CHAPTER 144: THE CHAMPION YOUTH
BOOM!!!
Ren Shiroki's back slammed into the wooden perimeter fencing with enough force to crack the solid timber. He bounced off the boards and hit the sand face-first.
THUD.
"Whoa! Look at that flight! Shiroki was launched!"
The announcer leaned over the railing of the commentary booth, his eyes wide. "What terrifying grip strength! Shiroki couldn't even find his footing!"
Kureha Shinogi stood in the center of the pit, wiping a smear of blood from beneath his nose with his thumb. He let out a sharp, rhythmic snort, his lungs processing the "Might" of the exchange. He looked entirely unaffected by Ren's earlier knee-strike.
The next second—
ZIP!
Kureha sprinted forward, his massive frame a blur of motion. He targeted Ren's head while the youth was still down, raising a heavy boot for a terminal stomp.
"!?!"
Ren's vision was still vibrating, but his instincts screamed. He rolled desperately to the side, kicking up a cloud of sand. He vaulted up with one hand, his pupils struggling to find a focal point.
He prepared a counter-strike, but Kureha was already inside his guard. The doctor caught Ren's wrist and shoulder, using his own body as a pivot to launch a high-velocity rotation.
A One-Armed Shoulder Throw!
BOOM!
Ren hit the deck on his back once more. He managed to tuck his chin and execute a professional breakfall, but the shockwave traveled through his ribs and into his lungs. His entire nervous system felt like it was being hit by static.
"He's powerful, and his tactical transition is flawless!"
Mitsuyo Kureishi's eyes lit up from the VIP box. "The Doctor is using his mass advantage to turn this into a grappling match! He knows Ren-kun can't out-wrestle 131 kilograms of perfected muscle!"
Kureha didn't release Ren's wrist. He treated the youth's arm like the handle of a hammer, swinging Ren in a wide, parabolic circle once more.
SHING!
Ren felt the weightlessness of the centrifugal force, but his "Engine" was processing the data. As he swung past the perimeter fence, he slammed his feet into the wooden boards. The counter-force disrupted Kureha's rhythm. Using the recoil, Ren launched himself back toward the center of the ring in a flying knee strike.
"SEI—YAH!"
BANG!
The knee met Kureha's palm. The doctor had raised his hand in a perfect parry.
Kureha used the impact to push Ren upward, creating a brief window of air. He followed through with a high-line roundhouse kick. WHACK! The heavy boot slammed into Ren's braced forearms.
THUD!
Ren hit the sand, his arms numbing instantly. The skin on his forearms was already turning a deep, angry purple.
Kureha followed up with a lead uppercut. Ren slipped to the outside, but the iron fist slammed into the wooden railing behind him.
CRACK-SHATTER!
The solid oak post exploded into splinters. The power was enough to be a fight-ender. If that had hit Ren's jaw, his head would have been removed from his shoulders.
Kureha watched Ren back-pedal. He smelled the salt air and the copper scent of blood. His mind flickered back to his own history.
His loss to Baki Hanma—the punch that had ruptured his stomach. The postoperative shock where he was saved by the blood of the very "patients" he had once looked down upon.
Then, the tournament at the Dome. Witnessing his brother Kosho's resolve and yielding the win to him. And later... the absolute powerlessness he felt when Yujiro Hanma crashed the arena.
"If I don't evolve... if I don't surpass my own limits, Kosho will leave me behind. A big brother's pride won't allow that!"
Kureha tightened his fists and charged. He kept the pressure high, forcing Ren into a continuous, grinding retreat.
In the VIP box, Tokugawa leaned forward. "Kureha has changed. He's ten times the fighter he was during the tournament!"
Kosho Shinogi sighed, a look of tired respect on his face. "That's my Ani-ki. When we were kids, he used to take my homework and do it for me because he didn't trust me to get it right. He's the same with 'Strength.' He's terrified of being the one who gets left behind."
"Haha! A beautiful brotherhood!" Tokugawa cackled. He was about to offer a technical critique when his phone buzzed. He answered, and his smile widened into a manic grin.
"Oh? He's here? Excellent! Bring him to the box immediately. The match is at the 'White Heat' stage, I can't leave my seat!"
The High-Speed Elevator.
A Kakerou guard bowed slightly to a youth standing in the cabin. "Champion. Lord Tokugawa is expecting you. I'll lead the way."
"Ah... thanks."
The youth let out a long, lazy yawn. "So... why did the Old Man call me so late? He said it was a 'Matter of Destiny.' Sounds like a lot of work."
The guard smiled. "You know his temperament, Hanma-san."
"Man... I have school tomorrow..."
The youth shoved his hands into his pockets. His ears twitched, catching a distant sound. A faint, rhythmic roar. "Wait. Sounds like a party's going on."
"Indeed," the guard noted. "Upstairs in the Dome, there's a girl-band rock concert tonight. They're in the encore phase now, the crowds should be clearing out soon—"
The guard stopped, noticing the youth was looking at him with a look of pained pity. He realized his secret hobby had just been exposed.
The youth shrugged. "Go watch the last song if you want. I know the way down. I won't tell the Old Man."
"Thank you, Champion!"
The guard vanished toward the surface.
"Hoo..."
The youth pressed the button for the B6 level. As the elevator plummeted, he looked at the floor, his eyes narrowing as he sensed a different kind of "Rhythm" vibrating through the steel cable.
"Actually... it's the 'Underground' that's getting loud tonight."
The VIP Box.
A youth strolled into the room.
Tokugawa, Doppo, and Kosho greeted him like an old friend. But his "Presence"—a sharp, unyielding intensity—immediately commanded the attention of Nozomi, Fusui, and Arisa.
He looked to be about seventeen or eighteen. He stood only 167cm (5'6") tall, but his physique was a dense, knotted map of functional muscle.
He was a "Refined Beauty" of the combat world. He had short, messy brown hair and a distinct mole above the left corner of his mouth. He wore a loose button-down shirt, ripped jeans, and—most bizarrely—a pair of casual flip-flops.
Mitsuyo Kureishi's eyes widened. "You're—"
Before the MMA pro could finish, Arisa Sakurai raised her hand, interrupting the moment.
"Oh! I know you!"
Arisa waved at the newcomer with total casualness. "Kozue-chan showed me your picture! You're Kozue's boyfriend!"
The Youth: "..."
The Youth: "..."
The Youth: "...!!"
The world-famous fighter stood paralyzed for five seconds, his face turning a deep shade of beet-red. He scratched the back of his head, looking everywhere but at Arisa. "Ah... um... I'm sorry? You are?"
Upon learning that Arisa was Kozue Matsumoto's best friend, the youth's "Aura" vanished. He began frantically exchanging contact info with Arisa, asking for recommendations for date spots and "What girls like" advice.
Tokugawa and Doppo shared a look of pure exasperation. The "Strongest Pair" in the building were currently discussing cake shops and movie theaters.
"Ahem!"
Tokugawa coughed loudly. "LADIES AND GENTLEMEN! This is the Champion of the Maximum Tournament! The King of the Underground Arena!"
"BAKI HANMA!"
"And for the record," Tokugawa whispered to Kureishi. "His father is the Strongest Creature on Earth... Yujiro Hanma."
Baki finally snapped out of his domestic mode. He stood at the railing, his eyes narrowing as he looked down at the ring.
"So, Old Man. What's the big emergency?"
"No emergency! Just a match at the 'White Heat' level!" Tokugawa gestured toward the sand.
Baki watched for ten seconds, then frowned.
"White Heat? Not really. Neither Kureha nor his opponent has even started fighting for real yet."
Tokugawa blinked. "What?"
In the Ring.
Kureha Shinogi moved like a "Muscle Tank," his boxing-style footwork pinning Ren against the wooden barrier.
BAM!
A heavy straight punch connected with Ren's forearm, driving him back. Ren was trapped between the doctor and the wall. There was no room left to dodge.
[ENGINE] — OVERDRIVE!!!
Ren's pupils vibrated. His rhythm shifted instantly. He relaxed his arms, his stance becoming side-on and rigid.
"Hoo...!"
FINISHER—[GUILE: SOLID PUNCHER]!
Ren's arms were pulled back to their limit. His chest and core muscles snapped shut.
"SEI—YAH!"
[GUILE: SONIC HAND-BLADE]!
SHING!
Ren's forearms crossed in the air, the edges of his knuckles acting like blades. They slashed across Kureha's defensive forearms, opening two parallel "Red Lines" on the doctor's skin.
Nozomi Tenma's eyes flared. "A counter-attack! He's breaking through!"
But Baki Hanma shook his head, his expression unimpressed.
"No. It's too light."
Before the words had even left Baki's lips, Kureha ignored the cuts. He tightened his fist and launched a lead uppercut aimed at Ren's solar plexus.
Ren raised a palm to block, but his hand was driven back by the sheer mass of the Super-Physique. His own palm hit his stomach, the force punching the air from his lungs.
BOOM!
Ren Shiroki was launched into the air by the impact.
☆☆☆
-> 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