Chapter 215: The Trap
Dorian hadn't blown the stone dust to play a petty trick. He had done it to
"verify."
He needed to verify that the opponent before him—Ren Shiroki—was a warrior who
wouldn't stop fighting even if every underhanded method in the book was thrown
at him. Now that Dorian was certain, he felt a strange sense of peace.
"..."
Retsu Kaioh sat cross-legged on the grass inside the courtyard, sipping Oolong
tea.
"Ren and Dorian... two men walking similar paths, yet their mental foundations
are worlds apart."
"Doppo-san, Gaolang... you both wanted to duel a Kenpo Master. But Ren? He wants
to experience the entirety of Dorian, tricks and all."
"For Dorian, Ren is the perfect final opponent."
"Haha..."
Dorian let out a soft laugh, spreading his hands. "Ren-dono, you spoke so much
about your 'journey,' and yet your answer is simply to stop thinking about the
problem?"
"To me, that sounds a bit... ridiculous."
Dorian's smirk widened. "If I had only done this... if I had used that move, I
would have won—"
"A true defeat, to me, is one where I am left with zero doubts. One where I am
forced to accept reality with a clear mind." Dorian slowly tightened his fists.
"Let me see how my 'kindred spirit' intends to respond to my everything..."
The words had barely left his lips—
ZIP!
[DRIVE RUSH]!
Ren seized the initiative. He drove his back foot into the pavement, gliding
forward in a blur. He unleashed a mid-level straight punch.
Dorian's forearm swept downward, easily parrying the strike. But he immediately
noticed something off about the weight of the blow.
A feint!
Dorian realized too late. Ren shifted his momentum mid-motion, his left elbow
snapping upward in a vicious rising strike.
[SAGAT'S TIGER STONE]!
BANG!
The explosive Muay Thai elbow whistled past Dorian's face as he jerked his head
back to evade.
In the next heartbeat, Ren's left foot pivoted. He stepped deep into Dorian's
space with his right leg, sweeping horizontally across the pavement.
THWACK!
Dorian's footing was compromised. He was sent falling backward.
In that split second of weightlessness, Ren's left leg snapped upward in a
vertical split-kick. He drove his heel downward toward Dorian's throat like a
falling guillotine.
[RYU'S HEEL DROP]!
BOOM!!
The heel slammed into the asphalt with the force of an explosion, a spiderweb of
cracks erupting from the point of impact.
But Dorian was gone. He had driven his own hand into the ground to propel his
prone body sideways, performing a rapid-fire roll before leaping into the air.
Whoosh!
The massive 205cm giant carved a crescent arc through the air. He vaulted
directly over Ren, hovering in a mid-air crouch.
As Ren's strike missed, leaving a micro-opening in his recovery frames, Dorian
bunched the fingers of his left hand together, his middle finger protruding
slightly, supported by the others.
Zip!
The finger-spear drove downward, aimed directly for the crown of Ren's skull.
In the Orochi-style of Karate, there is a similar technique known as
[Rokuhahanjo]—a strike intended to split the sutures of the cranium. It was a
lethal, high-damage move, and combined with Dorian's acrobatic agility, it was
nearly impossible to defend.
But Ren's reflexes were operating on a different level. He suddenly hopped
backward on his toes, driving a rising knee upward to meet the strike.
[SAGAT'S TIGER KNEE]!
CLACK!
Ren's knee—the hardest bone in the body—met Dorian's finger. The impact was
perfect.
Before Ren's left leg even touched the ground, his right foot gave a tiny
"double-tap" against the pavement to shift his center of gravity. His left leg
snapped up again, aiming for Dorian's groin in a high-speed snap kick.
"Take this!"
[SAGAT'S TIGER GRACE]!
Slap!
Dorian pressed his right palm down, parrying the kick. He used the force to
perform a full mid-air rotation, landing steadily several paces away.
"Phew..."
Dorian stood bladed. His fists were clenched, palms facing inward, his right arm
forward and left arm back in a low-guard posture. It was a stance that embodied
total unity of offense and defense. Flawless.
"Nice. That was perfect!"
Ren sighed in admiration. His pupils vibrated violently, his sclera turning into
a map of red veins.
[ENGINE]—MAX OUTPUT!
His calves exploded with power. His silhouette blurred as he launched a
high-speed suppression charge.
[DRIVE RUSH]!
WHOOSH!
As he closed the gap, Dorian suddenly twisted his hips, unleashing a horizontal
back-fist with his left hand.
But Ren did the unthinkable. He cancelled his momentum instantly, dropping into
a deep crouch to let the strike whistle over his head.
"HYAH!"
A straight punch buried itself into Dorian's solar plexus. The giant doubled
over, his body arching forward and exposing his head.
Zip!
Ren's hands shot forward. He seized the back of Dorian's head in a Muay Thai
clinch, his core twisting as he yanked the giant's skull back and forth to break
his balance.
"...It's coming!"
Gaolang, watching from the sidelines, narrowed his eyes and explained to the
group:
"That's the classic Muay Thai 'Plum.' By violently destabilizing the head, you
destroy the opponent's center of gravity. The follow-up will be—"
KNEE STRIKE!
BOOM!!
Ren's knee drove upward, smashing into Dorian's face. Without letting go, Ren
locked his fingers tighter around Dorian's head, let out a roar, and performed a
massive overhead toss behind him.
"Hah!!"
[SAGAT'S TIGER THROW]!
CRASH!!
Dorian's massive frame slammed through a section of the Hub's outer wall. Bricks
and mortar rained down, burying the convict under a pile of rubble.
"..."
Ren stood bladed, tuning his breathing.
Sure enough—
Rumble!
Dorian stood up from the debris, kicking aside a heavy stone. Though he looked
like a wreck and blood was pouring from his nose, his breathing remained as
steady as a man sitting for tea.
"Incredible..."
Gaolang couldn't help but offer praise. "Taking a full-power clinch-knee
followed by a heavy throw into a brick wall... an ordinary man would be dead. He
stood up like it was nothing."
Ren had expected this.
Dorian's body was a temple forged through decades of Kenpo cultivation. The man
who had carved a tunnel through a mountain with his bare hands possessed a
physical foundation that could survive almost anything.
Thud!
Dorian stepped back onto the pavement, steadying himself. He snorted a clot of
blood from his nose.
"Muay Thai, Karate, Military CQC... and traces of Kenpo? Perhaps more..."
Dorian smiled.
"Magical techniques. Every one of them wielded with an unspeakable passion.
You've refined yourself to master them all."
"However—" Dorian's tone turned cold. "Because of that... because you possess so
much passion for the art... you can never defeat me!"
"..."
Dorian dropped into a deep horse-stance, his knees turned inward. His arms rose
slowly, mirroring the movement of his breathing.
"None of you can defeat me."
As he spoke, he began to perform a slow-motion Kata right there in the street.
In any other context, it was a basic drill for a Kenpo practitioner. In a duel
to the death, it was bizarre beyond belief.
But the masters in the courtyard saw through it immediately.
Dorian looked like he was practicing, but he was actually in a "Dynamic Stance."
Every vector of defense was sealed; he was ready to counter from any angle at
any time.
Katsumi Orochi ground his teeth. "Is he going to use the 'Non-Attack' strategy?"
Doppo rubbed his chin and smirked. "Heh. Doesn't feel quite as solid as mine."
In a previous tournament, Doppo had faced the "Saint of War" Gouki Shibukawa. To
counter Shibukawa's Aiki (which used the opponent's own force), Doppo had used
"Non-Attack," waiting for the perfect split-second to strike with a "Bodhisattva
Fist" devoid of all killing intent.
"..."
Retsu Kaioh's brow furrowed. "When a master uses 'Non-Attack,' an opponent
seeking victory has no choice but to initiate. Ren is going to have to..."
WHOOSH!
Ren drove his foot into the ground, lunging forward with a straight punch.
[DRIVE IMPACT]!
The punch fired out, but as expected, it was swatted aside by Dorian's palm.
Dorian immediately followed up with a back-fist that slammed into Ren's face
with a dull thud.
"―Guh!"
Ren tanked the hit, his arms spreading wide. Zangief's [SIBERIAN EXPRESS] throw
was primed and ready.
Dorian sensed the intention. He fired a rapid three-hit combination to Ren's
centerline: philtrum, chest, stomach.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The rapid impacts stalled Ren's momentum, his attempt to close his arms for the
throw missing its mark.
Zip...
Dorian hopped back to reset the distance. He exhaled a cloud of heat, dropping
his weight and driving his palm-root forward.
HORSE-STANCE SHIELD STRIKE!
"HA!"
BANG!
Ren was hit square in the face. He was sent staggering back several steps, blood
spraying from his nose. His expression was one of total shock.
It didn't hurt!
Ren was confused. A Kenpo Master with the title of Kaioh... how could his
strikes be this weak?
"—?!"
Wait... something's wrong!
Ren wasn't the only one. The masters in the courtyard were staring in horror.
"Ren-kun! What are you doing?!" Katsumi shouted.
Dorian was currently standing behind Ren. But Ren seemed completely unaware; he
was focused entirely on the empty space in front of him, locked in a fierce
battle with "thin air."
Tch...
Dorian spat out a blood clot, a sinister, low chuckle vibrating in his chest.
Hypnosis—Complete.
(End of Chapter)
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