"Ren Noroi!" The announcement of his name over the speakers brought Ren back to the present moment from the depths of his mental journey due to the meditation. This contemplation had helped pass the time and keep his emotions in check.
Calm and collected, he rose from the couch in his waiting room and headed out. He assumed he must have been announced second, as he hadn't heard the name of his opponent.
As he made his way towards the stairs, he encountered him – a man dressed in Tachibana clan colors. Although the distance was significant, Ren could discern the presence of two katanas at the man's belt. For a moment even their gazes locked briefly, and they continued to walk in the same direction, but there was no exchange of words or anything.
Ren continued to observe him from behind, attempting to glean any information from his movements, but he lacked the expertise, so this little project of his was mostly a failure.
Upon reaching the main hall the guards joined them, escorting each. While the warrior of the Tachibana clan headed toward one of the tunnels leading to the arena, Ren was stopped by a burly, bald warrior wearing a lab coat and a cleaver by his belt. "Wait," the man said. "Each warrior is allowed their moment of fame. Let your opponent have one, and then you will enjoy yours."
Ren nodded in agreement, waiting as his opponent was directed toward the arena entrance. The cheers and jeers from the stands erupted moments later. Normally this would increase the pressure, but Ren feel strangely calm, despite the upcoming fight getting closer and closer, as if he had already won.
Soon his time came and he emerged into the sandy arena. A cacophony of voices hit him as he appeared. Members of the Noroi clan were ecstatic, shouting and waving flags in his support. His name was chanted by many. However, there was also a negative response; the Tachibana clan members were clearly not pleased with him. Whistling, and booking, they voiced their feelings.
Ren couldn't help but attribute their hostility to the past encounter with the blue-haired mountain ape. ‘Those assholes are still angry about that dumb ape,’ he thought to himself, glancing at the angry-looking Tachibana warrior standing some distance away.
He had a traditional hairstyle with a shaved forehead and a small black ponytail. He was armed with two swords, and his eyes burned with fury.
"Are you ready?!" A crackling voice from the speakers abruptly silenced the entire stadium. The Tachibana warrior responded by drawing his swords, which immediately began to emit a faint, shimmering glow.
Ren's mind raced as he faced the Tachibana warrior. The opponent's glowing swords raised questions in Ren's mind about the nature of their power.
‘Is that the shinryoku?’ Ren wondered as he drew his own saw-like blade, the razor wire wrapping around his iron glove with a scratching sound. He noticed the Tachibana warrior's widened eyes at the sight.
The reactions all over the stands were similar.
‘He knows,’ Ren realized, a sense of tension settling in.
"Then fight!" The voice through the speakers commanded, and the Tachibana warrior immediately closed the distance, charging toward Ren with determination.
Ren's thoughts raced. ‘Should I attack, or should I first assess his technique? What am I even thinking? I need to win this. He's probably much more skilled than me!’
However, his reaction was too slow. The Tachibana warrior closed in before he could initiate an attack, forcing Ren into a defensive posture. He blocked two swift but straightforward attacks aimed at his side. They were almost dismissive as if the Tachibana warrior was testing him.
The opponent quickly retracted his blades to deliver stabs, but Ren recognized the transition from his training with Hinata. He easily blocked both katanas, pushing them aside and countering with a spinning kick.
His foot landed squarely on the warrior's chest, but to Ren's shock, the Tachibana warrior didn't crumple as expected. Instead, Ren felt as though he had bounced off the warrior's torso.
‘What the...?’ Ren couldn't finish his thought before leaping backward to avoid a counterattack.
The Tachibana clan members in the stands were jeering and mocking Ren. A surge of anger welled up within him, and his sword seemed to respond, equally refusing to be a target of mockery.
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‘Huuuuuungeeeeeer! Heaaaaaaart! Deeeeevourrrrrr!’ The voice in his mind echoed, and the teeth of his blade expanded slightly.
Ren felt an overwhelming urge to unleash a devastating strike, to smear the Tachibana warrior across the arena in a display of power that would silence the mockery from the stands. However, he resisted the urge, taking several steps back and allowing his opponent his moment.
The Tachibana warrior was no fool, and he quickly regained his focus on Ren. He accelerated and struck repeatedly, but Ren managed to block every blow. Then, with a powerful step and a strike from above, Ren executed a seemingly simple attack that sent shockwaves through the arena.
The blow shook the entire stadium, rendering it completely silent as a cloud of dust filled the air. Ren immediately jumped back, his vision obscured by the settling sand, uncertain of the effect of his strike.
The warrior from the Tachibana clan was on his knees, still holding both weapons in his hands, but his face and whole torso were covered in blood and shredded. It looked as if he had just barely survived an attack from a wild animal. Parts of his skin hung loosely as the cuts were practically torn open. His clothing was in tatters, and a lot of blood poured from the wounds.
It scared Ren, as he didn't want to deliver such a horrifying blow, but his surprise was diminished by the loud shouts that erupted from the stands. The Noroi clan members were screaming, jumping, and waving their flags in celebration, while Tachibana clan members stood there frozen.
Ren looked around, wanting to scream for help, but as he soon saw, there was no need. A team of doctors from the Hayashi clan was already running through the arena with a stretcher and bags full of medications.
"What a duel! Ren Noroi acquired victory with a single swift blow! What a powerful attack!" The voice of the announcer pushed its way through the cacophony.
The medics began working on the wounded, swiftly using their shinryoku to close the wounds as the warrior was moved onto the stretcher. Some bandages and medicine were also applied, and he was quickly carried away, while members of the Noroi clan chanted Ren's name.
He felt completely bewildered, moments later realizing that he should leave the arena, so he began stepping out, still unable to fully process what happened. The sword was still in his hand, as grim as it ever was. He could feel the presence of the ghost within, but it remained silent.
As soon as he entered the long corridor, the guard escorted him to the main hall, from where he left for his waiting room.
He sat there on the ground with the weapon on his lap, staring at it for a long moment, before he closed his eyes and began meditating. He wanted to keep his mind focused and clear despite what happened, as getting anxious and allowing himself to feel fear of his own weapon seemed like a terrible idea to win the tournament.
As soon as his eyes closed, the world went dark, and in front of himself, he saw the Hearteater. The man was just standing and looking at Ren, but then he turned around and began leaving. The young warrior couldn't help himself, so he followed, walking in the absolute darkness.
The ghost seemed as if he knew the way and was even going somewhere. Then the whole shroud of shadows was dropped, and they were in an empty street somewhere in Hikarimura. In front of the Hearteater stood another man – faceless. The infamous murderer was heading straight at him, and soon both pulled out their swords to clash.
The exchange of blows was so swift, so powerful, that it hypnotized Ren. He watched the steel clashing with steel in bursts of orange sparks, as the two tried to bring each other down. It seemed as if they were equals, but then the ghost threw a handful of dust at his enemy’s face, blinding him. He didn’t hesitate for a second, immediately sinking his katana into the man’s torso. He retracted the blade, only to swing it, and with one clean cut removed his opponent’s head.
As the corpse fell to the ground, the Hearteater pulled out a wakizashi and knelt right beside it to begin cutting the heart out.
Ren couldn't take it; he panicked, and thus, his meditation was interrupted. He opened his eyes, sitting on the floor in the waiting room. He was covered in cold sweat, and his heart was racing. His uneven breath was rapid and loud. "Fuck..." escaped his mouth followed by a thought: 'What was that?'
He glanced at the sword on his lap. It didn't look as scary as before. The saw teeth were shorter, and even the razor wire was retracted. After a moment of silently glaring at the weapon, Ren put it back into the saya after standing back on his feet. Just in time as the noise from behind the door reached his ears. The source of that sound was revealed just a second later, as both Satoru and Hiroshi entered the room.
"How are you feeling?" Satoru asked with a big smile on his face.
"Fine," Ren replied, forcing himself to smile back.
"You look pale," Hiroshi pointed out. "Did the snacks not taste fresh?"
"N-no," he shook his head in response. "I haven't eaten at all."
The doctor immediately shook his head. "You can't go without eating for the whole day…"
"W-what? A whole day?"
"Yes... The preliminary fights just ended, so we came here before they took you to the waiting area for the participants. We will tell you everything about your next opponent as soon as we know who it is," Satoru said. "Did something happen? Is it about that Tachibana warrior?"
"N-no, I just meditated and lost track of time," Ren replied.
"You don't have to feel bad for that man. He got what he deserved," the old man kept pressing on the matter.
"Eat something," Hiroshi, sensing a possibility for conflict, pulled Ren away and practically sat him down by the table with food.
Ren allowed it as he didn't really want to have that kind of conversation with Satoru. Then he switched his attention to the snacks, and the hunger kicked in.
The fact that he didn't eat for the whole day became crystal clear, and he couldn't help himself anymore. He began shoving the rice balls and fruits into his mouth. After the first bite, he immediately felt better, but despite that, there was a part of his mind that remained stuck on that vision. On the picture of the Hearteater carving a human heart right in front of him.