The moment Jaden took Takeshi Wakatsuki's punch head-on-square to the sternum, or perhaps even the solar plexus-Tokita Ohma, watching from a corner of the audience beside Yamashita Kazuo, widened his eyes.
"That was the Niko Style, Adamantine Kata: Indestructible!"
Although Tokita Ohma's memories had not fully returned, his so-called "Niko Style police" instinct surfaced immediately.
"Why does that Jaden know the Niko Style?"
While Ohma was still staring in disbelief, the situation inside the ring shifted again.
Jaden collided with the Wild Tiger once more.
Soru-Shave.
His figure blurred.
In the instant he vanished, Jaden reappeared directly in front of Takeshi Wakatsuki.
During the sudden acceleration brought by Soru, power flowed through Jaden's body in a clean sequence-from his waist, to his back, from his back to his shoulders, from his shoulders to his arms, and finally into his fist.
He leapt.
By the time Takeshi Wakatsuki realized Jaden had disappeared, the punch was already in front of his face.
Half his body's power.
The speed of Soru.
The weight of his body.
And then-
His palm clenched into a fist mid-swing, adding the final element.
Grip.
Power, speed, mass, and grip strength combined.
The punch slammed directly into Takeshi Wakatsuki's face.
Bang-
It felt to him like being struck by a heavy hammer.
No-
Like a cannonball detonating against his skull.
His body loosened instinctively. His balance shifted. His center of gravity wavered.
But at that exact moment, Takeshi Wakatsuki's eyes locked onto Jaden.
His right foot, which had already yielded, stomped hard into the ground.
He used the opening created by his shifted balance.
With the massive punching space created by his own instability, he swung his left fist in a wide arc, slapping it toward Jaden's face.
And then-
Snap!
A sharp cracking sound exploded through the arena, like a whip snapping through the air.
Just as Takeshi Wakatsuki was about to land his punch, Jaden's previously unused left fist shot forward.
A Mach Punch.
This time, however, Takeshi Wakatsuki was lucky.
The fist he was already swinging managed to intercept Jaden's Mach Punch at the last moment.
The muscles on his left forearm visibly caved inward.
Even so, Takeshi Wakatsuki reacted immediately, retreating and dispersing the force in the stinging instant that followed.
Seeing this, Tokita Ohma's eyes widened again. He even raised his hand, pointing toward Jaden in the ring.
"That movement just now... it looked like the Niko Style again!"
"Adamantine Kata-no, Flame Kata: Flashing Iron Shatter!"
The Niko Style police were officially back on duty.
And while he spoke, the situation inside the arena shifted yet again.
Jaden noticed Takeshi Wakatsuki trying to retreat and stabilize himself.
Naturally, he didn't plan to let that happen.
But just as Jaden pressed forward-
Takeshi Wakatsuki closed the distance instead.
-Blast Core!
The retreat was real.
At least on the surface.
His center of gravity truly shifted backward, and that was what deceived Jaden.
But Takeshi Wakatsuki had no intention of actually retreating.
He compressed his center of gravity inward, and the instant Jaden advanced, he aimed straight for Jaden's head.
A Blast Core Rushing Punch.
A superhuman physique with muscle density fifty-two times that of a normal person contracted all of its power and released it in one violent surge.
And worse-
It struck an entirely undefended opening.
Jaden wasn't Yujiro Hanma.
He barely managed to tilt his head, avoiding his facial midline and chin.
He activated Iron Mass for a split second.
But it was rushed.
Too rushed.
The punch landed cleanly.
It smashed into Jaden's face and sent his entire body flying backward under the overwhelming force.
Takeshi Wakatsuki moved to pursue immediately.
However-
The instant he intended to chase, a strange sensation seized him.
It was hard to describe.
Almost mystical.
But Takeshi Wakatsuki was certain of it.
Jaden, who had been blown away and whose hands were open, hanging loosely as if completely defenseless-
Felt dangerous.
Extremely dangerous.
The sensation was like being locked onto by a venomous bee.
A certainty.
If he pursued, he would die.
That hesitation-no matter how brief-cost him the optimal timing.
And at the same time, he felt a sharp sting on his arm.
Splat-
Blast Core was a technique that compressed power before releasing it in an instant.
If a wound existed during that process-
The force would carry blood straight out with it.
That was exactly what happened.
The moment passed.
And then he noticed.
At some point, without him realizing it, a wound had opened on his wrist.
And as he unleashed Blast Core, blood sprayed directly from it.
-When did this happen?
Takeshi Wakatsuki immediately exerted force, trying to use his muscles to squeeze the wound shut.
But it wasn't a clean cut.
It was jagged.
Roughly triangular.
He could slow the bleeding.
He couldn't stop it.
His rhythm broke.
And in that moment-
Jaden slowly climbed back to his feet.
As he stood, he wiped the corner of his mouth with one hand.
-He had used it subconsciously.
That was the truth.
When Takeshi Wakatsuki's Blast Core Rushing Punch struck him, there was no time to guard properly. Activating Iron Mass on his face wasn't effective, and because it was rushed, the defensive effect never reached full strength.
So in addition to shifting his head away from the midline-
Jaden had used something else.
-Jack Hanma's signature move.
The Beast Style.
Biting.
Jack Hanma's bite force could crush coconut shells.
And after the upgrade of the Hanma Bloodline-
Jaden's bite was even stronger.
So the instant the punch connected, Jaden bit down.
That was the source of the wound.
And more than that-
"Takeshi," Jaden said calmly, "your luck was really good just now~"
Takeshi Wakatsuki stared at him.
Jaden had stood back up.
He hadn't lost his fighting ability.
There was no obvious damage.
Ignoring the bleeding wrist, Takeshi adopted his stance and braced himself as Jaden continued.
"If you had chased after me just now..."
"You'd probably be dead by now~"
Jack Hanma had two signature techniques.
The first was the Beast Style-reviving the "lost weapon" of humanity: teeth.
The second-
Was an ingrained killing move.
One that didn't require conscious activation.
A move that triggered automatically at the right moment.
-The World's Strongest Middle Finger.
It was the technique Jack used against Pickle.
Even when unconscious, his body would judge the enemy and cause both hands to snap toward the opponent's head, driving the middle fingers into their ears with massive force.
When unconscious, it could miss.
But when conscious-
It was a true killing technique.
Like a venomous bee.
If the opponent failed to defend properly, it would land.
"Perhaps..."
Takeshi Wakatsuki didn't refute him.
Because he had felt it.
That exact sensation.
Being targeted.
So instead of arguing, he dug his toes into the ground and began advancing again.
Slowly.
Steadily.
Closing the distance.
He didn't know when the wound had appeared.
He didn't know what hidden killing move Jaden possessed.
But-
If he wanted to win, he had to get close.
That much was certain.
He was a Fighter.
Not a Martial Artist.
He didn't need to understand principles.
The version of him standing here only needed to think about one thing.
How to win.
Keeping your eyes fixed on victory inside the arena-
That was what it meant to be a Fighter.
Jaden saw the look in Takeshi Wakatsuki's eyes.
And when he did, he smiled.
He knew the opponent was approaching.
And he knew the opponent wasn't in good condition.
The left arm had taken a Mach Punch.
Generating force would be difficult.
The right hand was bitten.
It could still exert power, but the bleeding meant it wouldn't last.
-Blood loss was constant.
That was the core reason Takeshi Wakatsuki was closing in.
A prolonged battle wasn't an option.
He needed to end it quickly.
And-
Jaden met his gaze.
He understood.
Takeshi Wakatsuki was focused entirely on victory.
Even though his strikes, even Blast Core, had failed to decisively affect the opponent, his resolve hadn't wavered.
Part of that was his purity as a Fighter.
Another part-
He still had cards he hadn't played.
But-
Jaden clenched his fist, smiling as Takeshi Wakatsuki approached.
"It's over."
At those words, Takeshi Wakatsuki's pupils shrank.
His concentration peaked.
He knew his eyes couldn't track Jaden's speed.
So he made a decision.
In less than a second.
So-
-Now!
The instant Jaden used Soru, Takeshi Wakatsuki lunged forward as if to embrace him.
And when Jaden rushed into range-
He roared.
-AH!!
Muscle density fifty-two times greater than normal allowed him to withstand the impact of Soru.
He wrapped Jaden up.
A full-body embrace.
Besides Blast Core, Takeshi Wakatsuki had another technique.
Grappling.
A hold-and-wrestle technique.
If classified, it could be called a strangulation method.
It didn't suit him.
It even contradicted his usual style.
Takeshi Wakatsuki wasn't particularly skilled at grappling.
But-
When a merely first-rate grappling technique was paired with fifty-two-times-superhuman strength-
It became a finishing move.
He grabbed Jaden's arms and waist.
And decided he wouldn't let go.
Even if it killed him.
Then-
He felt something familiar.
A flow of force.
-Contraction?
Before he could react, his locked arms were forced open.
Jaden pushed them apart.
Jaden raised his hands.
With his arms spread, Takeshi Wakatsuki's center of gravity leveled out.
Too late.
His hands couldn't defend.
And in that instant, Takeshi Wakatsuki understood.
The move Jaden had just used was-
-Blast Core.
Jaden looked at him, the corner of his mouth lifting.
"Sorry," he said lightly.
"I've watched such a simple move so many times while having the Hanma Bloodline..."
"I already learned it."
So-
-It was over.
Bang!
Jaden clenched both fists.
They struck from both sides simultaneously, clamping down on Takeshi Wakatsuki's head.
With no way to defend-
The impact crushed in.
When Jaden pulled his fists back, Takeshi Wakatsuki's consciousness melted away.
His legs gave out.
He dropped to his knees.
Then his upper body slumped backward, face turned toward the sky.
He was unconscious.
Jaden exhaled slowly.
Takeshi Wakatsuki was strong.
Truly strong.
But-
-In the end, the winner was him.
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