Chapter 319: The Meaning of "Kure"
CRASH—!!
Ren Shiroki was launched by Raian Kure's massive swing, hurtling through the air
like a human cannonball. He slammed back-first into the perimeter fencing of the
ring.
A sickening CRACK echoed through the plaza as the heavy wooden rails shattered
upon impact, spraying splinters across the sand.
"What terrifying, monstrous strength!"
The Kure announcer gripped her mic, her voice rising in a frantic pitch. "Ren
Shiroki was thrown nearly eight... no, nine meters across the arena! He
demolished the boundary fence!"
"Despite being nearly ten kilograms lighter, Raian Kure was the first to resort
to raw, unadulterated torque! He is truly living up to his reputation as the
[DEVIL]!!"
Ringside.
Arisa Sakurai watched the scene, her heart skipping a beat as she swallowed
hard.
"Fusui-nee's brother... even though he weighs less than Big Brother, his style
is just pure, high-octane violence," she whispered. Having watched dozens of
Ren's matches and being surrounded by specialists, her tactical eye was sharp
enough to recognize a "Power Type" when she saw one.
Beside her, Karura Kure leaned forward, providing a briefing for the group.
"To put it simply, the Kure Clan can be divided into two archetypes: 'Assassins'
and 'Combatants'."
"Aside from our specialized [REMOVAL], our techniques are also split into two
systems."
"The lethal techniques designed for stealth and execution are known as the 'Kure
Clan Arts' (Kure-Ichizoku-Den). The systems developed specifically for
face-to-face martial combat are known as 'Kure Family Traditions'
(Kure-ke-den)."
"In the old days, the Family Traditions were reserved only for the main lineage,
but by the time Grandpa took over, those rules had become mere formalities."
Karura's black eyes narrowed as she watched the ring. "Raian is a monster
because he is a master of both. He is a supreme combatant and a legendary
assassin."
"The reason he's only using raw strength right now is because of his trash
personality. He finds technical finesse boring; he prefers to trample people
with pure violence."
Arisa nodded frantically, soaking in the lore.
Beside them, Erio Kure offered a faint, proud smile. "Ho-ho! As expected of my
darling Karura. Your understanding of our history is flawless!"
Karura blushed slightly. "Sorry, Grandpa. Was it a secret? Did I say too much?"
"It's fine!" Erio waved a hand dismissively. "This is common knowledge in the
underworld. If the Kure Clan were weak enough to be threatened by 'leaked
intel,' we wouldn't be standing here after a thousand years."
"Besides, we're all family now. If Ren Shiroki wanted to learn our secrets, I'd
probably hand them over. Though, with that 'collection' of his, I doubt he'd
even be interested."
Erio rubbed his chin. "The techniques he's using... even I find some of them
remarkable. That idiot Raian better not get careless."
"Right?! Even Grandpa says so! Ren-kun is amazing!" Karura beamed. "You should
come see Ohma-kun too, Grandpa! He's just as strong. You'll love him!"
Erio Kure: "..."
The Patriarch's smile remained fixed, but several fresh veins erupted on his
forehead. "Techniques... mm... very nice..."
Reiichi Kure leaned in. "Grandpa, your face is turning red. Need your heart
meds?"
Seeing Erio on the verge of a blood-pressure explosion, the "God of Wrestling,"
Kugo Kurachi, stepped in to play peacemaker.
"So, what you're saying is that Ren-kun is currently facing the most Fantastic
youth the Kure Clan has produced in a century?"
Erio nodded, his tone shifting into something more serious. "It's not just about
'youth' anymore."
"Hahaha!" Gouki Shibukawa chuckled, looking amused. "That killing intent Raian
is radiating... it's a mirror image of your younger self, Erio-dono. The tension
is making my old skin crawl!"
Erio massaged his brow. "But that's the problem. Because of that brat's
personality, standard technical analysis or physical data mean nothing. He is
prone to... 'unpredictable outbursts'."
"Heh... hehe! Isn't that the best part?"
Shibukawa's eyes glinted behind his glasses. "Even within the same style,
different fighters produce different 'Colors.' Rather than a clinical
demonstration of moves, I think Ren-kun prefers this kind of chaos."
"He looks like he's having the time of his life, doesn't he?"
Rattle!
A hand emerged from the pile of wooden splinters. Ren Shiroki gripped the top of
the remaining fence, his core tightening as he hauled himself up. His vision was
momentarily blurred, his head spinning and his back throbbing from the impact.
Before he could even draw a full breath, he saw Raian's shadow lengthening
across the sand. The Devil was already charging.
Zip!
A heavy right straight whistled toward Ren's head.
Ren dropped into a crouch to evade, then immediately drove his lead foot into
the sand. He performed a lateral slide to the right, putting several meters of
distance between them to reset.
His pupils began to vibrate again. [ENGINE]—RE-ENGAGED.
"――――Boring."
Raian stopped his pursuit, his grin turning into a jagged snarl. "A man who
controls 100% of his movements... it's so damn boring I could die!!"
He tightened his fists, stalked toward Ren.
"Consciousness? Mental focus? That invisible 'noise' you call martial
philosophy? It's all dogshit!"
"We aren't old monks meditating in a cave! Take those fairy tales and shove 'em
up your ass!"
"I don't want a 'Match'! I want total, uninhibited SLAUGHTER!!!"
A thin trail of steam escaped Raian's teeth.
Ren stood tall, his expression serious. He studied Raian's posture, noting that
the Devil still hadn't activated his [REMOVAL]. Ren arched an eyebrow.
He didn't feel slighted. Instead, he felt a surge of genuine respect.
"Incredible..."
Ren smirked. "You want to trample me so badly that you're forcibly suppressing
your own killing intent just to prolong the fight? That's a hell of a lot of
self-control for a 'Devil'—"
Cough!
Ren spat a blood clot and adjusted his breathing.
[DRIVE RUSH]!
WHOOSH!
He driven his heels into the sand and launched. He closed the gap in a
heartbeat, firing a lead-leg front kick.
[RYU'S HIGH FOOT-BLADE KICK]!
BANG!
The kick caught Raian square on the chest. The giant let out a heavy grunt, a
few more drops of blood leaking from his nose, but his feet didn't budge.
Raian's grin widened. His right hand snapped out, seizing Ren's ankle mid-air.
Ren didn't panic. Using the captured ankle as a pivot, he drove off his grounded
left foot and leaped. He performed a mid-air rotation, his body spinning like a
top as he launched a secondary strike.
BOOM!
The kick was a blur of kinetic force, slamming directly into Raian's face.
An ordinary man would have been put into a permanent coma by a strike like that.
But Raian's head only snapped back slightly. His right hand remained clamped
around Ren's ankle in a biological vice.
"HA!"
Raian roared with laughter. He began to swing Ren's entire body in a wide,
violent circle, intending to pulverize him against the ground.
But at the apex of the arc—at the split-second of maximum momentum—Ren fought
the G-force. He tightened his core and drove his free left heel downward with
the force of a falling guillotine.
He aimed for Raian's upturned face.
[RASHID'S SUNSET DROP]!
BANG!
The second heel-strike caught Raian flush on the forehead. The shock was finally
enough to make the giant's grip slip.
Even so, the centrifugal force of the swing didn't stop. Ren was launched
vertically into the sky. He performed a mid-air twist and a technical rotation,
successfully touching down on both feet.
"Hah... Phew..."
Ren hadn't even found his balance when a wave of cold killing intent washed over
his back.
Raian was already there!
"DIE!"
Ren spun and launched a high-level scan-kick.
[RYU'S HURRICANE KICK]!
Raian raised a forearm to block. He took the hit without moving an inch.
Ren followed through, his foot hitting the floor as he dived into Raian's
inner-circle. He fired a focused mid-section straight punch.
[DRIVE IMPACT: SHOCKWAVE]!
THUD!
Ren's fist buried itself in Raian's gut. Raian met the strike with an elbow
smash to Ren's forearm. The two forces collided with a thunderous roar, the
recoil forcing both men back a full pace.
Zip-shash-shash—
Ren's knuckles were numb. He shook out his arm, breathing through the shock.
Raian stood in a loose, hunched posture, his arms hanging low. Despite the
nosebleed and the marks on his face, he hadn't stopped grinning.
"Oho?"
Mitsuyo Kureishi blinked in surprise. "Ren-kun's heel-stomp carries the weight
of his entire mass. It's a match-ender for most elites."
"But Raian took it flush to the face and barely felt it? He's already coiling
for a counter?!"
"..."
Jaku Kaioh provided the analysis. "The long-haired youth is right. This... is
the Kure Clan!"
The Master's voice was grim. "The Kure have undergone a thousand years of
'Bloodline Refinement.' Every physical function they possess is in a different
category than modern humanity."
"Consider their pain threshold."
"Through their biological durability and the abnormal secretion of over twenty
different types of endorphins and neurotransmitters, they can endure injuries
that would kill a normal man."
"In Pro-Wrestling, a fighter builds that resilience through a lifetime of
training. But for a Kure? It is Innate. They are born with a body designed for a
'Special Warfare' type of existence!"
Jaku watched Raian's every twitch, swallowing hard.
"To be forged like that... he's effectively a bio-engineered Monster. Truly
magnificent!"
(End of Chapter)
☆☆☆
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