"What? You want Kurosaki Rei's corpse? Don't push your luck—your technology hasn't even been verified yet!"
"The other people in the arena are negotiable, but what exactly do you want those corpses for? That doesn't seem related to your research at all."
After exchanging a few more words, Xia Yan hung up the phone, his expression dark.
"Well?"
Edward Wu asked.
"That sneaky bastard wants Kurosaki Rei's body," Xia Yan replied with a frown. "He says that once he sees Kurosaki Rei's corpse, he'll start performing the 'segmentation' for the Connector."
Xia Yan didn't trust that so-called fusion freak at all—but the other party had indeed demonstrated some truly bizarre abilities.
With the Tiger's Vessel already dead, if the Connector didn't want to wait another few decades to create a new one, it seemed he had no choice but to consider that man's proposal.
In Xia Yan's view, if the Connector was displeased… the world itself might face annihilation.
Amid waves of thunderous cheers, Kurosaki Rei emerged from the passageway and faced the ageless-looking man before him.
Today was the final day of the Kengan Annihilation Tournament. The semifinals had just ended—this match was the grand finale.
As expected, Kurosaki Rei had defeated Raian in the semifinals, while Devil Lance, Kuroki Gensai, had overcome the Wild Tiger, Wakatsuki Takeshi.
Kuroki Gensai's strength on display was clearly beyond his performance in the original timeline. Under the world's altered influence, he had gained even greater enhancement—to the point that he emerged from his fight with Wakatsuki completely uninjured.
That bout had felt much like Kurosaki Rei versus Raian: two words summed it up—total control.
Wakatsuki possessed a superhuman physique. Even with Kuroki's evolution, his raw physical strength still fell short of Wakatsuki's—but Kuroki never once competed with him in brute force. Using extreme technique, he crushed Wakatsuki so thoroughly that there was nothing the latter could do.
After the match, even Wakatsuki had to sigh in awe at how terrifyingly strong this middle-aged man was.
Now, many gladiators who had previously been defeated by Kuroki were shouting his name from the stands, cheering him on. In people's subconscious, Metsudo's Fang was always the final boss—and Kurosaki Rei's displayed strength more than lived up to that image.
Kurosaki Rei's earlier battle against Hiō Kagefusa had left countless fighters shaken. It was a fusion of raw power and martial mastery, without a single discernible weakness.
"I've been waiting a long time for this, Senior Kuroki,"
Kurosaki Rei said as he locked eyes with him.
At this moment, Katahara Sayaka's commentary, the roaring cheers of the crowd, the encouragement shouted by other fighters—all of it faded away. In Kurosaki Rei's vision, there was only the opponent before him.
Kuroki Gensai assumed his stance.
"You are very strong… stronger than I am."
Those words stunned both the audience and the fighters alike. No one expected this invincible-looking master to openly admit that Kurosaki Rei was stronger.
What was this? Was Kuroki about to concede?
Before anyone could process it, Kuroki continued:
"But there is no absolute strength or weakness in this world. The victory or defeat of warriors ultimately depends on the result."
Kurosaki Rei's lips curved upward uncontrollably. He finally bared his teeth in a wide grin.
"Then please, Senior—let this junior witness the might of the Devil Lance."
As his words fell, the two moved almost simultaneously, their figures colliding.
Just as the spectators expected a brutal exchange of blows, the closest referee gaped in disbelief.
"What's going on?! Both of them are throwing punches at incredible speed, yet none of the strikes are landing!"
Katahara Sayaka cried out in shock as well. Inside the arena, Kurosaki Rei and Kuroki Gensai were constantly attacking—only to constantly evade each other's fists.
"These two are terrifying," she exclaimed. "They're both masters of pre-initiative. Each can see through the other's moves and dodge in advance, causing every attack to miss!"
In the VIP room, Kanoh Agito stared unblinkingly at the two figures. Though he hated to admit it, he realized that if Metsudo's Fang hadn't been replaced, Chairman Katahara—his benefactor—would truly have lost today.
"Damn it… so when he fought me, he never used his full strength at all?!"
Raian growled angrily, his face full of frustration.
Every time he thought he had come a little closer to Kurosaki Rei, he discovered Kurosaki Rei standing at an even higher level.
Like a bottomless abyss of martial arts—impossible to fathom.
"Kurosaki Rei, go!!!"
Karura shouted from the stands.
Wu Erioh's face darkened. He withdrew his gaze and turned to leave the arena.
Before the finals began, Kurosaki Rei had warned him that the Worm might make a move.
Even without that warning, Katahara Metsudo's private forces had already sensed something amiss. And Wu Erioh's intuition told him that some extremely unpleasant people had landed on the island.
"Edward Wu… it's time to settle old scores."
Wu Erioh's expression was grim as he left his seat. He didn't call Karura—but the elite of the Wu clan, including Raian, silently followed him out of the arena.
The hunt had begun.
Inside the arena, a deafening crash rang out. The evasive exchange between the two masters finally ended—this time with a solid collision.
Kurosaki Rei still held the posture of his punch, his fist coated in a dark sheen. Kuroki, meanwhile, had been blasted to the edge of the arena, smashing a massive crater into the wall.
Kurosaki Rei slowly withdrew his hand, feeling sharp pain in his knuckles. Earlier, he had seized an opening and met Kuroki's Devil Lance head-on with his bare fist. Even with Armament Haki, his hand had nearly been destroyed.
"Harder than Niko Style's Indestructible… this isn't muscle or bone hardening. Have you touched it…?"
Kuroki emerged from the smoke and dust. The fingers of his Devil Lance hand were swollen—his fingers had broken earlier, and he'd forcibly set them back in place.
Yet he paid no heed to the pain. His eyes gleamed sharply as he stared at Kurosaki Rei.
"…The ultimate of martial arts."
Kurosaki Rei grinned.
"To borrow your words, Senior—martial arts have no end. How could there be an ultimate?"
Their invisible auras collided. Just as Kurosaki Rei prepared to press the attack, a tremendous explosion shook the entire arena.
Boom—boom—boom—!
The blasts came one after another. Dust fell from the bowl-shaped walls, and the lights throughout the venue went out as the power was cut.
Faced with this sudden crisis, the audience descended into chaos. The gladiators' faces turned pale.
Inside the VIP room, Katahara Metsudo's expression was terrifyingly dark. He had long anticipated that Hayami of Toyo Electric wouldn't behave—but he'd assumed rebellion would only come after losing the tournament.
He also knew the Worm had set its sights here. What he hadn't expected was that they'd managed to bypass his elite guard and plant bombs in critical locations of the arena.
The Worm's deployed forces far exceeded his expectations. Hayami was nothing more than a jumping clown—easy to deal with.
The real problem was this: because of the tournament's importance, political and financial elites from all over the world were present. Among the spectators were people whose value was truly incalculable.
If their security was breached… the global balance could be shaken.
"Looks like game time is over…"
Kurosaki Rei said, his tone tinged with regret and amusement.
He'd hoped to exchange a few more rounds with Kuroki.
"Hahaha! Kid, the friendly sparring ends here—now it's my turn to play with you…"
From the passageway behind Kurosaki Rei, a towering figure stepped out of the drifting smoke. He wielded a broad-bladed cleaver in each hand, a feral grin on his face.
Kuroki frowned when he saw the man emerge.
"Purgatory's… Lu Tian…"
Lu Tian's smile was cruel. His skin turned purple-black, veins writhing across his body like serpents—Removal was already active.
"…A game called slaughter."
With that, he lunged forward, twin blades flashing as he slashed toward Kurosaki Rei.
"Watch out!"
Kuroki shouted.
But what he saw next defied comprehension.
Kurosaki Rei's movement became mist-like, drifting through impossibly narrow gaps as he evaded Lu Tian's slashes. In the midst of that flicker, a cold gleam cut through the air, trailing a crescent of blood.
Lu Tian's head spun through the air. When it hit the ground, his eyes still held a look of savage exhilaration.
Kurosaki Rei flicked the blood from his blade and looked at the Worm operatives emerging from the passageway, a smile spreading across his face.
"As you said—
the killing game has begun."
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