VISION GRID SYSTEM: THE COMEBACK OF RYOMA TAKEDA - Chapter 380: Just a Few Steps Away

Chapter 380: Just a Few Steps Away

The arena doesn’t explode all at once. It swells.

First comes the roar from the Cruel King’s Army; raw, feral, a sound without rhythm or restraint. It pours down from the upper tiers like a war cry dragged out of thousands of throats, long and wild, shaking steel and concrete alike.

Then the rest of the crowd catches it. Neutral voices, hesitant a moment ago, begin to rise, one by one, then in waves, surrendering to it without quite knowing when they chose to.

Hands slam railings. Feet pound the floor. The chant forms on instinct, not agreement, not loyalty, just inevitability.

“RYO—MA!”

“RYO—MA!”

“RYO—MA!”

The name rolls, heavier each time, until the whole arena is chanting it back at itself.

But Ryoma doesn’t look up. He’s still staring down.

Ramos lies folded at his feet, face turned to the side, mouth slack around the mouthpiece, chest barely moving.

Ryoma’s eyes are sharp, unblinking, studying him with the same focus he’d used inside the exchange.

***

[Grid Scanning Update…]

Subject: unconscious.

Neuromuscular response absent.

Respiration shallow.

Peripheral cyanosis detected.

***

A faint blue tinge touches the edges of Ramos’ lips, easy to miss unless you’re looking for it.

But Ryoma doesn’t miss it. And The system continues, clinical, precise.

***

[Oxygen Debt Severe.]

Subject entered anaerobic state approximately forty-seven seconds prior.

Continued voluntary exertion despite trauma accelerated loss of consciousness.

***

The thing is, Ramos had forced his body forward on fumes, muscle memory dragging him upright after the brain had already started to shut the lights off.

Ryoma exhales through his nose. But behind his eyes, the system speaks again.

<< Why did you pull your punch? Was that mercy? >>

Ryoma doesn’t answer. His attention drifts instead to the red corner, drawn there without intention, his gaze settling cold and wordless.

Virgil is over the ropes now, his corner spilling in behind him. Officials wave, and the medic team breaks from ringside, cutting through the noise.

They rush to Ramos who is still unconscious, eyes half-open but vacant. Whatever awareness he had is already gone.

Ryoma finally turns away. His face is empty of triumph, empty of relief. It looks cold, almost detached.

“I win. There was no need to…”

<< You were lucky he truly passed out. >>

His steps slow, but he doesn’t stop. Nakahara and his team are waiting in joy in the corner. But he barely registers it.

“I knew he was out.”

<< His consciousness was gone. But his body was still standing. His gloves were raised. >>

<< Instinct can move flesh without command from the brain. >>

<< He is a champion. In that state, you never know what kind of beast will take over the body. >>

The system pauses, and then delivers it without judgment.

<< You should keep punching until they are flat on the canvas. >>

At least Nakahara acknowledges the win with a proud smile.

“Good job, kid,” he says, pulling Ryoma in. “You did it… just like you planned.”

Ryoma only nods. He lifts a hand and turns, finally acknowledging the crowd that hasn’t stopped chanting his name.

And their cheer only becomes louder.

RYO—MA!

RYO—MA!

RYO—MA!

But it doesn’t last too long. When Ryoma lowers his hand and looks back toward Ramos, the chant falters. The unease seeps in.

It’s been over two minutes now, and Ramos still hasn’t risen. The medic team remains clustered around him, bodies blocking the view, forcing the crowd to crane their necks in worried.

Then someone spots movement, and a wave of relief rolls through the arena. The medic team lifts Ramos onto a stretcher. As they carry him out of the ring, the crowd rises, applause following him all the way.

The noise swells again, this time for Ryoma.

But among the onlookers are a few who don’t clap right away. Japanese boxers. Lightweight contenders. Four of them, watching from different sections.

They didn’t come to support him. Sinichi’s camp had inspired hatred and contempt in their hearts. They came to see him cracked, humbled, maybe broken.

But now, hearing the roar, seeing the way locals and foreigners alike respond, something unsettles them; recognition.

A quiet uncomfortable thought takes hold: this kid isn’t just surviving on a big stage. He’s announcing himself.

And for the first time, it stirs something dangerous, hope, that maybe, against their wills, he really could carry Japan’s flag with him into the world.

One pair of hands comes together, slow and deliberate.

Masuda Kokushi doesn’t realize he’s clapping at first. The sound surprises even him. He stops, hesitates, but then resumes clapping.

“Hate to admit it,” he mutters, eyes never leaving the ring. “But the kid’s fighting damn well tonight.”

The bitterness he’d carried since his loss loosens, just a little. Watching Ryoma stand his ground against an unbeaten champion from overseas reframes everything. Losing to him doesn’t feel like being exposed anymore. It feels like being early.

Beside him stands Harada Tanimoto, the number-three lightweight in Japan. He exhales slowly, arms still folded, offering only a small nod, recognition, even if he won’t say it outright.

“I didn’t see this at all,” he says. “I had Ramos winning every round. Wide on the cards. Or catching him late. Instead the kid takes him out in four. He marked the first real stain on Ramos’s career… and it’s gonna stick.”

***

Before closing the event, Ryoma thanks them, brief and sincere. No grand speech this time, no declaration aimed at the cameras. The fight itself has already said more than enough.

He makes it short before leaving the ring. But the arena refuses to let him go quietly.

People stay on their feet, clapping until their hands sting, shouting his name from every direction.

Aemi exhales, one hand covering her mouth. “Can you imagine if I’d missed that?” she says, shaking her head. “I’d never forgive myself. Next time we’re buying tickets early. Every one of his fights sells out.”

Kaede doesn’t answer. She keeps her eyes on Ryoma from a distance. She’s glad for him, truly. But beneath it, something tight and quiet coils, refusing to loosen.

Before Ryoma vanishes completely, Aemi immediately grabs Kaede by both arms, fingers tight, urgent.

“Kaede, we should leave,” she says. “You have to go now. If you wait even five minutes, you’ll lose him.”

Kaede blinks. “What… wait…”

“After a fight like that?” Aemi says, still dragging her around. “The media’s going to swarm his locker room. It’s always been like that. If you’re going to see him, it has to be right now.”

They push into the corridor leading to the blue corner locker room, moving fast, almost running, until they stop short.

The door is gone behind a wall of bodies; reporters, staff, security, people leaning, craning, talking over one another.

When Kaede steps closer, hoping to find a gap, there’s nothing. Just shoulders and backs pressed tight, voices overlapping, flashes popping somewhere inside.

Up close, she realizes she can’t even see the door anymore.

Ryoma is inside, only a few steps away. But the crowd, the noise, makes him feel impossibly distant, as if a thin wall has split them into two separate worlds.

And her own doubt makes him even more unreachable.