The roar that greeted Group C was a living entity, a beast of sound and anticipation. The sand of the arena, already stained from the previous bouts, seemed to tremble. And then the chaos erupted. It was a storm of steel and fury, a whirlwind where 365 warriors became a single, seething mass of violence. As Tsurugi had predicted, the titans of the group immediately carved their own territories of carnage.
Raion's Iron Demon Fist was a whirlwind of concussive force, shattering shields and bones with equal ease. Gorm's giant axe carved wide, bloody arcs, clearing swathes of the battlefield with each earth-shaking swing. Kai was a phantom of the sea, his cutlass flickering out to disarm and disable with cruel precision. And Harjun, The Walking Tower, simply advanced. He didn't attack so much as he displaced; warriors who charged him bounced off his immovable frame or were swatted aside like insects.
And then there was Tsurugi.
He did not summon the Strizier armor. He didn't need to. The sword he had honed since childhood, Tenchikai, became an extension of his will. He moved, and it was not a run but a glide, a blur of motion powered by the essence of Speed (Red Turbo + Red Racer + Go-On Red + Boon Red). He was a white lightning bolt in the chaotic storm.
A group of four burly axemen, seeing his slender frame and foreign weapon, thought him an easy target and charged as one. Tsurugi didn't break stride. He flowed between them, Tenchikai a silver streak. Four precise, non-lethal strikes to the wrists and shoulders, and four axes clattered to the sand, their owners clutching numbed arms in stunned disbelief. He was a dancer in a ballet of controlled violence, his movements economical, his strikes ending fights without ending lives. His handsome features, set in a face of calm focus, drew screams of admiration from the women in the stands and grudging, cold snorts from the men.
After effortlessly dispersing another coordinated attack from a warrior clan, Tsurugi felt a shift in the air behind him—a presence both fluid and deadly. He spun, Tenchikai swinging up and behind his back in a single, fluid motion. The sharp clang of steel echoed as he perfectly parried a thrust from Kai's cutlass.
The pirate admiral grinned, a flash of white in his sun-weathered face. "That speed… that instinct… fascinating!" he said, his voice a low rasp. "In another life, I'd share a drink with you, stranger. But here… the allure of a crown is a siren's call I cannot ignore."
"Understood," Tsurugi replied, his voice calm. "Then let your sword do the talking."
They became a whirlwind of their own, a duel within the greater melee. Their blades moved faster than the eye could follow, a continuous ring of steel. Kai was a master, his style born of fighting on unstable decks, all fluid dodges and unpredictable, sweeping attacks. But the more he fought, the more a cold dread seeped into his bones. He was pouring every ounce of his skill and strength into the fight, his muscles burning, sweat stinging his eyes. Yet Tsurugi remained unnervingly calm, his breathing even, his red eyes tracking every move with preternatural clarity. It was like fighting a mirror that showed no reflection of effort.
It was at this moment of supreme focus that Raion and Gorm, having cleared their respective corners of the arena, saw an opportunity. Without a word, a pact of temporary alliance formed between them. Raion lunged, his fist a cannonball aimed at Tsurugi's side, while Gorm's massive axe came down in a skull-splitting vertical chop.
The surprise attack, from two such powerhouses, was impossible to fully counter. Tsurugi twisted, using Tenchikai to deflect the axe's edge, but the sheer kinetic force of Gorm's blow, combined with the shockwave from Raion's near-miss, sent him skidding backward through the sand, his boots carving deep trenches. For the first time, he had been forced onto the defensive.
And in that moment of heightened adversity, surrounded by enemies, the Strizier system chimed in his mind.
[Core catalyst recognized: Joining a chaotic melee. Fighting alone against countless powerful foes. Conditions met.]
[Unlocking: Wild (Gao Red + AbaRed).]
The new power, a primal, bestial force, flooded his system. On his HUD, the Wild designation blazed to life in a vibrant, untamed red. Tsurugi took a deep, centering breath. The air around him seemed to crackle. He didn't just access one power; he synergized three.
[Simultaneous Power Access: Sky (Red Hawk + Zyuoh Eagle). Wild (Gao Red + AbaRed). Ninjutsu (Ninja Red + Hurricane Red + Akaninger).]
A new aura enveloped him—the boundless freedom of the sky, the savage strength of the wild, and the elusive mystery of the ninja. He looked at the three powerful warriors now arrayed against him, his red eyes glowing with intensified light.
"You have been surrounded," Tsurugi stated, his voice now carrying an echo of primal forces, "by me alone. Now then. Target."
The tables had turned completely. He was no longer the prey; he was the hunter. He moved, and it was a different kind of speed now—not just fast, but untrackable, layered with feints and afterimages from the Ninjutsu power. He became a storm.
The three champions were overwhelmed. Raion, used to being the unstoppable force, found his punches meeting empty air or being deflected by shocking, animalistic power. Kai's fluid style was countered by a savagery that broke his rhythm, forcing him to his knees under the pressure. Only Gorm, with his immense durability, held firm, his axe swinging in wide, desperate arcs.
Seeing an opening, Tsurugi focused. "Checkmate."
He shot toward Gorm, a blur of motion. [Executing Sky Finisher: Sky Reversal.] He leapt, appearing to launch a downward slash, but at the last second, his body contorted impossibly, the blade reversing its arc in a vicious uppercut. A massive, shimmering 'V' of energy erupted from the sand, meeting Gorm's axe head-on. There was a deafening CRACK as the gigantic weapon shattered into a dozen pieces. The force lifted the giant man off his feet and hurled him backward, crashing to the ground in a cloud of dust.
Without a moment's pause, Tsurugi was upon Kai. [Executing Ninjutsu Finisher: Illusion Edge.] He split into a dozen, then a hundred perfect afterimages, all slashing at the pirate admiral from every conceivable angle. It was an inescapable prison of blades. When the illusions faded, Kai stood frozen for a second, his cutlass falling from his grasp, before multiple deep cuts appeared across his body and he collapsed, unconscious.
Tsurugi spun, Tenchikai already moving to parry a desperate, roaring punch from Raion. The force of the blow was immense, but Tsurugi's blade held firm. "Your turn," he whispered.
[Executing Wild Finisher: Savage Assault.] Tenchikai blazed with raw, red energy. Tsurugi became a frenzy of motion, a feral storm of slashes that hammered against Raion's defenses. The Iron Demon Fist's legendary gauntlets, which had shattered troll bone, now screeched and cracked under the assault. The final thrust was a lance of pure bestial power, shattering the right gauntlet completely and sending Raion flying across the arena to slam into the wall, where he slid down, unmoving.
Silence.
The entire stadium was holding its breath. The sand settled to reveal Tsurugi, standing amidst the three defeated champions, his chest rising and falling steadily. The only other figure left standing in the vast arena was Harjun, The Walking Tower.
The contrast was absolute. Harjun was a monument of flesh and power, a being of pure, earth-shattering force. Tsurugi was a paradox of speed, technique, and primal energy.
Harjun did not speak. He simply attacked. His fists fell like meteors, each impact cratering the solid stone of the arena floor. The ground trembled with every blow. Tsurugi did not meet force with force. He became the wind. He used his combined powers to move in ways that defied physics, sliding between the shockwaves, using the Ninja power to create momentary decoys that absorbed devastating punches. His slashes were not meant to cut Harjun's impossibly tough hide, but to find pressure points, to test his balance, to chip away at the monolith.
It was a battle of attrition between an unstoppable force and an immovable object that refused to be struck.
Seeing a pattern, Tsurugi made his move. He leapt high into the air, a speck against the sky. [Executing Speed Finisher: Accel Dash.] He vanished. Then, from every direction at once, a barrage of crimson slashes rained down upon Harjun. They were not powerful enough to seriously injure the giant, but they were countless, precise, and agonizing, like a thousand hornets stinging a bear. Harjun roared, a sound of pure frustration and pain, and was driven to one knee.
It was the opening Tsurugi needed.
He landed softly before the kneeling giant. [Executing Swordsmanship Finisher: Rising Break.] Tenchikai flared with the pure, honed skill of the original Red warriors. A single, perfect, vertical slash erupted from the ground upward, a crescent of energy that struck Harjun squarely in the chest. It was a concussive blast of focused force, not a cut. The Walking Tower was lifted and thrown onto his back with a impact that shook the entire stadium.
The referee stepped forward, arm raised to declare the match. But then, Harjun moved. With a grunt of immense effort, he pushed himself to his feet. The crowd roared, expecting a final, cataclysmic clash.
Instead, Harjun placed a massive fist over his heart and gave a deep, respectful bow to Tsurugi.
"The power you wield," the giant's voice rumbled, calm and clear, "is a paradox I have never witnessed. It is speed, savagery, and shadow, all as one. I know my own strength, and I know when I am outmatched. You have not just defeated me; you have shown me a higher path. The victory is yours."
Tsurugi was taken aback. In a culture built on fighting to the last, this display of honorable concession was more shocking than any attack. He sheathed Tenchikai and returned the bow, a gesture of deep respect.
He then turned and walked from the arena, the roar of the crowd a tidal wave at his back. He did not acknowledge the cheers, his mind already analyzing the battles, the new power unlocked, and the formidable opponents that still lay ahead, chief among them the monstrous Borris. But as he disappeared into the tunnel, the looks aimed at his back were no longer just of amazement, but of something approaching reverence. The white lightning had proven it could also summon the thunder.