CHAPTER 143: THE BLITZ
The Taekwondo master from the MPD had been folded by a single blow. With that, the atmosphere of the Underground Arena surged to a fever pitch. The roar of fifteen hundred fanatics vibrated through the reinforced concrete of the Dome.
The announcer screamed into the microphone:
"THE UNWANTED INTRUDER HAS BEEN EXERCISED! THAT IS THE CALIBER OF THE UNDERGROUND ARENA! THAT IS THE TRUE MEANING OF THE SUPER-PHYSIQUE!"
"TONIGHT, KUREHA SHINOGI FACES HIS CHALLENGER!"
"A WARRIOR FROM THE DEEP UNDERWORLD, MAKING HIS DEBUT IN THE HOLY LAND!"
"THE UNBOUND SOUL... REN SHIROKI!!"
From the direction of the "White Tiger," Ren Shiroki stepped out of the tunnel. He was bare-chested and barefoot, wearing only a pair of black athletic shorts.
He had felt the energy of the place while sitting in the stands, but stepping into the spotlight was a different reality. Here, in the pit, there was an unparalleled, vibrant life force.
If the Kengan matches were a messy cocktail of business and violence, the Underground Arena was Pure Combat. No corporate interests. No prize money. No long-winded backstories.
Just warriors gathered to see whose "Might" was absolute.
TAP.
The moment Ren's foot touched the sand of the arena floor, his senses flared.
The air was thick with the scent of blood that hadn't quite dried. Beneath the sand, his toes felt the jagged remnants of broken teeth and fingernails—debris left by the legends who had fought here before him.
Right here.
Not long ago, in this exact spot, the Maximum Tournament had occurred. Thirty-eight monsters from across the globe had clashed in the greatest display of martial power in human history.
Ren walked to the center of the pit. He threw his arms wide, soaking in the glare of the floodlights and the rhythmic chanting of the crowd.
"Haha... it feels good..."
After several deep, grounding breaths, Ren's focus sharpened. His eyes glowed as he looked across the ring at Kureha Shinogi.
Both men were smiling. It was the look of two predators who had finally found a worthy meal.
Tokugawa clapped his hands in the VIP box, giddy with excitement. "A Kengan Ace versus the Super-Surgeon! This is going to be spectacular!"
The "Referee"—a man whose only job was to stay out of the way and declare a winner—gestured for them to approach. "Fighters, center!"
Ren and Kureha met in the middle, staring each other down. Up close, the physical disparity was striking.
REN SHIROKI: 187cm (6'2"), 101kg (222 lbs).
KUREHA SHINOGI: 184cm (6'0"), 131kg (288 lbs).
Ren was slightly taller, but Kureha held a 30kg (66 lbs) mass advantage. The sheer visual volume of the doctor's muscles made Ren look like a middleweight.
However, neither the crowd nor Kureha made the mistake of judging the fight by the scale. They all remembered the "Champion," Baki Hanma—a boy of 167cm and 71kg who sat at the apex of this world. In the pit, mass was a variable, but Spirit was the constant.
Kureha reached out, but he didn't take a stance. He caught Ren's forearm, performing a quick clinical check.
"Excellent. You've been following the diet I sent over. Your muscle density is increasing without compromising your flexibility," Kureha noted with professional sincerity. "I'll have the updated nutritional guidelines for you after the match."
Ren grinned. "Thanks, Doc."
The announcer sounded bewildered. "Even at the gates of a deathmatch, the Doctor is treating his patient?! Is this the chivalry of the underground?!"
"Haha!"
Kureha clapped Ren's shoulder, his expression suddenly shifting. The "Doctor" vanished. The "Destroyer" took his place.
"The checkup is over, Ren-kun. We are now in the Domain of the Brawl."
The "Might" radiating from Kureha's perfect physique exploded. His shadow seemed to stretch, Looming over Ren, the air around him shimmering with high-frequency battle-spirit.
Ren took a slow breath. "Right. Let's scrap."
The Referee announced the singular rule: "Bare hands. Everything else is permitted. NO LIMITS!"
The fighters backed away, retreating to their respective corners for the final reset.
In the VIP box, Nozomi Tenma leaned forward, her brow furrowed. "How is Ren-kun going to play this? He's too light for a direct exchange."
Mitsuyo Kureishi smirked. "If I were him, I'd probe for a takedown. Try to drag that mass to the floor where he can work for a submission. Break a few bones, you know? The usual."
Doppo Orochi let out a chuckle. "Heh. You have very specific tastes, Kureishi-kun."
Beside them, Fusui Kure triggered her vision. Her black-and-white eyes locked onto Ren. She saw the change.
Ren's pupils were beginning to vibrate. The veins in the whites of his eyes ruptured, turning his gaze into a mask of scarlet.
"The [ENGINE]," Fusui whispered. "He's jumping straight to 100%!"
THOOM!!!
The giant war drum sounded. The match was live!
Hoo—!
Kureha took a deep breath and prepared to advance, but he blinked, and Ren was gone.
"!?!"
Kureha's instincts screamed.
"Ani-ki! WATCH OUT!" Kosho screamed from the sidelines.
Ren Shiroki hadn't stepped. He had launched himself the microsecond the drum sounded. He used a "Low-Tackle" sprint, his body nearly horizontal to the sand to minimize his profile.
WHOOSH!
[DRIVE RUSH]!
The explosive blitz caught Kureha cold. Before the doctor could raise his guard, Ren was already in his space.
Ren didn't grapple. He popped up from the crouch, his hands half-clenched in the Drunken Style. He fired a triple-tap combination: Right. Left. Right.
[JAMIE: FREEFLOW DRUNKEN FIST]!
BAP! BAP! BAM!
The three strikes connected with Kureha's face in less than half a second.
Under the influence of the [ENGINE], Ren's transitions were seamless. He didn't let up. He stepped into the pocket and drove the heel of his palm into Kureha's solar plexus.
[JAMIE: SWAGGER STEP]!
BOOM!
The strike hit the wall of muscle that was Kureha's chest. The doctor was forced back half a pace, his air hitching.
Ren didn't stop. He caught Kureha's head with both hands, yanking the giant's face downward as his own knee exploded upward.
THUD!
Ren's knee smashed into Kureha's nose.
Ren's eyes were now leaking tears of blood as he redlined his neurological system. He twisted his core, breaking Kureha's balance, and fired a second knee strike.
"SEI—YAH!"
BAM!!
More blood sprayed from Kureha's face, staining the white sand.
Ren kept his left hand clamped on Kureha's neck, his right fist chambered and vibrating as he prepared to deliver a terminal [SHORYUKEN].
But in the next microsecond—
ZIP!
Kureha's arm blurred. He didn't defend. He ignored the blood in his eyes and launched a horizontal hook that caught Ren squarely in the jaw.
BOOM!
The raw "Might" of the Super-Physique exploded. Ren's face was physically distorted by the impact. His feet left the ground, and he was launched sideways, his grip on Kureha's neck forced open by sheer kinetic trauma.
"He countered!"
Fusui gasped. "The [ENGINE] combination wasn't finished, and he just... walked through it?!"
Doppo Orochi didn't look surprised. "A man's ability to stay standing depends on his mental state at the moment of impact."
"Kureha is no amateur. He expected to be hit. He prepared his spirit to tank the damage before the match even started."
Doppo's voice was heavy with respect. "To a man who has 'Resolved' to take the hit, Kureha is an indestructible fortress. Ren-kun's blitz... it failed!"
SHING!
Kureha didn't let the window close. He slid forward, his massive hands clamping onto Ren's right wrist.
"!?!"
Before Ren could reset his balance, he felt the world tilt.
Kureha's core muscles fired. Using his 131kg mass as a counterweight, he swung Ren like a Olympic hammer-thrower. He rotated his entire body 360 degrees, building momentum before releasing the youth toward the wooden perimeter fence.
BOOM!!!
☆☆☆
-> 30 Advanced chapters Now Available on Patreon!!
-> https://www.pat-reon.co-m/c/Hollowborn
(Just remove the hyphen (-) to access patreon normally)
If you like this novel please consider leaving a review that's help the story a lot Thank you