Chapter 299: Magnificent Spirit
The hand—it is the world's most versatile tool.
It can wield instruments of creation, or it can be forged into a lethal weapon.
For example, a "Hammer."
Starting from the pinky, you fold each fingertip to the base of the palm in
sequence—ring finger, then middle finger. Next, starting from the index, you
fold the remaining digits inward and clamp them down with the thumb.
Just like that, you have forged a Fist.
The vast majority of fighters in this world spend their lives relentlessly
tempering this tool. Sandbags, bricks, boulders, blocks of ice, wooden posts,
bamboo stalks—some even plunge their hands into red-hot iron sand.
This training is agonizing. It involves countless dislocations and fractures
that would break a normal man's spirit. But for a martial artist who has endured
this cultivation and finally tightened their grip... the only way to stop them
from swinging is to make them say, "I don't want to fight anymore."
Short of that, there is no other way.
"Ren Shiroki's heavy punch landed flush!"
"But as expected, the Pro-Wrestler Jun Sekibayashi stands back up! No matter how
many times he's floored, he returns!"
"Despite the catastrophic accumulation of damage, the Hell's Angel is still
grinning!"
Amidst the announcer's frantic play-by-play, Sekibayashi pushed himself off the
sand. The toughest man in the wrestling world spat out a mouthful of blood and
reset his stance, his face a mask of crimson ferocity.
"Excellent... this is the high I was looking for!" Sekibayashi rolled his
massive shoulders. "Kukuku... let's see who breaks first, kid. Your fist or my
face?!"
It was a statement that set the blood on fire, but technically, there was a trap
within the words.
Sekibayashi was issuing an invitation—a formal challenge to drag Ren into a pure
striking exchange. Sekibayashi hadn't expected Ren's right wrist to still be
functional after the recoil from his "Destructive Defense." But if he could keep
Ren punching, the damage would continue to reflect back onto the youth's joints.
Was it a dirty tactic?
Absolutely.
[HELL'S ANGEL] Jun Sekibayashi shared certain traits with the "Brawler" Kaoru
Hanayama, but they were fundamentally different archetypes. Hanayama was a
"Street Fighter"; Sekibayashi was a "Pro-Wrestler"!
And in Pro-Wrestling, using dialogue to manipulate, provoke, or lure an opponent
into a tactical error was part of the art!
"Come on!" Sekibayashi roared, goading Ren to attack.
But Ren didn't move.
Sekibayashi blinked, wondering if the youth had seen through the provocation.
Then he noticed Ren's arm. Ren was winding up.
He stood bladed, his left hand extended for balance. He pulled his right fist
back to its absolute limit, coiling his entire torso before unleashing a
massive, "empty" swing into the air.
[ZANGIEF HEAVY PUNCH]!
WHOOSH!
The phantom strike was so heavy the air groaned, a localized gust of wind
whipping across the ring.
"—?"
Sekibayashi tilted his head, genuinely confused.
Ren didn't explain. He simply performed another empty swing. Then another. One
after the other, his form never wavering.
Zip! Zip!
By the third swing, Sekibayashi's expression shifted. His bewilderment vanished,
replaced by a look of manic ecstasy and profound respect.
"You magnificent brat... if you ever joined the SJPW, you'd be a global
superstar!"
In Ren's mind, the ink-wash lines swirled. The "True Global Superstar," Dee Jay,
was howling with laughter, clapping his hands to the beat of Ren's resolve.
[Buddy, that reckless energy is lighting my soul on fire! I've got a new track
coming together right now!] [Come on! Come on! Let me see more of that
beatdown!]
Ringside, the observers were a heartbeat behind the logic. Gen Shikano, CEO of
Gandai, frowned. "Both of them are severely injured. What are they doing?"
Sekibayashi tightened his right fist. He adopted a matching side-stance, his
lead hand extended while his right was coiled at his hip. He took a sudden,
explosive slide forward.
Zip!
He calculated the exact range of his reach. At the point of maximum torque, he
unleashed a devastating right heavy-hand!
BANG!
The fist slammed into Ren's face. Ren twisted his neck at the exact millisecond
of impact, using his [ENGINE] to shed as much kinetic energy as possible,
tanking the rest with raw grit.
SHINK—
A fresh line of blood appeared at the corner of Ren's mouth. Simultaneously, his
own right fist reached maximum coil.
"HYAH!"
[ZANGIEF'S CHARGED HEAVY PUNCH]!
BANG!
The counter-punch caught Sekibayashi square on the face. A dull, heavy thud
echoed through the plaza. Sekibayashi didn't flinch. He braced his thick neck,
utilizing "Destructive Defense" to let the damage soak into his frame.
"Ungh—!"
Ren's right wrist screamed in agony. He bared his teeth, the pain making his
vision dance.
Sekibayashi opened his blood-slicked mouth. "MY TURN!"
He leaned back and launched another right straight.
POW!
Ren leaned back to shed the force, but the momentum was too much. He was
launched off his feet and hit the sand on his back.
THUD—
As Ren hit the floor, the audience finally grasped the "Script."
The nature of the match had evolved. Ren had accepted Sekibayashi's challenge.
They were trading right-hand heavy blows in a "turn-based" duel. One punch each.
It was a Western-style slugfest! A clash of cowboys in an urban desert!!
Ren performed a tactical roll and stood up, rotating his trembling right arm. "I
love a good Western. Your Pro-Wrestling scripts sometimes pull from those old
hard-boiled films, don't they?"
"One move for you—one move for me. A magnificent, high-noon brawl!"
[DRIVE RUSH]!
WHOOSH!
Ren glided forward. He didn't follow up with a flurry. He stopped in front of
the giant, slowly tightened his right fist, pulled it back to its limit, and
unleashed a hammer-like blow.
[ZANGIEF HEAVY PUNCH]!
BOOM!!
"GUUGH~"
Sekibayashi took the hit flush on the jaw. The sound was sickening, and for a
split second, his eyes rolled back toward his skull.
"Phew..."
Ren exhaled and prepared to hop back, looking to adjust his posture and prepare
to "Receive" the next incoming hit.
But suddenly—"――??"
Ren found he couldn't move his feet.
He looked down. Sekibayashi's massive boot was planted firmly over Ren's left
foot, pinning it to the sand. Ren was anchored in place.
Ren: "..." Ren: "Well, crap—"
Zip!
"GRAAAAAAH!!"
Sekibayashi lunged forward. His heavy punch slammed into Ren's face with no room
for evasion. Blood sprayed across the octagon. It was a brutal, unmitigated hit.
Pain.
That was the only word Ren's brain could process. A searing, blinding agony
erupted from his nose and radiated through his skull. His entire nervous system
felt like it was weeping.
So dizzy...
Ren gritted his teeth, forcing himself to stay awake. He wound up for one more
hit.
[ZANGIEF HEAVY PUNCH]!
BANG!
Sekibayashi retched blood, but the grin on his face was immovable. He lunged
forward again.
This is bad—
Ren's eyes flared. [SATSUI CHOICE] went into overdrive. Using the Satsui no Hado
as a lens, he saw the "Probability" of Sekibayashi's next move.
If he clinches me now... leans back... and executes a High-Angle German
Suplex... I won't have the leverage to break out. It'll be a match-ender.
To avoid the finish, Ren's dark impulse urged him to strike first—a lethal blow
to Sekibayashi's exposed throat.
If I do that, the pact is broken. Sekibayashi won't care, but... it would be a
shame to end such a magnificent game with a foul—
Wait.
Ren's pupils contracted. He noticed something.
Sekibayashi hadn't transitioned into a grapple. He wasn't going for the optimal
"Kill Move" (the Suplex). Instead, he was tightening his right fist again. He
pulled it back to its limit, preparing for one more massive, honest swing.
—Eh?
Ren hadn't expected the move. Sekibayashi's choice had bypassed the cold logic
of the "Killing Intent."
The Hell's Angel wasn't following a predatory instinct to "Kill the Enemy." He
was following his faith in Pro-Wrestling. He was adhering to the "Creed of the
Ring."
It was a path entirely separate from the Satsui no Hado.
Sekibayashi believed in the Ring! Because of that pure, unyielding resolve, he
was capable of making a "tactically sub-optimal" choice that defied the dark
prediction!
You're incredible! And Seki-aniki... thank you!
If you had gone for the Suplex, I'd be in a coma. But even at this stage, you
chose to keep the 'Trade' alive! You chose the move that makes the crowd roar
loudest!
I'm lucky as hell to face your striking at a moment like this!
ZIP!
Ren pulled his right arm back, coiling it at his waist. He raised his left hand,
focusing every milligram of his consciousness on the incoming fist.
This was Ryu's ultimate defense—
[DRIVE PARRY: PERFECT GUARD]!
CLAP!
Ren's left wrist snapped horizontally. He didn't block the punch; he deflected
it, swatting Sekibayashi's wrist aside so the massive fist whistled harmlessly
past his ear.
Ren's blood-red eyes stared straight ahead.
The blow is finished. [COUNTER-HIT] window: OPEN!
Ren didn't hesitate for a heartbeat. His right straight fired forward, catching
Sekibayashi flush on the point of the chin before the giant could even begin to
reset.
"MISSION START!"
BOOM—!
(End of Chapter)
☆☆☆
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