The crowd hadn't settled. The echoes of the G.O. D still pulsed through the air. People buzzed, energy crackling, until the lights dimmed again.
Mini, barely able to contain herself, leapt back into the spotlight.
"ONE LAST MATCH OF THE FIRST DAY OF G.O.D TOURNMENT !" she shrieked, twirling her mic. "And you all better buckle up because this one is going to be a bloody ballet!"
Double Pace Sensei stepped beside her, more solemn than usual. "This fight isn't just technique versus technique. It's tradition versus mutation."
A heavy bassline dropped as the giant screen glowed red. On one side, a crimson oni mask appeared.
INOUĒ SHIDŌ Alias: KUROSAWA - THE MASKED DEMON
Style: Shinmei Sword School (Shinmei Ryū Kenjutsu)
On the other, a grotesque six-armed silhouette emerged from the shadows, all limbs ending in serrated blades and reinforced bone.
GORO MANTIS
Alias: THE ELITE HUNTER
Style: Mutated Weapon Martial (Rokukiba no Kamae)
The crowd roared as the stage lowered. Metal walls slid back, revealing a battlefield styled after an ancient Shogun-era temple courtyard. Cherry blossoms rained from above.
But there was no peace in the air.
---
GONG!
Goro Mantis emerged first. Seven feet tall. Six grotesque arms. Blades fused into elbows and forearms. He had no shirt—just muscle, scars, and metal. His breath came in sharp hisses. Red lights blinked across the cybernetic implants in his spine.
"KILL!" he screeched, and the crowd shuddered.
Then, from the mist at the opposite end—a single figure stepped forward.
Inoue Shidō.
Clad in black robes. His mask was a red oni, cracked along the left cheek. He walked with silent grace, head down, wooden bokken resting at his waist.
Mini whispered, "A wooden sword? Against that freak?"
Double Pace responded, "That bokken has seen more death than steel ever has."
---
The bell rang.
Goro rushed forward with a SHRIEK, all six arms slashing in a spiral. Blades tore through air, metal gleaming.
But Kurosawa didn't flinch.
CRACK!
One twist of his hips, and the bokken snapped upward, parrying three strikes in a single motion. He pivoted, sweeping to the side.
SHINMEI-RYŪ: KAZE-NO-KAERI!
(Return of the Wind)
Goro staggered as the counterstrike rattled his torso. But he didn't retreat. He unleashed a spinning flurry, elbow blades carving into the stone floor.
Kurosawa slid under him, eyes glowing behind the mask. With surgical precision, he struck Goro's ribs—thud-thud-thud—like a drumbeat of pain.
The crowd couldn't believe it.
"He's hurting him with a WOODEN SWORD!" someone shouted.
Goro bellowed. He slammed all six arms downward like a collapsing guillotine.
Kurosawa sidestepped.
SHINMEI-RYŪ: YAMI-NO-ITO!
(Thread of Darkness)
He flipped upward, landing behind Goro, and delivered a crushing hilt-blow to the back of the mutant's neck.
Goro stumbled.
Then roared.
"NO MORE HOLDING BACK!"
His flesh rippled. Extra tendons expanded. He began rotating his arms at unnatural angles, generating whirlwind force.
He became a bladed tornado.
"He's going full Rokukiba no Kamae..." Double Pace muttered. "Six-Fang Stance. Very few have survived that."
Metal whistled. Kurosawa was forced into defense. Sparks flew as his bokken deflected deadly blows. He rolled, leapt, spun—
Until Goro cornered him against a pillar.
SHUNK!
A blade pierced Kurosawa's shoulder.
Blood sprayed.
The crowd gasped.
But Kurosawa didn't cry out.
Instead, he grabbed the arm.
Pulled it in.
And headbutted Goro with the force of a war drum.
DOOM!
Goro staggered. The mask cracked further.
SHINMEI-RYŪ: KETSUGO-NO-KEN!
(Unification Blade)
Kurosawa lifted his bokken, now stained with blood. He moved like shadow—a blur.
Strikes landed in rapid succession:
Rib.
Neck.
Wrist.
Groin.
Jaw.
Each hit carried intent. Each hit broke something.
Goro slashed blindly, but Kurosawa ducked under a wide swing and leapt.
With both hands, he brought the hilt down on Goro's face.
CRACK!
The crowd fell silent.
Goro crumpled.
Blood poured from his shattered nose. Metal implants sparked. His six arms twitched—then went still.
Kurosawa landed in a crouch.
The mask now cracked fully down the middle, revealing a single eye—cold, ancient, merciless.
Mini whispered, "The Demon of Shinmei… wins."
The bell rang.
Double Pace bowed his head. "That wasn't just a victory. That was judgment."
Paramedics rushed the stage. Goro was still breathing—barely.
Kurosawa turned. Walked away.
As he passed the cheering fighters backstage, they went silent.
Genji watched him with a new awareness.
Even Blaze fell quiet.
"That guy," he said, "isn't here to win. He's here to cleanse."
The screen lit up one final time.
Inoue Shidō (Kurosawa) has advanced in G.O.D Tournament .