In his younger years, Gensai Kuroki once did the following.
He had someone stand in front of him.
That person wore a helmet, one that completely obscured their eyes and expression.
They held a gun.
The muzzle was aimed directly at him.
The instruction was simple.
-Shoot whenever you find an opportunity.
Gensai Kuroki stood facing them.
In each hand, he held a can filled with iron sand.
When the opponent fired, Gensai Kuroki moved instantly.
He brought the cans up in front of his body, using the iron-sand-filled cans together with his Strange Arm Style-Gaiwan-ryu, a style rooted in Indestructible-to block the bullet.
That was how it looked.
But in reality, if the scene were captured with a high-speed camera, the truth would be different.
The moment the opponent formed the intention to pull the trigger-
Before the finger even completed the motion-
Gensai Kuroki had already begun moving the cans.
He couldn't see their eyes.
He couldn't see their expression.
The weapon was a firearm.
There were no exaggerated movements.
And yet, in a situation that bordered on instant death, he had already acted.
Pre-Initiative.
Gensai Kuroki naturally understood this realm.
He wasn't the only one.
Suekichi Kaneda knew a little.
Even Cosmo Imai had brushed against it.
But Gensai Kuroki's true strength did not stop there.
He possessed something else.
A technique.
Or rather-
A state.
A core combat method.
It was called-
Ahead of the Ahead.
As the name implied, it meant using Pre-Initiative to perceive the opponent's intent one step ahead-
And then completing one's own action at the moment the opponent initiated theirs.
To arrive one step before them.
This was why Shion Soda's Water Kata: Flowing Drift had been completely ineffective against him.
He had already seen through it.
Completely.
And now-
The situation was the same.
The moment Gensai Kuroki realized Jaden was about to kick, he retreated a step.
That single step took him out of the range of the kick.
But Jaden didn't stop.
And because Jaden didn't stop-
Gensai Kuroki activated Ahead of the Ahead.
One step before Jaden.
In his vision, once Jaden kicked, there were many possible responses.
However-
Jaden's strength was monstrous.
His speed was not slow.
And Gensai Kuroki had just used his wrist to withstand the Demon Spear.
So this time, his plan was clear.
Step forward from the side.
Stabilize.
And thrust the Devil Spear straight into Jaden's leg joint.
Specifically-
The back of the knee.
If possible, Gensai Kuroki didn't want to use such a lethal strike.
But he had no choice.
Jaden was not an opponent he could afford to hold back against.
So-
At the exact moment Jaden kicked, Gensai Kuroki stepped sideways.
He shifted his weight forward.
And prepared to strike the instant the kick fully extended-
But-
Whoosh.
Before he could even act, Gensai Kuroki's body tensed instinctively.
Then-
It was as if he had been cleaved head-on by a massive broadsword.
A huge gash exploded across his body.
From his left shoulder-
All the way down to his right thigh.
Blood sprayed instantly, covering him.
If his foundation hadn't been the Strange Arm Style centered on Indestructible-
If his body hadn't been tempered relentlessly over decades-
That strike might have shattered the bone in his shoulder outright.
"W-What just happened!?"
Sayaka Katahara shouted, unable to hide her shock.
Her voice echoed through the arena.
In response, every fighter present frowned.
The Final Four.
Those already eliminated.
All of them.
Some simply couldn't understand how Jaden's attack had landed.
Others vaguely guessed something-
But couldn't believe it.
"Did... did that Demon Spear hide a knife in his shoe!?"
The fighters were confused.
The audience was worse.
Speculation erupted everywhere.
Then-
Before one man could finish his sentence-
A hand grabbed his head from the side.
The noise drew attention instantly.
Everyone saw it.
The one who grabbed him was-
Raian Kure.
The man who had lost to Jaden in the previous match.
If it had been anyone else, some might have spoken back.
But Raian Kure was known.
A lunatic.
Someone who would actually kill people.
So the grabbed man froze.
The surrounding crowd went silent.
Raian Kure spoke.
"Don't talk nonsense if you don't understand."
"A knife would be completely pointless for that bastard."
"Because just now-"
He flipped over the chair behind him and sat down casually, throwing an arm around the person beside him.
His gaze never left the arena.
"-After his foot sliced through, it didn't connect."
"But the air current generated by the kick formed something like an Air Blade."
"That's what cut the Black Arm."
"A knife?"
"Don't make me laugh."
"A knife hidden in a shoe wouldn't do that kind of damage."
"But the Air Blade he kicked out?"
"That's different."
Raian grinned.
"I just don't know how far that Air Blade can reach."
"To be honest-"
"If it can reach two body lengths..."
"That Black Arm is finished."
Unlike Raian's laughter-
Everyone else was stunned.
An Air Blade.
They had heard the term before.
In games.
In movies.
But reality?
Someone kicking an Air Blade with just their body?
Are you serious?
Is that even possible?
The audience was terrified.
But no one looked away.
They stared at the arena.
Because-
They might be witnessing history.
They might be witnessing the limit of humanity.
The fighters recovered faster.
And once they did, another question surfaced.
"Tiger... do you think Jaden's Air Blade can reach one body length?"
Sekibayashi Jun asked quietly.
Takeshi Wakatsuki shook his head.
"I don't think it even reaches that."
"Kicking an Air Blade with the body alone is already beyond imagination."
"To push it to two body lengths is unrealistic."
Jun nodded.
Most fighters thought the same.
Only two didn't.
Ohma Tokita.
And Raian Kure.
They both believed-
Jaden's Air Blade might truly reach two body lengths.
Gensai Kuroki believed it too.
So he immediately widened the distance.
Three.
Four body lengths.
He tensed his muscles to stop the bleeding.
Jaden saw this.
And smiled.
Four or five body lengths?
-My range isn't that short.
Rankyaku.
Tempest Kick.
A superhuman technique.
Jaden sliced his foot again.
This time-
The audience saw it clearly.
As Jaden kicked-
An Air Blade flew out.
At terrifying speed.
One body length.
Two.
Five-
It crossed the distance instantly.
It reached Gensai Kuroki in a blink.
This-
How is this possible!?
Below the arena, fighters widened their eyes.
Cold sweat broke out.
Gensai Kuroki's pupils contracted.
He dodged sideways at once.
Only someone who possessed Ahead of the Ahead-
Someone who could block bullets from unknown angles-
Could have done that.
Anyone else would have lost the match right there.
But even so-
The Air Blade didn't stop.
It sliced past him without slowing.
Flew all the way to the protective wall beneath the audience seats.
And carved a long gash into it.
-That range.
Gensai Kuroki heard it.
He understood immediately.
So-
He charged.
At full speed.
If the range were short, creating distance would buy time.
But with this range-
-Backing away was suicide.
As Gensai Kuroki moved-
Jaden planted his kicking leg.
Soru.
With a thunderous sound, his figure vanished.
Just like against Rei Mikazuchi.
Gensai Kuroki braced instantly.
Indestructible.
Straight punch.
Bang.
Jaden slammed directly into his fist.
With Indestructible active, Gensai Kuroki was like a solid iron block.
The impact traveled through every joint.
The Strange Arm Style trained those joints.
He was knocked back several steps.
Pain surged.
But Jaden was bounced away as well.
"This should have worked..."
That was what Gensai Kuroki thought.
What the other fighters thought.
But-
Jaden stood up cleanly.
His forehead was red.
That was all.
He looked at Gensai Kuroki advancing again.
And smiled.
"I underestimated you."
"You can probably pre-initiate what I'll do next."
"No wonder Sakura's Flowing Drift and Formless didn't work on you."
Then-
He continued.
Calm.
Certain.
"However..."
"It seems this is as far as you go, Black Arm."
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