Chapter 51: Limitations

As expected, Oma’s obsessive, almost pathological pursuit of being “the strongest” made him completely ignore the toll on his heart. It was much like the “Liberation” stance used by the Wu clan. His veins bulged all over, his strength and speed surged dramatically, but the precision of his techniques suffered. Only the blood-red hue of his skin set him apart from the Wu clan’s characteristic bluish-purple.

“It can’t be a coincidence. This technique must have been inspired by ‘Liberation’ in the first place. Ugh!”

Just as the young man was engrossed in this ancient martial art style he had never seen before, a supple and fiery body, winding around him like a water snake from behind, snapped him out of his reverie.

It was Saeko, who had only just recovered enough to get out of bed near noon.

“Abandoning your wife, who’s been ravaged almost to pieces, just to watch a match? When did you become such a scoundrel, Kyo?”

The youth merely patted the hand pressed to his chest and guided her to a seat.

“Watch closely, Saeko. Even though this is a different path from your own, such a high-level karate bout will still be invaluable.”

Saeko’s teasing was merely a lingering effect from the night before. Once her eyes landed on the battle in the center of the arena, her martial instincts took over and she released her hold on Kyo. She straightened up and began to observe in earnest.

Just as Kyo had predicted, after Oma squeezed every bit of power out of his heart, Inaba Ryo’s specially trained hair became a weapon against him. After a brutal beating, Oma lost consciousness completely.

Victory belonged to Oma.

But the next contestant to enter the arena made Kyo’s pupils contract—a rare reaction for him.

“Those muscles… what are they?”

His gaze fixed upon a burly man with a buzz cut and blond hair standing in the ring. Data streams only visible to himself scrolled wildly across his retina.

“Name: Takeshi Wakatsuki. Strength: #￥%? Agility: &*@? Constitution: !@#?”

The infallible bio-brain couldn’t determine his attributes at all!

“It can’t be that the bio-brain simply can’t read his stats because he’s too strong. Neither dragon blood nor aura gives me the sense that this man has overwhelming presence.”

Shaken but thoughtful, Kyo stroked his chin and analyzed calmly.

“There’s only one possibility… The bio-brain’s data assessment function is based on a massive database of ordinary people. If the test subject is vastly different from the baseline, then it’s understandable the readings would fail.”

Realizing this, Kyo watched the man in the ring with keen interest.

He wanted to see just how far beyond the quarter-million-person standard this man’s physical abilities could go.

Meanwhile, the commentator, Sayoka Katagiri, together with Jerry Tyson—the black martial artist who had somehow made his way onto the commentary platform—began introducing the fighters’ backgrounds for the benefit of the spectators.

“The man known as ‘Indeterminable,’ Takeshi Murobuchi, stands at 187 centimeters, weighs 110 kilograms! He’s a world-class triathlete, a veritable modern Hercules! And though he’s never trained in combat sports, his raw physical prowess alone has earned him nineteen consecutive wins!”

“And on the other side, we have the ‘Tiger’ of the Kengan matches, Takeshi Wakatsuki! Both his height and weight are 193 centimeters, with a Kengan record of 306 wins and just 2 losses!”

“This is the collision of the ‘Tiger’ and the modern Hercules—about to begin!”

The referee in the ring was sweating more than ever, standing between the two giants like a frightened kitten. After a long moment, he swallowed hard and, with a determined flick, brought down his arm.

“Begin!”

As the referee leapt away as if running for his life, the man called Takeshi Wakatsuki did not disappoint the waiting Kyo in the slightest.

At the instant the match began, a textbook karate straight punch exploded from Wakatsuki’s waist and abdomen, twisting like a furious dragon, his face expressionless.

Short, hard, crisp, and imbued with a spiraling force, the punch shot straight for Murobuchi’s chest.

Boom!

The impact alone, flesh against flesh, sent a shockwave that kicked up a ring of dust from the sandy floor.

And as for Murobuchi, the recipient, the scene was almost comical: all 110 kilograms of him spun through the air, feet barely touching the ground, and crashed halfway across the arena.

Finally, he smashed headlong into the concrete boundary wall.

Boom—

A solid, two-meter-wide hole was blasted into the wall!

At the center of the web of cracks, Murobuchi’s chest muscles were twisted grotesquely by the force, blood streaming from his mouth and nose, consciousness fading as he was embedded in the concrete.

Only a single second had passed!

“Impossible!”

“Was that a fix? It had to be fixed! My money—!”

Gradually, the well-dressed audience members snapped out of their shock, voicing their suspicions like true gamblers.

But at once, old members of the Kengan Association jeered back.

“You really have no idea how fearsome the Tiger is.”

“Of course not! How could ordinary people like them possibly understand the power of those muscles? Ha!”

The laughter of those who had won their bets rang out.

Meanwhile, in the VIP seats for fighters, Kyo and Saeko sat deep in thought.

“Kyo, did you see it?” Saeko called his name, her eyes fixed on the departing blond giant. “Those muscle lines.”

Her lush lips curved in a smile—the kind a seasoned swordswoman shows upon finding a worthy opponent.

“Yes, I saw them, saw them perfectly,” Kyo replied, adjusting his glasses and smiling with genuine interest. “That muscle density… it’s truly eye-opening.”

He simply turned off the endless data streaming across his retina. For the first time since he’d acquired it, the bio-brain—which had helped him countless times—showed its limitations.

“Looks like I can’t rely on it too much in the future.”

He pressed the bridge of his nose, murmuring to himself.

Saeko, though unaware of what he meant, believed in Kyo with all her heart. She needed no more than to watch him with a gentle smile.

Moments later, amid the audience’s impatient cries, Kyo removed his glasses.

“Seems everyone can hardly wait. Well then, I’ll head out for the next match.”

“May fortune favor you.”

Saeko, seeing him off, resembled a dutiful wife bidding her husband farewell.

The departing youth simply waved an arm behind him and strode into the corridor leading to the arena.

Step, step, step—

In the empty passage, his steady footsteps suddenly halted.

Kyo eyed the three figures in the shadows ahead, his hand unconsciously clenching and relaxing.

“I wasn’t aware that contestants were welcomed in the passageway.”

He slipped his glasses into his pocket, his face adorned with a gentle smile. With his handsome features and questioning tone, he seemed as harmless as any ordinary college student.

From among the three, a striking man in a mismatched cheongsam, his entire left arm in a cast, stepped out of the shadows.

“I’m not in a good mood today, so let’s keep this brief.” He raised his uninjured hand in a wary stance. “If you forfeit now, you’ll gain the friendship of the Eastern Power Group. What do you say?”