CHAPTER 126: BREAKING NEWS
Soul Combat Hub. The Yard.
The incredible "Imaging Training" session—or more accurately, the session where Ren Shiroki had been systematically "beaten" by the phantoms in his mind—finally drew to a close as the noon sun hit its peak.
Ren was a mess. His face was swollen, his arms were bruised, and a fresh trail of blood from his nose painted his chest. He looked like he'd just stepped out of a high-speed car wreck.
Glug, glug, glug...
Ren rinsed his mouth with water and spat out the metallic taste. He slumped onto a wooden bench, wiping sweat from his brow while he laughed, the sound full of a pained but genuine satisfaction.
"..."
Mitsuyo Kureishi watched him with a look of clinical fascination, while Cosmo and Marco stood by with wide, shell-shocked eyes. They had just watched a man get "concussed" by the wind.
Arisa, long past the point of being surprised by her brother's insanity, brought out cold towels and water. After chatting with Kureishi for a bit, she headed inside to finish preparing lunch.
Kureishi stayed to help Arisa while instructing Cosmo and Marco on their post-sparring stretches. The three boys began a series of high-tension calisthenics on the grass. Cosmo was the most flexible, Ren was a close second, and Marco struggled with his massive frame but followed their lead with a determined pout.
{ Haha! }
Ren could almost hear a new, vibrant laugh echoing in the yard. A ink-wash phantom was watching them from the shadows of the porch, his eyes bright with approval.
[Keep it up! Never neglect the fundamentals!]
[Mastery is built on the boring stuff. The Reps. The Stretches. The Diet. If you want to reach the Divine Realm, you have to build the temple first!]
[And when you're done... make sure you eat!]
Kureishi and Cosmo hadn't come empty-handed. Besides the standard facility fees, they had brought several bags of high-end groceries and fresh meat. Arisa worked her magic, and soon the yard was filled with the scent of a celebratory lunch.
The group ate and chatted, the conversation eventually drifting back to the "Stray Dog" brawl on the Espoir and the encounter in the tunnel.
Hearing about Commissioner Takeya and the Rokushin Kaikan, Kureishi let out a nostalgic chuckle. He remembered his own days as a street-fighter, embroiled in the turf wars between the Karate schools and the underground circuits.
"Some of those guys are still around, but most have retired or 'vanished,'" Kureishi noted, sipping a cola. "Tokyo has always been a vortex of combat. But Ren-kun... I think today is different."
"The scale is... bigger. More violent."
Ren nodded, his expression serious. "Agreed."
Tokyo was no longer just a playground for rival gyms. It was becoming a sinkhole for global "Abnormalities." International assassins, state-level riot cops, escaped death-row convicts, and criminal syndicates like IDEAL... the pieces were all moving at once.
Synchronicity.
"Ren-kun," Kureishi warned. "You and I... we have Dojos. We have names on signs. That makes us static targets. Be careful."
Marco puffed out his chest, nodding vigorously. "Marco will protect Arisa-nee! No one touches the Hub!"
Ren thanked the giant, then gave Kureishi his tactical assessment.
"The Hub is currently being patrolled by plain-clothes MPD officers—Takeya-san's people. The Hanayama-gumi enforcers drop by every few hours to check the perimeter. With Marco and Fusui here, we're as secure as a fortress."
"As for the individuals..."
Ren began to count them off on his fingers. "The match with Seishu Akoya is being finalized as we speak. I'm spending my imaging time preparing for his 'Shield' logic."
"The Secret Service Division? They're currently being suppressed by the Commissioner. As long as Takeya-san holds the line, they won't move against us openly."
"Dorian is hunting Doppo Orochi. I've already warned Katsumi and the Shinshinkai staff to stay on high alert."
"And Billy Greco?" Ren rubbed his chin. "Dorian wiped out a good portion of his team, but the Caracal is a survivor. He'll be lurking in the shadows, waiting for IDEAL to send reinforcements."
Kureishi sighed. "Hidden arrows are the hardest to parry..."
"True. But Takeya-san is running a deep-dive investigation into IDEAL's Japanese assets. With the Commissioner's resources, we'll find them eventually."
The lunch was nearly finished when Ren's phone buzzed. It was Ichika Iori.
"Yo, Ren-kun! The Commissioner just got a major hit! Get to a TV or check the internet, now!"
Kureishi pulled out his smartphone and navigated to a live news stream. The group crowded around the small screen.
[BREAKING NEWS: TERROR ATTACK IN CENTRAL TOKYO]
"Earlier this morning, a safehouse used by a high-ranking CIA diplomatic mission was targeted by a lone assailant. Reports confirm seven dead and three in critical condition."
"Eyewitness descriptions identify the attacker as the high-profile fugitive known as 'Speck'. This individual recently escaped a maximum-security underwater facility in Florida and is wanted for the murder of several guards and medical staff."
"The only member of the mission found unharmed was a Third Secretary who was out of the building at the time. He has declined all comment."
The photos in the report were pixelated for graphic content, but the carnage was unmistakable. The safehouse had been turned into a charnel house.
The "CIA Mission"—which Ren knew was a front for IDEAL—had been systematically erased by a single death-row convict. The Caracal was now truly alone in Tokyo.
"The Commissioner's analysts are already on it," Ichika's voice said through the speaker. "IDEAL's tactical strength in the city just dropped to near zero. They won't be launching any more 'takeovers' for a while. They're effectively blind and toothless."
"I see. Thanks for the heads-up, Ichika-san."
Ren hung up and looked at the stunned group. Even he was a bit taken aback by the speed of the shift. "Well... I guess I can focus entirely on the next match."
"Kureishi-san... finish your rice. I need you to beat me up again for another hour."
Three Days Later. Evening.
The venue was the basement parking garage of a half-finished high-rise in Shinjuku.
The concrete columns were lit by temporary construction lamps, casting long, jagged shadows. A portable ring had been assembled in the center of the bay.
Nearly two hundred high-stakes gamblers and underworld associates were gathered, their murmurs echoing off the low ceiling. Tonight featured a high-profile grudge match between two Member-Firms: Soul Combat Hub vs. Wakasa Life Insurance.
CHALLENGER: [SOUL] REN SHIROKI.
VERSUS: [THE EXECUTIONER] SEISHU AKOYA.
Ren Shiroki arrived early. He had already stripped to his trunks, moving through a light, rhythmic warm-up near the entrance.
In a nearby utility room—acting as a temporary locker room—Seishu Akoya finished cinching his black belt over his white karategi. He sat as still as a statue, his eyes closed.
His partner and nominal employer, Shunsuka Hiyama, watched him with a look of quiet, intense devotion.
Once Akoya was ready, Hiyama reached into her bag and produced a pair of microscopic wireless earpieces. She carefully inserted them into Akoya's ear canals. They were custom-built, invisible to an external inspection.
Hiyama's role was simple yet profound: she would monitor Ren's vitals and movement via a hidden high-speed camera and relay instructions to Akoya. By syncing his superhuman reflexes with her analytical precision, they became a single, invincible unit.
It was, by every definition, Cheating.
But to Hiyama, "Fairness" was secondary to "Success." She wasn't just helping him win a match; she was acting as a stabilizer for his psyche. Without her rhythm, Akoya would lose himself to the killing impulse and beat his opponent to death—a move that would result in a permanent ban from the Association.
Akoya opened his eyes as the comms linked.
"The first step is victory," Akoya whispered, his voice a chilling monotone. "Then... I execute the Caracal. Then I hunt the convicts. I will purge every germ from this city."
He stood up, the pressure radiating from him enough to make the air in the room feel thin.
"Come, Hiyama. It is time for Judgment."
Inside the garage, the crowd's roar reached a crescendo as the Referee stepped into the center of the ring.
"THE MAIN EVENT IS HERE...!"
☆☆☆
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