Late at night, a burly man in a brown coat with yellow hair stood with Mitsunari Tokugawa, the owner of the Underground Arena, in the center of the arena.
That burly man with the yellow crew cut was Sikorsky, one of the five death row convicts.
Cold, white lights illuminated the center of the ring, and the Underground Arena, which should have been filled with applause and cheers, was so silent today that even breathing could be heard.
"There's a scent... the scent of fresh blood," Sikorsky sniffed, a look of enjoyment on his face.
"The Tokugawa blood tells me... of that inexplicable palpitation these past few days."
"The reason will be revealed tonight."
"Strong ones... if you want truly strong ones, they can only be found here."
Mitsunari Tokugawa's face was serious; he had a premonition that a true monster would emerge from this confrontation.
Just then, a steady sound of footsteps echoed, remarkably clear in the empty corridor.
"Welcome, everyone."
The death row convicts Doyle, Spec, and Yanagi Ryuko appeared like ghosts from different directions, their eyes gleaming with the predatory ferocity of carnivores.
Mitsunari Tokugawa stood in the center of the ring, his fan gently swaying, a look of excited anticipation on his face.
"Fellow death row convicts, your opponents tonight are no ordinary ones; they will make you experience a taste of defeat like never before," Tokugawa's voice reverberated through the empty venue.
Spec licked his lips, a sinister grin on his face: "Old man Tokugawa, stop playing coy."
"We didn't come all this way from prison just to listen to your nonsense."
"Old man, are these the opponents who can satisfy me?"
Just then, a calm voice came from above everyone, and the four death row convicts simultaneously looked up, staring intently at the stands above the arena.
A figure slowly walked towards them, dressed in simple black training clothes, yet exuding an invisible sense of pressure.
With Allen's appearance, Baki, Kaiou Retsu, and Doppo Orochi also slowly walked into the venue.
"These are your opponents for tonight," Tokugawa's voice held an undisguised excitement.
"I believe they will definitely give you a taste of defeat!"
Kaiou Retsu looked at Allen, who had appeared in the Underground Arena, with some doubt and surprise, but it wasn't too unexpected.
After all, for a genius martial artist like Allen to be invited by Mitsunari Tokugawa was a very natural thing.
The eight people slowly took their positions, and Spec pointed at Allen, a hint of dissatisfaction on his face.
"Old man Tokugawa, are you messing with us?" Spec sneered dismissively, his eyes full of contempt.
"The others at least have some reputation; does this kid also qualify to fight us?" he said, pointing at Allen.
Doyle narrowed his eyes, scrutinizing Allen's lean physique: "This kid looks like he can't even take one punch from me."
Yanagi Ryuko remained silent, but a flicker of vigilance passed through his eyes.
As the most skilled assassin among the death row convicts, he had an instinctive intuition for danger.
This seemingly ordinary young man gave him an extremely dangerous feeling; Yanagi instinctively wanted to escape.
If these death row convicts were carnivores, then Allen was an alien creature, on a completely different level of life.
"Everyone, don't underestimate Allen-kun," Mitsunari Tokugawa said with a smile, fanning himself.
"Allen-kun easily defeated Dorian."
"What? That Dorian?" Sikorsky's eyes widened suddenly, and the expressions of the other death row convicts instantly froze.
Aside from Baki, whose expression remained unchanged, Kaiou Retsu and Doppo Orochi were also greatly shocked, all looking at Allen with disbelief on their faces.
"That's right," Tokugawa nodded, a smile on his face, and slowly added.
"And it was when Dorian used weapons that Allen easily defeated him, without even leaving a single scratch on Allen."
The death row convicts exchanged glances, and the air in the arena seemed to thicken.
They all knew Dorian's strength; although he was insidious and cunning, his combat power was definitely one of the best among the five.
"Interesting," Spec licked his lips, a fierce fighting spirit burning in his eyes.
"Ahem, ahem," Just then, Mitsunari Tokugawa cleared his throat, interrupting the eager crowd.
"On the way to the Underground Arena, I listened to Sikorsky's words and had some thoughts," Mitsunari Tokugawa looked at the four death row convicts.
"The values you five... four hold regarding this arena are vastly different from what ordinary people understand."
"Sikorsky-kun, you said earlier that a prepared battle is nothing more than a game."
"Rather than a match, let's have a real fight this time," Mitsunari Tokugawa's low voice echoed under the dome of the Underground Arena.
"Based on the unpredictability of when things might happen in daily life, being in such a situation best develops the ability to react to sudden circumstances."
"I chose these four martial artists," Tokugawa's face held a hint of pride, as if showing off to the four death row convicts that his Underground Arena had no shortage of martial artists who could defeat them.
"Based on my description, they should be able to fulfill your long-cherished wish to experience defeat, right?"
"Each of these four people here possesses the ability to fulfill your wishes," He spread his arms as if to embrace the entire arena.
"So, when exactly do we start, old man?" Baki's face showed some boredom.
"Perhaps, let's start from this arena," Allen thought for a moment, then said.
"Exactly, not just in the ring, but even in everyday living spaces," Mitsunari Tokugawa nodded in agreement.
"Anytime, anywhere, without any rules."
"While eating, while sleeping, and even..." He meaningfully scanned everyone.
"You can initiate a fight while sleeping with a woman."
"This is what's called a real fight!"
As soon as Mitsunari Tokugawa finished speaking, the atmosphere in the entire Underground Arena instantly solidified.
The death row convicts' eyes became dangerous and excited, like beasts that had caught the scent of blood.
"Since that's all, I'm going home now, old man," Allen yawned and turned to leave.
"Allen-kun, wait for me," Baki, seeing Allen turn to leave, chased after him.
He knew from this situation that there definitely wouldn't be a fight today, so it was better to go home and sleep early; he still had class tomorrow.
"In any case, the duel has begun, everyone can disperse," Mitsunari Tokugawa slowly said.
Tokugawa watched their retreating figures, and his fan snapped open with a "swish": "Then... the game begins."