Chapter Thirty-Nine: The Preliminary Round Begins!

"First of all, those of you who received an invitation, please gather here and board the Kengan," the black-suited leader announced, holding up a letter emblazoned with the character for "wish." With a powerful arm, he pointed toward the port's enormous luxury cruise liner.

"Saeko, did I get one of those while I was training?" Kyo Shiratou stroked his chin, surveying the opulent vessel. In both his lifetimes, he’d never set foot on anything of this caliber. It looked outrageously expensive!

Saeko tapped him lightly on the forehead, exasperated. "If you had, I’d already have dragged you aboard, Kyo."

With nothing else to do, Kyo shrugged and waited for the black-suits to organize the crowd.

At that moment, the leader’s arm swung in a wide arc past the Kengan, now pointing to a battered freighter docked beside the luxury liner. The stark contrast between the dingy, undersized freighter and the world-class cruise ship was as glaring as a street beggar beside a king.

"Those companies without an invitation, please board the Deathwish," he continued, ignoring the sudden uproar among the remaining corporate representatives as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

Among the twenty-eight companies queuing for the luxury liner, Shion Kanryuin approached with her secretary, heading toward the trio.

"Hey, Saeko, want to come up with me? The beds are big and soft," she teased, casting a sly glance at Kyo.

But then, the muscle-obsessed Shion’s eyes widened. Wait, it's only been a week, and his physique is enough to send shivers down her spine!

Shion shifted her legs unconsciously. Saeko watched her with a subtle smile, gently linking her arm with the young man’s. "Lace isn’t really your style, Shion. Don’t worry, I doubt the Kengan Association will let the representatives from over a hundred companies fall into the sea midway."

"If it’s you, I could go lace," Shion replied, ignoring the latter half of Saeko’s words. She swallowed, her gaze drifting to Saeko’s abdomen—she vaguely remembered those tantalizing mermaid lines and sculpted abs.

Kyo’s brow twitched. "Tone it down, Miss Kanryuin. You’re a bit too obvious."

"Oh, alright," she said, but her eyes roamed freely, unconcerned by his admonition. Only the repeated urging of the black-suits and her embarrassed secretary's tugging managed to get her onto the ship.

Even Saeko, who had smiled throughout, let out a sigh once Shion departed. "Whew—let’s board as well."

Kyo nodded. Taike Zuenaga followed behind, and the three boarded the battered Deathwish.

On the freighter, as expected, black-suited officials awaited them. One stood between a heavy iron door and a staircase, his arms stretched to either side.

"Fighters, please enter the main hall on the first floor. Corporate representatives, proceed upstairs," he instructed as the crowd split once again amidst confused chatter.

"You and Taike go ahead. Looks like something interesting is about to happen," Kyo said, eyeing the blast-proof door, smiling nonchalantly at Saeko as his fists instinctively clenched and relaxed—a habit before a fight.

Saeko, who seemed to sense something from the moment she boarded, her eyes faintly red, smiled tenderly at him. "Have fun, Kyo. Taike, let’s go."

"Huh? Oh, okay!"

Watching them ascend, Kyo headed toward the iron door.

Inside, Kyo surveyed the room with keen interest. The fighters’ styles, hair, and physiques varied wildly, each displaying a distinct personality. But they all shared—

—an overwhelming fighting spirit!

The atmosphere grew heavy. The faint scent of blood seemed to seep in with the murderous intent, slipping through unseen cracks.

He glanced up at the glass dome above the fighters’ hall. There, the corporate representatives observed from on high, looking down upon the caged beasts yearning to battle, while the nobles above showered money and anticipation.

It was a coliseum in all but name.

Kyo raised an eyebrow.

Beside him, a fighter with wild black curls seemed oblivious to the organizers' intentions behind this setup. He mimed asking for water to the glass dome above—hoping his company’s representative would send some down? Did he really not get it?

Kyo approached to offer a friendly warning. "Hey, old man, is it really wise to have outsiders send water down now?"

The curly-haired fighter turned, surprised. "Old man?"

Being called "old man" among so many fighters, when he was still in his prime? But upon seeing Kyo’s sixteen-year-old face, his mouth twitched—he couldn’t argue. High schoolers could join Kengan matches now? Compared to this youth, he really was an old man...

Just then, a blonde, bespectacled woman in a standard office outfit—her figure making the attire seem downright risqué—entered the hall carrying a water bottle.

She handed it to the curly-haired fighter, a hint of displeasure in her voice. "As a fighter, maintaining your physical condition is your responsibility, Mr. Ohma."

Ohma took the bottle without a care, gulping it down. "Thanks, Akiyama."

Akiyama shook her head in resignation, then turned and spotted Kyo. "Wait, aren’t you the one President Nogi had his eye on...?"

Nogi Hideki had gone out of his way to forge a relationship with this fighter, even cleaning up his messes. But once the Kengan Association chairman, Katayama, issued the order for the Deathwish tournament to begin, there was no time for further negotiations. Now, seeing him here, he’d clearly been poached by someone else.

She hadn’t finished speaking when a sharp, blade-like gaze suddenly slashed across her neck, sending a chill so intense her hair stood on end. Searching for the source, she found only a dignified, gentle beauty with purple hair, accompanied by a delinquent with blond hair, smiling and waving from the glass dome above.

The youth favored by President Nogi waved back enthusiastically.

"Eh?" Was it just her imagination?

Akiyama doubted it—such a gentle woman shouldn’t radiate murderous intent rare even among fighters. But besides them and her current boss, Kazuo Yamashita, there was no one else in that direction. Peculiar.

At that moment, the iron door slammed shut with a clang, followed by the click of a lock.

"What?!"

The situation changed abruptly—trapped with a group of ferocious fighters. The blonde secretary couldn’t help but panic.

To make matters worse, the freighter’s intercom crackled, and the gruff captain announced his cruel decree.

—Only five fighters would remain standing in this room by the time they reached the tournament site. The rest would be eliminated!

The next moment—

Bang!

The half-empty water bottle hurtled toward Kyo’s head, launched by the very man he’d just been chatting with. Kyo ducked, and the bottle smashed against the wall, spraying water everywhere.

He dodged Ohma’s follow-up punches, leaping back to gain distance.

"Really, old man..." Kyo removed his glasses, pushing back his loose hair. "You don’t waste a second, do you?"

Both he and Ohma flashed delighted smiles.

The brawl had begun!