CHAPTER 18
Booommmm!!
A burst of golden light tore through the dim air of Level 6. Kizaru appeared in an instant, one flash, one kick, striking the arm Ren used to block. The impact sent him flying like a bullet through the smoke.
Before Ren's body could hit the ground, another kick met him mid-air.
Then another.
And another.
Kizaru's clones…,light copies…..passed Ren around like a football, each strike tightening the pressure in his chest.
"Kughhhhhh… kuuurghhh…" Ren spat blood, his vision shaking as the world spun around him.
For a moment, all he could hear was his own heartbeat.
Thud.
Thud.
Thud.
"Damn it…" he growled internally, gripping the floor as he forced himself up. "I thought I was already catching up with him. But to think he was relaxed the whole time… the way my body reacts to his punches…it's close, but my mind is still too slow. I need to catch up with my ambitions."
He wiped the blood from his mouth, straightened his back, and raised his fists again, wobbly, but firm.
Standing across from him, Kizaru tilted his head with lazy amusement, his smile stretching slowly.
"Oooh, so you're not just all talk after all…"
Ren didn't answer. With a smirk He simply curled his fingers tighter, signaling for Kizaru to bring it on.
Kizaru raised his fist too.
"Well then… shall we continue?"
They leapt at each other again, two forces crashing head-on.
BOOOMMMMM!!!
The impact echoed so violently the entire 6th level trembled. Dust exploded into the air, metal shrieked, and shockwaves rippled across the stone floor. Both fighters were thrown backwards like two meteors repelling each other.
Ren smashed through a cell wall, debris collapsing around him.
He dug his fingers into the ground, forcing himself to rise.
"I guess this is why he's called an admiral… I need to push more. Faster. Harder. My fists… have to reach him."
Ren stepped forward again, fists clenched so tightly his knuckles cracked.
The flames from collapsed torches reflected off his white hair, his silhouette trembling, yet unbroken.
Kizaru sighed dramatically. "Maa maa… still coming back? Humans really are troublesome."
Ren didn't wait. He launched forward with a roar.
Their fists collided—
BOOM!
Another collision—
BOOM!
A third—
BOOM!
Repetition.
Impact.
Pressure.
Ren's arms throbbed. His muscles screamed. But each clash was faster than the last, his observation haki stretching further, deeper, reaching into every movement.
His vision started catching faint glimmers of Kizaru's future movement—barely, but it was something.
Kizaru raised an eyebrow mid-fight.
"Oh? You're accelerating…"
"Damn right I am!" Ren punched forward again.
Kizaru blocked with a glowing arm, sliding back a few inches.
"…but still too slow."
A sharp knee buried into Ren's stomach.
BAM!
Ren coughed blood again but grabbed Kizaru's leg before he could vanish.
Kizaru's eyes widened slightly. "Oh?"
Ren's grip shook violently.
But he held on.
"I'm… not done yet!" Ren roared, pulling Kizaru and throwing a right hook coated in every ounce of will he had.
The punch grazed Kizaru's cheek.
A thin line appeared, a small scratch, but a scratch on an admiral was no small feat.
Kizaru touched his cheek lightly.
"…NEee!!!"
Ren stood there panting, nearly collapsing, but with a wild grin stretching across his face.
"I told you… I'll catch up."
Kizaru lowered his hand and sighed.
"Well, that's quite troublesome."
His body glowed brighter, so bright Ren had to shield his eyes.
"You forced me ."
A beam of golden light blitzed forward.
It hit Ren before he could react.
His body smashed into three walls, sliding across the floor as smoke drifted from his skin.
But even then…
He pushed off the ground, wobbling but standing.
Kizaru stared for a moment, unimpressed but… curious.
"You don't know when to stay down, do you?"
Ren wiped the blood dripping down his chin.
"That's the thing about me… I don't stay down."
The admiral flashed toward him again…
But this time…
Ren's fist moved first.
For a moment, everything slowed.
Ren didn't have wild mind
But he had wild will.
And with that alone, he swung.
Their fists collided again—
The biggest impact yet—
BOOOOOOMMMMMMMM!!!
Half the level trembled, dust erupting everywhere like a storm.
Ren skidded backward, barely holding on.
Kizaru stood still, unfazed… but not bored anymore.
"Interesting… very interesting."