Chapter 146: Free-For-All

The moment the door closed, nearly all the fighters jumped in surprise.

At the same time, a voice rang out from the ceiling speaker.

"To all participants and sponsors, thank you for waiting. This ship has successfully set sail. We now announce the start of the 'Kengan Deathmatch Elimination Preliminaries.'"

The combatants were dumbfounded. No one had mentioned a preliminary round.

This was by design—only insiders and the 28 companies already guaranteed main event spots knew of it. The rest thought this was already the main competition.

The speaker continued,

"This preliminary round lasts until sunrise tomorrow. If more than five people are still standing at that time, all participants will be disqualified. From this moment on, a battle royale begins. Only the final five left standing will qualify."

"What!?"

"151 participants, and only five can remain?"

The fighters muttered to themselves in shock, while Rinji simply furrowed his brow.

Katahara had told him there would only be four survivors—adding to the 28 main qualifiers, that would make 32 companies total.

Assuming a traditional tournament structure, 32 participants worked perfectly.

While Rinji considered this, the rest of the fighters grew increasingly tense.

With 151 people and only 5 spots, everyone else was the enemy.

"Now then, I hereby declare the Kengan Deathmatch Elimination Preliminaries—officially begun!!"

As the announcement ended, chaos erupted.

Fighters began throwing punches at the nearest targets or charging toward chosen opponents. The cabin was quickly filled with the roars of battle and screams.

A massive brawl broke out almost instantly.

Watching everyone around him dive into combat, Tokita Ohma grinned and said,

"Looks like you got roped into this too. That means you're a target now."

"Doesn't matter. This is what I came for anyway."

Rinji smiled. Just then, a burly man with several facial scars rushed toward him, launching a kick aimed at Rinji's face.

"First, take out the weakest—AAAGH!!"

Before the man could land his kick, Rinji shifted sideways, dodging the attack. He rotated with the motion and slammed his palm into the man's chest.

Thud!

The man was knocked backward and crashed onto the floor.

The sudden impact caused his heart to briefly stop—he collapsed, unconscious.

"…You're joining the tournament?" Ohma asked.

"More or less. Thought I'd play around in the prelims."

"Oh? That's exciting~"

Ohma couldn't help but smile. He'd long been looking forward to a rematch with Rinji.

"If that's how you're thinking, I suggest you reconsider. I've got money riding on you. If you go down, I lose."

"I don't care. If you're in the tournament, I'm going—"

"You guys still chatting!?"

Their relaxed conversation angered nearby fighters, who all rushed them, fists flying.

"Che."

Ohma punched one of them square in the eye, knocking him out cold. Rinji grabbed another by the hair and smashed his knee into the man's face, caving it in.

In just a few minutes, three fighters were already out cold.

---

The battles aboard the "Annihilation" were being streamed live to the "Kengan" ship.

But it wasn't just for viewing—this was also a major gambling event, with companies betting on who the final five survivors would be.

"Who is that kid?"

"He looks so scrawny. Yet he just took down two fighters in no time."

"I know both of them. They had solid records."

"One was 3-0. The other 5-0. And this unknown kid took them both down."

On the "Kengan," not only the 28 participating companies were present—hundreds more were there just to spectate and bet.

Rinji's performance had completely caught them off guard.

"Who is he? Anyone know his name?"

"Tell me if you know! I want to bet everything on him!"

"Doesn't even look like he's a registered combatant. When did he sneak in?"

On the large screen, Rinji leisurely dispatched two more fighters, then charged toward the rest.

Like a storm, he tore through the combatants, dropping anyone fighting or waiting for an opening. All were left unconscious, without exception.

"So… strong."

Akiyama Kaede stared at the screen, momentarily speechless.

She had only heard that Takamine Rinji was powerful—but never imagined he was this strong.

"Mr. Takamine really is amazing. I hope Mr. Ohma doesn't lose his cool and challenge him." Yamashita Kazuo spoke with concern.

The middle-aged man had been watching the screen from the start, and something about Rinji felt… off.

'Is it just me? He doesn't seem to be using full strength. He's definitely holding back.'

Nogi Hideki puffed on a cigar, eyes fixed on Rinji.

Rinji participating was a complete surprise. Normally, he had no interest in fighting himself.

"What's with that nervous face?"

"Hajime?"

Nogi glanced at the long-haired man standing beside him.

Sen Hatsumi, an Aikido master, and Nogi Group's newly hired fighter.

"What do you think of that guy?"

"The blond kid?" Hatsumi smiled at the screen. "Hard to say. His style looks mixed—some Xing Yi Quan, some Muay Thai, even some Krav Maga. I think I could handle him."

"Oh?"

"But only under one condition."

Hatsumi's smile vanished, his tone turning serious.

"If what he's showing right now is his full strength, then sure. But if he's hiding even a bit of his real power… then I'm in trouble."