Kuro crouched low like a beast ready to pounce, the black veins across his arms throbbing with an unnatural rhythm. His breath came out in ragged laughs, like he was drunk on adrenaline.
"I'VE BEEN WAITING FOR THIS, REN!"
Ren didn't respond.
He simply exhaled — long and slow.
Then he vanished.
FWOOOM—
A burst of dust erupted beneath his feet as Ren shot forward with explosive acceleration, closing the distance in an instant.
Kuro's grin widened.
Their fists met in midair—
CRAAACK!!
A shockwave rippled across the track as skin met skin, no powers—no weapons—just raw bone and muscle colliding with brutal force.
Kuro's arm shuddered, veins glowing violently as they responded to the impact.
Ren's fist twitched with controlled vibration, his signature trick — speed coiled into a compressed punch, like a piston.
Kuro's eyes widened — then he grinned even harder.
"GOOD—GOOD!!! THAT'S THE REN I HATED!!!"
Kuro's head snapped forward—not to headbutt—but to BITE.
Ren jerked back just in time — but Kuro followed with a savage barrage of punches.
BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM!
Each strike was wild — unpredictable — like fighting an unhinged animal that somehow knew martial arts.
Ren blocked the first two, dodged the third—
—but the fourth slammed into his ribs.
He skid sideways across the field, coughing.
Ryuji stood up in the bleachers. "Ren—!!"
Hikaru held out an arm silently, keeping him seated. His gaze sharpened.
"…No. Look at him."
Ren was already moving.
He planted his heel, twisted, and launched forward again—this time lower, like a sprinter mid-race.
WHOOSH—!
He slid under Kuro's next swing, body inches from the ground, then—
BAM!
A rising uppercut caught Kuro under the jaw.
The enhanced runner's neck snapped back—
—but he laughed while flying.
"HAHAHAHA!! FASTER!! STRONGER!!"
He landed—hands digging into the track like claws.
The black veins glowed brighter, pulsing red now.
Steam rose from his skin.
Hikaru's brows tightened. "Those veins… it's gotta something Zan-Xi put on him. They're forcibly overclocking his muscles."
Ryuji's fists clenched. "So he's juicing?! Then Ren's at a disadvantage!"
"No…" Hikaru muttered.
"Ren's not using anything yet."
Ren's hair subtly lifted from the wind pressure gathering around him.
His eyes narrowed.
He spoke almost too softly to hear.
"Second Shift. Éveiller."
FWOOOOOO—M
The track itself shivered as Ren's body blurred out of sight — moving not in a straight line, but in staggered flashes, like a frame-skipping animation. Thanks to the now awakened Lighting Sword, Ren's weapon becomes his shoes making him more faster than before.
Kuro turned wildly, trying to track him — but Ren was already behind—
CRACK!!
A backfist to the neck.
Then to the left—
KRAK!
A knee to the ribs.
Then—
BOOM!!
A roundhouse to the temple that sent Kuro tumbling across three entire lanes.
He rolled — skidding to a stop — breathing heavily.
For just a moment…
His grin faded.
His eyes regained clarity.
"…Ren?"
Ren froze.
Kuro's voice was quieter. Almost… normal.
"I—can't—control—"
SKREEEEE
The veins suddenly spasmed.
Kuro screamed in agony as they expanded like worms beneath his skin, reshaping muscle fibers.
Then—
His head snapped back toward Ren.
All humanity gone.
"REN. TASSSHIII—KIII!!!"
The night air was cold against Ren's skin.
Every breath felt like fire in his lungs, every heartbeat like a drum of war echoing through his skull. His legs trembled beneath him—not from fear, but from overuse. His body was screaming to stop.
But Ren Tashiki never stopped.
Across from him, Kuro staggered, chest heaving with feral growls. The black veins crawling across his body pulsed erratically—no longer steady, no longer controlled. They bulged against his skin like something trying to claw its way out of him.
His pupils were shrunken. His breath was ragged. He looked barely human.
And still—Ren stepped forward.
No weapon. No stance. No tricks.
Just a runner putting one foot in front of the other.
THUD!
The ground beneath his feet cracked as he launched forward, sprinting straight at Kuro like a bullet tearing down the lane of a track he'd run a thousand times. His body blurred, legs pumping with everything he had left, wind spiraling in his wake like coiling lightning.
Kuro roared and swung wildly—but Ren slid beneath the strike, palm skidding across the turf as he pivoted, sweeping Kuro's legs out from under him with a spinning hook.
Kuro hit the dirt—
—but instead of falling back, he caught himself on one hand, flipping upright with beast-like agility. His grin cracked unnaturally wide.
"YOU CAN'T OUTRUN ME, REN!!!"
Kuro lunged—
Ren didn't retreat.
He stepped into the blow.
BAM—!!
Kuro's fist crashed into Ren's stomach, nearly folding him in half. Blood burst from his lips—but Ren grabbed onto Kuro's arm and ran with it, dragging him off-balance.
He spun him and threw him like a discus straight into the bleachers.
Metal warped on impact.
Kuro twitched on the ground. The veins on his arms were violently pulsing now—eyes rolling, breath stuttering.
Ren staggered forward, nearly collapsing to one knee.
That's enough, his body begged.
But Ren wasn't listening.
He straightened again.
No heroism. No pride.
Just a runner… who refused to stop before the finish line.
Kuro slowly rose, trembling like a malfunctioning machine. His voice was cracked, words barely intelligible.
"WHY… WON'T… YOU… BREAK!?"
Ren exhaled.
Then he ran.
Faster than before. Faster than his limits should allow. His vision blurred. His body felt weightless—as if he was leaving it behind.
He circled Kuro in an instant—one, two, three laps—kicking up a spiral of wind and dust. His shoes sparked against the turf. His heartbeat roared in his ears.
One more lap. Just one more.
He closed in—
—and Kuro screamed, his black veins bulging to bursting as he thrust both arms outward.
CRACK—!!
Ren was hit by a frontal blast of raw force—like a train made of muscle and hatred. His body lifted from the ground—
—and slammed into the concrete track.
His breath left him.
His vision flickered.
He tried to stand.
His legs refused.
Kuro lurched forward, now more monster than man, stumbling on unstable legs. He stood over Ren, chest heaving like a rabid beast.
Ren forced his head up. His lips were bloodied. His vision was fading.
Still…
He smiled.
A tired, broken little grin.
"As long… as I can still run…"
He pulled one knee up.
"…I'm not done…"
And he pushed off the ground—
Only to be crushed by Kuro's heel slamming down on his back.
CRACK.
Ren's body dropped flat. His limbs went slack.
This time…
He didn't get back up.
Silence.
Only the distant hum of streetlights.
And footsteps.
Not hurried. Not triumphant.
Just quiet.
Juxo emerged from the shadows, his shark-like grin… gone.
His eyes were unreadable. Shame clung to his shoulders like a heavy cloak. He still bore faint bruises from Hikaru's arrows. The sting of his loss had etched itself into his soul.
He didn't even look at Ren.
He just walked past him… and lifted Kuro's limp, twitching body onto his shoulder.
No mocking words. No victory cry.
Just a soft, low murmur:
"…Idiot."
Whether it was meant for Kuro—or for himself—no one would ever know.
He began to walk away.
"REN!!!"
Two voices broke the silence.
Ryuji and Hikaru barreled down from the bleachers, feet pounding like thunder. Ryuji was faster, almost tripping as he skidded to Ren's side, falling to his knees.
"REN! HEY! OI! GET UP! DON'T—DON'T YOU DARE—!"
He grabbed Ren's shoulders, shaking him desperately. Ren didn't respond.
Hikaru knelt slower.
Silent.
Jaw clenched so tight his teeth might shatter.
He pressed two fingers to Ren's neck.
A beat.
A pulse.
"…He's alive."
Ryuji let out a breath that cracked. His shoulders shook—not with rage.
With relief.
And grief.
They stayed like that for a long moment.
The night sky above them.
The ground cold beneath.
A fallen runner between.
And defeat hanging heavy in the air like rain about to fall.
Ren Tashiki had lost.