Chapter Twenty-Five: The Battle Begins!

“Are you kidding?!”

“That demon-like punch from Ozumi, and the attack from the long-haired man… he took them all?!”

The voices of Takasuke Zenaga and Tomoko Matsuda distorted in shock.

“Ugh—cough, cough!”

Even the ever-composed Shion Kanryuin couldn’t help but suck in a breath, choking on the cigarette held between her lips.

“Cough… So I misjudged, did I? You really hid a monster, Saeko!”

After regaining her composure, Shion Kanryuin cast a sidelong, teasing glance at the unperturbed Saeko.

Saeko merely smiled without saying a word.

Meanwhile, the three on the stage remained locked in a standoff.

“No!

The stalemate is only between those two.”

Junfu Ozumi looked at the two before him.

Neither the unfamiliar long-haired man nor the boy he’d thought scrawny just moments ago—Kagami Shirodo—had even a shred of attention left for him.

The heat of battle cooled, and he vaguely realized that the upcoming clash was beyond his ability to intervene.

Cautiously, he withdrew the strength from his fists.

His twisted arms needed treatment; it was time to step down.

Kagami Shirodo was more than happy for Junfu Ozumi’s sensible retreat and released his grip accordingly.

Now he could focus all his energy on the long-haired man.

“The exam is pretty much over, isn’t it? Don’t you want to call it quits? Well, if you want to keep fighting, that’s fine—but at least tell me your name, won’t you?”

“Kiryu. Kiryu Setsuna.”

The excitement of martial artists finding worthy opponents appeared on both handsome faces.

Their intertwined arms rippled with muscle, the grinding sound of flesh against flesh as loud as leather rubbing together.

“Ah!”

Secretary Tomoko Matsuda, having just helped Ozumi off the stage, caught sight of the scene and let out a soft gasp.

Her eyes misted over, a deep blush blooming across her cheeks.

The spectators and Junfu Ozumi exchanged bewildered glances.

Only Shion Kanryuin twitched at the corner of her mouth, hand pressed to her forehead.

She knew exactly what was happening with her secretary…

Unlike herself, an enthusiast for muscles, her secretary was an intense devotee of BL.

Two stunningly handsome men, locked in a physical battle right before her—it was a bit too much.

But on the stage, the two locked in combat paid no mind to the fevered fantasies of those watching.

Once their fighting spirit was confirmed, martial artists wasted no words!

“Whoosh!”

Kiryu Setsuna’s free hand suddenly snapped out, palm striking with whip-like force toward Kagami Shirodo!

His fingertips sliced through the air, the terrifying speed nearly causing an audible sonic boom.

Yet, after a thunderous impact of flesh, it was Kiryu Setsuna—the attacker—who took the blow!

A powerful force sent his seventy-five-kilogram frame airborne.

“What?”

Only when agony, nearly fracturing his spine, radiated from his waist did Kiryu Setsuna realize his opponent had struck.

His gaze dropped.

A whip-like side kick was stretched horizontally before him!

“A kick with that kind of power, and not a hint of warning from the upper body?!”

Kiryu Setsuna’s shock echoed that of Wu Fengshui a day earlier.

It wasn’t just martial artists—even anatomists would find their worldview overturned upon witnessing such technique.

But martial artists had an edge: in battle, they could suppress distractions.

Suspended midair, Kiryu Setsuna immediately adjusted his posture.

He drew his limbs in close, protecting his vulnerable torso as much as possible.

Thinking from his opponent’s perspective, if he had launched a blow that sent an enemy airborne at the outset, a follow-up attack would be the obvious choice.

So Kiryu Setsuna tensed every muscle with his secret technique, seeking to minimize the damage from the imminent strike.

[Tiger Twin Style: Vajra Form—Impervious]

Yet, as his feet touched the ground and he rebalanced,

The expected attack never came.

“…?”

Kiryu Setsuna fixed a puzzled gaze on Kagami Shirodo.

“Oh dear, sorry about that.” Kagami Shirodo rubbed his head apologetically. “I meant to try something new I learned today, but ended up instinctively using my most familiar fighting style. It’s all because you’re so strong!”

“So! How about we start over?”

His glasses were tucked away, the stray locks before his eyes smoothed back.

A friendly smile of challenge appeared on Kagami Shirodo’s slightly gaunt face.

But…

Kiryu Setsuna’s expression darkened—his murderous aura began to rise.

A streak of blood dripped from the corner of his mouth; he wiped it with his fingers and held it before his eyes.

It was damage from the side kick, a jarring blow to his internal organs.

“…!!”

A murderous, sinister aura erupted like a demon.

A mysterious breeze swept through, setting his waist-length hair dancing like a witch’s serpentine locks.

In the eyes of the spectators, the entire gymnasium seemed washed in a hallucination of violet-black.

“Senpai, s-surely this is an illusion, right? It must be an illusion!”

Zenaga swallowed hard.

His mind was collapsing; though, since yesterday, it had collapsed more times than he could count.

But now! Had the scene changed entirely? Was this some kind of super transformation?!

Just as he tried to edge closer to Saeko for comfort,

Shion Kanryuin discreetly blocked him.

She beckoned Ozumi to help her quietly move Tomoko Matsuda far away from Saeko.

At the moment, the president—a titan of national education—was sweating bullets.

“I must be insane! Inviting that madwoman to watch the selection exam!”

From her vantage point, she could see—

The violet-haired beauty bowed her head… revealing a bloodthirsty, enraptured smile!

She took a deep drag of her cigarette.

Now, Shion Kanryuin could only pray… pray that this battle would end quickly!

…

“Unforgivable… Unforgivable!”

“You dare! You dare injure this body meant to be offered to the gods! Unforgivable!”

Kiryu Setsuna’s voice rose from a subtle murmur to a manic shout.

He hugged himself, caressing his skin.

Even tears streamed from those deep, dark eyes.

Born of pathological fanaticism, his murderous intent was overwhelming!

“Oh? So you’re a true zealot, huh?”

While the spectators nearly trembled from the killing aura, Kagami Shirodo smiled brightly. “I’ve never fought this type before… but the setup is really cool!”

He bounced in place, loosening his wrists and ankles.

The stance of Jeet Kune Do naturally unfolded.

“Well then, let’s hope your fighting skills match your sense of style.”

“Just so you know,” the energy gathered in his body, Kagami Shirodo smiled, “this technique is pretty dangerous in a fight!”