In the fading light of the afternoon, Kenji stepped forward, arms crossed.
"Well done," he said, his voice firm but respectful. "I have hope that you'll be the ones to save Misa."
Azar nodded. "We have to."
Kenji turned his gaze directly on Azar, his eyes narrowing.
"…You're hiding something."
Azar froze. His face betrayed a flicker of panic.
Zanden stepped forward with a smirk. "I knew it."
"You're probably covering for the leader of the auction," Kenji said, tone sharp. "But I don't care. Just win that damn battle."
Azar quickly straightened up. "Yes, sir!"
Kenshiro added calmly, "Because if you don't, we've got your back."
Just then, a powerful presence descended from the trees above. The wind shifted.
The Spiritual King appeared.
"They landed a hit on you?" he asked, eyeing Kaji.
Kaji scratched his head. "Yeah… surprisingly."
"That's good. You all—head to the office."
Training Grounds – Elsewhere
Ryju stood with Renji beside him, both breathing steadily.
"Remember," Renji said, "you can do it, but you can't spam it. Wait three seconds between uses."
"Got it," Ryju replied, eyes focused.
Kurosaki cracked his knuckles. "Okay, I'm about to attack you at full speed."
"Alright."
"You sure you're ready?"
Renji cut in, "Don't just switch with him. Try switching places with the environment. A tree. A rock. Something else."
"Okay," Ryju said with a nod.
"Here I come!"
Kurosaki vanished in a flash—then reappeared directly in front of Ryju, his sword raised and gleaming.
"So fast—!" Ryju's eyes widened.
In an instant, he switched places with a tree to the left.
CLANG!
The tree split in half under Kurosaki's strike.
Ryju reappeared exactly where the tree had stood, staring at the destruction.
"He would've done that to me… if I hadn't switched. I almost feel bad for the tree," Ryju muttered.
Then—he felt it. A stinging pain along his side.
"Agh…"
A fresh scratch marked his stomach.
That's insane. That sword cut still got me, even though I switched places… Just how strong is this guy? And my big bro considers him a rival?
That just proves it. My brother and the S-Rank ninjas... they're on a whole different level.
"You good over there?" Kurosaki called out.
Ryju took a breath. "Yeah."
A figure dropped down from the trees—the Spiritual King.
"I see you've begun mastering your eye ability," he said, voice echoing with calm authority.
Renji and Kurosaki bowed quickly.
"Hey, Spiritual King," Renji said.
"Is there anything you want me to do?" Kurosaki asked.
"No... well, yes. First, congratulations, Ryju. You've awakened your eyes."
Ryju bowed. "Thank you."
"Now, all of you—report to my office."
The Spiritual King vanished in a blur, along with Renji and Kurosaki.
Ryju looked around. "Man… I wish I could teleport."
Spiritual King's Office
A sharply dressed man in a suit stood near the wall, holding a measuring tape and wearing a gleaming smile.
"Hello, my dear friends," he said. "May I take your measurements? My name is Saban."
Ryju blinked. "Who are you?"
"I'm your suit man," Saban replied proudly. "I came to measure."
"Oh… okay."
Saban turned to Rei. "My lady, may I start with you?"
Rei stepped forward. "Okay."
Saban quickly measured her, working with elegant speed.
"All done," he said with a bow.
"Oh, that was quick," Rei said, a little surprised.
Jett is so cute… Rei thought quietly to herself, trying not to glance at him too much.
Then Saban moved on, measuring Ryju, Kenshiro, Shun, and Goro with professional precision.
"All done," he said, clapping once.
"Well done," the Spiritual King said, watching.
"I'll have everything finished in four hours," Saban added with pride.
Kenshiro raised an eyebrow. "You can work that fast?"
"Yep," the Spiritual King replied. "He makes the best suits and dresses anywhere."
Saban grinned. "Even Mr. Taka comes to me daily for a suit."
Ryju tilted his head. "Huh?"
"Is there an issue?" Saban asked politely.
The Spiritual King nodded seriously. "Actually, yes… We're preparing for a major event."
Saban waved it off. "Then maybe I should tell Mr. Taka to handle it instead—"
"NO!" all the adults shouted at once.
Saban flinched. "Huh?"
The Spiritual King cleared his throat. "Please… don't tell Mr. Taka."
"Yeah, that old geezer," Kaji muttered.
Okata, arms folded and leaning against the far wall, spoke up with a dry chuckle.
"Let the kids shine," he said. "We don't need Mr. Taka destroying it all."
Rei tilted her head. "Who's Mr. Taka?"
"I think I know who he is…" Azar began.
Zanden scoffed. "You don't have a clue."
Azar turned to the corner. "Mr. Gio… are you okay?"
Gio rubbed his forehead. "Not really… but I trust the Spiritual King."
The room fell silent for a moment.
Then the Spiritual King spoke again, a smile on his face.
"You know what? Dinner's on me."