“Wha—who kept this many dolls in one damn room?!”

He kicked a path through the plush chaos and peeked inside. The entire room was stuffed wall-to-wall with dolls. He couldn’t even step inside.

Darven scratched his head. “If Tanvika-sama’s granddaughter saw this, she would play here…”

He sighed. “What do I even do here?”

He waved his hand lightly, a small gust of wind swept forward. The dolls shifted slightly, a few toppling into the hallway.

A little space opened. “Better,” he muttered, stepping in.

“I don't want to damage them...”

Yet barely five seconds later, he pulled out a kunai.

“But… I can't control it.” And then he began.

Piercing dolls one by one. Straight through the belly, some through the face, eyes rolling off. Soft thuds echoing like muted heartbeats.

Meanwhile, Shoren stepped into the first room. He scanned the clean space. Then his gaze caught the trail of dolls leading into an open door.

He stared.

He walked forward. Stopped at the him—he still calmly stabbing another doll in the side.

He blinked. Then turned silently and walked back into the hallway. ‘…Psycho,’ he thought.

Darven called out, “Huh? What are you doing? Come help! These dolls are deep!”

Shoren stepped back inside slowly, raising a scroll. “We need to find a box, not a token.”

Darven froze mid-stab. “...So you're telling me all my hard work was for nothing? Or—wait! Maybe there's a box inside the dolls!”

Shoren didn’t answer—just stared at the chaos, one eye twitching.

“Why that face?” Darven tilted his head, confused. “I didn’t want to damage them! I just—searched thoroughly.”

He sheathed his kunai with a proud nod. “Well... grab a couple dolls. We’ll give them to the kids.”

****

Sakura and Megha climbed to the second floor, footsteps soft against the old tiles.

As they reached the hallway, Megha pointed at a door. "Let's check that one?”

Sakura nodded. They stepped inside.

The room was almost empty—just a long table and eleven identical chairs. Rayan and Ayesha had entered earlier.

“What’s that slip on the table?” Megha’s eyes narrowed, gaze locked on it.

Sakura walked over and gently picked it up. “The 12th chair is removed due to lack of discipline.”

She stared at it. The words felt strange—unsettling.

Megha noticed one tile out of place—already lifted near the chair, its space underneath exposed.

“Sakura-san… I think someone’s already been here,” Megha said softly. “They probably didn’t find anything and moved on.”

“It seems that way. Let’s go,” Sakura said as she scanned the room.

They stepped into the next room down the corridor. Dust. Old shelves. Racks shoved against the walls. Broken chairs. A stale smell hung in the air.

But nothing obvious.

Megha’s gaze moved to the right wall. “Sakura-san… do you feel something off?”

“Hmm? That’s just a wall,” Sakura said, raising a brow. “My master estimated 8 to 10 boxes in each building. We can’t expect every room to hold one.”

Megha shook her head. “No, I don’t mean the box. I mean the wall itself. Doesn’t it feel... too close?”

“Too close? Um… well it’s close,” Sakura blinked, still puzzled.

“Between this room and the one before... there should be more space,” Megha said, pointing. “From that door to this one, we walked a long corridor. But inside... both rooms feel too narrow. There’s a gap that doesn’t match.”

“You mean—there could be a room in between the two rooms?” Sakura stepped forward, eyes widening as she analyzed the wall.

“I think so,” Megha said, placing her palm gently on the wall and brushing the dust aside. “A narrow space. Hidden. What if... the 12th chair is in there?”

“If that’s true…” Sakura said in a low voice, “then someone wanted to hide it, not remove it.”

****

Megha and Sakura stood in front of the same old wall, right inside the eleven-chair room.

Sakura gently tapped it with her fingers. “…It doesn’t move.”

“It sounds different from the others…” Megha said, placing her ear gently against the wall, “hollow.”

She stepped back, picked up one of the chairs, and without hesitation—

crashed it against the wall.

A dull thud. A crack.

Some plaster cracked and fell away, revealing an uneven brick pattern—a hidden hole.

Sakura leaned closer. “Megha… did you see anything?”

“It’s not clear…” Megha crouched beside the new hole. “But I’m sure there is room.”

“Then let’s open it up,” Sakura said with a nod, picking up another chair beside her.

Both girls took turns—crash, crash, dust spilling out with every hit. The bricks were old. The wall wasn't thick—just enough to hide something.

Finally—a chunk crumbled inward, and a wide enough hole appeared. Dust floated like mist inside the narrow secret room.

And sitting right in the middle—a lone chair.

And under the chair, a box.

Sakura and Megha climbed in through the hole, one after the other.

Their hands brushed the box.

Megha laughed softly. “Sakura-san… I think I found the path.”

“But… I touched it first,” Sakura said with a playful smirk.

“Can I have it?” Megha asked, her voice suddenly quiet.

“Azuma-san has Avatar ability, right?” She glanced at her. “He’ll find another box easily. For us… this might be the only one.”

Sakura paused. Her fingers still rested on the box, eyes lowered. “…If we take this, we clear the round, right?”

“Hmph, I found this actually.”

Sakura stayed silent for a moment.

Then Megha added, her voice soft but firm. “Ken-san made a promise, didn’t he? All of you agreed? Or just Ken-san’s pair”

“Take it,” Sakura said, her hand slipping off the box without hesitation. “Ken promised, right. But don’t ask him for help again.”

“Sakura-san… are you really okay with it?” Megha asked, eyes wide with surprise.

“You already said it, didn’t you?” Sakura gave a small smile. “My master will find one. And I know what he’d do in this situation too. Exactly the same.”

As they stepped outside, Takeshi spotted them and jogged over. “Ohh! You found the token?”

Megha nodded, holding up the box. “Yep. Got it, Niisan.”

“Nice!” His eyes lit up, a goofy grin on his face. “Then… can we find more?”

“Huh?” Megha frowned, crossing her arms. “What are you talking about? One is enough—we can get the crystal now.”

“Sure,” Takeshi said with a shrug, smiling like it was obvious. “But if we collect more tokens, we can block other pairs. Maybe trade a bit too. If we hold extra, time will come to us naturally, right?”

Megha shot him a glare. “No. Just no.”

“Are you going to keep searching in this building?” she asked with a sigh, turning to Sakura. “Or heading to another, Sakura-san?”

“Hm… No,” Sakura said, glancing back at the upper floors. “You already found one. Some others are here too. I’ll try another building. This one… already feels unlucky.”

Takeshi piped in again. “With that guy’s Avatar ability, you’ll find one easily.”

“Niisan! Don’t talk like that!” Megha snapped, smacking his arm without hesitation. “They helped us!”

Takeshi rubbed his shoulder with a pout. “Okay, okay... geez.”

Sakura just smiled at them both. Quiet. Understanding.

The three of them stepped out of the building.

****

🐾 Arrival of the Unknown

Suddenly—

the air shifted.

Clouds above twisted unnaturally. A spiral shimmered open in the air like torn silk.

And from that portal—

A beast leapt down. Its body—panther-like, deep magenta fur shimmered like liquid flame under the broken rays of forest light.

Muscles rippled beneath its sleek frame. And its eyes—

Glowing red. Watching. Cold.

The creature landed with a silent thud. The portal vanished behind it. And the climate… returned to normal. Almost too normal.

The beast sniffed the air slowly. Its voice came like a whisper gliding over frozen glass. {“What is this place…? No cracks. It’s… peaceful.”}

Sakura. Megha. Takeshi. Their eyes fell straight on that beast—

Megha froze. One foot mid-step. Her breath caught. Sakura's eyes narrowed instantly.

Takeshi instinctively reached for his kunai.

Its head turned.

And

Instructor Vikato (31), standing outside the building, squinted. ‘A beast… in the middle of the tournament?!’

His fingers tapped the wooden beam. ‘Hmph. Should I move? Or… leave it to the contestants to test them?’

The beast murmured while scanning the building, “I think there are no Flips.”

But then—

the beast’s gaze locked on the trio.

****

Far away, Kaizen received the alert pulse.

His eyes widened. “An unknown Kairo energy?!.”

He activated his full scan… ‘That direction, but…’

****

“Hey! Move back!” Takeshi shouted, stepping forward with his kunai drawn.

He stood in front of Sakura and Megha. “What are you? Why are you here? Say your name!”

The beast didn’t reply.

It ROARED.

A chilling, ear-splitting roar that echoed through the building. The three froze in place. Legs went stiff. Breath caught.

“…Huh?” Darven blinked as he looked out the window with Shoren from the third floor. “A beast?!”

Second floor—Rayan and Ayesha turned toward the sound. He gasped. “What the hell?!”

Sakura whispered, eyes locked on the creature. “What… is that?”

Takeshi yelled again. “I’m talking to you!”

He threw a shuriken, sharp and fast—

But in a blink—

The beast moved. A blur. Mirages split behind it—It was already behind them.

Its tail swung—CRACK! all three were flung away like dolls.

They hit the dirt hard—rolled, gasped. Sakura struggled to stand up, blood in her mouth. Megha tried to reach Takeshi.

“Velgorn,” the beast muttered, voice low and rumbling from its throat.

Darven didn’t wait. He kicked open the building door, already halfway out. Shoren followed, calm and silent.

Rayan and Ayesha rushed after them from the other stairway, all four coming down as fast as they could.

Darven called out, voice sharp. “Hey! Fight with me, not with them!”

The beast turned, its glowing red eyes narrowing. Then—

RRRRRAAAHHHH!! Fire blasted from its mouth—three fireballs split off like bullets, soaring straight at them.

“Get back!” Rayan yelled, dashing forward with urgency burning in his eyes.

He inhaled—his chest burned—then unleashed a fireball from his mouth.

BOOM!!

The fireballs clashed mid-air. Flames exploded, merged into one massive orb, spinning wildly—

—it shot straight toward the beast.

But Velgorn moved. Flash. A blur.

The fireball slammed into a tree behind—KRAK-BOOM! Bark and flames scattered.

Velgorn saw Sakura standing. “Why are you all aiming at me?” he growled. Then—he roared.

In a blur, he moved in front of her.

Sakura drew her kunai, eyes sharp. She slashed at him.

Velgorn swung his claws.

Sakura dodged—again. Again. Every strike, she stepped aside, blade cutting through his arms, shoulders, chest. Thin slices appeared.

Velgorn’s body flickered—mirages splitting. His form moved erratically.

“Huh?! I can’t read the pattern—what is this?!” Sakura gasped, her blade hesitating mid-air.

CRACK!

His claw caught her cheek.

Sakura stumbled back, lost footing—and fell.

Blood sprayed—Velgorn’s own. “Blood… blood…”

But he struck Sakura’s ankle.

“AAAHH!!” Sakura screamed, clutching her ankle as pain shot through her.

“Idiot!” Darven shouted, appearing behind Velgorn in a flash. “Harming a girl—don’t you have any respect?!”

He stabbed a kunai into Velgorn’s back—

It didn’t even leave a scratch.

Velgorn flicked his tail—WHAM!

Darven was sent flying—but the wind caught him mid-air, stopping his fall.

He landed on his feet, breathing heavy.

Sakura stepped back, legs trembling. She wiped the blood on her cheek, trying to focus.

Megha caught her by the arm before she could fall again, holding her steady with both hands. “I got you.”

Takeshi gritted his teeth. His hands raised quickly, fingers forming a pattern—threads of Kairo flared from his fingertips.

But Velgorn raised his arms and stretched, muscles flexing. “Huh… what is this?” he muttered. With a slight movement, the threads snapped apart like paper.

“Damn it!” Takeshi cursed, turning sharply toward Rayan. “Rayan-san! You’re a combat type—and the same element! You can fight him!”

Velgorn’s jaw opened wide—FWOOOM!!

A fireball shot out toward Rayan like a meteor.

Shoren stepped forward calmly, placing both palms on the ground. His fingers sank into the dirt—the earth rumbled.

A thick wall of stone rose instantly in front of Rayan—BOOM! The fireball hit and exploded, shaking dust everywhere.

Shoren slid backward from the impact, his sandals digging into the ground as he held his position.

“Blood… blood…” Velgorn growled, turning his red eyes toward Sakura. “You sliced me…”

“Why is it looking at me like that…?” Sakura whispered, flinching as her body froze for a moment.

Megha tugged her arm. “Sakura! Let’s go! They’ll take care of it!”

Darven turned around, back aching, and shouted, “Vikato-san! Can’t you come already?!”

Vikato leaned lazily. “Hm? I feel like you all can handle it… right?”

Megha and Sakura sprinted across the clearing.

“Megha… you go ahead,” Sakura hissed under her breath, limping as pain throbbed in her ankle. “My ankle’s hurting…”

But before Megha could answer—THUMP!

They both bumped into someone solid.

Ren stood there, surprised—Yui beside him, having teleported to that place at the same time.

His eyes locked on Sakura—her torn cheek, the blood at the corner of her lips.

His jaw tightened.

He slowly looked up…

The beast roared, its breath thick with smoke.

“Where is Azuma?” Ren asked, his voice calm—but sharp as a blade’s edge.

Sakura wiped her lip. “Master went to other buildings.”

Ren’s eyes narrowed.

“Yui,” he said without looking back, “Take her. Go.”

Without waiting, he stepped forward—each stride heavy, unblinking. The ground crackled under his feet.

Velgorn noticed. His red eyes widened. He blurred. Mirages shattered across the field as he darted ahead—

—but just inches before reaching Ren, he froze.

Ren coughed, blood spilling down his chin.

FWOOOOOOOM!

A monstrous aura exploded out of his body—spiraling upward like a dragon made of black aura.

“Damn it…” Ren muttered, side-stepping like smoke. He landed silently beside Darven, eyes locked on Velgorn.

Yui’s eyes went wide. “What the—?!”

Velgorn stood in the middle of the clearing, now caught between four forces. He slowly turned to face Ren, muscles tensed.

Darven glanced sideways, stunned. The pressure from Ren’s aura made the air heavy like molten iron.

On the left: Sakura leaned against Megha, Yui beside her, all breathless.

Behind Velgorn: Takeshi stood still, eyes darting.

To the right: Rayan, Shoren, and Ayesha prepared, shoulders squared, breaths syncing.

And in that silence—

SHHHLINK.

Ren slowly unsheathed his katana, the sound slicing through the tension like thunder before a storm.

His eyes gleamed crimson. A glow like embers smoldering in winter.

“Are you ready?” Ren asked, tightening his grip on the katana. “I’m using this seriously now.”

“I don’t understand—what are you saying?” Velgorn blinked, genuinely taken aback. “You all attacked me first—”

Ren didn’t blink. “You don’t need to understand.” His voice dropped cold. “I didn’t talk to you.”

“You already made a big mistake,” he muttered. “So… say. Are you ready?”

His feet shifted, the katana’s hilt turned cold in his palm. A chill rose from the grip—Amaya’s quiet answer.