"The third match will be Masato Hayashi versus Kaito Noroi!" The announcer revealed as the previous match concluded.

Ren immediately looked behind to see the two get up. They left the stands, eyeing one another. Masato had this calm, confident aura, while a smirk curved Kaito's lips.

At that exact moment, he was hit by the realization of the situation he found himself in. Takashi Kōri and Ryoma Tachibana were still in the pool of remaining participants, so a match against one of them was very likely. His eyes darted immediately toward Satoru and Hiroshi. Both were glaring at him and the fact that their eyes met prompted the two to move from their seats closer to Ren.

Meanwhile, Masato and Kaito left the stands escorted by the guards.

"Ren," the doctor whispered as soon as he sat down. "You've already seen how strong those two are, but you need to remain calm."

"Yes," Satoru agreed. "Stay calm. All you need to do is have a good, simple strategy. Focus on that, and it will grant you the victory."

"Takashi's body is very durable. He's stronger and faster, and his punches will be devastating if they were to land on any part of your body, but you can overwhelm him. Force him to defend. You have overwhelming power," the doctor pointed out. "In the case of Ryoma, you need to disrupt his flow. Don't let him do whatever he wants. Overwhelming him would also be a good strategy."

"Yes," the old man agreed once again. "Just don't hold back."

Ren nodded, but despite their words, he couldn't help but worry. 'It's not so simple. The ghost might take over, and what will happen then?' he asked himself.

The two seemed to have noticed his apprehension, as they were both about to speak but got interrupted by the arrival of Kazuki.

"I won," he said, sitting on his spot.

"Yeah… Good job," Ren forced himself to smile.

"Are you worried about your fight?" Kazuki clearly read the mood.

"Yes…"

"Don't. Stop thinking about it. Right now, letting thoughts create chaos in your mind is the worst approach. Just watch the fight, and then step into the arena. You prepared for this, haven't you? Trust in your training," he said with a wide grin.

Ren nodded at his words, then actually followed the advice.

Down below, in the arena, both participants were already preparing for their match. Masato took off his long lab coat, then threw it to the side, while Kaito simply pulled out his Jujin. Then the gong announced the beginning of their duel.

They glared at one another for a moment before Masato gave up. Instead of charging, he simply walked toward his opponent.

"Anticlimactic," Kaito deemed. "Are you really going to just walk? Where is your fighting spirit?"

"My spirit is strong, but why would I waste energy for running when I can walk?"

"Tch!" Kaito snorted before he decided to take the initiative.

He rushed forward, swinging from below, but Masato was clearly ready for such an attack, and he dodged by bending his body. Barely, as the sword plowed right in front of his face.

He responded by hitting Kaito's chest with both his hands. The strike produced a burst of shinryoku, which not only threw the opponent off balance but also completely ruined his guard by throwing his hands open. Then, with a quick step, Masato closed the distance, delivering a few strikes to the torso, only to finish with a one-inch punch, which had devastating power, enough to throw Kaito into the air.

He landed heavily on the ground, groaning out of pain. Somehow he was able to hold onto his sword.

"Don't try to stand up; you already lost," Masato said.

The words weren't enough for Kaito. He still attempted to get up, failing at first, as his muscles refused to obey the orders of the mind. But then he actually forced them to listen. Grunting and gasping, he started to get up, which caused Masato to watch with surprise.

"How is that possible?" he even mumbled with his eyes open wide.

He didn't try to hide his surprise at all.

Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

"Because I'm awesome, that's why!" Kaito responded as soon as he got back on his feet, using the sword to support himself. He took a deep breath, raising his Jujin, and readying himself to charge, which he did a second later. "AAAA!!"

"Very well… If that's your decision, I'll respond with mine," Masato said, regaining his composure.

It looked weirdly, because Kaito actually got close enough to strike him, which he did, but missed completely, as the warrior of the Hayashi clan displayed incredible speed, moving to the side in a blink of an eye.

He struck Kaito's ribs, pushing him off balance but didn't allow him to actually leave his reach. He closed the distance with a swift step forward to strike with both hands, like before. Opening his opponent's guard completely, only to follow with another one-inch punch, which unleashed a devastating shockwave, that ejected Kaito into the air, making him drop his sword.

Masato followed with another quick step, striking twice. "Two!" He said loudly, only to strike four times. "Four!" Then followed with eight punches. "Eight!" And finished with an open-palm strike to the chest, blasting Kaito away even further. "One!"

His body landed completely limp on the ground, rolling for a moment before it stopped.

"The fight is over," Masato announced, turning toward the exit from the arena, where he began walking. "He will need medical assistance."

The words hung in the air for a second, but since Kaito didn't move completely, the medical team decided to rush into the arena and provide help. They surrounded the loser.

"That was good," Kaito suddenly spoke, making Masato stop abruptly and look over his shoulder.

He clearly didn't expect his opponent to be in a state to talk. But as the reality sank in, he let out a short chuckle. "Noroi Kaito… I will remember your name. Good luck next year," he said, then resumed his walk, getting out of the arena.

Kaito followed him soon after, although he was carried away by the medical team.

Ren watched, listening for the upcoming announcement with a racing heart. Fortunately, the agony of waiting was not long, and soon the crackling voice took over the stadium.

"What a display of skill! The next match will be between Ryoma Tachibana and," he deliberately paused, making everybody hold their breaths, "Kaori Isogai!"

"Fuck," a curse came from the other part of the designated area.

As Ren looked there, he saw the girl with the gas mask on. She was already getting up.

Contrary to her, Ryoma didn't show any emotions, but instead kept absolute focus. He got up without a word and then headed straight to the exit.

Both were intercepted by the guards, who took it upon themselves to escort them all the way to the arena.

Meanwhile, Ren tried desperately to keep his mind away from worrying about his upcoming match. The two soon emerged from opposite sides, glaring at one another with intent. The announcer's crackling voice returned, but he paid barely any attention to it. He didn't even register the sound of the gong, which announced the start of the fight.

Kaori wasted no time, reaching into her backpack and pulling the smoke bombs one by one. She threw them at Ryoma. Each explosion was avoided but left a cloud of pink smoke hanging in the air.

"Those petty tricks won't work on me!" he warned her.

"We will see!" She responded by throwing more.

She even dropped one by her feet, enveloping herself in the gas, which caused Ryoma to stop his charge abruptly. He realized that this was a trap, so he opted to retreat by swiftly maneuvering to escape the contaminated area.

"You said it won't work on you, but now you retreat? Is that what the Tachibana clan does? Talk big, then run away?" She mocked him.

"I escaped because I'm not a fool," he responded. "But this doesn't change what I said before. Your petty tricks won't work."

With those words, he put back one of his blades into one of the two scabbards by his belt, grabbing the remaining one in both hands. He raised it, taking a deep breath. As he exhaled, he also slashed, sending a powerful wave of force, which pierced through the clouds, pushing the fumes away and creating a clear path toward Kaori.

She gasped in surprise, but before she was able to react, he already charged forward with incredible speed. When she was about to run into the cloud, he reached her. With a slash so fast it was impossible to track, he cut her gas mask open, then leaped very high into the air, escaping from the gas.

The force pushed the fumes away from Reiko, but she was clearly aware of the situation she found herself in. She started to run, desperately trying to get out, utilizing the same pathway that Ryoma created to get to her, but it was closing, and she was nowhere near as fast as he was.

"Nooo!" She cried out loud, eventually falling over her own feet and sliding on the sand. As she picked herself up, the cloud enveloped her.

The medical team reacted immediately, rushing to the arena. One of them struck the air with an open palm, creating a powerful gust of wind, which caused the sparse audience to cover their eyes from the dust, but also pushed away the gas, revealing the girl, already unconscious.

The remaining members of the team moved quickly, providing her with help. Moments later she was taken away on the stretcher.

Ryoma observed it all from the sidelines, before he hid his remaining sword, and headed out as well.

"What a fight!" The crackling voice of the announcer returned. "Congratulations to Ryoma Tachibana. He clearly was the favorite in this match, but the display of technique still deserves praise."

"This announcer is so biased," Kazuki mumbled, frowning his eyebrows. Then he looked to the side, at his friend.

Ren was glaring ahead with empty eyes, clearly drowning in his own thoughts, so Kazuki punched him in the shoulder to bring him back.

"Hey! It’s your turn. Stop thinking. You will be fine!"

"Huh?" The noise left Ren’s mouth, as he needed a moment to realize the situation around him. "Oh… Right," he forced himself to smile, then his eyes shifted to Satoru and Hiroshi. Both tried to play it with confidence.

"Good luck," said the old man.

"Good luck," repeated the doctor.

Ren wanted to thank them, but then, in his peripheral vision, he noticed Takashi walking leisurely toward the exit with his hands behind his head as if he expected to win. It pissed him off.

‘I didn’t go through everything to just lose. I won against a blue-haired mountain ape! I bested the strongest ghost around! I’ll win this damn tournament!’ The courage victoriously returned to Ren’s thoughts.

Holding onto it and not letting go, he turned toward the exit, where the guard already awaited him.