CHAPTER 119: FULLY ARMED
A short time later.
In a quiet coffee shop, Nozomi Tenma recounted the events of that chaotic night to Ichika Iori.
"An international assassin from a crime syndicate and a twisted, radical riot cop... compared to those two, Ren-kun seemed like the most 'Normal' person in the room, didn't he?"
"I mean, he's a good guy. He's polite, he's cheerful, he's got that easy-going vibe."
"But the reality is different."
"Ren-kun belongs to the same breed as those two. He is an absolute Abnormality."
"And that includes me, too. I'm an anomaly because I refuse to stop fighting even when my body breaks. None of us are normal."
Nozomi let out a self-deprecating laugh.
"As my senior, Kureishi-san, likes to say:"
"If we were doing this for money or fame, that would be one thing. But for people like us? People whose literal hobby is hitting others? How could we possibly be sane?"
The Maintenance Tunnel.
The three "Abnormalities"—Ren Shiroki, Billy Greco, and Seishu Akoya—were well aware that despite their light words, the situation had long since ceased to be a "Match."
To Akoya, it was an Execution.
To Billy, it was a Slaughter.
To Ren, it was a Struggle.
Surviving the "Next Second" was a high-stakes calculation. One frame of hesitation meant their hearts would stop permanently.
ZIP!
Akoya swung his tactical baton toward the grinning Ren. Ren slipped the strike, the heavy plastic weapon shattering the brick wall behind him.
The movement left a microscopic opening.
Billy Greco lunged, grabbing the top edge of Akoya's riot shield and yanking it backward with all his weight. He used the shield as a platform to vault into the air, his feet swinging forward.
Akoya predicted a dropkick and leaned forward to brace for impact.
But Billy's target wasn't the cop. He used the shield as a screen to obscure his movement, launching a flying kick toward Ren on his other flank!
BANG!
Ren raised his forearm just in time to deflect the high-velocity heel.
CRACK!
Billy's foot slammed into the wall, pulverizing the masonry. The force of the kick was superior to even the strike of a riot baton.
But the airborne Caracal didn't stop there.
While still suspended in mid-air, Billy braced one hand against the riot shield and launched a horizontal knee strike aimed directly at Akoya's exposed face.
"DIE!"
THUD!
Akoya didn't blink. He raised his right arm to intercept the knee. Simultaneously, he charged forward with his shield, attempting to sandwich Billy against Ren, who was pinned against the wall.
BOOM!
The already-damaged brickwork groaned as a fresh spiderweb of cracks erupted.
Three silhouettes were now tangled in a high-tension clinch, trading point-blank strikes. Only Nozomi Tenma, with her superhuman dynamic vision, could track the micro-exchanges.
Billy was horizontal in the air, driving an elbow into Akoya's temple while sweeping a leg at Ren's shoulder.
Akoya was gritting his teeth, pressing his shield against Billy's chest while thrusting his baton toward Ren's throat.
Ren had caught the baton with his left hand, delivered a snap-kick to Akoya's hip, and fired a right uppercut into Billy's solar plexus.
BAP! THUD! BAM!
The sounds of impact merged into a single explosion of violence before the three forces repelled each other.
SHING!
Billy landed and reset his stance. All three men were breathing hard, their minds processing the next phase of the "White Heat."
Akoya's side throbbed with a dull ache. Billy was retching from the gut-punch.
Their eyes met. In that heartbeat, the two series-regular "Monsters" reached a silent consensus:
Kill the 'Indeterminate' variable first.
ZIP!
Billy Greco tightened his fist, swinging the back of his hand in a wide arc aimed at Ren's head.
Ren pivoted his torso, slipping the punch. He reached out and caught Billy's arm, using the man's bicep as a fulcrum to hoist him over his shoulder.
[RYU: SHOULDER THROW]!
BOOM!
Billy hit the concrete floor on his back, the impact cracking the tiles. His eyes went bloodshot from the shock, and a guttural roar escaped his throat.
Immediately, Akoya's massive, armored frame charged in. He pressed his left forearm against Ren's chest, using the riot shield as a horizontal battering ram to pin Ren against the floor.
It was the "Suppression Maneuver" of the police Arrest Arts. Combined with Akoya's 114kg frame and iron body, once the pin was set, the target was finished.
"JUSTICE... EXECUTED!"
As he pinned Ren, Akoya gripped his baton like a dagger. He launched a "Thrust-Strike" aimed diagonally upward into Ren's solar plexus.
SHING!
From that angle, the baton would tear through the soft tissue of the waist and crush the internal organs—stomach, lungs, heart—in a single, agonizing sequence. It was a move designed for a slaughterhouse.
But Akoya's hands felt "Light."
Ren hadn't been "pushed" down by the shield. He had dropped his weight voluntarily, creating a micro-gap between himself and the floor. He used the opening to whip his right leg upward, his boot slamming into the underside of the riot shield.
[JAMIE: LUMINOUS KICK]!
BANG!
The kick acted like a jack-screw. It was followed by a second rapid-fire stomp that launched the heavy shield—and Akoya's arm—upward. The shockwave numbed Akoya's forearm, forcing him back half a pace.
Ren nipped to his feet and launched a high-tension spinning kick.
[RYU: TORNADO KICK]!
The target wasn't Akoya. Ren aimed behind him—catching Billy just as the Caracal was preparing a sneak attack.
THUD!
The kick caught Billy in the side of the head. He was launched back several steps before finding his footing, blood leaking from his nose and the corner of his mouth.
"!?!"
Billy looked up to see Ren pivot and deliver a heavy punch to Akoya's shoulder.
BANG!
The strike left a visible indentation in the high-grade riot armor.
Akoya hit the wall, his maneuvering space compressed. He made a tactical decision: he discarded the shield and baton, raising his bare arms as a new guard to intercept Ren's fists.
THUD.
Billy wiped the blood from his face, his eyes glowing with a feral light.
He analyzed Ren Shiroki. The youth wasn't an assassin. He wasn't state-level muscle. He was a "Martial Artist"—a fanatic who specialized entirely in the art of the bare hand.
Martial artists were terrifying because they didn't need guns or knives. They didn't need armor or shields. They spent every hour of every day turning their own bodies into weapons. Ultimately, they achieved a state of being "Fully Armed" even when standing completely naked.
It was a realm of power IDEAL desperately wanted to control.
Billy spat out a mouthful of blood. He didn't want to take many more of Ren's hits. He would be crippled if this continued.
But thanks to the Executioner's intervention, the 1-on-1 was now a complex web. Everything was "Utilizable." Everything was "Controllable."
Now... for the backup.
Billy's ear twitched. He sensed movement from the far subway entrance.
"Ren-kun... please don't be mad," Billy said, his voice shifting back into a taunting drawl. "I told you I hate high-stakes gambles. I brought my own insurance policy."
"Whether you're a 'Fighter' or a 'Hero Cop,' you're still just one man. My team is arriving now."
Billy threw his arms wide, a triumphant grin on his face.
"The initiative... belongs to me."
But then, Billy's ears twitched again. He realized something was wrong.
There was only one set of footsteps.
Where are the other enforcers?
Billy turned his head toward the tunnel mouth.
A massive figure stepped out of the darkness. It was a Western man, towering well over two meters (6'7"). He wore a simple tracksuit that struggled to contain his absurd musculature. He was an "Old Man," but he radiated the presence of a god.
"...Who?" Billy whispered.
The stranger's expression was serene, almost saintly. He looked at the three bloodied men in the tunnel with a look of mild pity.
"Pardon me. I heard rumors that someone in this city recently encountered Doppo Orochi. I am looking for him. Could you kindly point me in his direction?"
The legendary death-row convict—DORIAN—had arrived!
☆☆☆
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