CHAPTER 133: WIN!
THUD!
Akoya was tackled hard, his back slamming into the concrete.
Ren Shiroki seized the advantage. He achieved a full mount, sitting heavy on Akoya's waist, his torso leaning forward to pin the officer's arms.
The spectators' eyes bulged. "How?! How did that happen?!"
These weren't casual observers; they were Kengan fans. They knew the stats. Akoya stood at 191cm and 114kg, making him fifteen kilograms heavier than the 99kg Ren. In a battle of pure physical suppression, the mass advantage should have belonged to the Executioner.
"The answer is in the posture!"
Takeshi Wakatsuki provided the analysis. "Ren's stance was based on a sprinter's start. His center of gravity was lower, allowing him to convert his entire momentum into the tackle!"
"Akoya is powerful, yes, but his mind is divided. He's obsessed with the 'Execution'—he wants to punish as much as he wants to win. His movements aren't pure."
"But Ren? He didn't care about anything but the takedown. He focused 100% of his 'Might' on the impact. He beat the specialist at his own game!"
The Wild Tiger narrowed his eyes. "What a terrifying youth..."
There was no pause in the ring.
FINISHER—[LUKE: PALE RIDER]!
Ren sat tall on Akoya's chest. He pulled his right fist back, locked onto the officer's face, and drove it downward with every ounce of strength he had left.
SHING!
Akoya tried to buck him off, but he was pinned. He raised his forearms in a desperate cross-block.
BOOM!!
The heavy punch slammed into Akoya's guard. Even though he blocked it, the shockwave rattled his brain.
Ren didn't stop. He immediately fired a left cross.
BOOM!!
Akoya continued to guard, but his defensive posture was failing. He gritted his teeth, blood spraying from his gums as he forced his muscles to hold.
"ORA!"
Ren wasn't finished. He began a savage, alternating barrage—right, left, right, left. Each strike was heavier and faster than the last.
BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM!
Akoya's forearms were turned into raw meat. The friction from Ren's knuckles began to tear the skin, spraying blood across the mat.
As the combination reached its peak, the counter-force of the strikes pushed Ren upward. He used the momentum to stand, breaking the mount but positioning himself for a terminal blow.
Akoya, eyes bloodshot and crazed, swung a final, desperate punch from his back.
Ren ignored it. He lunged forward, throwing his entire 97kg body weight into a final downward right straight.
"SEI—YAH!"
SHING!
Ren's fist reached the target first. It smashed through Akoya's reach and buried itself in the officer's face.
THOOM!!!
Akoya's head was driven into the concrete floor. The impact was so severe it cracked the basement slab, a spiderweb of fractures spreading out from under his skull.
His right arm, still mid-swing, went limp. He collapsed into the debris, his vision going dark as his consciousness was forcefully ejected from his body.
"..."
In the final microsecond before the void took him, Akoya saw Ren Shiroki's face.
The youth was grinning. He looked exhausted, blood was everywhere, but he looked... happy. He looked as if the pain and the struggle were a blessing.
Why? Akoya wondered. How can he smile while drowning in 'Evil'...?
Then, there was only darkness.
"Hah... huff... hah...!"
The only sound in the garage was Ren's ragged, heavy breathing.
The Referee stepped forward, checked Akoya's pulse, and raised his arm.
"THE MATCH IS DECIDED! THE WINNER—REN SHIROKI!"
"YEAH!"
Ren raised his bloody right arm, letting out a roar of triumph. Droplets of his and Akoya's blood sprayed onto the front row of spectators, but no one moved. In the Kengan ring, a blood-shower from the winner was a mark of prestige.
"YEAH!"
"SHIROKI! SHIROKI!"
"[SOUL]! MAGNIFICENT!"
The crowd was vibrating with excitement. Ren took it all in, nodding to each side of the ring.
In his peripheral vision, the phantom of Luke slapped him on the shoulder. The "Coach" gestured for Ren to do a proper victory lap.
Ren smiled. He pointed his left hand to the crowd on the left, his right hand to the crowd on the right, and then raised both hands toward his friends.
SHING!
"WIN!"
Below the ring, Cosmo Imai was trembling. He tightened his fists, his skin crawling with a mixture of terror and inspiration. "He actually did it... he broke the Executioner."
Wakatsuki Takeshi crossed his arms, looking at his old friend Heihachi Furumi. "Incredible. He's got me fired up, too."
"Haha! I don't sponsor losers, Takeshi," Furumi chuckled.
He leaned back, his expression turning thoughtful. "But don't get too relaxed. The city is changing. Something big is coming."
"You mean the rumors about Nogi challenging the Chairman?" Wakatsuki asked. "The Annihilation Tournament?"
"That, and more," Furumi said, shaking his head. "Metsudo-san has been visiting some very powerful people lately. I suspect the 'Game' is about to get much, much larger than anyone anticipated."
As the celebration died down, the reality of the damage set in.
Ren leaned against a concrete pillar, gasping for air. The adrenaline was fading, and the "Might" was being replaced by a mountain of pain. Every wound Akoya had opened was now screaming.
Across the ring, Akoya remained unconscious, his head resting in the crater he'd made.
Nozomi Tenma looked at the carnage, her eye twitching. "The way those two fight... it's too much. Ren-kun is going to have permanent issues if he keeps this up."
She reached for her phone to call An Sakurai, but Furumi stopped her.
"No need, Nozomi-san!"
The CEO patted his chest. "By pure 'Coincidence,' I brought some world-class medical support tonight. Partners of Furumi Pharmaceuticals."
He sent a quick text. Minutes later, five men in medical gear pushed through the crowd. They moved with a speed and discipline that suggested they were used to handling battlefield trauma. They began stabilizing both Ren and Akoya on the spot.
Seeing that his fighter was being cared for, Shunsuka Hiyama gave a deep, grateful bow to Furumi.
"Always happy to help a peer," Furumi smiled. "Besides, I owe the Wakasa group a favor for that research data last month."
Under the elite care of the Furumi medics, Ren's wounds were field-dressed with perfect efficiency.
Akoya, suffering from a severe concussion, slowly groaned and opened his eyes. Hiyama was there instantly, holding his hand and whispering to him to stay calm.
Akoya's gaze was still bloodshot. He looked at Ren, his expression a mix of dark resentment and total confusion. He didn't even understand why he felt so... empty.
Ren flexed his bandaged arms and grinned at him. "Akoya-bro. If you want a rematch, you're welcome at the Hub. But do me a favor—try to be a Martial Artist next time. It's much more fun than being a cop."
"..." Akoya opened his mouth to retort, but no words came. He looked away.
Cosmo and Wakatsuki prepared to step onto the ring to congratulate Ren.
But their path was blocked.
A group of men in dark suits descended the stairs, led by a middle-aged man with the arrogant air of a career politician.
Nozomi's eyes widened. She recognized him. It was the ambitious head of the MPD's Secret Service Division—Seiichi Tenma.
"The strongest of the Riot Squad, defeated so easily? How unsightly. You're useless, Akoya Seishu."
Tenma ignored the wounded officer and marched straight up to Ren Shiroki. He offered a cold, provocative smirk.
"So, CEO of the Soul Combat Hub. As you can see, I am here for a Dojo Challenge."
A murmur of disgust rippled through the crowd. To challenge a fighter who had just finished a bloodbath and was currently being bandaged by medics was the height of cowardice. It was a violation of every unwritten rule of the ring.
But Ren just stood up, his eyes bright. "Nice! Simply perfect!"
He limped toward Tenma. "Who's the opponent?"
Tenma was about to answer when a hand reached out from behind Ren. It caught Ren by the shoulders and firmly but gently forced him back down onto a medical stool.
"Take a seat, Ren-kun."
Ren blinked, looking up. The man who had stopped him was one of the "Doctors" Furumi had brought.
The man removed his surgical mask and cap, revealing a mane of long, vivid orange hair. He had a powerfully built physique and a handsome, refined face that radiated a god-like arrogance.
The doctor looked at Tenma and let out a lazy shrug.
"I've done a lot of stupid things in my life," the doctor said, his voice smooth and melodic. "But I draw the line at letting some bureaucrat touch my Patient."
Ren recognized him immediately. It was the "Super-Surgeon" who had treated him after the Hanayama fight.
KUREHA SHINOGI.
☆☆☆
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