Boom—!
The instant Hiō Kagefusa moved, the arena floor shattered. Dirt and gravel exploded outward as his lightning-fast charge embodied the very essence of the Niko Style.
Niko Style · Fire Heaven Form: Fire Walk—
a footwork technique as elusive and flickering as raging flames, meant to confuse and mislead the enemy.
Hiō Kagefusa circled Kurosaki Rei at high speed, his body leaving behind layers of afterimages, like wavering tongues of fire.
The moment he judged that Kurosaki Rei had exposed an opening, he closed in without hesitation.
Niko Style · Adamantine Form: Iron Breaker!
His arm muscles hardened in an instant as he unleashed six explosive straight punches in one breath.
Bang bang bang bang bang bang—!
A chain of sonic booms tore through the air. At the point where fists met palms, shockwaves erupted, whipping the arena into a storm of dust.
"Oh—! This is practically a superhuman clash!"
Katahara Sayaka exclaimed from the commentary booth.
"So fast the naked eye can barely follow it! Purgatory's A-rank gladiator Hiō Kagefusa—has he actually pushed Metsudo's Fang into danger?!"
"No—Metsudo's Fang blocked it! He took that blazing assault head-on! Against Hiō Kagefusa's berserk onslaught, he caught every single strike! Can we say he too possesses a superhuman physique?!"
The atmosphere in the arena surged to its absolute peak.
After several days of matches, this was the first time the audience had witnessed a bout of such staggering quality.
Even the fighters watching from the stands wore grave expressions, because most of them had to admit one thing—
Hiō Kagefusa was absurdly strong.
Even Wakatsuki Takeshi, the man with the most wins in Kengan history and a muscle density fifty-two times that of a normal human, frowned deeply.
He could feel it—Hiō Kagefusa's power at this moment was no weaker than his own. And yet Fei's agility and technique were far beyond anything Wakatsuki could match.
If Wakatsuki were to face Fei in the ring, he likely wouldn't have many answers—unless Fei foolishly chose to trade raw power head-on. Only then would Wakatsuki have a chance to win with his ultimate technique, Blast Core.
What truly terrified the gathered fighters was this—
With Divine Demon activated, Hiō Kagefusa had reached an outrageous level.
Speed. Strength. Technique.
No weaknesses at all.
And yet—
Despite launching a desperate, all-out assault, Hiō Kagefusa hadn't managed to injure the man opposite him in the slightest.
Yes.
That man—Kurosaki Rei, the new Metsudo's Fang—had blocked everything, calmly and effortlessly.
Those violet-black eyes of his seemed to see through every move Fei made, responding with perfect precision.
At times, it even felt as though Kurosaki Rei raised his hands first, and Fei's fists merely slammed into them afterward.
"The level of martial arts is completely different…"
Gaolang Wongsawat, the Thai God of War, muttered solemnly.
"Every one of Hiō Kagefusa's techniques has been seen through."
"It's like monsters tearing into each other,"
Wakatsuki said quietly.
"And this generation's Metsudo's Fang… is a monster among monsters."
Under the gaze of countless fighters, the battle dragged on for over three minutes.
Hiō Kagefusa was already fighting far beyond his limits.
After another exchange, the two separated. Fei staggered back, panting heavily. Even with his special constitution, Divine Demon had reached its limit. If he continued—or worse, increased the output—death was likely waiting for him.
"Impressive Niko Style,"
Kurosaki Rei commented calmly.
"The highest level of completion I've seen so far."
His palms were slightly reddened as well. Blocking Fei's full assault hadn't been as effortless as it looked.
In Divine Demon state, Fei's raw stats actually surpassed Kurosaki Rei's normal state. On top of that, Fei's offensive techniques were refined—his combat proficiencies had clearly reached Master level. Those punches and kicks weren't something that could be effortlessly neutralized.
Kurosaki Rei judged that Fei was already at his limit. If the fight continued, Fei might die—and that would be a waste.
So he decided to end it.
Under Hiō Kagefusa's tense gaze, Kurosaki Rei moved.
From the very start of the match until now—
this was the first time Kurosaki Rei had launched an attack.
Fei stared at him, and in the next instant his eyes widened in shock.
Even with Demon's Descent, which slowed his perception of time, he had nearly failed to see Kurosaki Rei's movement clearly.
Kurosaki Rei accelerated instantly, closing the distance between them.
Martial instinct screamed at Fei—a punch is coming.
Reflexively, he considered using Niko Style · Flow Control Form: Willow, a technique that redirects force and unbalances the opponent.
But his mind raced, and he discarded that option at once.
Kurosaki Rei's mastery over force flow was that of a grandmaster—using Willow against him would be suicidal.
By instinct, Fei made the correct decision.
With Divine Demon active, Niko Style · Adamantine Form: Indestructible was triggered. At the same time, he counterattacked, his fist shooting toward Kurosaki Rei's chin with Iron Breaker.
Boom—!
The sound of fist striking chest was nothing like flesh and blood.
Fei had contracted his muscles, activating Indestructible for defense—
and the fist slamming into him was coated in a dark, pitch-black sheen.
Despite their power being close—Fei's perhaps even slightly greater at that moment—he felt an overwhelming force crash into him like a landslide.
His balance shattered.
He couldn't even bring his counterpunch down onto Kurosaki Rei's vital point.
Kurosaki Rei stepped forward.
With one hand, he brushed aside Fei's Iron Breaker as if parting flowing water.
Then—
Six consecutive straight punches.
No flourish. No tricks.
Just brutally solid, fundamental strikes.
All six landed squarely on Hiō Kagefusa's vital points, hammering blood from his mouth.
The moment Fei's body lost balance, Kurosaki Rei twisted his waist and unleashed the rotational force of his body—
A ferocious roundhouse kick smashed into Fei's temple.
Like a soccer ball blasted into the goal, Hiō Kagefusa was sent flying dozens of meters, slamming into the circular arena wall and carving out a human-shaped crater.
Fei slid down the cracked wall and collapsed to the ground, unconscious.
"Victory is decided!"
Both the referee and Katahara Sayaka shouted it out.
The arena erupted.
Cheers thundered to the heavens as the crowd roared Kurosaki Rei's name—they were witnessing the birth of a new, invincible legend.
Kurosaki Rei brushed the dust from his clothes and turned toward the fighter's tunnel.
He was already getting impatient.
Inside his storage space, Prison Demon was stirring, eager.
Worm… hurry up and show yourselves.
Bring me more joy.
Fighting matches like this was honestly boring.
Thankfully, he would soon be facing Master Kuroki. That should be a worthwhile martial exchange.
...
"Hiō Kagefusa actually lost… and Kurosaki Rei still seemed relaxed. That's not good news."
Edward Wu chuckled as he spoke, showing no sign of nervousness.
After all, he was the strongest Wu Hei of this generation—the leader of the Westward Wu. In his eyes, aside from the Connector, no one in this world could surpass him.
"Hiō Kagefusa was still too young,"
White Niko said, frowning at the screen.
"But to lose so decisively even with Divine Demon… that truly surprises me."
"This Kurosaki Rei may become an obstacle."
"It doesn't matter."
From the sofa, the handsome man holding an old-fashioned smoking pipe finally spoke.
"I'll take action."
"Oh?"
White Niko raised a brow, intrigued.
"Xia Yan, it's been a long time since you fought personally. Can you still do it?"
Among the Connector's high-ranking subordinates, White Niko and Edward Wu were constantly handling dirty work. Xia Yan, on the other hand, usually served as the Connector's "caretaker"—eating, drinking, and socializing alongside him.
Everyone knew Xia Yan hadn't abandoned his martial arts…
but it had been many years since he'd personally stepped onto the battlefield.
"No need to worry,"
Xia Yan said calmly.
"I've reviewed Kurosaki Rei's information. He's only in his early twenties. No matter how talented he is, he won't be a match for us."
"If I move, I have absolute confidence in killing him."
"Remember—"
he added softly,
"we aren't gladiators."
White Niko and Edward Wu both broke into savage grins.
That's right.
They weren't gladiators.
They were here to destroy the Kengan Association.
And so they would use any means necessary.
Even the strongest unarmed fighters were no match for true killing experts once weapons entered the picture.
As they spoke, Xia Yan's phone rang.
He answered it with visible impatience.
"You'd better not be lying,"
he said coldly.
"Otherwise, even if you run to the ends of the world, I will hunt you down and kill you."
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