Chapter 289: High Spirits!
Erio Kure and Gouki Shibukawa were both "Old Foxes" of the highest order; they
spotted the core of the exchange instantly. Kugo Kurachi, as a veteran of the
pro-wrestling world, was equally sharp and caught on a heartbeat later.
"I see it now!"
Kurachi broke into a wide grin, explaining the nuance to Jose Kanzaki. "Old Man
Kure is right. Within the thousands of techniques a martial artist masters, the
element of 'Acting' is far more prevalent than most realize."
"Probing, footwork, feints, pre-reading—it's all a performance."
"The difference is the intended audience. If Pro-Wrestling is a stage play that
requires grand, sweeping gestures for the back row, then the performance of a
high-level martial artist is a high-definition feature film—subtle, clinical,
and intended solely for the opponent!"
Kurachi roared with laughter.
"Hahaha! If Jaku Kaioh thought he was the only one who knew how to put on a
show, he's in for a rude awakening!"
"GUUGH—!"
Jaku Kaioh lay flat on his back, clutching the side of his face. He coughed up a
spray of blood and several tooth fragments, rolling across the sand in agony.
Fortunately, his Ku-ken-do prioritized grappling and self-preservation. By
tucking his chin at the last millisecond before the hand-chop hit, he had
avoided having his neck snapped.
"M-Magnificent...!"
Jaku managed to push himself into a half-crouch, forcing his swollen eyes open
to look at the approaching Ren Shiroki. In his dazed vision, Ren's silhouette
seemed to tower over him like a giant. The predatory glint in the youth's eyes
left faint trails of light in the air.
"Magnificent skill! A magnificent presence!!"
Jaku shouted the praise with a bloody grin. He drove off the balls of his feet
and hopped backward, narrowly evading Ren's follow-up lunge.
Zip!
Jaku retreated in a series of wide, circular steps around the octagonal ring. As
he focused on regaining his breath, his expression shifted from pain to a look
of pure, manic ecstasy.
To see a youth with this much talent... it's moving! It's truly moving!
And because of that... because you are this incredible... I CANNOT ALLOW MYSELF
TO LOSE!
Jaku reset his distance and stood tall. He addressed Ren in a voice that carried
across the plaza. "My singular wish is to popularize absolute self-defense! I
want the Martial Way to serve as a beacon of social education for the lost souls
of the world!"
"Whether facing a criminal, a monster, or the crushing weight of despair... a
man must be able to respond! That is my Strength!"
"Come, Ren Shiroki!"
Jaku spread his arms wide before pulling them back into a double-hand guard. He
beckoned Ren forward. "Powerful as you are, you are still just an 'Opponent'!
Let me show you the true depth of my technique!"
Ren Shiroki raised his arms. His fists were held in a high, loose guard, his
posture shifting into the agile rhythm of a world-class Kickboxer. He began to
bounce, his body flowing with a natural, infectious beat.
In his mind, the ink-wash lines erupted like a firework display. A thumb emerged
from the darkness, followed by the brilliant, white-toothed grin of Dee Jay.
[Catch the Rhythm! Move with YOUR Rhythm!] [The Rhythm is everything, Buddy!]
Rhythm.
A powerful body dancing to the heartbeat of the attack. This was the signature
style of the "Southern Comet."
"Aha! Hahahaha!"
Ren's body swayed. He drove off his back foot, using his arms as counterweights
to maximize his forward inertia. He launched into a high-speed charge, closing
the distance to Jaku in a heartbeat.
[DRIVE RUSH]!
WHOOSH!
The moment he entered range, Ren unleashed a heavy downward punch that slammed
into Jaku's guard. Without letting up, he exploded into a rapid-fire left-right
combination.
[DEE JAY'S FUNKY DANCE]!
Bang! Bang!
Jaku tanked the two heavy straights, his teeth gritted as he waited for the
wind-up of a third. He spotted the "back-fist" coming and reached out, his hands
open for a grapple.
In that heartbeat—Zip!
Ren didn't follow through with the punch. He drove his heel into the sand and
leaned his torso back, swaying away from Jaku's reach while simultaneously
retreating.
[DEE JAY'S STAYIN' COOL]!
The move allowed him to reset his position while staying primed for a kick or a
lunge. But Ren didn't wait to reset. He shifted his weight mid-sway and fired a
lightning-fast rising uppercut.
[DEE JAY'S AIR SLASHER]!
Zip!
Unlike a Shoryuken, this uppercut didn't involve a full extension of the elbow.
It relied on the torque of the shoulder and pectorals to whip the entire arm
upward. It lacked raw power, but its speed was unrivaled.
"HYAH!"
Ren's knuckles tracked straight for Jaku's chin. Jaku jerked his head back in a
panic, but his bushy beard was caught in the arc. A tuft of facial hair was torn
away by the velocity of the fist.
Rip!
The announcer shrieked into her mic. "Jaku Kaioh's counter-grapple has failed!
Ren Shiroki is entering a high-speed flow state!!"
Droplets of blood appeared on Jaku's chin where the hair had been ripped from
the root.
"Tch!"
Jaku ignored the sting, his eyes narrowing to slits as he focused on Ren's feet.
He couldn't afford to miss a single micro-movement.
[ENGINE]—MAX OVERDRIVE!
Ren's eyes were now a network of red chains, his pupils vibrating with manic
intensity. His "unconscious self" was deleted. The techniques began to pour out
of him like a breaking dam.
[DEE JAY'S FUNKY DANCE]!
Bang-bang-slap!
A flurry of high-speed hits was followed by a sudden step-pivot. Ren launched a
horizontal whip-kick that slammed into Jaku's thigh. He used the impact as a
springboard to spin his body.
[DEE JAY'S WAVERING STEP]!
Whoosh!
Ren coiled for a kick but didn't extend the leg. The feint sent Jaku into a cold
sweat, his defensive preparation rendered useless by a phantom.
Ren capitalized with a rapid-fire double-uppercut.
[DEE JAY'S AIR SLASHER]!
Pop-pop!
The third hit was another feint. Ren drove his foot into the sand and performed
a second [WAVERING STEP]. He spun twice to saturate Jaku's perception before
finally delivering a bone-deep roundhouse.
THUD!
"GUUGH—!"
Jaku let out a ragged growl, cold sweat drenching his back. As a Kaioh-level
master, he had fought hundreds of battles. He should have been able to read the
rhythm. But the "choices" were too numerous, the feints too frequent. He
couldn't find the pattern. He had no idea where the next strike was coming from
or when it would arrive.
Swish-zip-bang!
Ren spun and launched an uppercut, but cancelled the motion mid-frame to deliver
a focused straight punch to Jaku's stomach.
POW!!
The wind was knocked out of the Master.
To Jaku, it felt like Ren had grown ten extra limbs. The youth was a flickering,
unpredictable engine of destruction. He had no choice but to drop into a total
defensive turtle-shell, tanking the hits and hoping for a miracle.
But a turtle-shell has no offense. He was simply waiting to be broken.
I'm going to lose... I'm actually going to lose to a brat—!
Suddenly, the pressure vanished. Ren stopped his assault.
Jaku, expecting another feint, kept his guard up for five long seconds before
cautiously opening his arms to peek.
Ren Shiroki was standing with his hands on his hips, his head tilted. Blood and
sweat mingled on his torso, shimmering under the spotlights. He was waiting for
Jaku to reset.
"Phew... I really needed that sweat!"
Ren wiped his brow and flicked the blood away, gesturing to Jaku.
"Jaku-san. Thank you for giving it your all. Since you've wagered your life just
to entertain me... how about we settle this with your specialty? Let's end this
with a contest of Throws and Grapples!"
The declaration left the Master stunned and the crowd in an uproar.
"Is he serious?!" the Kure announcer roared. "Ren Shiroki is challenging a
Master of Grappling to a throw-contest?! This kid is out of his mind!!"
"..."
Jaku took a slow, heavy breath. "You... you would..."
"Stop acting, you old fox," Ren laughed, his voice bared with a predatory edge.
"A 'Friendly Spar' is boring. I'm going to drag you out of the 'Educator' world
and back into the domain of the Fighter!"
Jaku's eyes cleared. The "Gentle Teacher" mask shattered, replaced by the face
of a man who had earned the title of Kaioh. He bared his teeth in a savage grin.
"THEN COME!!"
Zip!
Jaku lunged, his left hand extended in a reaching claw to seize Ren's wrist.
Ren sidestepped the grab with a fluid shift of his feet. He glided past Jaku's
arm, rounding the Master's flank to take his back. He threaded his arms under
Jaku's armpits.
Ren had the lock. The arms and neck were secured. He arched his back, his core
coiling like a high-tension spring as he performed a massive overhead suplex.
[GUILE'S DRAGON SUPLEX]!
BOOM!
The impact was thunderous. Jaku landed face-first, his nose buried in the sand.
He managed to perform a desperate "Break-Fall" with his hands, but the shock
still rattled his brain into a stupor.
"Clean and efficient!" the announcer cheered. "Ren Shiroki is using Battlefield
CQC techniques!"
Jaku struggled to his feet, his breathing a series of ragged wheezes. He looked
around for Ren, but the youth wasn't pursuing him.
Ren laughed, hands on his hips. "To be honest, this is the first time I've been
able to focus on my throws. Throws are completely useless against
Shibukawa-sensei!"
"Hmph!"
Jaku lunged again, dropping his center of gravity. He dove for a double-leg
tackle, intending to take Ren to the ground.
Ren's left hand snapped forward, catching Jaku's right wrist. His left leg fired
forward in a rapid-fire snap-kick that swatted Jaku's other hand aside. He
yanked the right wrist backward with a violent pull.
Zip!
Jaku was forced into a deep, awkward bow. Ren leaned against Jaku's back,
performing a high-speed forward roll over the giant. The moment his feet touched
the sand, he dropped into a crouch and yanked Jaku's lead foot out from under
him.
As the Master stumbled, Ren rose and launched a driving front-kick.
[JAMIE'S ROTATING PISTON]!
BANG!
Jaku was launched backward for the third time, sliding across the octagon in a
trail of crimson.
"A Drunken Boxing throw-derivative!" the Kure girl screamed in excitement. "Ren
Shiroki still refuses to finish it! He's waiting for the Master to stand!"
Jaku didn't move for several seconds. He lay prone, gasping for air, making no
effort to hide his need for recovery.
Ren didn't care. He turned toward the crowd. Like a professional wrestler
working the audience, he began to clap his hands with thunderous force.
CLAP! CLAP! CLAP! CLAP!
The amped-up atmosphere was infectious. The spectators stood up, shouting and
cheering in time with Ren's rhythm.
"DIE! DIE! DIE! DIE!" The chant of the bloodthirsty crowd filled the air.
Jaku Kaioh finally forced himself up. He was a wreck. He couldn't even wipe the
blood from his mouth, but he answered the call.
"HA!"
Jaku roared, centering his vision and charging one last time.
"EXHILARATING!"
As they collided, both men reached for each other's wrists simultaneously. Both
were forced to release and reset, retreating half a step.
"This is amazing!" Jaku laughed through the blood on his face. He swung his
right leg in a hooking sweep.
Ren leaped onto one foot to clear the shin. He drove forward mid-hop, tucking
Jaku's head under his left arm in a front-facelock. He twisted his entire core,
shaking the Master's head violently to destroy his stability.
The Muay Thai "Plum"... but Ren had modified the entry into a specialized
grappling posture. The pressure was absolute! Jaku's face turned beet-red as the
air was squeezed out of him.
Bang! Crash! Thud!
Style after style, throw after throw—the technical display was a blur that left
the audience screaming in a fever-pitch of excitement.
Ringside, Fusui Kure clenched her fists and roared: "REN-CHIN!!"
WHOOSH!
Ren, still clamping Jaku's head under his arm, raised his free right arm toward
the moon. He hoisted a solitary, blood-stained thumb high into the air,
acknowledging the roar of the crowd.
The night before the Kure Festival had reached its peak. In the center of the
ring, the [SOUL COMBATANT] was in high spirits!
(End of Chapter)
☆☆☆
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