Chapter 320: [THE DEVIL] Raian Kure
Ren Shiroki's focused straight punch vs. Raian Kure's counter-elbow—
The two forces collided and crossed, the impact sending both men reeling
backward. A heavy, muffled THUD rippled across the octagon, the echo lingering
in the humid night air.
"Ren Shiroki's fist! Is it okay?!"
The young Kure announcer turned her wide, black-and-white eyes toward Ren,
observing him with clinical intensity. Seeing him shake out his arm, she let out
a sharp exhale. "It seems he's fine! Shiroki-san's knuckles are surprisingly
resilient!"
"..."
"And let me be clear—I'm not being biased just because he's a guest!"
The announcer gripped her microphone tighter. "Even if it sounds like I'm
bragging for my Clan, it is a biological fact! We are a lineage forged over a
thousand years—a new breed of humanity evolved solely for the purpose of
Combat!"
"The Kure physique is in its own category of power!"
"That was a rock-solid Karate straight, but in a direct trade of force, the
'Athlete' is the one who takes the most trauma against a Kure!"
Raian Kure twisted his neck, his vertebrae letting out a series of rapid-fire
pops. He swirled his tongue inside his mouth, casually spitting out a blood
clot. He didn't look pained; if anything, his expression was growing more manic,
his eyes burning with a feverish heat.
"Combat-Specialized Type—that's the label the outside world puts on us."
"But at the end of the day, very few people can actually explain what that
means. You know why? Because most people who experience our 'Specialization'
firsthand don't live long enough to file a report!"
Raian tightened his right fist, veins bulging across his bicep like braided
cables. "Use your tricks while you still can, Brother—before you lose the
ability to stand!"
ZIP!
Raian dropped his center of gravity and launched himself like an arrow released
from a heavy draw. In a display of pure, unrefined savagery, he fired a
high-velocity punch at Ren's face.
Ren channeled his energy into his forearms, locking them in a stable guard.
BANG!
The blow was so heavy it deformed Ren's posture, nearly shattering his guard.
Sensing the pressure, Ren shifted his frames instantly. He twisted his torso to
the right, his left elbow snapping forward in a sharp, piercing strike that
buried itself in Raian's chest.
[RYU'S DRIVE REVERSAL: COUNTER-ELBOW]!
BOOM!
Raian took the hit flush. A cloud of hot, metallic steam escaped his mouth, but
his eyes only grew more demonic. He tightened his fists and began an
alternating, relentless barrage.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Ren dropped into a defensive shell, occasionally attempting a counter-strike,
but his efficiency was being systematically smothered by Raian's terrifying
output.
Thud-thud!
The sound of fists hitting the meat of Ren's forearms was a rhythmic, heavy
drumbeat of pure kinetic shock.
Slowly, Ren stopped his attempts to trade. He focused entirely on his defense,
his eyes locked onto Raian's rhythm as he waited for a singular "Golden
Opening."
BOOM!
Unable to breach Ren's guard immediately, Raian over-committed to a heavy
haymaker. A micro-gap appeared in his recovery frames.
—Now!!
Ren stepped in. He drive off the sand, twisting his hips and core to launch a
rising Shoryuken uppercut.
BANG!
The fist connected, but the sensation through Ren's knuckles was all wrong.
Looking closely, Raian had snapped his right arm up, catching the rising
uppercut on his own forearm. Faint wisps of heat rose from the impact point.
"Nice punch! Too bad I've got plenty of 'Receiving' energy left in the tank—!"
Zip!
Raian's left hand snapped out horizontally. He seized Ren's right wrist in a
vice-grip, yanking the youth violently toward him. He pulled his right arm back
to its maximum limit and unleashed a brutal hammer-fist straight to Ren's face.
BANG!
In an instant, Ren's features were a blur of trauma. His eyelids, lips, and even
the skin of his cheeks rippled from the shock as blood erupted from his nose.
Splurt!
Ren's head snapped back.
Raian didn't release the wrist. He yanked Ren back in for a second help of
violence.
Zip!
Ren was dragged back into the kill-zone. Seeing another heavy punch coming, he
dropped into a deep crouch, using high-speed footwork to weave through the
storm.
Offense vs. Defense. The two were locked in a high-speed stalemate. Raian let
out a savage, guttural roar, his intensity continuing to climb.
"A 'Combat Physique' isn't just about big muscles! And it certainly isn't that
boring 'Super-Physique' crap that doctor brags about!"
"It's Torque! It's absolute, total suppression!"
Frustrated by Ren's slippery movement, Raian retreated half a step. He twisted
his hips bladed and launched a series of massive horizontal scan-kicks.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
The sound of the shins colliding with Ren's guard was accompanied by Raian's
raspy, rhythmic shouting.
"Conditioning! Lung capacity! Resilience! Reflexes! Tendon strength! Internal
organs! Impact absorption!"
"Everything required for war exists within us at an overwhelming advantage—that
is the true gap in power! Do you get it yet?!"
Rrip!
Ren was snagged by Raian's momentum, his footing faltering as he was dragged
laterally. He was hit by a flurry of unrefined, brutal kicks and punches. Blood
sprayed, painting the sand.
"GYA-HA!"
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Thirty seconds of continuous assault passed before Raian finally paused. His
side was stained with blood, but his left hand was still clamped onto Ren's
right wrist in an iron shackle.
The carnage was so intense that even the announcer swallowed hard, her voice
trembling.
"T-This is too much..."
"Ren Shiroki is a mask of blood! He can't even lift his head—!"
Ringside.
Fusui Kure watched the screen, her brow furrowed. She turned to Erio Kure with a
frown. "Grandpa, Big Brother is going into 'Manic Mode' again..."
Since the spectator zone for the temporary ring was so close, Raian heard her
perfectly.
"Shut your damn mouth!" Raian barked. "Stop acting, Fusui! You're the one who
loves this look on a man!!"
The statement was bizarre, leaving the uninitiated spectators confused.
What? She likes watching her brother beat her boyfriend? What kind of family is
this?
But a few people realized the truth. Raian wasn't talking about himself or the
beating. He had omitted a word.
"You're the one who loves HIS look right now!!"
Raian was referring to the "State" of the seemingly broken Ren Shiroki.
Fusui blinked, looking at the ring. Raian turned his crazed gaze toward her.
"Hah? Haven't you realized it yet? The type of man you picked—"
He yanked Ren's wrist again, swinging the youth's weight across the octagon.
But strangely, even though Ren's footsteps were heavy and he was covered in
blood, he refused to fall. His center of gravity remained locked as if by a
gyroscope.
"Haven't seen it? Or just won't admit it? Whatever—Clan members always share the
same taste in the end!"
Raian's lips pulled back into a wide, shark-like grin. He looked back at Ren.
"This guy... in certain ways... he's the same as me!"
Zip!
Before the sentence finished, Raian spun around. He turned his back to Ren,
using his own broad shoulder as a pivot. He hoisted Ren into the air and
performed a massive forward toss.
Fling—THUD!
Ren was launched by the monstrous torque. He skipped across the sand like a
stone across a pond, sliding several meters before coming to a stop on his back.
"Tch...!"
Despite the successful move, Raian's brow was deeply furrowed. He spat in
disgust, looking intensely irritated. "That was useless. The 'Feel' was all
wrong!"
Simultaneously, Erio Kure and Gouki Shibukawa had noticed the same thing.
"Ren's parries were perfect," Erio analyzed in a deep voice. "It looks like he
took a massive amount of blood damage, but the true pain is likely limited to
his wrist and the initial nosebleed."
Shibukawa adjusted his glasses. "Ho-ho! So neither of them has started being
serious yet?"
Ren Shiroki lay on the sand, staring up at the clouds. He looked so relaxed he
might have been sunbathing.
It was only after Raian slammed a foot into the ground, the shockwave snapping
Ren back to attention, that he performed a fluid mid-air flip and landed
steadily on his feet.
"Phew!"
Ren exhaled a cloud of steam. He pondered Raian's words. "My girlfriend's 'Type'
being related to her brother's personality? That's a heavy psychological burden
to place on a guy, Raian-kun."
"KUKAKAKA! You still have the breath to joke about that?!"
Raian's teeth ground together. "I'm telling you, Brother... you might just be
even more 'Broken' than I am!!"
Ren thought about it for a second and gave a non-committal shrug. "I just really
can't help but touch the fire, I guess—"
He spat a mouthful of blood and strolled toward Raian.
"Body modification... biological refinement... it's fascinating. But in the end,
it's just an 'Enhanced Version' of standard human elements. I can see that all
over this village."
"The thing that's different... is the Consciousness named Raian Kure."
Ren rotated his shoulders, his eyes locking onto the Devil. "The warm-up is
over, isn't it? Raian-kun... show me your 'True Intent'."
"I want to see... why you are Raian Kure!"
"..."
The words caused Raian's face to go flat.
Even the most amateur spectator could feel it—the atmosphere in the octagon
shifted. A bone-chilling cold began to radiate from the ring.
Zip!
Raian snapped his head up. A demonic grin split his face, his facial muscles
contorting to their physical limits. He looked like something out of a child's
worst nightmare.
"KUKAKAKAKA!"
He bared his teeth toward the VIP section, laughing with a sound like tearing
metal. "Old Man! Fusui! And the rest of you losers! This guy... he understands
me better than any of you!"
"If it's him... he can definitely keep up! So it doesn't matter what I do next,
right—?!"
Raian dropped into a low, arched crouch. Every vein in his body erupted, pulsing
beneath his skin. His complexion shifted, turning a deep, bruised purple-red. He
looked like a living nightmare, radiating a visible heat-wave. A low, mechanical
humming sound seemed to emanate from his very cells.
His face, already fierce, became a mask of pure horror. His jet-black eyes were
now a sea of crimson veins.
He was no longer a man. He was a Demon.
"Hah... Phew..."
A thin trail of steam escaped his lips. "You understand what this state
represents, don't you?"
He grinned, the veins around his eyes throbbing as his voice became a distorted,
inhuman growl.
"I've discarded the 'Shackles'—!!"
Kure Secret Art: [REMOVAL]—100%!!!
(End of Chapter)
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