Chapter 15

Discovery

I see it now—an old martial arts technique, ancient but powerful: the one-inch punch. A method used to transfer the entire force of your body into a single, precise point. It's not about the distance. It's not about brute strength. It's about channeling every ounce of energy and compressing it… into a devastating release. A blow powerful enough to damage organs without breaking skin. Damage transmitted eternally, as if the body itself remembers the pain.

Then there's the Iron Palm technique—another legendary practice. Martial artists strengthen their palms until they can shatter rock and concrete with a mere strike. Their hands become weapons, forged by fire, repetition, and absolute discipline. Watching these techniques, I begin to wonder…

I can't truly learn these arts—not in the way masters do. It takes them decades. Lifetimes, even. I don't have that kind of time. But maybe I don't need to master them entirely. Maybe I only need the principles—the core philosophies behind their power.

What if I take the Iron Palm concept… and transfer it to my legs? If I continuously kick weighted sandbags with Kaiser Impact, over and over again, I could forge a similar durability and explosive output in my lower body. It will be grueling, painful, slow... but it's a path forward.

And the One-Inch Punch—what if I didn't use my hand for it at all? What if I adapted the technique and combined it with Burst Step? Condense all kinetic power in one moment, then unleash it through a single point—at my hips, knees, or ankles. A shockwave of movement, originating from inside the joints. The movement would collapse inward, then explode outward.

It would be extremely dangerous—I know that. My current physical condition wouldn't survive a full release. But in a year... with enough strengthening from the modified Iron Palm for my legs... I could make it real.

If I succeed, I would unlock a new level of speed and power. Not just speed for sprinting—but combat-level speed, applied to football. I would become unstoppable when activated. No one could react in time. My balance would drop entirely to the lowest center of gravity. Once triggered, it would be irreversible until complete. A single burst... then impact.

Right now, my top speed is 33 km/h. The fastest speedsters in football? They range from 80 km/h to 230 km/h—and likely, the future will birth even faster ones. Evolution in this sport is merciless. But this technique could level the playing field. It could even tilt it in my favor.

So I commit. I'll start now—make it part of my daily training routine. Weighted Kaiser Impact drills. Repetitions. Focused visualization. Tribrid-Vision will guide the muscle memory. And next?

I need to reach Destroy Flow.

Rin's mindset... that raw, emotionless intent to destroy everything in his path. It's not just aggression. It's not just instinct. It's a calculated, obsessive need to break down and consume. But how do I unlock that within myself?

I'm not like Rin. Or... maybe I am. Maybe I've just buried it deeper.

Wait...

No.

Wait...

Maybe if I...

That could work.

But can I truly go through that again? Can I re-live it—all of it?

There's one shortcut I can try: merge my hatred and my rage, to tap into the same pain that turned the original Kaiser into a destroyer. I could take that darkness—the emotional rot—and merge it with the Zero Mindset: to survive, to discard, to evolve. I already have Dual Consciousness Flow and Top Performance Flow.

What if I combined them?

If I blend all three—Zero Mindset, Dual Consciousness, and Top Performance Flow—with my deepest hatred, I could forge the Destroyer Flow. But there's a catch.

To unlock that hatred again, I have to relive my past.

And I don't want to.

I really don't want to experience what Kaiser endured again.

But at this rate... it would take me too long to reach that level by normal means.

This is the price. Evolution or stagnation.

I sit down on my bed, legs crossed. I lower my breathing, entering a meditative state.

Eyes closed.

A single command leaves my lips.

"System... begin merging process."

A synthetic voice replies:

"PROCESS WILL BEGIN. WARNING: HOST WILL EXPERIENCE SEVERE MENTAL CORRUPTION AND COULD FRAGMENT HOST'S SOUL.

HOWEVER, DUE TO 'MENTAL RESET' SKILL, PROCESS WILL BE STABLE. EGO MIGHT BE DAMAGED OR MUTATED.

CONTINUING…"

Scene Shift

Darkness.

Only a dim light glows from above.

I look at my arm—thin, bruised, trembling. Smaller than it should be. I'm younger, weaker, scared. I can smell the burnt musk of cigarettes in the air, mixed with the bitter sting of alcohol. My stomach churns.

I stagger toward a corner where a glass case sits.

Inside it: a single blue rose. Delicate petals, impossibly vibrant. Blue like the sky before a storm. A green stem, still moist. Coldness floods my body at the sight.

It's the bastard rose.

My kryptonite.

I feel myself walk toward it, my legs trembling, knees wobbling. My chest tightens as I stare into the glass. Then, behind me—a shadow. Something large moving. My instincts scream. I duck.

A heavy shoe flies past, barely missing my head. It smashes into the glass case, shifting it violently.

Then...

A growl.

I turn.

A fat man. Red eyes. My father.

He doesn't speak. No warning.

Just a fist, thrown straight into my face.

Pain. Blinding.

My head snaps sideways. Blood sprays. I stumble.

Then—a kick. Straight to my stomach. I drop to my knees.

Another—a Sparta kick—hits my chest. I'm flat on the floor, breathless. Blood dripping from my lips.

He walks over, climbs on top of me. Hands around my throat.

Screaming:

"You useless, worthless spawn of an accident! You DARE move out of the way?! Can't even take a beating properly?! You disobeyed me again?!"

His fists slam into my torso, over and over. Each strike is thunder. My ribs scream. My back arches. My organs twist.

I don't scream. I just stare.

And that makes him angrier.

"Why don't you cry?! WHY DON'T YOU EVER CRY?! I TELL YOU TO STEAL. I GIVE YOU A ROOF. AND THIS IS HOW YOU REPAY ME?!"

He grabs my neck harder. Tighter.

"I'M YOUR FATHER! I FEED YOU! I LOVE YOU! AND THIS IS HOW I SHOW IT! NOW TAKE MY LOVE! TAKE IT! ACCEPT MY LOVE, YOU WASTE OF LIFE SEED!

My breath is a broken whistle. My chest heaves. My heart beats... once... then again. Pain shoots through my chest. Blood spills from my nose and eyes.

And then...

He says it.

"Everything I've done to you… it's because I LOVE you. I NEED you to REMEMBER that. YOUR FATHER LOVES YOU."

I look into his eyes.

And something snaps.

My eyes finally cry.

But not from weakness.

Tears of blood stream down.

I open my mouth.

And I say...

"If you really loved me... you'd have let me go. Just like how Mom left you."

He freezes.

Then explodes in rage.

But I keep going.

"I don't want your love. Give me your hate."

My blood tears drip down my chin.

Expression dark, eyes hollow.

"I want to die every time I see you. That rose makes me happy. It means you'll never see Mom again…"

I stare into his soul.

"So kill me.

Because I never want to see you again.

I don't want your love anymore.

I'll only accept it...

...when I'm...

D E A D."