Chapter 186: A Difficult Path
Seeing the heat building up at the front, Gaolang Wongsawat could no longer sit
still behind the curtain. He stepped down from the other side of the stage,
first offering a respectful greeting to Rama XIII before heading to the side of
the hall to begin warming up on the heavy bags.
Rama smiled, his eyes narrowing. "You're looking quite serious, Gaolang."
"Indeed, Your Majesty. Among that group, there are true warriors," Gaolang
replied with a slight nod. "For the sake of Your Majesty, and for the honor of
our nation, I shall respond with everything I have."
While they spoke, Retsu Kaioh and the Mysterious Hooded Man had already stepped
down from the ring.
Ren Shiroki and Lihito stood facing each other. Sayaka Katahara, acting as the
referee, stood between them, signaling for both sides to begin their final
pre-match preparations.
The two men began wrapping their hands before donning their boxing gloves with
the help of the ringside staff. As they warmed up, they adjusted to the subtle,
specific weight of the gloves.
Compared to Ren, who was wearing gloves for the first time, Lihito adapted
quickly since he had just finished a match—especially getting used to the way
the gloves restricted his wrists and knuckles.
"Gyahaha! Still not quite used to this on the second go. My 'Special Move' is
totally sealed off..." Lihito swung his arms around, looking at Ren. "Whatever.
This isn't a Kengan match, anyway. It'd be a bad look to make things too bloody
here."
Lihito smirked. "You're lucky, man. My 'Razor's Edge' is off the table today."
At that moment, Sayaka had staff bring over two sets of headgear. But upon
receiving his, Lihito didn't put it on. Instead, he cradled it in his gloved
arms and tilted his chin at Ren.
"But you're also unlucky. Because after that last match, I've already figured
out the 'trick' to boxing."
"It's just a contest to see who's sturdier!"
Lihito's eyes bugged out, a bloodthirsty grin revealing the red stains on his
teeth from his previous fight. "Slugfests are my specialty."
He clamped the headgear between his gloves, held it up at eye level, and
suddenly slammed his forehead into it.
CLANG!
His hardened skull collided with the headgear, denting one side of the
protective gear instantly. Lihito's forehead suffered a minor abrasion, a few
drops of blood trickling down his face. The sheer savagery of an underground
fighter was on full display.
He tossed the headgear high into the air and unleashed a powerful punch.
POW!
The headgear flew like a baseball, whistling past Ren's ear before tumbling out
of the ring.
Thump-thump!
Lihito tapped his forehead with his glove. "Crap like that isn't as tough as I
am! You, on the other hand, better put yours on. I don't want an ambulance to
ruin the mood of this fight!"
Below the stage, Rama XIII smiled and tilted his head. "That fighter, Lihito...
though his understanding is shallow, he has accidentally stumbled upon the
essence of Heavyweight Boxing."
Seeing Arisa's confused expression, Rama continued his explanation.
"Across the seventeen weight classes of boxing, the most popular matches usually
happen in the mid-to-high tiers. Those fighters require a perfect balance of
power and technique, creating a flashy, high-intensity exchange. However, the
'Heavyweight' class, which has no upper limit, often leans back into the raw
nature of combat itself. It frequently devolves into a brutal, unrefined test of
who can land the heavier blow."
Rama looked at Lihito. "That man probably weighs over 100kg. He has a decent
frame for a heavyweight and the raw grit of an underground gladiator. His
fighting spirit is top-notch, worthy of a Kengan fighter."
"However..." Rama's tone shifted as he looked at Ren Shiroki. "I feel this match
is quite unfair."
Up in the ring, Ren Shiroki held his headgear but also chose not to wear it.
Having witnessed Lihito's display of intimidation, Ren tossed the headgear
lightly into the air. As it began to fall, he met it with a series of light
uppercuts.
Tap. Tap.
Ren moved with precision, using the gloves to keep the headgear bouncing in the
air like a soccer ball.
"Hm. A decent warm-up. A paper ball would probably work better for rhythm,
though."
Whoosh...
Ren caught the headgear between his gloves and handed it back to the staff.
Seeing this, Lihito wiped the corner of his mouth. "Hmph. Just showing off." He
slammed his fists together, signaling he was ready.
"Then, the first match of the 'One-Round Boxing Flash Tournament'—" Sayaka
Katahara raised her hand high.
"187cm, 101kg: Ren Shiroki!" "VS!" "188cm, 102kg: Ichiro 'Lihito' Nakata!"
"FIGHT!!!"
The moment the command was given, Lihito dropped into a standard boxing stance
he'd seen on TV. On the other side, Ren bounced on his feet, thinking about
their nearly identical physical stats.
He came to a conclusion: "You're right. This is definitely unfair."
"Ha! I knew it!" Lihito blinked. "Standing across from a monster as sturdy as me
is a nightmare for someone in your weight class, isn't it?"
Ren didn't answer. He let his arms hang loose, his feet dancing back and forth.
Facing Lihito's unrefined stance, Ren could instantly see six different ways to
end the fight. Two... no, three of them would be instant KOs. He could use Ryu's
Solar Plexus Strike; He could use Guile's heavy strike to shatter the ribs; Or
he could use Luke's hook to pulverize the jaw.
Low, mid, or high—every level was wide open.
Ren made up his mind. He was already impatient to see the fists of the "God of
War" or Retsu Kaioh. But as he stepped forward, the sheer volume of styles he
was processing caused his consciousness to momentarily surge.
In that heartbeat, the world seemed to freeze.
Swirling ink-wash lines flooded his vision. These black strokes coalesced into a
massive, towering silhouette—well over 225cm tall. Like a walking fortress, the
figure stepped out from the side of his mind.
The silhouette passed Ren, walking toward the "God of War" standing below the
ring.
Ren's eyes tracked the phantom in confusion. Suddenly, a terrifying, predatory
battle intent—like a pack of hungry tigers—erupted from the direction of the
"God of War" and that "Shadow."
The impact made Ren's pupils quiver violently. A few drops of blood trickled
from his nose. Whether it was Gaolang or the Shadow—what they radiated wasn't
just battle intent. It was Killing Intent.
"..."
A heavy, low whisper echoed in Ren's mind.
[Have you ever wondered... where the road to absolute strength truly ends?]
[The path you seek is fraught with peril.]
[Should you take one wrong step, the Power of the Abyss shall seize the
opportunity to consume you whole.]
[If you have the resolve... I shall show you a mere glimpse!]
[RAAAWR!!!]
The roar of a great beast thundered in Ren's skull. A golden, striped tiger
pounced toward him, its maw wide and hungry. Ren's brow broke into a cold sweat.
He drove his foot into the canvas and swung his fist forward with everything he
had.
"Take this!"
BOOM!!!
When his consciousness snapped back, Ren's posture had completely changed. He
had lunged forward into a deep bow-stance, his right fist driving downward with
crushing force.
He had floored Lihito. His glove was pressed firmly into Lihito's face, pinning
him to the canvas.
Lihito's face was a mask of crimson. His limbs twitched once, twice, as if
trying to struggle, but he was out cold.
"The... The match is over!" Sayaka quickly rushed over to pull Ren back. "The
winner—Ren Shiroki!"
A one-hit KO!
The clean, devastating punch sent the crowd into a frenzy. Rama XIII clapped his
hands and laughed. "For Lihito, the gloves are shackles that seal his talent.
But for Ren Shiroki, they are simply another condition to adapt to."
"This is the fundamental gap in their foundations. The sheer number of martial
arts Ren has mastered allows him to adapt to a 'foreign' boxing ring with ease."
"That is why I said this was unfair for Lihito."
Rama turned, expecting Arisa to be cheering, but found her looking worried. "Hm?
What's wrong?"
"Something's off with Big Brother," Arisa said plainly. "I can't explain it, but
it's not right. It's like he's stuck on a question he can't answer, and he's
getting into a fight with himself."
Rama was about to offer some comfort, but then he saw Arisa's frown vanish. "And
now?"
"It's fine. I've figured it out." Arisa took a massive, heroic swig of her Cola.
"I've always had good luck. So I figure Niisan will find his answer eventually.
I don't need to worry for him."
Rama: "..." Rama: "Haha!"
He found himself liking this girl more and more. But he definitely wasn't
playing Mahjong with her again.
On the other side of the ring...
Retsu Kaioh hadn't blinked throughout Ren's strike. He had spotted a deeper
"miracle" in that punch.
The number of "styles" Ren Shiroki was learning could no longer be described as
just "many." It wasn't the way a fighter learns to patch up a weakness; it was
as if he were practicing purely for the sake of "knowing."
Based on that single punch, Retsu saw the echoes of countless styles.
Retsu narrowed his eyes and whispered, "That path of cultivation..."
Meanwhile, Retsu's opponent—the Mysterious Hooded Man—watched Ren's movements
and let out a soft chuckle. He thought to himself:
Perfect! Whether it's the long format of the Street Brawl or the appearance of
monsters like this—it's all fuel for my ascent to the top!
Keep showing off. Keep nourishing my "flesh and blood"!
(End of Chapter)
☆☆☆
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