The battle had ended. After the intense clash between Alex and Son, Tomoa raised his hand and declared:
"Alex is the winner!"
The crowd erupted in cheers. Raquel let out a long sigh of relief, her tense shoulders finally relaxing.
Son slowly pushed himself up from the ground, brushing dust from his body as he walked toward Alex.
"I didn't think you were that strong," Son admitted, offering a small smile.
Alex grinned. "I've been training pretty hard lately. Sorry for hitting you that hard with that last move. I just got caught up in the moment."
"It's fine," Son replied, chuckling as the two of them shared a solid fist bump.
Not far away, Kinto stood with his arms folded, an amused smile on his face.
"Didn't think Alex would win like that..." he muttered.
Serena glanced at him curiously. "What do you mean?"
"Forget it," Kinto replied, brushing it off casually.
As Alex and Son walked back to their previous positions, Raquel came running toward them.
"Raquel?" Son said, raising his hand for a high five. "Didn't I look cool just now—"
She dashed right past him without so much as a glance and threw her arms around Alex.
"Huh...?" Son blinked, hand still in the air. Son had a wierd smile on his face "She didn't even bother to say a word, and I'm her teammate. That hurt.", he thought to himself.
Tomoa's voice boomed across the arena, cutting through the moment.
"Listen up, everyone!" he called. "Not all of you will participate in the first part of the exam."
A murmur of confusion swept through the crowd.
"Those with high rankings will be moved directly to the second stage of the tournament. The rest will have to compete through the initial rounds."
As he finished speaking, the giant screen above them buzzed to life, randomizing names for the next battle.
The screen stopped—two names lit up:
SERENA vs. SUKUNA
The crowd hushed.
"No way..." Serena whispered.
"I have to fight her?" Sukuna muttered in disbelief.
"Serena. Sukuna. Come down to the battle floor," Tomoa ordered.
The two girls made their way down. A charged atmosphere hung in the air.
Sukuna smirked. "Wow, i wasn't expecting to fight you of all people, Serena. You ready?"
Serena, calm and confident, cracked her neck. "Don't get too excited yet, your over confidence might be your downfall."
"Heh. Whoever wins, wins.", Sukuna replied.
Tomoa raised his hand. "Begin!"
The moment the word dropped, an explosion of speed and precision erupted as Serena and Sukuna launched daggers and blades at each other at dizzying speed.
Watching from the sidelines, Kinto blinked in slight disbelief. "Huh? Are my eyed deceiving me right now? Girls fight like this?"
Alex nodded slowly. "Didn't expect these two to go at it like this..."
The battle escalated—fists and kicks flew as they closed the distance and were showcasing incredible combat skills. Serena lunged with a punch, but Sukuna leapt into the air, hurling a dagger down. Serena caught it and responded with a rapid counterattacks of daggers.
In a flash, Sukuna reappeared behind her, fist raised.
But Serena spun, grabbed her wrist, and smashed her into the ground.
She didn't stop—Serena hurled her into the air, moved so fast that it seemed like she teleported mid-way, and slammed Sukuna down with crushing force that broke.
"Damn..." Alex muttered, eyes wide.
"She's insane..." Kinto added.
Serena stood above Sukuna. "You're not strong enough to beat me. You know that, right?"
But before she could catch her breath, Sukuna suddenly appeared behind her—blades aimed at her neck.
Serena dodged swiftly, but not fast enough. A clean cut appeared along the side of her neck.
"I'm not done yet," Sukuna said with a deadly smile.
Serena grinned, wiping the blood from her neck. "Then bring it on."
Sukuna's eyes glowed. "Death Lighter."
Her daggers glowed red-hot as plasma of green energy cloaked them. She hurled them at Serena in rapid succession.
Serena infused her own blades with electricity, sparks dancing around her body as she parried and countered.
Then, she surged energy into her legs.
ZAP.
She vanished.
She reappeared in a blur, dashing around Sukuna at lightning speed, slamming her from all angles.
Sukuna's eyes darted around while being hit. "I can't even react. Not like I can't move at this level of speed, but its extremely hard for me too do so. Serena finds it hard as well, but it's much easier for her than it is for me."
Serena landed a devastating kick to her back, sending Sukuna crashing into the arena floors with a devastating explosion of dust and debris.
"Want to stop?" Serena asked, smiling playfully.
Sukuna, now bloodied, grinned like a demon. "I'd rather die."
Electricity crackled around Serena's body as her hair floated upward.
"Then it's your funeral!"
She shot forward, lightning trailing behind her.
Sukuna stood tall and began to chant. Then—BOOM!
A thunderous explosion rocked the arena as Sukuna met Serena's charge with a monstrous punch.
Smoke filled the air.
Serena staggered out of it, dazed. She froze when she saw Sukuna's arms glowing with radiant plasma.
"What... are you doing?"
"Plasma Punch," Sukuna replied. "I convert all my energy into plasma, that's my ability. And this—"
She blitzed forward and SLAMMED her fist into Serena's gut, creating a shockwave that shattered the floor beneath them.
As the smoke cleared, both girls stood on shaky feet—tired, bloodied, panting.
Serena raised her arm, wiping her mouth. "Still want to dance?"
Sukuna licked the blood from her lips and smiled. "Let's end this."
Kinto was abit stunned as he held tight to the railings "What the hell is going on?!"
Green plasma surged around Sukuna's fist. Serena's hands crackled with blue electricity.
They charged.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Blow after blow echoed as they clashed at lightning speed, matching strength for strength, skill for skill. They were not just showing powerful blows and kicks, but they had extreme combat skills.
Then, in one final strike—they punched each other in the face with all their remaining might.
An explosion of plasma and electricity burst outward.
Both girls flew back, landing on the ground, unmoving.
The arena fell into silence.
Tomoa raised his hand. "This match... is a draw!"
Alex and Kinto stared in disbelief.
"Remind me never to mess with girls like that..." Kinto muttered.
Alex nodded. "Seriously... fear women."
Meanwhile, in the Forest...
High above the ground, Kenji sat on a tall tree branch, reading a book. The wind rustled through the leaves.
Ukina appeared silently behind him.
"You're late," Kenji said without turning.
Ukina smirked. "Is the plan going smoothly?"
Kenji closed the book. "It's only a matter of time."
"Good work," she said, her voice calm.
They looked into the distance as the sun dipped lower on the horizon.
END OF EPISODE.