Chapter 998 - 998: The Limit Breaks

Umemoto shifts his weight and tears another three-punch combination into the body, forcing Ryoma to absorb everything behind his raised arms.

DUGH! DUGH! DUGH! DUGH!

Ryoma blocks, rolls, and tightens his guard, but Umemoto refuses to let the rhythm break.

Another burst comes immediately, hooks and uppercuts hammering against Ryoma's arms as the challenger drives him deeper into the ropes.

Ryoma's body is thrown from side to side under the barrage, his guard taking the punishment as his footing begins to waver.

"This is getting dangerous! Umemoto is throwing everything he has!"

"Ryoma is still covering up, but he can't stay on those ropes forever!"

"Those punches are getting through the guard! Even when they don't land cleanly, they're moving him!"

The commentary booth falls into a tense rhythm as Umemoto continues battering Ryoma, the Osaka crowd roaring louder with every combination.

"This is completely different from the first three rounds!"

"Ryoma has spent the entire fight controlling the distance, but now Umemoto has him trapped!"

And even under that kind of pressure, Ryoma continues forcing his mind to remain silent, relying entirely on the boxing knowledge buried deep inside his muscle memory.

He still manages to prevent Umemoto from landing anything clean, catching, redirecting, and brushing aside every punch with his arms as the barrage continues crashing over him.

Then Nakahara finally gives him a new instruction.

"Ropes a dope, kid! Rope a dope!"

Ryoma responds immediately, leaning forward as Umemoto begins to launch another right hand. He extends his left arm into a long guard, catching the punch before it can reach his head.

With his left already controlling the incoming glove, Ryoma rides the momentum of Umemoto's punch by leaning back into the ropes.

He lets the ropes to absorb his weight, reducing the impact being transferred through his guarding arm. The ropes spring him forward, and Ryoma immediately switches to his right arm.

He extends another long guard and catches Umemoto's next punch before leaning back into the ropes again, using the challenger's own momentum to take some of the punishment away from his arms.

"Would you look at that?!"

"Ryoma has found a way to absorb this pressure without simply standing there and taking the punishment!"

Ryoma repeats the maneuver through several exchanges, alternating his long guard and letting the ropes carry his body backward and forward.

The difference is subtle, but it gives Ryoma's arms just enough time to recover between impacts.

Finally, Ryoma finds enough strength on his arm to fight back.

And immediately, a compact left hand clips Umemoto's right cheek.

Dsh!

Umemoto ignores it and drives another hook toward the body.

Ryoma leans back into the ropes oncemore, using his right hand to guide Umemoto's right hook off to the side.

As the ropes push him forward again, Ryoma grips Umemoto's left shoulder.

He flicks another short punch toward the head…

Dsh!

And then throws Umemoto toward the ropes, switching their positions in one quick movement.

"OH! WHAT A TURNAROUND!"

"UMEMOTO WAS THE ONE PRESSING RYOMA AGAINST THE ROPES, AND NOW RYOMA HAS THROWN HIM ONTO THEM!"

Umemoto quickly turns back toward him.

Ryoma is already there, adjusting his left glove and shoulder to Umemoto's line of vision.

Dsh!

The Phantom Jab lands cleanly.

Umemoto's face tightens from the impact, and he immediately folds into a tight turtle guard, covering his head as he retreats behind both arms.

"Unbelievable! The momentum has completely changed!"

"Umemoto was battering ryoma against the ropes just seconds ago, and now he's the one hiding behind his guard!"

Seeing Umemoto retreat into that tight shell, Ryoma's mind begins working again, but the heat of the previous exchange makes him forget the importance of keeping those thoughts under control.

Within a single second, dozens of possible maneuvers flood into his mind.

Step outside and attack the body.

Feint low, then shoot upstairs.

Circle left and draw out the guard.

Change stance.

Attack the ribs.

Go back to the Phantom Jab.

Step in and tie up his arms.

Tap the gloves down and fire through the middle.

Fake the jab and attack the solar plexus.

Step around his lead foot and attack from the blind side.

Double the jab.

Jab the chest and follow with a hook upstairs.

Wait for the shell to open.

Bait and make him open it himself.

This time, Ryoma's current mental condition is handled entirely by his sharp instincts and an instinctive sense of decision making.

Ryoma steps in and launches several attacks in quick succession, but Umemoto absorbs them behind his guard and refuses to give ground.

Then, without slowing down his tempo, Ryoma begins manipulating the guard before unleashing two quick combinations into the body.

THUD! BUGH!

Then he sends a sharp hook to the head.

Umemoto blocks, but Ryoma immediately changes angle and drives another hook into the body.

BUGH!

Then he changes angle again, bending sharply to the side before throwing two rapid hooks.

Thud! THUD!

"Woooa! Ryoma is suddenly fighting at a completely different pace!"

"Look at how quickly he's working through that guard!"

Then Ryoma deliberately pauses, holding his body in that strange posture as bait.

Umemoto eats the bait, and the moment he leaves just a small opening, Ryoma sends a sharp upper.

DHUAK!

The punch snaps Umemoto's head back, but he stays upright, immediately tightening his guard around his face.

Ryoma attacks again, manipulating the gloves before digging several body shots underneath them.

BUGH! BUGH!

Dugh.

THUD! BUGH!

The sequence happens so fast that the commentators can barely get the words out.

"OOH!"

"WHOA… WHOA… WHOA!"

"AHHH!!!"

Umemoto's guard begins to weaken, his gloves drifting apart, leaving several narrow gaps.

Ryoma sees them instantly, and within a second, his punches thread through every opening with frightening speed and precision.

BUGH!

BUGH!

THUD!

DSH!

Four strikes, low to high, ending with a vicious hook that crashes into Umemoto's jaw and eventually dropping him to one knee.

For several seconds, the entire arena seems unable to react. The crowd, the commentators, even the fighters' corners stare toward the ring as though their minds are struggling to catch up with what they have just witnessed.

"What... in... the... God's..."

"Wait... what the hell did we just witness?!"

Ryoma's movements have become almost impossible to follow, yet every manipulation of Umemoto's guard and every punch lands with precise timing and frightening accuracy.

It is as if Ryoma is moving through a different flow of time, reaching every opening before anyone else has even realized it was there.

"Oh my God..."

"I couldn't even believe my own eyes just now."

There is a brief silence in the booth as both commentators struggle to process what they have just seen.

Then the restraint disappears.

"RYOMA TAKEDA JUST TORE UMEMOTO'S ENTIRE GUARD APART!"

"THAT WAS INSANE! THE SPEED! THE ACCURACY!"

"HE JUST TORE THROUGH UMEMOTO'S DEFENSE LIKE IT WAS NOTHING!"

"AND THAT FINAL COMBINATION!"

"HOW THE HELL DID HE GET ALL FOUR PUNCHES THROUGH?!"

Their voices crash over one another as the commentary booth erupts, finally matching the deafening roar coming from the Osaka crowd.