The sun beat down onto the square stone arena. Dust drifted in the wind as thirty-two hopeful participants stood in the battleground, including Aisho, Trace, and Yuta, surrounded by roaring stands. The crowd was electric.

  There were some familiar faces, such as Kouji, Lara, and Shin. Along with the Scarface guy, Aisho ran into before.

  On a separate wooden stage, like a repurposed festival platform, two figures marched up the steps. One wore sunglasses far too big for his head, bouncing with every exaggerated movement. The other had long bangs drooping over the left half of his face like he was trying to dodge social interaction entirely. A giant TV screen above them flared to life with bold, stylized letters:

  CRACKED FANG TOURNAMENT

  They both pulled out a microphone.

  The one with the sunglasses held out their arms and said, “WELCOME EVERYONE! TO THE FIRST ANNUAL CRACKED FANG TOURNAMENT!”

  “I’M MIKAN. YOUR HOST FOR THIS TOURNAMENT!” Mikan yelled out.

  The curtain-haired guy sighed. “...And I’m your other host. Kazu. Unfortunately.”

  “FOR THOSE NEW TO THE FORMAT: IT’S ONE-ON-ONE FIGHTS!” Mikan explained, bouncing on his feet. “LEAVE THE RING? DISQUALIFIED! GO NIGHT-NIGHT? ELIMINATED!”

  “...Kill someone?” Kazu added dully. “Technically allowed. But don’t.”

  “AND THE GRAND PRIZE—” Mikan threw his arms up, “A FREE RIDE TO KAIZURON AND A SLOT IN THE LANCER TRIALS!”

  Kazu leaned into the mic, muttering, “Or a free trip to the infirmary. Either one.”

  Aisho turned to her friends as the crowd erupted into cheers.

  She swallowed hard, “Okay, so… we’re all feeling good, right? Not gonna die?”

  Yuta said nothing for a moment, not even acknowledging Aisho, then she said, “Aisho, we might’ve been friends before this tournament, but there can only be one winner. Don’t try to act friends now.”

  “Right…” Aisho looked down, then towards Trace.

  “I hate to admit it,” he said. “But Yuta is right. We each have our own goals for becoming a Lancer, and this might be our only chance.

  Then Kazu walked down from the stage, holding a small wooden basket filled with folded papers. “Everyone gets a number. The bracket’s randomized. If you complain, I don’t care.”

  Mikan shouted, “STEP UP TO THE DRAWING BASKET!”

  One by one, Kazu called up each participant’s name to choose their placement. Aisho was the first to be called up.

  As she approached Kazu, she felt an odd sense of nervousness and excitement, but tried to shake it off. She tried to grin at him, but he scoffed.

  “Go ahead, any paper, it doesn’t matter,” he said.

  Aisho reached in and pulled out a slip.

  She grinned. “Number three, sweet.”

  Once all participants had received their numbers, the giant TV behind Mikan turned on. It was a classic tournament bracket featuring each participant’s picture and their name.

  Bracket 1:

  Zella vs Tyran

  Aisho vs Terrance

  Kaelin vs Rinnai

  Nobu vs Lara

  Tama vs Maxwell

  Caine vs June

  Shin vs Colt

  Blade Rin vs Thorne

  Bracket 2:

  Trace vs Nyra

  Kade vs Zai

  Ryke vs Tova

  Kira vs Elandra

  Kouji vs Yuta

  Viona vs Noira

  Chip vs Barry

  Deku vs Shayla

  The first thing Aisho noticed wasn’t how intimidating all the participants were, but she was going against the same Scarface kid who tried to rob her, Terrance.

  He approached, arms crossed. “Didn’t know you were participating in this tournament,” said Terrance, a stupid smirk playing on his lips. “Still don’t know how to control your Yogen? You’ll be a nice warmup.”

  Aisho clicked her teeth, then grinned, “I get to fight you in the first round. I’ll have you know I’m not the same person anymore.”

  MIkan did some small hops, “KAZU I’M JUST TEEMING WITH EXCITEMENT, LET’S GET THIS SHOW ON THE RODE, SHOULD WE!”

  Kazu pointed them to the waiting bleachers. “Sit there. Don’t break anything. Yet.”

  The thirty-two fighters moved to the side benches, a mix of serious martial artists and colorful weirdos.

  Mikan waved dramatically. “AND NOW, OUR FIRST MATCH—ZELLA VS. TYRAN!”

  Zella, clad in regal purple, glided to the arena like a ghost. Tyran cracked his knuckles in his white gi, a confident smirk on his face.

  “I’M GONNA NEED TO HAVE A COUNTDOWN FROM THE CROWD HERE NOW!”

  Mikan raised his arms, trying to egg on the audience.

  “3!”

  Tyran stepped into a wide stance.

  “2!”

  Zella raised her hands.

  “1!”

  They both tensed.

  “GO!”

  Tyran shot forward first—his strikes were textbook, fast, and sharp. Zella parried with minimal movement, deflecting kicks and jabs. The crowd ooooh’d with every exchange. He landed a heavy kick to Zella’s side, causing her to slide towards the edge of the ring.

  “ZELLA TAKES A HEAVY BLOW! ALMOST KNOCKED OUT THE RING!”

  “He’s a punching encyclopedia,” Kazu muttered. “Boring.”

  “How do you like that?” Tyran wiped his nose with his thumb. “Years' worth of training my Kageuchi.”

  “I didn’t want to show my Yogen this early in the tournament,” Zella remarked.

  “Oh, so you’re getting serious, I guess I will too.”

  Before Zella could do anything, Tyran continued his offense. Leaping high, slicing the air with a red-tinted arc of wind from his foot.

  Mikan’s eyes widened. “YOGEN ALERT! SOME SORT OF WIND BLADE!”

  Zella sidestepped, barely. The wind slash cracked the arena floor, kicking up dust and debris.

  “Dang,” Aisho whispered. “That would’ve snapped me in half.”

  “WHOAAAA! SHE DODGED THE ATTACK!”

  Kazu, his monotone. “Never seen someone dodge an attack before?”

  Zella countered with a revitalized burst of speed, her nails glowing faintly. She struck Tyran in rapid succession—barely visible pokes across his arms and ribs.

  “What is that? Tickling him?” Trace asked.

  Tyran grunted and collapsed, his body inert on the ground.

  Yuta narrowed her eyes. “Must be some pressure point related Yogen.”

  The crowd burst into cheers, loving the battle.

  He winced, “D-Dang it. What’d you do to me?”

  She didn’t acknowledge his question.

  “THERE YOU HAVE IT! THE WINNER OF THE FIRST MATCH IS ZELLA!”

  Aisho’s eyes almost burst out of her face. She went pale. “Oh no. I have to fight that next?!” Assuming she’d win against Terrance.

  Some paramedics carried Tyran from the arena on a stretcher. The arena cleared as a blue aura swept across the stone. Kazu raised a single hand, using his Yogen. The cracked tile Tyran had shattered reformed in seconds.

  “AS FOR OUR NEXT MATCH—AISHO VERSUS TERRANCE!”

  Aisho stood and stretched her shoulders. “Okay. No pressure. Just need to beat the jerk who tried to rob me. In front of an entire town. No big deal.”

  Trace nodded. “You got this.”

  The crowd buzzed with excitement as Aisho stepped into the arena, wiping sweaty palms on her shorts. Across from her stood Terrance.

  “You sure you wanna do this, shortstack?” he called across the ring. “You can always forfeit.”

  Aisho cracked her neck. “Why? Afraid I might break your jaw?”

  Terrance laughed. “You can try.”

  The crowd counted down, and immediately Terrance charged first, faster than expected for a guy built like a boulder. Aisho ducked the first swing, pivoting into a low stance and striking his ribs.

  Her knuckles clanged against his body. It felt like punching a wall.

  Terrance didn’t even flinch. “Yogen: Iron body.”

  “WHOA! SHOWING OFF YOUR YOGEN THIS EARLY IN THE TOURNAMENT?!” Mikan shouted.

  His skin shimmered with a dull metallic sheen as he swung again. Aisho blocked, but the sheer weight of the blow sent her skidding towards the edge of the arena.

  She caught her footing—barely.

  “Neat trick,” she grunted. “You almost got me.”

  Terrance smirked. He charged again, relentless, smashing the ground where she had just been. Dust and stone exploded as his fists dented the very arena.

  Using her Yogen to a controllable amount, she slipped and dodged each of his punches.

  Kazu raised his microphone. “Hey, golden girl, you just gonna run away? If I wanted to be bored, I’d watch paint dry..”

  Mikan added, “AS MUCH AS I’D HATE TO AGREE WITH KAZU, I WANT TO SEE A FIGHT,” he turned towards the crowd. “COME ON! WHAT DO YOU GUYS WANT TO SEE!”

  The audience chanted the word fight.

  Aisho dodged and weaved, but the power gap was undeniable. She tried to attack and landed two more strikes. She kicked his knee and punched his jaw—both rang out like bells, doing nothing.

  Terrance counterattacked by punching her in the gut. She stumbled back, coughing.

  “WHOA! A HEAVY ATTACK!” Mikan yelled. “COULD THIS BE THE END OF THIS SHORT MATCH?!”

  Worse, she was slowing down. Her energy was draining. Her limbs were heavy.

  She was losing.

  Terrance wasn’t letting up—he landed a shoulder bash, sending Aisho tumbling towards the edge of the arena. She managed to dig her fingers into the stone to prevent herself from sliding out.

  “Aww, what’s wrong? Too weak?” Terrance mocked. “You can leave the ring now if you’d like.”

  The crowd laughed.

  Trace whispered. “C’mon, Aisho…”

  Aisho slowly pulled herself up, arms shaking.

  “I’m not leaving,” she muttered.

  “What was that?” Terrance cupped a hand to his ear.

  She spat to the side. “I said I’m not leaving. So shut up and hit me already.”

  Terrance cracked his knuckles. “You got guts. I’ll give you that.”

  But as he charged again, a strange stillness formed in Aisho’s chest. Something clicked. Not something physical but something internal.

  The pain, the fear, the noise of the crowd—it all compressed into a single sharp clarity.

  Her heartbeat evened. Her thoughts slowed.

  A memory surfaced. Not one of triumph, but of failure.

  Back on her home island, before she even reached the awakening of her Dragon Vein. She was nowhere near as close in strength as she was now, especially not in speed. She’d thought then: Why can’t I go faster?

  Now she realized—It wasn’t about running. It was about movement.

  A fight is never a straight line; you have a whole field to work with, and just running in a straight line will only lead to failure.

  Her Yogen wasn’t just about speed. It was about freedom. Freedom of movement. And in that moment, something inside her answered.

  Terrance’s fist came blasting at her.

  And Aisho vanished in a streak of golden light, her veins pulsing golden.

  “WHOA—HOW’D SHE DO THAT?!” Mikan yelled.

  Even Kazu blinked. “Wait, did she teleport?!”

  “HAS AISHO BEEN HIDING HER FULL POWER ALL ALONG?!”

  She came to a halt on the far end of the arena, standing upright, golden glow fading from her feet. Her eyes glimmered—wild and focused all at once.

  Terrance whipped around, dumbfounded. “What the heck?!”

  The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

  Aisho smiled faintly and glanced hand. “Have I been using my Yogen wrong this entire time?”

  Terrance charged again, frustrated now. But he wasn’t hitting the same girl.

  She dipped under his punch with ease, circling behind him. Her fist hit Terrance in the chest.

  He staggered this time.

  Aisho noticed this; he must’ve been running out of Dragon Vein energy.

  She moved again.

  A jab to his side.

  She circled again. He turned too slowly.

  A kick—his back.

  “Stop moving!” he roared, swinging wildly.

  She ducked again—her body glowing in bursts as her Yogen flared and cooled between motions.

  Aisho’s thoughts were razor-sharp now.

  Kazu leaned forward. “That speed… That flow… It’s not just fast. It’s clean.”

  Mikan’s mouth dropped open. “I TAKE IT BACK! I LOVE SPEEDSTERS!”

  Terrance growled. “Fine! Try THIS!” He picked up one of the stone plates on the ground, then heaved it at Aisho.

  However, she leapt into the air, dodging the projectile.

  Terrance’s iron body began to wear off, his skin turning back to its original color, his veins fading. He inhaled and exhaled in heavy gasps after exerting a large amount of energy.

  Upon landing, Aisho shot forward like a bullet, landing a flying kick to Terrance's chest, causing him to fly out of the ring.

  “THERE YOU HAVE IT, PEOPLE!” Mikan yelled. “AISHO WILL BE MOVING ON TO THE NEXT ROUND!”

  Aisho walked over to give Terrance a hand. However, he just slapped it away and marched off.

  As for the next matches, Kaelin used his Yogen to create thick glass sheets to attack and defeat Rinnai long enough to push her out of bounds.

  Nobu used her Yogen to attach invisible threads to Lara in order to control her movements. Lara countered by creating a mini tornado to disrupt these threads. Lara is the winner by out of bounds.

  Maxwell’s Yogen allows him to create a localized current of water around his arms and legs to strike like tidal whips. Tama tried to counter by using her Yogen to shoot light bullets from her palm, but it was ineffective. Maxwell is the winner by incapacitation.

  Caine can fire invisible blasts of Dragon Vein energy by channeling his energy into one point on his body. This Yogen proved very effective against June, whose Yogen only allowed her to create “air steps” where she could move freely throughout the air. Caine wins by incapacitation.

  Colt’s Yogen is to create shadow creatures to fight as his loyal servants. Shin easily dispelled these fighters using his Yogen, being able to summon lava blade constructs. Shin defeats Colt by incapacitation.

  As for the next match, things got a bit interesting. Thorne—a bald, brolic man went up against Blade Rin—a lean man with flexible clothing. Not only that, but he wore an eccentric mask that was similar to a ram. On his hip, he has a katana sheathed.

  “SO FAR, THIS TOURNAMENT HAS BEEN EXPLOSIVE!” Mikan screamed. “ONTO OUR FINAL MATCH OF BRACKET ONE—THORNE VERSUS BLADE RIN.”

  They both stepped into the arena, standing in opposite corners.

  “MOST SAY THORNE IS THE STRONGEST IN THIS TOURNAMENT!” Mikan roared.

  “I’ve got my money on the masked fighter,” Kazu declared.

  The audience counted down, and the battle was set.

  “Man, I’ve been itching for a battle!” Thorne called out. “Don’t even try to forfeit now.”

  Blade Rin said nothing. He held up two fingers. “Two minutes! I give my foe two minutes before this match will be decided,” he yelled. “And I won't even use my Yogen—only Kageuchi.”

  The crowd went wild at his bold remark.

  “WHAT’S THIS? BLADE RIN CLAIMS THIS MATCH WILL BE DECIDED IN TWO MINUTES.”

  “Cocky,” Kazu said. “Kinda like it.”

  Thorne clenched his fists hard enough that a vein bulged out of his forehead. He cracked his knuckles and gritted his teeth. “You better be a good fight,” he barked. “Or you just might die.”

  The crowd counted down then the fight kicked off.

  Thorne leapt towards Blade Rin with incredible speed, throwing a powerful punch.

  Blade Rin easily sidestepped, but Thorne continued to attack, throwing punches and kicks.

  The swordsman continued dodging and weaving without any effort. Blade Rin dashed away, standing across the arena from Thorne.

  “You have one minute!” Blade Rin quipped. “You need more time? You better get—”

  “Enough!” Thorne ordered.

  His Dragon Vein charged—multiple small clusters of earth formed around him. They began to orbit him like planets. A very dark purple light seeped through the cracks.

  “You. Interrupted me,” Blade Rin murmured. “You must have a death wish.”

  One by one, Thorne shot each of his rock clusters at Blade Rin.

  Thorne’s attempts at attacks continued to prove themselves to be futile as Blade Rin continued to dodge. All but one rock cluster remained, and a sweaty Thorne, breathing heavily.

  “You–” Blade Rin was cut off once again.

  “I will kill you!” Thorne said as he threw his last rock cluster at mach speed. Only this time, the cluster grew in size as it came closer to Blade Rin.

  Blade Rin whispered.“Your time ran out.”

  Even faster than the stone cluster hurtling towards him, he unsheathed his sword then vanished in the blink of an eye. He then reappeared behind Thorne, facing away from him, and his sword held out.

  Blade Rin merely sheathed the sword, and at the moment he sheathed, a hundred small cuts appeared along Thorne’s body.

  “A Kageuchi technique,” Blade Rin said. “Quick Strike.”

  Thorne collapsed, crimson pooling from his body and mouth.

  Blade Rin looked towards Kazu. “Hey, you said killing is allowed, right?”

  Kazu hesitated for a moment; he didn’t think anyone would go to such lengths to seemingly purposely kill someone else. “Yes, it is allowed,” Kazu squinted his eyes.

  Blade Rin turned away. “Good. Because I might have ‘accidentally’ killed him.”

  The crowd went silent, including Mikan for once.

  Mikan hesitated for a moment—he cleared his throat, then said, “Uh—THE WINNER IS BLADE RIN!”

  There were some whispers within the crowd.

  Aisho whispered to Trace, “That guy is pretty intimidating.”

  Trace nodded.

  “Aw man, I thought I was a fan favorite,” Blade Rin shrugged. “I guess it’s whatever.”

  He marched back to the stone bleachers. Instead of sitting where he was originally, he took a seat next to Aisho.

  She scooches away slightly.

  Blade Rin leaned in, tilting his ram mask ever so slightly. “Your name’s Aisho, right?”

  Aisho side-eyed him with a suspicious grin. “Y-Yup. That’s what they call me.”

  Blade Rin chuckled. “I have a habit of being misunderstood. But I'm not trying to make friends if that’s what you were thinking”

  He glanced at the arena, where the blood had just been cleared away by Kazu’s ability.

  “I just thought it was strange,” he said. “You and this other kid… you’re supposed to be similar.”

  Aisho squinted. “You mean they’re like me? Loud, strong, charismatic, and fast?”

  “Well, yeah.” Blade Rin's tone lowered, but not seriously. “I mean… you're like them, but flipped sorta.”

  Aisho’s smirk wavered.

  Blade Rin sighed, as if annoyed at himself. “I probably shouldn’t have told you that since it was my boss’s orders. But, hey, screw him, right?”

  Aisho thought for a moment. “Is this reflection character named… Ohsia?”

  Inside her, a pressure suddenly stirred. Cold and sharp. That was Retsin warning her. But what was he warning her about?

  “Oh,” Blade Rin crossed his legs. He slowly tilted his head. “That’s not a name I expected you to know.”

  “So—uh—what’s the deal?”

  He leaned forward. “Can’t say much.”

  “Oh… yeah,” Aisho huffed. “If you don’t mind me asking what’s up with the mask?”

  Blade Rin looked towards her. “This mask—”

  His voice cut off.

  Silence.

  “Huh?” Aisho asked.

  He simply stood up and walked away.

  Before Aisho could ask anything else, Mikan’s voice tore across the arena. “ALRIGHT, FOLKS! BRACKET TWO IS BEGINNING! FIRST MATCH—TRACE VERSUS NYRA!”

  Trace stood from the bleachers and gave Aisho a calm nod. His usual sharp eyes.

  Aisho stood up halfway. “Hey! Trace! Kick her butt, yeah?”

  He gave her a small smile. “I’ll try.”

  The crowd counted down for their battle. Towards the start, Trace was struggling against Nyra’s Yogen—the ability to slow down any projectile directed towards her, basically countering Trace’s void discs. However, he noticed a flaw with her Yogen; it doesn’t slow down immediately. He managed to close the distance and land an energy-severing void disc to her chest. Trace won the match.

  In the next match, Kade won by incapacitation. He used his Yogen to create cactus-like spikes and shoot them from his body.

  Tova’s Yogen shoots harmonic beams, disorienting Ryke, causing him to stumble out of bounds.

  Elandra created plant constructs to apprehend Kira, winning by incapacitation.

  Yuta easily wins against Kouji by freezing him immediately.

  Noira wins her match quickly with her mysterious Yogen to create black ribbons.

  Barry wins by knocking Chip out of the ring. His Yogen can increase the weight of his punches.

  Shayla wins, her Yogen can change her skin so that it feels like fire.

  “THERE YOU HAVE IT, PEOPLE! THAT CONCLUDES THE FIRST ROUND!” Mikan shouted.

  Kazu smiled slightly. “Finally, now battles can start getting interesting.”

  On the large screen, it displayed the new bracket.

  Bracket 1:

  Zella vs Aisho

  Kaelin vs Lara

  Maxwell vs Caine

  Shin vs Blade Rin

  Bracket 2:

  Trace vs Kade

  Tova vs Elandra

  Yuta vs Noira

  Barry vs Shayla

  Zella and Aisho were called up to fight first, standing in opposite corners of the ring.

  The crowd counted down and the fight began. At first, Aisho had to study her opponent; she remembered how Zella defeated Tyran. Yuta mentioned it was pressure points. To win the fight, she couldn’t let Zella touch her—not even once.

  As soon as the match started, Aisho tried to catch her off guard with a roundhouse, but she simply sidestepped.

  Zella’s hand shot out.

  Aisho managed to swerve out of the way at the last second, dodging what looked like a tap to her ribs.

  “That almost caught me,” she muttered.

  Zella raised her hands. “I can see your pressure points. The ones that control breath, motion, and even vision. I don’t need to hit hard. I just need to touch the right places.”

  Aisho narrowed her eyes. “You just need to catch me.”

  Without warning, Zella vanished in thin air and reappeared behind Aisho.

  She used a Kageuchi technique—a simple one but very effective. It’s called Body Flicker, allowing the user to move at a fast speed for a short amount of time.

  Zella’s fingers were already aimed at her spine, hoping to disable a pressure point.

  Aisho, being as fast as ever, spun wildly to dodge the attack.

  Mikan gasped. “WHA—?! I KNOW AISHO’S PRETTY FAST BUT DID ZELLA JUST VANISH?!”

  “Hmph. That was Body Flicker. Pressure point visibility combined with the Body Flicker skill makes for a deadly combo,” said Kazu. “Surprised golden girl managed to catch on and dodge it.”

  Aisho stumbled, breathing heavily. She was lost on how to defeat her opponent—she would run out of energy by using her Yogen too much. She was contemplating showing off her Seishinryu Line until she got an idea.

  She powered her Yogen and dashed straight towards Zella—it was a feint. Aisho sidestepped and circled Zella in a ring of golden light.

  Aisho occasionally hit Zella with a punch or kick without overcommitting fully, just to wear her down, then returned to the golden ring.

  After realizing she would lose in this situation, Zella channeled her Dragon Vein energy into her legs to leap out of the circle—that wouldn’t save her.

  Aisho leapt into the air, pursuing Zella, grabbed her by the legs, spun, then threw her out of the ring.

  Aisho landed in a crash, but she won by throwing her opponent out of bounds.

  The crowd went wild at Aisho’s bold move, ultimately winning her the match.

  “Clever move,” Kazu said. “I’ve got my money on the golden girl winning this tournament.”

  “AISHO IS THE WINNER OF HER SECOND ROUND!” Mikan yelled.

  The next match was Kaelin versus Lara. Kaelin simply overwhelmed Lara with his glass walls blocking Lara’s wind tornadoes. Kaelin is the winner.

  The following match was Maxwell vs Caine. It was a close match, Maxwell constantly using his water strikes, but Caine’s constant barrages were too much for Maxwell to handle, and Caine won the match.

  The final match of the first bracket was Shin versus Blade Rin, two very skilled sword users.

  Their battle commenced with Shin making the first move. He drew his sword, and it glowed in a red aura. Four molten red swords formed in the air.

  Shin dashed at Blade Rin, his blade swinging overhead.

  Blade Rin blocked it with his sword, clashing with the clank of metal.

  One lava blade shot towards Blade Rin, causing him to sidestep. The second whirled behind him. He ducked. The third swept at his legs, causing him to jump. The fourth spun through the air like a fan at his chest.

  Blade Rin held up his sword, not only blocking the lava blade, but instead of Blade Rin’s sword melting, it turned the lava blade into particles, then was absorbed into his sword.

  Mikan, practically screaming. “ARE YOU SEEING THIS? BLADE RIN HAS JUST ABSORBED LAVA ITSELF INTO HIS SWORD!”

  Kazu raised an eyebrow. “Was that it?Has Blade Rin finally decided to showcase his Yogen?”

  Shin had his swords withdrawn for the time being.

  Sunlight peered through the clouds, casting a glow onto the arena.

  Blade Rin looked up at the sky.

  “I didn’t think I’d have to use my Yogen so early, you’re a special one,” he admired. “Perfect timing, the sun has awoken.”

  Blade Rin held up his sword as high as possible, a singular pillar of light cast down onto his body. “This is my Yogen,” he said. “Be grateful that I used it on you.”

  Shin’s lava blades disintegrated into particles that flowed towards Blade Rin’s sword.

  “What?” he gasped.

  Blade Rin held his sword on the right side of his body, then blitzed forward at an incredible speed, finishing in front of Shin.

  Shin flinched, but he quickly blocked the attack with his sword. The sword was split in half by Blade Rin’s lightspeed attack.

  Shin looked down and he saw that the attacker had drawn a cutting mark from his left shoulder to his right hip. Blood spurted from the attack.

  “SHIN TAKES A HEAVY BLOW, HAS THE BATTLE BEEN CONCLUDED?!”

  He knelt, still clutching his broken sword in his hand.

  “Do you surrender?” Blade Rin asked.

  A pause.

  Desperate, Shin stood up, swinging his broken sword towards Blade Rin. He ducked.

  Blade Rin stuck out his index finger and jabbed Shin’s torso in multiple places, piercing skin and flesh—a gross attack

  Shin fell onto his back.

  “a-a-AND THE WINNER IS BLADE RIN!” Mikan shouted.

  He looked towards Mikan and Kazu. “Don’t worry. I didn’t kill him.”

  As Blade Rin walked off the arena, the paramedics came in and tended to Shin’s wounds, carefully carrying him away.

  “THE NEXT BATTLE—KADE VERSUS TRACE!”

  Their battle began with Kade making the first move, shooting small cactus-like spikes from his palms at Trace.

  He shifted out of the way of his projectile, charging a void-disc from his left hand. He tossed it, but Kade slipped out of the way.

  This was a battle of attrition to see who could dodge and counterattack longer.

  After a long battle, Kade’s arm caught Trace’s void-disc, losing the Dragon Vein energy in his arm.

  He hesitated, giving Trace enough time to launch another disc passing directly through Kade’s torso, causing him to tumble to the ground, making Trace the winner.

  In the following match, Tova fought against Elandra. Tova won that match due to a direct hit she landed.

  The next match—Yuta versus Noira commenced.

  Yuta began the match off by playing it cautiously, Noira’s Yogen was still unknown in how she used black ribbons that seemingly came from nowhere.

  At one end stood Yuta, her arms crossed, one foot casually resting on its heel.

  Noira spoke first, her voice was smooth. “Try not to fall apart too quickly. I’d like to enjoy this.”

  Yuta smirked. “Cute. That sounded almost like flirting.”

  The countdown finished, and the fight began.

  In a blink, several black ribbons launched from Noira’s back like vipers. Yuta moved to the side, but the ribbons curved. One grazed her arm, another wrapped around her thigh.

  Yuta’s smirk vanished.

  The edges of her vision dimmed, her breath catching in her throat like she’d just climbed a mountain. The world became muffled—the roar of the crowd became distant and warped, like she was underwater.

  “So this is your power,” she muttered through gritted teeth.

  She swung an arm. Ice coated her limbs in jagged shards—she yanked the ribbon off her thigh with a crunch of frost. The one on her arm shattered into pieces. But not before she staggered backward, disoriented.

  “You’re already slowing,” Noira called. “That’s the thing about oxygen. You only realize it’s gone when it’s too late.”

  Yuta narrowed her eyes, then her palm shot out. A spike of ice jutted from the floor toward Noira—but the ribbon-wielder leapt backward. Dozens more ribbons burst outward, whipping around Yuta from every angle.

  Yuta weaved through them, but she was on the defensive now. Each breath felt shorter than the last.

  “Tired already?” Noira asked. “Your Yogen is flashy, but it’s all ice.”

  Yuta grinned weakly. “Nah. Just waiting for my moment.”

  “You mean your defeat?”

  “You’re dramatic,” Yuta coughed.

  Yuta closed the distance, dodging any ribbons flying towards her. Once she got close, they were now in hand-to-hand combat.

  They punched, kicked, blocked, and parried, but Yuta’s technique was better fleshed out. Noira overcommitted with a punch. Yuta caught her arm over her shoulder and slammed her into the ground.

  Yuta then staggered forward. A ribbon connected to Noira’s back caught Yuta’s ankle.

  Noira didn’t hesitate—from the ground she wrapped three ribbons around Yuta’s waist, another around her neck. Each ribbon connected to Noira’s back. Yuta’s knees hit the floor. Her head lowered.

  “Hah! Gotcha!” Noira called out.

  “No!” Aisho shouted from the stands.

  “SHE’S—SHE’S OUT OF IT!” Mikan cried. “NOIRA’S ABOUT TO WIN WITH A FULL CHOKEHOLD!”

  “Ehh,” Kazu muttered, “Feels staged. Wait for it…”

  Yuta’s lips barely moved. “Flash-Freezing.”

  Instantly, ice formed on each ribbon and on Noira’s body—she had been able to do this since she’d subtly created a mist by raising the humidity around her. The moisture in the ribbons. Her breath.

  With surgical precision, the ribbons around Yuta froze.

  Noira gasped, standing up and trying to retract her threads—but it was too late. They had already frozen solid. Yuta rose slowly, stretching her neck like she’d just woken from a nap.

  “That was exhausting. You just go by Noira, right?” she muttered. “If you choose not to surrender, then that’s what I’ll carve on the ice.”

  Yuta didn’t move. Instead, she reached out with her palm.

  “Palm Strike,” she whispered.

  A blast of air surged forward. It struck Noira dead-on, blowing her backwards. She skidded across the stone with a grunt, hitting the ground hard.

  “Y-YUTA WINS!” Mikan practically screamed. “AFTER A DEVASTATING COMEBACK!”

  Kazu yawned. “Called it.”

  Yuta turned her back on Noira and walked toward the bleachers. Her expression was unreadable. The crowd erupted into cheers.

  Trace gave her a subtle nod. “Nice work.”

  Aisho grinned widely. “You totally faked being down! Good one!”

  Yuta shrugged. “Whatever.”

  In the very next match, Barry has a blowout victory against Shayla, easily overwhelming her with the weight of his punches.

  “WELCOME TO THE THIRD ROUND, PEOPLE! THESE BATTLES WILL SURELY GET HEAT UP!” Mikan yelled.

  “You better stay tuned for these matches,” said Kazu.

  They displayed the current matchups for the third round.

  Bracket 1:

  Aisho vs Kaelin

  Caine vs Blade Rin

  Bracket 2:

  Trace vs Tova

  Yuta vs Barry

  “Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it. Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable.”

  — 1 Corinthians 9:24-25 (ESV)