Renegades: Battlegrounds. Chapter 41: Matsuno and His Third Division

The bat ca down—

Ren closed his eyes, bracing for the impact. For the pain. For darkness but it never ca.

Instead, there was a hollow thunk. The sound of flesh on wood.

Ren’s eyes snapped open and a man stood over him. Tall. Bald. Broad-shouldered.

A pristine white jacket hung from his fra, cherry blossom embroidery blooming across the back.

The baseball bat had smashed into the side of the man’s head. Blood trickled from his temple, staining the white fabric yet he was smiling.

"Hey. " The man said casually, blood dripping down his cheek, "you helped a ton by being here."

Ren stared up at him, disbelieving. "A white jacket.."

He looked down at his own torn, blood-soaked clothes. Then back up again to the spotless white, to the unmistakable cherry blossom emblem.

"Sakuratei. "

Behind the man, at the edge of the alley, Aoi’s eyes widened. Relief flooded her face. "Matsuno..."

The man wiped the blood from his head like it was nothing and offered her a reassuring smile. "You okay, Aoi-chan?"

Then, before the biker holding the bat could even react, Matsuno moved.

One sharp motion and he ripped the bat from the biker’s hands. The man stumbled forward, off-balance.

Matsuno’s elbow shot up and caught him in the jaw.

The biker collapsed where he had stood.

The man turned toward the alley entrance, resting the bat on his shoulder. His voice carried, loud and lazy. "Hey, brats. Do you need an invitation to show up?"

Three more figures stepped into the alley.

All wearing white Sakuratei jackets. All tall. All intimidating. All grinning like they’d been bored until now.

One stretched lazily. "Whatttttt?"

Another scanned the alley, counting bodies. "There’s a lot less here than I thought."

The third cracked his knuckles. "Only two of us would’ve been more than enough."

One of the Kotekai bikers who had been silent until now took a scared step back, face draining of color. "It’s... it’s Sakuratei’s Matsuno. And his Third Division!."

The other bikers hesitated, looking at each other.

Matsuno walked forward slowly, deliberately. The bikers parted without realizing they were doing it, instinctively giving him space.

He stopped in the center of the alley, surrounded by fourteen Kotekai bikers. Four Sakuratei mbers total.

The odds should have been in Kotekai’s favor but everyone in that alley knew better.

"You guys do understand what swinging sothing like this around here gets you, right? " He said calmly.

He tapped the bat against his palm almost mockingly.

The new leader with blood still dripping from his nose where Ren had struck him struggled to his feet. "Don’t just stand there! There’s only four of them and fourteen of us! Go!"

The Kotekai bikers looked at each other. At Matsuno’s calm expression. At the three Third Division mbers blocking the exit, all smiling. No one moved.

Matsuno glanced over his shoulder. "Tatsuya. Reiji. Kenta."

The three straightened imdiately, attention locked on their captain.

"If you dare let them get one step further," He continued mildly, "I’ll beat you all up."

"Alright, Captain!" All three answered in perfect unison.

He turned back toward Ren whowas still on his knees, barely holding himself upright. Blood pooled beneath his slashed ankle. His head felt too heavy. The world swayed.

Matsuno crouched slightly, his voice dropping. "You can rest easy now. We’ll take it from here."

Ren wanted to respond. Wanted to say sothing. But the adrenaline was crashing, the pain flooding back to replace it.

His vision blurred.

His body tipped backward and his back hit the pavent.

The last thing he saw before darkness claid him was Matsuno stepping forward, Third Division moving with him in unison and the Kotekai bikers finally breaking.

When Ren’s eyes fluttered open—seconds or minutes later—the alley had transford into organized chaos.

Matsuno’s Third Division wasn’t fighting.

They were utterly dominating.

Tatsuya, the tall one with a shaved head swept a biker’s legs out from under him with one smooth motion.

The man hit the ground hard and Tatsuya was already moving to the next target before the first one stopped groaning.

Reiji, the one built like a tank grabbed a biker by the collar and delivered a headbutt that echoed off the alley walls. The biker’s eyes rolled back and Reiji let him drop.

Kenta, lean and the fastest of the three dodged a chain swing, stepped inside the attacker’s guard, and delivered three rapid punches to the solar plexus. The biker doubled over, gasping.

And Matsuno, well he moved through the chaos like he was teaching a class.

Block. Counter. Strike.

Each movent precise. Efficient and no wasted motion.

A biker swung a pipe at his head but Matsuno ducked, rose inside the swing and delivered a an uppercut to the chin. Down the biker went.

Another rushed him from behind but Matsuno sidestepped, using the biker’s montum to send him crashing into his own ally. Both down.

The baseball bat he’d taken beca an extension of his arm. Not swinging wildly like the bikers had. Using it defensively, redirecting attacks, creating openings.

"Co on," He said calmly, almost bored. "You were all tough when it was fourteen on one."

The Kotekai bikers were retreating now, backing toward their motorcycles.

"Fall back! Get to the bikes!" their leader shouted.

But as they turned, two more bikers broke away from the main group and headed not toward the exit but towards Ren.

One still had his bat and the other pulled a knife.

"If we can’t beat them, we finish the kid..."

Ren saw them coming and tried to stand but his ankle gave out. The slash wound opening wider. He fell back to one knee.

"No... not again... "

But his body moved anyway.

Muscle mory. Kaito’s training. Pure instinct.

The first biker swung his bat and Ren’s forearm ca up, blocking it. The impact sent shockwaves through his bones but he held steady.

His other hand snapped forward hitting face, throat, solar plexus. The biker stumbled back.

The second attacker the one with the knife hesitated. Fear flickering in his eyes.

"Co on," Ren said deadly quietly. Then again, louder. "Co on."

The biker lunged anyway, his knife aid at Ren’s chest.

Ren sidestepped it, barely, grabbing the knife arm then twisting it. The biker’s scream echoed as the blade fell.

Ren swept his legs, sent him crashing to the ground and finished him off with a punch that left the biker unconscious.

The bat weilder was back on his feet and raised his weapon high.

Ren caught the swing mid-air and ripped it from the biker’s grip with strength he didn’t know he still had.

He swept it low and caught the biker’s legs. The man went down hard.

Ren stood over him, bat raised—

"Ryūhara! Stand down!"

The command cut through him.