"So, in other words," Ren Kuroda said calmly after listening to their explanations, "the invitations you received were all sent by the same person. That person brought you into this world."
He paused briefly.
"My situation is a bit different. I wasn't summoned through any invitation."
He gave them a polite nod.
"Our meeting was brief, but unfortunately, it seems we're not traveling the same path. Let's part ways here."
The decision was immediate.
His instincts were screaming at him.
These three were trouble.
The kind of trouble that followed you around and detonated at inconvenient times.
If he lingered any longer, something annoying was bound to happen.
"Even in an unfamiliar isekai," the golden-haired boy drawled lazily, "you're not interested in forming a survival alliance like normal people would? Either you're extremely confident in your strength… or you already know something about this world."
He grinned.
"Coincidentally, I'm not a fan of teamwork either. Splitting up sounds perfect."
He stepped forward slightly.
"But before you go… mind indulging a small wish of mine?"
Ren had already turned to leave, but the moment he heard that tone—
His instincts flared.
A split second later—
BOOM!
The ground beneath the golden-haired boy's feet shattered.
An explosive shockwave rippled outward as he launched himself forward with terrifying force, his body accelerating at a speed that defied reason.
By the time Ren turned his head—
A clenched fist was already inches from his face.
Ren reacted instantly.
His right palm shot up—
And caught the punch.
The shockwave that erupted from the impact roared like a gale. Trees behind Ren bent violently under the pressure. Sand and debris spiraled into the air.
And yet—
Ren's body did not move an inch.
"...Tch."
The golden-haired boy clicked his tongue.
"You're even more ridiculous than I imagined. What are you, some kind of monster?"
Then he grinned wider.
"This is great. This other world is already interesting. I just got here, and I've found someone exciting."
His name, as he had introduced himself earlier—
Sakamaki Izayoi.
He hadn't come to Little Garden for noble reasons.
His original world had simply been too boring.
He was too strong.
So strong that no one there could fight him seriously.
Crushing the earth with a kick. Splitting mountains with a punch.
For him, those feats were trivial.
His physical stats—strength, speed, endurance—were beyond human norms.
When they had been falling from ten thousand meters earlier, he had already noticed Ren.
Landing on solid ground without injury—and even having the spare capacity to rescue someone mid-descent?
That wasn't normal.
He had known immediately.
He'd found someone similar.
And now, after testing him—
Izayoi was certain.
No—
Ren's physical ability was even stronger than he had first assumed.
"If I remember correctly," Ren said evenly, still holding the boy's fist in place, "I don't believe I've offended you, Izayoi."
His eyes narrowed slightly.
"So would you mind explaining this?"
Being attacked out of nowhere was irritating.
Earlier conversation had made it clear—there was no hostility.
So this sudden assault puzzled him.
But what shocked Ren even more was the force behind that punch.
Izayoi was, without question, human.
And yet his speed and strength were absurd.
Completely outside normal human limits.
Then again—
This was another world.
In hot-blooded anime logic, humans were often the most unreasonable species of all.
"Let's fight," Izayoi declared bluntly. "You came here because you were bored too, didn't you?"
Ah.
Ren understood instantly.
A battle maniac.
"I don't dislike fighting," Ren replied calmly, "but I don't engage in meaningless battles. So I'll have to decline."
"Too bad."
Izayoi's grin sharpened.
"The challenge has already been issued. We fight until there's a winner—or until I'm satisfied."
Without waiting for consent, he pivoted.
A whipping kick tore through the air toward Ren's side.
Ren blocked with his left arm.
But this time, the power was far greater.
His boots carved deep furrows in the earth as he was pushed backward, crashing through a large tree behind him.
The first punch had been restrained.
This kick—
Was not.
Izayoi had concluded Ren's physique matched his own, so he had escalated.
Was Izayoi evil?
Not at all.
Despite being labeled a delinquent, he was actually a top-tier student—and not a bad person.
In his old world, despite possessing such terrifying strength, he had never abused it. He had simply lived as an ordinary high schooler.
But that mismatch with reality—
Had suffocated him.
He loved fighting.
Yet in a normal world, every punch caused destruction. Every clash brought trouble.
And there was no one who could truly match him.
Now, in a brand-new world—
He had found someone exciting within minutes.
How could he not unleash himself?
And he was confident.
With Ren's physical durability, he wouldn't die from this.
Ren rolled his shoulders, feeling the dull ache in his back.
Now he was irritated.
Anyone would be.
Getting randomly targeted by a problem child wasn't pleasant.
When Izayoi charged again, Ren shifted his stance.
Izayoi's straight punch came like a cannon.
Ren tilted his head, letting it pass by a hair's breadth—
Then stepped forward instead of retreating.
Before Izayoi could react—
Ren drove his shoulder and elbow into his chest.
For this strike—
He reinforced it with yokai energy.
"Chaotic Divine Strength."
It wasn't on par with his swordsmanship.
But Ren wasn't inexperienced in hand-to-hand combat either. Bajiquan. Judo. He'd studied them casually.
This—
Was Iron Mountain Lean.
The impact was monstrous.
Izayoi felt as though he had collided head-on with a massively overloaded freight truck.
His body shot backward faster than he had charged in.
Ren had knocked down a single tree earlier.
Now?
Izayoi flew hundreds of meters, smashing through tree after tree, before crashing deep into the forest.
"I command you to stop!"
A clear, authoritative voice rang out.
A strange force suddenly bound Ren's body.
He felt invisible restraints tighten around him.
But with a slight surge of yokai energy—
They shattered instantly.
Ren glanced at the red-dressed noble.
So that was her ability.
A form of command-based Word Spirit power.
Kudō Asuka looked startled.
"W-Wasn't that too much?! You… you might've killed him!"
Seeing the trail of devastation stretching hundreds of meters, both Asuka and Kasugabe Yō stared at Ren uneasily.
Yes, Izayoi had started it.
But that level of retaliation—
It looked lethal.
They came from peaceful eras.
Watching someone treat life so lightly disturbed them.
Ren sighed.
"I'm not someone who kills indiscriminately."
He glanced toward the distant forest.
"His durability is far beyond what you imagine. I calibrated that strike to injure—not kill. It was only meant to stop him from chasing me."
With that, Ren turned.
He was done here.
He needed to leave before things escalated further.
His intuition was screaming again.
If he stayed—
More trouble would come.
CRASH!
From the forest behind him—
Another explosion.
Ren paused.
A crater.
And from within it—
Izayoi stood up.
He rolled his neck casually.
No visible serious injuries.
Ren's eyes narrowed.
He had held back, yes.
But even in base form, he was an S-rank yokai.
Combined with "Chaotic Divine Strength," even slightly weaker S-rank beings would've been unable to stand.
And yet—
Izayoi looked fine.
Speed.
Strength.
Endurance.
Impact resistance.
None of it human.
Was he really human?
"Tch. That one hurt," Izayoi admitted cheerfully, dusting himself off. "And judging from what you said earlier, you were holding back."
His grin widened into something feral.
"That's perfect."
"It's been a long time since I've met someone this tough."
He pointed at Ren.
"Don't think about running before I'm satisfied."
Ren exhaled slowly.
Trouble.
That was the only word in his head.
He hadn't even figured out what kind of world this was yet—
And he'd already been locked into combat with a battle addict.
And not one he could casually dismiss.
Compared to Ren's refined martial arts—
Izayoi's style was pure street brawling.
But raw power and speed made even delinquent fighting techniques terrifying.
And what irritated Ren even more—
As their clashes continued—
He discovered something alarming.
Not only were Izayoi's strength and speed absurd—
He possessed the ability to shatter the power of others.