Both participants bowed to each other, and then they pulled out their weapons – the rapier for the woman, and two swords in the case of the man.

Another loud sound of the gong formally announced the start of the fight, rendering the whole stand completely silent. Some people even got up from their sitting spots and leaned against the railing to have a better look.

Hikari immediately jumped back, increasing the distance, as she held her weapon in front of her face, with the sharp end pointing at the sky. The shimmering layer of shinryoku was already coating it. Before she landed, her hand moved, and a loud noise similar to a gunshot shook the whole arena. Ren had no idea what happened, but he noticed Ryoma pushed away, sliding on the sand with his both katanas crossed in front of him, as if he just parried an attack. Both blades were thickly coated with the shimmering shinryoku.

"Very nice," said the samurai in white. "That's an attack I would expect from an expert like you, Hikari," He said with a smile dancing on his lips.

His words made her blush as she landed. At the same moment, the stands erupted in loud cheers. Ryoma swung his blades around while standing still. There was very little movement, but despite that, it looked as if he was dancing.

"She is fast," Hiroshi deemed.

"What was that attack?" Ren asked surprised, looking at the doctor.

"A thrust," Satoru answered with his eyes focused on the fight.

Ryoma charged forward, suddenly interrupting his dance. He was quick, charging as he leaned forward at a very sharp angle.

Hikari whipped the rapier in the air creating the characteristic noise. It was almost impossible to track it, but the warrior in white somehow did, dancing as he ran, avoiding the stabs that not only pierced the air but also ended up hitting the sand, throwing bits of it in the air despite significant distance.

It didn't look like he was participating in a swordfight, but rather under fire from a gun, and yet his fancy footwork, combined with inhuman speed, allowed him to avoid it all, closing the distance. It became obvious that those attacks weren't enough to stop him, so she rushed to the side to gain some distance, but he followed her with a sudden burst of speed, practically appearing right in front of her face.

"Hi there," Ryoma said with a smile scaring her, which for a second made her lose her composure.

Hikari gritted her teeth before attacking, trying to slash him, but he easily parried that with surprisingly light attacks, which were enough to stop the rapier, allowing him to switch to the offense.

"I know that technique," Ren said aloud.

The attacks looked familiar. There was no power behind them as if the katanas themselves were made out of thin air. Something he experienced before, fighting his first opponent. The woman was able to fend them all off with her rapier before Ryoma suddenly spun around so fast that his whole physique became blurry, unleashing a tornado of cuts.

She got pushed back, seemingly able to fend off this attack, but then red blood flowers bloomed on her blue kimono in places where she was cut. A groan of pain escaped her clenched teeth as she almost fell to her knee, holding a wound on her shoulder with her free hand.

"This is the Dance of Shadows technique," Hiroshi explained. "You never know which attacks are only shadows and which are real."

He was about to add some more, but then another loud sound, similar to a gunshot, shook the arena. As Ren’s eyes darted to the action, he saw Ryoma bent backward, while Hikari held her rapier in an extended hand with her pretty face twisted in a grimace of anger. It was clear that she didn’t manage to land the attack.

"This is not all I’ve got! I’ll show you!" She screamed.

After the initial thrusts, more came, and the loud noises repeated, but despite all that effort, the samurai in white dodged them all, seemingly while dancing. There was so much elegance in his moves that it looked like some kind of performance instead of a fight.

"She can’t continue this," Satoru pointed out.

As his words reached Ren’s ears, Hikari collapsed on her knees. Ryoma appeared right in front of her, as if he teleported, putting one of his blades against her neck.

"You fought well, but you can't win with me," Ryoma told her.

"I give up!" She said loud enough that her voice could be heard even in the stands.

Part of the audience, mainly the Tachibana clan, stood up and started clapping, while the warrior offered Hikari a hand, which she accepted.

Back on her feet, she needed additional support, since the wounds and the lost energy rendered her so exhausted that she wouldn’t make it by herself. Ryoma provided it, escorting her toward the exit.

"What a fight," The announcer started speaking again.

"So, what do you think?" Satoru asked, making Ren ignore everything that was going on around him and focus on the old man. "You think you could win with her?"

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"I'm not sure," Ren confessed, surprised by his own words. "I'm not sure if I could avoid or block her attacks."

"This was the difference between somebody who works hard, and somebody who works hard and has talent," Satoru stated.

"Don’t worry. You don’t need a talent like this to win. For you, this is the difference in training," Hiroshi spoke, joining the conversation. "You don’t have that, so you need to put your overwhelming power to work before your opponent will be able to do anything. If you attack first, I believe that even somebody as skilled as Ryoma will have trouble defending."

"The initiative is important," Satoru agreed, nodding. "You need to seize it and never let go. Overwhelm them and crush them."

Ren nodded as well, acknowledging this advice.

Their conversation made them miss the moment when guards appeared in the designated part of the stands, among the other participants and their families. They vanished right after, followed by two young warriors. The first was the white-haired Kaito, while the second was a complete stranger, followed by a massive bear. His weapon appeared to be a wooden club, which dangled by his side.

"Everybody, do not leave your seats, as the next duel is about to start!" the crackling voice of the announcer brought everybody’s attention back to the arena.

They didn’t have to wait for much longer before the first warrior came out. It was the beast tamer, riding atop his massive animal companion. From the other side emerged Kaito Noroi, immediately catching Ren’s attention.

‘I need to see this fight,’ he immediately thought to himself. The two marched to the center while the announcer went off once again. "Everybody! Give it up for Shinji Kamishima!"

The stands erupted with loud cheers, especially among the Kamishima clan members who screamed at the top of their lungs and waved flags. They needed a moment to get quiet, making some space for the announcer to work with, and he immediately seized the moment. "And Kaito Noroi!"

This time the members of the Noroi clan got up from their seats, whistling and chanting the name of the warrior. Satoru observed this with a smirk on his face, while Ren ignored all this noise, focusing on the two participants who were about to clash.

Kaito pulled out his Jujin and stopped a few steps from Shinji and his massive beast. The blade was slightly wider than a normal katana. It also appeared to be thicker. In the top part called kisaki, there was a single hole.

"Are you ready for this, Noroi?" Shinji asked, while his bear grunted.

"I’m more than ready to crush you," Kaito responded with an equally confident smile.

As the cheers settled, the silence took over the arena, only to be interrupted by the loud sound of the gong. The bear immediately leaped forward, trying to smash the warrior from the Noroi clan with its massive paw, but the attack was dodged with surprising speed and grace.

"Nice try, Kamishima. Too bad your pet missed," Kaito immediately taunted.

Just as he landed, he rushed forward, slightly to the side. The bear tried to follow, but the beast was slower than the human. Shinji came to help, trying to smack Kaito in the head, attacking from a blindspot, but his wooden club was deflected right before the swordsman delivered two deep strikes into the animal’s side.

The bear wailed from pain before attempting to bite, but there was no longer anybody to land this attack on, as Kaito swiftly retreated with a few short jumps back.

"Hahahahahaha! This will be an easy fight!" He even yelled.

Then charged back, with his blade pointing to the ground, ready to strike from below. The bear chose to leap forward, shortening the distance quite rapidly, which messed up Kaito’s timing. He punched the beast in the snout, trying to move away and create enough space to strike with the katana, but the beast bit on his sleeve and dragged him down, only to smash with its massive paw.

„Overconfidence doesn’t pay!” Shinji shouted, rushing with the club ready to finish off his opponent.

It appeared to be a massacre in the making, although there was an unexpected twist.

A smirk appeared on Kaito’s lips, as he suddenly found enough strength, despite the bear crushing his ribcage to the ground, to raise his blade, and stab the animal right in the neck.

It wailed again, trying to leave. Shinji swung his club at the same time, aiming to crack his opponent’s head open, but Kaito escaped, rolling to the side in a show of surprising endurance, and power. The way he picked himself up seemed inhuman. To add to the situation he didn’t even try to escape further, instead chased after the bear, slashing the creature once more in the neck.

The blood sprayed everywhere, and the creature collapsed.

„No!!!” Shinji screamed.

Ren turned to look at Hiroshi with horror on his face.

„Your body should be capable of the same when you train it properly,” the doctor said showing no sign of emotion.

Grunting, with blood around his mouth, and clutching his own ribcage, Kaito appeared to be heavily wounded. He tried to retreat from the beast, but Shinji rushed at him with fury in his eyes. He swung the club like a madman.

A few first hits were deflected, but it appeared as if Kaito didn’t have enough strength to break this assault. He gritted his teeth, grabbing the blade with two hands in a last-resort attempt to end the duel. With a powerful strike, he cut the club in half, then changed his grip, only to smack his opponent in the face with the handle, then transitioned into another strike, cutting Shinji’s leg deeply.

The blood sprayed everywhere, marking the sand around the massacre. It was already obvious that the bear was dead, but it became increasingly possible that even the warrior from the Kamishima clan was going to join his animal companion very soon by bleeding out.

„I give up!” Shinji screamed with tears in his eyes, making the medical team immediately rush to him.

Ignoring the situation entirely, Kaito raised both arms in the air, causing the section of the stadium occupied by Noroi clan members to erupt with cheers. They whistled and screamed, and some even attempted to chant his name.

The celebration came at a cost, as he immediately coughed up blood. A few doctors noticed and moved to assist him.

"That cut was deep," Hiroshi pointed out, his voice barely audible amidst the surrounding noise. Ren and Satoru both turned their attention to the doctor. "He not only killed the bear but also tried to kill the tamer," the man added to his initial statement.

A chill ran down Ren's spine as he realized something profound. This world was different from his own, where similar competitions would have rules, with one standing above all: you don't attempt to kill your opponents. Here, everything was a game, and only victory mattered.

‘Stepping into the arena, I need to be ready for the worst,’ he thought to himself. ‘Whoever I end up facing, that person might try to take my life as well. There is no room for mercy... I really need to harness the full power of my sword.’

His train of thought was interrupted as Satoru's hand landed on Ren's shoulder.

"Don't overthink it. Whatever happens, happens. Keep your mind clear and do not hesitate. You can reflect on whether what you did was right or wrong after the fight," the old man advised.

It helped alleviate some of his worries, and Ren nodded in acknowledgment of this advice.