"The Worm really does have some nerve."
Standing in a top-floor VIP box, Kurosaki Rei looked down at the arena through the glass, a faint smile curling at his lips.
"But I suppose they're just unlucky this time."
Wu Erioh stood beside him, gazing down as well. Killing intent surged in the old man's eyes.
"Raian—don't disappoint me."
Today's match was Yamashita Trading versus UM Corporation, a bout that could be called a father–son match from multiple angles.
UM Corporation's true boss was actually Yamashita Kazuo's son, Yamashita Kenzo—something Kazuo himself still didn't know. As for the fighters in the ring, Raian, the current prodigy of the Wu clan, faced Alan Wu, one of the five executives of the Westward Wu faction.
Alan Wu carried within him the memories of Wu Hei, the founding ancestor of the Wu clan from five thousand years ago. In a sense, this was an ancestor beating down a descendant—an outright grandfather-versus-grandson match.
The Westward Wu had never sealed the ancient Wu forbidden art, Reincarnation. Every generation continued to inherit the memories of the first Wu Hei, and in this generation, five "Wu Hei" had been reborn to manage the Westward faction.
"Raian, don't mind the referee. Kill him."
Wu Erioh had given that instruction before the match even started, showing just how deep his hatred for the Westward Wu ran.
Of course, there was no need to say that to someone like Raian. As long as he could win, he was never going to leave Alan alive anyway.
Just look at Raian's expression—that level of exaggerated, feral glee was the unmistakable look of someone who'd locked onto prey and was enjoying himself immensely.
Look at that smile. What a happy kid.
"Mr. Rei, you're not watching the match?"
Wu Erioh asked, puzzled, when he saw Kurosaki Rei turn and sit down on the sofa.
"There's nothing to watch," Kurosaki Rei replied calmly.
"This match will end in an instant. Raian won't be careless, and he won't hold back. A 'Wu Hei' of Alan's level isn't his opponent."
What interested Kurosaki Rei now was the Worm's next move. Someone like Alan was clearly a disposable piece.
After sparring with Kurosaki Rei for several days, Raian had grown noticeably stronger. There was zero chance of an upset in this fight.
Sure enough, less than a minute into the match, the roar of shocked screams erupted from the crowd.
On the arena floor, Raian—having activated Removal—looked like a demonic god. He grabbed Alan Wu by the upper and lower jaws and ripped him clean in half.
Raian's act of "tearing apart a foreign devil" was brutal beyond words. Yet even Karura, who normally couldn't stand Raian, found herself clapping enthusiastically. At last, some catharsis for the Wu clan.
Meanwhile, inside the submarine watching the fight, the onlookers remained expressionless, even finding time to mock one another.
"Your Westward Wu aren't looking so hot,"
White Niko sneered, finally hitting a sore spot.
"Alan was one of your executives, wasn't he? And he gets ripped apart by a brat."
He'd been holding that in for days—Edward Wu's earlier mockery of his disciple had left him thoroughly irritated.
"Alan was the weakest of our five Wu Hei,"
Edward Wu said, taking a drag on his cigar, a ferocious grin on his face.
"We just used that kid's hands to clean out the trash."
"Still," he added, eyes narrowing,
"I feel like that brat is provoking me through the screen. Looks like he doesn't understand the gap between himself and a true powerhouse."
In the arena, Raian was indeed drunk on slaughter, shouting at the top of his lungs:
"You Westward Wu pigs! Wash your necks and wait—
I'll butcher every last one of you!"
"Raian really is as energetic as ever,"
Kurosaki Rei chuckled.
"But it does look like this tournament will let him kill to his heart's content."
"Mr. Rei,"
the Crying Demon, Wu Kuretsu, asked curiously from nearby,
"do you think there are more Worm and Westward Wu infiltrators on the island?"
The Wu clan had taken this tournament very seriously and conducted extensive investigations on the island. So far, aside from the obvious target Alan Wu, there didn't seem to be many other suspicious figures.
"In my eyes, there are plenty of suspicious powerhouses,"
Kurosaki Rei replied, pointing at the participant list hanging on the wall.
"The fighter hired by Ten Kings Communications' new president—Hiō Kagefusa. And among Hayami's assassins, that one was named Lu Tian. Both are likely worms."
That was pure omniscient perspective—Kurosaki Rei had read the original work and knew exactly who these people were.
In the second part of the story, Hiō Kagefusa and Lu Tian debuted as A-rank gladiators of Purgatory, both extremely powerful.
Lu Tian was a disciple personally trained by White Niko, a true survivor of the Gu trials. He had even mastered the Wu clan's Removal, making him a fighter who combined raw stats with refined technique.
As for Hiō Kagefusa—he was even more outrageous.
In Kurosaki Rei's view, Fei was White Niko's greatest disciple. By combining Possessing Spirit and Demon's Descent, he'd developed a third form—Divine Demon. As a burst state, its output utterly eclipsed Removal.
Of course, Divine Demon came with horrific side effects. Hiō Kagefusa had ultimately died because of it.
Frankly, Kurosaki Rei thought Fei's defeat was pure plot-induced stupidity. He'd already been crushing Wakatsuki Takeshi, yet insisted on trading raw power with a literal superhuman physique at the very end.
And just standing there chatting with his opponent while Divine Demon was active?
To Kurosaki Rei, that was downright suffocating gameplay.
In his opinion, if Fei fought properly and didn't showboat, he'd rank among the top-tier powerhouses of the entire series. Unfortunately, he'd been thoroughly misled by White Niko—and wasn't the brightest to begin with.
The tournament progressed rapidly, and soon it was Kurosaki Rei's turn to step into the arena again—this time against Lu Tian.
This ferocious man who wielded Removal clearly didn't take Kurosaki Rei seriously.
The result?
Two punches and one kick—gone.
Kurosaki Rei didn't kill Lu Tian. Not because of any gladiator's code, but because he felt Lu Tian's soul would give Prison Demon a significant boost in growth. Killing him barehanded would be a waste.
"That new Metsudo's Fang, Kurosaki Rei… he's got some real skill,"
Xia Yan said inside the submarine, watching with interest.
"Lu Tian may be trash, but he shouldn't have lost that easily."
"According to the bracket, he'll soon face Hiō Kagefusa,"
White Niko said calmly.
"I'll have Wangfang test Kurosaki Rei's depth."
He was quite satisfied with Fei's strength. Unfortunately, Fei would never know that no matter how hard he trained, he could never become the Tiger's Vessel.
The Tiger's Vessel wasn't chosen based on strength—nor by simply practicing the Niko Style. It had to be a clone created from the Connector's genes, specifically replicating the left-brain 'Tiger' personality.
(Yes. Feel free to complain about Kengan science.)
The next day, in the quarterfinals, Hiō Kagefusa finally got his wish—he was matched against Kurosaki Rei.
Facing the serious-looking Fei, Kurosaki Rei grinned.
"Come on. Activate Divine Demon."
Hiō Kagefusa's expression changed. Very few people knew about Divine Demon—how did Kurosaki Rei know?
Kurosaki Rei spread his arms wide, baring a set of chilling white teeth.
"Come at me with everything you've got. Don't worry—I'll leave you alive."
Fei felt a faint yet overwhelming pressure radiating from the man before him.
In all his years of martial training, he'd only ever felt that kind of pressure from one person.
The thought struck him—and immediately felt absurd.
Impossible.
How could Kurosaki Rei be comparable to that man?
Looking at Kurosaki Rei's open stance, Fei felt that his entire body was full of openings—yet at the same time, as though there were no openings at all.
Caught in that contradictory sensation, invisible pressure pressed down on him, even making his breathing uneven.
"If you're so eager to die,"
Hiō Kagefusa said solemnly,
"then I'll let you witness the highest realm of the Niko Style!"
In the next instant, he tore off his upper garments. As the fabric fluttered through the air, his sculpted muscles bulged violently, his skin turning a dark crimson.
Veins stood out all over his body. His heart pounded at extreme speed, roaring like an engine. The heat radiating from his skin caused his sweat to evaporate instantly, stirring faint air currents that made his long hair stand on end.
Feeling Fei's power surge, Kurosaki Rei's smile only widened.
"That's more like it," he said softly.
"Come—let me enjoy this fight."
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