CHAPTER 148: A LESSON IN BONE-BREAKING
"You think a few heavy hits mean I've lost?"
Kureha Shinogi's resolve was unshaken. He maintained his defensive shell, stalked forward, and systematically closed off Ren's maneuvering space.
ZIP! ZIP!
Kureha fired two rapid-fire straight punches that caught Ren on the thigh and side of the waist.
Even with Ren's "Engine" directing his body to roll with the impact, the agony was visceral. It felt as if his muscle fibers were being manually shredded from the bone. Dark, angry bruises began to manifest on his skin within seconds.
This was the "Might" of Dr. Kureha Shinogi. His strikes were surgical. He didn't just "hit" his opponent; he performed anatomical sabotage.
One misplaced block, and an internal organ would rupture. Even a successful "Scrape" carried the destructive force of a terminal strike.
"Hoo...!"
Ren gritted his teeth, a plume of bloody steam escaping his lips. He fired a lead hook, catching Kureha on the left bicep once more.
Kureha rotated his arm, splaying his palm to catch Ren's throat in a "Tiger-Claw" grip.
SHING!
Ren dropped into a deep crouch. He pivoted, launching a high-line roundhouse that slammed into Kureha's left arm with a heavy, resonant THUD.
"Another hit to the same spot!" Nozomi Tenma gasped.
Her retinal surgery had been a total success; her dynamic vision was now functioning at 100%. She could see the logic behind the scrap.
"Ren-kun has abandoned the 'Target Hunt.' He's focused entirely on that one deltoid. But can a single muscle failing really end a match between monsters?!"
Baki Hanma leaned over the railing of the VIP box. "It's a clumsy, desperate tactic. But it's the only one he has left."
"Ren-kun has to ensure every hit is precise. The stamina drain and the risk he's taking to stay in the 'Pocket' are astronomical. The cost-to-benefit ratio is terrible."
Baki tightened his own fist, demonstrating for Nozomi.
"In the women's circuit, you rarely see 'Super-Physiques' on this level. To beat a fortress like Kureha, you have to create a 'New Vital.'"
"Ren-kun is trying to turn Kureha's shield into his own grave!"
WHOOSH!
Ren lunged. His tendons snapped like high-tension wires as he executed a sliding dash, throwing a full-commitment straight punch.
[DRIVE IMPACT: SHOCK STRIKE]!
BOOM!
The fist hit the left arm again. Kureha didn't retreat. He used his "Might" to anchor his weight and pressed forward, his massive frame looming over Ren.
"Your 'Point-Strikng' is starting to ache, Ren-kun. But unfortunately for you... it makes your movements easy to read!"
"I am closing the window now!"
Kureha stepped deep into Ren's space, pinning the youth against the wooden railing. Ren's heels touched the perimeter. He was trapped.
TAP.
Kureha lunged. He used the "might" of a lead hook to launch a palm-thrust.
ZIP!
The strike missed.
Ren had moved first. He caught Kureha's right wrist, pulling it along its own trajectory and manually prying the "Shield" out of alignment.
The defense was dismantled!
Kureha flinched. He predicted a wrestling takedown and immediately tightened his core to anchor his weight.
But Ren Shiroki didn't grapple. He shifted his rhythm mid-frame.
"If I didn't throw those 'Clumsy' punches, you wouldn't have come close enough for me to touch you, Doc!"
SHING!
Ren drove his left elbow forward, striking Kureha squarely in the face.
[LUKE: NOSE BREAKER]!
BANG!
Kureha's nose was crushed. A wave of acid-sharp pain flooded his features. His posture hitched for a micro-second.
Ren didn't miss the window. He fired a lightning-fast left straight.
[RYU: RISING THRUST]!
THUD.
The punch caught Kureha in the mandible. His consciousness flickered as the shockwave rattled his brain. Ren seized the opening.
"HRAAA—YA!"
A blizzard of punches and kicks erupted. Ren was a machine, pouring his remaining stamina into a "Gale" of strikes that hammered Kureha's torso and head.
BAP! BAP! BAM!
To the spectators, Ren was a blur. The flurry only stopped when he delivered a horizontal swinging elbow to Kureha's jaw.
"THOOM!"
Kureha's 131kg frame was launched sideways. He hit the sand and rolled twice before coming to a stop.
"Hah... huff... hah..."
Ren panted, his body trembling from the effort. He wiped a smear of blood from his eye.
The announcer screamed: "THE SUPER-PHYSIQUE HAS FALLEN! IS THE MATCH OVER?!"
"..."
Ren didn't relax. His eyes remained fixed on the "corpse." "It's not over. It's never that simple."
Sure enough, Kureha planted one hand in the sand and vaulted. He executed a perfect handstand-to-flip transition, landing on his feet with a grace that defied his mass.
Pfft—!
Kureha spat out a mouthful of blood and looked at Ren. His expression was no longer clinical. It was intense.
"You are a magnificent warrior, Ren-kun. You realized you couldn't out-grapple a monster, so you used the 'Trap' of your own rhythm to land a hit on my jaw."
"In terms of neurological warfare, a fighter's understanding of the brain is very similar to a surgeon's."
"You don't hit the skull; you hit the jaw to make the brain rattle like a bowl of pudding. A perfect technical choice."
"But... now that I've seen the move, I can adjust my neck muscles to neutralize the torque. I won't be 'Reset' a second time."
Kureha rolled his shoulders, his eyes sparkling with a dark, eager light. "I'm getting serious now, Ren-kun."
Kureha stabilized his breathing. He executed a high-speed lateral shuffle, using his sprinter-level mobility to flank Ren.
Ren swung his right fist, trying to maintain his "Point-Striking" strategy. But the repetition was his undoing. Kureha predicted the arc, slipped to the inside, and vanished into Ren's blind spot.
"Don't worry," Kureha whispered from behind. "I'll fix you afterward."
Ren felt a spike of pure, crystalline terror. He tried to spin to the right, throwing a high-tension back-fist.
[GUILE: SPINNING BACK-KNUCKLE]!
SHING!
Kureha dropped into a crouch, the punch whistling over his head. Simultaneously, he pushed his palms forward, driving them into Ren's lower back.
"!?!"
Ren was shoved forward, stumbling through the sand. It felt like a standard "Push" maneuver.
TAP.
Ren spun around, resetting his stance. But as he tried to raise his left arm, his face twisted in a mask of sudden, agonizing shock.
His left arm wouldn't move. It hung limp at his side, the nerves screaming with a localized, static-like failure.
"What... what just...?"
Mitsuyo Kureishi suddenly erupted with excitement. He clapped his hands and laughed. "Aha! He broke them! He broke the 'Impossible' bones! Ren-kun fell for the trap!"
Fusui blinked. "What? What broke?"
Recognizing his moment, Kureishi grabbed Baki Hanma by the shirt, lifting the boy's top to reveal his scarred back. He pointed to a spot just below the left shoulder blade.
"Thanks for the demo, Baki-kun! Look right here!"
"I'm just a very ordinary martial artist with an interest in skeletons, so I can see it clearly."
Kureishi's eyes were wide and wild, his face flushed with pleasure.
"Kureha just targeted the Internal Ribs of the Scapula. Those are the few bones in the body that can't be set with a standard cast. They're buried under the major muscle groups."
"Kureha's 'Anatomical Destruction' didn't aim for the spine. He aimed for the struts that support the shoulder girdle. With those ribs cracked, the neural pathways to the arm are being compressed by the inflammation. The left arm is officially offline."
"Shiroki's strategy—the 'Point-Striking' with both hands—is dead. He's fighting a 131kg monster with one hand!"
Kureishi began to shiver, his voice dropping to a manic whisper.
"I have to say, that's such an 'Academic' way to break a bone. If it were me, I'd have just twisted the elbow until the joint exploded... that feels much more 'Refreshing,' doesn't it? I mean, for me, obviously!"
He thanked Baki and went back into his corner to mutter to himself, his fingers twitching as he "visualized" the snaps.
Doppo Orochi nudged Nozomi. "See? I told you your senior had a very... 'Lively' personality."
Nozomi: "..."
I'm transferring to a different Dojo as soon as we get home.
Fusui Kure remained focused on the pit. She noticed Kureha's stance change. He was no longer cautious. He had abandoned his shell-guard and settled into a wide, offensive striking form.
"Ren-chin is crippled," Fusui whispered. "Kureha is going in for the kill-shot."
☆☆☆
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