When Ren was about to step into the arena, he found Takashi already waiting there, bathed in the light pouring down from above, directly onto the sand pit.

Despite their similar stature, the warrior from the Kōri clan exuded a menacing aura. Perhaps it was the tattoos on his arms, which stirred up uncomfortable memories from Ren's past, reminding him of encounters with gang members during his homeless days.

Glancing at the Maken at his side, Ren's initial concerns about his opponent gave way to an even more daunting adversary: the Hearteater, the malevolent ghost residing within his weapon.

Gritting his teeth and attempting to banish thoughts of the haunting entity by conjuring the image of his soon-to-be wife, the lovely Mirai, Ren entered the arena. His entrance earned him a smattering of cheers and applause from Satoru, Hiroshi, and even Kazuki. He briefly acknowledged them with a smile before refocusing on Takashi.

Upon reaching the center of the sand pit, Ren unsheathed his katana. The blade emitted a soft, protective glow as the razor wires entwined around his forearm, producing a scraping sound against the metal of the protective glove.

The gong's resonant toll signaled the start of the battle. Takashi wasted no time, instantly augmenting his strength with shinryoku, causing his tattoos to gleam. Swiftly, he charged toward his opponent.

Ren thought to himself, ‘He wants to end this quickly,’ as he raised his weapon to strike. His katana whistled through the air, unleashing a shockwave that swept through the space where Takashi should have been. However, Takashi's agility proved too great, and he deftly evaded the attack, sidestepping effortlessly. In a fluid motion, he leaped into the air and delivered a powerful kick to Ren's head, sending him tumbling into the sand. Then he landed gracefully, wearing a smirk.

Despite the heavy blow and the dull pain reverberating in his head, Ren remained conscious. He quickly rose to his feet, katana at the ready.

‘Killlllll hiiiiim,’ the Hearteater demanded within Ren's mind. ‘Let me fight! Stay out of it!’ Ren countered.

Takashi allowed him all the time he needed to regain his composure, as he showed no intention of attacking. His apparent indifference was taunting, suggesting he saw no threat in allowing Ren to move freely.

Fueled by frustration, Ren charged forward, unable to endure the mockery. He swung his katana, again and again. Each time, the shockwaves from his blows ravaged the space in front of him. Yet, not a single one reached Takashi. He gracefully avoided each attack as if he could anticipate Ren's moves in advance and prepare for them accordingly.

‘Weak! Weak! WEAK!’ The Hearteater's screams echoed in Ren's mind, sapping his strength and resolve.

"Your sword is powerful, but you can't use it properly," Takashi taunted, effortlessly dodging every strike.

Despite Ren's tireless efforts, his opponent displayed no signs of exhaustion, in stark contrast to himself, who was already panting heavily.

"You're even worse than I thought watching you from the stands," Takashi taunted, his tone laced with contempt. "You seem distracted. Why can't you focus on this fight? Doesn't matter. It's not like you could win anyway." He casually shrugged his shoulders before advancing, suddenly appearing right in front of Ren's face and delivering a powerful blow to his gut.

The force of the strike was so immense that it caused Ren to bend almost in half upon impact. He was sent hurtling through the air, flying a considerable distance before crashing heavily to the ground. Despite the harsh impact, he managed to maintain his grip on his katana.

It took him a moment to gather himself, his body feeling unreasonably heavy. All his strength seemed to have abandoned him, but slowly, it began to return. With a few deep breaths, he managed to rise to his feet.

Takashi's words had hit home; he had indeed allowed himself to be distracted by the ghost and his own anxieties. ‘Focus! Focus, you idiot!’ he chided himself, taking a deep breath to regain his composure and clear his mind. It worked. Feeling a renewed sense of confidence, he began to walk steadily toward his opponent, who stood waiting.

In those few steps, Ren mentally revisited all the hours of training he had undergone. He remembered the countless repetitions of forms and the hours spent with Satoru honing his skills. ‘I know this. I might not be the greatest, but I'm also not a complete fool when it comes to sword fighting,’ he reminded himself as he launched an attack.

He swung his katana horizontally, forcing Takashi to leap to evade the attack. However, Ren swiftly changed his stance, raising the sword upward. Although he missed the direct strike, the shockwave generated reached Takashi, knocking him from the sky. While his clothes were torn, his body endured the impact, and he landed gracefully on his feet.

"Not bad," Takashi remarked with a smirk, "but nowhere near enough!" He shouted, charging toward Ren.

In the blink of an eye, Takashi closed the distance. His intention was clear, but Ren anticipated this move, raising his katana to block the oncoming fist. The impact was so forceful that it sent Ren sliding across the sand while Takashi charged after him, clearly unsatisfied with the outcome of his punch.

He went low, initiating the exchange with a kick aimed at Ren's legs, but Ren reacted swiftly. He jumped into the air and countered with his own kick. Although it lacked the raw power of Takashi's attack, it served its purpose, catching the Kōri clan warrior off guard.

Ren twisted his body before landing and followed up with a powerful swing from above, aiming directly at his opponent. In the nick of time, Takashi gathered shinryoku to reinforce his body, crossing his forearms to block the strike. The impact still sent him tumbling across the arena, raising a cloud of dust. As the sand settled, onlookers could see his bloodied hands. The skin appeared shredded, but the underlying muscles remained intact.

The grimace on Takashi's face indicated that he was beginning to take the duel seriously. He wasted no time in emphasizing this change by charging forward. While he had previously displayed some speed, it now became almost absurd.

In the blink of an eye, he appeared right in Ren's face, launching a flurry of punches and kicks. Despite using his sword to defend, Ren found it impossible to block all of the attacks. He was repeatedly pummeled until he found an opening that allowed him to retreat. They both ended up several footsteps apart, panting heavily to catch their breath. Both were bloodied, though Ren had fewer open wounds and more bruises.

‘Weak! Weak! Weak!’ The Hearteater started chanting in Ren's mind, and he felt the grip of the razor wire tightening on his arm. It became evident that the ghost wanted to do something more, but besides these minor actions, nothing else was happening. Still, Ren allowed himself to be briefly distracted, which his opponent seized as an opportunity to gather more energy.

Takashi's hands began to flash with power, despite the fact that his tattoos were now ruined. His speed increased, and in the blink of an eye, he appeared right in front of Ren with his body twisted to deliver an incredibly forceful punch.

Initially, Ren was taken by surprise, but then he realized that he was observing the situation in slow motion, which made it look grotesque. Then the reason behind it hit him—the Hearteater had taken control.

Ren sidestepped, then punched Takashi in the gut, and suddenly time accelerated. The warrior's body bent around Ren's fist, nearly causing him to vomit his stomach out. The ghost added even more force, sending Takashi flying across the entire arena.

The spectators in the stands couldn't believe their eyes, and they erupted in amazement.

‘This... This is strength! You... You are weak!’ the voice of the Hearteater resonated in Ren's mind. It was full of hatred and disgust. This angered him, prompting him to regain control over his body.

He dropped to his knees and vomited, while the medical team rushed into the arena. They mostly focused on attending to Takashi, but a few approached Ren who had to deal with the surprise, that the ghost actually didn’t try to stay in charge.

"Are you alright?" they asked.

"Yeah... I'm... I'm fine," he lied.

Then, the sound of a loud thud followed by quick footsteps on the sand reached his ears.

"I'll take care of him!" Hiroshi's loud voice reached Ren's ears, and the doctor soon helped him stand up. One of the medics left to assist their colleagues.

"What a fight! What a blow! Who would have expected that from Ren Noroi!" the announcer's voice echoed through the stadium.

The doctor sighed. "Let's talk about this later. For now, I need to heal you, and then you should celebrate your victory," he said, placing his hands on Ren's stomach. Using shinryoku, he began the healing process.

It took several minutes before the treatment concluded.

"This should be enough for now, but you need to visit my clinic later on," Hiroshi informed before starting to lead Ren toward the gate.

A few steps in, the young warrior began to once again feel his body and also the pain, so he was more or less able to walk on his own.

Together, they made their way back to the stands, where Satoru and Kazuki already awaited them.

"Great job! I'm so proud of you!" the old man said, moving forward to hug his adopted son.

Behind him, Ren's new friend was grinning widely. "You won! We both won! I'm so happy!"

"Th-thanks… To both of you. I'm happy too," he said, but it was actually hard to feel the joy after losing control to the ghost.

"Congratulations to all the participants!" The voice from behind prompted them all to look at the entrance to the tunnel leading out of the stands. The woman in the pink kimono was there. "The winners, please follow me. Usually, we would have a proper ceremony, but due to our current circumstances, we will hold a shortened version in the hall. This way, please," she said, immediately turning on her heel.

Everybody followed, soon arriving in the well illuminated, main hall where the rest of the winners already awaited, happy to reunite with their friends and families who had been watching the other duels.

Akihiko Takashi, the Divine Sovereign of the Radiant Throne, was also present with a few more guards and a row of young women in black kimonos with white flowers imprinted on the fabric. Mirai was among them.

The guards moved to separate the new candidates from everybody else, instructing them to form a line in front of the ruler of the city.

The man had the same attire that Ren remembered from the inauguration ceremony, but he also held a small wooden box with scrolls in it.

"Congratulations," he said, smiling as everything was in place. "The whole Hikarimura is celebrating your victory. Please receive these scrolls. The certificates that you are indeed the candidates and the documents recognizing all of you as the owners of new, beautiful houses in the districts of your clans." He spoke, approaching every single one of them and giving them all two scrolls each. Then he turned and pointed at the row of girls. "You can also choose a wife if you wish."

Without hesitation, Ren stepped forward, approached Mirai, and grabbed her arm.

She smiled, looking him deep in the eyes, but then Ren felt another grasp on his forearm, squeezing tightly. As he turned his head, he saw Ryoma Tachibana, with his eyebrow frowning.

"I'm choosing her as well, so according to tradition, we will have to fight to decide," he stated, causing other people around to gasp.