The final day of the tournament—the team finals.
Lu Chen arrived at the stadium with fighting spirit written all over his face. If you ignored the two dark circles under his eyes, his expression might have been downright terrifying...
No surprise there—he had just clawed his way out of a battlefield of blood and corpses, leaving his gaze sharp as a blade and radiating a chilling intensity.
"Lu Chen, did you pull an all-nighter training or something?"
The coach looked a little rattled, carefully watching him.
"Yeah... I stayed up."
Captain came over and high-fived the team members one by one, then stood in front of Lu Chen.
"The coach keeps saying you're not serious. But look at this! Pulling an all-nighter to train for the match—how's that not serious? Come on, let's go crush it!"
He held out his hand, and without thinking, Lu Chen high-fived him.
Captain's hand went instantly numb from the impact.
"Really? I thought you were staying up for other... reasons," the coach muttered, eyeing the bags under Lu Chen's eyes.
Lu Chen looked at him, confused. What else could I be staying up for...?
Then the coach suddenly remembered the matching dark circles under Miss Raiden's eyes.
Young and full of fire—these things happened. But during competitions, a bit of restraint would be better.
He had half a mind to give a lecture, but seeing how fired up Lu Chen was, he let it go.
"Warm up on the sidelines. Once the women's team match is over, you're up."
"Got it!"
The male players responded in unison.
Lu Chen took a seat on the bench, eyes scanning the court until he caught a flash of color.
Elegant and composed, Ei adjusted her mask, nodded to the coach, and looked over at Lu Chen.
He gave her a thumbs-up.
He'd never once worried about her performance. But every time Ei stepped onto the field, he couldn't take his eyes off her.
Strong and graceful, Ei was always the brightest light on stage.
The match began.
The women's team followed the same strategy—the third spot went to Ei.
The Haizhou girls held their own impressively. The score between them and Capital University remained tight. By the time Ei stepped in to clean up, the teams were less than ten points apart.
The player coming off the court removed her mask, her hair soaked with sweat. She locked eyes with Miss Raiden, who was slowly walking onto the kendo floor, her fighting spirit undiminished.
Ei said something softly.
Thanks to his sharp hearing, Lu Chen caught the words:
"You worked hard."
"Everyone gave it their all..." Captain murmured.
Within the team, Lu Chen and Ei were towering figures—goals others could only look up to.
Everyone else could train as hard as they wanted, yet still feel like they were stuck at the bottom of the mountain.
Some would give up in frustration, lose the will to press forward—but only the truly resilient kept climbing.
Even shortening the distance to the summit proved that the climb had meaning.
A few months ago, Lu Chen saw nothing but exhaustion and low morale in the team, the captain always looking defeated.
Now, that same captain talked non-stop, throwing out dramatic, fiery catchphrases like some over-the-top anime hero. The team had transformed—because they'd seen a glimpse of hope for victory, even if it came from someone else.
In Lu Chen's eyes, their strength was still lacking, but they were trying—and improving.
Even the captain, someone he'd often overlooked, had made it to the finals, facing strong opponents from all over the country and giving his all. That in itself was an achievement.
Lu Chen watched Ei on the court and thought to himself:
"Hard work always pays off."
Wasn't he the same?
That conversation with Venti at the seaside villa was still fresh in his mind.
As much as he longed for an easygoing life of fishing and retirement, strength was the foundation for everything.
Things weren't over yet. He couldn't afford to relax.
He was working toward a future where everyone could be happy.
Ei ended the match with a clean, decisive thrust.
The final score: 45–32.
The crowd erupted.
The entire team stood up, and the coaching staff was moved to tears.
Haizhou Academy had won the women's division championship.
Lu Chen saw the school's coach wiping tears from the corners of his eyes. Maybe some of that emotion came from the hefty bonus he'd be receiving—but in this moment, anyone would be touched by the fierce spirit on display.
"We won!" Captain shouted in excitement.
Everyone was cheering Ei's name, but she remained calm and collected as always.
Lu Chen watched her leave the court and head to the locker room.
Perhaps, to her, this kind of match had always been nothing more than a simple game.
"It's our turn!" Captain rubbed his hands, eager to go. He pulled on his mask without hesitation.
"Alright." Lu Chen followed him onto the stage.
The men's team finals were about to begin—the final match of the entire tournament and the focus of everyone's attention.
Their opponent was once again Capital Academy—a powerhouse. Both their men's and women's sabre teams had reached the finals.
Lu Chen grew serious.
The match order hadn't changed—Lu Chen would go last as the anchor.
Captain, initially pumped, calmed himself as he took position on the court, carefully sizing up his opponent.
Even when faced with an overwhelming enemy, his fighting spirit burned bright.
Give it everything!
If the first two players could keep the score close, Lu Chen would have a better shot at turning it around.
After a cautious exchange, Captain made the first move.
A lightning-fast lunge drew shouts from the sideline coaches.
"Nice one!"
His blade cut a perfect silver arc through the air. The move was a feint, and the opponent instinctively reacted—only to fall into his trap as he launched a clean strike to the lower-left target zone.
The scoreboard lit up.
1–0.
"Nice work..." Lu Chen couldn't help but smile. That blend of illusion and precision was beautifully executed.
Captain's speed had improved—but more interestingly, that was one of Lu Chen's signature training moves, one he often used to mess with Captain. He hadn't expected him to copy it.
Looks like everyone was growing.
The match intensified. The players exchanged blows in a high-pressure duel.
After a few unpredictable strikes, the Captain's opponent began to read his rhythm.
The score reached 5–2.
But that didn't last. The few tricks Captain had borrowed from Lu Chen started to lose effectiveness.
His opponent's score climbed steadily, and the coaches on the sideline were shouting themselves hoarse.
"Watch your defense! Don't just go on the offensive!"
"Conserve your energy!!"
The score was overtaken—and kept widening.
After three rounds, Captain stepped off the court, visibly disappointed. But when he looked at Lu Chen, he still gave an encouraging smile.
The score was 14–21.
It was his best result in the tournament.
If this had been an individual match, he'd have lost. But this was a team match.
He'd already done everything he could—and exceeded everyone's expectations.
Lu Chen patted his shoulder. "You did great. Leave the rest to me."
"Of course! We're counting on you!"
Captain grinned, genuinely proud.
The second teammate's performance was also a pleasant surprise. Everyone had brought their best to today's match.
When it was Lu Chen's turn to take the field, the score was 25–39.
Only 20 points behind.
"Leave it to me!" Lu Chen flashed them a brilliant smile.