Chapter 1004 - 1004: Two Fights, Two Ryomas

Outside, Ryoma's eyebrows suddenly rise as if he's realized something.

A moment later, a quiet chuckle escapes his lips, and he casually takes several steps away from Umemoto.

Then he suddenly speaks to himself, seemingly addressing someone who is not standing anywhere near him.

"Ah, so you've finally awakened."

<< What? >>

"I must admit, I'm rather impressed that you've managed to regain consciousness."

<< You? Who are you? How are you inside my body? >>

<< Wait... you're the one controlling my body? >>

"Ku-ku-ku... Ryoma, have you truly forgotten me already? I left you alone for only a few weeks, and you've already managed to forget me?"

At the same time, Umemoto hears those bizarre words and simply stands there for several moments, trying to understand what he is witnessing.

Even the referee, standing close enough to hear Ryoma's strange remarks, looks equally confused and increasingly concerned about his condition.

"What's wrong with him?"

Ryoma's behavior is becoming increasingly difficult to dismiss as simple fatigue, adrenaline, or the effects of the knockdown.

The referee has seen fighters behave strangely after taking heavy punishment, but Ryoma's behavior feels different.

He appears physically composed, yet his words suggest that his mind is somewhere else entirely.

The longer the referee watches him, the more uncomfortable he becomes, especially because Ryoma shows no obvious signs of confusion.

"He's been acting strangely ever since he got back up."

"Should I intervene, or should I let the fight continue?"

"Man... this is getting seriously concerning."

Umemoto moves forward again with measured steps, carefully closing the distance between them.

Ryoma drifts sideways with an unnaturally relaxed gait, his body moving smoothly while his eyes remain fixed on Umemoto.

There is something predatory in the way he circles, as though he is not avoiding Umemoto's approach but quietly measuring the distance between them.

"Now, stay quiet and watch how I work."

Umemoto stops for the briefest moment after hearing those strange words. But this time, whatever confusion he feels quickly disappears beneath his fighting instinct.

He surges forward with tremendous pressure, throwing himself into range with a sharp combination that gives Ryoma almost no room to breathe. His punches come faster and faster, each one carrying full intent.

Ryoma slips outside the first punch, tilts away from the second, and rolls beneath the third without allowing his feet to cross.

A fourth punch follows immediately, but Ryoma turns his shoulder and lets the glove skim past before shifting his head away from another hook.

Umemoto refuses to slow down. He keeps pressing forward, cutting off every angle Ryoma tries to take while throwing combinations with frightening speed and precision.

Yet Ryoma continues to evade everything cleanly, his body moving with an almost effortless fluidity that makes Umemoto's relentless pressure look strangely ineffective.

On the booth, the commentators can barely keep their composure as the exchange unfolds, their voices rising with every exchange.

"Look at the speed! He's throwing everything with full commitment, but Ryoma is slipping every single punch!"

"This is insane! One mistake from either man could completely change the fight!"

"Umemoto is right on top of him, and Ryoma is moving like he's completely comfortable in there!"

"I don't know whether to be terrified or excited watching this! Every exchange feels like someone is seconds away from getting dropped!"

"Look at that pressure! Umemoto isn't giving him any room whatsoever, but somehow Ryoma keeps finding the smallest gaps!"

"Umemoto keeps coming forward! He's refusing to give Ryoma even a moment to breathe!"

"And the frightening part is that Ryoma doesn't look overwhelmed at all!"

"Something is very different about him now, and I don't think we're watching the same Ryoma Takeda anymore!"

Then Ryoma sends a counter, not merely intended to make contact, but commits fully to the punch, driving his weight through the target.

DSH!

Umemoto absorbs the impact fully. But that commitment also gives him exactly what he needs.

His counter comes immediately while Ryoma's punch is still completing its motion.

Ryoma sees the return shot coming, realizes he cannot evade it, and simply slips a compact uppercut from below.

DSH!

DHUAK!

Another dual exchange explodes almost simultaneously.

"DAMN!!!

"THAT EXCHANGE WAS BRUTAL!"

Before Umemoto can fully recover from the impact, Ryoma immediately follows with another hook toward his head.

DSH!

The punch lands cleanly against the side of Umemoto's head, snapping him sideways.

Yet Umemoto still forces himself to answer.

His body moves forward despite the impact, throwing another punch, refusing to acknowledge the damage.

This time, Ryoma deliberately steps away and creates a safe distance between them.

It is not because he fears Umemoto's punches. He simply wants to give the other Ryoma a moment to study what just happened.

"You see that?"

"Do you realize who awakened that monster and made him this troublesome?"

<< I don't give a damn! >>

<< Give me my body back, you bastard! >>

"Ku-ku-ku... You want me to give it back?"

"Then what exactly do you think you can accomplish after I do?"

"Do you honestly believe you can defeat him with that naivety of yours?"

Ryoma immediately presses forward again, launching another series of sharp combinations that force Umemoto into constant defensive adjustments.

Even while attacking relentlessly, Ryoma continues planting subtle traps between his punches, slipping feints into combinations and deliberately presenting openings that are not truly there.

Umemoto reads some of them and ignores others, but eventually one particular feint catches his attention.

He reacts exactly as Ryoma expects.

Ryoma immediately exploits the opening, firing a precise counter through the exposed line.

But even then, Umemoto fires his own counter almost simultaneously, turning Ryoma's carefully constructed sequence into another violent exchange.

DSH!

DSH!

Both commentators instinctively wince after seeing the impact.

"Ugh! That was nasty!"

"Goddamn, I felt that one myself!"

Both fighters freeze for barely half a beat before Umemoto becomes the first to initiate the next strike. And Ryoma casually returns to his relaxed defensive style, keeping both hands low.

As Umemoto unleashes another rapid sequence, Ryoma slips, tilts, and rolls through each punch with effortless precision.

"Look at how much stronger he has become."

Another punch comes toward his head, but Ryoma simply tilts away from it and immediately slips another counter toward Umemoto.

"And look at how sharp his instincts are becoming."

Right when his counter connects, Umemoto manages to turn his face, reducing the force of the impact, while quickly forcing another dual exchange.

Ryoma does the same, turning his head just enough to lessen the damage.

"And all of this is because of you," he says, casually walking backward while wiping the small smear of blood from his lip. "Your half-hearted punishment pushed him this far. If I let you take control again now, we'll both lose this fight."

Umemoto moves forward again, ready to continue the exchange.

But the bell suddenly cuts through the noise.

Ding!

"WHAT A ROUND! What an absolutely incredible ninth round!"

"Both men just went to war in there, and neither one was willing to give an inch!"

"Ryoma's defense was unbelievable, but Umemoto kept forcing those exchanges every time he got close!"

"And those counters! Every single one looked like it could have ended the fight!"

"This is exactly what a world championship fight is supposed to look like!"

"Nine rounds are already in the books, and somehow, this fight keeps getting more dangerous!"

"I don't even know what these two men have left, but I desperately want to see the tenth round!"

Hearing the commentators mention the ninth round, Ryoma realizes that he has lost track of several rounds entirely.

<< Round nine? >>

"Yeah, this is already fucking round nine," Ryoma mutters, watching Umemoto walk back toward his corner. "I've landed so many counters already, and not those pathetic half-hearted counters you used to throw."

His grin widens again. "And just look at that monster. He still looks like he could take dozens more without slowing down."

Ryoma turns away and begins walking toward the red corner, where Nakahara and the rest of his team are already waiting.

Their faces are intense and serious, carrying the anxious anticipation of people who have no idea what they are about to see.

"If I let you take over again," Ryoma says, continuing toward his corner, "you'll destroy everything we've worked so hard to accomplish."

<< Us? What the hell do you mean by us? >>

<< This is my body! This is my life! >>

<< Don't talk as though you have anything at stake here! >>

"Shut the fuck up! Don't think this is only about you."

Hearing that up close, Nakahara and the others look slightly startled, unable to find the words to respond to what they have just heard.

Ryoma simply turns and drops onto the stool, his expression still carrying the same intense hostility.

"Just because I let you take over for a little while, don't start thinking any of this belongs to you."

For a moment, Nakahara and the others can only wonder what Ryoma is talking about.

Yet when they notice Ryoma's eyes fixed directly on Umemoto across the ring, they simply assume those words were meant for him.