Chapter 220: Amusement Parks and Candy
BANG!
With Retsu Kaioh's final punch finding its mark, Dorian collapsed into
unconsciousness. The long night of dueling had officially come to an end.
The participants were numerous. Having traded blows with a legendary "Master of
Kenpo," the various fighters had tasted both victory and minor setbacks, but
most left with a sense of profound satisfaction.
As for the duel with "Dorian" himself, the result was undisputed.
Before a group of witnesses that included the Fist Master, the Chairman of the
Kengan Association, the King of Thailand, and the Bushin of the Shinshinkai, a
winner was declared: Ren Shiroki!
"Whoo! I won—!!"
Ren tightened his right fist and hoisted it high, gesturing to the group.
The masters responded in their own way—some clapped, some nodded with a smile,
and others cheered. Ren grinned broadly, his eyes bright. "Nice. That was
perfect!"
While a real battle didn't technically require an audience, finishing a fight to
the sound of cheers and applause from legends was undeniably exhilarating.
About five minutes after the signal was sent out that the combat had concluded,
the Metropolitan Police Department—who had been on standby nearby—arrived on the
scene.
A fleet of patrol cars filled the streets surrounding the Hub. Two ambulances
pulled up near the front gate, parking beside the mangled remains of the
courtyard wall and the scorched asphalt.
In terms of pure danger to civilians, Dorian wasn't as psychotically chaotic as
Speck, but he had still dealt heavy blows to both the police and the martial
arts world. He had to be treated with extreme caution.
Leading the squad was a familiar face—Ichika Iori.
She dispatched one medical team to check on the group inside the courtyard and
another to provide emergency treatment to the fallen Dorian. This had been a
"Duel," not a "Private Execution." If the distinction between the two was
blurred, the victory over Dorian would lose its meaning—something no true
martial artist present would accept.
However, Dorian was a high-profile murderer and a massive threat to public
safety. Leaving him unattended was not an option.
"For now, we're taking Dorian into custody," Ichika said, her gaze scanning the
wreckage. "International law and extradition will follow. He's likely looking at
the death penalty again—"
She paused, looking at the street. The area was a disaster zone. Massive craters
pockmarked the road, and spiderweb cracks radiated across the pavement. The
Hub's outer wall had been leveled, and the entrance bore the black scars of
fire and explosions.
What the hell happened here tonight? she wondered. Looking at the aftermath,
calling it a "brawl" was an understatement. It looked like a localized war.
The doctors examining Dorian shared her concern.
"Hey, isn't this overkill? All this security for one injured senior citizen?"
"Quiet. I heard he's a death row escapee from the States. He's a monster—"
As they spoke, the lead doctor noticed Dorian's eyes flutter open.
His entire body was a map of bandages. His nose was held in a metal brace, and
both his arms and one leg were encased in casts. He stared up at the night sky
with hollow, vacant eyes.
"—?!"
The medical staff froze, terrified that the beast was about to lash out. They
barely dared to breathe.
Gulp—
Ichika Iori swallowed hard, forcing herself to maintain a professional front.
"It's alright. The MPD is here. We have the situation under control."
But she couldn't help turning to Ren Shiroki. "He's... he's done, right? You're
in good shape? If he moves, can you still take him?"
Before Ren could speak, Retsu Kaioh replied in a low, somber voice. "That won't
be necessary."
"Eh—?" The officers and doctors blinked in confusion.
Retsu let out a long sigh. "Now... to keep Dorian contained, you wouldn't even
need a wire fence."
The doctors shared a bewildered look.
Zip!
Suddenly, Dorian sat bolt upright. The doctors cried out in shock, some even
falling backward on their backsides as they tried to scramble away.
But to everyone's surprise, Dorian did nothing. He remained seated, staring up
at the dark expanse of the Tokyo sky.
"Can—" Dorian murmured, his voice sounding strangely high-pitched and youthful.
"Can... dy..."
The group stared in stunned silence.
Dorian pointed a finger at the sky, gesturing toward the faint celestial lights.
"Look... little candies. But there are so few of them..."
Because of Tokyo's light pollution, the stars were barely visible—just a few
flickering, blurry specks.
"I want... candy..."
Dorian looked down, sounding dejected. Then, his eyes caught the warm, bright
glow of the Soul Combat Hub. His face lit up with child-like delight. "More
candy! So many—!"
He was calling the stars and the electric lights "candy." His tone was filled
with a bizarre, unnatural innocence.
Without warning, Dorian sprang to his feet—completely ignoring his shattered
left knee—and hopped into the courtyard of the Hub. He reached out his hands,
trying to "catch" the beams of light, looking blissfully happy even though his
hands found only air.
"Haha! Amusement park—!"
Dorian threw himself onto a massive weighted training tire, straining as he
managed to flip it forward. Hearing the heavy THUD it made, he burst into a fit
of giggles.
Next, he ran to the pull-up bars. He hooked his elbows over the bar and let his
legs dangle, swinging himself back and forth as if he were on a playground
swing.
"Hah! I'm going to play... all night! Hahaha—!"
He grew more frantic in his play until he accidentally tripped, rolling across
the ground and bumping into a 150kg heavy bag. He stood up on one leg, stroking
the scuff marks and leather of the bag.
Suddenly, Dorian dropped into a half-crouch. Facing the bag, he began to perform
the fundamental Kenpo Standing Post drill. His movements were perfect—rock-solid
and disciplined—and he did it all while balancing on a single leg.
But eventually, his stamina failed him. He slumped onto his backside, sitting
there in a daze, silent and unmoving.
Lihito thought Dorian was still acting and prepared to call him out, but Retsu
Kaioh held up a hand to stop him.
"Papa—"
Dorian sat with his legs stretched out, tracing circles in the air with his
fingers. His expression was that of a child lost in a painful memory.
"Papa... he only gave me two candies..."
"But I... I wanted a whole mountain of candy!"
Dorian looked up. His eyes were devoid of any warrior's spark, filled only with
fear and a deep, aching sense of grievance.
"Papa was always like that. Even though I loved candy so much..."
"I wanted to tell Mama... but Mama... she's gone—"
"Candy..."
"..."
The masters watched Dorian, paralyzed by the sight. Slowly, the realization hit
them.
Dorian's entire existence and sense of self had been built upon the foundation
of "Winning." Once he realized he could no longer hold his opponents—that he
hadn't truly won a single time—his brain and his soul had simply shattered. He
had retreated into the only era of his life that preceded his obsession with
victory: childhood.
Retsu Kaioh walked forward slowly. He knelt in front of Dorian and placed both
hands on the old man's shoulders.
"Dorian-otouto (Little Brother Dorian)..."
Looking at his broken senior apprentice, tears welled in Retsu's eyes. He
whispered comfortingly, "I will buy you all the candy you want."
Dorian's eyes sparkled. He looked at Retsu with pure, desperate hope.
"R—Really?!"
Retsu nodded. "As much as you want. Even if it's a mountain as tall as a
skyscraper... it doesn't matter!"
"Really?!"
"Yes."
"You're really, really going to buy it for me?!"
"I am. I promise."
Shortly after, the ambulance carrying Retsu and Dorian, escorted by the MPD,
drove away from the Soul Combat Hub. The road ahead for Dorian was dark and
uncertain, but for the first time in forty years, it was his own.
"..."
Looking at the mess left behind, Ren Shiroki shrugged. He turned to speak to the
others, but Doppo Orochi beat him to it.
"Yeah... sitting around here isn't very comfortable. I'm out!"
With that, Doppo signaled to Katsumi and they walked away. Gaolang and Rama XIII
departed in the opposite direction. Then Metsudo, accompanied by Sayaka and the
guards, gave Ren a quick wave and a chuckle before leaving as well.
Even Lihito had vanished into the night.
Ren looked at the suddenly empty, silent courtyard. It felt strange. He turned
to find Fusui Kure, but she was gone too.
"—They all left?"
Ren paused, letting out a helpless sigh. He supposed it made sense. It had been
an exhausting night; everyone needed their rest. Arisa and Marco were still over
at Karura's place, which meant tonight, Ren was all alone in the Hub.
"I guess..."
Ren felt a sudden, sharp pang of loneliness.
Since he couldn't sleep anyway, he grabbed some tools and began cleaning up the
debris on the street and patching the wall. He spent half an hour working, a
thin layer of sweat cooling on his skin. It felt good to move.
Suddenly—Zip!
A cold can of beer was tossed from the shadows. Ren caught it instinctively.
He looked up to see Fusui Kure.
"You came back?"
Fusui simply smirked and jerked her thumb over her shoulder.
There they were. Doppo and Katsumi. Gaolang and Rama. Metsudo and Sayaka. Even
Lihito.
Aside from Retsu, who had to stay with Dorian, the entire group had returned!
Most of them had changed into fresh, casual clothes, and several were carrying
bags of takeout and snacks. They had run into each other at a nearby convenience
store and decided to regroup.
"—Eh?"
Ren blinked, still holding the cold beer. Before he could process the situation,
Fusui slung an arm around his neck. She looked at him with confusion.
"Ren-chin, why haven't you showered and changed yet?"
Fusui crinkled her nose. "Old Man Doppo said it—staying like that isn't
comfortable. You've gotta get cleaned up first."
The realization hit Ren like a Shoryuken. They hadn't left to go home; they had
left to refresh themselves so they could keep the night going.
"Ren-kun, did you misunderstand?" Doppo, now in a tracksuit, popped a beer and
teased him. "Did you feel lonely because we left too fast?"
To Doppo's surprise, Ren nodded, admitting it frankly. "Yeah. I didn't want you
guys to leave. A night like this is rare; it would have been a waste to just let
it end."
"..."
Without waiting for Doppo to respond, Ren turned and headed inside to shower.
Doppo scratched his head. "Oho... well, look at that."
The adrenaline from the battle was still humming in their veins. No one was
going to be sleeping anytime soon. A late-night gathering was exactly what the
doctor ordered.
By the time Ren came back out, the party was in full swing. They drank and
talked until dawn.
Under the warm lights that looked just like "Candy"—
The next morning.
Arisa and Marco returned home to find a scene of total chaos. There were
remnants of the battle—craters and broken walls—but there were also the remnants
of a massive celebration.
Empty cans, food wrappers, and sleeping legends were scattered across the Hub.
The guards were taking turns on watch, the fighters were napping on floor mats,
while Metsudo, Rama, and Sayaka were sound asleep on futons inside the dojo.
Marco scratched his head. "Whoa... what a mess! It's going to take forever to
clean this up—"
Arisa put her hands on her hips, a wide smile on her face. "It's perfect. This
feels great."
Marco looked confused.
Arisa stretched and explained, "We can clean up a mess anytime, Marco-kun. but a
party like this? You don't see this every day. We're lucky we got to see it,
right?"
(End of Chapter)
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