Chapter 225: Can't Get Tense
Evening fell, and the sky over Tokyo began to bruise into deep purples.
Soul Combat Hub (SC Center).
Ren Shiroki finished his daytime training routine. After a brief rest and a
high-protein recovery meal, he sat in the courtyard accompanied by Fusui Kure.
They were currently hosting two "rare guests."
Shigeru Akagi, the "Man of the Divine Realm," and Baku Madarame, the "Lie
Eater."
Baku was a semi-regular face; although always busy with his own high-stakes
gambles, he occasionally stopped by to check on Marco. As for Akagi, he was the
definition of an enigma—a ghost who drifted through the city's mahjong parlors,
nearly impossible to contact by conventional means.
Heaven only knew how Arisa had managed to get him on speed-dial!
The four of them sipped hot tea, casually discussing recent events: the
sightings of the death row convicts, the stirrings of the crime syndicate IDEAL,
and the shifting power dynamics of the underground world.
Everyone was at ease. Even Baku Madarame, a man whose mind was a labyrinth of
traps and calculations, found no "lies" to devour here. For a rare moment, he
allowed himself to relax and speak without double meanings.
"Ren-kun, you're truly something else," Baku mused, leaning back on the steps
and resting his chin on his palm. He gave a sharp, appreciative smile. "To be
able to live like this... enjoying every single moment with your whole heart."
"Heh. It is quite the sight," Akagi added. He leaned against a pillar with his
eyes closed, soaking in the atmosphere. "A battle that truly sparkles,
Ren-kun..."
As the light faded further, Baku took his leave, citing other business.
Akagi had originally wanted to play a few rounds of cards with Arisa, but after
waiting and seeing no sign of her, he came to a realization. "I see. My luck is
poor today."
Fusui blinked in confusion. "Your luck is poor, Akagi-san?"
Akagi lit a cigarette, a faint smile playing on his lips. "To seek and not
find... is that not the definition of bad luck?"
With that, he drifted away as effortlessly as a breeze.
"What a cool guy," Fusui murmured, watching him go. "No wonder Grandpa calls him
a 'Legend'..."
She turned back to Ren. "By the way, Ren-chin, where is Arisa-chan?"
Fusui checked her phone; she had sent several texts but hadn't received a single
reply. "Strange. Did she say she'd be home late? I mean, she's with Marco and
Karura, so she's safe, but still..."
Just as the thought crossed her mind—
VROOOOM—!!
A modified off-road Jeep roared down the street, kicking up a massive cloud of
dust as it skidded to a halt directly in front of the SC Center. Before the
engine had even died, the doors flew open.
Three figures emerged. Or rather, one elderly man charged forward while two
younger men scrambled to keep up, clearly terrified the old man was about to do
something rash.
The lead figure was a withered, skeletal old man dressed in a traditional
kimono. Right now, his face was a mask of demonic fury, veins bulging across his
wrinkled skin.
The newcomer was a legend—though this was his first time at the Hub. At
ninety-one years old, he was the Patriarch of the Kure Clan and the rumored
First "Fang of Metsudo."
Erio Kure.
Ren had met him briefly at the Underground Arena, and through his relationship
with Fusui, they weren't strangers. But right now, the old man was radiating a
staggering amount of killing intent.
THUD!
Erio slammed a foot into the courtyard floor, his heel crushing the dirt. His
eyes—black sclera with white pupils—were wide and bloodshot. He didn't even stop
for pleasantries.
"Ren! Do you have a lead?!" Erio barked.
"...On what?" Ren blinked.
Seeing Ren's confusion, Erio's temper flared even higher. Before he could
explode, the short-haired youth beside him—Reiichi Kure—grabbed the patriarch's
arm and stepped forward to explain.
"You knew Karura-chan and your sister went out with their classmates for a
get-together tonight, right?" Reiichi pulled out his phone and showed Ren a CCTV
clip.
"According to the street cameras, they turned into a side alley... and never
came out. Simultaneously, a mid-sized truck was seen leaving that same alley."
"We searched the area. They found a kidnapping note addressed to Baki Hanma. It
says his girlfriend has been taken. No address. No demands. Just a provocation."
"That's the gist of it." Reiichi leaned in and whispered into Ren's ear,
"Analyzing the scene... it's possible they just stumbled into a kidnapping in
progress and got bundled away with the target. But there's something weird."
Reiichi's eye twitched. "There isn't a single sign of a struggle. I refuse to
believe Karura couldn't fight back—her [Release] rate is 85%, and your boy Marco
was with them. This is either a threat we don't understand, or those kids are up
to something stupid."
"Regardless, we need to find Karura immediately. Otherwise, Grandpa's blood
pressure is going to hit the ceiling. Fusui told you, right? He's a pathological
Great-Granddaughter-con..."
Ren understood perfectly. He looked at Erio, who looked like he was about to
have a stroke. Ren offered a few words of comfort, but before they could
coordinate a search—
Zip!
A figure vaulted over the Hub's wall, landing in the yard.
It was Baki Hanma.
The Kure Clan hadn't hidden the kidnapping note since it involved Kozue; they
had sent word to Baki's house immediately. Baki knew Kozue was with Arisa
tonight and had come to the Hub at a dead sprint.
"Ren-san! Do you have a lead?!" Baki was frantic. Unlike Reiichi, he knew Kozue
Matsumoto was just an ordinary girl. In this world of monsters, she was
incredibly vulnerable.
Ren crossed his arms, leaning into deep thought. "Hm..."
Before he could speak, more guests arrived.
A Metropolitan Police patrol car pulled up, and three people hurried into the
courtyard: Nozomi Tenma (CEO of Valkyrie), Ichika Iori (the rising star of the
MPD), and Mitsuo Sonoda (Special Division Official).
They were here for the same reason. A kidnapping involving the Kure Clan was a
national security crisis, but there was another factor: Hina Hongo. The
"Revolutionary Princess" was rumored to still have access to a massive cache of
chemical weapons. If she was under duress, the consequences for Tokyo would be
unthinkable.
"Ren-kun!" Ichika urged, seeing him still lost in thought. "Did you find a lead?
Give us some of that 'Hub Owner' focus! We need some tension here!"
Ren's eye twitched as he ran the math.
"Okay, let's look at the situation: My sister Arisa, Kozue-chan, Karura-chan,
Hina Hongo, and Marco... those five were 'kidnapped' together, right?"
The group nodded grimly.
Ren looked pained, as if he were trying to find a responsible way to say what he
was thinking. "Honestly... thinking about those five being together... I just
can't get tense."
The group: "..."
Ren's analysis was actually quite sound. Setting aside the girls for a moment,
Marco was the Hub's premier training partner; his physical power was a verified
disaster for anyone unlucky enough to be on the receiving end.
But looking at Erio Kure, who was vibrating with enough rage to power a small
city, no one had the heart to tell him the "kidnapper" was the one in danger.
They had to find them.
Meanwhile, in Ginza.
In a high-end luxury hotel near the Hakozaki district, the lights were ablaze.
Inside a sprawling presidential suite on the upper floors, the door was pushed
open.
The "kidnapper," Sikorsky, led Kozue Matsumoto into the room. His gaze
immediately shifted to the sofa by the window.
A man sat there, leaning back with one leg crossed over the other, radiating a
level of pressure that felt like a localized nuclear meltdown. He had long,
dark-red hair and wore a simple black training suit with cloth shoes.
The Ogre. Yujiro Hanma.
勇次郎 (Yujiro) looked at Sikorsky with a playful, predatory smirk. "Well? Did the
Russian convict find kidnapping to be too difficult a task?"
Sikorsky frowned, staring at the monster on the sofa. "I followed your
'arrangement.' But this isn't my style. Even if a rage-filled Baki storms this
room right now, is he really going to satisfy me?"
"Kidnapping a girl to lure him out feels like playing with toys," Sikorsky
sighed, looking weary. "Whatever. You guys, come in."
"...'You guys'?"
Yujiro arched an eyebrow, his eyes shifting toward the doorway.
And then, he saw them.
Behind Kozue, a girl walked in looking around with curious interest (Arisa).
Then a girl with black-and-white eyes (Karura). Then a pink-haired girl with
stars in her eyes (Hina).
And finally, a massive, confused "Giant" who looked vaguely familiar.
Seeing Yujiro, Marco's eyes lit up in recognition. He remembered the Ogre from
the cruise ship The Espoir.
"Ah! It's that Uncle who likes to fight!" Marco gave a friendly, enthusiastic
nod. "Good evening, Uncle!"
Yujiro Hanma: "..."
The Ogre didn't move. He sat in stunned silence for three long seconds before
throwing his head back and letting out a roar of laughter.
"Pfft... ha... HAHAHAHAHAHA!!"
The laughter was like an earthquake. The coffee table in front of him vibrated
violently, and the floor-to-ceiling windows began to spiderweb and crack. The
hotel's automated seismic sensors were seconds away from triggering a city-wide
alarm.
"Hahahaha...!"
After nearly twenty seconds, the laughter subsided, though the ears of everyone
in the room were still ringing.
"My, my..." Yujiro wiped a tear of amusement from his eye, looking mockingly at
Sikorsky. "I leave you alone for one afternoon and you decide to quit being a
criminal to become a Kindergarten Principal?"
(End of Chapter)
☆☆☆
-> 30 Advanced chapters Now Available on Patreon!!
-> https://www.pat-reon.co-m/c/Hollowborn
(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