching hot.
What they could do now was pass that passion to Kei, witness this disciple's resolve and choice, and help him explore the answer to "What is Strength"!
"..."
Guile lowered his body, fists clenched tight, arms crossing rapidly as he pulled back, poised to strike.
Come on!!!
—Let me teach you. Don't underestimate this. This move is summarized from actual combat, used even by the elite professionals!
This stance was a variation of Guile's basic stance.
Based on the originally stable side stance, the clenched fists were more relaxed, even semi-clenched, emphasizing power generation from the back, chest, and core.
This modified stance was named—[Guile • Solid Puncher]!
Its greatest feature was the changed "method of generating power."
Relying on body control, the arms were kept relaxed at all times, allowing the technique that turned arms into blades—[Sonic Boom]—to be used faster, even consecutively!
Kei gritted his teeth and stood firm. Drops of blood flowed from his nostrils, merging at the corner of his mouth, flowing to his chin, and finally falling to the ground.
"From here on, this is no longer a 'match'..."
SWOOSH!
Kei leaned forward and pushed off, rushing toward Orochi Katsumi. Surprisingly, instead of punching, he launched a swift low sweep kick.
[Drive Rush • Flash Knuckle] (Low Kick)!
Katsumi raised his leg to dodge.
However, with [Engine] fully active, Kei's transition speed was astonishingly fast. He had already pulled his arms back to the limit, his chest and abs contracting abruptly.
"HAAAH!"
[Guile • Sonic Boom]!
This move, which had once "cut open" Mekama Kirō's chest, was now aimed at Orochi Katsumi with murderous intent.
Katsumi's expression was a mix of excitement and tension. He jumped off one leg, placed his right hand on Kei's left shoulder, and flipped forward over Kei, landing behind him.
Swish!
Kei turned with a swinging punch (Hook). Katsumi dodged with consecutive backsteps, staying at the limit of reach, desperately searching for an opening.
"—Still dodging?!"
Itou Kaiji didn't understand. "In that case, wouldn't it be better to just create distance?"
Suedo frowned. "No. The Boss isn't trying to escape this time. He determined that only at extremely close, dangerous range can he find Shiraki's opening!"
Swish!
Kei swung a horizontal hook, and Katsumi dodged again.
The fist struck a cargo crate behind them. The knuckles grazed it, slicing through the tarp and gouging a notch into the wooden crate.
Crash!
Wood chips and blood droplets flew, scattering across Kei and Katsumi's vision.
Suedo was shocked. "It's just like before! Although not Karate, that is indeed a 'sharp' fist!"
Veins bulged around Fusu's eyes as she tracked the movements closely. "It's the move that defeated Mekama! Controlling muscle exertion perfectly to 'slice' with the knuckles!"
She compared the current movements with the previous ones and made a judgment.
"Shiraki-chin could only fire single shots before, but with [Engine] fully open, the move is perfected. He can fire consecutive hooks!"
[Guile • Sonic Break]!
Swish—! Swish—!!
No longer a dual-arm pincer, but consecutive left and right hooks.
Although the power of each hit decreased, the speed was overwhelming, forcing Katsumi to backstep constantly, unable to find an opening to counter.
"HAAAH—!"
Rapid hooks came one after another.
Katsumi dodged back and forth. occasionally forced to block, the skin on his forearms was sliced open, the stinging pain gradually registering in his brain.
He was waiting!
Even looking wretched under the barrage, even facing Kei's storm-like pursuit, Katsumi didn't lose his composure. He maintained a cool head.
In Katsumi's view, even if Kei's transitions were flawless, he was fundamentally a "1," while his own Karate was a "1.1."
Facing the blood-crazed Kei, he had to find the perfect moment to unleash that extra "0.1"!
Swish!
After another Sonic Break hook, Kei's movement suddenly lagged by a beat. He needed to open his mouth to breathe.
"—?!"
Katsumi's gaze sharpened.
Now!
He planted his heels and threw a straight punch with full force.
BANG!
With a muffled thud, the right fist struck heavily. The sound was powerful, but Katsumi clearly felt the sensation was wrong.
Too "dispersed." It didn't feel like hitting a chest or abdomen.
He looked up and saw Kei had taken a half-step forward, standing sideways. His left upper arm acted like a shield, blocking the punch before its full power could explode.
—Blocked!?
Katsumi noticed that on that blood-soaked face, Kei's eyes were bright, staring at him with an extremely calm gaze.
I see.
Katsumi understood, feeling a sense of helplessness.
Perhaps the spreading smell of blood had affected his judgment; or perhaps the heat of the battle made him lower his guard.
Katsumi had overlooked one thing—Kei's [Engine] state wasn't madness. On the contrary, it was extreme rationality, controlling everything in the body.
In a climactic battle, this was almost counter-intuitive, making it especially easy to misunderstand.
An extremely calm person, just like at the start of a match, wouldn't exhaust themselves completely. They would inevitably leave room to breathe.
And the result of this miscalculation was Kei's counter-punch!
"Guh—HA!"
Kei pulled his right fist back, using his last breath to swing upward with all his might.
[Ryu • Shoryuken]!
BOOM!
Katsumi's chest was hit. He was launched upward, blood spraying from his nose and mouth, tracing an arc in the air.
"Hoo—hoo..."
Kei gasped for air, his arms trembling uncontrollably. The severe pain of tanking a straight punch spread through his body.
He wanted to drop his arms and rest, but suddenly heard a sound from ahead.
Not the thud of a body hitting the ground, but a lighter sound—two feet landing on the deck!
Kei looked up. Sure enough...
Swish!
After being launched, Katsumi had quickly adjusted his posture in mid-air, backflipping once, and landing steadily on both feet.
His chest had taken a heavy blow. A fist print was clearly visible under his gi, blood on the swollen skin. He was nearly knocked unconscious.
But even so, years of Karate training drove Katsumi's body to assume a new stance.
Not the offensive stance from before, but slightly changed.
Standing sideways with feet front and back, left foot extended in a cat stance (Neko-ashi Dachi), palms extended naturally forward, facing front, eyes looking ahead.
"It's the Maeba (Front Wing) stance!"
Suedo was stunned. "Is the Boss going to use Karate defense against Shiraki's defense?!"