Chapter 238: Weighing In
Raian Kure. 21 years old. Height: 188 cm. Weight: 94 kg. Nickname: "The Devil"!
The greatest "problem child" of the Kure Clan's younger generation and Fusui's
elder brother.
The last time Ren Shiroki had seen him was at the Tokyo Dome when the Kengan
Annihilation Street Brawl was announced. At the time, Ren had just finished his
duel with Dr. Shinogi and was fast asleep on Fusui's lap, waking up only after
the Kure entourage had departed.
Thus, for Ren, this was their first official introduction.
Their meeting was suitably "bloody." The corridor was littered with the mangled
remains of hitmen, many with their necks twisted 360 degrees, spinal columns
protruding through the skin.
"Gyahahahaha!"
Raian let out a sharp, predatory laugh. His hands were dripping with someone
else's blood, which he casually wiped against the expensive wallpaper, leaving a
trail of crimson handprints. He marched up to Ren, slung a massive arm around
the youth's neck, and couldn't stop grinning.
"Yo, brother! Having fun with Fusui lately?"
Raian leaned his weight into Ren, using Ren's shirt to finish wiping the blood
from his hands. "You're a bit heavier than me, huh? Maybe 101kg? You're built
like a tank!"
Ren prepared to respond, but Raian suddenly slammed a heavy palm into his back.
"I knew you'd come back. The building is way more fun than the street—it's a
target-rich environment!"
Before the sentence finished—Zip!
Raian sidestepped with terrifying agility, circling behind Ren. He switched his
grip, his left arm snaking around Ren's neck while his right hand lunged
downward in a predatory claw aimed straight for Ren's groin.
In the heartbeat before the strike connected, Ren's hands snapped up. He seized
Raian's left arm, arched his back, and used his shoulder as a fulcrum to launch
the Kure monster over his head.
[RYU'S SHOULDER THROW]!
Whoosh!
Raian was sent sailing through the air. He performed a mid-air rotation and
touched down on his toes, landing in a rock-solid crouch. Ren's throw hadn't
been intended to injure, and Raian's grab had clearly been a wicked joke.
"Gyahahaha!"
Raian "weighed" his right hand in the air, baring his teeth in a wide,
white-knuckled grin. "Mm. You're packing heat, aren't you~?!"
Ren arched an eyebrow, a cold sweat prickling his neck. He bounced on his feet
to reset. "Nice... that was a close one."
At that moment, the radio in Ren's pocket crackled with Fusui's voice. Through
the micro-camera on Ren's collar, she was witnessing her brother's antics. She
turned the volume up to maximum.
"Big Brother, stop playing around!" Fusui urged with a sigh. "Grandpa is about
to go nuclear over Karura. Focus on the terrorists!"
"What are you worried about, Fusui?"
Raian stood up, rolling his wrists. "I'm not a mindless berserker. I know the
difference between a spar and a job. There are plenty of people left in this
building waiting for me to butcher them!"
"Besides, can't you see? I'm just trying to offer a proper greeting!"
Raian's grin widened, his black-and-white eyes locking onto Ren. "You can barely
hold it back, can't you? You want to go a round?"
"—Nice. That's perfect!"
Ren felt the tension bleed away, replaced by pure combat energy. He hopped in
place, loosening his muscles. "A warzone is only fun if you play it right!"
Raian's laugh grew even more manic. He beckoned with a middle finger. "Heh! I
think I like you after all!"
The next heartbeat—ZIP!
Both men drove their feet into the carpet, lunging forward in a blur of speed.
They met in the center of the hall, their legs snapping up in a synchronized
high-kick. Their ankles collided with a heavy THUD.
BANG!
A probing strike. Their power was nearly identical.
But their follow-up choices diverged instantly. Raian dropped his leg and
stomped the floor, his freakish biological torque driving a high-speed punch
aimed at Ren's face.
Zip!
At point-blank range, the first move should have been a winner.
But Ren lunged forward instead of back, closing the distance even further. He
drove his lead foot down, twisted his core, and unleashed a horizontal Muay Thai
elbow.
[DRIVE IMPACT: TIGER'S RETRIBUTION]!
THWACK!
The elbow slammed into Raian's attacking forearm, deflecting the momentum of the
punch and forcing Raian's torso to tilt, exposing his back.
Ren used the counter-force to slide back an inch, firing a rapid-fire straight.
[LUKE'S MUZZLE]!
POW!
The punch caught Raian flush on the bridge of his nose, sending blood spraying.
Raian's vision blurred with the sting, but he ignored the trauma entirely. He
bared his teeth in a demonic grin and tanked the hit to press forward. He drove
his right palm-root forward in a savage thrust.
BOOM!
The impact was heavy, catching Ren square on the face and sending a spray of
blood from his nose as well. Both men retreated several paces, resetting the
neutral game.
"Aha! You use Muay Thai too, Ren!"
Raian snarled with delight. "Karate throws, CQC, and the 'God of War's' flavor?
This is getting interesting!"
He spat out a mouthful of blood and wiped his nose with the back of his left
hand.
Suddenly—Zip!
Raian whipped his hand forward, flicking the blood from his knuckles directly
into Ren's eyes.
Raian didn't follow up immediately. He watched Ren intently. Despite the blood
saturating his eyeballs, Ren's eyelids didn't even twitch. He remained focused
on Raian, his stare unblinking and predatory.
"Predicted the blood-blindness and suppressed your blink reflex?" Raian arched
an eyebrow. "Impressive combat experience!"
His grin reached his ears, his black sclera turning even darker as he breathed
heavily. "It's been too long since I had a real dance partner. Tonight is going
to be a masterpiece!"
"Nice. That's perfect!"
Ren cracked his neck, the sound like a dry branch snapping. Blood trickled down
his cheek, tinting his vision red. Both men were finally turning serious.
The next instant—WHOOSH!
They charged again.
In that split second of high-velocity movement, a third figure exploded from a
side room, lunging at the two warriors with a sneak-attack strike.
But the "Third Man" had underestimated them. Ren and Raian reacted as one,
halting their own trade and turning toward the window simultaneously.
A tall Russian man in a long-sleeved shirt and tactical boots stood before them.
The convict—Sikorsky!
He had been roaming the middle floors looking for Baki, only to stumble upon the
two powerhouses. He had seen an opening and taken it.
Even with the sneak attack failed, Sikorsky didn't look worried. He smirked.
"Having fun without me, boys? Is this the 'Steel Jungle' I was promised?"
Sikorsky's lips curled into a sneer. "Let me join in. I'd hate to be jealous—"
He didn't get to finish. Ren and Raian shifted their techniques mid-motion, both
targeting the convict.
Ren performed a step-pivot, his elbow swinging in a horizontal arc. Raian drove
off his left foot, launching a full-power side-kick.
ZIP!
Sikorsky, ever the professional predator, had anticipated the pincer. He
launched a lead-leg front kick, catching Ren in the stomach to force a reset.
Simultaneously, he dropped his lead arm, bracing against his ribs to tank
Raian's kick.
THUD!
Ren's elbow missed. Raian's kick was blocked.
But the sheer, overwhelming physical force behind the two strikes made
Sikorsky's eyes widen in shock.
"Oh—"
Sikorsky was forced back, his feet skidding across the carpet. Raian tightened
his fists, coiling for a follow-up.
Ren swatted Sikorsky's leg aside with a crisp SLAP and snapped his right leg up,
targeting the convict's torso.
Zip!
Raian's heavy punch and Ren's front-kick landed simultaneously. The combined
mass of the two hits was staggering. Sikorsky was forced to retreat, using every
ounce of his balance to shed the kinetic energy.
Zip-zip-zip!
Sikorsky retreated toward the floor-to-ceiling windows. Ren and Raian pursued
like hungry tigers, closing the gap a fraction of a second before he could
reset.
"Is it fun now?!"
Raian's face was a mask of malice. He was half a heartbeat faster than Ren,
launching a savage front-kick that buried itself in Sikorsky's gut.
BANG!!
Sikorsky was launched off his feet. He crashed back-first into the glass, the
reinforced pane shattering into a million diamonds.
Crash—!
The convict tumbled out of the window, plummeting into the dark void of the
Ginza night. They were on the sixth floor.
Fwoosh—fwoosh—
The cold night air whistled into the corridor.
"Falling from this height? If he doesn't die, he'll be a cripple. He's
finished," Raian noted, narrowing his eyes. Then, his tone shifted. "Wait...
scratch that. I know the smell of a kill better than anyone. He's faking it!"
Raian's instincts told him Sikorsky was very much alive.
Ren Shiroki, knowing Sikorsky's history and his freakish finger-strength, came
to the same conclusion. He prepared to check the window, but Raian suddenly
stuck out a leg, tripping him.
"Gyahahaha! My kill!"
Raian wasn't about to let the prey escape. He lunged for the window, leaning his
head out to look down for the fallen Russian.
But the street below was empty. Sikorsky wasn't on the pavement, nor was he
clinging to the wall below. He had vanished.
Raian froze.
Suddenly, a raspy voice echoed from directly above his head.
"When I escaped from the Evansk missile silo, my only path was a hundred meters
of smooth, vertical concrete. I climbed it with my bare fingers."
"In other words... I am a better climber than any athlete on this planet."
"Scaling the irregular, ornate surface of a luxury hotel? To me, it's as simple
as walking up the stairs—"
Raian's eyes bulged. The voice was coming from the floor above!
"—!!"
Raian jerked his head up. Sikorsky was hanging from the seventh-floor exterior
molding, staring down at him with a predatory leer.
"Urban Steel Jungle? This is my domain!"
Sikorsky roared with laughter. "GOT YOU! HAA!"
He drove his legs downward. His heavy tactical boots, backed by the weight of a
falling 100kg body, aimed straight for Raian's face.
BOOM!!
(End of Chapter)
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