THE FINAL MATCH

The Inter-School Martial Contest had reached its climax, and the world was watching.

The fanfare surrounding Ash Atsuyuki had exploded into a full-blown cultural storm. The Shirogiri Revival Fan Club now dominated social feeds, flooded with reaction clips, victory edits, and endless speculation about the final match. Some fans wore masks resembling Ash's dueling attire, while others waved banners embroidered with the Shirogiri crest, an emblem of a clan once thought dead.

The holo-vloggers couldn't keep up.

"HE DID IT! HE BROKE LUCIEN!" Hina X practically screamed on her latest stream. "The golden boy of Eidolon Institute—DEFEATED! Can we just talk about this for a second?!"

KuroKen, her longtime rival analyst, scowled. "I still say his fighting style is reckless. This kind of strategy won't work in the finals. His next opponent is on another level."

"And yet," Takumi Sato interjected with a grin, "he's still here."

The debate raged across networks.

Ash wasn't just a competitor anymore—he was a symbol of defiance. A warrior who refused to fight by their rules. Some hailed him as the future of combat. Others dismissed him as a wildcard on borrowed time.

And then, there were the haters.

"Ash is just getting lucky."

"Unrefined. Nothing but brute force."

"He wouldn't last in a real fight outside the tournament."

His fans, however, were louder.

"He adapts faster than anyone."

"He fights like a survivor, not a performer."

"Shirogiri isn't dead—it's coming back."

Kenshiko smirked as she watched the debates unfold on multiple screens. With each victory, Ash wasn't just fighting for himself—he was reviving a name that once ruled the shadows. And, of course, every win meant her betting profits skyrocketed.

Kaito leaned beside her, arms crossed. "You bet on him again, didn't you?"

She grinned. "All in."

The Final Opponent

The anticipation in Titan Coliseum was unlike anything before.

The holo-screens flickered as the announcer's voice echoed across the stadium:

ASH ATSUYUKI (Nova Helix Academy) vs. ???

The final opponent's name was hidden.

The audience murmured in confusion. Then the screen glitched, and a new name emerged:

TSUKIHIME REI.

Silence.

Then—a deafening roar.

Rei had returned.

The fighter Ash had defeated once before. The one who had once stood at the top of their class, admired and feared in equal measure. The one who had vanished after her loss.

Now, she was back—and transformed.

As the arena transformed into a ruined temple battlefield, Rei stepped forward, her gaze burning with something darker than before. Her movements were precise, controlled—but there was something else. Something unnatural.

Augments.

Enhanced far beyond what should have been possible. The precision of her movements was no longer just skill—it was something engineered, something unnatural.

Ash rolled his shoulders, unfazed. "Didn't expect to see you again."

Rei's voice was quieter now, more calculated. "You humiliated me, Ash. I fought fair, and I lost. But fairness doesn't matter. Not in the real world. Not in this world."

Ash's fingers curled into fists. This wasn't just about the tournament. It was about a rivalry steeped in betrayal, in shattered reputations, in a truth that had been exposed for all to see. This was about proving that his victory over Rei hadn't been luck.

It was about unfinished business.

The gong rang.

The Final Battle

Rei moved first.

She exploded forward, a blur of speed and precision. Ash barely had time to react before her fist smashed into his guard, sending him skidding backward. The impact rattled his bones—she was faster, stronger than before.

Ash twisted, dodging her second strike by inches. The temple ruins trembled as Rei's enhanced strength cracked the stone where he had been standing moments before.

The crowd gasped—Rei wasn't just fighting, she was demolishing.

Kaito's eyes narrowed. "They overclocked her augments. She's beyond regulation limits."

Kenshiko cursed under her breath. "They didn't just enhance her. They made her a damn weapon."

Ash adjusted his stance. He couldn't win in a direct exchange. He needed to break her rhythm—make her fight on his terms.

The Dance of Blades

Rei came at him again, faster this time. Her attacks blurred through the air, a relentless flurry of Shifting Mirage—her clan's elite technique. Ash's vision split as her afterimages flickered around him, illusions so precise that even his instincts struggled to keep up.

She struck from multiple angles. Ash blocked two blows—but the third landed.

Pain flared in his ribs as he staggered. She was toying with him.

Rei smirked. "You're not fast enough."

Ash gritted his teeth. "I don't need to be."

She lunged again—but this time, Ash didn't react conventionally. Instead of tracking her afterimages, he closed his eyes for a split second.

Then—

He struck.

A brutal elbow into the real Rei's gut.

The illusion shattered. The crowd roared.

Rei stumbled back, shock flashing in her eyes. "You—"

Ash didn't let her recover. He pressed forward, fighting with raw, chaotic unpredictability. His attacks had no pattern, no structure—only survival.

Rei tried to recalibrate, but for the first time—she was the one struggling to adapt.

Their final exchange came in a blur of steel and fury.

Rei lunged, aiming for a decisive blow—

Ash sidestepped, grabbed her wrist, and slammed her into the temple floor.

The gong rang. Victory: Ash Atsuyuki.

The Aftermath

Silence. Then—

The stadium erupted.

The Shirogiri Revival Fan Club exploded into cheers.

The holo-vloggers lost their minds. The betting networks crashed from payout overload.

Ash had won.

Rei lay on the ground, breathing heavily. Her enhanced body twitched, overworked past its limits.

She looked up at him. For a long moment, she was silent. Then—

She laughed. A quiet, bitter laugh.

"You really are impossible."

Ash exhaled. "Took you this long to figure that out?"

The tournament was over.

And Ash Atsuyuki was the champion.