Chapter 178: Man of Countless Sins

Rinji had never been a normal person.

He didn't possess a regular sense of values, worldview, or morality. As people would say, his moral compass was broken—and it had everything to do with his background. He hadn't been normal from the moment he was born.

Days filled with war and slaughter were his version of normal.

Since coming to Japan, it had all felt like a dream.

A dream called peace.

But just like four years ago, dreams always end.

Back then, he had tried to change—forcing himself to fit into peaceful society for the sake of pursuing Ai Hayasaka, trying to become a good person.

But that goodness was just a mask.

The death of Uncle Amano shattered both the dream and the mask. The child who once tried to live in peace saw his true self again.

He wasn't a good person. He didn't need to be.

Law, ethics, humanity—none of that mattered.

Anyone who stood in his way, no matter how many, needed to be erased. That was always in his best interest.

Back then, just because one person tried to guilt-trip him on behalf of "the majority," he sent that entire "majority" to hell.

He didn't even give them time to finish talking.

So why, after four years, was he still clinging to this dream of peace?

Maybe it was the student council that changed him. Or maybe, unconsciously, he put the mask back on.

But the truth remained.

He wasn't a good guy.

He was a villain. A sinner beyond redemption.

---

"I'm done with this."

With just a few words, Rinji sent overwhelming pressure crashing down on Nikaido Ren.

Yoshiko, who had just been saved, wanted to thank Rinji, but the killing intent radiating from him froze her in place.

Rinji looked up at Nikaido Ren, smiling slightly. "Hayami Katsumasa sent you losers to pressure other companies, right? Just now, you were trying to force Murder Music to withdraw. Because their next match is against Toyo Electric, and he doesn't want his fighter to get injured beforehand."

"So what if you figured it out?"

Nikaido Ren frowned.

"You think you alone can change anything?"

"No need to change anything. I'll just kill all of you, and everything will be over," Rinji said with a smile. "It's precisely because trash like you can't see your own limits that you crawl around in front of me."

"Oh? So you're an enemy of the boss too, huh."

Ren had known from the start that Rinji was Hayami Katsumasa's enemy, but since the boss had instructed that now was not the time to deal with him, he hadn't bothered to take action.

But now it seemed, he had no choice but to eliminate this boy.

His eyes narrowed as he suddenly lunged at Rinji, leaping up to deliver a flying kick.

"According to the reports, you're a Chinese martial arts expert..."

Rinji dodged to the side, then quickly stepped forward. With a twist of his spine, he drove a powerful punch into Ren's chest.

Pfft!!

The punch carried internal force, and his chest caved in from the blow.

"Most Chinese martial arts emphasize 'power rooted in the ground.' So why did you choose to jump?"

Looking at Ren who had dropped to his knees and was coughing up blood, Rinji stepped forward and grabbed his hair, lifting him up to face him.

"Attacking midair is a grave mistake. I'm really curious what kind of Chinese martial art you were taught."

Wham!

Without waiting for an answer, Rinji's knee smashed into his face, destroying his once-handsome features in an instant.

"Since you're Hayami Katsumasa's dog, let me send you off."

Just as Rinji raised Nikaido Ren by the hair, ready to deliver the final blow, a gust of wind came from behind.

The spiky-haired man Rinji had smashed into the ground earlier had woken up and swung a knifehand strike at him.

Pa!

Rinji casually raised his hand to catch the attack and twisted the arm backward, dislocating the joint with ease.

Only then did Rinji get a good look at him.

A muscular body with a hunched posture, a crazed, unhealthy grin, heavy breathing, and eyes filled with bloodshot veins and even tears of blood.

This was clearly no normal person.

"It's enough now... It's enough..."

The man muttered while grinning, blood tears dripping.

"Kill! Let me kill!! Just let me kill!!!"

"..."

Rinji recalled the file Sayaka had given him.

The fighter from Umiichi Securities—Meguro Masaki.

Back when he was a boy, he had killed everyone in his dojo, including his own father. He had been on the run until Hayami took him in—a man utterly unable to suppress his lust for killing.

Even after having his arm broken by Rinji, he didn't show the slightest pain. Instead, it only fired him up more. He grabbed Rinji's collar, trying to throw him over his shoulder.

But Rinji's feet might as well have been rooted to the floor—they didn't budge.

"Pointless move."

Rinji spoke flatly and countered with a punch to the head.

Boom!

This time, Rinji used a bit of strength—and cracked Meguro's skull.

No matter how pain-tolerant he was, it didn't matter. A clean kill ended everything.

Blood began to drip from Meguro's nose and ears, and he collapsed.

Fighter Meguro Masaki—dead.

"Meguro... you bastard..."

"Don't rush. You're next."

Rinji placed his palm on Ren's chest. A boom echoed as a tremendous force passed through him.

Ren looked at Rinji in disbelief as his heart stopped on the spot. Blood streamed from his eyes and nose, and his pupils gradually lost focus.

Just before losing consciousness, the image of Rinji appeared in his eyes like a demon from hell.

"I already told you... I'm done."

Thud.

Ren fell to the floor. Blood gushed from all seven orifices, dyeing the ground red.

Meguro Masaki and Nikaido Ren—two fighters from Toyo Electric—were now eliminated. They would never compete again.