Chapter 22: The Intermediate State
Ronin wasn't arrogant enough to step into the ring without reading the intelligence report on Gareg.
He knew exactly what kind of dirty tricks Gareg would use.
Bricks, lime powder—these were Gareg's go-to weapons. According to Miria's dossier, Gareg was a street thug who had been fighting dirty since childhood.
Reviewing the footage of Gareg's past matches, Ronin noted that while the bricks were created via Conjuration, the other items were simply physical objects hidden on his person.
Like the massive wrench he pulled out of his pocket after Ronin blocked his initial assault.
Ronin dodged the swinging wrench effortlessly and launched a straight punch at Gareg's face.
Honestly, calling him "Ugly Gareg" wasn't accurate enough. In Ronin's opinion, "Insidious and Ugly Gareg" was far more fitting.
Bam!
Ronin's fist connected, but not with Gareg's face. It slammed into a brick wall that Gareg suddenly conjured in mid-air.
Behind the brick wall, Gareg didn't wait to see the result. He immediately dropped into a crouch, swinging the wrench toward Ronin's kidneys in a vicious low blow.
Crack!
The conjured brick shattered instantly under Ronin's punch.
However, the shattering brick released a cloud of fine dust—a new trick Gareg hadn't shown in previous matches.
Ronin reacted instantly. The moment his fist made contact, he squeezed his eyes shut. Simultaneously, he drove his knee upward, aiming straight for the crouching Gareg's face.
He completely ignored the wrench swinging at his side.
If Gareg retreated now, he could dodge the knee strike. But Gareg was ruthless. Instead of backing off, he conjured another brick right in front of his face to block the knee.
Smash!
Ronin's knee plowed through the brick. The force didn't stop there; it drove the shattered remnants of the brick directly into Gareg's face.
Blood sprayed into the air.
At the same moment, Gareg's wrench slammed into Ronin's kidney.
Trading damage?
Ronin raised an eyebrow. As his leg came down, he leaped backward to create distance.
He felt almost no pain from his side.
Enhancement is the category that offers the highest affinity for attack, defense, and healing.
Gareg was a Conjurer. Even if he maximized his defense, he could only use Enhancement at 60% efficiency.
Assuming both fighters had roughly the same aura output (POP), an Enhancer's punch would naturally deal far more damage than a Conjurer's punch.
Moreover, Ronin's aura output was higher than Gareg's to begin with.
Ronin's punch broke through Gareg's Ken effortlessly.
Gareg's wrench, however, failed to penetrate Ronin's Ken. This was the raw numerical superiority of an Enhancer.
Gareg's advantage lay in his tricky tools. But once Ronin prepared for them, those tricks couldn't bridge the gap in raw stats.
In a close-quarters slugfest, Gareg never stood a chance.
Ronin leaped high into the air. For a split second, his eyes flashed a brilliant crimson. His fist, saturated with both Nen and Chakra, came crashing down like a meteor onto Gareg's chest.
BOOM!
The impact sounded like an explosion.
The arena fell silent for a heartbeat.
Then, a tidal wave of applause and cheers erupted.
No one paid attention to Gareg, whose chest had caved in, leaving his fate uncertain. All eyes were on Ronin, who had landed gracefully and retreated to the center of the ring, looking untouched.
"Winner: Ronin!"
The referee blew the whistle and raised his hand.
The commentator screamed into the microphone as medics rushed the stage.
Ronin closed his eyes briefly, soaking in the roar of the crowd. When he opened them again, he turned and walked away, leaving only a solitary, cool silhouette for the audience to admire.
Sitting in the front row, Miria pushed up her glasses.
She hadn't misjudged him. He was born to be a star.
Now, how do I lend him my aura?
Should I wait for him to win ten matches and challenge a Floor Master? Or should I artificially increase the difficulty of his next fights to force his hand?
Miria stood up, contemplating. If she sabotaged him and he found out, their partnership would end. But knowing Ronin's personality, even if he was losing, he probably wouldn't ask for help.
What a troublesome client.
That evening, Ronin attended the celebration party Miria hosted for him.
The main purpose was a photoshoot—gathering promotional material to hype his strength.
Everything went according to plan. This was part of the contract, beneficial for his fame, and didn't take much time.
Besides, winning his first match on the 200th floor was worth a drink.
After staying for thirty minutes, Ronin excused himself and left.
The fight with Gareg was crucial not just for the win, but for verifying his theory.
He had found the Intermediate State between normal eyes and the Sharingan.
That state was the Scarlet Eyes.
Normally, the transition from normal eyes to Sharingan happened instantly. But through relentless practice, Ronin learned to stretch that split-second transition.
By holding his eyes in the "Scarlet" phase before the Tomoe formed, he achieved a hybrid energy state: part of his aura converted into Chakra, while the rest remained as Nen.
This allowed him to use both power systems simultaneously without fully committing to one.
In this state, Ronin tried to enhance his Ninjutsu with Nen.
The results were underwhelming. Ninjutsu didn't need Nen. Trying to infuse Nen into a Fireball Jutsu required Transmutation, and as an Enhancer, Ronin only had 80% efficiency in that category. It was a waste of talent.
It was simpler to just pour more Chakra into the technique.
However, the Intermediate State allowed him to do something else: Copy Uvogin's Nen ability.
Using the hybrid state, he could replicate the aura output mechanics of the Big Bang Impact.
Then, using his Enhancement affinity, he combined it with a physical Taijutsu burst.
This synergy created the 1+1 > 2 effect he was looking for.
It required intense concentration. In solo training, he struggled to pull it off perfectly. But in the heat of battle on the ring, his focus sharpened, and the fusion felt natural.
Combat really is the fastest way to improve.
Ronin was glad he held back at the last second. If he had unleashed the full power of the combined strike, Gareg wouldn't be in the hospital; he would be scattered all over the arena in wet chunks.
If Gareg survived, he should thank Ronin.
Of course, Ronin didn't show mercy out of kindness. He just didn't want a gruesome, exploded corpse to tarnish his "cool" public image.
☆☆☆
-> 30 Advanced chapters Now Available on Patreon!!
-> https://www.pat-reon.co-m/c/Inkshaper
(Just remove the hyphen (-) to access patreon normally)
If you like this novel please consider leaving a review that's help the story a lot Thank you