VISION GRID SYSTEM: THE COMEBACK OF RYOMA TAKEDA - Chapter 599: Calculation Over Instinct

Chapter 599: Calculation Over Instinct

Thanid doesn’t give him the space to think. The moment Ryoma’s rhythm slows, the challenger presses forward with renewed urgency, his guard still compact but his offense suddenly far more aggressive.

A quick jab shoots out first, more to obstruct Ryoma’s vision than to score, and Ryoma slips past it instinctively.

Thanid steps in right behind the jab, twisting his shoulders as a heavy hook drives toward the body.

Ryoma brings his elbow down to block, but the impact still crashes through his guard with a deep thud that echoes through the arena.

DUGH!!!

The force rattles through his torso and draws a low reaction from the crowd.

The lead commentator reacts immediately. “Good lord, you can hear that one through the guard.”

The analyst nods while watching the replay angle on the monitor. “That’s the danger with someone like Thanid. Even when Ryoma blocks it cleanly, the force behind those body shots still travels through the arms and into the torso.”

Thanid wastes no time following up. Another hook rises from the same side, slamming into Ryoma’s guard again with enough weight to shake his stance and disrupt the easy rhythm that had been carrying him around the ring.

At the commentary desk, the analyst leans forward slightly. “Thanid’s really turning up the pressure here.”

Ryoma’s breathing remains steady, but the pressure begins to tighten something deeper within his focus. His perception sharpens as the exchange continues.

The space between punches begins to stretch in his awareness. And Ryoma recognizes the feeling immediately.

“No… This is not good.”

Thanid swings again, this time sending the hook higher toward the head. Instead of slipping away, Ryoma raises his guard and absorbs the blow head-on.

Dugh!

The punch crashes against his arms with a sharp, heavy sound that ripples through his frame. Before Thanid can continue the exchange, Ryoma steps forward and closes the distance, wrapping his arms in tight and forcing the clinch.

The sudden move draws a wave of surprise from the crowd.

The lead commentator reacts first. “Whoa… Ryoma clinching?”

The analyst sounds just as caught off guard. “That’s the first time we’ve seen him do that tonight.”

The two fighters lean into each other near the ropes, their shoulders pressed together as the referee begins moving in to separate them.

Thanid exhales through his nose and mutters something under his breath, his voice low enough that only Ryoma can hear.

“What? You feel it too… don’t you?”

Ryoma gives no response. He keeps the clinch firm for another moment, his forehead resting briefly against Thanid’s shoulder as he steadies his breathing.

Inside his mind, the thought comes clearly.

“No… I can’t slip into the Zone now.”

“Not tonight.”

The referee wedges between them and forces the break. Both fighters step back, resetting their distance as the ring settles once again.

Ryoma exhales slowly while circling away, letting the tension in his shoulders loosen as he deliberately reins in the instinct pushing his focus deeper.

The temptation to surrender to that heightened state is still there, but he pushes it aside. Tonight he doesn’t need pure instinct guiding his movements.

What he needs now is calculation. And with that decision settling firmly in place, finally, he makes a decision.

“Fine… if the body is so dangerous to attack…”

“I’ll just aim for his head.”

For a moment he simply circles, letting the problem settle in his mind.

Then pendulum rhythm fades from his movement. His stance straightens, and his right foot slides half a step back as he settles into orthodox.

The change is subtle, but the intention behind it is clear. If the body is guarded by bone, then the head becomes the safer target. At least the skull won’t shatter his knuckles the same way an elbow might.

At the commentary desk, the analyst notices the shift almost immediately. “Oh, look at that. He’s switched back to orthodox.”

The lead commentator leans closer to the monitor. “You’re right. And the rhythm changed too.”

Inside the ring, Ryoma’s left hand begins to take the lead. Instead of the loose swaying taps or the stiff right jabs from before, the left jab now snaps forward with a sharper, whipping motion, aimed directly at the head.

Whst!

Wsht! Wsht! Wsht!

Thanid keeps advancing behind the same sturdy guard, but now the elbows that protect his body leave his head more exposed.

To compensate, he begins relying on subtle head movement, rolling his shoulders and slipping his upper body just enough to let the first few jabs pass.

The analyst nods as he watches the exchange unfold. “That’s a smart adjustment from Ryoma. If Thanid wants to keep those elbows low to protect the body, the head becomes the natural opening. But Thanid’s slipping them well so far.”

For a short stretch, the challenger avoids the punches cleanly, moving his head just outside the line of each jab while maintaining his forward pressure. The motions are economical and disciplined, the kind of defensive movement that wastes almost no energy.

But Ryoma, while still throwing the jabs, keeps watching. His eyes remain fixed on Thanid’s shoulders, on the angle of his neck, on the rhythm of those subtle slips.

Inside his vision, the markers of the Vision Grid System continue adjusting, tracking the patterns of movement that repeat themselves with every defensive motion.

Then the pattern reveals itself. And he begins reading the trajectory better.

When the next jab shoots forward, Ryoma angles it slightly toward the outside.

This time the punch lands.

Flick!

The glove snaps sharply against the area near Thanid’s left eye, drawing a brief reaction from the crowd as the challenger’s head jerks slightly to the side.

“First clean one!” the lead commentator calls.

Thanid pulls back half a step, blinking once before tightening his guard again. But Ryoma has already seen enough.

As he circles to his left, the next jab follows the same trajectory.

Again it connects near the same spot.

Flick!

Again.

Flick!

Miss once, and then again…

Flick!

The analyst leans forward in his chair. “He’s found something there.”

Ryoma’s movement remains smooth, his footwork carrying him along the outer edge of the ring while his left hand continues to flick forward with precise timing.

Thanid tries to repeat the same defensive roll, but now Ryoma is already anticipating the direction of the slip.

Another jab snaps into the same area near Thanid’s left eye, a bit harder this time, still sharp.

Dsh!

There isn’t much weight behind it. The punch lands more like a whip than a hammer, the speed of the strike biting into the skin without forcing Ryoma’s knuckles to crash against bone.

At first, Thanid ignores it. He continues stepping forward behind the same rigid guard, trusting his pressure to carry him through the exchange.

But the repeated snaps begin to add up. The skin around the eye tightens and swells under the constant impact.

After another sharp jab, a small twitch appears along the edge of his right eyelid, subtle at first, almost invisible.

And then, after another flicking jab…

Dsh!

…and, a single bead of blood falls onto the canvas.

The crowd reacts immediately as the swelling finally splits open into a thin cut above the left eye.

At the commentary desk, the lead commentator’s voice sharpens with excitement. “Hold on… he’s opened him up!”

The analyst leans closer to the monitor, nodding as he watches the replay angle. “That’s from the same jab. Ryoma’s been snapping that exact spot over and over.”

***

Thanid tightens his guard instinctively, but the elbows remain positioned to protect the body, which leaves the upper opening.

And with each step around the ring, the champion continues guiding the fight back toward his preferred rhythm, calmly turning the challenger’s defensive strength into a new weakness.

Ryoma keeps circling to his left, the motion smooth and controlled as his lead hand flicks forward again.

“You can keep protecting the body with those elbows.”

Another jab snaps into the swelling.

“I’ll just make that left eye blind.”

The glove lands with the same sharp, whipping snap as before, cutting across the tender skin again.

Flick!

Then another follows moments later, striking almost the exact same spot.

Flick!

Thanid’s face tightens this time. The swelling around the eye thickens, the tissue puffing outward until the lid begins drooping lower over the eye itself.

Inside Ryoma’s vision, the Vision Grid System flickers briefly as it updates the reading.

[Target Scan — Left Eye Vision: 64%]

Ryoma doesn’t slow down. He keeps circling left, patiently guiding Thanid into the same angle while the jab continues snapping toward the damaged side.

At the commentary desk, the analyst notices the swelling immediately. “Look at that left eye now. That’s starting to close.”

The lead commentator nods as the replay shows the repeated jabs striking the same area. “And Ryoma keeps going right back to it.”

Inside the ring, the soreness finally begins forcing a change. Gradually, Thanid’s guard creeps higher, the right glove lifting to shield the damaged eye.

The moment the opening shifts, Ryoma steps in, and a stiff one-two shoots straight into the guard, forcing those arms higher for a split second.

Then Ryoma’s lead foot pivots sharply. His body bends left as his shoulder slips inside the guard, and his right hand pulls Thanid’s raised arm just enough to open the ribs beneath the elbow.

Thanid’s breathes catches. “Not this again…”

And the triple-hook combo comes, digging on the same spot with rapid succession…

THUD! THUD!

…with the third crashes into the ribs with brutal force.

BUGH!!!

Thanid’s body jolts from the impact, his breath bursting out as his torso folds slightly to the side. The crowd erupts instantly.

“Beautiful combination from Ryoma!”

“That’s exactly what he was setting up!”

But Thanid refuses to give ground, and snaps a sharp left hook toward Ryoma’s head, the punch whipping across with enough menace to force the champion to step out of range.

“That’s incredible toughness! Most fighters would still be trying to recover from those body shots, but Thanid fires right back!”

Ryoma slides a step away, resetting his stance. His brow tightens slightly, a faint irritation creeping into his expression.

“Damn… this is going to be a hell of an exhausting night.”