Chapter 298: Pro-Wrestling's Hyper-Practical Model
Ren Shiroki stood bladed, his fists raised in a tight guard. His left arm was
extended low, his right arm tucked against his ribs to protect his vitals.
Standing across from him, Jun Sekibayashi adopted a wide-based professional
wrestling stance. His feet were set broader than his shoulders, his center of
gravity dropped low, and his massive hands were open and fingers splayed like
claws.
Both men were drenched in blood. Their eyes, wide and bloodshot, were locked in
a predatory stare across the sand of the ring. Both wore smiles of genuine,
soul-deep satisfaction. Their auras clashed and ground against each other, the
friction physically warping the air.
"T-This is it!"
The Kure announcer's voice boomed across the plaza. "The battle hit a
fever-pitch the second the bell rang! Not a single spectator wants to blink for
even a heartbeat!"
"It's moving! It's enough to bring tears to your eyes!"
"..."
Ren Shiroki's toes dug into the sand. The muscles in his right calf coiled like
high-tension springs. "Alright... let's go for the real deal."
Sekibayashi bared his teeth in a savage grin. "Come on then! I like a frontal
assault!"
Neither man moved their feet yet, but the "Airspace" between them was shrinking.
The scent of iron-rich blood and the crushing weight of their killing intent
caused the audience to swallow hard, waiting for the first spark to ignite the
powder keg.
Ringside, Kugo Kurachi was conversing with Gouki Shibukawa.
"What are the bare essentials for an integrated combat system?" Kurachi mused,
hoisting a fist. "Lethal movement. Fluid footwork. And techniques that can
respond to any variable."
"At the very least, you need those three."
"From that perspective, whether it's a 'Fighter' like Ren-kun or a
'Pro-Wrestler' like Jun, they both possess a comprehensive set of technical data
for war. They are both built for the struggle!"
Shibukawa's gaze turned deep. "A Pro-Wrestler's creed... the resolve to absorb
every bit of the opponent's 'Finish.' Never dodging. Never flinching."
"..."
"It is the exact opposite of the 'Protection' philosophy of Aiki. It's
magnificent."
Shibukawa looked up at the moon. "But even with that resolve... they're still
made of flesh and bone. Ren-kun's heavy punches are enough to shatter rock. Can
he really survive without dodging?"
"HE CERTAINLY CAN!"
Jose Kanzaki shouted, his arms crossed over his chest as he nodded vigorously.
"Seki-aniki won't run! No matter how heavy the punch, he will absorb it and
stand tall! That is the Hell's Angel!"
"[HELL'S ANGEL] vs. [SOUL COMBAT]!!"
"The two titans are rooted to the octagon! Even covered in wounds, neither will
yield an inch of ground!"
The announcer's voice hit the red-line. "Simple intent! Pure soul! These two
were born to stand in a ring!!"
Before she could finish—STOMP!
Sekibayashi drove off the sand like a heavy-duty freight truck. He took three
massive strides and unleashed a Reverse-Horizontal Chop aimed straight for Ren's
neck.
Ren lunged forward, appearing as if he were going for a direct slugfest, but he
shifted his frames mid-motion.
Zip!
Ren fired a low-level kick that caught Sekibayashi on the ankle. He used the
momentum to pivot, dropping into a deep crouch to let the hand-chop whistle
harmlessly over his head. He sprang back up instantly.
[JAMIE'S FREEFLOW STRIKE]!
Pow! Pow! Pow!
Three rapid-fire drunken-boxing strikes. From top to bottom, Ren targeted
Sekibayashi's face, chest, and solar plexus in a perfect vertical line. The
impact forced the giant's torso to tilt backward.
"Oho!"
Ren exhaled a sharp breath. He held his hands in a half-clenched, loose drunken
guard, his forearm muscles bulging as his joints locked and released in a
rhythmic blur.
[DRIVE RUSH]!
ZIP!
He driven his calves into the floor, closing the distance to Sekibayashi's
inner-circle. He unleashed a sharp roar.
"DIE!"
Ren rained a barrage of high-velocity drunken strikes into the giant's body. The
hallway echoed with a rapid-fire thud-thud-thud that nearly forced Sekibayashi's
eyes to shut.
"Ungh—"
Sekibayashi's eyes rolled back. His arms went limp, his hand-chop pose
dissolving as he began to sink toward his knees. He looked completely
neutralized.
But in the next heartbeat—"HA!"
Sekibayashi's eyes snapped back into focus. His muscles, which had appeared
slack, tightened with the force of an iron trap. He lunged forward, his massive
arms wrapping around Ren in a crushing bear-hug.
The "Blackout" had been a performance!
"Memorize this, kid! A Pro-Wrestler's acting is top-tier!!"
Sekibayashi grinned demonically. He twisted his core and lifted, preparing to
launch Ren into a massive backdrop suplex. But at the apex of the lift, he
suddenly stalled.
The spectators leaned in, spotting the detail instantly.
Ren Shiroki had pre-emptively neutralized the leverage. At the moment
Sekibayashi's arms had closed, Ren had snapped his left arm high while driving
his left leg between Sekibayashi's thighs.
As Sekibayashi attempted the lock, Ren's left hand snaked around and caught the
giant's left cheek in a reverse-grip. Simultaneously, he hooked his left leg
behind Sekibayashi's knee and applied forward pressure.
The giant's balance was compromised. He couldn't complete the backward arc of
the suplex. Ren seized the gap in the momentum.
Zip!
Ren leaped from the giant's embrace. He used his right foot on Sekibayashi's
left knee as a platform, "walking" up the giant's body to drive his left foot
directly into Sekibayashi's face.
[DEE JAY'S STEPPING BEAT]!
BANG!
Ren's heel caught the giant flush on the nose, blood spraying into the air. Ren
used the counter-force to perform a back-flip, resetting the distance and
dropping back into his side-stance.
Ringside, Jaku Kaioh let out a sigh of admiration. "Magnificent
grappling-defense. The Pro-Wrestling world truly has produced a remarkable
talent!"
"It's not over yet!"
WHOOSH!
Ren drive off the ground again, using [DRIVE RUSH] to close the gap before
Sekibayashi could clear the blood from his eyes.
His pupils quivered violently. [ENGINE]—MAX OUTPUT! The synchronized
consciousness of 36 trillion cells funneled into his right fist as he drove it
forward with the power of a falling meteor.
[STRIKE AT THE APEX]—MAX POWER!
KRA-KOOM!!!
This blow was heavier than the last. It buried itself in the soft tissue of
Sekibayashi's abdomen. The force was so immense it lifted the 141kg giant off
his feet, his body arching like a bow as he was launched backward.
THUD!
Sekibayashi hit the sand on his back, a massive cloud of dust erupting around
him as blood splattered the floor.
However, a heartbeat later, a sound filled the plaza that made everyone's skin
crawl.
"GUUGH—!!"
A guttural roar of agony.
But it didn't come from Sekibayashi. It came from Ren Shiroki!
Ren was clutching his own right arm, his left hand clamped onto his right wrist.
He was doubled over, his face a mask of pain as he struggled to suppress a
scream. He had clearly sustained a massive injury.
Tch...
Sekibayashi, still prone, coughed up a mouthful of blood and began to tremble as
he pushed himself up.
He exhaled a cloud of hot steam, baring his bloody teeth in a grin. "How was
that, kid? A Pro-Wrestler's 'Receiving' is a work of art, isn't it?"
The crowd, and even the announcer, stood in confusion. "What... what just
happened?!"
"The answer is Destructive Defense!"
Jaku Kaioh explained in a deep, analytical voice. "Low center of gravity,
exhaling at the moment of impact, total muscular contraction—those are the
basics of tanking a hit. But Sekibayashi-kun took it a step further!"
"At the micro-second of impact, Sekibayashi shifted his internal abdominal
muscles, driving them downward against the trajectory of Ren-kun's punch."
"He misaligned the vector of the force, causing Ren-kun's fist to strike a
moving, hardened surface at a bad angle. The 'Recoil Shock' to Ren-kun's wrist
was doubled!"
Kurachi nodded. "A standard defense avoids damage. But Jun's 'Receiving' is the
exact opposite. He uses the opponent's own power, combined with his own
structural rigidity, to reflect the destruction back at the source."
"The more powerful the attack, the more devastating the recoil! It is a
technique only a 'Master of Receiving' can pull off!"
"Jun has truly completed the Warzone Model of Pro-Wrestling!"
Hah... hah... phew...
Ren Shiroki gripped his right wrist, his face contorted in agony. Cold sweat
poured down his brow. The pain wasn't from a "Hit" or a "Twist." It was the
recoil shock from the Earth-shattering impact.
It felt as though the small bones in his wrist had been turned into gravel.
"His wrist! Ren Shiroki's primary weapon has been compromised!" the announcer
screamed. "Sekibayashi has weaponized his own body! He's standing back up! Is he
going for the finish?!"
"..."
Sekibayashi reached his feet but didn't charge. He stood in his wide-base
stance, gasping for air. Blood ran from his mouth, dripping onto the sand.
"It worked. It had to," Shibukawa murmured. "Ren-kun's punch was a 'Cannon-tier'
strike. No human could take that to the gut and not be shaken. Even if he
reflected the force, Sekibayashi's internals are currently a mess."
Kurachi nodded, his tone grim. "But a Pro-Wrestler stands back up. No matter how
many times it takes!"
Ren finally forced his consciousness through the pain in his wrist.
"Again!"
Ren roared. He drove his feet into the sand and lunged, closing the gap with
another high-speed Drive Rush.
ZIP!
The moment he was within reach, Ren drove his left palm forward, targeting
Sekibayashi's gut. As the giant braced for the hit, Ren drove off his heels and
unleashed a vertical rising fist.
[RYU'S SHORYUKEN]!
BANG!
The heavy left uppercut caught Sekibayashi flush on the jaw. The giant's head
snapped back, his teeth grinding together as he tanked the hit, refusing to let
his legs buckle.
"Can't use that right fist anymore, can you, kid?!"
"Then don't go crying when I aim for your weakness!"
Sekibayashi bared his teeth in a demonic grin. He pivoted to Ren's right flank,
stepping deep into the youth's blind spot. He swung his right arm in a rising
arc, launching a massive vertical elbow strike.
POW!
The elbow caught Ren square on the face. Blood sprayed from his nose as his head
was snapped back.
But the next heartbeat—ZIP!
Ren suddenly stepped forward, into the impact. Using the backward tilt of his
head as a wind-up, he pulled his injured right arm back to its limit. His
muscles coiled until they reached the point of rupture. His eyes flared with an
ominous, golden light. He drove his right fist forward with every ounce of
resolve he possessed.
[ZANGIEF'S CHARGED HEAVY PUNCH]!
BOOM!!!
The fist slammed into Sekibayashi's cheek. The giant was launched off his feet,
his massive 141kg frame sent hurtling laterally across the octagon, leaving a
deep trench in the sand as he tumbled.
THUD—
Sekibayashi lay on the floor, his vision swimming. He forced his head up,
staring at Ren's extended right fist. He wheezed in disbelief, "Your... your
wrist... how can you...?"
"You think I can only punch when I'm at 100%?"
Ren's right hand was vibrating uncontrollably, the agony making his entire arm
shake. "If a fist can't strike while it's broken—if it loses its will because of
a little pain—then it's not a weapon at all!!"
Sekibayashi froze. He spat out half a shattered tooth and suddenly burst into a
dry, respectful laugh.
"I hear you, kid... A fighter's fist is damn hard indeed—!"
(End of Chapter)
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