"That Raian... he actually dared to use a Secret Technique without this old man's permission!"
Standing beside Metsudo Katahara, Erioh Kure was so furious that he almost jumped up on the spot.
Metsudo Katahara, however, wasn't surprised at all. He merely let out a slow chuckle.
"Erioh... now that Raian from your clan has used a Secret Technique, who do you think will win next?"
Hearing the question, Erioh Kure frowned and gradually calmed himself.
"If I'm being honest..."
He sighed.
"Although I've been rooting for Jaden from the very beginning, given how things have developed, I don't think Raian will lose."
"If Raian hadn't used Removal and relied only on physical strength to fight Jaden, he would've been crushed without question."
"But once Removal is used..."
Erioh slowly narrowed his eyes.
"Everything changes."
"An ordinary human can only use about thirty percent of their physical capability."
"This is because there's a 'lock' placed on the body."
"The essence of that lock is the brain inhibiting the body in order to protect it."
"The power sealed by this inhibition is what we call 'latent burst power.'"
"If an ordinary person were to release that lock and use one hundred percent of their physical ability, their body wouldn't be able to withstand the burden."
"It would collapse."
"But our Kure Clan-"
He paused.
"Through generations of selective breeding, we've obtained bodies that can withstand it."
"The Secret Technique Removal was born from this."
"A technique that forcibly disengages the lock."
"By removing the limit, one gains power comparable to a demon-or a god."
Erioh exhaled slowly.
"That's why we judge aptitude within the clan by how much latent power a person can draw out."
"Being able to release twenty to forty percent is already considered excellent."
"My father's relative's great-grandson can reach fifty percent."
"My grand-uncle's great-great-grandson can reach sixty-five percent."
"The Horio you thought I'd send to this tournament can reach eighty percent."
"And my precious great-granddaughter Karura..."
A faint pride crept into his voice.
"She's already reached eighty-five percent at her age."
Hearing this, even Metsudo Katahara turned his gaze toward him.
The two had known each other for decades. While this was the first time Erioh had explained Removal in detail, Metsudo could roughly imagine most of it.
Still-
"Eighty percent was already astonishing," Metsudo said. "Your great-granddaughter reaching eighty-five percent at her age... that really is incredible."
Then he asked calmly,
"And Raian?"
"... "
This time, Erioh Kure fell silent.
He walked to the edge of the enormous floor-to-ceiling window and looked down at the arena.
Raian Kure was inside, laughing wildly as he continued trading punches with Jaden.
After a long moment, Erioh finally spoke.
"Even in the thirteen-hundred-year history of the Kure Clan, there have been very few like him."
"Raian's name is destined to be recorded in our history."
He turned his gaze back toward the arena.
"One hundred percent."
"Raian Kure's Removal rate is one hundred percent."
-
Inside the arena, Sayaka Katahara's excited voice echoed through the stadium.
"Ooh! Everyone heard that, right?!"
"That sound-like machine-gun fire-is the sound of two fighters exchanging punches faster than the naked eye can follow!"
Her words ignited the audience.
The roar surged again.
Blood boiled.
The desire for release.
The hunger for violence.
Everything was dragged to the surface by what was happening in the ring.
At the center of the arena, Jaden and Raian Kure were trading blows in the purest, most primitive way possible.
No tricks.
No feints.
Just fists.
"Hahaha! You can keep up after all!"
Raian laughed as he punched.
"You're not at my level yet, but you're a monster in your own right!"
And Jaden-
To be honest-
He was enjoying himself.
Since entering the Kengan matches, this was the first time he'd experienced something like this.
Before this, even Takeshi Wakatsuki had relied on a martial artist's fighting style.
Strong, yes.
But something was always missing.
Now he understood what it was.
Purity.
Those fighters lacked purity.
What he and Raian were doing now couldn't even be called martial arts anymore.
It was a mutual beatdown.
Jaden had abandoned technique.
No Faltering.
No Flowing.
No Mach Punch.
Even Indestructible was gradually being let go.
Every time his fist landed, he felt it connect.
And every time it connected-
Raian didn't fall.
He punched back.
That sensation-
It was hard to describe.
But Jaden could feel it accumulating.
Building.
Growing.
And as it grew, his punches became faster.
Heavier.
Stronger.
Until-
His world contained nothing but punching.
He didn't know what Raian was feeling.
He didn't know if the audience was cheering.
His world had gone completely quiet.
All he knew was this-
He hit.
The opponent didn't fall.
It felt like a child hitting a beloved toy.
A Daruma doll.
That was exactly what Jaden felt like now.
He was completely immersed.
He had forgotten this was a Kengan match.
He had forgotten who his opponent was.
Right now-
He was simply enjoying this pleasure.
This delight.
-
In the special viewing gallery at the very top of the arena, Erioh Kure watched the two figures beating each other senseless and maintained his judgment.
"Removal is one thing."
"But the Kure Clan's selectively bred bodies can withstand it."
"Their durability is beyond question."
"On top of that, the brain abnormally secretes over twenty kinds of natural anesthetics."
"Our clan's tolerance to damage is far beyond ordinary people's imagination."
"Even if hit in a vital spot, they can keep fighting."
"Even if Raian were kicked in the groin, he'd only feel pain for a moment."
"Then he'd be fine."
He paused.
"So this fight has become a mutual beatdown."
"While it's not an absolute advantage..."
"The advantage is so overwhelming that it's practically impossible to overturn."
Erioh didn't say the conclusion out loud.
But Metsudo Katahara understood it clearly.
Erioh believed Raian Kure would win.
And honestly-
So did Metsudo.
Among the fighters and the audience, many knew of the Kure Clan.
That shadow that had loomed over this country for thirteen centuries.
So most observers were confident.
Jaden was destined to lose.
But-
Raian Kure himself didn't think so anymore.
At first, he had enjoyed it too.
But Removal wasn't free.
He wasn't made of iron.
As the exchange dragged on, his stamina was steadily draining.
His injuries were piling up.
Pressure began to build.
He thought-
The opponent must be feeling it too.
But-
Something was wrong.
Very wrong.
They both knew martial arts.
Even without using techniques, some things were ingrained in the body-force neutralization, power generation, instinctive reactions.
But-
Raian could feel it clearly.
Jaden was abandoning even those instincts.
No.
More accurately-
This bastard was becoming more and more relaxed.
At the beginning, there had still been traces of mixed martial arts.
Now-
There was nothing.
No martial art taught someone to fight like this.
Because-
The man in front of him was slowly dropping his defenses.
Earlier, their mutual beatdown still involved blocking.
Now-
He wasn't blocking anymore.
If Raian hit once, Jaden hit back twice.
If Raian hit twice, Jaden hit back four times.
If Raian went for vitals-
Jaden went for vitals.
At first, Raian's offense and defense had been balanced.
Then defense crept upward.
Sixty percent.
Eighty percent.
And now-
Ninety percent.
If earlier it had been mutual-
Then now-
Wasn't he the one being beaten down?
Raian ground his teeth.
His smile was gone.
And when his attacks slowed, he finally noticed it.
Jaden's expression.
Without Raian's attacks pushing him-
Jaden's face gradually settled.
And when Raian saw that expression-
His pupils contracted.
It felt like cold water had been poured over him.
Extinguishing everything.
Because-
They had been beating each other senseless for so long.
He was Kure.
He was Raian Kure.
He was suffering this much.
So the opponent should've suffered even more.
But-
But this bastard right now-
"-Why are you smiling so happily, you lowlife!"
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