Chapter 269: Impossible to Find Even with a Lantern!
BANG!
The massive giant sprawled on the ground took the impact of Gouki Shibukawa's
heel directly to the base of his skull. A guttural growl erupted from the depths
of his throat as he coughed up a spray of blood.
"GUUGH—!"
Haruo Kono retched, his face contorting in agony. His tree-trunk-sized limbs
flailed violently, whipping up clouds of thick dust and sand.
"Oho?"
Shibukawa stood firmly on Haruo's broad back, feeling the tremors of the giant's
struggle beneath his feet. He arched an eyebrow and smirked. "Still conscious?
You really are a sturdy one, aren't you~!"
The little old man snapped his right foot up, aligning the outer edge of his
sole like a blade aimed at the back of Haruo's head.
"In that case, let's add a little bonus kick to the tally~!"
Zip!
Shibukawa's foot-blade descended.
Haruo didn't see it coming, but the searing pain in his neck triggered a surge
of primal rage. He slammed his palms into the sand, attempting to bolt upright.
BOOM!
The simple act of pushing off the ground sounded like a gas main exploding. A
thunderous roar shook the ring as two deep craters were hammered into the floor
by his hands.
The 315kg mountain of meat used the momentum to launch upward. Like a high-level
gymnast, the "God of Destruction" performed a full mid-air backflip, his massive
frame rotating through the sky before landing steadily several meters away.
Whoosh!
Shibukawa had already leaped back to evade the shockwave. He landed lightly,
spinning on the ball of his foot and looking up with genuine interest. "Haha!
Quite agile! So you aren't just a soft little marshmallow who only knows how to
eat~!"
Haruo's fury red-lined at the mockery.
He clutched the back of his neck, his teeth bared in a feral snarl. "It hurts...
it hurts like hell! Don't you dare get in the way of my gaming! I haven't even
reached the final boss of the new release yet!!"
Desire birthed irritation; irritation birthed pure, unadulterated rage.
Under the weight of his extreme anger, veins began to throb and bulge across
Haruo's 315kg body. His face twisted into a demonic mask, and the aura he
radiated was so intense it seemed to warp the very air in the plaza.
When Haruo played a "trash game," he was known to vent his frustration by
pulverizing furniture—he had once leveled a small guest villa in a fit of pique.
Now, his savagery and destructive output had reached a new peak.
He took a single, heavy step.
BOOM!!!
The newly laid sand was hammered into a pit, a cloud of dust erupting from the
impact.
This was the strongest combatant in the gaming world—The God of Destruction,
Haruo Kono!
Ringside, Akio Kono let out a greasy, triumphant laugh. "Hee-hee-hee! That's it,
Haruo! Crush that old fossil into the dirt!"
"I'll break you—!!"
Haruo used the crater beneath his feet as a starting block. He launched himself
like an armored tank at the slender old man a few meters away.
"DIE!!!"
THUD! THUD! THUD!
The behemoth charged with the momentum of a runaway locomotive, every footfall
sounding like a drum of war.
Shibukawa, however, looked like he was taking a stroll in a park. He casually
stepped to the side.
Zip!
The old master slipped the charge with effortless grace, turning his head to
watch Haruo's momentum carry him past. He stood ready, waiting for the giant's
next move.
"GRAAAH!"
Haruo roared, stomping his foot to kill his momentum. He spun around, unleashing
a chaotic barrage of heavy punches. His fists whistled through the air, yet they
couldn't find a single inch of the master's flesh. Haruo's frustration boiled
over.
"I... I am the strongest in the Himalayas! Leopards, bears, tigers—I've
slaughtered them all! You're just another target, old man!!"
Zip-zip-zip!
A flurry of high-speed heavy strikes created localized gusts of wind, yet they
did little more than ruffle the hem of Shibukawa's gi.
However, Shibukawa's expression was turning into one of profound disappointment.
"Sigh... I heard you were a legendary Gurkha mercenary with the mass of a
Yokozuna. I actually had some expectations..."
"JUST DIE!!!"
Haruo shrieked, putting his entire weight into a final, desperate right
straight.
This time, Shibukawa didn't play. He didn't dodge. He extended his right hand
diagonally, his fingers snapping around Haruo's wrist like an iron shackle. He
drove his center of gravity forward into the giant. "Heh~!"
WHOOSH!
In a heartbeat, Haruo's 315kg frame was upended by the very torque of his own
punch. He was flipped through the air like a spinning top, his body rotating
violently before he was slammed back-down into the sand.
KRA-BOOM!!!
As the dust billowed, Shibukawa's high-pitched laughter echoed through the
plaza.
"Oho! OHO~~!"
Shibukawa maintained the follow-through of the throw. He stood with his back to
the fallen Haruo, his right hand hoisted high. His last three fingers were
curled inward, while his thumb and index finger were extended toward the moon.
To see such an elegant, fluid posture from a man of his age was a rare thing
indeed—a sight you couldn't find even if you searched with a lantern in the
middle of the day!
Zip!
Shibukawa suddenly leaped. He bared his teeth in a sharp grin.
"Hah!"
A vertical foot-blade strike descended, catching Haruo square on the jaw and
throat. The giant retched, blood spraying from his lips as he flailed on the
ground, unable to find his feet.
"..."
Ringside, Ren Shiroki's eyes were wide with wonder. Even with his mental
archives of the martial arts, seeing the "Saint of War" in the flesh was a
different experience entirely. This was the pinnacle of technical grace!
Erio Kure scooted over to Ren's side, his black eyes fixed on the ring. The
Patriarch's voice was a low, respectful rumble. "Since the Meiji era, there have
been fewer than ten martial artists who truly transformed Aiki into a weapon of
war."
"Most practitioners can only use Aiki under controlled, dojo-style conditions."
"But Gouki Shibukawa? He is likely the only man alive capable of utilizing Aiki
in the chaos of a real battle!"
As he spoke, Haruo Kono managed to stagger back to his feet. The "Avatar of
Indra" from the Himalayas possessed a physical resilience that even junk food
couldn't fully erode.
But when Haruo opened his eyes, he froze.
"Ah—?"
The precision shock from Shibukawa's foot-blade had rattled Haruo's brain within
his skull. His vision was a distorted, melting nightmare.
Shibukawa squinted and laughed. "Everything looks a bit bent and twisted now,
doesn't it?"
"Time to lower the curtain—"
Shibukawa stuck his index finger into his mouth, licking it to provide a bit of
lubrication.
"For a stylish final hit~!"
Zip!
Capitalizing on Haruo's daze, Shibukawa sprang into the air. He transformed his
fingertips into a piercing spear, driving them straight into Haruo's throat.
"Hah...!"
Thud.
It was a soft, delicate strike. The fingertips sank into the soft tissue of
Haruo's neck up to the first knuckle. Haruo's eyes immediately rolled back. He
stood frozen, his jaw hanging open as a thin trail of blood leaked from his lip.
Tap.
Shibukawa landed steadily. He didn't spare the giant another glance. He turned
and strolled toward the edge of the ring, heading straight for Ren Shiroki to
retrieve his Haori and glasses.
Ren prepared to hand over the items, but he suddenly paused. He gestured for
Shibukawa to look back at the ring.
Shibukawa turned. Haruo Kono hadn't fallen.
Despite the lethal strike to his windpipe, the behemoth remained standing. An
ominous, heavy pressure began to radiate from his frame—a presence that felt
deeper and older than the "Haruo" who played video games.
Vaguely, the audience noticed a physical change. Haruo's body was becoming...
leaner?
"Oho!"
Shibukawa, a man who had seen everything, spotted the core of the phenomenon
instantly.
"I see. Having been beaten into unconsciousness, his original warrior's
physiology is rejecting the 'Desire' of his fat. He's burning through calories
at an impossible rate to fuel a recovery. He's defying the laws of medical
logic."
"Mm... a hyper-metabolic body like that. It reminds me of that 'Monster' Jack...
what a nasty memory. Bad luck, bad luck~~!"
While Shibukawa was reminiscing, the transformation continued. The figure—now
the legendary warrior Haru—began to move. He walked forward with slow,
deliberate steps.
THUD. THUD. THUD.
His eyes were still rolled back, his consciousness a void, yet he was locked
onto Shibukawa. He was a biological machine programmed for combat.
"Um... Sensei..."
Seeing Shibukawa still standing with his hands on his hips, Ren couldn't help
but offer a warning.
Shibukawa blinked, looking like he had just remembered something. He laughed and
shook his head. "Oh, right! The fight isn't over. Really... and I thought I had
delivered such a stylish finishing blow—"
The little old man looked genuinely troubled. "Does this mean I have to use an
even more stylish finisher?"
Zip!
The seventy-five-year-old Grandmaster raised his right hand, fingers spread
wide, facing the approaching Haru. He wore a confident, serene smile.
Then, his pinky finger slowly curled inward. Followed by his ring finger. Then
his middle finger...
Gouki Shibukawa was forming a fist.
The sight left everyone—even Erio Kure—baffled. What was this eccentric old man
doing? Did he really intend to trade punches with a 300kg monster?!
As the crowd whispered in confusion, Haru reached the master. Only Shibukawa's
thumb remained uncurled. Even without a soul behind them, Haru's combat
instincts were driving his arm back for a devastating blow.
He raised a massive fist.
At that exact heartbeat, Shibukawa finally tucked his thumb.
The moment the "Fist" was complete—without any punch being thrown—Haru's body
suddenly went slack. His massive frame collapsed into a heap on the sand.
THUD!
"..."
The plaza fell into a tomb-like silence. No one understood what had just
happened. A phantom jab? Magic? Sorcery?
Shibukawa turned back to Ren, shaking out his right fist. "This isn't a fist,
kid. It's a stylish Countdown Timer~!"
Seeing Ren's bewildered stare, Shibukawa laughed and explained:
"As long as it's a human body, there are certain physiological reflexes and
biological triggers that a person simply cannot override."
"Size doesn't matter when you understand the wiring. You just have to find the
weak point!"
Shibukawa spread his palm, raising five fingers. "I struck the boy in the
throat. I calculated the trauma. Based on the reflex I triggered, he had exactly
five seconds of motor function left before his brain shut down from the shock. I
was just counting down the time until he napped."
Hearing the logic of the victory, Ren widened his eyes. He let out a soft sigh
of wonder. "That... is infinitely cooler than just a throat-poke."
"Hahaha!"
Shibukawa beamed. He raised his open palm and shouted to Ren: "Hey! Don't just
stand there! Hand!"
Ren raised his palm, and Shibukawa swung with all his might.
CLAP!
The high-five echoed through the night, a sharp, joyous sound.
The referee finally found her voice.
"THE MATCH IS DECIDED!" "THE WINNER: GOUKI SHIBUKAWA!!"
Shibukawa rubbed his stomach, gesturing to Ren and Sonoda. "Phew! Moving around
like that really works up an appetite. I'm starving! Come on, let's get some
food! Sonoda-kun is buying~!"
Sonoda: "..."
(End of Chapter)
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