The riverbank, once a haven of tranquility, was now consumed by chaos.

Takumi released the now unconscious TBR member, letting him crumple to the ground.

He turned just in time to see Ryuunosuke barreling towards him, murder in his eyes.

Ryuunosuke swung a vicious punch that cracked across Takumi's cheekbone, splitting the skin.

Takumi seethed as he traded vicious blows with Ryuunosuke.

Blood dripped from a gash above Takumi's eye, blurring his vision.

Still he kept coming, driven by fiery rage.

A glancing pipe strike made Ryuunosuke stagger, blood spraying from his mangled nose.

Takumi drove his knee up hard into Ryuunosuke's sternum, eliciting a choked gasp.

In retaliation, Ryuunosuke clubbed Takumi brutally across the ear with the hilt of a knife.

Meanwhile, Ryuunosuke's Hulking lieutenant locked bats with Hiroshi, metal clanging violently against metal.

The lieutenant's designer hat somehow stayed in place despite the lethal dance.

Hiroshi felt his injured shoulder blaze with pain at every swing, but he grit his teeth and fought through it.

Sweat and blood ran down both fighters' faces as they exchanged blows.

Hiroshi could feel his shoulder wound pulsing with agony, but adrenaline kept him on his feet.

He ducked under a vicious swing from the lieutenant's pipe and countered with a crack of his bat against the man's ribs.

The lieutenant stumbled back with a pained grunt, glaring at Hiroshi through his face mask.

Before Hiroshi could press the advantage, another TBR member tackled him from behind.

They tumbled to the dirt in a tangle of fists and elbows.

Hiroshi managed to gain top position and smashed his bat repeatedly into the thug's face until he went limp.

Chest heaving, Hiroshi rose and turned to find his next opponent.

Takumi struck with ferocious tenacity, countering each TBR assault with ruthless precision.

As he landed his blows, blood spattered, and bones and ligaments buckled under the force.

Yoh watched it unfold with casual amusement. "Quite the spectacle, isn't it?" He took a lazy drag from his cigarette.

He took a long drag as a particularly pained scream rang out over the sounds of battle.

Wish I had brought some popcorn to enjoy the show, he mused with a small grin.

Beside him, Kizu shrugged, hands in pockets. "They're holding out longer than I expected."

The trio were giving their all, but TBR's numbers barely thinned.

Fatigue weighed on the fighters as the sun began to set. Still they pushed on, waiting for the cavalry.

On the edge of the brawl, Daisuke handled a pair of TBR thugs with chilling efficiency.

His blade slashed and carved ruthlessly, leaving deep gashes spilling crimson down torsos and severed limbs.

But a pipe struck suddenly against his lower back, dropping him to his knees with a choked gasp.

Daisuke's knife fell from his limp fingers.

He reached for it weakly, only for a boot to stomp down hard on his outstretched hand.

Bones cracked audibly. Daisuke didn't scream, but his face contorted in agony.

The TBR member raised a bat, readying a crushing blow, when suddenly a van came skidding onto the scene.

It plowed straight into the thug, sending him flying back with a sickening thud.

The van screeched to a halt and the driver jumped out.

He was joined by a swarm of masked Hakuka freshmen wielding an arsenal of makeshift weapons.

Yoh straightened slightly as the van tore onto the scene, plowing into the melee below.

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

He let out a low whistle. "Now that's an entrance."

Kizu just grunted, watching intently as more masked fighters spilled from the van, weapons in hand.

Yoh took a thoughtful drag from his cigarette. "Can't say I'm surprised. The Trio were clearly stalling, waiting for their soldiers."

"It'll even the odds, but the cops won't be far behind," Kizu muttered. His shoulders tensed as the newcomers joined the fray.

The riverbank became a warzone as the freshmen reinforcements crashed into the TBR ranks like a tsunami, unleashing vengeance for their injured comrades.

Takumi, Hiroshi and Daisuke fought with renewed vigor alongside their allies.

Screams and grunts of exertion mixed with the sickening cracks of bones breaking.

Blood sprayed from split lips and gashed scalps.

A freshmen fighter cried out as a TBR bat shattered his forearm.

Before he could react, another blow caught him across the temple, dropping him motionless to the ground.

Nearby, a TBR member staggered back, clutching his caved in ribs after a pipe strike.

Daisuke slashed and hacked with relentless precision, cutting down any TBR in reach.

But a lucky swing caught him off guard, splitting his brow open in a spray of crimson.

Daisuke blinked through the blood now coating his face and pressed forward with vengeance.

Yoh watched impassively as Ryuunosuke brutalized the isolated freshmen below.

He took a long drag from his cigarette, exhaling slowly.

"Want to make this more interesting, Kizu? I'll wager 1,000 yen that scrawny one with the knife doesn't last another minute."

Kizu scanned the freshmen critically. "I'll take that bet. The kid's got some viciousness in him still."

They watched as Ryuunosuke snapped the first freshman's arm.

The kid's screams echoed in the dusk.

"Who do you think Sato will take out next?" Yoh mused. Kizu pointed at the freshman with a shattered knee.

"That one he's done. Easy pickings."

Sure enough, Ryuunosuke stomped the helpless freshman's leg as he wailed.

Yoh nodded appreciatively.

When Ryuunosuke slashed the last freshman's chest, Kizu grinned coldly. "Pay up. I told you that one had some fight left."

Yoh shrugged and pulled out his wallet, handing Kizu the cash.

Yoh pocketed his wallet as the sound of pounding feet on pavement grew louder.

He glanced over to see a young couple jogging towards them on the path, their eyes wide as they took in the chaos on the riverbank below.

Yoh watched with muted interest as the girl, clad in tight lycra shorts, fished for her phone.

Her partner kept tugging at her arm, urging her to keep moving.

"Damn, would you check out the ass on her," Yoh remarked appreciatively as the girl dialed 110.

Kizu followed Yoh's gaze and grunted in agreement. "Can't argue with that view."

Yoh took a drag from his cigarette, eyes fixed on her.

"Life's about choices, right? She made hers when she put those on, and we're just here admiring the view."

Kizu then pulled a small silver whistle from his pocket. "I'll give this a short blast when the cops are getting close. Give the boys a chance to scatter."

Yoh chuckled. "Really? A whistle? Back where I grew up, we'd just yell '12!' whenever the blue lights flashed."

The distant wail of sirens began to rise, harmonizing with the fading screams from the riverbank.

A gleam of blue and red lights flashed distantly, reflecting off the nearby buildings and growing steadily brighter.

Kizu's eyes sharpened, his focus turning to the approaching cop cars.

The din of the melee seemed to fade for a moment, replaced by the imminent threat of the law.

Yoh exhaled a cloud of smoke, his eyes fixed on the shimmering horizon of flashing lights.

"Time's up," he remarked casually, dropping his cigarette and grinding it under his heel. "Cops are here."

Kizu nodded, lifting the small silver whistle to his lips.

A sharp, clear blast cut through the noise of the ongoing brawl, echoing like a clarion call.

The fighters below, both TBR and the freshmen, momentarily paused, realizing what the whistle meant.

"I told you," Yoh smirked, pulling up his collar. "We don't run from the cops where I'm from. But sticking around here, now? That's just stupid."

He stretched lazily before turning to trudge up the wooded slope, hands in pockets.

Across the riverbank, heads turned, eyes searching for the source of the signal.

As the haunting sound of sirens came closer, it was evident that trouble was fast approaching.

Satisfied the warning had been received, Kizu slid the whistle back into his jacket and followed Yoh's path up the hill at an unhurried pace.

No need to rush when you had nothing to hide.

Ryuunosuke, his face a mask of cold determination, caught the sight of flashing police lights in the distance.

Every second counted now.

"Everyone, to the van!" he shouted, making a beeline for their black getaway vehicle.

His right hand, a hulking figure named Taro, echoed his orders, barking at the TBR members to fall in line.

The van's engine roared to life, its doors sliding open urgently.

As TBR members scrambled to get inside, Ryuunosuke knew that they couldn't wait for everyone. "Leave the stragglers!" he yelled.

Taro, with a conflicted look, gave a nod, ushering in the last few before slamming the door shut.

Ryuunosuke revved the engine, ready to make a hasty exit, when an idea struck him.

Rolling down his window, he gripped his bat firmly. An opportunity for one last attack.

A freshman, clearly disoriented from the previous brawl and the approaching police cars, was an easy target.

As the van sped past him, Ryuunosuke leaned out, swinging his bat with all the force he could muster.

The bat cracked brutally against the side of the freshman's head.

A shocked cry rang out as the boy crumpled to the ground, clutching his fractured skull.

The satisfaction of that final strike evident in his eyes, Ryuunosuke maneuvered the van expertly, weaving through alleyways and side streets, putting as much distance as possible between them and the impending police force.

Takumi's eyes darted towards the approaching police lights.

There was no time to lose. "To the vans!" he bellowed, his voice cutting through the din.

Hiroshi and Daisuke didn't need telling twice.

They sprinted towards the parked black vans, some of their followers close on their heels.

The engines roared to life, and the headlights flashed twice in a prearranged signal.

But as they made their way, Takumi's voice rang out again, "Grab one of them! We're not leaving empty handed."

The nearest freshmen, their eyes wide and adrenaline pumping, looked around frantically.

Not too far from them, a TBR member, momentarily dazed from a recent blow, was trying to regain his footing.

Seizing the opportunity, they charged him like a pack of wolves.

The TBR member barely had time to raise his guard before a flurry of kicks and punches rained down on him.

The sheer force and numbers overwhelmed him.

Once he was incapacitated, two of the freshmen grabbed him under his arms, dragging his semi conscious form towards one of the vans.

The back door of the van slid open just in time, and with a combined effort, they heaved the TBR member inside, sprawling him across the floor.

"Drive!" Takumi ordered as he leapt into the passenger seat, slamming the door shut.

The van's engine roared as the driver slammed the gas pedal, lurching away from the chaotic riverbank.

Rubber burned on asphalt as they careened onto side streets, the van fishtailing wildly around corners.

In the rearview mirror, the flashing blue and red lights grew brighter, and the sounds of sirens deafening.

But the van, with its precious cargo and passengers, disappeared into the maze of city streets, leaving behind only the remnants of chaos.