"Interesting, isn't it? My fighting spirit grants me the ability to copy any martial or combat technique, amplifying its power tenfold. It has been an intriguing battle, Master Haido," Kento said, his voice laced with confidence.
As he spoke, his fighting spirit morphed—half chameleon, half tiger. His senses sharpened beyond human comprehension, his power surged exponentially, and his speed became so absolute that time itself faltered. In that frozen instant, he seized the opportunity, delivering a thunderous choke slam to Haido. The sheer force of the impact was so profound that as Haido crashed into the ground, it felt as though two years of his life had been stolen away.
Haido lay motionless, defeated in a single gut-wrenching move—one he himself had only managed to execute once in his lifetime.
"What you failed to realize," Kento continued, standing over him, "is that my fighting spirit allows me to tap into the abilities of others, cloning and using their most powerful techniques against them!"
Kento withdrew his fighting spirit and watched as Haido slipped into unconsciousness. There was no need to finish him off—not yet. Daizen had ordered him not to kill the old man in battle. But there was something more, something unsettling. His fighting spirit detected an anomaly within the Martial Tiger Spirit. At first, he hadn't given it much thought—martial spirits were typically weak. But now he felt it, something powerful and dangerous. A hidden depth to the Tiger Mantra that Haido had either never learned or couldn't master.
Too bad, Kento thought. If Haido had truly reached that level, perhaps he would have been a challenge. He wouldn't have minded making the skill his own permanently.
A voice interrupted his thoughts.
"What took you so long?" Payne asked, standing atop the charred corpse of Akitsugu, a dark and ominous aura hanging over him.
"Daizen wanted them kept on the ship as long as possible. We've done just that," Kento reminded him.
Payne exhaled sharply, then summoned the energy of his second fighting spirit—Starfish. In an instant, his wounds mended, his body refreshed. Few knew the truth about Payne—he was an anomaly, a tri-spirit master. Eel, Starfish, and Shark. And he had complete mastery over all five levels of each.
"I'm going to check on Daizen. You should come, too," Kento said.
Payne yawned and stretched lazily. "Eh, it'll be boring as usual. I'm hungry, I'm dirty, and it's time for tea and a little refreshment. Daizen can take care of himself. You, of all people, should know that. Lucky guy, that Ten-Kai. He gets to see what real power looks like."
As Payne walked away, Kento could hear the distant tremors—shockwaves of battle between Daizen and Ten-Kai. He smirked. Payne was right after all.
Daizen landed a devastating, bone-shattering punch on Ten-Kai, but the moment his fist connected, Ten-Kai retaliated with a deafening, thunderous kick to Daizen's face. The impact hurled them both backward, but Ten-Kai recovered instantly. He was the 9th Martial Spirit's wielder.
With a swift motion, Ten-Kai unleashed two powerful energy slashes from his katana. The energy surged forward, erasing everything in its path—except for Daizen. He deflected the first strike but took the second head-on, rocketing through a dozen buildings.
"Oh, he's done for!" Ichigo screamed.
Mizaki, however, remained silent, his concentration unbroken.
"Hey, Ichigo!"
Ichigo turned sharply, his stomach sinking at the sight of Pit approaching. Bad timing for a beatdown, he thought.
"Eh, we didn't do anything, we were just—"
Before he could finish, Pit ran up to him and—shockingly—embraced him with a smile. Everyone froze. Ichigo, most of all.
"I'm sorry! I'm so sorry, Ichigo!" Pit blurted out, tears streaming down his face. "For how I treated you all these years, how I beat you up, chased you down, beat you up again, chased you even more, took everything you had, and then beat you up some more!"
Ichigo blinked in disbelief. "Hey, Pit—"
But before either could say more, a familiar voice rang out.
"Shinji!" Teigen called, his voice thick with anger. His face was contorted with rage.
Ichigo and Pit stiffened. They knew that voice all too well.
Shinji stood before them, flanked by an overwhelming number of gang members. It was clear—he wasn't here for a friendly chat.
"You… I'm going to deal with you," Ichigo muttered, clenching his fists.
Shinji smirked, his expression dripping with condescension. He didn't need to say anything. His smirk alone was enough to expose Ichigo's inability to follow through on his threat.