Chapter 473: The Song That Never Ends
[The Soul Combatant] vs. [The Second];
Ren Shiroki vs. J. Guevara!
Winner: Ren Shiroki!
"I won aaaaaahhhhhhh!!!"
Ren was practically hanging on by a thread, his physical reserves bottomed out,
which meant he couldn't exactly roar with thunderous volume.
Yet, to everyone present, that declaration of victory felt as deafening as a
thunderclap!
It erupted from his throat like rolling ocean waves, washing across the open
plaza and rippling outward until it swallowed the entirety of The Inside in an
invisible shockwave of sound.
Even in his battered, disheveled state, Ren's triumphant posture—fist raised
high toward the sky—radiating an aura of absolute majesty.
Because that was simply how a victor was supposed to look!
"H—he won?"
"The Second went down?!"
"Ren won! The Soul Combatant actually won aaaaaah!"
"..."
The audience of denizens across The Inside dissolved into a deafening uproar.
As for the various masters watching from the sidelines, each processed the
outcome in their own unique way.
[The Wild Tiger] Takeshi Wakatsuki murmured, "Ren... he really got stronger
again..."
[The Ice Emperor] Ryo Inaba's eyes bulged. "Hey, wait a minute—saying he 'got
stronger' doesn't even cover it anymore. Isn't this getting a bit ridiculous??"
[The Umibozu] Yoshinari Karo's dark eyes flashed with a hint of melancholy as he
mourned Guevara's defeat. "What an extraordinary pair of men..."
[The Ashura] Tokita Niko remained silent, his hands tightening into hard fists.
[The Devil Lance] Gensai Kuroki nodded approvingly. "Hmph, magnificent!"
"Kukaka!"
[The Monster] Raian Kure had enjoyed the spectacle immensely; his blood was
currently running so hot he was practically vibrating, itching to pick another
fight with anyone within arm's reach.
Beside him, Fusui sighed helplessly, pulling out her phone to initiate a video
call with Wu Erioh. With the patriarch himself stepping in remotely to issue
direct orders, Raian was barely reined in.
Wu Erioh sighed on the other end. "Hah... the brat almost went on another
rampage again. What happened?"
Fusui waved a hand lazily. "Ren-chin and Mr. Guevara had a brawl. Ren-chin won a
narrow victory."
"Is that so—wait, what???"
Wu Erioh's sentence hitched halfway, his black-sclera, white-pupil eyes popping
wide open in sheer bewilderment.
The old patriarch suspected his ears were failing him. "Ren Shiroki beat the
Second???"
Fusui narrowed her eyes into a bright, giggling squint. "Mm, Ren-chin looks
super happy, though!"
Wu Erioh: "————?"
Wisdom and experience eventually won out, however. Since the incident didn't
involve his precious granddaughter Karla, the old man managed to calm his racing
heart, expelling a long, wheezing breath.
"Ho-ho... must've been a marvelous duel..."
Swish——
Ren lowered his arm, his body swaying unsteadily.
He cast a glance toward the unconscious Guevara, drew in a long, shaky breath,
and spotted the underground physician, An Sakurai, standing near the perimeter.
Having their top-tier underground doctor stationed right here inside The Inside
was a massive blessing, making logistical cleanups infinitely smoother.
"..."
His friends stepped in.
Fusui and Ryo Inaba moved in synchronously, sliding underneath Ren's arms to
hoist his dead weight, allowing him to completely disengage his muscles and
rest.
Ren flagged down An Sakurai, asking her to prioritize checking on Guevara's
condition first.
——
——
"Leave him to me, boss."
An Sakurai fell right into her professional groove, first tossing Fusui a
portable oxygen canister to help stabilize Ren before kneeling beside Guevara to
run a field triage.
Supported on either side by Fusui and Inaba, Ren stumbled back toward the
sidelines, collapsing heavily onto a battered, spring-broken sofa to catch his
breath.
Before he could even properly settle his weight, however, the enthusiastic
shouts of the surrounding denizens washed over him.
"Ren Shiroki actually pulled it off!"
"Magnificent! The strongest!"
"A miracle! That was too good~!"
"..."
Those warm, clamorous cheers felt like an irresistible, soothing nectar, soaking
deep into Ren's battered frame and transforming his sharp aches into a pleasant,
fuzzy hum.
Ren narrowed his eyes, leaning his head back against the lumpy backrest of the
sofa to soak it all in.
He could feel it with absolute clarity: the next second of his life would
forever be stronger than any moment that came before it—stronger than even the
second immediately preceding it!
The spectators looking on, and indeed the entirety of The Inside, were locked
onto his every movement.
Then bring it on!
Reversal right in their faces for all the world to see!!
"..."
His friends stepped closer, forming a protective circle around the sofa.
Tokita Niko shoved his hands into his pockets, offering a wry, appreciative
smile. "Too strong..."
"Yeah."
Ren's eyelids felt so heavy he could barely keep them parted. "Guevara was
insane, too... insanely strong. So strong he almost made me want to cry..."
"It's just that this time, I managed to be a tiny bit stronger."
Regaining a shred of physical stamina, Ren slowly raised both hands,
experimentally flexing his fingers into fists.
"Deep inside my body, there dwells a terrifying, unimaginable power... On one
side, the [Satsui no Hado], and on the other, [Psycho Power]."
"Between the Surge of Murderous Intent, Psycho Power, and the ultimate secrets
of the [Drive] system—"
"If all of these energies were to detonate at once... I'm pretty sure I'd cause
a catastrophic disaster and blow the entirety of The Inside straight off the
map!"
"So, to protect all of you, I've got no choice but to keep getting stronger."
"..."
Ohma: "..."
Ohma blinked, leaning sideways to whisper to Fusui. "Hey... did that punch
scramble his brains?"
Fusui fluttered a hand dismissively, her eyes crinkling shut as a bead of
awkward sweat rolled down her temple. "No, no, no... probably? Hopefully...?"
"..."
Seeing their reactions, Ren backpedaled instantly. "Alright, fine, I was just
blowing hot air."
Raian cracked his knuckles with a menacing grin. "Really? I don't believe you.
Let me perform a quick cranial surgery to check!"
Ren: "..."
Having narrowly averted Raian's impromptu medical examination, Ren finally
managed to settle down and catch his breath. He leaned back against the sofa,
glancing past the crowd toward the distance, where An Sakurai was currently
wrapping bandages around Guevara, who appeared to be stabilizing nicely.
"What I want to do isn't all that different from what Mr. Guevara was chasing."
Ren murmured softly, "Guevara discovered a foundation existing beneath the
earth—one visible only to him—anchored deep in the earth's core 6,378,000 meters
down."
"As for me..."
"I want to know what 'strength' truly means. I even want to peer past the
ceiling of 'martial arts' itself and see what lies beyond."
"That said... if I had to put it into words, it's probably just a feeling."
"..."
Though the statement remained somewhat cryptic and abstract, it was at least
grounded enough to make logical sense—or close enough, anyway.
At that moment, the thug entrusted with guarding Ren's light jacket and
sunglasses jogged over to return them.
Ren offered a word of thanks, taking special care to retrieve his sunglasses and
handing them to Fusui for safekeeping.
"..."
As the news of the Second's defeat rippled outward, the entire Inside plunged
into a fresh wave of uproar, drawing even more curious onlookers rushing toward
the scene.
"Hah!"
[The Unchained] Biscuit Oliva sauntered up leisurely, his wildly exaggerated
musculature instantly catching every eye in the vicinity.
He casually adjusted his custom tinted shades, his obsidian eyes rolling with an
amused, sparkling glint.
"Things are getting awfully lively around here. It's wilder than a championship
prize fight—all thanks to you, little Ren."
Oliva looked down at Ren. "You're getting quite a bit of praise from the
audience... mostly because you managed to take down Guevara."
"Don't put it like that, Mr. Oliva..."
Ren forced a wry, exhausted smile. "Guevara was so ~~ freaking ~~ strong! Strong
enough to make my knees shake, strong enough to almost make me cry..."
"Hmph."
Oliva smiled softly. "Regardless of how it happened, the fight is over. We can't
hear Guevara's song anymore... all that's left is the roar of your victory."
Ren thought about it for a second, then abruptly shifted gears with a
mischievous glint in his eye. "——Is that so?"
Oliva blinked. "Hm?"
"Heh!"
Ren bared his teeth in a wide grin, exposing a couple of chipped teeth, though
it did nothing to dampen his high spirits.
Slap——!
He brought his palm down hard against the leather armrest of the sofa, producing
a dull, echoing smack.
Then, filling his chest with air, Ren threw his head back and burst into song,
mimicking Guevara's exact cadence and tone.
"Iiyer~~ yah-ha——!"
"In the moonlight shining bright————"
"..."
Ren leaned back against the battered sofa, gazing up at the sky, laughing as he
carried on the pirate's unending chanty.
☆☆☆
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