From high above the arena, Hatake leaned against the railing of the airship, his sharp gaze following the battlefield below.
"It's the final day," he muttered. "Things are about to heat up."
Elsewhere, Goro's brows furrowed, his expression colder than steel.
"I'll be the one to take this bunny," he declared flatly. "The rest of you—keep up if you can."
Karna's team shared the same resolve. Kenta glanced at his radar, lips tightening.
"If we don't catch that bunny, we're not making it through."
A sharp beep echoed across every device. The final bunny had spawned.
Goro's eyes widened. The signal came from right beside him. He snapped his gaze to the side—only to see the rabbit shoot off in a blur of light.
All across the arena, teams began rushing toward the signal.
Bagi was already on the move.
Khara hesitated. "Shouldn't we assist him?"
Adheera shook his head. "No. He hates help. We'd only slow him down. Leave it to him."
Meanwhile, Goro and his squad thundered after the fleeing rabbit.
On another path, a group of contenders crossed into Bagi's way. One of them smirked and lunged at him, fists crackling with magic. But in the blink of an eye, Bagi was already in front of him. His palm pressed forward—an explosion roared into the man's face, blasting him to the ground.
The man's teammates froze, rushing to his side. Bagi didn't spare them a glance as he tore ahead.
Trailing behind, Karna's group caught sight of the devastation.
Bagi came to a halt, irritation flickering across his face as he turned toward them.
"Let's wrap this up quickly, Twilight. I don't have time to waste."
Before anyone could react, his form blurred. He reappeared in front of Gyoda, his kick slamming into Gyoda's guard. The impact forced Gyoda back, boots skidding against the dirt.
Kenta lunged immediately, his fist driving toward Bagi's jaw. Bagi deflected it with ease and stepped back, eyes narrowing.
"I'll handle him," Kenta said firmly. "You guys go after the bunny!"
Karna gave a sharp nod, sprinting ahead with the others. Fumiko stayed close at his side.
Bagi smirked. "You must be pretty confident... I'm gonna crush you and that confidence of yours."
Kenta grinned back, his voice low and steady. "Sorry. I've been holding back until now. Time to let off some steam."
Bagi wasted no time, hurling a blazing fireball straight at Kenta.
Kenta answered instantly with a sphere of water. The two collided midair, exploding into a cloud of steam that swallowed the battlefield.
Through the haze, Bagi burst forward from the steam, body surging through the air with violent momentum, his fist thrust out ahead of him. The strike cut straight toward Kenta—but Kenta caught it firmly in his palm, sliding a step to the side. His body spun sharply, completing a full turn, and he brought his elbow crashing down toward Bagi from above.
Bagi twisted midair, flipping his body halfway around, and caught the descending strike with his open palm.
The impact drove Bagi down, his body slamming onto the ground flat on his back. The earth cracking beneath him as a shockwave rippled outward.
Kenta didn't hesitate. He darted in, his leg arcing down in a brutal kick aimed for Bagi's face.
But Bagi's palm lit up—an explosion burst from his arm, propelling his body sideways just in time. The kick struck only dirt, sending debris flying.
Slowly rising to his feet, Bagi dusted himself off, a smirk tugging at his lips.
"You're not half bad," he muttered.
At that moment, a sharp beep echoed from their devices—the radar signaling the bunny's new location.
"Tch." Bagi clicked his tongue, irritation flashing across his face.
"I don't have time to waste on small fires like you."
He raised his hand, flames surging wildly, and in the next instant unleashed a sweeping inferno that swallowed the clearing. By the time the firestorm began to fade, Bagi was already gone.
Bagi picked up speed, forcing his body forward with even greater intensity. He wiped his mouth, only to find blood staining his hand. His brows knit together as the memory of that crushing elbow strike flashed through his mind.
I actually took damage from that…? Who is that guy?
Goro checked the radar. The signal flashed—right in front of him.
"Tch… this stupid thing is fast. Just get caught already!"
His team struggled to keep pace. One of them leaned toward another, whispering breathlessly, "He's too fast. I can barely keep up…"
Goro's sharp glare cut the air like a blade, silencing them instantly. Without slowing, he picked up even more speed.
The bunny burst out of the trees and into a wide clearing, darting in frantic zigzags.
From the opposite side, Bagi came charging in, eyes narrowing as he spotted both the creature—and the one chasing it.
"This guy again…" he hissed under his breath.
The bunny suddenly veered sharply, bolting away at blistering speed. Goro and Bagi lunged after it at the same instant, their strides matching, their teams struggling to follow.
Now neck and neck, the two locked eyes, neither willing to yield an inch.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Meanwhile, Karna and Fumiko pushed through the forest, hot on the trail.
Fumiko's voice broke the rush of footsteps. "Um… Karna, can I ask you something?"
Karna glanced at her.
Her hands tightened at her sides. "That night… the night your clan was slaughtered. Why did it happen? And how did you survive? You were only five…"
Before Karna could answer, figures dropped into their path. Another group emerged from behind, cutting them off—an ambush.
The leader smirked. "We've been waiting for you, Twilight. My father always said the Ashijiki are the worst… Blessed by the Sun Spirit, rising overnight, stealing the spotlight. You people are the reason the Lightning Spirit abandoned us. Honestly, I'm glad your clan is gone."
Karna's eyes stayed calm, his tone colder than steel. "Hate my clan all you like. But unlike you and your father, we never wasted time whining about someone else's good fortune."
"What did you just say?!" The man roared, firing a magic beam.
Karna dodged, flipping through the air as three more projectiles shot his way. Fumiko's vines lashed out, intercepting some, while Karna's barrier absorbed the rest.
One opponent lunged, fist cocked. Karna caught the blow, slammed him hard into the dirt, and lightning crackled through his grip. The man screamed, body convulsing.
The others froze in shock. "No way…! The Lightning Spirit would never bless an Ashijiki! Your kind is the reason it abandoned us centuries ago!"
Before the moment could tip, fire erupted between them, scattering dust and heat.
"Fear not, dear teammates!" a familiar voice rang out. "For the savior has arrived!"
Karna's face darkened. "More like… the idiot has arrived."
"Oi, Karna!" Gyoda snapped, face reddening. "I'm gonna kick your butt for that!"
One of the enemies sighed. "Great… another idiot joins the party."
Gyoda's face turns red with frustration.
Just then, a figure lunged at Gyoda from behind, a knife aimed for his back.
Gyoda bent instinctively, his body flowing like water. As he dropped, his leg snapped out backward, striking the attacker's feet. The man's balance crumbled, and he stumbled forward, face nearly meeting the ground.
Gyoda didn't pause. Sidestepping with precise timing, he brought his hand down in a sharp karate chop to the back of the man's neck. The impact hit mid-fall—he went limp in midair, landing heavily on the ground, unconscious before he even hit the dirt.
The enemy team, now outnumbering Karna's group 8 to 3, prepared to attack. One of them activated an elemental rune, summoning a massive rock boulder and hurling it at Karna.
(Writer's Note: Elemental runes are magical tools that channel a user's innate magic to produce elemental effects. The strength and type of the magic depend entirely on the skill and magical power of the user.)
Gyoda quickly reacted, shattering the boulder mid-air with a barrage of magic bullets. Without wasting a second, he conjured magical needles and launched them at the enemies. They raised a magic barrier just in time to block the attack.
Seizing the opportunity, Karna moved behind them in a flash, unleashing a surge of lightning that incapacitated four of them instantly.
Fumiko followed up by summoning thick vines that ensnared two more opponents, trapping them in place.
Gyoda finished the fight by taking down the last two with well-placed strikes.
With all eight enemies defeated, Karna collected their points, bringing their total score to 40K.
Karna noticed the staff tied to Gyoda's back before smirking. "Still not using the staff, I see. Good for you."
Gyoda's eye twitched. "You jerk. I'll kill you."
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Meanwhile, Bagi and Goro were racing neck to neck after the bunny.
Bagi thrust himself forward, palms igniting into bursts of fire jets that hurled him ahead.
Goro's eyes narrowed. He planted his foot hard into the ground—the earth cracked beneath the pressure. With one explosive leap, he surged forward, overtaking Bagi in an instant.
In the clearing, the bunny darted frantically, but Goro landed with precision. His hand shot out, snatching it cleanly.
The scoreboard flared to life. Goro's team's total spiked—150K points.
Bagi burst into the clearing a heartbeat later, glaring at Goro. Lycian's team was already there, watching.
Suddenly, a chime rang out. The final six-hour countdown had begun. Everyone's radar updated, flashing the top three standings:
Goro's Team — 150K points
Lycian's Team — 120K points
Bagi's Team — 100K points
Now, all three teams stood in the same clearing, their devices revealing their exact positions to every other competitor.
Across the island, the remaining teams broke into a sprint, converging on the clearing. But here, in the heart of the forest, the top three already faced each other.
Bagi.
Goro.
Albert.
Their teams lined up behind them, each warrior smirking, eyes locked.