The crowd erupted in gasps and cheers as two boys charged at each other with reckless abandon.
"I hope Kuroyami is okay..." Ryju muttered, his eyes scanning the arena anxiously.
"Don't worry," Kenshiro said, folding his arms. "He'll be fine. He's tough."
Shun clenched his fists. "So it's confirmed... this isn't a game anymore. People are actually trying to kill each other."
"Yeah..." Rei replied solemnly, her voice low.
Ryju glanced down at the ground "Look at this... Shun and Goro are up next."
"Alright," Shun said, cracking his knuckles.
"Got it," Goro added with a confident nod.
Kenshiro pointed at the next match day. "That means tomorrow, it's me, you, and Rei."
"Yup," Ryju confirmed.
"Understood," Rei said, already visualizing the battle to come.
Just then, the crowd let out a massive "Woah!" as the match concluded.
Kurosaki stepped forward. "The match is over!"
Renji's voice echoed throughout the coliseum. "The winner is Team 3! Haruki Takeda claims victory! Now—Team 17 vs. Team 24! Step forward!"
Team 17 Holding Area
Zanden looked at his team. "Who should we send?"
Azar furrowed his brow. "I don't know…" He sat down, deep in thought.
Without a word, Kaien raised his hand.
Azar blinked. "You want to go?"
Kaien gave a silent nod.
"Alright," Misa said with a gentle smile. "Give it your all."
Kaien leapt down into the arena without hesitation.
In the Arena
Renji called out, "Team 24! Hurry up and send someone!"
Another boy vaulted into the arena—lean, intense, and already brandishing a glowing whip.
"Alright," Renji declared. "Team 17 sends Kaien Saito, and Team 24 sends Daiki Kurosaki. Begin!"
Both Renji and Kurosaki jumped clear of the battlefield.
Kaien vs. Daiki
"Spirit Lash!" Daiki shouted.
A whip made entirely of glowing spiritual force burst into existence in his hand.
"Don't be scared! I'll make this quick!" Daiki sneered.
I wasn't scared to begin with, Kaien thought, his expression calm.
Daiki leapt high into the air. "Whip Strike!"
Whoosh!The whip sliced through the air like a lightning bolt.
Kaien twisted his body, barely evading. That was fast.
"Not bad! Try dodging this—Soul Tether!"
Daiki lashed again. This time, the whip extended unnaturally, trying to wrap around Kaien's limbs.
Kaien backflipped away, landing with precision. He's trying to bind me…
Spirit Lash — A spiritual technique that creates a whip of pure energy. Mid-to-long range. Fast, precise, and capable of disrupting enemy techniques.
Kaien narrowed his eyes. Time to get serious.
"Soul Snare!"
A hidden chain erupted from the ground beneath Daiki, forcing him to leap away.
"What the hell!?" Daiki snarled. "You sneaky bastard!"
Kaien dashed forward.
"Cursed Ripple!"
Daiki whipped the air, sending a shockwave of spiritual energy forward. The ground trembled from the impact.
Chain Shift, Kaien thought calmly.
He vanished—teleporting to the chain he had left behind.
Damn this guy, Daiki thought, whipping his head around. He moves too much!
"Piercing Lash!"The whip extended and sharpened like a spear, thrusting toward Kaien.
Kaien leapt—onto the whip.
"What—!?"
He sprinted along the whip like a tightrope.
"Soul Snare!"Chains surged from the ground and wrapped around Daiki's legs. His whip dropped.
"Damn it!"
Kaien snapped his fingers, summoning more chains that coiled around the battlefield.
Time for a combo…
He threw Daiki toward one of the anchored chains. Just as Daiki was about to crash—
"Chain Shift!"Kaien teleported to the spot and delivered a brutal kick to launch him back into the air.
"Ethereal Latch!"Two glowing chains shot up, entwining Daiki mid-air.
"Damn it..." Daiki muttered.
Kaien yanked him forward, then struck with a powerful uppercut.
"Phantom Bind!"
Invisible chains lashed around Daiki, freezing his limbs.
"W-What is this?! I can't move a muscle!"
Kaien began striking over and over—fists slamming into Daiki's chest and stomach with relentless force.
Then, he stepped back.
"Deadlock Coffin."
Chains exploded from every direction—rising like silver snakes. They snapped together to form a glowing cubic prison.
Inside, everything vanished into shadows.
"I... I can't see anything!" Daiki's voice echoed from inside the silver box.
The crowd exploded with cheers.
"KA-I-EN! KA-I-EN! KA-I-EN!"
Renji and Kurosaki landed in the arena once again.
"The match is over!" Kurosaki declared. "Kaien Saito is the winner!"
Team 17
"Nice job, Kaien!" Misa said, smiling proudly.
"Awesome fight," Azar added.
Zanden grinned. "Now we're all in the mood to win."
Taro pumped his fist. "That was so pumped!"
Jett laughed. "Told you we were becoming real ninjas."
Renji stepped forward again.
"The next match: Team 50 vs. Team 4! Get ready!"
The crowd was still buzzing from the previous match.
"That was actually a good match," Ryju said, stretching his arms.
"No kidding," Shun nodded in agreement, wiping sweat from his brow.
"Wanna go check on Kuroyami?" Rei asked, already halfway turned toward the corridor.
"Yeah!" the group replied in unison.
Meanwhile, Misa gave a confident smile. "Excellent job, Kaien."
"For real, man," Taro added, slapping Kaien on the back. "That was a crazy combo. You make me wanna fight!"
Team 50
Uzuki crossed her arms, peering down at the arena. "Oh, it's Kenji's group this time."
Daigo pointed at one of the opponents. "May I fight green hair? He looks strong."
Uzuki smirked. "Yeah—if we get paired up with them."
"I'm up tomorrow," Tetsuya said calmly.
Team 50
Kenji turned to Mika with a determined look. "Mika, can you please go down?"
"No problem," Mika replied, hopping to her feet.
"You better rock them!" Akari cheered.
Takeshi gave a sharp nod. "Go all out now."
"Make a work of art," Appolo added with a grin.
"Win," Helia said simply.
"Good luck," Kenji offered, his eyes steady.
Without another word, Mika leapt down onto the arena floor.
Team 4
"That's the third time they've called us," one of the boys muttered. "Once this match is over, we can go home and rest from Day One…"
"Go, Sayaka!" the team called.
Sayaka simply nodded. "Okay."
She followed Mika, descending gracefully into the arena.
The two girls stood across from each other, a quiet tension building.
Renji raised his voice from the judge's stand. "Team 4 has sent Sayaka Kurogiri, and Team 50 has sent Mika Aoyama!"
Kurosaki gave a sharp gesture. "Let the match begin!"
Battlefield – Arena Grounds
Without hesitation, Sayaka raised her hand. "Mist Bloom!"
A sudden fog erupted from her body, rapidly blanketing the entire arena.
"W-what's going on?!" a voice rang out from the stands.
"I can't see anything!"
From within the mist, Mika narrowed her eyes. "What are the chances I'd fight someone who uses mist… That's just my forte."
She vanished into the fog, silently weaving through the haze. A flicker of movement—a silhouette.
"Got you! Slashing Strike!"
She dashed past the figure at high speed, a crescent slash of condensed mist energy lashing out from her palm.
"Take this—!"
Whoosh. The attack hit only mist.
"Another clone?" Mika gritted her teeth.
Sayaka's voice echoed from all around. "You have the power of mist too? Well mine is far greater than yours—Mist Grab!"
A massive hand formed from the mist, seizing Mika in a crushing grip.
"Oh really?" Mika smirked.
Her body dissolved into vapor.
Sayaka's eyes narrowed. "A mist clone…?"
Behind her—"Ghost Fang!"
A thrust attack, sharp and swift, aimed for her back.
But Sayaka vanished into mist the moment it hit.
"You can't hit me," Sayaka whispered. "This is my mist. I cover the whole arena with it. You're done."
The audience murmured in frustration.
"Man, I can't see anything!"
"Seriously?! You had to cover the whole arena in fog?!"
The Spiritual King sat in the VIP booth, intrigued. "An interesting battle… I can't even see it."
Back to Team 50
Kenji clenched his fist. "No matter what, Mika… Win this."
"You got this," Appolo said. "Make a masterpiece."
Battlefield – Deep in the Mist
Mika floated through the dense fog. This... this whole place is her domain...
"Phantom Echo!" Sayaka called out.
A figure rushed toward Mika.
"I see you!" Mika prepared a counter—
But the figure remained in the same spot, not advancing.
"...What?!"
Sayaka grinned. "Double Mist Grab."
Two giant hands emerged from the mist, grabbing Mika and hurling her against the wall with brutal force.
"Damn it," Mika groaned, staggering to her feet. "Everything's an illusion… and I can't even sense her spiritual force. It's like I'm in the middle of nowhere..."
"You're done," Sayaka's voice whispered behind her.
Mika spun around—only for a barrage of four colossal fists to pummel her from all sides.
Wham! Wham! Wham! Wham!
She hit the ground hard.
"In this mist," Sayaka declared, hovering above, "I am god."
Mika clenched her fists.
"Let's mist for mist, then. I can create my own fog."
"Mist Spread!"
A secondary fog began spreading within Sayaka's. Mika's spiritual energy surged.
This is my only chance. Before she overtakes it... I'll go full power!
"What do you think you're doing?" Sayaka's voice sneered. "This mist's nothing. I told you—my mist is better."
"Then take this! Mirage Step Technique: Phantom Bloom!"
With each breath, Mika's body flickered—vanishing, reforming, and vanishing again into the vapor.
"She's moving so fast..." Sayaka muttered, squinting into the thick fog. "She's circling me. Smart... She's trying to bait an opening."
Just one chance, Mika thought. Once I see it, it's over.
Her Mist Step allowed her to become one with the fog—intangible, invisible, a shadow in a storm.
Sayaka looked around, agitated. "So many of her clones! Get lost—Mist Hand Smash!"
Giant mist arms crashed down, smashing Mika's phantoms.
"You're getting annoying!"
Mika's true self appeared—eyes sharp, aura burning.
"Found it."
She vanished once more.
"Death Strike!"
Mika's palm pierced clean through Sayaka's chest.
Sayaka gasped. "Huh?!"
"I knew this would work," Mika whispered. "I win."
Sayaka started to laugh.
Mika blinked. "...What?"
"Didn't you realize?" Sayaka's voice echoed. "I told you—this mist... is my world. I'm god here."
Sayaka's form dispersed into mist.
"She... manipulated me..."
"Mist Grab: SLAM!"
A titanic arm burst from the ground, smashing Mika into the arena floor. She didn't rise.
Sayaka exhaled, waving her hand.
"Let's clear the mist."
Slowly, the fog faded.
The crowd blinked, squinting as the battlefield was revealed again.
"What type of fight was that?!"
"I couldn't see a thing!"
"Boo!!"
Renji and Kurosaki stepped into the arena.
Kurosaki raised his arm. "The match is over."
Renji followed. "Sayaka Kurogiri is the winner. Next match: Team 10 versus Team 21."
To be continued...