The Bloodmoon Queen tournament's first round was about to start, featuring Rajin Mori and Riku Masusa facing off against Rika Satoshi and a mysterious man dressed in a cloak.
In the observation room, Paulo sensed the cloaked man's familiar presence, which felt all too familiar to him, reminding him of someone he had killed.
Paulo then rose to his feet, surprising everyone around him, though he was too focused to notice the other reactions as his breathing became faster and his hand began to tremble with unfiltered and murderous rage that he had not felt in weeks.
"That man is Izumi, the person I believed I had killed," Paulo murmured quietly, but Antares caught that remark.
Riku received a signal from Paulo urging him not to hold back against the cloaked man, and he nodded in response; however, Rajin remained unaware of the reason behind Riku's gesture.
As the announcer proclaimed, "match start," Riku charged at the cloaked figure using his Light flight technique.
He leaped into the air, his legs glowing with a brilliant light.
Rika attempted to block this with a shield made of strong glass.
Riku then descended rapidly toward the cloaked man while whispering, "Light Dragon, Kick of the Gods."
His foot struck the man, breaking through both the glass and the cloaked figure.
Paulo's eyes widened at the spectacle, as it was the first time he witnessed such a feat.
"I can't believe someone could penetrate my skin with a kick; the only one to ever damage my flesh was that Satoshi kid," the cloaked man remarked as he started to heal the wound in his torso.
He then removed his cloak, revealing himself as Izumi, the vampire king, which Riku instantly recognized.
Riku accelerated his attacks and executed a breakdance kick to Izumi's head, sending him crashing into the arena wall.
Just then, Rika flew in from behind, planning to catch Riku off guard, but Rajin intervened and blocked her attack.
Riku seized Izumi by the collar and hurled him 500 feet into the air before teleporting up to him with his light flight.
"You are much stronger than Paulo. How about we strike a deal?" Izumi suggested, still suspended in midair.
Riku raised an eyebrow, intrigued.
"A deal?" Riku echoed.
"Yes, a deal. You see, Paulo knows Rika is his daughter, but she is part vampire, so do not let him know," Izumi replied, now sweating.
"Why should I keep that a secret from him?" Riku inquired, tilting his head slightly.
"Because I was the one who had an affair with Lucy Lightheart before Paulo, and she is my child,"
Izumi said with a grin before Riku slammed him down with tremendous force using an infused light cannon punch.
***
Back on the arena floor, Rajin matched Rika's speed and strength as he successfully blocked all of her blood dragons using his blood scythe.
"I was the one who taught Riku this technique," Rajin commented with a smirk.
"Show me the move then, coward," Rika replied while scoffing.
Rajin dashed towards Rika using his Blood Scale Feet Dash.
Then he leaped into the air, and his legs began to shine with a bright red light.
Rika created a shield from high glass to try and protect herself from the blood.
Rajin quickly descended toward Rika, whispering, "Blood Dragon, Blood Kick of the Demons."
His foot struck Rika as he passed through the glass and hit her.
Rika managed to heal herself and smirked at him.
She then teleported behind Rajin and kicked his head off.
Rajin recovered, but not before Izumi crash-landed, missing some limbs due to Riku's attack.
Riku then lunged at Rika with intense murderous intent but only managed to knock her out.
At this point in the battle, Rika is down, making it a two-on-one situation with Riku and Rajin against Izumi.
Rajin charged at Izumi, but Izumi kicked Rajin's head, sending him crashing into the wall.
Riku appeared above Izumi, preparing to stomp on him, but Izumi blocked it effortlessly and threw him towards where Rajin was.
"How strong is he?" Rajin remarked, now dripping with sweat.
"I'm not sure, but he certainly put up a good fight against Paulo, even though he didn't win," Riku replied, panting heavily.
***
High above the arena, at the designated viewpoint, Paulo stood transfixed, his eyes locked onto the unfolding battle below.
The clash between the combatants was intense, a relentless two-against-one struggle that held his attention with magnetic force.
Yet, as he watched, an inexplicable sensation began to creep over him, a strange, disquieting feeling that something was missing.
It was as if a memory, vital and vivid, should have surfaced in that moment, but remained frustratingly out of reach.
The absence gnawed at him, creating a void that pulsed with unease.
Confused and slightly disoriented, Paulo instinctively raised a hand to his temple, massaging it in slow circles as if trying to coax the elusive recollection into clarity.
His gaze never wavered from the arena, though his mind drifted elsewhere, caught between the present spectacle and the shadow of something long forgotten.
The battle continued unabated, the two attackers pressing their advantage against the lone defender, but Paulo's focus was fractured, his thoughts tangled in a fog of uncertainty.
Nearby, Antares observed Paulo with growing concern.
The sheen of sweat glistening on Paulo's brow was unusual, especially given the cool air at their elevation.
Antares could sense that something was wrong, though the cause remained elusive. Paulo's demeanour had shifted, his posture tense, his breathing shallow, his expression clouded with confusion. Yet no words were exchanged, and Antares could only speculate as to the source of the disturbance.
Paulo briefly turned his head toward Lucy, seeking something, perhaps reassurance, perhaps clarity, but found neither. Her presence was grounding, yet it did little to dispel the haze that had settled over him.
With a quiet resolve, he returned his attention to the arena, determined to remain present, to witness whatever was about to unfold.
Then, without warning, a sudden burst of motion disrupted the rhythm of the battle.
Rika, previously unconscious or dormant, sprang to life and surged toward Riku with startling speed and intensity.
The moment was electric, charged with urgency and emotion. And in that instant, something within Paulo shifted.
A floodgate opened in his mind, releasing a torrent of imagery and sensation.
A memory, long buried and ancient, rushed to the surface, vivid and undeniable.
It was a recollection from a time unimaginably distant, a day that had occurred two and a half million years ago yet felt as immediate as the present.
The memory struck with the force of revelation, reshaping Paulo's understanding of the moment and anchoring it in a deeper, more profound context.
The battle below was no longer just a contest of strength and strategy, it was a reenactment, a reflection of something that had happened before, something that had shaped the very fabric of his existence.
And as Paulo stood at the edge of the viewpoint, the past and present converged within him, awakening a truth that had long awaited rediscovery.