Ren’s grip on Tsukuyomi tightens. The dim light of the abandoned building casts eerie shadows against the walls, and for a moment, silence reigns between them.
Seiji—his former student.
One of his best.
A boy who once hung onto his every word during training.
Now, here he was, standing before him as an enemy.
Ren exhales sharply. “So, what? You let them put a leash on you too?”
His voice is cold, measured. “I thought you were smarter than that, Seiji.”
Seiji stretches his gauntlet-covered fingers, rolling his shoulders before dropping into a combat stance. His expression is unreadable, but there’s something behind his eyes—a flicker of hesitation, maybe regret.
“I always listened to you, Sensei,” he says, voice even. “But listening and believing? Those are two different things.”
He clenches his fists. “I know you’re strong. I know you’re the Top Hoju. But the Ju Setai isn’t what you think it is anymore.”
Ren narrows his gaze. “Then tell me, Seiji—what is it?”
A pause.
Seiji’s fingers twitch.
Then—
“VAJRA SKIN!”
A golden light engulfs his arms, and in an instant, the gauntlets expand—morphing into massive, pted fists crackling with energy.
The moment they solidify, the floor beneath him fractures from sheer force.
Seiji vanishes.
BOOM!
The wall behind Ren explodes as Seiji crashes into him with an earth-shattering punch.
Ren barely manages to sidestep, but even then—the sheer force drags him back, his boots skidding across the floor.
The moment Ren stops moving, Seiji is already above him.
“Vajra Fortress!”
Another fist crashes down.
Ren barely gets Tsukuyomi up in time to block—but the impact sends a violent shockwave through the room, bsting the walls apart and shaking the entire foundation.
Dust and debris rain down.
Ren steadies his bde, eyes sharp. “Tch… Faster than I expected.”
Seiji exhales, steam rolling from his gauntlets.
He doesn’t let up—
His fists blur, throwing relentless, bone-crushing strikes.
Each one powerful enough to break stone.
Ren dodges with precision, weaving between them with minimal movement, his breath steady, his bde always just out of reach.
His movements are fluid, effortless—until he sees the slight flicker of a feint.
Seiji shifts mid-strike—redirecting his momentum without pause.
For a split second, Ren is wide open.
BOOM!
The force of the hit sends him flying across the room, crashing through two pilrs before he flips mid-air and nds smoothly, his heels grinding against the ground.
Seiji doesn’t stop.
He lunges forward again, fists raised—but this time, Ren smirks.
“I understand it now,” he mutters under his breath.
Then, Tsukuyomi glows.
“New Moon.”
In a fsh—Ren vanishes.
Seiji’s fist meets nothing but empty air.
His eyes widen. “Wha—?!”
Then, a whisper from behind him.
“You’re overcommitting.”
Before Seiji can react, a blinding ssh cuts through the air.
SLASH.
A clean strike—right across Seiji’s back.
He stumbles forward, gritting his teeth.
His vision swims. “Damn it…”
Ren exhales, rolling his wrist.
“Those gauntlets make you durable, but they don’t fix your fws. You’re fast, sure, but your technique is raw. Sloppy.”
Tsukuyomi pulses.
A thin crescent of silver light arcs across the battlefield.
Then—
SLASH.
A clean cut.
Straight through Seiji’s gauntlets.
They shatter.
Seiji colpses to his knees.
Defeated.
Ren stands over him, Tsukuyomi still glowing with a faint silver aura.
“You were never meant to win this fight, kid.”
Seiji chuckles weakly, coughing up a bit of blood.
“Yeah… I figured. But he’s a calcuted man. He makes sure to cover contengencies.”
Before Ren can deliver the final blow—
BOOOOOOM.
The building erupts.
And then—
A voice slices through the chaos.
“HEY, ROOKIE!”
Ren blinks.
Through the smoke, a towering figure appears.
Akira.
The Sound Hero.
Ren barely manages to lift his head. “…You…”
Akira snorts. “Yeah, yeah. We can deal with all that ter. Right now? We need to get moving.”
CUT TO BLACK.
