Chapter 149: The Agony of Defeat

In the previous chapter...

The ground was soaked with sweat and blood, the forest echoing with the sound of pain.

Ren could no longer hold on.

BZZT!

Another surge of electricity exploded through his body.

Every fiber twisted, every muscle was pierced by a thousand invisible needles.

His breathing was ragged, his hands trembled uncontrollably against the damp earth.

Above him, the Anbu watched with cold indifference, showing not even a hint of fatigue.

Lightning chakra crackled between his fingers, ready for another strike.

"You really thought you could win, Mizutani?"

His voice was calm, yet merciless.

Ren gritted his teeth, but he couldn't stop the searing pain.

Another burst of chakra.

BZZT!

His body arched violently, a strangled scream escaping his lips.

The world blurred.

And then, like a death sentence—

"After you, your friends are next."

- - -

So this is how my time in this world ends…

Is this really the end?

After everything he had been through…Everything he had built…Would he leave his friends to die?Would he abandon Kurara?

No.

NO.

The pain didn't disappear.

But a spark ignited his will.

It can't end like this.

And just at that moment—

Two figures emerged from the shadows of the forest.

His clones.

The ones who had ensured Shin and Shinji's safety.

They had returned.

"Tsk."

The Anbu barely had time to react.

One clone lunged from the right, the second from the left, attacking in perfect synchronization.

The Anbu leaped backward, deflecting the first strike with Ren's tantō, while a burst of lightning chakra incinerated the second clone.

But the time he had spent reacting—

Was all Ren needed.

Ren opened his storage scroll.

Two vials.

Adrenaline and the remaing Glycina Nebula.

He no longer cared about the side effects.

All or nothing.

In a single motion, he injected both vials into his arm.

The change was immediate.

BUMP! BUMP!

His heart exploded into a violent rhythm, pumping blood into every corner of his body.

Every sense sharpened instantly.

The wind through the leaves roared like a beast.

The Anbu's heartbeat was clearly audible.

Every detail of the world around him became vivid, razor-sharp.

A surge of chakra coursed through his entire system.

It felt like his body had been awakened by an unknown power.

Did the adrenaline act as a catalyst for the Glycina Nebula, accelerating its diffusion?

He had little time.

He had to act now.

The Anbu barely turned.

He felt Ren's chakra shift abruptly.

His body tensed instinctively.

What is this pressure?

But he had no time to react.

A shadow shot forward.

Ren.

Without his tantō.

But with a different sword.

The weighted training blade.

He poured all the power of his adrenaline-fueled muscles into the swing.

And without hesitation—

HE BROUGHT IT DOWN.

The Anbu barely managed to raise his arm.

But it wasn't enough.

The sword slammed into his face with an earth-shattering impact.

CRACK!

A piece of his mask shattered.

His body flew backward, crashing into a tree with explosive force.

For the first time…

For the first time, he had been hit FULLY.

Ren didn't waste time.

The Anbu was still regaining his balance after the blow to his face—

This was the perfect moment to press the attack.

HE SURGED FORWARD.

Energy coursed through his body, heightened by the adrenaline and Glycina Nebula. His movements were sharper, faster, more precise.

The weighted sword rose again, aimed directly at the Anbu's head.

But this time—

CRACK!

With an imperceptible motion, the Anbu raised his arm—

Blocking the attack with his bare hand.

The sword vibrated from the impact.

Ren gritted his teeth as the shockwave ran through his arms.

The Anbu hadn't moved an inch.

Then—

He counterattacked.

Ren dodged the first punch by pure instinct, dropping low in a lightning-fast movement.

But the second strike came from an impossible angle.

The Anbu was already above him.

Lightning chakra crackled in his palm—

A lethal strike aimed at Ren's chest.

Ren pushed himself backward, feeling the electricity graze the air.

But he had no time to breathe.

The Anbu wasn't letting him escape.

He was too fast.

Each attack was faster than the last—

Every strike more calculated, more lethal.

Ren couldn't find an opening.

But he couldn't stop.

Not now.

As he dodged a punch aimed at his face, Ren let himself fall backward—

Using the momentum to launch a sudden kick into the ground.

BAM!

The impact sent a cloud of dirt and debris into the air.

The Anbu paused for an instant, calculating his next move.

But Ren didn't give him time.

From within the dust, he lunged to the side, his hand diving into his kunai holder.

With a fluid, precise motion, he pulled out an explosive tag and flung it straight at the Anbu's chest.

The Anbu raised an eyebrow beneath his mask.

"Really?"

In a flash, he caught the tag between his fingers—

And ripped it away effortlessly.

But that…

Was only the first one.

By the time the Anbu lowered his gaze to his hand—

Ren was already beneath him.

With blinding speed, he slapped another explosive tag directly under the Anbu's arm.

BOOM!

The blast sent them both flying backward, scorching Ren's shoulder.

The Hidden Blow

The Anbu landed on one knee, his breathing slightly altered.

It wasn't a serious injury.

But—

He had been hit.

For the second time.

His hand instinctively moved to his burned shoulder.

Ren stood still, his breath ragged.

He needed a moment to recover.

But he knew—

The Anbu wouldn't allow it.

Behind the mask, his opponent's eyes narrowed in pure fury.

"…Again."

Ren forced himself to his feet, his heart hammering in his chest.

But he knew he couldn't keep this up.

The Anbu had already figured it out.

And for the first time since their battle had begun—

He decided to end it.

He raised a hand, lightning chakra crackling around his fingers.

His voice held no hesitation.

Only cold finality.

"It ends here."

He surged forward.

Ren gritted his teeth.

He knew he couldn't dodge.

- - -

His hands moved on instinct.

Not to dodge.

But to intercept.

He raised them in front of his chest, a last desperate attempt to stop the strike.

But the lightning chakra didn't stop.

BZZT!

It tore through the center of Ren's hands like soaked paper.

The pain was instant, overwhelming.

His fingers wrenched open in an uncontrollable spasm, blood dripping down his wrists.

And the strike—

Still landed.

The energy surged into his chest, piercing through the fragile barrier of his own hands.

A brutal impact.

The air was ripped from his lungs, a wave of pure torment crashing over him.

Ren didn't even have time to think.

Only the distant sound of his own heartbeat, slowing.

Then—

A flash.

Not of lightning.

But something else.

A shadow shot through the mist, moving too fast to be just a bystander.

Ren saw only a silhouette.

One last image his mind managed to process before the world went dark.

Then, his body gave in.

Collapsed to the ground.

The pain vanished into the darkness.

[Thanks everyone specially Jayroy_63 ,Sami_Alfoheday, BagusPardana, thefarmerboy007_7, Daoist9Qy0Nv, Darkosiris_Lopez, Alexx_Sejas, Werty_9247, RyuB201, shadowborn, Yasmin_Silva_3876, RyuB201, DaoistVVm1Vi,Saryman, DaoistDW5XU4, Acnol,DaoistSEsItM,bndr, RyuB201, VanHellsing6969, Daoist710883, WertyTribola,GuyWithSomeInteres, LevinCloth, Daoist0thxiB, bndr, AKIB19,LevinCloth, DaoistAZmi17,Alexx_Sejas, Morgoph, Strandarn, Gothrog, Ikaro_Rodrigues, Radical_Hamburger1, Misteriboi, AKIB19, Syndulyr, Wolfy1212,averious, Storm2010, Henrique_Aaa, SAGAR11, sip_Yo,Natan_Santana_1549, Zayah, Saryman, NathanBESH, Geisterlos, Daoist9Sa84q, Gothrog, Storm2010, joko_clas, shadowborn, KingBelserion, julii_garcia, DarkGambit, Miguel_024 and Meltis_Pach!

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