Not wasting a single second, Mika charged forward, raising her fists to her face in a proper guard. This sudden action appeared to surprise Kazuki, who leaned back and then jumped, but it was only the initial impression. He seemed to throw something as well, and when the girl got close enough, the object suddenly burst into a swirling mass that enveloped itself around her, making her fall face first.

She tumbled but quickly picked herself up. Her upper body was wrapped in this gray mass, creating something similar to a straitjacket. She tore it with a burst of energy, ripping the mass to shreds. But Kazuki had achieved what he wanted – to create a distance between them – as he continued retreating.

Mika charged right after him, and she was much faster, shortening the distance in the blink of an eye. Despite that, Kazuki didn't seem concerned.

"You are done!" She screamed. "ARGH!"

Her straight, aimed at his face, missed because Kazuki awkwardly dodged to the side. As Mika's arm fully extended, a loud burst of power erupted, ravaging the air and putting the young warrior off balance, making him tumble. He caught his balance, but she seized this opportunity to strike him with a punch to the gut.

It appeared that he was able to block it, but then the same burst of energy threw him like a ragdoll in the air. He landed heavily a bit further.

"You have no chances with me," Mika said with a smirk of confidence. "You, from the Isogai clan, weren't made to fight. Your toys will never overcome my years of hard training!"

Kazuki didn’t respond, but his hands moved under the heavy brown cloak that obscured his physique, and when they showed, he had these strings wrapped around his fingers.

"Another trick? What else did I expect from the Isogai clan," she let out a chuckle, but it soon turned into a battle cry, and she charged at him. „AAAAA!”

The distance was covered in the blink of an eye – just as before – allowing her to quickly assume a striking position and deliver the first few punches, each exploding as she fully extended her hand. Kazuki showed surprising agility, dodging a couple of strikes as his hands moved oddly.

It appeared as if Mika was going to overwhelm him with her punches, as there was clearly a limit to how much he could dodge, but then he pulled his hands back, and from under the sand, dozens of strings popped out, enveloping her completely.

"Isn’t that the technique of the Hayashi clan?" Satoru gasped, almost standing up.

Ren glanced at Hiroshi, whose eyes were wide and focused on the fight. The doctor's eyebrows frowned. "No. I don’t think so… This is something different from the thread we use," he said.

With her movement restricted, Mika didn’t appear bothered at all. A grin showed on her face instead. "You failed before, and you try this trick again?! Ha ha ha! Let me show you!"

Her hands burst with energy, the same which tore apart the previous restraints, but this time, to her surprise, it didn’t work.

"Huh?" The noise left her mouth as her eyes widened.

Kazuki moved his hands first, raising them and then dragging them down, revealing the belts wrapped around his torso, each covered with different pouches. He yanked Mika to the side as if she was a puppet he was playing with. She spun in the air, then heavily slammed into the sand, raising a small cloud of dust. But Kazuki was not done. He moved his hands again, throwing her in the air, only to slam her back into the ground.

"How can he do that?" Ren asked, surprised by the unexpected strength displayed by his newfound friend.

"Shinryoku," both Satoru and Hiroshi replied at the same moment, their eyes still fixed on the fight.

As Ren's gaze returned to the arena, he witnessed Kazuki dragging Mika across the sand, repeatedly throwing her in the air and then slamming her back down.

"AAAAARGH!!!" She screamed at the top of her lungs. To everyone's surprise, one of the strings snapped, freeing her hand. This allowed her to grab more of the annoying wire-like object and tear more of it, freeing herself completely. She immediately rushed at Kazuki with fury on her face.

Kazuki, on the other hand, maintained a surprisingly calm expression. As she charged, he moved his hands once more, causing something under the sand to move right where her foot landed. Another string appeared, wrapping around her leg and yanking her back into the air, only to drag her down and slam her into the sand again.

"He copied your clan's technique," Satoru stated, taking his eyes off the duel for a moment to focus on Hiroshi.

"No... I don't think so," said the doctor. "This is something different. We use threads, and this is more like a wire... I've never seen anything like those strings. And the way he uses them... It's nothing like we do. Besides... His moves are awkward. He only drags her and slams her into the ground. It seems like... It seems like this is not even his fighting style. It's so strange…"

Ren was surprised by these words, but his attention remained fixed on the duel.

Mika was repeatedly picked up and slammed back into the sand, but those impacts seemed to have only a marginal effect on her sturdy body, clearly strengthened by shinryoku. On the other hand, no matter what she tried, she seemed unable to do anything.

She grabbed the string and tore it off once more, freeing herself, only to be caught by more of the strings in the air, which wrapped around her tightly and smacked her into the ground, face first. He whipped her into the air, only to hit her again.

The stands were awkwardly silent, witnessing this very one-sided fight, and even the people from the Isogai clan weren't cheering, as it didn't feel right given the situation.

‘I never even considered that he could be this strong... Or maybe just his fighting style is very effective against her,’ Ren thought. In his mind, he was considering what it would be like to fight against Kazuki, and he had a feeling that his Maken would easily tear those strings to shreds.

After several more hits, Mika finally screamed, "I give up! I give up!"

Some people in the stands began clapping, and Kazuki released the girl while the medical team rushed to assist her. However, as soon as she was unwrapped from the strings, she pushed through the doctors and stormed toward the exit.

The victorious warrior briefly looked around the stands, but his eyes soon landed on Ren.

At first, he didn't know how to react, but he soon realized that he needed to show his friend some kind of reaction, so he jumped to his feet and gave Kazuki a big thumbs up.

The warrior of the Isogai clan smiled widely in response and then nodded.

"I want to see him fight somebody who can deal with those strings," Hiroshi said.

"Me too," Satoru agreed.

"His real fighting style… I want to see it," the doctor added.

The celebration of the victory was cut short as the medical team approached Kazuki, clearly to ask if he needed any assistance, but also to escort him out of the arena.

"What a fight!" The crackling voice of the announcer once again echoed over the stadium. "And we have another one coming in a moment! Do not leave your seats!"

As soon as the arena cleared, two new participants emerged, stepping toward the middle. Ren immediately recognized one—a girl with long hair shimmering with dark shades of green. She wore shorts with black knee-high socks and a leather jacket, but the most eye-catching detail was the strange pet sitting on her shoulder—a surprisingly fat tiger cub.

"That is Sakura Kamishima," said Hiroshi, but Ren already knew.

Her opponent was a rather average-looking young man with a mane of black, ruffled hair. He seemed a bit out of place in his slightly too-big white tang suit, looking around like a tourist who had lost his way.

"Everybody!" The crackling voice of the announcer shook the arena. "Give it up for Saaaaaakuraaaaa Kaaaaaamiiiiiishiiiiiiimaaaaa!"

The girl spun on her heel, blowing kisses to everybody, which earned her surprisingly loud cheers. The cacophony of voices was overwhelming. Some people tried to chant her name, but they just couldn't pierce through the wall of other voices. Some flags were swung as well.

"And Taaaaakuuuuuuumiiiii Kōōōōōriiiiiiii!"

The boy started to bow down in every direction. At first, the cheers for him were much quieter, but noticing his polite response, others in the stadium raised their voices, joining the Kōri clan members, and he received a decent greeting. Still, it was a bit shallow compared to Sakura's.

Ren found himself in a state of anxiety as he awaited the gong to signal the start of the fight. He really wanted to see the powers of this strange girl and the creature on her shoulder.

Surprisingly, instead of the gong, he heard something else. A loud explosion shook the entire stadium in the blink of an eye, rendering the people silent. Some gasped, looking around in confusion as the whole structure shook. Even the participants in the arena had no idea what was going on.

"Ren, stay here with Satoru. I'll go check what happened," Hiroshi ordered as he rushed from his spot to quickly vanish.

Hiroshi wasn't the only one leaving; others from the stands also made the same decision, and soon a wave of people began rushing toward the exits like falling dominoes. The chaos in the stadium abruptly escalated as more and more people decided to head for the exit. The noise of the crowd, mixed with panic and confusion, created an overwhelming atmosphere in the blink of an eye.

A loud, ear-piercing noise preceded the cacophony, followed by the crackling voice of the announcer. "Everybody, please do not panic! Citizens of Hikarimura, remain in your seats!"

However, the announcer's plea fell on deaf ears. Thankfully, the guards appeared, and they quickly managed to communicate with various clan members, attempting to regain control of the regular population of the city. With their efforts, they prevented the chaos from turning into something more dangerous, although they couldn't stop people from leaving the stadium. At least they established a proper evacuation, preventing further injuries due to the stampede.

"What is going on?" Ren asked, looking at Satoru.

"I have no idea, but we need to remain calm. We will soon find out," the old man reassured him.

Amid the occasional screams and orders that filled the air, Ren suddenly remembered the words of the strange man who had invaded his privacy. His eyes darted to the part of the stands where he had previously noticed the guests from Thessara. However, they were all gone.

‘Is this... It can't be,’ he thought to himself, but doubt had already taken root in his mind, and from that point, there was no turning back.

He even got up, deciding to look for the doctor.

"What are you doing?" Satoru asked.

"I'm going to join Hiroshi," he stated. But as soon as he took the first step toward the exit from the stands, a guard appeared right in front of him.

"Stay in your seat. The situation is being handled," the guard said firmly.

"But..." Ren began to protest.

Satoru immediately grabbed his sleeve and pulled him back into his seat. "Sit and wait," the old man hissed. "Hiroshi will be back soon, and he will tell us everything."

Ren wanted to argue, unable to shake the feeling that something was seriously amiss.