CHAPTER 78: KYARA
Ren Shiroki and the man locked eyes.
Both were individuals with hyper-sensitive awareness. The stranger could see the "Will" Ren had instilled in Marco, and Ren, searching his deep-memory files, had finally identified the monster in front of him.
"His name is Kyara!"
A hand suddenly rested on Ren's shoulder. Ren turned to see Kaji Takaomi.
Kaji had been trailing Akagi earlier, but after the high-stakes gamble on the upper deck began, the group had dispersed. He was currently out of breath, his clothes disheveled from a long sprint through the ship's interior.
His training under Baku and Akagi had sharpened his mind; he quickly gave Ren the tactical breakdown.
"The gamble between Akagi-san and Sadakuni relies on the specialized Rock-Paper-Scissors cards from the lower deck. The more cards a side possesses, the greater their advantage in the Grand Ballroom."
"When the 'Retrieval Phase' started, Sadakuni sent his top enforcer to clear out the lower deck and seize the entire card supply."
Ren nodded. Everything was clicking into place.
According to Fusui's observation, the mercenaries had boarded from the weapons ship. Their goal was twofold: take Ren's Membership by force and secure the cards for Sadakuni. If the plan had worked, Sadakuni would control the ship, the Association seat, and the Kakerou gamble—a triple-crown of underworld power.
However, Hyodo's "Stranger" enforcers had neutralized the takeover.
Ren had crushed Mepu Kiro, saving the Membership.
That left only the Kakerou gamble. Sadakuni's last path to victory was to win the match against Akagi.
Kaji gasped for air, leaning against a bulkhead.
"Ren-san... Baku-san is on the ship too. He found an 'Ally' in the lower decks. When the cards were being gathered, they managed to snatch a massive stash. They were planning to meet me so I could run the 'Ammo' up to the ballroom."
"But then... He appeared."
Kaji swallowed hard, hiding behind Ren as he peered at the afro-haired man.
"The man with the scarred eye... Kyara."
"According to Baku-san, Kyara was once the Number Zero Referee of Kakerou. He might be the strongest man to ever hold the title. He and Baku were partners once, but Kyara left the club years ago."
Kaji's forehead was drenched in cold sweat.
"Now, Kyara is the personal guard for the leader of IDEAL. IDEAL is backing Sadakuni's revolution. Marco tried to stop him to protect us... and Kyara hit him so hard he flew through the door."
"Ren-san... he's a total monster!"
Kaji had seen Marco's "Might" in the Kujo Building. To see Marco treated like a child was a level of terror he couldn't process.
While Kaji babbled, Kyara was studying Ren.
Years of life-or-death combat had made Kyara's perception of "Killing Intent" surgical. He could sense a sniper from a mile away. But from Ren Shiroki, he sensed... nothing.
It was bizarre. The youth had just broken a Kakerou Referee; the blood on his knuckles hadn't even dried. A man capable of that should be radiating a storm of murderous aura.
...No.
Kyara realized the truth.
Ren wasn't like an athlete who repressed his violence. He wasn't like the sniper in the nest who focused on the kill.
What Ren radiated was a pure, natural "Battle-Spirit." A desire for the struggle that was as fundamental as breathing.
That spirit was infectious. It had reached the "Demon" Marco.
"Marco wants Akagi-oji-san to win!"
Marco stood up, staring at Kyara with his teeth bared.
"Ren-nii said the bad people want to hit the city with missiles. Marco has friends in the city! I won't let the missiles fire!"
"Ren-nii, Arisa-nee, Baku-nii, Akagi-oji-san... and all the people from the BBQ!"
Marco's breathing slowed, his posture becoming rock-solid. Even though he could sense that he was outclassed, his eyes didn't waver. He wiped the blood from his lip.
"Marco isn't scared of Rodem anymore. Because Marco... I... can finally feel myself existing!"
"Ren-nii, please. Let me finish this!"
Hearing this innocent, almost childish declaration of war, Kyara let out a short laugh.
Baku had certainly found an interesting one.
Kyara looked at Ren, who gave a helpless shrug, signaling that he would respect Marco's wish.
Hoh? A bit arrogant, aren't you?
Kyara's eye twitched. He noticed Marco moving, closing the distance with heavy, deliberate steps.
"I'm taking the cards to the top. If you try to stop me..."
"I'm going to kick you!"
Marco lunged, launching a high-line roundhouse.
ZIP!
Kyara had already read the frame. He slid to the side, his palm guiding Marco's ankle past his head. As Marco landed, Kyara was already behind him.
A spike of danger hit Marco's spine. He tried to spin and punch, but Kyara was a microsecond faster.
THWACK!
A surgical low-kick caught the back of Marco's knee, forcing the joint to buckle. Marco's balance vanished.
"Shh."
Kyara looked bored, as if he were playing with a kitten. As Marco began to fall toward his knees, Kyara launched a front-kick aimed straight for the back of Marco's skull.
SHING!
Marco twisted mid-fall, rolling across the deck. When he stood up, a small patch of skin on his cheek had been shaved off by the sole of Kyara's shoe.
If that kick had landed squarely, Marco's neck would have snapped like a dry twig.
The exchange between Marco and Kyara was on an entirely different plane of existence than the fight with Mepu.
Either of these two could have dismantled the Tenth Referee in seconds.
"Heh. A house-cat with a bit of bite, I see," Kyara mused. He kept his eyes on Marco, but his focus was actually on Ren.
Ren was standing next to Kaji, casually clapping and cheering for Marco. The sound was incredibly grating to Kyara's ears.
The afro-haired man frowned. He didn't know why, but he found Ren Shiroki's presence... offensive. It wasn't hatred; it was his own predatory instinct identifying Ren as a Rival. He couldn't look away.
"You're interesting, kid!" Kyara shouted to Ren. "Once I'm done bullying the kitty, I'll give you the thrashing you're clearly begging for!"
Ren scratched his cheek. "Actually, I suggest you pay attention to the cat. If you keep looking at me, Marco is going to bully you."
Kyara scoffed. "And why is that?"
Ren grinned. "Because Marco is a paying member of 'The Hub.' He's been training."
Kyara looked confused. "The what?"
Ren slung an arm around Kaji's shoulder, looking incredibly proud. "Kyara-san... have you ever heard of the Soul Combat Hub?"
Kyara: "..."
Kaji: "..."
Kyara: "...What?"