The medical bay was quieter than the battlefield.
Not silent, but subdued. The faint hum of barrier generators outside vibrated through the walls, and somewhere down the hall a nurse spoke softly to another injured fighter.
Yuki Kinatarou sat alone on the edge of the narrow medical bed.
His elbows rested on his knees, fingers loosely clasped together. His breathing was steady, but every inhale dragged sharp pain through his ribs.
The aftermath of Ren's lightning still lingered in his nerves.
Tiny tremors moved through his hands.
Across the room, a nurse waited patiently.
"Are you certain?" she asked again. "Healing is still available before the final round."
Yuki glanced at her, then looked down at his palms.
He already knew how their healing worked.
Most healing Kizo used the patient's own Ki as fuel. The healer simply accelerated the body's natural recovery, forcing wounds to close and muscles to repair themselves.
It was efficient.
It was fast.
And it would leave him empty.
No Ki meant no Kizo.
No Kizo meant he would walk into the finals as nothing more than a battered body against Derek Uzushi.
Yuki exhaled slowly.
"No," he said.
The nurse frowned slightly.
"You're badly injured."
"I know."
"If you fight like this—"
"I know."
His tone was calm, almost gentle.
The nurse studied him for a moment, then bowed her head slightly and stepped back.
"Very well."
Yuki leaned back against the wall and closed his eyes.
He could still feel Ren's electricity crawling through his nerves.
Every muscle ached.
His ribs throbbed.
His vision occasionally blurred if he focused too long on anything.
And yet…
A quiet smile formed on his face.
Derek, he thought.
The strongest student in the academy.
A Luminary.
Someone who stood on an entirely different level of power. Renjiro was strong but he was only the star pupil because he excelled in his studies too.
Yuki rolled his shoulders slowly.
Pain flared through his torso.
"Yeah…" he murmured. "This is gonna suck."
Just then—
The arena speakers crackled.
"Ladies and gentlemen!"
The commentator's booming voice filled the medical wing.
"The time has come!"
"The final match of the Strongest Student Tournament will begin shortly!"
Yuki stood up.
Every movement made his body protest.
But he ignored it.
He tugged his sleeveless hoodie over his shoulders, the torn fabric hanging loosely against his bruised body.
Then he began walking.
Each step echoed softly down the hallway.
The closer he got to the arena entrance, the louder the crowd became.
Thousands of voices.
Anticipation.
Excitement.
The heavy doors opened.
And the roar of the audience crashed over him like a tidal wave.
Yuki stepped onto the stage.
Across the battlefield—
Derek Uzushi was already waiting.
The Luminary stood tall at the center of the arena, hands resting casually in his pockets.
Golden light shimmered faintly around his body.
Even standing still, he radiated confidence.
No…
Not confidence.
Authority.
The crowd slowly fell silent.
Derek's eyes scanned Yuki from head to toe.
The bruises.
The trembling hands.
The uneven breathing.
His expression darkened.
"…Seriously?" Derek muttered.
Yuki walked forward until they stood roughly twenty meters apart.
The silence stretched.
Then Derek sighed.
A long, disappointed sigh.
"I thought you'd give me a real fight."
The words carried clearly across the arena.
A murmur spread through the crowd.
Yuki blinked.
Derek shook his head slowly.
"You can barely stand."
His gaze sharpened.
"And this is the guy who beat Ren?"
Yuki said nothing.
Derek's voice hardened.
"Pathetic."
Yuki's fingers curled into fists.
But instead of responding immediately…
He simply straightened his posture.
Slowly.
Carefully.
Ignoring the way his legs trembled.
Then he lifted his hands into a fighting stance.
The crowd reacted instantly.
A wave of cheers erupted.
Derek raised an eyebrow.
"…You're serious."
Yuki grinned.
"Course I am."
His voice was hoarse but playful.
"I told you I was gonna win this thing."
Before Derek could reply—
Yuki moved.
He dashed forward.
The sudden burst of motion surprised the crowd.
Despite his injuries, Yuki closed the distance quickly.
His right arm pulled back.
Then he threw a punch straight toward Derek's face.
The movement was sharp.
Direct.
But—
Derek saw it immediately.
Too slow.
Too obvious.
With a simple shift of his shoulders, Derek stepped sideways.
Yuki's fist sliced through empty air.
Derek didn't even look impressed.
"Your movements are sloppy."
His hand lifted.
A small sphere of light formed in his palm.
A flash.
A narrow beam of radiant energy fired forward.
Yuki's eyes widened.
He slammed his palm toward the ground.
CRACK.
A jagged wall of obsidian ice erupted from the stone floor.
The beam collided with it instantly.
BOOM.
The explosion shattered the ice into a storm of glittering fragments.
Shards rained across the battlefield.
The crowd gasped.
When the dust settled—
Yuki stood behind the broken wall.
Panting.
His chest rose and fell rapidly.
Sweat rolled down his face.
Derek watched him quietly.
Then he tilted his head.
"…Why?"
The single word carried across the arena.
Yuki blinked.
Derek continued.
"Why are you still fighting?"
His voice was calm.
Almost curious.
"What's the point of all this?"
The crowd grew quiet again.
Derek stepped forward slowly.
"You're exhausted."
"You're injured."
"You can barely control your Ki."
His golden eyes locked onto Yuki.
"So tell me."
His voice dropped lower.
"Why do you want to become stronger?"
Silence hung in the air.
Then Derek shrugged.
"You should just give up."
A few shocked murmurs rippled through the audience.
Derek's expression turned cold.
"The only reason I bothered becoming friends with you in the first place was because you were entertaining."
His gaze flicked over Yuki's trembling body.
"But like this?
He scoffed.
"You're just a weak Acolyte."
The word hit like a slap.
"Give up."
For a moment—
Yuki said nothing.
Then he slowly raised his left arm.
His fingers pointed toward the inside of his wrist.
Several scars marked the skin there.
Thin slash marks.
Deep bite marks.
A map of old suffering.
Derek frowned slightly.
Yuki traced one of the scars with his finger.
"…Give up?"
His voice was quiet.
"There was a time in my life when that's all I wanted to do."
The arena fell completely silent.
Yuki looked up.
His playful smile was gone.
His eyes were steady.
Calm.
"But I moved past that."
He lowered his arm.
"You asked why I want to become stronger."
His voice grew firmer.
"I want strength so I can protect people who are crushed by the strong."
A murmur spread through the crowd.
Yuki's gaze hardened.
"This world is messed up."
His voice carried across the entire arena.
"A person's worth is decided by their Kizo."
A pause.
Then—
"I hate that."
The wind rustled through the broken arena.
Yuki's fists clenched.
"So I'm going to become the strongest."
His voice rang with quiet conviction.
"And when I do…"
A small smile returned to his lips.
"I'm going to destroy that stupid idea that Kizo makes someone superior."
Across the stage—
Derek's eyes widened.
For a moment…
He said nothing.
Then slowly—
A grin spread across his face.
Not mocking.
Not dismissive.
Excited.
"Sorry, Yuki."
Golden light began to gather around his hands.
"But I want to become the strongest too."
The air vibrated with power.
"And I'm not losing that race to you."
The crowd erupted.
The final battle had truly begun.
Derek moved first.
Golden light gathered around him like a miniature sun.
Then he lifted his hand.
The air hummed.
Suddenly—
A rain of light beams burst from his palm flying upwards and then heading down.
They streaked across the battlefield like falling stars.
"Move!" someone in the audience shouted instinctively.
Yuki already had.
His body twisted sideways as the first beam tore through the stone where he had been standing. The explosion blasted shards of rock into the air.
Another beam came.
Yuki flipped backward, his hands briefly touching the ground before he launched himself into a spinning backflip.
BOOM.
Another beam screamed toward him.
Yuki twisted mid-air, barely clearing it as the blast scorched past his shoulder.
The crowd erupted.
"HOW IS HE DODGING THAT?!"
"Those are Luminary-level attacks!"
Yuki landed in a crouch.
His breathing was ragged.
Another beam came.
This one was too fast.
It struck him square in the shoulder.
BOOM.
The explosion swallowed him in dust and smoke.
Gasps rippled through the arena.
For a moment—
No one moved.
Then something burst out of the cloud.
A dark silhouette.
Black fragments of ice spiraled outward as Yuki charged through the smoke.
His Spartan-style armor of obsidian ice covered his body once again.
The jagged plates gleamed like volcanic glass.
Yuki reached Derek in an instant.
His fist shot forward.
Derek's eyes sharpened.
He leaned sideways just enough for the punch to whistle past his cheek.
Then Derek countered.
His leg swung upward.
Golden light wrapped around his kick.
CRACK.
The blow slammed into Yuki's stomach.
The impact sounded like a hammer striking stone.
Yuki's armor fractured instantly.
Cracks spread across the chest plate.
The force launched Yuki backward, his ice boots carving trenches into the stage as he slid nearly ten meters.
The crowd groaned.
Yuki coughed, forcing himself upright.
Derek walked forward calmly.
"You're slower now," he said.
Yuki dashed forward again.
The two clashed in the center of the arena.
Fists flew.
Yuki attacked relentlessly.
Left hook.
Right straight.
Spinning elbow.
But Derek moved like flowing light.
Every punch slipped past him.
Every strike missed.
Then Derek countered.
A glowing fist drove into Yuki's ribs.
CRACK.
Another blow struck his shoulder.
CRACK.
A third punch shattered the remaining armor across his chest.
Fragments of black ice scattered across the arena floor.
Yuki staggered.
Derek stepped back.
Golden light gathered around his hands again.
This time the shape was different.
Thin.
Sharp.
Arrows.
Dozens of them.
Floating in the air around him.
The audience murmured nervously.
"Is he serious?"
"Those look dangerous…"
Derek flicked his fingers.
The arrows fired.
They shot forward with terrifying speed.
Yuki's eyes widened.
He slammed his hand toward the ground
A dome of frozen black crystal erupted around him.
The arrows struck it instantly.
BOOM.
BOOM.
BOOM.
Each impact detonated like a grenade.
The entire sphere shook violently.
Cracks spread across its surface.
Then—
CRASH.
The sphere shattered.
Smoke and frozen debris burst outward.
When the dust settled—
Yuki stood in the center of the wreckage.
Barely.
His legs trembled.
His chest rose and fell rapidly.
Sweat ran down his face.
Across the stage—
Derek stood untouched.
Perfectly calm.
Perfectly composed.
The difference between them felt enormous.
Yuki stared at him.
Can I really win this?
The thought slipped into his mind like poison.
His vision blurred.
His muscles screamed in pain.
Every instinct in his body told him the same thing.
You can't beat him.
For a brief moment—
The doubt almost swallowed him.
Then Yuki clenched his teeth.
"No," he whispered.
He forced the thought away.
He thought about every fight he had experienced in the tournament.
Ren.
The fighters.
The chaos of the Crucible Field.
Something clicked in his mind.
The strongest Kizo users all had one thing in common.
They used their abilities perfectly.
Ren turned lightning into lethal close-range electricity.
Derek shaped light into arrows for speed and precision.
They weren't just powerful.
They were creative.
Yuki slowly exhaled.
Kizo is limited by Ki…
and imagination.
He looked down at his hands.
"…I've been relying on my body too much."
Before he could think further—
Derek moved.
In a flash of golden light, he appeared in front of Yuki.
His hand sliced downward toward Yuki's neck.
Yuki's instincts screamed.
His body reacted before his mind could.
He jumped backward into the air.
The attack missed by centimeters.
Derek didn't hesitate.
A beam of light fired from his palm.
Straight toward Yuki.
Mid-air.
Nowhere to run.
The entire arena went silent.
Hana covered her mouth.
Seri leaned forward in her seat.
Sophia's eyes widened.
Yukari clenched the railing of the Kinatarou viewing sphere.
Luna's small hands gripped the glass.
Ren stared intensely.
Even Lord Genji watched carefully.
And Haruki, who had slept through half the tournament…
Was now fully awake.
The beam raced toward Yuki.
In that moment—
Time slowed.
Yuki's thoughts exploded into motion.
Lightning.
Ren used lightning in a unique way.
Derek used arrows for speed.
What about me?
Then a memory flashed through his mind.
Yukari.
Luna.
That small trick they had shown her.
Ice crystals.
Water droplets.
Friction.
Electricity.
His brain began calculating rapidly.
Lightning is caused by friction between ice crystals and water droplets.
I can create ice.
If I extract the cold from small pieces… they'll melt.
Water droplets.
His eyes widened.
Then friction…
One final realization struck him.
I can create lightning.
At the last possible moment—
Yuki thrust his hand forward.
The air around his palm exploded with blue energy.
A thunderbolt erupted outward.
CRACK.
The lightning collided with Derek's beam.
BOOOOM.
The explosion shook the entire Crucible Field.
A sphere of blinding light expanded outward.
The shockwave blasted both fighters across the arena.
Dust filled the stage. Nothing could be seen inside the cube.
The crowd sat frozen in stunned silence.
Then—
Voices erupted everywhere.
"What was THAT?!"
"Did Yuki just use lightning?!"
"That's impossible!"
When the smoke cleared—
Both fighters stood on opposite ends of the stage.
Yuki was hunched over, breathing heavily.
Across from him—
Derek stared.
For the first time since the fight began…
The Luminary looked shocked.
Yuki's body crackled with blue electricity.
Lightning crawled across his arms.
Small arcs flickered in his eyes.
He looked like a battered god of thunder.
Derek's thoughts spun wildly.
Impossible.
A person only has one Kizo.
Those born with multiple Kizo are rare monsters.
But he knew the truth instantly.
Yuki hadn't gained another ability.
He had simply used his ice Kizo in a new way.
Ice crystals.
Water droplets.
Friction.
Lightning.
Derek slowly smiled.
"…You're insane."
The arena exploded into cheers.
The roar of the crowd shook the dome.
"YUKI!"
"YUKI!"
"YUKI!"
To them, he looked unstoppable.
A warrior who refused to fall.
But only Yuki knew the truth.
Inside his body—
Agony.
His Ki was draining rapidly.
And the lightning coursing through him…
Was electrocuting him from the inside.
Normally a person's Ki protected them from their own Kizo.
Fire users didn't burn.
Ice users didn't freeze.
Lightning users didn't shock themselves.
But this…
Wasn't truly his element.
His muscles trembled violently.
Blood dripped from his nose.
Still—
Yuki raised his fists.
Across the battlefield—
Derek grinned.
"Now this," Derek said excitedly, "is the fight I wanted."