Waiting in the midst of uncertainty was agonizing, and Ren found himself unintentionally staring at Satoru. The idea of telling the old man about the mysterious stranger who had visited him in the morning flickered in his mind.

‘Should I?’ he wondered. ‘No... Let's wait until I find out more about what happened.’

Fortunately, another guard appeared, entering the secluded area of the stands and whispering something to his comrades. Then the same sentinel who had previously stopped Ren made an announcement.

"Please follow me. For the time being, the participants need to return to the waiting area. Friends and family may join them because of the situation. This way."

He gestured toward the exit, and the group began moving in that direction. There was initial hesitation, but soon more and more people followed the order. They walked through the tunnel and emerged into the hall, where a crowd of people was slowly heading toward the exit, which was now part of the evacuation route.

As Ren watched the movement in the hall, he noticed something that made his heart race. Among the vast numbers of civilians, he saw the mysterious man in black and red slowly making his way toward the exit. Ren's instinct was to go after him, but a guard blocked his path.

"This way," the guard instructed, pointing in the same direction as everyone else.

"But..." he began to protest, trying to peer around the tall man.

The opportunity slipped away. The mysterious stranger had disappeared into the crowd. Frustration welled up inside Ren, but he had no choice but to give up and rejoin the group heading to the waiting area.

"What was this about?" Satoru whispered as soon as his adopted son returned to his side.

"N-nothing," Ren lied confident that he couldn't share the information just yet.

The single word signaled the end of their conversation. In silence, they made their way to the underground complex, which appeared as if nothing unusual had occurred.

Inside, Kazuki was already sitting on a bench in the park area, watching the group. However, there was no sign of the girl he had fought with during his match.

The group scattered, with the guards taking up positions in various places to keep watch. Ren decided to approach Kazuki, leaving Satoru behind.

"Hey," he greeted his new friend. "Any idea what's going on?" Without waiting for an invitation, Ren joined him on the bench.

"There was a bomb planted in one of the rooms in the waiting area for friends and family," Kazuki explained. "It caused the roof to collapse, but there were barely any people present, and they were clan members, so only a few were injured badly enough to be taken to the hospital."

Ren's eyes widened at the revelation. "A bomb? Do they know who did it?"

Kazuki shook his head. "Not yet, but the guards are investigating."

The news sent shivers down Ren's spine. It seemed like something much larger was at play, and the mysterious visitor from earlier in the day was suddenly a looming concern in his mind, as there was an obvious connection between the two.

"Thank the gods…" he mumbled.

"My parents were there…" Kazuki suddenly added. He noticed Ren's jaw, dropping in shock, and gave a slight smile in response. "Don't worry... They are fine, but they had to be taken to the hospital. Besides… We were never very close. I told you that I was adopted, didn't I?"

Ren nodded, his curiosity piqued, but he realized it might not be the right time to delve into personal matters as he saw through his friend’s mask of indifference noticing that he in fact was worried. He quickly lowered his eyebrows to appear less inquisitive.

"They are not bad people... They just care more about their work than anything else," Kazuki explained, his gaze dropping to the ground as he absently played with a pebble using his foot. "They adopted me, but they were rarely home, mostly at work, so I was alone a lot... They didn't even want to come here because they are pacifists. They are members of the Isogai clan, but their research focuses mostly on civilian machines... That's why they weren't in the stands. They didn't want to see the violence, but they came to give me some support... I was kind of happy that they came," he smiled briefly before looking back at Ren. "I wanted to tell them that I won, but then the explosion…"

Ren placed a comforting hand on Kazuki's shoulder. "Hey... They will be fine. And whoever did this…"

He stopped himself, realizing that discussing the possible perpetrators in the presence of guards might not be wise. There was a lot more going on beneath the surface, and Ren couldn't shake the feeling that the mysterious stranger had something to do with it.

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"I'm not worried about them," Kazuki replied with a fake grin.

Ren smiled back, understanding the unspoken worry. Just as the awkwardness of their conversation began to settle, a woman in a pink kimono approached, surrounded by guards.

"Everybody, please gather!" she shouted.

People began to assemble, their questions and concerns filling the air.

"What happened?!"

"What is going on?!"

She patiently waited for all the participants and their families to gather before addressing them.

"There was an incident. Somebody planted a bomb... Some people got injured, but thanks to rapid response, nobody's life is in danger. Those wounded most severely were transported to the hospital. The stadium is being searched for any more explosives as we speak. This place was already cleared, so it's safe. As of now, we have no signs that there are any more explosives planted in the stadium, but for good measure, we decided to evacuate the civilians and all the clan members who are not essential. Despite all this fuss, the tournament has to be continued. Please follow me back to the stands," she instructed before turning and heading back toward the stairs.

Ren couldn't shake the feeling that something was amiss. The decision to continue the tournament immediately after a bomb attack seemed highly unusual and suspicious. As they walked back to the stands, his mind raced with doubts and questions.

'What a bullshit!' he thought. 'The bomb just went off, and they want to continue?! Why? There is definitely something going on here... Maybe this stranger wasn't as far away from the truth as I originally thought... Maybe this all is staged after all…'

Satoru's hand on his shoulder brought him back to the present. The old man approached his adopted son noticing him in the crowd urged by the expression of worry he saw. Ren didn't respond but simply continued walking. They passed through the hall, where a handful of guards and clan members were searching for something, their expressions tense.

Hiroshi suddenly appeared, joining Satoru and Ren. The old man whispered to the doctor, "Is it true? There was a bomb?"

The doctor nodded. "I had to help with the injured, but whoever did this didn't plan it well. There weren't many people in that area."

"Maybe they thought everybody would be there because that was the designated waiting area during the preliminaries?" Satoru suggested.

"Maybe," Hiroshi agreed.

Ren clenched his fists and gritted his teeth. He couldn't believe they were so easily accepting the obvious answer. 'And soon they will conclude it was the visitors from Thessara. I wonder how many will have the same idea? The hate between the cities will increase, and there might be a war... No... They will want to avoid war, so they will all want to get their revenge during the competition for the candidates to earn passage to the Realm of Gods.' He snorted in frustration, unable to contain his thoughts.

Satoru and Hiroshi exchanged glances but decided not to press Ren about his strange behavior.

‘This is so foolish,’ he kept thinking before a sudden realization cleared his mind. His future happy life was built on this facade. ‘Fuck it… I need to play along, but as soon as I get what I want, I’m out.’

While he thought, they all reached their seats, and Ren chose to sit with Kazuki this time, abandoning Satoru and Hiroshi, who returned to their previous spot.

The announcer's voice echoed through the stadium once more. "Is this on? Oh, it's on. Everybody! Due to unfortunate events, our competition was interrupted, but now we are back on track! The next duel, as you all know, will be between Takumi Kōri and Sakura Kamishima. Both participants, please enter the arena!"

Takumi and Sakura left their spots, each accompanied by a guard, and made their way to the arena below.

"Everybody, give it up for our two warriors!" the announcer proclaimed.

Few people clapped, but it paled in comparison to the previous cheering from the stands that the participants had enjoyed. What was even worse, they fell silent moments later, causing the atmosphere to grow even more awkward.

Fortunately, the sound of the gong came to rescue them from the unpleasant vibes.

The boy, who appeared out of place, immediately raised his hands in front of his face, as if in prayer, and then lifted them towards the sky. Sakura made the mistake of raising a single eyebrow in response instead of trying to actually do something.

From beneath the sand, spikes made of solid stone erupted at different angles, attempting to impale her. However, she displayed incredible agility, dodging them all until she vanished, concealed by a barrier of solid rock. Surprisingly her animal companion somehow was able to hold to her shoulder despite the acrobations.

This concealment was short-lived, as a massive bush made of entangled vines filled with thorns burst from within the created structure, tearing it apart. Takumi had an answer to this move as well. He extended his hand with an open palm towards the girl, immediately conjuring a swirling tornado of ice that enveloped the huge plant, covering it entirely with crystal-clear ice.

But the ice barrier shattered as soon as it appeared, unable to withstand the incredible power of the vines.

"He's good," Kazuki said quietly, but Ren overheard him. "But her divine beast is even better."

The vines whipped forward, stretching and reaching Takumi. One struck him across the chest, prompting the young man to let out a terrifying scream of pain as the thorns tore through his flesh. He collapsed on the ground.

"Give up! I-I give up!" He yelled.

The plants immediately retracted themselves, allowing a group of medics to rush to provide help. As they began healing him, Sakura emerged from the stone structure and raised a triumphant fist in the sky, celebrating her victory. Some people in the stands clapped.

"Tch!" A loud noise escaped Ryoma's mouth, earning him a few glares.

‘I bet he lost in a similar way,’ Ren immediately thought.

"What a fight!" The voice of the announcer once again resonated in the stadium. "Quick but very entertaining! Congratulations to the winner, Sakura-chan!" The tone shifted to a cuter one as he pronounced her name, prompting the girl to blow kisses to the speakers located around the arena. This move even made the announcer giggle briefly before he turned the audio off.

Then the medics began escorting Takumi out of the arena, and Sakura followed them, clearing the space for the next duel.

The broken pieces of stone and shards of ice were cleared by the staff during a brief pause, before the crackling voice of the announcer returned, now devoid of the cute notes. "Participants Masato Hayashi and Toshiro Isogai, please prepare for your match!"

As the two got up and headed to the arena below, escorted by the guards, Ren couldn't help but gaze at the one wearing the lab coat. Although he couldn't see him properly due to the other people obscuring his line of vision, the characteristic attire of the Hayashi clan didn't escape his notice.

‘This is the genius Hiroshi warned me about. I need to see this fight,’ he thought to himself.