Novel Full Chapter 682: Be Careful What You Ask For
Chapter 682: Be Careful What You Ask For
It’s not the same kind of flow state that Ryoma is known for, not that silent disappearance of defense and reliance on pure evasive instinct.
The one Kenta has is something more grounded, something that still respects the guard and the structure of boxing while removing everything unnecessary from it.
There is no excess movement in him anymore. He can see the punches more clearly now, the rhythm between them no longer blurring into pressure but separating into readable moments.
His decisions come without hesitation, without the slow drag of thought behind them, and his reactions follow with a quiet efficiency that does not waste motion or energy.
“Look at this…” the lead commentator says, his tone changing again, the excitement now mixed with disbelief. “He’s not just blocking anymore. He’s reading every single shot.”
“Yeah…” the second follows, leaning forward slightly. “Dela Cruz is still throwing with the same intensity, but Kenta’s just… catching them. Deflecting them like it’s nothing.”
Another hook comes in, then another, and Kenta’s guard meets both, not stiff, not forced, but guided into place at the exact moment they arrive, each impact softened, redirected, absorbed without breaking his structure.
“He’s making it look easy now,” the lead adds, more sharply this time. “That’s a completely different fighter from twenty seconds ago.”
“And look at Dela Cruz,” the second continues. “He hasn’t realized it yet. He’s still throwing like he’s breaking him down.”
The change begins to ripple outward. At first, it’s just a shift in the sound of the crowd, the earlier roar of dominance losing its edge, replaced by something more uncertain.
Then voices start to rise from different sections of the arena, not loud at first, but growing, spreading as more people begin to notice what’s happening on the ropes.
“MORIYAMA!”
One voice turns into several.
“MORIYAMA! MORIYAMA! MORIYAMA!”
It spreads quickly, the chant picking up strength as even the neutral crowd, those who came for the main event, start to get pulled into the moment.
“Hang in there, Moriyama. You can do it.”
On the other side, the reaction is different. The supporters of Dela Cruz grow quieter, their earlier confidence giving way to uneasy murmurs.
“…Why isn’t he going down?”
“He’s still hitting him, right?”
“Yeah, but… it’s not landing clean anymore.”
“Come on, champ… don’t let him breathe.”
Another voice cuts in, lower, more uncertain.
“…Something’s off. He’s not reacting the same.”
They keep watching, the rhythm of the assault unchanged, but the effect no longer matching it, and the doubt continues to spread among them.
And in the middle of it all, Kenta remains where he is, still on the ropes, still under fire, but no longer trapped.
There is no strain holding his body back, no tension delaying the response. It is as if the connection between his perception and movement has shortened, and what he sees simply becomes what he does, without the delay of conscious effort.
Della Cruz, meanwhile, remains fully committed to the assault. His stance stays low, his head still dipped forward as he continues to swing hook after hook, focused entirely on breaking through Kenta’s guard.
The pressure is constant, almost consuming, but it also keeps his vision narrowed, locked onto the target in front of him rather than what is happening above it.
And that is where the shift goes unnoticed. Because with Kenta leaning back into the ropes like that, his upper body slightly extended, his eye line sits just a fraction higher than Della Cruz’s.
While the champion keeps his head lowered in pursuit of openings at the body and guard level, Kenta is no longer meeting him at the same angle. He is watching from above, calm and still, observing the rhythm forming underneath the chaos, waiting for something inside it.
***
For more than thirty seconds in that situation, and still no clean opening to exploit except for one that comes with risk, Kenta finally decides to take it, and this time, there is no hesitation behind it.
As his left guard meets Della Cruz’s incoming hook, his right hand shifts slightly higher, setting itself in position to fire. The movement is small, and even without seeing Kenta’s face clearly, Della Cruz tracks the shift through instinct and rhythm alone.
“You finally coming out now?”
“Come and trade this…”
He pulls his head lower just a fraction, adjusting his angle as his left hand drops slightly, the motion of his punch changing with it, no longer a hook, but something closer to a shoving upper.
Kenta remains leaning against the ropes, his right hand raised as if preparing to throw a chopping right down the middle.
“Here it is!”
“They’re going to trade!”
Both hands move at the same moment, one coming from above, the other rising from below.
But in that split second, Kenta’s instinct flares, and he changes the course of his punch. His right hand isn’t aimed at the head or the body. It targets the champion’s punch itself.
Dugh.
The gloves collide mid-motion, and in that same instant, without any gap between the actions, Kenta snaps his left hand forward.
A stiff, precise punch.
Dhuack!
It lands clean on Della Cruz’s face, snapping his head back.
And before the reaction can settle, Kenta’s right hand comes again, this time from a lower position, compact and tight, rising like a short hook that almost resembles an uppercut.
Dsh!
It connects flush along the side of the champion’s jaw, turning his head sharply in the opposite direction.
For a split second, Della Cruz’s vision flashes white. The punch lacks full weight, but the timing is sharp enough to disrupt him without dropping him, and by the time his sight clears, Kenta is already moving again.
Della Cruz brings both arms up, tightening his guard. But Kenta’s next left doesn’t come as a strike. It comes as a check.
The jab touches the guard at the same moment Kenta pivots, widening his right foot to the outside, and by the time that contact is made, his position has already shifted.
He is no longer in front of Della Cruz. He’s on his left side. And from that angle, the right hand comes straight, clean, and unobstructed.
Dhuack!
It crashes into the side of Della Cruz’s mouth, snapping his head violently to the side. The force is enough to send the mouthpiece flying out of his mouth.
“Ohhh?!!”
For a brief moment, the commentators fall silent. There’s a pause, just long enough for the sequence to register.
“What… what was that?”
“He just… he just took him apart in a second!”
“We were expecting a straight exchange there, but… “
“That wasn’t a trade. He completely took control of it.”
Della Cruz stumbles. His body reacts a beat too late to what his mind already understands, and he manages to take two steps to his right, trying to regain his footing, but the balance isn’t there anymore.
There’s the third step, but his legs don’t follow through. His body tilts, collapsing toward the ropes as his right arm shoots out, catching the top strand just in time.
For a moment, it looks like he might hold himself there, suspended, his arm locking in place as he tries to keep his body upright. And Kenta’s ready to follow it up, sending another blow.
But Della Cruz’s strength isn’t there anymore. His mind is still clear, still trying to correct his posture, but his body no longer responds the way it should.
The arm gives, and his weight drops. He folds forward, his chest leaning over the ropes as his balance disappears completely.
“He’s down…?”
Then his knees hit the canvas. One arm remains caught awkwardly along the middle rope, his upper body hanging forward, head already slipping past the line of the ropes and toward the outside of the ring.
“He’s down!!!”
“Della Cruz is down!!!”
The arena explodes with it, the sound crashing in from every direction, a sudden, overwhelming surge that drowns everything else out.
People rise from their seats in a wave, voices colliding into a single roar as the moment finally lands.
“What a turnaround!”
“Out of nowhere… Moriyama drops him!”
And Kenta is still stepping in despite the champion already down on the canvas.
His body leans forward, weight shifting over his front foot, one hand still raised, still ready to follow through on the next strike as instinct drives him to finish what he started.
“Oh… he’s still going!”
The referee dives in immediately, his body cutting across the line between them as he throws an arm out, shielding Della Cruz from any further contact.
“Down! It’s down! Moriyama, go back to neutral corner! Now!”
Kenta halts mid-motion, his posture still slightly bowed from the forward step, the raised glove still hanging there.
His face has changed. The earlier detachment is gone, replaced by something sharper, more alive. There’s emotion in it now, and his eyes remain locked on Della Cruz, focused and steady, carrying a cutting intent that hasn’t eased even with the knockdown.
From the very beginning, this was what Della Cruz had been asking for. And now, he has it.
The fight he wanted is finally here. And so is the version of Kenta that comes with it.