Time marched forward.
A few more days passed, leaving only three days until the Dark Tournament.
Morpheus, accompanied by Saeko Busujima, Hitomi, Karna, Medusa, and Oda Nobunaga, left Tokyo.
Their destination: Kyoto.
In ancient times, Kyoto was known as Heian-kyo.
Meaning "the capital of peace and tranquility," it was constructed by Emperor Kanmu, modeled after the great cities of ancient empires.
The city was laid out in a rectangular grid, with Suzaku Avenue as its central axis, running north to south, dividing the city into eastern and western halves. At its heart stood the Imperial Palace, fronted by the Rashomon Gate. Beyond the palace was the imperial city, and beyond that, the outer city.
The streets formed a checkerboard pattern, with east-west and north-south roads intersecting at right angles, neatly dividing the palace, government offices, residential areas, and commercial districts. Shrines were situated in the north.
In ancient times, Heian-kyo spanned approximately 5.2 kilometers north to south and 4.5 kilometers east to west, roughly one-fifth the size of a grand ancient capital.
Its area covered 23.4 square kilometers.
But as time progressed, Heian-kyo evolved into modern Kyoto.
Skyscrapers now dotted the landscape, and crisscrossing streets wove through the city.
While some areas preserved ancient architecture, the grandeur of Heian-kyo was largely lost.
Morpheus had come here to participate in the Dark Tournament.
This year's tournament was being held in Kyoto.
Thus, three days before the event, Morpheus arrived in Kyoto and checked into a hotel.
Medea, Raikou, Martha, Miko, and Hana had also joined him.
They, too, were here for the Dark Tournament.
The group stayed at the same hotel.
While checking in at the front desk, Morpheus ran into someone he recognized.
Not exactly a close acquaintance.
More like someone he'd met once before.
A martial arts master from Ryozanpaku, the self-proclaimed hundred-dan karate expert, Shio Sakaki.
He was also checking in.
Sakaki wasn't alone; several other Ryozanpaku martial arts masters accompanied him.
The invincible superhuman Hayato Furinji, judo expert Akisame Koetsuji, ancient fist master Kensei Ma, Muay Thai reaper Apachai Hopachai, and sword-and-weapon expert Shigure Kosaka were all by his side.
Even Ryozanpaku's disciple Kenichi Shirahama and Hayato Furinji's granddaughter Miu Furinji were present.
The entire Ryozanpaku crew had turned out in full force.
The two groups met at the front desk, exchanging glances.
Shio Sakaki recognized Morpheus, as he had stood out quite prominently that night.
"Hey, kid, it's you. You're here for the Dark Tournament too, huh?"
Sakaki's gaze swept over Karna, Raikou, and Martha.
Among the group, these three exuded the most pressure.
Just standing in their presence made Sakaki's body tremble, his instincts screaming in fear.
But he quickly suppressed that fear and greeted Morpheus.
Morpheus nodded. "Looks like you are too."
"Exactly," Sakaki admitted frankly. "The Dark Tournament only happens every three years. It'd be a shame to miss it."
Morpheus smiled. "I hope we get to face you at the tournament."
Sakaki laughed heartily. "To fight strong opponents like you? That's exactly what I'm here for!"
After checking in, Morpheus and his group left the front desk.
Akisame Koetsuji, watching their departing figures, stroked his chin. "That's quite the formidable team."
Kensei Ma asked curiously, "Sakaki, how do you know them?"
Sakaki replied, "I don't really know them. I just met that kid leading them once before. To my embarrassment, I thought he was just an ordinary boy back then."
"Now, though, I see I was wrong."
Kenichi Shirahama couldn't help but ask, "Sakaki-sensei, that kid looks pretty normal. Why do you say you misjudged him?"
Miu Furinji was also curious.
Hayato Furinji chuckled and explained, "Kenichi, you can't judge people by appearances. Among that group, the white-haired man, the long-haired woman, and the woman in white are all exceptional masters."
"They're battle-hardened warriors, the kind who've fought on battlefields and taken lives."
"Just standing there, they're terrifyingly strong."
Kenichi looked baffled. "Huh? But I didn't feel anything."
Kensei Ma laughed. "That's because you're still too green, Kenichi."
Shigure Kosaka nodded. "It's… a dimensional… gap."
Kenichi still didn't get it.
Miu, however, understood. "Kenichi, what Shigure-nee means is that there's a dimensional gap between us and them. That's why we can't sense how terrifying they are."
"Only someone at our masters' level can feel their strength."
Kenichi was stunned. "What? Are you saying those guys are even scarier than our masters?"
"Hard to say if we could win."
"Indeed, it's unclear if we could win."
"We can only… go all out."
"Even I think those guys are ridiculously strong. Hard to imagine."
"Even sensei…"
Kenichi was dumbfounded. The Dark Tournament hadn't even started, and they'd already run into opponents of this caliber. Wasn't this tournament a bit too high-level?
Thankfully, he didn't have to compete and was just here to observe with his masters.
Otherwise, his legs would probably be shaking by now.
Sakaki said, "These formidable people are gathered together, yet that kid is their leader. Kenichi, now you see why I said I misjudged him."
"..."
Meanwhile, after their encounter with the Ryozanpaku group, Morpheus and his team entered the elevator to head to their hotel rooms.
Inside the elevator, Oda Nobunaga struggled to contain her excitement.
"I never expected that, in this day and age, there'd still be such heroes. Coming to the Dark Tournament was definitely the right call."
Compared to bizarre yokai, Nobunaga had a particular fondness for humans.
In life, her favorite thing was sparring with such heroes.
Raikou nodded. "They're indeed a group of heroes. Even in my era, they'd be renowned warriors, especially that blond old man."
Martha agreed. "That old man is quite strong."
***
Bonus Chapter:
100 Power Stones = 1 BC
300 Power Stones = 2 BC
500 Power Stones = 3 BC
700 Power Stones = 4 BC
1000 Power Stones = 5 BC
***
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